Chapter 25
A World Apart
When Damon had gotten back to the apartment, he'd held onto Kali all night long. He still couldn't believe that Stefan had actually gone after her, biting her. What irritated him even more though was the fact that he'd seen the signs, the way that he'd looked at her that day. He hadn't recognized it though and that's what led to Kali getting hurt.
"God…I'm sorry," he sighed, pressing his lips to Kali's head.
She was still asleep, merely laying there in his hold. The bandage on her neck was red, soaked with blood. He hadn't really bitten her as hard as Stefan had, but he'd still done a bit of damage without meaning to. After all, what was he supposed to do? It would have been impossible to explain the blood to Liz without there being a bite mark and he hadn't had time to let anyone else take care of her. No, if Damon hadn't given her his blood, she'd be dead right now. She'd be dead because of Stefan.
"Stefan…" he breathed out.
That thought bothered him. True, Damon had killed many people and so had Stefan, but Stefan had given that up a long time ago. Now, Stefan was fighting against it because of the blood. For once, Stefan had become the dangerous one, and Damon had to be the hero.
T
As I woke up, I felt my head pounding, a groan escaping me. I tried to roll over, but I found myself unable to, opening my eyes to find Damon there.
"Damon?" I whispered, looking up at him.
"Hey," he greeted quietly, an almost solemn look on his face.
"What's wrong?" I asked, causing him to chuckle.
"You nearly end up dead and you ask me what's wrong?" he asked skeptically.
"I need to pee," I sighed tiredly, pulling away.
Sadly, I nearly fell over upon standing, feeling Damon grab hold of me with practiced ease.
"Easy," he told me, steadying me as he stood beside me in a second.
"I'm fine," I assured him, gripping his forearm for a moment.
I then let go, moving toward the bathroom and closing the door behind me.
T
Damon let out a sigh as she walked away. It was obvious that she was still out of it, but he didn't say anything about it. Instead, he left her to her own devices in the bathroom, walking out of the room and into the kitchen. He'd placed a small supply of blood in the bottom drawer of the refrigerator, with Kali's knowledge of course. After all, he wouldn't be able to feed from her for a little while. No doubt, Liz would check on her, so the wound on her neck had to remain there until it healed on its own. Sadly, he could also see John bothering her for being bitten.
Damon's face scrunched up as a result of his thoughts. John was a pain in the ass and would without a doubt ridicule Kali for not listening to him. It would merely give Damon another reason to dislike the man.
T
Standing there, I looked in the mirror, touching my neck. The bandage there was red, the gauze saturated with blood. Slowly, I pulled it away, wincing at the pulling of skin.
"Ouch…" I whined, dropping it into the trash.
Blood ran freely now that the gauze had been pulled away, leaving it open. I realized then that Damon had gotten me good. Granted, it could have been far worse, but he had to make it believable. He'd taken no pleasure in doing it though, that much had been obvious last night.
"Damon?" I called quietly, pushing the bathroom door open.
Within a second, he was in front of me, face attentive. I nearly jumped.
"Can you…" I pointed to my neck, unsure of the proper words to use.
Without having to speak further, he nodded his head, gently taking hold of my arm as he led me over to the bed.
I sat down, wincing as he fingered the wound for a moment, pressing his fingertips atop the marred skin. He pulled back a moment later, a solemn look on his face. He then went into the bathroom, running the water for a moment, before coming back out with a few things and sitting them on the bed.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly, wiping my neck with a damp cloth as gently as he could.
"You've nothing to be sorry for," I told him, closing my eyes as he cleaned the wound.
It stung when he touched it, but I merely brushed it off, thinking of others things.
"You warned me about telling Elena and I didn't listen…so I'm sorry," he sighed, admitting that he was wrong. "You got hurt because I didn't listen."
"I got hurt because your brother finally snapped," I told him, grabbing his hand and pulling it away from my neck. "It's not your fault, Damon."
I watched as he chewed on the inside of his cheek, staring down at me, before looking elsewhere. It was annoying.
"There's no point trying to blame yourself, Damon, it won't get you anywhere. Besides, isn't brooding Stefan's thing?" I asked, watching as a small smile pulled onto his face for a moment.
"That's true, but I think I've earned the right to be broody for at least one day," he told me, causing a look of confusion to wash over my features. "Don't worry about it," he said, shaking his head, before continuing his work.
I merely sat there letting him clean it, leaving me to my own thoughts. My thing was, I didn't quite understand what he meant. Why did he earn being broody? The man was always joking with me and kidding around so what was the point. I wasn't dead or anything.
I stopped in my thoughts then, brows furrowed. Again, I slowly took hold of his hand, pulling it away.
"Would you stop that?" he asked. "I'm trying to do this."
"Damon…" I breathed out, eyes looking up at him.
He paused for a moment as I stared at him, giving me a slightly curious look, but it was also mixed with a bit of frustration due to stopping him again.
"About last night," I started, looking up at him.
"I don't wanna talk about it," he said dismissively.
"Damon, don't," I said, grabbing hold of his hand before he could walk away.
"You were almost killed," he narrowed, the corner of his mouth twitching. "What about that don't you get?" he asked, voice harsh.
"Trust me, I get it, Damon," I told him. "Don't think I've forgotten about it, that fear rushing through my veins, the bite as he tore into me…"
"Then why bother asking?" he shot back, his frustration in me obvious.
"Because I saw the look on your face last night, Damon," I imparted. "The fear in your eyes as you held onto me, the rush as you forced your blood down my throat..."
I watched as he froze, his body stopping all movement. Apparently, he didn't think that I'd noticed last night, but that wasn't true. No, I took notice to everything last night. Every word, expression, sound. I took everything in as I started to fade. It was like everything was heightened, including the pain, and his fear hadn't gone unnoticed. Not in the slightest.
"Damon, I'm still here," I told him, slowly standing up and taking his hands in mine.
For a moment, he wouldn't look at me though.
"Damon," I snapped lightly, causing his eyes to flicker toward mine. "I'm still here," I repeated. "You saved my life."
"Barely," he snorted with distaste.
"You managed," I pointed out. "You saved my life and that's the only reason why I'm standing here," I told him, bringing my hand up and placing it upon his cheek.
He turned his head a bit when I did this, bringing his own hand up to rest upon the one that I'd placed. His fingers curled around the edge of my hand, cradling it against his cheek, before pulling it down and kissing the inside of my palm.
"Your touch is always warm," he said quietly, closing his eyes for a moment as he moved my hand down the side of his neck, leaving it between his throat and shoulder.
He then ran a hand through my hair, combing it out with his fingers, before pulling me toward him. His lips met mine in an instant, before pulling back, his forehead pressing against mine. It's like he was at odds with himself.
"So much trouble," he muttered, fingers curling further into my hair.
"It's not my fault," I said quietly. "Besides, you and Stefan attract about as much trouble as I do," I pointed out.
"Who taught you how to argue?" he asked skeptically.
I merely shrugged my shoulders before replying.
"I learned from you."
"Smart ass," he muttered, a small smirk on his face.
T
"So, what are we having for dinner?" John asked.
"Oh, I don't know, how about a helping of silence and a smidgen of sincerity?" I played out. "Maybe even a bit of humanity too," I added dryly.
At the moment, I was over at Elena's helping Jenna with dinner. I was already starting to see my mistake in coming once John had come walking into the room though, making me feel like Damon when he was in one of his little moods.
"Oh, sarcasm, nice," he said smoothly, coming up behind me. "Is this your first time?" he asked.
"Do you want a knuckle sandwich?" I asked sweetly, turning to face him, my lips pulled into a thin line.
"Hm, I wonder what that tastes like. Can you add mustard?"
"Actually, how about ketchup?" I offered. "I like the color red," I said flatly, my answer having a completely different meaning.
"Would you like to test that little theory of yours?" he asked, his nose nearly touching mine.
It took every ounce of energy that I had to stay still, keeping myself from moving. I couldn't stand having him this close to me, his breath on my skin. The feeling itself was nauseating, leaving me wanting to wander off elsewhere.
"Don't tempt me," I said evenly, eyes locked with his.
A moment later, Jeremy stepped into the kitchen, an eyebrow raised in question.
"Um, what's going on in here?" he asked, a warily look on his face as he looked between the two of us.
I could only imagine what was going through his head right now upon seeing us this close, our faces mere inches apart. I could only imagine what anyone else's view would be upon walking in.
"We were merely having a friendly conversation, Jeremy," John said simply, reaching his hand out and opening the silverware drawer that was to my left.
He still kept his spot in front of me though as he pulled out the forks, not bothering to move from the vicinity.
I knew exactly what he was doing though, testing me. He was trying to see how many buttons he could push before I decided to go off on him. In the end though, I'd merely get even with him, crowning me as the victor.
"Right…" Jeremy replied, not really believing him.
Granted, I wouldn't believe him either, but that was just me.
With that, Jeremy walked out of the kitchen and over to the couch. I could hear the sound of the TV as he turned his Xbox on, grabbing the controller for his racing game.
"I suggest you back off now," I said quietly, eyeing John.
"As you wish," he replied smoothly, pushing away from me and over to the table as he began to set the plates.
"I can't wait till you're out of here," I muttered.
"What was that?" he asked, raising a brow in question.
"Nothing."
T
It wasn't until after John left that I felt disappointment raise within me. Not because I missed his company, but because I hadn't gotten the chance to get him back. I'd deliberately placed close to an entire bottle of hot sauce in his food, but he'd left without eating it, saying that he had to go meet someone. I merely shook it off though as I walked back to the apartment, a stake tucked away in the sleeve of my jacket. I'd learned now to keep one handy, especially if I were by myself at night. Sadly, it wasn't anything around me per say that made me jump. Instead, it was my phone, the ringing making me jump out of my skin.
"Damn it, Damon, you scared the crap out of me," I hissed into the phone after seeing his name flashing on the screen.
"Oops," he said dismissively, though I knew there was a smirk adorning his lips.
"What do you want?" I asked with a sigh, running a hand through my hair as I looked down the road.
"Oh, I'm hurt, really," he chuckled, before turning slightly more serious in tone. "I wanted to know how the teacher got my number," he told me.
"What? Alaric?" I asked, knowing the nickname he used.
"Who else?" he asked dryly.
"So, I guess it's safe to assume that he called you then?" I inquired, crossing the street a moment later.
There were really no cars around, so I had no need to worry, but that didn't mean that I was careless in my journey home.
"Yeah," he said flatly.
"Look, Damon, I really don't see what the big deal is," I told him. "After all, you two need to start getting along."
"Getting along?" he scoffed, his tone suggesting that my statement was stupid.
"Yes, getting along," I repeated.
"I don't know if you noticed, but vampires and vampire hunters don't exactly mix," he pointed out.
"And yet you still managed to coexist," I quipped.
"Don't push it," he told me.
"And what's got you in a bad mood anyway?" I asked curiously.
"Oh, you mean besides dealing with my broody little brother?" he asked. "Or perhaps you're speaking of Saint Johnathon," he continued.
"Ugh, don't talk about him," I groaned in irritation. "The man is a complete ass," I told him.
"Tell me something I don't know."
"Alright, enough with the attitude," I said firmly.
"Yes, mother," he replied.
"Damon," I warned.
"Fine, maybe I just want you by my side," he told me, though I knew he still wasn't being serious. "Ever think of that?"
"I would if I thought it was a validated truth at the moment," I told him, my shoes scrapping lightly against the paved sidewalk.
At the moment, I was so bored with myself that I was counting the cracks around me, soon reaching pasted 30 within the short silence.
"Look, the teacher's picking me up," he finally told me. "We've got a possible lead on Isobel."
"So, that's what this is about," I breathed out. "Or perhaps a possible lead to Katherine," I said quietly, forgetting that he could hear me.
"Alright little Miss Know-it-all," he said curtly, before continuing. "Perhaps you'd like to tell me my next move then, hm?"
"Oh, I don't know, maybe coming back to the apartment?" I offered.
I swear, when he was in an iffy mood, it could sometimes manage to put me in one too.
"Aw, getting lonely in bed?" he teased.
"If you're going to continue with being in a pissy mood, then I'm just going to hang up," I said simply, not wanting to put up with it at the moment.
"Fine," he sighed. "I'll behave."
I swear, I could practically see him rolling his eyes as he spoke, causing me to roll my own.
"You know, I could do without the eye rolling," I told him.
"Really now, I was rolling my eyes?" he asked childishly. "You must really know me then," he teased.
"I'm hanging up now," I said finally, sliding my thumb down to the red button on the phone.
"Be careful on your way home," he told me.
T
Damon let out a sigh as she hung up. Not that he could blame her though. After all, he had been pushing her buttons. He couldn't really help it though. Yes, he wanted to hear the sound of her voice, but he also needed his few minutes of venting. Sadly, that venting ended up being aimed at Kali. He'd make it up to her later though. After all, it was impossible for her to stay mad at him.
"Well, that looked like an interesting conversation," came the sound of Alaric's voice as he pulled up beside Damon, the window rolled down.
"Oh, being nosey are we?" Damon asked, opening the passenger side door and climbing in.
"Perhaps," Alaric shrugged, and with that, they were off.
T
The sound of pool balls clicking together echoed around the room to those close enough to hear it, a ball or two falling into their respected pockets. This sound wasn't what caught John's attention though, but the vampire that had entered the room; Pearl.
Said vampire held great beauty in his eyes, even though he thought all vampires to be evil creatures of darkness. In John's eyes, vampires held no real heart, merely the hunger that pumped through their veins, pushing them to feed on innocent victims. He knew that Kali would eventually be one such casualty, already coming so close to death after being bitten. He'd warned her though and that's all that he could do. Even though there was also the fact that he liked to irritate Damon. Both brothers would be dead soon enough though, his problems burned away to that of ash. All he needed was the Gilbert device and he'd be set, but first, he needed to win over this woman whom had once cast a spell over his ancestor's heart.
"Hello Mr. Gilbert," Pearl greeted, hanging her purse on the corner of the chair that sat across from John.
"Pearl. What a pleasure," John greeted, a faint smile on his face. "I'll admit, I'm surprised that you came," he told her, watching as she removed her coat and sat down.
"Jenna tells me that you wanted to discuss the sale of the building in person," Pearl stated, ignoring his comment.
"Still, revealing yourself to me like this, it took quite a risk," he replied.
"I'm not stupid, Mr. Gilbert. You knew who I was when you requested the meeting," she stated, staring at him blandly as he nodded his head. "So, Damon tells me that you're looking for the device I took from Johnathan," she continued, watching as John nodded his head once more. "I'm sure you realize I have no intention of giving it to you."
"That's why I wanted to meet you," he told her, catching the questionable look on her face. "I'm planning on changing your mind."
"Really? How so?" she questioned.
"With my Gilbert charm," he stated. "I know that you have a weakness for it. May I buy you a drink?" he offered, gesturing over the server.
T
Pushing open the door to my apartment, I stepped inside, tossing my bag down onto the couch. I then ran a hand through my hair, pushing the door closed behind me and locking it. I was tired, but I was also slightly irritated with myself. I was irritated at the way that I'd handled Damon. After all, it was obvious that this whole thing with Stefan was bothering him, so I could have at least been a bit more supportive.
"Why did I say that to him?" I sighed, shrugging off my jacket and hanging it up on the wall. "Why'd I have to mention Katherine?"
I had no clue why I'd done it. I mean, it'd just slipped out before I had realized it. Not to mention, it was a bit of a low blow on my part, regardless of his attitude.
"It was stupid," I told myself, walking off to the bathroom.
Again, I was left in front of the mirror, my hands reaching up toward my neck. I hesitated as I stood there, staring at my reflection.
For a brief moment, my mind went back to that night. It was only a few nights ago, but the memory was still fresh in my mind. This thought caused my hand to shake, the fingers of my hand curling around the edge of the bandage as I tugged at it.
In the back of my mind, I saw blood.
T
After parking the car, Damon and Alaric got out. Alaric led him to an apartment on the ground level, his steps slowly as he looked around. An owl could be heard clearly in the distance.
"This is the one here," Alaric pointed out as he walked up to the door with Damon. "The records show this was paid 3 months in advance."
"This is where it gets tricky. I may or may not be able to get in," Damon told him, before knocking a few times on the door.
"Yeah, how does that work?" Alaric asked curiously. "You always have to be invited in?"
"By the owner or the person of entitlement," he replied, keeping his eyes on the door for the most part. "Short-term rentals and hotels are a bit of a gray area. You kind of gotta play it by ear."
With that, Damon stepped closer toward the door, taking the door knob in his hand.
"Heh. Could we not kill anyone tonight, please?" Alaric asked.
"You mean, you just brought me along for my company?" Damon joked, turning the locked handle.
They both heard the sound of groaning metal as he did so, breaking the lock with ease and pushing it open.
"You first," Damon said with a dry smile, gesturing for Alaric to step inside as Damon kept watch around them.
"Doesn't look like anyone's home," Alaric said quietly, carefully stepping inside.
The entire place was dark, not a single light on. The only thing that could truly be seen was Damon's shadow as he looked at the doorway for a moment, checking it. He then slowly placed his foot through the door, testing it.
"Yeah. I'm good," Damon said slowly, stepping inside and closing the door behind him. "No permanent resident, apparently," he finished, following behind Alaric as they made their way further in, light shining into the living room from a street lamp outside.
Alaric didn't notice anything out of place though as he came to stand in the dining room, Damon making his way into the kitchen and opening up the fridge. Inside, Damon several blood bags from the hospital, along with a single beer, and a bottle of water.
"Uh, Rick, we have company," Damon announced, not really caring that much as he stared into the fridge for a moment longer.
A second later, a vampire came leaping out at Alaric, face scrunched up and hissing. The vampire shoved Alaric up against the wall, but Rick wasn't willing to stand there very long, punching it in the stomach with the weapon on his hand. Said weapon resembled brass knuckles, save for the fact that it was actually three wooden spikes. When the vampire made to attack Alaric again though, Damon came forward, grabbing him and tossing him back onto the floor.
"Boys, boys, that's enough," he said calmly, as though he'd just broken up a fight between children.
Upon further inspection though, Damon realized that he knew the young man before him, his face familiar.
"I know you," Damon said warily, brows furrowing slightly.
"Damon?" the man asked, recognizing Damon as well as he stood up.
"Your name is Henry. You were in the tomb," Damon voiced, his tone showing slight confusion.
What was a tomb vampire doing here, talking with John no less? After all, John hated vampires and wanted to be rid of them, so why would he be consorting with them?
"Yes, sir," Henry nodded, a smile on his face, before a curious expression came across it. "What are you doing here?"
T
Back at the boarding house, Elena stood, watching Stefan from the other side of the door. He was sitting there on the cot that she'd had Damon place for him, his head down. Sadly, he hadn't been eating. In fact, Damon had told her that he'd been refusing to drink the blood given to him. Said bottle of blood laid on the ground in front of him, the contents untouched.
"You know, Damon hasn't fed me vervain in a while. I could be at those bars in a flash, and you'd be dead," Stefan said calmly, not bothering to look up at her as he mulled over the memories in his head.
"Yeah, you could, but you won't," she told him, watching him as he continued to sit there.
"Please, just go away," he breathed out, before hanging his head again. "I don't want you here."
After a moment, Elena got feed up, unlatching the door with a jerk of her hand. She wasn't going to let him continue doing this to himself.
"What are you doing? Get out of here," he told her as she stepped inside the cellar, closing the door behind her.
"No," she said simply.
"You're taking a stupid risk. I could hurt you," he reminded her.
"Then I'm stupid," she replied, leaning down and picking the bottle up off the ground.
The bottle was cold to the touch, the blood not even close to being warm. Granted, she didn't really care about that part, but that was beside the point.
"You need to drink this," Elena told him, holding out the bottle of blood.
"Elena, get out of here or you'll regret it," Stefan said darkly, eyes narrowing faintly.
"Drink," she repeated, ignoring his words.
Stefan was in front of her a second later, smacking the bottle out of her hands. He was angry.
"I said get out!" he growled, eyes dark, fangs bared.
"No," she fought back, staring him in the eyes unwavering.
They stared at each other for a moment, Stefan's face twitching. He pulled away when he finally realized that she wasn't going to back down, the veins in his face slowly receding.
Stefan didn't know what to do.
T
"So, how do you know John Gilbert?" Henry asked, standing over the sink as he carefully emptied a single bag of blood into a glass.
His question was directed toward Damon, only sparing a couple quick looks so as not to spill a drop. Henry didn't want to waste any blood, for it was too precious a drink.
"Well, I've known him for years. He's a good friend," Damon replied, the lie coming out smoothly.
Damon was always good at lying when need be and right now was no different. Even if he detested the thought of what he said even being hypothetically true. He then turned the question back toward Henry, curious for information.
"How do you know him?" Damon asked, still sitting comfortably in the wooden chair beside the dining table, Alaric watching Henry the entire time.
"I met him right after I got out of the tomb," he explained, placing the now empty blood bag in the sink, before making his way over to Damon, glass in hand. "He's been helping me out."
"Helping you out how?" Alaric asked calmly, his back against the wooden post that helped divide the kitchen and the living room.
"Adapting," Henry answered, placing the glass of blood in front of Damon as a sign of good faith.
After all, Damon was a fellow vampire. One whom meant Henry no real harm. At least, that's what he thought anyway.
"It's a whole new world..." he breathed out, a smile on his face as he moved toward the fridge. "Cars, computers, . There's so much to learn," he told them, pulling another bag of blood from the fridge. "He helped me get this place," he explained.
He then moved back over to the sink, straining the blood into a glass for himself this time.
"So, do you live here alone or is there someone else here?" Alaric asked, trying to find out the information that he'd come for.
A look of confusion spread across Henry's face at the man's bold question, turning to Damon for elaboration.
"That's my friend's very...passive-aggressive way of asking, uh, do you know a woman named Isobel?" Damon asked, shooting Alaric a look afterwards that told him to be quiet and let him do the talking.
Damon didn't feel like blowing their cover just because the teacher didn't want to have enough patience to remain quiet and tread lightly.
"Uh, no. No, I don't know an Isobel," Henry told them, before concentrating on his drink once more. "I know John. He's my only real friend," he said, before explaining, "He really showed me the ropes... how to use a microwave, separate my whites."
With that, Henry took a drink from his glass, savoring the taste of blood on his tongue. It was a delicious drink, but at least he wasn't controlled by that fact.
"What else do you do for him?" Alaric asked, arms still folded across his chest.
"I help keep an eye on things...You know, with the others," he told them with a slight shrug of the shoulders.
"The others?" Damon asked, an eyebrow raised in question.
"From the tomb," Henry replied. "They're still pissed at the founding families for trying to burn them alive. I'm cool, but those tomb boys, they want revenge."
Henry took a long drink after that, calming his nerves at the thought of the rowdy vampires. Unlike Henry, the others were out for blood, intent on killing those that had done them harm. Heck, he even knew a few that might possibly go after Damon and those around them if they truly felt the urge to do so. Even Damon's girlfriend perhaps. It was a human woman whom John had said to keep an eye on as well if possible.
"What does John want with them?" Alaric inquired.
"He's just keeping an eye on them, you know?" he responded with a shrug. "Trying to make sure they stay out of trouble."
"Well, that's John," Damon chuckled a moment later as he kept up the act. "He's such a do-gooder."
Then, almost as if on cue, the sound of a cell phone ringing could be heard. It was Henry's, and as he pulled it from his pocket, he couldn't help, but to smile.
"Heh. It's John now," he told him, a smile on his face at the irony.
Damon was quick to move though, standing up from his seat. He couldn't have their cover blown by the young man answering the phone.
"Oh. Hey, let me talk to him," Damon said in a friendly manner as he carefully took the phone from Henry's outstretched hand.
"All right. Yeah," Henry nodded, a trusting smile on his face.
Damon merely stood there though, looking down at flashing glass screen, the notification from the phone continuing to sound.
"Are you gonna answer that?" Henry asked, brows furrowing slightly as Damon continued to stand there.
"Am I gonna…answer that?" Damon asked slowly, his eyes glancing from Henry, before landing on Alaric in question.
Without hesitation, Alaric shook his head, arms still folded. It was then that Henry's face fell, senses going on alert.
"What's going on?" he asked warily.
When he received no answer though, his face contorted, quickly turning on Alaric. Damon then grabbed hold of the vampire, quickly turning him around and allowing Alaric to stake the man through the back.
Within seconds, the color drained from Henry's face, his skin turning a deathly bluish grey.
Damon let go of him only after the light had completely faded from the man's eyes, dropping him to the floor, before turning to Alaric.
"Let's not kill anyone tonight," he said. "Your words. Just pointing that out," he told him, patting him on the back a couple times.
T
Again, I found myself looking down at my watch. I took another sip of tea as I studied the clock face.
It was getting late and I hadn't heard anything from Damon. This worried me a bit, but there was nothing I could do about it, save for sit there on the couch quietly.
"What am I going to do with you?" I sighed, glancing down at the current picture on my phone.
It was of Damon, one that I'd placed there the other day due to his absence. He was wearing his normal smirk in the picture, a spark of excitement burning in his eyes. It made me smile, looking down at the picture, reminding me of when I'd taken it.
The picture had been taken a little while back, simply spur of the moment. I'd been bored and taken it when I thought that he hadn't been paying much attention. Afterwards, he'd pounced on me, pinning me to the bed with a haughty expression on his face.
"I hope that part of you never changes, Damon," I said quietly, a tiny smile pulling at the corner of my lips as I sat there on the couch, leaning back against the cushions.
I always wanted to see that liveliness in his eyes; that thrill that nearly drove me over the edge at times.
In all honesty, I just wanted him to remain the way that he was, even if everyone else didn't like it. After all, I loved him exactly the way that he was, attitude included. Plus, it meant that things were never boring.
"Why can't I just tell him how I feel?" I sighed, closing my eyes as I made myself just a bit more comfortable.
T
Finding no reason to waste the blood, Damon emptied the rest of the blood into a glass, filling it up. All of the excitement was making him hungry. Granted, he still preferred his blood warm, but the chilled stuff would have to suffice for the time being.
"Find anything yet?" he asked, arching an eyebrow in question toward Alaric as the man made his way back into the living room.
Alaric had been looking all around the house for answers, searching it for clues or any sign of Isobel. He'd come up empty handed though, letting out a sigh as he sat down on the couch.
"No, I looked everywhere. The place is...The place is clean," Alaric sighed, gesturing around him.
"Well, I found this behind the blood in the fridge," Damon said smoothly, tossing the history teacher a beer.
"Oh, man, this was a real dead-end," he imparted, taking a drink.
"I wouldn't beat myself up over it, man," Damon told him, walking over to the table against the wall.
He sat down his glass, picking up the pile of mail that had been sitting there and looking through it. It was just a few bills, a payment notice for cable, credit card offers, coupons, even a measly TV guide. Other than that, there really wasn't much there.
"What did you think you were gonna find, huh? Isobel with a cigar and slippers?" Damon asked, brow arched in question.
In response, Rick let out a small snort of laughter, running a hand over his face.
"Oh, man. I...I gotta stop this," he breathed out, his hand falling down onto his knee. "I can't...I can't keep searching for her."
"Really? After only 2 years?" Damon question, pulling the chair away from the desk table and sitting down on it, his arms draped over the back of it. "That's actually...moderately healthy."
"Heh. What are you going on? 146?" Rick asked, doing the math in his head.
"Well, I figure the 200 mark is probably a good stopping point," he offered, a small smile on his face as he took a drink from his glass, the taste of a slightly bitter blood meeting his tongue.
Kali's blood was definitely better than this, that was for sure.
"What about you and Kali?"
Damon turned his head to look at his current companion.
"What about it?" Damon asked, drinking a bit more of the ruby red liquid.
"You two seem pretty cozy," Rick assessed.
"What if we are?" Damon questioned, eyeing Rick for a moment.
"Just curious," he shrugged.
It was silent for a moment, neither speaking a word as they drank their drinks. It was as though neither was sure of what to say and Damon wasn't really willing to offer anything up at the moment that was personal.
"I just… I keep thinking I wanna know why, when, you know, the precise moment. When my wife decided life with me wasn't enough," Alaric sighed.
"She charmed me, your wife Isobel," Damon spoke calmly. "She talked a good game, man. She was smart. She had this excitement in her eyes," he explained, remembering the woman whom he had turned. "I probably should have known there was something different about her, some tie to Katherine. There had to be some reason I didn't kill her."
"That's enough, Damon. I don't wanna hear anymore," Alaric breathed out, causing Damon to pause in his actions as he watched the man. "I just don't want to waste any more of my life searching for answers that I really don't want. I'm through with Isobel. I...I'm done with all of this," he told him, before getting up from the couch.
Damon then watched as he left, walking out the door and out of his sight. There was nothing more that Damon could do.
T
"Ugh. God. You're still here?" Damon asked, walking into the parlor.
He found Elena sitting there on the couch, history book in her lap along with her diary.
"Distracted?" he asked, a small smirk on his face as he walked over to the couch, picking her legs up and sitting down. "Ahh," he sighed, leaning his head back as he set her legs on his lap.
"So, how was the errand?" Elena asked, glancing back down at her diary as she continued to write.
"Futile," he replied, patting her leg lightly with his hand as he closed his eyes for a moment. "Although, I think I witnessed the teacher having an existential crisis."
It was quiet for a moment, the only sound being made coming from the flames of the fire as it licked at the wood that fed it.
"Has Stefan eaten yet?" Damon asked.
"I thought you didn't care," Elena said, an eyebrow raised in question.
"Chalk it up to morbid curiosity," he said dryly.
"I think he's getting there," she told him, pursing her lips for a moment, before continuing. "But he's got a lot of guilt that he has to deal with and it doesn't help that you've spent the last 145 years punishing him for Katherine getting caught," she pointed out, eyeing him as he sat there.
"This is my fault now?" he asked skeptically.
"No, it's no one's fault, Damon," she told him, scratching lightly at the page of her diary.
She was scribbling, drawing a random star or two out of boredom.
"I'm just saying you're not exactly…innocent. You've made it your life's mission to make him miserable."
Scrunching his nose up for a moment, Damon stood from the couch, walking over to the other side of the room. He turned back to face her, a hard look on his face.
"Let me ask you a question, Elena," he started. "In all this important soul-searching and cleansing of the demons of Stefan's past, did you ever manage to get the rest of the story?" he asked, the irritation obvious in the way that he spoke.
"He said there was more," she replied.
"Yeah. That's an understatement," he scoffed, pushing himself out of the room and making to leave.
Quickly, Elena stood, walking after him. She grabbed hold of his arm, stopping him.
"Damon…" she breathed out, gripping his jacket in her hand. "Tell me."
T
Quietly, Jeremy laid on his bed, eyes closed in sleep. He had his arm behind his head, his chest raising and falling slowly as the cool air from the outside blew into his room through the open window. It was through this window that Anna entered, easily laying down on the bed beside him as she watched him sleep. She couldn't bare the thought of what she was going to have to do.
With a breath of air, Jeremy opened his eyes tiredly, staring out in front of him.
"Hey," he whispered, taking in another breath.
"It's getting impossible to sneak up on you," she told him.
"Nice try though," he murmured, the task of blinking away sleep impossible.
"Sorry I woke you," Anna apologized.
"That's ok. You only woke me halfway," he admitted, closing his eyes for a moment.
"So, listen," she started, reaching out and brushing her fingers against his forehead. "I…"
The warmth felt so nice against her cold skin.
"That feels nice," he whispered, slowly being pulled back into sleep.
Biting her lip, Anna pulled her hand away, slowly scooting closer. She pressed her lips to his for a moment; a good bye kiss.
"I'll never forget you," she whispered. "Good bye…"
T
Making her way out into the open, Elena slowly approached Stefan. After talking with Damon, she had a good feeling that she'd find him at the quarry.
"Stefan," Elena called, standing there for a moment as she watched him. "Damon told me the rest of the story…" she revealed. "I thought I might find you here."
"I should have died that night, just like I had chosen," he said quietly. "I should have let Damon die too."
"But you didn't," she told him. "And if you die now, it's not gonna change what happened."
"Every single person that's been hurt… Every single life that's been lost, it's because of me," he choked out.
Biting her lip, Elena stepped closer, sliding her tongue over her teeth.
"The night that my parents died… I blew off family night so that I could go to some party," she told him, the pain twitching inside of her at the memory. "I ended up getting stranded and they had to come pick me up. That's why we ended up in the car at Wickery Bridge and that's why they died."
She was quiet for a short moment after that, closing her eyes for a moment.
"Our actions are what set things in motion…but we have to live with that," she said gently.
"I made a choice, Elena," he snapped lightly. "Because of that choice, a lot of people were hurt."
"You also made a choice to stop, to reject the person that the blood made you," she reminded him, coming closer with every step. "You made a choice to be good, Stefan."
"No. Please don't do that," he told her, running a hand through his hair, his hand shaking.
"That's the person who jumped in the water to save the family whose car had driven off the bridge," she pressed.
"Please. Don't make this all ok," he begged.
"That's the person who saved my life."
She had a small smile on her face as she told him this, coming to stand before him.
"You don't understand, Elena," he sighed, eyes watery.
"Then tell me," she breathed.
"It hurts me, Elena. It hurts me, knowing what I've done, and that pain…" he swallowed the lump in his throat. "That pain is with me all the time and every day, I think that if I just… If I just give myself over to the blood, I can make that pain stop," he told her, his eyes looking into hers as he explained himself. "It would be that easy, and every day, I fight that, Elena."
Stefan paused for a moment to breathe, leaning his head back to stare up at the sky.
"I fought so hard to fight it…to keep from hurting Kali…"
Stefan was nearly in tears again as he thought about it, the image of Kali's mangled skin coming to mind, how he'd torn into her without a second thought that night. He'd come so close to killing her and if Damon hadn't been there, if he hadn't gotten to them in time, Kali would be dead in the ground right now.
"I came so close… So close to ending her life, Elena," he whispered, scrunching his eyes together as he ran a hand over his face. "And I'm terrified that one day, I'm not gonna want to fight it anymore," he confessed. "Next time I hurt someone… It could be you."
"There will be no next time," Elena told him.
"You don't' know that," he breathed out, trying to keep her safe.
"Maybe I don't," she replied, before continuing. "But what I do know, is that you can take this, throw it in the quarry, and let the sun rise. Or you could take this ring and put it on and keep fighting," she told him, giving him two options to choose from as she placed the ring in his hand, pressing her lips to his own. "It's your choice."
With that, Elena began to walk off, leaving him to choose. It didn't take long though, hearing him call after her.
"Elena…"
Within moments, his arms were around her, holding her close as he kissed her with all he had. He didn't want to lose her, not now, not ever. Stefan wanted to hold on to what he had, hold on to that shred of sanity that she somehow managed to give him.
T
Sitting there in front of the fire, Damon continued to play with the Gilbert device, turning it over in his hands. Even to his dead skin, the small contraption was smooth and cool to the touch, the grooves of the metal pressing against his fingertips as he held it.
All in all, Damon was contemplating whether to leave or continue waiting on Elena and Stefan. He yearned to be with Kali, to be close to her and clear his head. He wanted to smell her scent and forget about his worries for a short while. Damon wanted to wrap his arms around her and watch as she slept, eyes flickering behind her eyelids in dreams. He wanted that minute of peace.
Luckily, Damon didn't have to wait much longer as Elena stepped into the room with Stefan, their hands intertwined together as she led him in.
"Little boy lost," Damon spoke aloud, glancing up at Stefan.
Elena stood there at his side, holding gently to his arm as she rubbed his back.
"I'll be upstairs, okay?" she said, before turning her eyes toward Damon."Good night, Damon."
Damon gave her a hard smile as he stared into the fire, listening to the sound of her footsteps as she made her way upstairs. Merely having Stefan in his sights annoyed him at the moment, knowing that his idiot brother had tried to opt out because of the guilt that he was feeling. Feeling guilt for what he had done to Kali, Damon could understand that, but he was still irritated because Stefan felt guilt for the things that Damon had done.
"Thank you," Stefan said quietly, inclining his head toward Damon.
"No, Stefan, thank you. You're back on Bambi blood, and I'm the big badass brother again. All is right in the world," came Damon's sarcastic reply, his hand bringing his glass to his lips for another drink.
He'd gone through so much alcohol tonight that Kali would likely kill him if she knew. Granted, there wasn't much that she could do about it to his dismay. When he was in a foul mood, he took to drinking or at least that's how it was when she wasn't within reach.
"I mean it. Thank you. For...helping her take care of me, even after all I've done," Stefan told him, his words sincere as he took a seat beside Damon.
"You brood too much," Damon admonished. "Everything on this planet is not your fault. My actions, what I do, it's not your fault. I own them. They belong to me. You are not allowed to feel my guilt," he ground out.
"Do you feel guilt?" Stefan asked, his tone suggesting that he was slightly skeptical.
"If I wanted to, it's there," he admitted, his thoughts pulling back toward Kali as he took another drink, clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth.
Stefan took this time to stand, assuming that Damon had same his piece. He didn't want to be any more of a burden at the moment, especially, since Damon had done so much for him.
"You know, Emily waited till after I turned to tell me she'd been successful in protecting Katherine with her spell," Damon said suddenly, catching Stefan's attention. "She didn't want me to know about the tomb. She thought it would impact my decision."
"She didn't want either one of us to turn," Stefan replied. "She said it was a curse."
"Witches... Judgy little things," Damon breathed out.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Stefan asked, his eyes meeting Damon's for a moment, before his brother turned them back toward the fire.
Stefan could see the flames reflecting in his eyes like mirrors. Sometimes, it could be almost eerie, how calm his brother could seem.
"'Cause I didn't want you to know. 'Cause I hated you and I still do."
"I know," Stefan sighed.
"But not because you forced me to turn," Damon pointed out, catching his brother by surprise, his head shaking slightly.
"Then why?" Stefan asked, his voice soft and quiet as he watched Damon's face harden for a short moment.
Without saying a word, Damon uncrossed his legs, pushing himself up from the couch.
"Because she turned you," he revealed, coming to stand in front of Stefan. "It was just supposed to be me, Stefan… Just me."
With that, Damon walked out of the room, finishing his drink and placing the glass on the edge of the banister. He knew where he was going from there, he knew exactly where he was going.
T
As Kali lay there sleeping, she never noticed the sound of the door as the key was pushed into the lock or the almost hesitant way that the knob was turned. If she had, she would have sat up and greeted him, wrapping her arms around him and holding him close as she apologized.
"Kali?" Damon breathed out as he stepped inside.
His eyes searched the room for a split second before they landed on Kali, finding her laying on the couch, her eyes closed in sleep.
"Figures," he sighed, quietly pushing the door shut behind him and locking both of the locks.
Since the top one hadn't been locked, it was obvious to him that she had expected him to come back. She seemed to have more faith in him than he did himself at times.
A moment later, Damon's nose rose in the air, brows furrowing together slightly. The smell was somewhat familiar, but he wasn't sure why until he walked over into the kitchen, his eyes falling onto the stove.
Slowly, Damon moved closer, his hand reaching out and turning it off. The pot in front of him was still warm, the low heat keeping it at a comfortable point without chilling it. She'd left it for him.
Glancing over at her for a moment, Damon ran a hand through his hair, scratching lightly at the back of his head. His fingers met the bristle at the back of his neck, before sliding back down to his side, fingers twitching lightly.
"Why do you always do this?" he asked quietly, not expecting an answer back.
He then turned back around, grabbing a glass from the counter and pouring the contents of the pot into it, a translucent brown filling the glass.
After that, he ran a bit of water in it, rinsing it out and setting it back on the stove. Once he was done with that, he walked back into the living room, sitting down in a chair and watching Kali as she slept.
Damon wasn't sure why his thoughts were torturing him at the moment. It was probably because of Stefan. After all, the idiot was trying to feel guilt for everything that Damon had done. Damon's actions weren't Stefan's to feel guilty about though. Everything that Damon did, every bad deed, every kill, it was his burden to carry. None of it belonged to his brother or anyone else. He was his own person and he had to deal with the consequences of his actions, even if he didn't act like they bothered him at times. That's also why he had Kali.
"Hmm…" he breathed out, taking a sip of the tea.
Right off the bat, he could sense the caffeine in it, a small smile forming on his face. She'd done it deliberately no doubt, possibly figuring out before he did that he'd end up drinking, the caffeine knocking it out of his system and warming his blood. She was watching out for him, even when he didn't ask for it.
With a sigh, Damon rose from his seat, sitting his glass down on the floor. He then moved over toward the couch, kneeling down in front of Kali. He easily slid his arms beneath her, gathering her in his arms as he stood.
"Damon…?" Kali murmured, her eyes sliding open for a moment.
The look on her face was clouded with sleep as he nodded his head, shifting her so that she could lay her head in the space against his arm.
"I wasn't sure if you'd come back tonight," she spoke quietly, closing her eyes as she laid her hand on his chest.
"You worry too much," he joked, slowly moving through the hallway.
"I only worry… because I love you…" she told him, slowly slipping back into sleep.
"You're only saying that because you're half asleep," he pointed out, pushing open the door to their room.
"I do love you…" she whispered, her breath evening out as she fell asleep in his arms.
"Try again when you're actually awake hot stuff," he said, laying her small form down on the bed, her head falling to the side.
Damon merely shook his head as he stared down at her, pushing a bit of hair out of her face, his fingertips brushing her cheek and forehead. He touched her lips with his thumb, running the pad over her chapped ridges gently, her chest raising and falling with each breath.
"Sleep, angel," he spoke softly, his lips pressing against her forehead for a moment before pulling back. "Sleep and dream," he said quietly. "Sleep and dream…"
Alright everyone, the long awaited chapter 25 is out. I'm sorry that it took so long, but I'm terrible when it comes to filler chapters, and this one felt like a filler chapter.
Anyway! Let me know what you think. I NEED REVIEWS if you want me to UPDATE the way you want me too. I already know what I want to do with the next chapter, the ISOBEL episode for the most part. If ANYONE has ANY IDEAS though, PLEASE, let me know?
ANOTHER THING. A friend of mine, KittyxCat1509 has been working on a VAMPIRE DIARIES story called, NEW BEGINNINGS. It's actually really good. Has to do with the real life cast Damon S./Ian S. x OC and Jeremy G./Steven M. x OC. Two seperate OC's in the story, but it's actually pretty good. PLEASE, check out her story? She needs feedback to know that she's doing a decent job.
Thanks everyone and remember, you DON'T need and account to REVIEW!