3rd Person POV:

Boarding House-

Damon got the drop on Mason and currently has him chained up while the rest of the gang is at school.

Damon is heating up an iron poker in the fireplace and Mason slowly comes to and begins to struggle

"Someone's feisty," Damon comments casually walking over to Mason, before violently sticking the iron poker into Mason's chest causing Mason to screams.

Damon studies his work, "Hmm, you can hurt - good to know. I was afraid you were gonna be some beast mass with no affinity for pain."

[Damon pulls Mason's shirt collar down and looks at his wound.]

He playfully pouts, "Oh, but you heal quickly. Not good. I guess I'll just have to keep applying pain."

[Damon grabs Mason and pulls him back up with the chair. He walks back over to the fireplace and heats up the poker again.]

"So...Katherine. How do you know her? What is she up to?"

[Mason spits on the floor but says nothing.]

Damon smirks, "I have all day," he says before pretending to look at his non-existent watch, "well... I have until 3, when school lets out."

[He thrusts the white-hot iron poker into Mason's stomach. Mason grits his teeth and screams.]

*Bang Bang*

Mason slowly opens his eyes and sees Damon on the floor, he looks around unclear over what just happened,

Through the window he spots Vicki Donovan on the ground with a gun, "Vick?"

She gets up and dusts herself off a bit before heading inside, she first checks Damon, of whom she managed to hit on her second shot right through his skull... that should keep him down for a while.

"What are you doing?" Mason asks.

Vee steps over Damon and kneels down in front of Mason, "You don't deserve this... but before I free you we need to talk, and we need to hurry before he heals and wakes up."

Mason looks at her confused, she sighs and continues on,

"Look I get these visions," she starts to tell him... she's told this lie so many times because frankly its easier for people to swallow than the truth.

"I know you want to break the sun and moon curse, you think that will end your suffering but it won't"

"No offense Vick but I remember how you used to be not exactly someone I plan on taking advice from."

"First of all that is very offensive secondly, I just risked my life by shooting a vampire in the head to spare you some pain, so shut up be grateful and listen."

Mason raises his eyebrows surprised but slightly charmed by the tongue lashing he's just received,

"The sun and the moon curse doesn't affect werewolves or vampires, it was only written about like that for misdirection,"

"Then what does it do?" Mason asks deciding to play along for a bit.

"It lifts a curse off of one Vampire-Werewolf hybrid, he thought he'd have a better chance at breaking it if both of the major supernatural species were out looking for the ingredients."

Mason thought that actually did make sense but he needed more,

"Why should I believe you, how do I know these visions are real?"

Vee looks down before meeting Mason's gaze again, "Because I know how you triggered your curse."

"Yeah and how's that? No one knows that story, it's not something I talk about not even to my former pack."

Vee takes a deep breath before retelling what happened with his friend outside of the bar in Florida, and then she pushes it one step further, "It was down to Katherine."

Mason narrows his eyes at her, "what do you mean?"

Just then Damon starts to grunt coming too so Vee puts him down with another bullet*BANG * buying them a little more time.

" he kept coming at you... just wouldn't stop, couldn't hear reason... be talked down... he was compelled."

Mason looks away broken, " you cant know it was Katherine."

" that's where the visions come in."

A little tear escapes from Mason and Vee goes about undoing his chains.

Back at The Donovan House-

Mason is in the shower while Vee is sitting in the kitchen her phone rings... it's Damon.

" what's up?"

" you wouldn't believe my morning."

" oh really what happened," Vee asks

"Well it was the craziest thing but someone shot me in the head... twice."

"Damn that does suck," she tells him

"You wouldn't happen to know anything about that would you?"

"Come on Damon, you know me I promised to stay out of it."

"Uh huh, guess it had to be Katherine then," he says tho they both know he's not totally buying that.

"Guess so," she heard Mason getting out of the shower and says goodbye to Damon.

"Listen Damon, I gotta go, I'll talk to you later, bye"

Mason comes and takes a seat across from Vee

" how are you doing," she asks him

He doesn't answer but looks haunted by today's events

"Look I know it must be devastating first with Katherine and then then the whole sun and moon thing, but that doesn't mean this is the end or that nothing else will make it better."

Mason rolls his eyes, "please tell me what could possibly make this better, do you have a time machine I can hop in and go back to before I triggered my curse?"

"Sadly no but we will think of something, I mean vampires have daylight rings that allows them a loophole maybe we can find a witch who can make a moon ring,"

Mason seems intrigued by that idea... "you think something like that is possible?"

"I think it's worth a try,"

He studies Vee for a moment, "why are you doing all this? like you said you risked your life for me this morning... why go out of your way for me let alone put yourself in that kind of danger?"

It was a valid question and one Vee didn't really have a good answer for

" honestly I just don't like people suffering if I can do something about it,"

Mason was skeptical, "excuse me if I don't believe you but I just escaped the last woman who did me a favor... didn't turn out to be so altruistic."

"That's fair, but I can tell you how I saw all this playing out today, you were tortured for another 40 minutes at least before Damon literally ripped your heart out and then called up Katherine to taunt her over it... if I really wanted you to feel indebted to me, if my ultimate goal was to use or manipulate you into doing my bidding long term I would have let you suffer longer and get a lot closer to death before stepping in, make sure your gratitude was cranked all the way up."

"That sounds psychotic,"

"Maybe but I'm nice, not dumb if I wanted to be a manipulative bitch trust me I'd excel but I choose to do the kind thing. You owe me nothing Mason, if you want to look into witches on your own go ahead we're good, Damon can't be 100% certain it was me this morning and all I wanted was to help, that has been achieved."

" and that's it no catch, no fine print?"

"That's it," Vee confirms

Mason nods, "you mind if I take a nap on your couch before heading out?"

"Go right ahead," Vee offers.

She gets up and heads to the bathroom to take her own shower before Mason stops her

"Hey Vick?"

"Yea?"

"Thanks"
She smiles and gives him a nod.

Time Jump-
Over the last 2 weeks Mason has been crashing/hiding out at the Donovan's

Vee didn't mind because it meant Matt wasn't all alone when she was away during the week, and Matt was cool because it gave him someone to talk all this supernatural stuff out with. The gang knew he knew but Tyler was really who Matt felt comfortable going to with stuff so talking to Mason just felt easier somehow.

Vee POV:

Home from school for the weekend I race up to the front door, already I hear Honey barking for me, I love having a dog, every time I come home I feel like a rock star.

"Hi Honey, oh I missed you, yes I did, I missed you so much!"

"Damn that's quite the welcome home," I hear and look up to find Mason looking amused at me and Honey on the floor lovin on each other.

"oh come on now don't be jealous, I'm sure Matt has waged his tail on occasion for you when you come home,"

"Yup, that's exactly what's been happening since you've been away, and then we collapse into a 2 man dog pile/tickle fight on the floor."

I giggle at the mental picture he just drew me and he gets a sexy smile, well it's a normal smile but anything on him still looks damn sexy.

"Got any plans for tonight?" He asks

"Nope all free"

"Well I'm pretty sure Matt was hanging out with Tyler tonight so I guess we have the house to ourselves, care to join me in a drink?"

"Sure, sounds fun," I reply

We're now 4 drinks in and the giggling has started, suddenly no matter what either of us has said the other thinks it's utterly charming and funny.

"I think I should probably cut myself off for the night," I say

"Oh come on you've been working hard at school all week."

"That is true," I admit and let him pour me one more drink,

"So why culinary school?" He asks,

"I don't know, it wasn't what I always wanted to grow up to do but food is such a simple pleasure, one bite and you can instantly feel in heaven, it's just a morsel of all that's good in the world and for a moment you get to savor it, no manipulation or danger... violence, just a simple untainted pleasure."

I look up at him and suddenly it feels like we're much closer on the couch.

"I understand that, not wanting things to be complicated... just to feel pleasure for a moment," before I can think about what a bad idea this is his lips are on mine.

Uhh god, he tastes of whiskey and man and I know I'm a goner,

Soon we are tearing at each other's clothes... our breathing changing and that spark happens when suddenly the air feels thicker and you know you won't be able to breathe normally again until the two of you have sated each other with a long night a screwing.

"Mason," I break away from his mouth to whisper, "take me to my bedroom I don't want Matt to walk in on anything,"

He actually growls a bit and I swear it vibrates straight down to my core, "yes, mam."

He grabs me by my ass and roughly pulls me up his body so I wrap my legs around his waist and then he rushes us into my room throwing me down on the bed before diving on top of me.

Say what you will about Katherine but damn she has good taste in bedmates.