Chapter 25 – Fly or Die

by Rock Mafia

For those who tread lightly, who need some enlightenment?

The world is what you make of it

You fill it up and break it 'til

The pieces inside you

Help you find your way back home

So take it or leave it

'Cause I don't believe it

And you won't receive it until you achieve it

I know that you need it

I see you defeated

They're growing defeated

To show you're a leader

And let love flow

'til it echoes slow

And makes its way across the globe

Fly or die

Well that's the way ya do it

Nearly getting by

Well what could be more stupid?

Friday – 2 week later

The last 2 weeks flew by and I hadn't stopped for a minute. It had been a constant back and forth from school, to training, to keeping up with a social and everything in between. I was knackered, but I had been having the best time of my life.

The first few training sessions were a little awkward because of our little kiss in his bedroom, twice now. But thinking about it, both times one of us was drunk so it couldn't if been anything too special. Neither of us had spoken about it, which in some ways I was happy about. I didn't want Damon to reject me and I was getting used to the bond we now had in being close friends.

But training with Damon was the best. Every day, after school, we would practice in his room for about three hours before he would lecture me on my day's performance. In the beginning, it was pretty easy. Our lessons where more about understanding vampires in the way that the acted and different methods in destroying them. Then came the harder work of physical training and Damon definitely knew how to break me down.

My muscles were sore and my bones ached, but I tried to complain as little as possible. Damon got annoyed when I asked for a break or time out, saying that I didn't take this whole thing seriously, but I tried my best to ignore him. As long as he was teaching me, I was happy.

Although these last few days had been intense.

We were now standing in the middle of the room, a mere few inches between us. I was dressed in my gym shorts, while tank top and running trainers, whilst Damon settled for his usual attire of a black shirt and dark jeans. I was really starting to wonder if he owned anything colourful. We stared at each other for a moment slowly circling. I had my stake at my side and ready as Damon gave me a nod, signalling the start of the fight.

I lunged forward, going full steam ahead for a full frontal assault.

With his inhuman vampire speed he blurred around the room, just out my eye line, I span around, trying to get a lock on him, but his body crashed into me, sending me back into the wall.

Shooting pains burned in my spine and it hurt like hell, but I refused to show him any weakness. I had to show him I was capable and strong to take care of myself. He needed to see that.

Damon appeared in front of me, so I pulled my fist up, but he caught it effortlessly in his hand and started to apply pressure. A whimper escaped me as I tried to get away, but he wouldn't move. I had a split second to think as I flung my knee up, kicking him, but just missing my target in the centre of his legs.

As I brought my leg back down, he released my hand and grabbed my ankle, spinning me out so I crashed in to the desk. I toppled over the chair and landed with a sickening thud, just as Damon swooped on top of me.

All in one swift moment, he locked his knees around my tights, pressing me in to the floor, and he grabbed my wrists, pinning them to either side of my head.

I was panting uncontrollably now from having the wind knocked out of me to then having Damon straddling me in the middle of his bedroom. He didn't do anything else but stare at me with cold eyes, but never looking directly at me as his gazed moved over my features.

A low growl rumbled in his chest as he pushed himself off the floor, leaving me and racking his fingers through his hair in frustration.

"You're being too soft! It you were like this with a really vampire attack, then you wouldn't stand a chance!" He took a deep breath, trying to compose himself. "Okay, we're finished for today. Leave."

He turned to mess of weapons sprawled across his bed and slowly started to pack them away again.

I stood up, shoving the chair away as the anger boiled up in me. How dare he speak to me like that! I was seething, so decided to make him pay for what he had said.

I ran at him, full speed, and just as he turned my hand swung back and went flying towards him.

My fist crashed against Damon's face, knocking his off balance and sending him to the hard, wooden floor with a loud cracking noise. He quickly span over onto his back, blood seeping from the corner of his busted lip. He wiped the liquid from his face as a widely smirk crossed his lips.

"You're getting better at this. I'm impressed." He hoisted himself up and took a step closer to me, my body and muscles still burning.

"Did that hurt?" I asked, a mocking smile crossing my features.

"It was more the shock, but it's gonna take more than that to throw me off."

In an instant, Damon grabbed my hand, swing me in towards him. He locked one arm locked around my chest, pressing me into his body, as his other hand yanked my head to the side, exposing my neck. His human teeth nipped at the skin there and I could feel the smirk forming in his face as goose bumps rose on the area.

"Your dead, sweetheart." His voice was low and husky, trying to intimidate me.

I pulled my head forwards and sent it back with all my strength, smashing in to the side of Damon's head. He must not have expected it, as the blow caused him to double over, clutching the side of his face when his arms let go of me. This was my chance.

I grabbed the stake from the floor by my feet and lunged for him, taking him completely off balance as he stumbled on top of his bed. In the same way I had killed Maria, I jumped on top of Damon, straddling his waist and resting in the middle of his chest.

He looked up at me, clearly shocked by what had happened, but relaxed slightly under me as I tried to get my breathing under control.

"You shouldn't play with your food, Damon. They might end up getting the upper hand." I tried desperately to keep my voice even.

"I think…you might be ready." He was breathing deeply, his jaw clenching, but a small smile pulling the corners of his mouth.

I slowly slipped off him and the bed, allowing him to rise up. I collapsed on the bed next to him, closing my eyes and allowing myself a minute to compose myself. My heart was hammering against my ribs still from the fight, but I could practically feel his gaze on me and could imagine the intense stare he was giving me.

I signed, but didn't open my eye. "You know it's rude to stare." I murmured.

"I would call it…observing." His voice was so strong, smooth, and deep that it sent shivers down my spine just knowing he was this close to me.

I propped myself up on my elbows and raised my brows at him, getting lost in ocean of his eyes. "And what exactly would you be observing?"

"I'm just amazed. You've come so far in so little time." He started at me in fascination, reaching out and brushing the hair sticking to my forehead from the sweat.

I blushed. Not the most romantic setting, but still there was something about his touch that brought a warming comfort to the way I felt.

He moved towards the bedside cabinet and passed me a water bottle. "Drink up."

I hesitantly took the bottle and glanced at the contents, wondering why he was so eager for me to drink. Damon chuckled.

"Don't worry, it's not poisoned. It's laced with vervain." I stared at him, confused as he sighed. "Like I said before vervain is something that repeals vampires, so if you were to ingest it, the vervain is in your system. Stefan and I have been spiking your drink ever since he attacked you that night so no vampire could bite you without being burned."

"And you never thought to tell me?" I groaned, before pouring the liquid down my throat.

"A simply 'thank you' would be nice." He mimicked my line from the day I saved him from Alexander, a grinning forming on his face. But just as soon as it was there, it was gone again, turning serious. "I wanted to make sure that you have every form of defence."

"Thank you." I nodded, understanding what he meant and feeling slightly guilt for questioning him.

My eyes locked with his, and I felt the swelling feeling in my chest as we shared a little moment together. Damon just made me feel completely at ease and I felt so confident around him.

My heart actually started to skip faster from how nervous yet excited I was to be around him. But I knew I had to stop this and soon. I didn't want to ruin any part of the relationship that we had worked so hard to build. He was my teacher and I was his student. End of.

Just then, Stefan burst through the room, his face a mix of fear and complete and utter devastation. I shot up from the bed to straighten out my shirt, trying to look innocent. Was he really mad about this whole Damon teaching me thing.

"Damon, we have a serious problem. Bonnies missing and Elena was taken from her house last night."

"What are you talking about?" Damon demanded.

"Look, I didn't want to tell you, because I knew how you would react." Stefan swallowed, his mouth hanging open. "Do you remember, back in 1864, there was a girl, Anna and her mother, Pearl? We both through they died in the fire, but I saw Anna a few days back. She talked about opening the tomb to realise her mother, but I could let her do it."

Damon rose from his position, his posture stone hard and unmoving. "What are you trying to tell me Stefan?"

"I broke in to father's tomb and took Emily's Grimoire. That's what is needed to open the tomb. But Anna found out and so has taken the book to open the door, Bonnie to do the spell and Elena for revenge of the Gilbert family name."

In a flash, Damon had Stefan pinned to the far end of the room, his hands wrapped around his throat and a stake being held dangerously close to his heart.

"You better start talking brother before I make good on my promise and end your miserable existence now."

"Think Damon! Think how many blood thirst vampires are trapped in there, waiting to destroy the town!"

Damon let out a humourless chuckle. "You see, brother, this is why you don't know a thing about me. I don't care what happened to his pathetic little town or the people in it. If that tomb is being opened, then I am going to be there. I'm gonna be there for her."

With that, Damon shoved the stake in to Stefan's stomach causing him to double over and scream out in pain. Damon blurred out of the room and I ran to Stefan's side, grabbing the piece of wood and yanking it out of his abdomen. He was panting, but the wounded slowly closed up as I helped him to his feet.

"What's he going to do, Stefan? Where's he going?" My voice was panicked and I didn't have any way of hiding it. Damon, in those few moments, had scared me ten times more than anything else that he had done.

"He's going to the tomb to get Katherine. She'll be in there." He slowly leaned against the wall, closing his eyes. He looked crushed and I knew the feeling all too well.

Even after I had tried to convince myself over and over again, I couldn't help the tears fill my eyes. Damon was still in love with her. No matter how much I wanted to deny it, I now knew it was true in the way he acted and left. I tried to believe that maybe we had something, but I now realised that I meant very little to him.

I was just a form of entertainment for him and now his new toy had arrived. He didn't need me anymore.

Stefan must have noticed the tears trailing my cheeks as he reached out to me, taking my hand.

I sighed, not meeting his gaze. "He doesn't want me anymore and just when I thought we were getting to know each other." I wiped the wetness from my face.

"It's not just that Alice. Damon is a very complicated person." Stefan shook his head, trying to come up with the right way to word what he wanted to say. "He's been heartbroken and got so worked up about a relationship only to be let down and have it torn away from him. He still blames himself at times too because he feels that he could have stopped it all from happening. He never got over Katherine and that's why this has sent him over the edge. What's worse is that I kept this all from him."

I took a deep and much needed breath, trying to compose myself. I knew that it was unlikely that Damon would ever see me as anything but…just plain Alice, but I wanted to believe that he thought I was more than that. I wasn't just some human and I was going to prove it. I rested my hand on Stefan's shoulder

"What do you need me to do?"

Stefan eyes widen at my question. "I want to ask you to help me but after everything that has happened and that you have been through, I don't want to make you take on any more than you can handle."

"Stefan. I live with vampires, I come from a bloodline of supernatural assassins, I've killed monsters and been bitten by them. And I have lost every one of my family members. But…" I drew in a ragged breath. "I have never felt more alive. This is what I want to do; this is what I have to do. It's who I am. I'm a protector and I couldn't live with the idea that someone might get hurt because I didn't step up to help them."

He seemed slightly stunned by my little speech, but I needed to tell someone. I would have never have admitted it aloud before, but the time I had spent here in this town had brought me a new lease on life. I had a purpose now and it was my duty to fill that position.

Stefan took both my shoulders in his hands and faced me directly. Looking at him now, I saw that he was a lot more complex than I first thought. His eyes were sad and I could see that he had suffered a great deal in his life but, like me, he had also overcome so much.

"Thank you, Alice. I will be in your debt after this."

"I wouldn't worry about that too much. This is what I want to do, to help you and anyone else who might be in danger because of this. I just need to ask you for one thing." I queried.

"Anything."

"We save Damon as well." I saw the how puzzled Stefan was from my request. "Damon is obviously upset and we all know that he is not emotionally stable. I just have a bad feeling that him going to the tomb will tip him in to darkness. Katherine has been his downfall for so many years, so just imagine what he will be like when she is released." I tried to assure Stefan that his was for the best.

If Katherine was alive and in the tomb, then Damon would become reckless because he his blinded by the love he has for her. I couldn't let that happen. After everything we had been through together, I owned it to him to make sure he got out of this with his sanity in tacked.

"Alright. We'll do it." Stefan nodded and a smile tugged at this lips. "Get ready, we'll leave in a few minutes."

Stefan blurred out of the room and I turned to back to the bed to select my weapon. I probably wouldn't need to use them, but it was better to be safe than sorry. I strapped on my belt and attached three vervain darts and two stakes.

I took one last swig of the vervain drink and headed for the door. I could feel it in my bones that something was going to happen tonight. Something that would affect us all.

I just hoped that I would be able to stop it in time and save Damon from himself.

Hey guys! Sorry for the late upload! I know I said I would post this chapter before Friday and I was actually going to post it for Thursday but after reading back through the chapter, I wasn't happy with the way it turned out. I didn't think it flowed right so I completely rewrote the chapter. I hope you guys liked this!

In case you didn't know, this chapter was based on episode 'Fool Me Once', but I changed the story line slightly to fit in with what I wanted to do. This chapter was about showing the development in Alice and Damon's relationship as they both struggling with determining what they are to each other. But, this is all thrown out the window when Damon learns that Katherine might be free. It shows that like Alice has been trying to fight her emotions for Damon, he has also been trying to fight his feelings for Katherine. I hope you guys understand my thinking behind that!

Anyway, I have been having a little bit of writers block at the moment. I know were I want to go and take my story, but I am struggling to make it flow right. I don't want the story to seem too repetitive and boring for you guys. I'm really critical of my work and I am just hope that I am meeting all your expectations. As always, thanks for all the reviews! It really means a lot. If you have any suggestions on what you want me to do or anything you would like to see, please let me know. Oh and I wanted to know: do you guys think the romance between Alice and Damon has been moving too fast or should I turn it up a notch?

Thanks for reading and I will be posting again very soon!

Next chapter: The tomb is opened, Damon breaks down over Katherine and Alice takes down some vampires. Stay tuned ;)