Save me, I'm lost. Oh lord, I've been waiting for you. I'll pay any cost, save me from being confused. Show me what I'm looking for. Show me what I'm looking for. Oh lord.
EVERYONE
Jeremy made his way up the drive quickly, paying no attention to the gravel crunching under his feet. He had half a mind to call Tyler…but there just wasn't the time. Damon's car was the only one in the driveway and he'd freely admit, he was scared. Grace flinched as someone pounded on the door. She was torn between trying to answer it and staying still, hoping that Damon would be distracted by whoever it was.
"Grace?" Jeremy called through the door. Damon scowled. A relieved smile lit Grace's face before it was replaced by fear. What was Damon going to do now? She stood too quickly, crashing into the vampire.
"I'll get rid of him," she muttered. "You can do whatever you want just please let me get rid of him." Damon's reaction was unexpected, even by him. He yanked himself out of Grace's grasp and went to answer the door.
"Jeremy," he smirked, "won't you come in?" He stepped back and let the boy past. It was when Jeremy crossed to Grace and pulled her into his arms that Damon realized his mistake. He was terrified that he'd kill Grace. Now he was more worried that he'd kill both of them.
"Are you okay?" Jeremy questioned quietly. Grace was shaking in his arms.
"I don't-I don't know. Damon could you please just go?" Jeremy interrupted before he had a chance to answer.
"Why aren't you wearing your bracelet? Where is it?" Damon let out a small whistle, the bracelet dangling from his fingertip. "Damon, what did you do?" Damon remained perfectly still as he replied.
"Today? Not much. In the past…well…you probably don't actually want to hear the answer." Jeremy guided Grace towards the door, handing her his keys.
"Get out of here," he murmured, hands clenching.
"I don't think so," Damon said. "She's walking around with all kinds of memories that she just shouldn't have." Jeremy rounded on him.
"You're not touching her again."
"Who's going to stop me?" Damon smirked again, "You?" Grace watched them both with wide eyes in the silence that followed. Jeremy pulled out his phone. He dialed without looking.
"I need you to meet me at Grace's. Right now." Damon tilted his head to the side slightly. Jeremy moved in front of Grace, sliding his phone back into his pocket.
"You really should not have done that," Damon let out quietly.
"You're right," Jeremy agreed, "I should have done this," he moved then, slamming his fist into Damon's face. Grace gasped. Damon didn't even wince. Jeremy stumbled back, shaking his hand.
"Um. Jeremy. He's a vampire." Damon met Grace's eyes over Jeremy's shoulder.
"He knows," he stage whispered. Grace cuddled closer to Jeremy's back, terrified. She mumbled something that sounded an awful lot like 'shouldn't punch a vampire in the face' before falling silent again.
For a few moments no one moved or spoke. The next second Damon had ripped Jeremy away from Grace. He held him in the air effortlessly with one hand. Grace didn't have time to scream before Jeremy fell out of the grasp, body limp. "As for you," Damon said, wiping his hand on his pants leg before stepping over Jeremy. This time Grace did scream. She bolted out the door, amazed that she'd made it that far. Damon got in front of her easily, pushing her back against the door as it slid closed. "Mm, where do you think you're going?" he purred.
"What did you do to him?" she questioned, tears filling her eyes. Damon threaded some hair out of her eyes.
"He'll be fine. Once he comes back to life." Grace let out a gasp, pushing herself into the door.
"Damon, you're scaring me."
"Good." For a moment she couldn't breathe.
"You didn't really kill him, did you?" He laid a hand on her shoulder in what could have been a comforting gesture.
"Of course I did." Tears slipped down her cheeks.
"A-are you going to kill me?"
"No. I don't have to." Damon took mercy on her, not sure why. "He'll be fine. He's protected from my kind. You'll be fine too. I'll take this all away. I'll disappear. You won't remember me. You won't miss me."
"I wouldn't miss you now," she spat, throwing his hand off her.
"Doesn't matter," he said shortly. "Pay very close attention." Grace didn't have a choice, watching his eyes with rapt attention. He opened his lips to speak, only to be interrupted by a furious growl. Grace was still forced to watch Damon but on the edge of her vision she saw a blur of movement. When Tyler got close enough for her to see clearly Grace's knees gave out in a dizzying mixture of relief and more terror. This left her staring up at the scene as Tyler attacked from behind. His eyes glowed and he tore into Damon's neck with his teeth. Grace couldn't process what was happening. It was too much. The copper of borrowed blood in his mouth was a sweet relief. Tyler wanted him to bleed. He wanted him to hurt. Like nothing else before. Damon had enough time to avoid the attack, if he'd decided how exactly to avoid it earlier. As it was he threw the werewolf off of him, pressing a hand to the torn flesh in agitation. He turned to Grace, black eyes taking her in. "Get out of here," he snarled. With both Tyler and Damon in front of her Grace stood and ran back into the house. To her utter dismay Jeremy was still strewn on the floor, true to Damon's word, he did not breathe. She ran to her room and curled under her bed, arms covering her head.
Tyler didn't wait, attacking Damon again. He focused on the vampire as he listened in earnest. Grace's heartbeat was thundering from inside the house, giving him a good idea where she was. Other than her heartbeat his was the only one to be heard. He knew Jeremy was inside. There really wasn't any other place for him to be.
"You son of a bitch," he growled, punching Damon.
"Wrong place, wrong time," Damon returned, wrapping Tyler in a headlock, "just like you." Tyler snarled before snapping Damon's arm in two places. The vampire let out a surprised cry, letting him go. "You're going to pay for that mutt."
"I'm going to kill you." Damon held his arm to his chest warily. He was fairly sure that Tyler meant it. The bones were already fusing together again, though the healing was going to take its toll.
"Be smart about this," he murmured, "if you can. I've ripped out more than enough hearts to take care of you."
"I'm not afraid of you." Fury rolled off Tyler in waves. Nothing mattered save the fact that Damon had killed his Jeremy. Again. He wasn't getting away with it this time. Damon let his arm drop, flexing his fingers. "You're pathetic," Tyler muttered. "And it's about time someone ended you." Damon's eyes flickered. He spread his arms wide.
"Give it your best shot then." Tyler lunged forward, faking right and catching Damon on the left. One hand shot to Damon's neck, holding him still, the other stabbed forward, through the skin and muscle. Damon let out a surprised gasp as Tyler's hand closed over the thick, silent muscle of his heart. His hands pushed at Tyler's chest uselessly. Tyler held fast like a pit-bull. His gold eyes took in Damon's flashing black ones with a primal pleasure. "You don't want to do this," he wheezed.
"Oh," Tyler squeezed harder, "I do." Damon's hands moved around Tyler, sliding up slowly. Tyler sucked in a quick breath, ready to end this. Damon's hands moved then, stopping on either side of Tyler's face and twisting his head brutally. There was no time for the shock to register. Only a sick snap. Damon pulled Tyler's hand from his chest, letting him drop. Pressing a hand to the gaping hole, Damon stumbled away.
