Hey guys! I hope you liked the last chapter. I know it's sad to see Tyler acting like a jerk face but I promise he had a reason, it was a stupid reason but it was a reason lol. I Hope you guys all like this chapter as we find out more about Rachael and she soon is forced to pick a side ;)
Rue Dawn: Thanks, she would definitely get mad if Mason died…and she would DEFINITELY get mad if she found out Jeremy was there when it happened….
xXxCastielxXx: Thanks, Rachael can't just forgive and forget this time ;)
Shippolove844: Thanks, Mason's great, that's why I wanted them to be so close
Damonxelenaxforever: first of all, Love the pen name lol, second of all, thanks for loving it
I loved waking up in the Gilbert's guest room. It wasn't anywhere near where Tyler was. It was homier and much more loving, and Tyler wasn't around. My friends were close by and I felt welcomed by them, and did I mention Tyler was nowhere in sight?
I hate to admit it, but it was a lot nicer waking up in a warm and loving environment, you don't understand how much that truly means until you're without one. I opened the door to walk downstairs and make breakfast—a habit that came from making breakfast at the Lockwood house—to find that they were already up and eating cereal.
"Morning sleepyhead," Jenna said when she saw me, smiling a warm hearted smile at me.
"Good morning, I wish you guys would have waited I was just about to offer to make breakfast," I smiled back as I stretched and made my way over.
"Do you like cooking Rachael?" Jenna smiled knowingly.
"It's not a favorite hobby of mine, but I had gotten use to it at the Lockwood house," I shrugged and sat at the table.
"The Lockwood's?" Jenna and Jeremy asked at the same time with raised eyebrows.
Oops, I really need to not talk in the morning when I'm most bound to say the damndest things.
"Yeah," I sighed, waiting for Jeremy's anger; he didn't care much for Tyler either—so their dislike for one another was mutual.
"Rachael, why are you staying there?" Jeremy asked, sounding more curious than mad.
"I'm an orphan and they offered me a place to stay. I didn't really have a choice given the circumstances," I tried to shrug indifferently.
"That's awful Rachael," Jenna said as Jeremy put an arm over my shoulder empathetically.
"It's ok, I'm better."
I surprised myself, it was the truth, and I feel better than I have been in a long time.
The phone rang and Jenna left, leaving the three of us alone to talk. "You can always stay with us Rach," Jeremy said.
Clearly this guy didn't obey a lot of house rules; rules like inviting people to live in your house. "Thanks Jer, but I don't think I can, Damon wants me to stay at the Lockwood's, apparently I have a magical bond with werewolves," I said with slight disgust; wanting no type of bond with Tyler what so ever.
"Since when do you, or anyone else for a matter, listen to Damon?" Jeremy asked a bit annoyed that I would listen to that sinister bastard in the first place
"Since he's a link to my past and he has my ancestor Elizabeth's journal," I stated back to Jeremy.
"Wait, what?" he asked looking at Elena.
"It's true," Elena nodded. "He has Elizabeth's journal and knowing Damon, he won't give it to her unless he gets something from Rachael."
"But that journal is rightfully hers," Jeremy said, getting angry on my behalf.
"But Damon's the one who has it so it doesn't matter," I said, knowing he would not give it to me no matter what.
"Don't worry Rachael, we'll figure this out, Damon will give you the journal" Jeremy promised.
"Out of the kindness of his heart?" I asked sarcastically.
"Damon doesn't have a heart," Elena stated, wow what kind of fight did they get into? "But he'll give to you the journal if you strike a deal with him."
"I don't have anything he wants Elena, now that he has The Moore and the journal he can't need me anymore."
"But he does, you're the key to him getting closer to the Lockwood's—"
"Not going to happen," I said before she finished her sentence,
"What, why?" Elena asked confused.
"Let's just say we had a little fight and I don't want to look at him right now." I said through clenched teeth.
"What happened?" Jeremy asked, concerned.
"He just took some things too far," I nearly whispered, thinking of the horrible thing he said.
"I'm sorry Rachael," Jeremy patted my back soothingly.
"So am I but I don't see another way, now that he knows what you are he probably knows your weaknesses too—"
"But he wouldn't do anything right? I mean come on, Damon may be a heartless bastard, but her grandmother was his best friend," Jeremy said hopefully.
"I guess we'll have to see," I said with clear uncertainty.
"Rachael, you two have probably fought before, I'm sure if you talk—"
"'A freaky orphan runaway', that's what he called me Elena," I stated, nearly hissing.
"What?" she asked shocked.
"That's low even for Tyler," Jeremy said, not believing it either.
"Yeah well, needless to say I'm not really in the mood to forgive him for that just yet," I muttered.
"God, Rachael, I'm sorry," Elena said sympathetically.
I shrugged, trying to ignore the wave of fresh pain I felt from what he said. "Hey, at least I know what he's really like now, no need to dwell on it."
"We can still get the journal back," Elena promised. "But for now I need to get some work done so I'm going to the grill, want to come with Rachael?"
"Sure," I said with another shrug. "Why not, just give me a few minutes to shower and get dressed."
"Ok."
"Nothing too fancy Rachael, you wouldn't want to get barbeque sauce on one of Mrs. Lockwood's fancy blouses," Jeremy teased.
"What do you mean?" I asked, smiling.
"We're having a barbeque tonight and you're officially invited," Elena smiled.
"That's great…oh crap, I forgot to get clothes back at the Lockwood's," I slapped my hand against my forehead.
"I'm sure Jenna will let you borrow some of hers," Elena said, knowing we weren't the same size; I was a bit curvier than she was.
"Thanks, I'd appreciate that."
After showering and throwing on jeans and a gray t-shirt that Jenna gave me I met Elena downstairs and we went to The Grill. I was having such a good day that there should have been an omen that something bad was coming. Low and behold, not long after we were there, who would come walking up to us but Damon—why can't I just leave people alone—Salvatore.
"What do you want?" Elena asked somewhat angrily.
So they had definitely had a bit of a disagreement recently.
"I see this is where you spend your time when you're not busy stabbing people in the back," he stated, sitting next to me as if we didn't hate each other.
"I tricked you into telling the truth, that's not stabbing you in the back, that's using your own antics against you," Elena stated getting her stuff in the implication that we should leave.
"Thanks a lot Damon," I said angrily. "Now we're going to have to leave and I'm hungry."
"It's not like you need the calories," he grinned.
I grinned mischievously. "Oh, that's a good one Damon, did you come up with that last night when you were spooning by yourself?"
"That's enough you guys," Elena said, rolling her eyes. "Come on Rachael."
I made an aggravated noise and got up to leave. "Where are you going?" Damon asked, ignoring me completely.
"I made myself clear Damon, I want nothing to do with you," she stated as we started leaving.
"That had to hurt," I grinned.
"Well, I guess I'll see you two at Jenna's barbeque," Damon said sneakily.
We turned to look at him at the same time. "How do you know about Jenna's barbeque?" Elena asked.
"It was my idea," Damon stated. "Jenna went to high school with Mason Lockwood, I figured a good social gathering would be a good way to get to know the guy, so I told Rick to tell Jenna and—"
"Does Jenna know that you're going? Because she's not exactly a fan or yours."
"Along with at least ninety percent of the Mystic Falls," I added.
A woman walked up to Damon and handed him a box. "Thank you," he said and paid for it. "I'm hoping this peach cobbler will pave the way," he stated.
"What are you up to?" I asked demandingly.
"I'm going to put some silver into Mason Lockwood and prove he's a werewolf," he said coming as close to me as possible without it being inappropriate.
"But that could kill him," I said, becoming nervous.
"Not my family, not my problem; see you at the barbeque," he said smugly and left.
I was quickly becoming nervous and shaky, I had to find a way to bargain with Damon and put Mason's safety in the deal. Mason had been nothing but caring towards me, I couldn't let Damon kill him.
"It will be fine Rachael," Elena promised me.
After going back to the house and getting ready for the barbeque it wasn't long before the other guests started to arrive. Alaric came first.
"Hey Rachael," he said awkwardly, remembering our last encounter didn't go well.
"Hey Alaric," I said cheerfully, not wanting anything to ruin the mood. "Are you up for starting over?" I asked, holding out my hand for him to shake.
"Definitely, and I'm sorry about everything that happened last time," he said sheepishly, shaking my hand.
"It's old news," I shrugged, smiling.
Soon after that Mason came and it quickly became awkward since he had spent his night with the guy I was trying to forget about. "Hey Rachael," He said cheerfully.
"Hi Mason," I said happily, giving him a hug.
"So, Rachael is your phone not working?" he asked curiously.
"It is, why, did you try calling me?" I asked checking my phone for his missed calls.
"No, but my nephew did a few times," he said with a mischievous grin.
"Ah," I said awkwardly. "Who likes tequila?" I asked, my voice going up an octave as I rushed to the fridge.
"We all know you're not old enough for tequila," Mason smiled and took the bottle away from me.
"Shot glasses for everyone," Rick said cheerfully and passed them out.
"And look Rachael, just to show there are no hard feelings I'll let you have some apple juice so it looks like your taking shots with us," Mason teased.
"Oh, haha hee ha, I forgot how to laugh," I rolled my eyes but smiled anyway.
I ended up taking 'apple juice shots' with them anyway and finally Damon showed up to ruin everyone's fun.
"Hey," He said cheerfully.
"Damon," Jenna said, not bothering to hide her discontent at his arrival.
He showed the peach cobbler as a sort of peace offering. "We were just taking shot's," Rick said to ease the tension. "Let me get you a glass buddy."
"Here," Jenna dowsed her drink. "Take mine," she said and left, making Alaric follow.
"She doesn't like me very much," Damon stated.
"Really, from the looks of it I thought you guys were bffs," I said sarcastically.
"We haven't met," Mason said before Damon could rebuttal, "Mason Lockwood."
"Oh sure, hey, Damon Salvatore," he said, shaking his hand.
"I know I've heard great things about you," he smiled.
"Where?" I asked, laughing.
"Yeah, that's weird, 'cause I'm a dick," he grinned.
I couldn't help but laugh at that a little. "Mason, could you give me and the dick some alone time for a minute?" I asked, wanting to get it over with.
"Sure," he said curiously. "I'll be in the next room if you need me."
I nodded as he left the room, eyeing Damon the entire time.
"What's up Demon?" he asked cheerfully.
"Damon, you were one of my ancestor's best friends, which means you must have some redeeming qualities to you, is there any way I can convince you to let this go?" I asked, quickly becoming serious.
He paused for a moment, looking in the air as if he was actually pondering the question. "Hmm…no," he said sarcastically. "But you could try if you like."
"Damon," I said, not in the mood for one of his games.
"Aren't you curious about the people you have ties to?" he asked seriously.
"Of course, this is why I plan on getting to know them the old fashioned way: by asking them questions and getting to know them. You could be making an enemy for no reason Damon; do you really need that right now?" I asked in an almost sympathetic tone.
"Nobody needs an enemy in their lives Rachael, but it's inventible, not everyone's going to like you," Damon shrugged.
"You would know that better than anyone wouldn't you?" I stated angrily and stomped off.
What a stubborn asshole.
I pretty much ignored him after that, forgetting that I still need to bargain with him for The Moore and my great-great grandmother's journal. I have to admit, I haven't been to a barbeque in years so this really great in my opinion. You got to stuff your face with meat and nobody cared how much you ate or how drunk you got…except for me of course they were strict about me not drinking.
"Rachael, have you seen Stefan?" Elena asked me on my way to the bathroom.
"Not sense last night—I thought he was with you," I answered.
"He's not picking up his phone, I thought he might be talking to you about your background," she admitted.
I laughed. "Trust me Elena, the last thing I want to talk about right now is my background," I said, still refusing to think about the information I received last night.
She nodded and patted my shoulder gently before leaving.
After I went to the bathroom I went to the kitchen to get more chips but I hung back when I saw Mason go into the room while Damon was pouring more alcohol into the shot glasses.
"Jenna just brought a guitar hero, it might be time to mutiny," Mason said sarcastically.
"Well, I just happen to like guitar hero so you, my friend are barking up the wrong tree," he said with equal sarcasm, pouring more drinks.
"Ok," Mason said his voice becoming serious. "Enough with the side jokes, you win, you're hilarious," he said sarcastically.
"Thank you," Damon said smugly.
"Come on man, you don't think I know what this barbeque is about?"
"How do you know about me?" Damon asked somewhat menacingly. "Your brother was completely clueless."
"Doesn't matter, I'm not your enemy Damon," he stated.
"You tried to kill my brother and my deceased best friend's great-great granddaughter," he stated, implying they were enemies because of that.
Was Damon mad at Mason for nearly hurting Stefan and me?
"That was a mistake," he promised.
"Really?" Damon asked, not believing it.
"There was confusion, I couldn't chain myself up in time, and I would never hurt Rachael on purpose, she's like family to me," he said with clear sincerity.
"Oh, what, no obedience school?" he asked, still not buying it.
"I'm serious, let's not start some age old feud that doesn't apply to us," he said.
"And Rachael? The girl you think of as a niece, are you still going to think that way after her seventeenth birthday and your sister-in-law starts using her?" Damon asked sarcastically.
"What do you mean?" he asked, his face becoming a mask of confusion.
"You know what I mean, on Rachael's seventeenth birthday she'll transform and come into her full powers, after that she'll be able to sniff out evil and otherworldly beings like the world's greatest tracking dog. Do you honestly think that that woman would open her house to a stranger without wanting something in return?" he asked, sounding menacing again.
"She knew Rachael's ancestors were friends of her ancestors, I don't think she wants to use her for anything," Mason answered. "And if she does I'll stop her when the time comes, I don't want anything bad happening to her either," he promised, holding out his hand for him to shake again.
Damon paused but after awhile I think he finally realized it wasn't worth another enemy and shook his hand. I couldn't help but smile; Mason and Damon don't have to fight.
"Hey guys," I walked in after they shock hands.
"Hey Rachael, guitar hero's in the living room," Mason said cheerfully.
"I've never played," I admitted, shrugging.
"What? Did you live in a cave?" Mason asked sarcastically.
"You know they're not that bad once you get use to them," I teased, looking at their shocked expressions. "I'm kidding."
"I'll teach you how to play," he said, giving me a light smack upside the head, implying the joke wasn't very funny.
"Thanks," I said. "Just give me a second; I need to get the chips."
Mason left and I couldn't help but smile at Damon smugly. "What?" he asked.
"You like me," I said cheerfully yet smugly.
"What?" He scoffed.
"Honestly Damon, if you were just worried about me, you should've said so," I grinned cheekily.
"What?" He kept asking with clear confusion.
"'Tried to kill your brother and best friend's great-great granddaughter' did he?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Look, I know that you never had the chance to learn manners being a demon and all but eavesdropping—"
"You can't pull that crap on me anymore because now I know that you were worried about me—"
"Yes, because the world revolves around you, doesn't it Rachael," he asked sarcastically. "Why do the starts come out at night? Because Rachael can't handle being alone in the dark."
"Is that supposed to be funny?" I gave a mock glare as he smirked.
He started walking off. "Hey Damon," I said and he finally turned around to look at me. "Thanks," I said sincerely and smiled.
"Just remember me when you're out hunting vamps and we'll call it even," he smiled and raised his glass before leaving.
Maybe Elizabeth had him figured out after all.
After guitar hero (which I'm pretty good at if I do say so myself) we ended up playing charades. I lost almost every single round. I guess the fact that I never got to watch a lot of TV growing up doesn't help when you're playing charades. After peach cobbler, which I didn't get to eat a lot of since Mason ended up scooping slices of it out with his fingers; it was soon time to call it a night.
"Are you coming home tonight Rachael?" Mason asked.
"Uhm," I hesitated.
"Or you could spend another night Rach, we'd be glad to have you and maybe I'll let you make breakfast tomorrow morning," she teased.
"Please stay! Jenna can't cook!" I heard from Jeremy's room.
"Hey!" Jenna yelled.
I laughed and looked back at Mason. "Can I stay, please," I pleaded, looking between him and Damon, knowing they would both want me to go back to the Lockwood house tonight.
"One more night," Mason said and Damon shrugged.
"Thank you," I squealed and threw my arms around Mason.
"Just promise me that if Tyler calls you'll pick up," he whispered in my ear.
I hesitated but nodded, knowing I was going to have to face him sooner or later.
"Goodnight everybody," Mason said before leaving. "Great barbeque Jenna thanks for the invite."
"No problem, Goodnight Mason," Jenna said as he left
"Goodnight Mason," I said cheerfully.
Damon left soon after that and before I knew it, it was time to hit the hay. "No sneaking into Jeremy's room late at night again Rachael," Jenna said, only half teasing.
"Yes ma'am, I can only promise that it won't happen outside Jeremy's fantasies though," I said sarcastically.
"What?" I heard Jeremy from inside his room again.
"Nothing! You're dreaming, go back to sleep," I said before going into the guest room and shutting the door.
"Uh-huh," I heard him say, I could practically see the smug expression on his face.
Of course, as soon as I finally get down for bed, that's when Tyler chooses to call me again.
I let it ring for awhile before I finally had the courage to keep my promise. "What is it Tyler?" I asked rudely.
"Rachael, I'm sorry for what happened the other night, I was angry and so I yelled and acted like a dick like I always do."
"'A freaky orphaned runaway', that's what you called me," I said, my voice seeping with venom.
"I know, I know…and I'm really sorry," he said.
"Sorry can't cut it this time Tyler, you barely know me and you're calling me those things," I shook my head. "Do you say those kinds of things to everyone?"
"No, I was mad—"
"So you only say those kinds of things when you're mad at me?" I asked with clear bitchiness.
"No!" Tyler said in defense.
"Well what the hell are you trying to say then?" I yelled into the phone.
"I like you. Do you have a problem with that?" he yelled before hanging up.
I just left my mouth hanging open, gapping at the phone; I did not see that coming.