Disclaimer: I don't own The Vampire Diaries! If I did it would be hell of lot more gay.
Elena walked into the boarding house while dancing as she hummed Howl by Florence + the Machine quietly to herself. She was wearing black cargo pants, long sleeved, off the shoulder, crop top and combat boots.
"You seem to be in a good mood." Damon laughed from where he was standing by the drink table.
"Caroline is back at her place with her mom none the wiser about her daughter being a vampire." Elena smiled brightly. "I just drover really fast on my bike here, shh don't tell my aunt, and I had chocolate muffins for breakfast, this day is awesome!"
"So, what you're telling me is that you're hyper." Damon chuckled.
"Basically, yeah." Elena laughed. "Oh, I also called Alaric and asked him to come here, he should be here soon."
"We might finally solve the Lockwood family mystery." Stefan sarcastically said from the entrance to the room.
"Want some?" Damon offered Elena a glass of bourbon.
"Sure." Elena bounded over.
"You do know she's underage, right?" Stefan asked as he saw Elena take a sip from her glass.
"Yeah, so?" Damon smirked.
"Just asking to make sure." Stefan smiled at his brother.
At that point Alaric walked into the parlor looking rough around the edges.
"Does no one knock or ring the doorbell anymore?" Damon asked as he looked at everyone.
"Not really, no." Elena giggled.
"Thought so." Damon smirked and turned towards Alaric. "Thanks for coming, Ric. Can I get you anything to drink? Coffee, bourbon? Coffee in your bourbon? Bourbon in your coffee?"
"Elena mentioned that you needed my help." Alaric ignored Damons offer of anything to drink.
"Yeah, we were hoping you could help shed some light on the Lockwood family." Stefan chimed in from his place by the fireplace.
"Now why would I know anything about the Lockwood's?" Alaric looked confused.
"Well, you wouldn't." Damon smirked. "But your dead, not-dead vampire wife might."
"Isobel's research from when you both were at Duke together." Elena piped in.
"Are you drinking bourbon?" Alaric looked at Elena.
"Nope." Elena denied and took another sip.
"Are you lying to me?" Alaric asked.
Elena smirked, she could finally channel her inner Stiles and use one of her favorite quotes from Teen Wolf. "That depends on how you define 'lying'."
"I define it as not telling the truth." Alaric declared. "How do you define it?"
"Reclining your body in a horizontal position." Elena beamed at him.
Damon snorted just as he took a drink from his glass, resulting in him spitting bourbon at Stefan who was standing in front of him.
"You said that Isobel had spent years researching this town." Stefan said as he used his shirt to dry the bourbon from his face.
"Isobel's research here in Mystic Falls rooted in folklores and legends but at the time I thought much of it was fiction." Alaric told them.
"Like that amazing vampire story." Damon said, still chuckling slightly.
"Aside from vampires, what else?" Elena sked eagerly.
"The Lycanthrope." Alaric hummed.
"Ha! I knew it!" Elena jumped up from her seat and did a little happy dance. "I knew werewolves were real."
"No way, impossible, way to Lon Chaney." Damon denied with a shake of his head.
"Really Damon?" Elena looked at him in disbelief. "You yourself are a vampire and so's your brother and Bonnie is a witch but you draw the line at werewolves?"
"I've been on this planet some one hundred and sixty odd years." Damon began.
"Old fart." Elena coughed.
"I have never come across a werewolf." Damon continued with a mock glare towards Elena who just smiled innocently. "If werewolves exist, where the hell are they?"
"Why do you suspect the Lockwoods?" Alaric wondered.
"Because vervain didn't affect the mayor at Founder's Day but the Gilbert device did." Damon told him. "And it affected his son, Tyler, too."
"And at the school carnival his uncle Mason exhibited inhuman strength when he beat me at arm-wrestling and later when he fought with one of the carnival's workers." Stefan explained. "It suggests something supernatural, we just don't know what."
"We were hoping that Isobel's research could help us figure out what they are." Elena said thoughtfully as she tried to sneakily steal Damons glass of bourbon.
"Well, all her things are still at Duke." Alaric informed them. "I mean her office is still there because she is technically still considered missing."
"Ric, we need to know what we are dealing with." Damon looked at him seriously. "If this wolfman thing is true, well, I've seen enough movies to know it's not good."
"Aren't vampires and werewolves' bitter enemies or something like that?" Elena asked softly.
"Yeah or so the legend goes." Damon said. "And if Mason Lockwood is a real-life Lon Chaney and that little Tyler punk is Lon Chaney junior that would mean that Bella Lugosi, aka me, is totally screwed."
"You look so much better than Bella Lugosi though." Elena smiled.
"So, let's go to Duke and check out Isobel's research." Alaric shrugged.
"Yes!" Elena cheered. "Road Trip!"
"I'll drive." Damon declared quickly.
"I'll stay here and keep an eye on the Lockwoods and I did promise Caroline lunch." Stefan smiled at them.
"Can I invite Jeremy?" Elena looked between Damon and Alaric.
"That's fine by me." Damon shrugged. "I actually like baby Gilbert."
"As long as it's fine with your aunt." Alaric said.
"Yay." Elena laughed and made her way out of the boarding house. "I'll go home and pack and talk to Jeremy, pick me up in around an hour."
XOXOXOX
An hour and a half later Damon were driving them towards Duke with Alaric in the passenger seat and Jeremy and Elena in the back.
"You two okay back there?" Damon asked.
"Yeah we're fine." Jeremy smiled.
"Absolutely," Elena hummed. "Can we stop at Black Knight Studio before we go home?"
"Sure, but what is that?" Damon looked at Elena threw the review mirror.
"It's a tattoo parlor." Elena smiled. "I want to get a tattoo on my inner right wrist."
"And I want one on my chest." Jeremy told them. "Jenna already agreed."
"We'll stop there on our way home then." Alaric decided.
"Shouldn't the one driving decide that?" Damon mock pouted.
"Nope." The other three in the car chorused.
"You have been out voted." Jeremy laughed.
"I can't believe John actually gave you his Gilbert ring." Elena said after a while. "But I'm also happy that he did."
"This ring technically belonged to dad." Jeremy murmured softly. "So, it was mine from the start but John took it."
"We all knew he was a bastard." Damon muttered.
"You mean is?" Jeremy asked. "I mean, he's still alive."
"Technically, yes." Damon nodded. "But I like living in my fantasy world where he is dead and being tormented for the rest of eternity."
"I like your version of reality." Jeremy chuckled and Elena nodded in agreement.
"You guys really don't like him, huh?" Alaric asked with a laugh.
"Nope." Elena popped the p when she answered. "Let's do a recap, shall we? He knew I was adopted because he is my biological dad, he was never around when I was a kid, he took dads ring which belonged to Jeremy, he tried to kill my friends and he is a hypocritical ass because while preaching to me about how 'vampire bad, must kill vampire' he was working with my biological mother who is a VAMPIRE!"
"You feeling better?" Jeremy asked Elena after she stopped her mini rant.
"Yes actually, I do feel better." Elena smiled.
"Good, because we're here." Damon said as he turned the car into Duke University's parking lot.
The group of four made their way to the right office as with Alaric leading the way, "So, Isobel was officially employed by the anthropology department given that most paranormal phenomenon is rooted in folklore."
"Do you have to have a degree in anthropology if you want to become an archaeologist?" Elena wondered out loud.
"No idea." Jeremy shrugged.
"Excuse me?" Alaric said to the woman behind the desk at the office. "Hi, my name is Alaric Saltzman, I called earlier."
"Yes, of course." The woman smiled even as she looked strangely at Elena. "I'm Vanessa Monroe, research assistant, comparative folklore. Let me just grab Isobel's keys."
"These are my friends Damon, Elena and Jeremy." Alaric introduced them as Vanessa led them towards Isobel's office.
"Isobel was one of my first professors, I'm a grad student." Vanessa told them as she led them to Isobel's office. "She was brilliant and one of the reasons I went into folklore. I have to ask – has there been any news?"
"No, I'm afraid not." Alaric told her.
"It's this way." Vanessa said as she opened Isobel's office door and led them inside. "I'll grab the light, feel free to look around. It's fascinating, isn't it?"
Elena and Jeremy walked around the room to look around after Vanessa left.
"I wonder if Gods are real or if it's primordial beings or something out there." Elena hummed as she thought about the dark being that kept showing Itself to her.
"Where'd she go?" Damon asked after a while.
As if she heard him Vanessa came back into the office holding a crossbow. She aimed and fired at Elena but Damon rushed over and put himself in front of Elena to protect her. Damon fell to the floor with a grunt as the arrow hit him in the back.
Elena fell to her knees to support Damon as Alaric restrained Vanessa and Jeremy stood protectively in front of his sister and Damon.
"Can you help me up?" Damon asked, not wanting to be more vulnerable then he had to.
"Sure." Elena said and gestured for Jeremy to help her. Together they got Damon up and leaning against a bookcase.
"I can't reach it Elena." Damon grunted in pain. "Just pull the damn thing out. It hurts!"
"Deep breath and I'll do it on three, okay?" Elena asked as she grabbed the arrow.
"Do it!" Damon growled.
"One…" Elena yanked the arrow out.
"What happened to 'two' and 'three'?" Damon asked as he straightened up and shook himself with a grimace.
"Two, three." Elena smirked.
"Funny." Damon chuckled as he looked at Elena, then he turned and glared at Vanessa. "That bitch is dead."
"You're not going to kill her." Elena said with certainty.
"Watch me!" Damon snarled and Vanessa looked frightened.
"You are not going to kill her, Damon." Elena placed a hand on Damons arm, while Vanessa looked relived until Elena continued with a dark smile aimed at her. "Because I am."
"Together?" Damon asked with a smirk.
"Drag it out?" Elena hummed.
"Can I help?" Jeremy asked.
"None of you are killing her!" Alaric interrupted the three of them.
"Why the fuck not?!" Elena glared at him. "She tried to shoot me! With a crossbow!"
"Please! I freaked out okay?" Vanessa blubbered. "You would have done the same thing!"
"Well, she's not wrong." Elena hummed with a shrug as she looked at Alaric. "You did try and kill Damon."
"It's not possible!" Vanessa sniveled from where she was sitting. "Kathrine Pierce can't be alive and Damon Salvatore died in 1864, okay? I read Isobel's research."
"I'm Elena Gilbert, Isobel's biological daughter and, sadly, a descendant of Kathrine Pierce." Elena growled. "And this is Damon Salvatore who you just shot and you're right, he's dead, just the Undead kind of dead."
"I would be extra nice to us right now." Damon smirked with his vampire face on complete display making Vanessa whimper in fear.
"Oh, and that was my sister you tried to shoot." Jeremy glared. "I have no problem with helping them to get rid of you."
"Now, if you would show us all of Isobel's research relating to Mystic Falls we might, oh I don't know, forget about this little incident?" Elena hummed.
"Absolutely, I'll do anything." Vanessa nodded quickly.
Around fifteen minutes later Vanessa brought a box into the room and placed it in front of Elena. "This box checks Kathrine's arrival to Mystic Falls in April 1864."
"Is that all there is about her?" Elena asked as she opened the box.
"All that I'm aware of." Vanessa told her. When she sees the vervain in the box she whispered to Elena, "Does vervain really work?"
"Nope, not at all." Damon said from across the room.
"Can he hear us?" Vanessa whispered again.
"No, that would be creepy." Damon mock whispered.
"Can he read minds to?" Vanessa sounded both freaked out and intrigued.
"You know, if you wanted to see me naked," Damon turned towards Vanessa and Elena with a smirk. "All you had to do was ask."
Elena and Jeremy burst out laughing and Elena had to support herself against the desk to not fall.
"Any luck?" Damon asked when they had been looking through the information for a while.
"There's nothing here about Kathrine that we didn't already know." Elena sighed.
"Ah, man, you know, it's a real bummer that we don't know someone who was there when Kathrine was in Mystic Falls in 1864." Damon hummed with a smirk. "Oh, wait…"
"You're right, we should definitely call Stefan." Elena teased back.
"Ouch." Damon grabbed his chest in mock pain.
"Hey guys, check this out." Alaric called out from where he was standing beside Vanessa.
"There's no record of werewolf mythology in Mystic Falls, but here are some records of some of the lesser-known legends. Everything from Scandinavian skin-walkers to the Maréchal de Retz." Vanessa held out a book with Aztec drawings. "Tonartsliitsii Metslii, which roughly translates into…"
"The Curse of the Sun and the Moon." Elena interrupted. "It's Aztec."
"She's right. It explains one origin of the werewolf curse traced through Virginia." Vanessa lectured. "The short story; 600 years ago, the Aztecs were plagued by werewolves and vampires. They terrorized the countryside, made farming and hunting neigh impossible until an Aztec shaman cursed them, making vampires slaves to the sun and werewolves' servants of the moon. As a result, vampires could only prowl at night and werewolves could only turn on a full moon. When the full moon crests in the sky, whoever is unlucky enough to fall under the werewolf curse turns into a wolf."
"Can they control the transformation?" Damon wanted to know.
"If it were a choice, it wouldn't be called a curse." Vanessa sneered at him. "Werewolves will attack humans but instinct and centuries of rivalry have hardwired them to hunt their prey of choice; vampires."
"See I told you that vampires and werewolves were enemies." Elena said as she threw her hands up.
"If werewolves were hunting vampires, I would know about it." Damon declared with certainty.
"Not if there aren't that many werewolves left alive." Vanessa looked through the book in her hand. "Hundreds of years ago, vampires hunted them close to extinction."
"War and survival of the fittest." Elena nodded like it made perfect sense.
"Why would they do that?" Alaric asked.
"To protect themselves." Vanessa turned towards Alaric. "Legend has it that a werewolf's bite is fatal to a vampire."
"Oh…" Damon said slowly as Elena, Jeremy and Alaric looked at him in concern.
"Hey, have you done any research on doppelgängers?" Elena asked a few minutes later as she found a picture of Kathrine.
"Well, the word means a lot of different things to different cultures," Vanessa said. "But typically, a doppelgänger is a living, breathing double of oneself."
"Hello my shadow self." Elena murmured quietly, remembering the end of season four of the tv show.
"What?" Damon asked.
"Nothing." Elena shook her head and looked up at Damon with a small smile.
"Usually doppelgängers torment the people they look like, trying to undo their lives." Vanessa cautioned. "It's not exactly uplifting."
"That doesn't surprise me." Elena shrugged. "I just want to know why we look alike."
"That's the million-dollar question, isn't it?" Damon hummed.
"Are doppelgängers considered supernatural beings?" Jeremy piped up from where he was observing everything, still on high alert incase Vanessa attacked his sister again.
"That is a very good question." Elena admitted.
"I don't know." Vanessa shook her head.
An hour later Elena and Jeremy were by the car, waiting for Damon and Alaric.
"Look what I found." Damon strutted up to the Gilbert siblings, holding out a book towards Elena.
"'Petrova'" Elena read the title out loud. "I saw this on a shelf."
"Kathrine originally came from Europe. Petrova was her real name." Damon explained. "Katerina Petrova, to be exact."
"How do you know this?" Elena looked up at him.
"Back in 1864 I saw it engraved on an old heirloom." Damon shrugged. "Men snoop too, you know."
"He's not wrong about that." Jeremy admitted with a quiet chuckle.
"Let me know what you find?" Damon asked. "I'm very curious."
"Absolutely." Elena smiled at him. "Thank you for the book."
XOXOXOX
The foursome walked into the Gilbert house to the sound of 'Eye of the Tiger' playing while Jenna danced around in the living room.
"Nice moves, aunt Jenna." Elena smiled at her aunt when the song was over.
"Elena!" Jenna jumped in shock, not having notice the foursome arrive. "You're back!"
"Nope, you're just imagining things." Elena laughed.
"Show me, show me, show me!" Jenna bounced over.
Elena held her right arm forwards, showing of the five butterflies, they started on her pointer finger and moved up wards to her middle finger, then on her hand up to her wrist. Elena then turned her arm over to show the symbol on her inner wrist.
"I like the butterflies." Jenna hummed. "But what is that symbol?"
"Tatama," Elena smiled. "It basically means 'Order out of Chaos'."
"Fits your life to a t." Jenna laughed and turned to Jeremy. "Show me!"
Jeremy laughed and pulled off his shirt, showing off the tribal dragon done in Viking style on the left side of his chest.
"That looks so cool!" Jenna gasped as she looked at Jeremy's tattoo.
"Damon and Alaric got tattoos too." Jeremy smirked.
Jenna turned expectantly towards the two men.
Alaric smiled with a sigh and pulled up his shirt, showing of his left forearm. The tattoo depicted an old pocket watch, with an arrow almost looking like it went through it and the words 'The Trouble Is, You Think You Have Time'.
"That's beautiful but also masculine." Jenna admired the tattoo before she turned towards Damon.
Damon pulled his shirt off with a laugh and turned around. On his right shoulder blade there was a raven in flight and partly hidden in the ravens back was a human skull.
"That is epic." Jenna said slowly, "And fitting."
"I'm happy with mine." Elena smiled and shrugged. "But I sort of want one along my spine now."
"I want to get one to but I haven't had the time." Jenna hummed.
"Why don't you go this weekend?" Elena offered. "Me and Jeremy will be fine."
"Yeah and take Alaric with you." Jeremy smirked. "You two deserves to get some couples time."
"That works for me." Alaric smiled at Jenna.
"Okay." Jenna agreed, then she frowned. "Shouldn't the tattoos be redder and still be healing?"
"We have Damon to thank for that, actually." Elena smiled and kissed Damon on the cheek. "He offered us his blood to heal the 'wounds' so to speak."
"You offered yours in return to heal mine." Damon smiled at her, then he turned towards Jenna. "I'll give you some blood when you have done your tattoo."
"Thank you, Damon." Jenna smiled gratefully.
"You're welcome." Damon nodded at her.
"Who wants pizza?" Jeremy asked as he pulled out his phone.
Elena's stomach gave a loud growl and she smirked. "Apparently I do."
XOXOXOX
Elena was sitting at a table alone at the grill a few days later, drinking milkshake and reading The Hobbit, when Damon suddenly sat down beside her.
"So, this is what you do when you're not plotting murder, torture and world domination." Damon smirked.
"Yup." Elena smiled and then she offered him her glass, "Milkshake?"
"Thanks." Damon took a slow sip. "You going to help me test Mason Lockwood at Jenna's barbecue later?"
"Do I get to stab him?" Elena asked with big excited eyes.
"Possibly." Damon laughed. "I love that you are a tiny bit psychotic and like to stab people."
"Why thank you." Elena smirked.
"Did you see Jenna's new tattoo?" Damon asked after a while.
"Yeah and I think it fits her." Elena smiled as she put a marker in the book and put it in her bag.
"Oh?" Damon hummed.
"Orchids mean love, luxury, beauty and strength." Elena told him.
"That is really fitting for her." Damon agreed.
"Here's your pie, sir." A waitress come up to Damon and gave him a box.
"Perfect, thank you." Damon smiled at the waitress who nodded and left. "I'm hoping everyone likes peach cobbler."
"Well, Jeremy will be your eternally loyal servant if you give it to him and it's Jenna's guilty pleasure." Elena laughed and got up along with Damon.
"How about you?" Damon asked as they walked out of the grill.
"I can eat it when someone offers but I wouldn't buy it for myself." Elena shrugged.
"What's your favorite desert then?" Damon looked at her.
"Gooey chocolate cake." Elena sighed dreamily.
"Good to know." Damon laughed.
A few hours later Elena is in the Gilbert kitchen talking to Jenna. "Thanks for letting me invite Caroline, she could really use a day of distraction."
"Anytime, Elena." Jenna smiled. "Caroline is like another niece, she's family."
"So, we are all in agreement, you, me and Jeremy, that Caroline is an honorary Gilbert?" Elena chuckled. "I'm a little sad though, that Jeremy decided to spend the evening with Anna."
"Absolutely." Jenna agreed. "But I also heard that Damon is coming."
"Yup, he's bringing pie." Elena nodded.
"Elena, I don't think he's here for the food." Jenna smiled at her niece.
"Why else would he be here?" Elena looked confused.
"Oh, you are so oblivious it's almost not funny." Jenna giggled.
"What are you talking about?" Elena asked but before Jenna could answer Mason arrived.
"Good news!" Mason said. "I found the shot glasses!"
"No Elena you are not taking shots in this house!" Jenna mock glared at her.
"Poodoo." Elena pouted as she closed her mouth.
"You're here for 10 minutes and I'm already back under the bleachers at the pep rally." Jenna giggled.
"Like old times, huh?" Mason laughed. "Only difference is that I didn't swipe this bottle from my old man."
"Wait…" Elena said as she looked between her aunt and Mason. "You two?"
"Well…not really." Jenna stuttered slightly.
"Why not, aunt Jenna?" Elena laughed. "He has a great ass."
"Elena!" Alaric sounded scandalized as he walked in.
"What?!" Elena smirked. "He does!"
"But not as great as mine, right?" Damon asked as he walked in.
"I don't know, Mason's ass looks very nice." Elena hummed thoughtfully.
"I'm just going to take Jenna out to the back yard and get her to start breathing again." Alaric started to lead a laughing Jenna out of the kitchen. "Hopefully."
"Was it something I said?" Elena looked between Damon and Mason innocently.
"You are a very different young woman." Mason chuckled.
"Thank you." Elena beamed as she took Jenna's shot glass and downed it.
"I thought your aunt said you weren't doing shots in this house?" Mason looked at her with a smirk.
"What she doesn't know can't get me in trouble." Elena laughed. "And if she finds out I'll know it was you who told her."
"And how do you know Damon won't be the one to tell her?" Mason raised an eyebrow.
"Because Damon hasn't said anything before and he won't say anything now." Elena kissed Damon on the cheek as she left the kitchen.
Elena walked out on the porch and sat down on the steps.
"God!" Caroline came over and sat down beside her. "I cannot stop eating. Stefan says it's a great way to sublimate the cravings, but it's horrible fighting the urge for blood every minute of every day. Damon said it will get easier with time, but still."
"Would some of mine help?" Elena offered.
"Yeah, thank you Elena." Caroline looked so relived.
"No problem." Elena smiled and gave Caroline her left wrist.
Caroline bit down as gently as possible and drank slowly and carefully. She pulled back with a grateful smile as she licked her lips clean. "Thank you so, so, much."
"Anytime." Elena said and wrapped her scarf around her wrist. "It was decided earlier today that you are an honorary Gilbert so that makes you family."
"I need to tell you something." Caroline murmured softly.
"You can tell me anything, you know that." Elena smiled gently.
"Kathrine visited me and told me to keep you away from Stefan and to spy on you." Caroline admitted quietly.
"So, she's still obsessed with Stefan, then?" Elena hummed.
"I'm sorry." Caroline looked at Elena sadly.
"Hey, it's okay." Elena smiled softly at her best friend/sister. "I know that you wouldn't tell her anything of importance."
Caroline pulled Elena into a tight hug just as Alaric opened the door. "Foods ready."
"Finally, I'm starving." Caroline said and got up as Elena giggled.
After dinner they were playing Pictionary, with Damon only drawing wolf related things making Elena having to leave before she peed herself laughing.
"Jenna is getting tipsy." Damon smirked as he joined her.
"Could be because you're plying her with alcohol." Elena laughed as she put the pie on a big plate.
"Could be." Damon chuckled and shrugged.
"How's operation Lockwood?" Elena asked smiling.
"He's my new BFF." Damon said with a dramatic flair.
"There you two are." Jenna said as she came into the kitchen. "Isn't this fun?"
"Yes, thank you so much for inviting me." Damon smiled at Jenna.
"You're welcome." Jenna hummed then she whispered, or at least tried to whisper, to Damon as she nodded towards Elena. "How is it going?"
"It's a work in progress." Damon looked slightly embarrassed.
"I'm rooting for you." Jenna patted Damon on the cheek and turned around to grab the pie from Elena.
"Use this aunt Jenna." Elena held out a cake knife from the old the old silver set.
"These are fancy." Damon picked up a knife to look closer at it.
"Thanks." Jenna smiled. "My mother's silver set."
Elena laughed quietly as Damon discreetly put the silver knife in his jacket and then the three of them walked back into the living room.
"Mason, why don't you start us off?" Damon gestured to the pie and the silver knife.
Mason bends forward and takes a piece of pie with his hands, avoiding the knife. "I apologize, I'm an animal."
"Wonder if he has fleece?" Elena muttered so only Damon and Caroline could hear her making them chuckled quietly.
"So Mason, you and Jenna never dated?" Alaric asked.
"She was always lost in Logan Fell land." Mason smirked at Jenna.
"Wait, wait, wait, you choose Logan Scum Fell over that?!" Elena looked at Jenna as she gestured to Mason.
Elena had decided that if Kathrine could pretend to be her, she could pretend to be Kathrine. And if she had to flirt with Mason Lockwood to get the information they needed to find out what Kathrine was up to, she would flirt with the mutt. There is very little she wouldn't do to protect her family and friends. Or maybe she could turn him to their side…
"I was young and dumb, I'm sorry!" Jenna laughed. "Anyway, Mason always had girls lining up."
"Really?" Damon hummed. "I always pegged you for a lone wolf."
"I'm sure I wasn't half the lady killer you were." Mason smirked at Damon.
"Men, woman, a dwarf in drag once…" Elena chuckled.
"Oh, I didn't know you liked men, Damon?" Jenna asked intrigued with mischief in her eyes.
"I appreciate beauty in all its forms." Damon smirked, knowing that Jenna actually knew that Elena meant that he didn't discriminate in who he killed.
"How about a toast?" Mason asked, holding up his glass. "To new friends!"
"To new Friends!" The others chorused.
A while later Elena and Damon were in the kitchen doing the dishes when Mason walked in.
"Jenna just brought out 'Guitar Hero'." Mason chuckled. "Might be time to mutiny."
"Why did Jeremy have to be at Anna's place tonight?" Elena groaned. "He could have beat you all at 'Guitar Hero' without even trying."
"I like 'Guitar Hero'." Damon admitted. "So, you, my friend, are barking up the wrong tree."
"Okay, enough with the innuendos." Mason groaned. "You win, you are hilarious."
"Thank you." Damon smirked. "And I know."
"Come on man. You don't think I know what this barbeque is about?" Mason looked at Damon with a raised eyebrow.
"How do you know about me?" Damon demanded to know. "Your brother was completely clueless."
"It doesn't matter; I'm not your enemy, Damon." Mason said.
"You tried to kill my brother." Damon glared.
"That was a mistake." Mason admitted.
"Really?" The disbelief in Damons was pretty obvious.
"There was confusion; I couldn't chain myself up in time." Mason intoned seriously. "I have no control once I shift."
"Wait, does this mean I don't get to stab him?" Elena asked from where she had snuck up beside Mason with a silver knife in her hand. Then she sagged in disappointment and pouted. "Aww man, this sucks."
"You were going to stab me?!" Mason asked looking wide eyed at Elena.
"Well, you did almost kill one of my best friends," Elena hummed with a shrug. "So, I thought it only fair that I get to stab you."
"Let's not spark some age-old feud that doesn't apply to us." Mason pleaded with Damon even as he inched away from Elena in worry.
"You expect me to believe that you are in Mystic Falls planting peach trees?" Damon sneered.
"I lost my brother; my nephew lost his father. I'm here for my family." Mason told him and held out his hand. "Let's be above this."
"Sure." Damon smiled coldly as he shook Mason's hand. "But the moment you do something that proves dangerous towards Elena, Stefan or anyone we care about, you're dead."
"Are we friends now?" Elena asked happily as she sent a smirk at Mason. "I've always wanted a puppy."
"Funny." Mason actually laughed along with Damon and Elena.
"Oh, I have a lot of dog/werewolf and vampire jokes in my arsenal." Elena giggled as the three of them joined the others in the living room.
"Oh, tell me a vampire joke then." Mason told her with a chuckle.
"What do you get if you cross a snowman with a vampire?" Elena asked brightly.
"No idea." Mason said and the others nodded in agreement.
"Frostbite." Elena smirked.
"That was so, so bad." Jenna giggled.
"That's what makes it so funny." Elena wiggled her eyebrows.
"Do a werewolf joke next." Caroline demanded as she giggled.
"What do you call a werewolf with no legs?" Elena looked around the room and when no one answered she continued. "Whatever you like, he can's chase you either way."
"That was dark." Alaric said as they all laughed.
"Okay how about this; Did you hear about the comedian who entertained at a werewolf's party?" Elena hummed with a giggle. "He had them howling all night!"
About an hour later Mason shrugged on his jacket, "No takers for drinks at the grill?"
"I would love to but I don't think the cops or my aunt would be happy." Elena chuckled. "But me Caroline and Damon are going to the grill to, we're just going to pick up Stefan first."
"Well, the moment you turn eighteen the first drink is on me." Mason smiled, then he turned towards Jenna and Alaric. "Thanks for having me, it was awesome. Alaric, catch that game next week?"
"Yeah, I look forward to it." Alaric nodded.
"I might join you for drinks at the bar if I get bored with Stefan and his friends." Damon shrugged.
"We can find out who can hold their liquor better, werewolves or vampires." Mason laughed as he walked out of the Gilbert house.
XOXOXOX
"I'll go get Stefan!" Elena called out as she jumped out of the car when they arrived at the boarding house.
"Stefan? Come on you slow poke, we're going for burgers at the grill!" Elena said loudly as she walked into the parlor.
"You must be Elena." Elena jumped around to see Kathrine standing there.
"Nope, I'm just some other woman who looks just like you." Elena said sarcastically.
"Hmm." Kathrine smirked and vamp-sped away as Stefan entered the room.
"Elena?" Stefan looked down on her right arm and relaxed when he saw the tattoo.
"You look rough." Elena stated calmly.
"I wonder why." Stefan muttered.
"Go change!" Elena ordered. "We are going to the grill."
"But…" Stefan started to say.
"No buts, except maybe mine." Elena tried to look over her shoulder at her own ass, then she focused back on Stefan. "You can tell us all about your day with Kathrine on the way."
"Us?" Stefan asked.
"Damon, Caroline and me." Elena walked over to him and started to herd him towards the stairs. "Now, chop, chop, the burgers won't eat themselves."
"Didn't you just come from a BBQ?" Stefan asked as he made his way up the stairs.
"That is not the point!" Elena called after him.
When they finally made it to the grill, Stefan was such a slow poke, Elena was almost salivating for a burger and a milkshake.
"Stefan is paying." Elena declared as she sat down at a table.
"Why am I paying?" Stefan asked as he and the others sat down with Elena.
"Because you are slower than a sloth when you pick out clothes." Elena mock glared at him.
"She's right." Caroline smirked. "You're worse than any woman."
"I'm not that bad!" Stefan denied.
"Yes, you are!" Elena and Caroline chorused.
"They've got you there, little brother." Damon laughed.
"I hate you all." Stefan pouted adorable.
"We love you too!" Elena, Damon and Caroline smiled at him.
"How about movie night and a sleep over at my place after the burgers?" Elena offered.
"Sounds good to me." Caroline nodded with a smile.
"As long as there's no Disney." Stefan said with a look at Elena.
"How about Final Destination?" Damon offered. "I've wanted to watch the franchise but haven't really had the time."
"Jeremy has the first three if that's acceptable for everyone." Elena hummed and Stefan and Caroline quickly.
Later that night, after they had all laughed at the different deaths in Final Destination 1 and 2, Elena fell asleep against Damons shoulder in the middle of Final Destination 3. She was happy with how the day turned out and hoped that she had managed to save Mason, which in turn would save Rose from his pack, she hoped.
As she fell asleep, she heard the ancient and powerful voice whisper in her mind. "You are a special one, my dear."
A/N: A chapter, yay!
I have decided to keep Mason alive for now but that might change later ;)
Last chapter I asked who you wanted to pair Damon with and gave you three options. Well, it seems like it got a lot more traction than I thought it would, so here are the new voting tally paring thing:
Damon/Jeremy: 4
Damon/Rose: 7
Damon/Enzo: 7
Damon/Enzo/Jeremy: 1
Damon/Kol: 3
Damon/Rebekah: 1
Jeremy/Tyler: 2
Jeremy/Kol: 4
Jeremy/Rebekah: 1
Until next time
XOXO
Nyxi