"You haven't stopped him, you know. He's an original." Rose interrupted them.
It took the remainder of the night for Rose to recount her history with Katherine and the original vampires.
"So you turned Katherine." Damon said from his spot next to Lexie. He'd thrown an arm across the back of the couch they were seated on and was idly playing with the strands of blonde hair that fell over his arm. Lexie pointedly ignored the action but Damon took immature pleasure in seeing the dirty looks his baby brother kept sending his way. He still found it interesting that the older vampire had not told her bestie about that night in New York. He had to admit, his new 'big sister' was very good at keeping her own counsel. Perhaps about too many things. After all she had yet to say anything about where her current boyfriend, Lee, was and when they could expect him to arrive.
"Trust me, it wasn't the plan but I would have been just as damned if she'd died during her first attempt."
"Elena needs to hear all of this for herself." Stefan interrupted. "I'll have her come by before school."
When the teenager arrives, she is less than pleased to see Rose standing there but gets upset about the sacrifice she is suppose to take part in so that a curse can be broken. Finally she storms out in order to make it to school on time. Stefan follows her.
"That went well." Lexie watched the departure. "Isn't there anything we can do to stop this Klaus."
"No." Rose looked at the other woman. "I truly am sorry about your friend but if she gets away from him, he'll destroy everyone that ever knew or loved her as revenge. He did it to Katherine's family."
"Jesus." Lexie shook her head sadly. "I'm going for a drive,' she called over her shoulder as she walked out of the room. "Try to stay out of trouble."
Damon poured himself another drink, not sure what to say to the older than dirt vampire left with him.
"I don't suppose there is any way a girl can get a shower?" Rose piped up as her eyes surveyed the length of her dark haired host's body.
"Umm, yeah." Damon turned and smiled . "Sure, up this way." And he led her up the stairs to one of the guest rooms. "The bath is through that door. Its shared with another room but its currently not occupied."
"How many people live here?" Rose turned in wonder. It was a big house. "I mean there's a lot of space for just you and your brother."
"In its prime, the house was an operating boarding house." He looked at the walls with a bit of pride in his eyes as he remembered the place being built from the ground up. "Now it seems to be reborn as a home for displaced vampires." He shook himself out of his revelry. "If you are staying a spell, you'll meet Ana. She has the suite down the hall. Her boyfriend is Elena's younger brother. He's around a lot as well."
"Both with a penchant for vampires?"
"I'm guessing Klaus wouldn't have though that a doppelganger would already know about our exclusive club." He grinned. "Anyway, Lexie is staying in the suite down the hall from mine and Stef takes over the attic."
"You and Lexie aren't an item?" Rose was surprised given what she had witnessed down stairs.
Damon laughed. "Hardly. A few months ago we couldn't stand each other. Well most of the time we couldn't."
"And now?"
"She's my brother's best friend and his mentor. " He quirked his mouth in thought. "She's also a trusted ally."
Rose wasn't sure if he was implying that that he didn't trust her. "Well if there is no attachment, perhaps you'd like to join me." She gestured to the open bathroom door.
"I never said there wasn't an attachment." he gave her a slight smile that was sadder than it should have been. "it's just not with Lex." He turned and left her to clean up.
On campus , Ana and Jeremy caught sight of Bonnie as she exited her car. "Bonnie," Jeremy called out. "wait up."
The witch stopped and watched her friends approach. "Hey guys."
"How are you feeling today?" Ana looked at the taller girl. "We were worried about you."
"Good as new." Bonnie stood taller. She actually was feeling pretty drained but wasn't about to let on. "You two didn't say anything about me passing out, did you?"
"Nope." Jeremy answered honestly.
"Of course not." Ana stated. Her poker face firmly set in place. Good thing witches normally could sense a lie.
"Thanks. It was just a freak thing. I don't want Elena to get upset about it."
"No problem." Jeremy smiled at his sister's friend. "Ana and I were going to shoot some pool after school. You should come with." After Ana had climbed through his window last night, they had talked about needing to keep a close eye on Bonnie until she and Damon got back together."
"Sure, I'd like that." Her Grams had to remain at the college late this evening for a departmental meeting and dinner and of course her dad was out of town per usual. Previously she would have spent the night with Damon at the boarding house but now. Well now it would have been a night of Ben & Jerry's and a sappy chick flick.
"Excuse me." A voice behind Bonnie started her. "Could you point me to the office?"
"Yeah." Ana gave the boy directions.
"Thanks." he grinned. "I'm Luka, by the way." he stuck out his hand.
"Jeremy." the younger Gilbert took the proffered hand and shook it. "What year are you?"
"Junior." Luka smiled.
"Cool," Bonnie smiled back. "Maybe I'll see you in class."
"Hope so." he looked her over. "I better go get my schedule."
The first bell rang and everyone headed into the building.
Rose rejoined Damon in the lounge after her shower. "I never thought hot water could feel so good."
"Abandoned houses rarely have running water, let along working hot water heaters."
"Precisely." She grinned. "Thank you again."
"No problem." Damon bowed his head slightly in his acceptance of her gratitude. "Now then, how does one contact Klaus?"
"You can't be serious." Rose looked at him in disbelief. "I thought you wanted to protect your friend."
"I do." Damon banked the fire. "So it's about time I got to know my enemy. "
Rose then tells him of her friend Slater in Richmond who had made contact with Elijah when they had kidnapped Elena. It took a few minutes for Damon to convince her to drive with him to Richmond but soon they were on their way.
As far as first impressions go, Damon was not impressed by the vampire computer geek that was Slater but Slater did know his stuff regarding most of the blood sucking population. He even knew a bit about Damon and his connection with the Bennett witches.
At the Grille, Bonnie looked around for Jeremy and Ana. Not seeing them, she found herself being waived over by Luka to a booth where he was seated with an older looking gentleman.
"Bonnie, this is my Dad, Dr. Jonas Martin." Luka introduced. "Dad, this is Bonnie Bennett. We have several classes together."
"Nice to meet you." Dr. Martin nodded in greeting. "Bennett? You happen to be related to Sheila Bennett?"
"I am," Bonnie responded proudly. "She's my grandmother."
"Lovely woman." Jonas asserted. "I met her this morning at the college."
They talked for a few minutes though Bonnie began to feel uncomfortable when Dr. Martin pressed her about part of her family coming from Salem.
"There you are." Ana appeared by her side. "Sorry we're late, Jer was getting some extra credit homework from his English teacher. " She pulled the witch to her feet. "Now then, he thinks that neither of us can beat him at eight ball."
Bonnie laughed. "yeah right." She turned to the Martins. "It was very nice to meet you , Dr. Martin. Luka, I'll see you in class tomorrow." She then allowed to the petite vampire to lead her to the pool tables.
"What was that about?" Jeremy asked the girls when they reached him where he was setting up the balls.
"I'm not sure." Bonnie responded. "Luka's father is very inquisitive. Okay, who's breaking?"
"Better let Jer, since it may be the only short he gets tonight." Ana suggested and the girls laughed. Jeremy just shook his head as he selected a cue.
Damon walked into the Grille in need of a drink. After getting a smokey Rose back to his car, he had time to replay the event in his head as he drove them back to Mystic Falls. How could that fucker still be walking around? He staked him with a two by four for Christ's sake. But there he was shattering a UV protective window with what? A handful of loose change. They were so screwed.
Anyway, he dropped Rose at the boarding house, making her promise to feed from the donated blood rather than going out to feed from the vein. The woman was rather shaken and therefore agreeable.
Damon was not in the mood to play the gracious host any longer and so he headed into town. As he sat at the bar, he watched first as Bonnie laughed with Baby Gilbert and Ana and was later approached by a young male. Using his heightened hearing he eaves dropped as the boy told Bonnie that he and his father were warlocks. Damon nearly choked on his bourbon with that one. Warlock? Might as well called himself a wizard. Didn't the little idiot know that the term witch was used for either male or female?
Watching Bonnie making small talk with the punk had Damon seeing red, or at least green. Bolting down the last of his dutch courage, he stood up and walked toward the teenagers. "There you are Bonnie. I've been looking for you." He said with a smirk and he took her elbow. "I just need to borrow her for a moment. You don't mind do you?" And he escorted his girl out the back door.
"Damon, what the fuck?" Bonnie pulled away from him as soon as they were in the alley.
"I might ask you the same thing." He just stood there looking at her. "Replacing me so soon?"
"What?" How could he think that.
"He knows what you are so he's talking a big game to impress you but it's not you he's really interested in."
"And you think no one besides yourself would be interested in me?" Her temper rising.
"I never said that."
"You think that anyone who might flirt with me has an ulterior motive to be near me." Bonnie was now seeing red herself. How dare he.
"Bonnie that's not what I meant." Damon realized that saying anything more would just dig a deeper hole for himself so he did what he did best.
Speeding up to her, he cupped her face in his hands and kissed her, hard.
For a fraction of a second he thought she was responding in kind but then she pushed away and Damon found himself slamming into the brick wall behind him.
"Don't ever do that again," She fumed. "I'm sorry Damon but we're over. Please let me move on."
Damon climbed to his feet. "I'd let you move on as long as I knew you were safe." He brushed off his jeans, already dusty from the day's events. "But I'm still your protector and that kid is trouble."
"I don't need a protector." She all but shouted back. "Now stay away from me."
Damon didn't try to keep her there as she re-entered the Grille. Was he lying to himself about her being in danger from the boy. He shook his head. No his instincts were telling him that something was wrong. 'Sweet Bon-Bon. You won't deter me that easily. I promised to protect you and I will. Whether you want me to or not.'
Stefan and Lexie were both at home when Damon got back. "Why so serious?" he had to ask.
"Elena visited Katherine today." Stefan informed his brother.
"How did she get the entrance open?'
"Caroline."
"Figures Barbie would let her do something stupid." Damon shrugged. "So fill me in."
"Katherine told her all about how Klaus killed her whole family after she escaped him."
"You don't think...?"
"I don't know." Stefan hung his head as Lexie rubbed his back.
"I just got off the phone with Slater." Rose walked into the room. "He says to stop Klaus, you need the moonstone and a witch."
"We have the witches." Lexie looked up.
"We just need to retrieve the moonstone." Damon continued. "This is going to be messy."