Disclaimer – All publicly recognizable characters, settings etc., are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plots are the property of the creator. The director/author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. I only do this for fun. ~*D*~
Author Note – I am positively thrilled that you guys like my newest story. (Cheers) I would like to point out that this story is posted on both Fanfiction and AO3. (Winks) Now, for Master Chi, which had been written Chang but is fixed, I don't know if he's going to make an appearance but if he does, Master Chi is around Sage's age. (Smirks) And please tell me who you think Erica should be with? Klaus? Damon? Kol? A combination of 2? or a combination of all three? (Pleads On Hands And Knees) Now onto the next chapter of Life & Death!
Notes:
Personal Thoughts
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(Forest Surrounding Mystic Falls – 12:23 AM)
In the middle of the darkened forest, with the moon hanging in the sky like a silver pendant, sat a campsite with a tent and two young people inside fooling around completely unaware of the danger that was lurking. Even as fog began to roll through the campsite, neither occupant realized the danger until a branch was snapped nearby.
"Hey," The woman said, sitting up. "Did you hear that?" She had a frown on her face as she tried to listen to the sounds.
"What?" The man seemed stumped, staring at the woman blankly.
The woman huffed as she began pulling back on her shirt, "I think I heard thunder."
"There was no thunder," He rolled his eyes, zipping up his pants since the moment was ruined.
"Are you sure?" The woman questioned, her eyes sparkling from the camp light they had hung up in the tent, "Because if it does rain, we wont be able to see the comet when it goes over." She gave him a pointed look, wondering what he had planned.
The man just rolled his eyes, pulling his own shirt back on, "Its not going to rain." He promised, remembering the forecast said it was going to be clear skies for watching the comet. "Now stay right there," He ordered her with a kiss to the cheek, "I got you a little something but I kinda left it in the car so don't move."
"Stay dry." The woman told him, grinning from ear to ear as her boyfriend unzipped the flap and crawled out.
"It's not going to rain!" Her boyfriend retorted once again before he disappeared from view.
Seconds ticked by when suddenly the sound of something dripping on the tent caught the woman's attention. She crowed in triumph as she crawled out of the tent to enjoy the rain. The only problem was as soon as she stood up, facing the tent she had just crawled out of, she was greeted by the sight of her boyfriend impaled on the branches of the tree and his blood dripping down onto the tent. Eyes growing wide, the woman screamed before turning and running in the direction of the car as if the hounds from Hell were chasing after her.
It didn't take her long to reach the car but quickly realized the doors were locked. A cold chill ran down the woman's spine as the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. Just as she was about to turn around to look behind her, the car beeped and the doors unlocked causing the woman to jump back in shock. She scanned the woods surrounding her but wasn't able see anything. Fear filled her entire being as she slowly made her way to the car, however, as soon as her hand touched the car door to open it and reach safety, darkness took her over as her life was slowly drained away.
(Gilbert House – 7:33 AM)
Upon waking up early the next morning, Erica untangled herself from her blankets and changed out of her nightclothes into her workout outfit. Not wanting to get rusty with what was coming, she spent the first ten minutes warming up before going through both her Judo and Muay Thai moves. Forty five minutes later, she was dripping sweat, feeling wide awake and much better then she had. Walking into the house for a bottle of water, she found Jenna looking into the mirror on the wall in the kitchen, trying to fix her hair as she waited for the coffee to finish.
"Morning Aunt Jen." Erica called out as she opened the refrigerator and grabbed a bottle of water, downing half of it.
"Morning," Jenna replied, turning to her niece. "What do you think?" She pulled her hair up, "Up?" She released it, letting it fall around her shoulders, "Or down?"
Erica shrugged, "Go with a happy medium." She offered, completely different then what Elena had said, "Leave part of your hair down while putting part of it up."
"Good idea!" Jenna grinned, pointing at her before turning and heading to the downstairs bathroom. "You better get a move on or you're going to be late!" She called out from the other room.
"What?" Erica looked up at the clock, seeing that it was almost a little after 7, meaning she had a little over half an hour to get to school. "Shit!" She hurried upstairs to change out of her workout clothes, hearing Jenna laughing at her.
Hurrying into her room, she quickly stripped her dirty workout clothes off and jumped in the shower. Seconds later, Erica was rummaging through her closet looking for an outfit to wear to school. Finally finding a clean pair of jeans and shirt, she pulled them on making a mental note about needing to do laundry when she got home. Once dressed, she quickly did her make up, grabbed her book bag and hurried back downstairs. Saying goodbye to Jenna over her shoulder, she jerked the door open only to freeze when she saw Stefan standing there.
"Hey." Stefan said, giving her a small grin as he stepped back, letting her exit the house, "I...uh….wanted to say I'm sorry about leaving you alone at the party the other night." He pulled his right hand out of his pants pocket, holding out a necklace Erica knew only to well.
"Oh!" Erica pretended to be surprised, shutting the door behind her so Jenna wouldn't snoop, "You didn't have to get me anything." She took the necklace from him and held it in her hand, staring down at it.
Stefan's eyes kept glancing around the area as if he was searching for something, "I wanted to." His green eyes sparkling in the morning light, "And I didn't actually buy the necklace. Its something I found looking through some of my old things and thought of you."
"It's beautiful." Erica commented, mentally wondering how she could get rid of it without Stefan becoming suspicious, "Can you help me put it on?" She knew he wanted her to wear the necklace thus the reason he hadn't moved.
"Of course," Stefan took the necklace back and unhooked the chain before slipping it around Erica's neck and fastening it. "It suits you." He complimented as she turned back around, relieved she was now protected against his brother.
Erica felt her heart skip a beat at the thought he went through, even knowing where it truly came from. "Thank you." She glanced at her watch, seeing she only had a little while before the first bell rang, "Do you need a ride to school?"
"I was going to walk," Stefan explained as he walked Erica over to one of the two cars.
"Then you'll no doubt be late." Erica said, opening her cars driver side door, "Get in." She motioned to the passenger side.
Stefan seemed to be debating on taking her up on a ride before he finally accepted, "Alright." He walked around the car and climbed in, buckling up. "Thanks for the ride."
"Its no problem," Erica waved off his gratitude as she pulled out of the driveway. "I'd give any of my friends a ride." She tried to keep calm as she drove through the streets of Mystic Falls towards the high school.
"Are you ok?" Stefan asked, pretending he didn't know why she was nervous.
Erica nodded, "Yeah." She stopped at a stop sign before continuing on, "Its just I'm still nervous being in a car after a crash I was in four months ago." She explained as if he didn't know. "My dad was driving when he lost control and ended up going over the side of Wickery Bridge. Him and my mother didn't make it."
"I'm sorry," Stefan apologized, not only for what happened but for also being unable to save her father not that Erica knew that, or so he thought. "I suppose I should say it'll get better but you'll always feel their loss so I'll say the pain will lessen with time."
"That seemed rather thoughtful," Erica pointed out, glancing over at Stefan as she stopped at a red light. "You wouldn't happen to be a writer are you?"
Stefan chuckled, remembering what Erica predicted about him being a writer from Chicago, "No." He shook his head, "I just really like to read. It helps passes the time."
"Do you have a lot of extra time on your hands?" Erica questioned as she pulled through the light and turned onto the road the school was located on.
"More then I'd like." Stefan admitted with a shrug, thinking of the years he had already seen go by and fades that faded, "What do you like to do for fun?" He asked, wanting to get to know her a little better.
Erica grinned, cutting her eyes towards Stefan, "You mean besides smoking weed and drinking?" She raised her brow as she pulled into the school parking lot.
"Yeah, besides smoking weed and drinking." Stefan nodded, rather shocked that Erica would even admit to smoking weed because she didn't seem like the type.
"Well," Erica began, parking in an empty parking spot, "I like to read and draw which I'm not real good at." She told him, cutting the car off and gathering her things, "I also enjoy doing Judo and Muay Thai."
Both Stefan and Erica got out of the car, "What's your favorite book?" Stefan questioned, shutting the car door behind him and walking around to wait for Erica.
"Hmm." Erica hummed, thinking, "I don't really have a favorite." She replied, shrugging as she shut her own car door, "I like all types of genres."
"Mind if I make a suggestion?" Stefan asked, noticing how everyone watched them walking up to the school.
Erica shifted her book bag higher up on her shoulder, "As long as it isn't anything to do with History." She wrinkled her nose as they made their way into the school, "That subject puts me to sleep."
"Wuthering Heights by Ellis Bell." Stefan suggested, holding the door open for her as they entered. "Its set in the 1800s but its pretty good."
"Isn't that the book that Bella Swan reads in Twilight?" Erica asked as she headed in the direction of her locker.
Stefan blinked a few times, "I….um…..don't really know." He hadn't read any of the Twilight books thus didn't know anything about the book.
"It is." Caroline popped up, suddenly appearing at Erica's side, "Hey Stefan." She gave him a smile before turning to Erica, "Are you still helping pass out the fliers for the comet?" She asked, staring Erica down.
"Yes, Care." Erica sighed, opening her locker, "I promised I'd help, didn't I?" She swapped the books she had in her bag for the books she would need for her classes.
Caroline shrugged, cutting her eyes towards Stefan, "Just wanted to make sure." She said with a wink, "You have forgotten before."
"It was one time." Erica groaned as she shut her locker, glaring at her friend who smirked at her before heading over to where Matt was talking with Tyler.
Stefan chuckled and was about to say something when the first warning bell rang, signaling it was time to start heading to class. After saying their goodbyes, Erica headed off to her first class, Sign Language, while Stefan headed in the opposite direction. Her teacher, Mrs. Feldman, was extremely pleased about how fast she was able to pick up the silent language. Mrs. Feldman had also questioned if she had thought about a career in being an interpreter, someone who translated Sign Language to the spoken word.
Having not thought of being a Sign Language Interpreter, Erica told Mrs. Feldman she would have think about it before heading off to Mr. Tanner's class. Taking a seat between Bonnie and Caroline, she got ready to listen to Tanner drone on about the Comet, that was passing over. Just thinking of the Comet brought forward thoughts about what would proceed said event. Vicki Donovan's death, Shelia's death by opening the tomb, Lexi's death which was orchestrated by Damon, Richard Lockwoods death with the release of the vampires within the tomb and so many more.
While she had changed a few things before the plot line even began, such as Matt dating Caroline, her and Jeremy being close meaning he wasn't hanging out with the druggies, Erica had a rather bad feeling she wouldn't be able to change everything she wanted to. One thing she was determined to change was Lexi's death. She didn't deserve to die because Damon was an asshole and had his switch flipped to the 'off' position. Not to mention, there had been a vampire right in front of them the entire time and neither of them knew it.
Erica ended up laughing for a straight thirty minutes when the episode aired, showing that Ben the bartender was a vampire. She was brought back to the present when Caroline tossed a piece of paper over her shoulder when Tanner's back was turned to the class. Unfolding the paper, she read the note Caroline wrote, asking her how she felt about the new guy Stefan because of the fact he was staring at her. Again. Mentally groaning because she knew that Elena had fallen for his beautiful green eyes, she, on the other hand, happened to find tall, dark and dangerous more appealing.
Writing down a response that she thought he was cute but wasn't really her type, she threw it over her shoulder. The rest of class went on about the same even with Bonnie getting in on the action. When the bell finally rang, signaling the end of Tanner tormenting them, everyone quickly packed up their things and hurried out of the class. Following their classmate's actions, Caroline, Bonnie and Erica were some of the first out of the room and headed to their lockers to grab their lunches before heading out to find a nice shaded spot to eat.
Matt joined the trio a few seconds after they finally found a nice picnic bench that was situated under a big shade tree. The four childhood friends sat and talked about how their day was going. Matt also explained how Vicki was doing after her attack. Even though none of the three girls liked Vicki, they wouldn't wish harm on her because she was the only family Matt had left since their mother and father both ran out on them. Matt explained how she had woke up crying the night before causing the nurses to sedate her because of how hysterical she was.
Out of the corner of her eye, Erica noticed Stefan sitting at another table not to far away, no doubt eavesdropping on their conversations. She had to admit it was funny to watch in person because he wasn't doing a very good job of acting inconspicuous. Turning her attention back to the conversation at hand, she heard Matt say something about the only thing Vicki could or would say was the word vampire when asked what attacked her. While Bonnie and Caroline agreed with Matt that Vicki must have been messed up, she knew only to well that it had been a vampire.
Stefan seemed to agree with her because as soon as the word came from Matt's mouth, he stiffened and quickly left, no doubt heading to the hospital for a little situation control which wouldn't work since he didn't feed on humans. Erica pushed those thoughts from her mind as the end of lunch bell rang signaling it was time to head back to class. With groans coming from everyone who was outside eating their lunch, Caroline, Matt, Bonnie and Erica gathered their things, picked up their messes, threw away their trash and headed back inside to finish out the day.
By the end of the day, Erica was more then ready to head home. After telling Bonnie and Caroline she'd meet up with them later, she located Jeremy then the two headed home. She really wanted to know just how things went with Tanner because she knew Jenna had a parent/teacher conference with the dumbass. Stepping through the door, she was showed just how much her involvement changed the story line because instead of Jenna looking through Jeremy's room, Jenna was sitting in the living room smoking a joint with a glass of whiskey sitting on the table next to her.
"You ok there, Aunt Jenna?" Erica questioned, dropping her keys in the bowl by the door and snatched the joint from her aunt's hands.
"You're teacher is a complete dick." Jenna said, looking between Erica and Jeremy, "Do you know he had the balls to say I wasn't doing a good job in taking care of the two of you?" She scoffed, picking up her glass and taking a big drink.
Erica tensed, wishing once again Damon would kill Tanner sooner then later, "You haven't screwed anything up, Aunt Jenna." Her voice cold, Jeremy nodding in agreement as he took the joint from Erica when she held it out to him, "I'm almost 18 and Jeremy's just turned 16 so we really don't need to be taken care of like children. Mom and Dad more or less already raised us and we can take care of ourselves. We just need a guardian."
"Not to mention, your only a few years older then Erica." Jeremy pointed out, taking a hit of the joint as he dropped down beside Jenna on the couch. "The should cut you some slack."
"Anyone expecting you to be like mom should have their asses kicked." Erica stated, dropping down in the chair across from the couch, "You're our Aunt, not mother." She pointed to the joint that Jeremy held out for Jenna to take, "And I can't see Mom or Dad being ok with us smoking weed."
Jenna smiled sadly, taking a small hit then blowing out the smoke, "Believe it or not, your parents smoked weed, too." She took another hit before holding it out for Erica to take, "Miranda had really bad anxiety from a young age and had been smoking since she was about your age." She grinned at the shocked expressions on Jeremy and Erica's faces. "When she started dating Grayson, she explained why she smoked and ended up getting him to start smoking."
"Your kidding." Jeremy choked out as he stared at his aunt, "Mom and dad smoked pot!?" He wasn't the only one shocked because Erica looked like a fish out of water as her mouth opened then closed a few times with her hand holding the joint up to her lips.
"Yup." Jenna answered, popping the 'p' as she picked up her warm whiskey and finished it off, "Miranda only quit when she found out she was pregnant with you." She pointed to Jeremy. "It was one of the most happiest times of her life." A few tears trailed down Jenna's cheek.
Erica chuckled, shaking her head as she took a hit then passing it to Jeremy, "While I'd love to stay and continue getting high, I need to get going." She told them standing up and picking up her bag, "I promised Caroline I would help hand out fliers for the Comet's passing."
"I would help but I got homework," Jeremy groaned, glancing over at Jenna as he put the joint out then slipped it behind his ear.
"Yes, you do." Jenna tried to sound stern but it was ruined by the glazed look in her eyes. "I also have a bone to pick with you, Mr. Jeremy Gilbert, because Tanner told me you've showed up at school high." She narrowed her eyes, glaring at him, "I have no problem with you smoking weed but I want you to at least do your homework and not go to school higher then a kite."
"I warned you!" Erica sing-songed as she pointed to her brother, "I told you to wait until after you school is over to smoke that way Aunt Jen wouldn't get pissed." She grinned as Jeremy gave her a death glare, "Don't glare at me. You didn't listen to me because if you had, you wouldn't be in trouble dumbass."
Jenna turned her glazed gaze over to Jeremy, "She's right." She did her best to give him a stern look, "Which means you are grounded for a week."
"What!?" Jeremy jumped to his feet, completely shocked. "Why? Erica smokes too!" He pointed to his sister.
"Yeah but I don't GO to school high!" Erica told him, rolling her eyes as she headed upstairs.
Inside the privacy of her room, Erica dropped her book bag on her bed and headed into the bathroom to touch up her makeup. As she was touching up her makeup, her eyes dropped to the necklace Stefan had given her. Even though it was a beautiful necklace, it was also extremely dangerous and needed to be destroyed. When Gloria had stole the necklace from Elena in the show, she had been able to revive Esther thus causing even more trouble. If there was one event she would truly wish to avoid, it would be the return of the Original Bitch...er Witch.
Of course, with the necklace originally belonging to Rebekah, Erica knew only to well that the female Original Vampire would want the necklace back as soon as Klaus pulled the dagger from her since it was the only thing of she had left of her mothers. Deciding it was a problem for a later date, she finished touching up her makeup and headed back into her room only to stop when she saw Damon's pet crow sitting on her window sill staring at her. It was an odd feeling knowing that Damon was showing a lot more interest in her then he'd done to Elena on the TV show.
Glancing at the clock on her nightstand, Erica started cursing when she realized she didn't have long before she had to meet up with Caroline and Bonnie at the grill. Quickly changing her shoes to something more comfortable since she would be standing on her feet tonight, she doubled checked to make sure she had her wallet before heading back downstairs. After saying goodbye to Jenna and grabbing her car keys, Erica rushed out the door, climbed into her car and pulled out of the driveway. Ten minutes later, she pulled into one of the empty parking places, parked and got out.
"I was wondering if you were going to show up," Caroline grinned as if she knew something Erica didn't.
"Oh?" Erica raised a brow, sitting where she could see both Bonnie and Caroline, "And why is that?" She waved over a waitress to place an order for a soda.
Caroline waited until the waitress left before saying anything, "Well the new guy, Stefan Salvatore has been staring at you since he arrived." A sly smirk spread across her lips, "I couldn't help but wonder if you may have blown Bonnie and I off to spend time with him." She wiggled her brows as she sipped her own soda.
"I have no interest in dating, Care." Erica rolled her eyes, thanking Grace when she brought over her soda, "And if I did, I wouldn't go for Stefan." She pursed her lips, trying to think of a way to explain without giving away to much, "He's a little pretty but not really my type."
"You have a type?" Bonnie finally spoke up, staring Erica down, "I didn't know that. Did you know that, Care?" She looked to her other friend.
Caroline shook her head, a sly grin on her face, "No, I didn't." She leaned forward to stare Erica down, "And where in the world did you get that? You didn't have it yesterday."
"Because it was given to me this morning," Erica mentally groaned, knowing that she was going to get interrogated about it.
"Who gave it to you?" Bonnie asked, frowning slightly as she felt something coming from the necklace which caused her to shift in her seat.
Erica mentally sighed, knowing neither Bonnie nor Caroline would let it go until they knew where she got the necklace, "Stefan gave it to me as an apology for leaving me on my own." She took a sip of her soda before continuing, "After you," She pointed to Bonnie, "left me on my own at the bonfire, Stefan showed up and we got to talking." She shrugged, like it wasn't a big deal, "He seemed cool and everything until he disappeared on me."
"And he gave you a necklace as an apology?" Bonnie raised a brow, wondering just what had happened for him to leave.
"Yup," Erica nodded, taking a drink of her soda. "I don't know why but he showed up this morning with it." She really hoped Caroline would let it go when she knew the story.
Of course, she wasn't that lucky, "I told you Stefan liked you." Caroline boasted, giving Erica a look that said 'I told you so'. "If he didn't, I doubt he would have given you a beautiful necklace."
"Just because he gave me a necklace doesn't mean he likes me, Care." Erica rolled her eyes, an image of Damon flashing in her minds eye.
"True but I think he does," Caroline pointed out, pinning Erica with a look. "He could have just apologized. He didn't have to get you something." Bonnie nodded in agreement, sipping her soda.
Erica sighed, knowing Caroline was right, "Fine, so he may have a crush on me but that doesn't mean I'm going to date him."
"You really don't have to have date him for you to sleep with him, Eri." Caroline poked fun at the fact Erica was still a virgin, "Just jump his bones already! Its rather easy to do. Boy likes girl, girl thinks boy is hot, they have sex."
"Profound, Care," Erica told her blonde friend. "But when I have sex with someone, its going to be because I feel something for them, not just because I find them hot." She reminded her before taking another bite of her food.
Bonnie kicked Caroline in the leg, earning a glare from the girl. "Can we please talk about something else?" Bonnie pleaded, not wanting to listen to this discussion again. "Like where are the fliers we're suppose to hand out?"
"Bitch." Caroline hissed at Bonnie, "You didn't have to kick me." Erica snorted, finishing her soda. "As for the fliers, I have them right here." She picked up her book bag and pulled out a yellow folder, "I made around 75 so we each will have 25 to hand out." She handed both Bonnie and Erica 25 fliers before taking the last 25 for herself.
"Why can't we just put some fliers up?" Erica whined, looking at the fliers as if they would bite her, "I mean wouldn't people be more receptive then forcing a piece of paper on them?" She winced when she was hit in the arm with the folder, "What?" She looked between Bonnie and Caroline.
Caroline rolled her eyes at her friend, "Because I already had Tiki post some of the fliers around town." She shook her head, standing up, "I'm going to pay for my drink then start handing out the fliers." She shouldered her bag, "You two can join me when your done."
"Why are we friends with her again?" Erica asked, finishing her own soda and standing up.
"I often wonder that myself sometimes." Bonnie replied with a chuckle, grabbing the fliers, "Ready?"
"As I'll ever be," Erica stated as she grabbed her fliers and headed up to pay for her soda.
Once she paid, her and Bonnie headed to the town square to pass out the fliers for the Comet passing over. Deciding it would be easier if they split up, Bonnie stayed near the Grill while Erica headed a little further down the street. As she passed out the fliers, she couldn't help but feel as if someone was watching her. Looking around as discretely as possible, she wasn't able to see anyone thus did her best to ignore the feeling. Forty five minutes later, she had finally handed out the last of her fliers and headed off to find Bonnie only to run into none other then Damon Salvatore.
"Whoa," Damon reached out to stop her from falling. "No need to fall at my feet, sweetheart." A sly smirk spread across his face.
"Funny," Erica replied, rolling her eyes. "If you'll excuse me." She went to go around him only for him to step in front of her. "Is there something I can help you with?" She couldn't help but wonder why she felt so safe with Damon when she knew he was the more dangerous Salvatore brother at the moment.
Damon didn't know why but he felt as if he had to see Erica again, "Now that you mention it," He looked her over, wondering how she got better looking then the last time he saw her, "I'm looking for my brother."
"And your brother is?" She raised a brow as she crossed her arms over her chest, mentally smirking when Damon's eyes darted down for a split second.
"Stefan Salvatore," Damon divulged, noticing that Erica's eyes weren't solid brown like Katherine's were. "I'm Damon." His tilted his head when he saw something flash in Erica's eyes.
Erica pursed her lips from chuckling because that is the same way he introduced himself the night of the crash, "Have we met before?" She asked him, loving the way she was able to cause Damon to tense, "It's just….." She licked her ruby red lips, causing his eyes to dart to her mouth, "I swear I've seen you before."
"Its rather likely since I've come to visit Uncle Zach as much as I can," Damon admitted, silently wondering how she could remember him since he compelled her to forget their little encounter.
"I suppose." Erica shrugged it off, glancing down at her watch, "Shit, I need to catch up with my friends." She gave Damon a bright smile, "It was nice meeting you, Damon." She held her hand out, only for him to take her hand and kiss the back of it, "I….um…." Erica swallowed, "I'm Erica Gilbert." She slowly withdrew her hand from his, feeling something like static shock as her skin slid across his.
Damon tilted his head in greeting, a sly smile gracing his face, "The pleasure was all mine." His nose flared, scenting a small amount of arousal in Erica's scent, "And please let Stefan know I'm looking for him." He winked before disappearing just as Erica blinked.
"What…" Erica frowned, pretending to be confused as if she were thinking of something before shaking her head and hurrying to the Grill, where she knew Caroline and Bonnie were. "Nope. They were crazy." She whispered to herself, playing it up because she felt eyes on her as she made her way to the grill, "And I think I might be going crazy." She took a deep breathe and stepped into the Grill, quickly finding Bonnie sitting on her own.
"Finally finished?" Bonnie asked as Erica sat down at the table across from her.
Erica nodded, smothering a yawn, "Yup." She looked around, "Have you seen Caroline or Stefan?"
"Caroline's over with Matt," Bonnie pointed out, nodded to the couple. "And for Stefan, no I haven't." She grinned, raising her brow, "What's all this sudden interest in Stefan?" She took a sip of her tea, she ordered from the menu.
"I ran into his older brother," Erica answered honestly, a slight blush spreading across her cheeks.
Bonnie noticed instantly at the change of skin color, "Oh my god!" She whispered, her eyes wide, "You have a crush."
"Shhh!" Erica shushed Bonnie, not wanting Caroline to hear, "Don't say it so loud, Bon." She relaxed when she saw Caroline's attention was solely on Matt.
"Fine," Bonnie grumbled, her eyes sparkling as she realized she had something on Erica. "But you owe me." She stared down Erica until said girl agreed, "Good." A smirk slid across her face causing Erica to mentally groan.
It was then that Erica realized herself that Bonnie had something over her. Being a good friend, she let it go for now because she did need to tell Stefan that his brother was looking for him. She couldn't help but wonder just why Damon was following her around. He hadn't followed Elena around in the show but then again Elena hadn't changed what she had. Deciding to think on it later, she turned her attention back to Bonnie and what she was saying about her Grams telling her about the Comet was the harbinger of dangerous times.
The two of them sat there and chatted until it was time to head outside and get ready for the comet to pass over. Caroline had volunteered to go and get the candles thus Matt, Erica, Bonnie and a few others from the football team stood around talking until Caroline came back with their candles. Once everyone had their candles, the group watched the skies waiting for the comet to pass over. Seconds after the last person lit their candle, the comet passed over showing everyone its beauty. When it finally disappeared, everyone decided to head to the Grill before heading home.
Matt, Tyler and the others all headed to the grill leaving Caroline, Bonnie and Erica, along with a few other girls to clean up candles that had been thrown on the ground. Once they were finished, they made their way to the grill. As soon as the three girls walked into the grill, Erica was reminded exactly what was going to happen. Jeremy was speaking to Tyler rather heatedly which made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. After telling Bonnie and Caroline to find a table, Erica headed over to where Tyler and Jeremy were standing.
"Is there a problem?" Erica asked, stepping up beside the two as she looked between them with her arms crossed over her chest.
"Vicki's disappeared." Jeremy told her, his eyes locked on Tyler, "I just asked the dick here if he'd seen her." His voice was cold and Erica knew he was a few minutes away from punching Tyler Lockwood.
Erica knew that Damon already had Vicki if she remembered the events correctly, "And have you?" She turned her gaze to Tyler, waiting for him to answer her.
"No," Tyler sneered down at Erica. "I haven't seen her but why don't you ask your druggie of a brother." He stepped in her direction only to be surprised when Erica stood her ground.
"My brother doesn't do drugs, dumbass." Erica looked him up and down before staring directly into his eyes, "He smokes weed which I know about since I was the one who gave it to him." She returned his sneer with one of her own as she pushed him backwards, "Now back the fuck up."
Before Tyler could say anything, Matt showed up, "Have anyone of you see Vicki?" He seemed rather worried as he ignored the tension between the three.
"The last time I saw her, she headed to the bathroom." Jeremy told Matt, "But that was an hour ago." He also looked worried as he scanned the Grill. "She could have went out the back."
"Thanks." Matt said before turning around and heading to the back door near the bathrooms.
Without saying another word to either her or Jeremy, Tyler followed after Matt in search of Vicki. Knowing that Vicki would be fine, Erica told Jeremy that he could search for her if he wanted but felt that Vicki would turn up on her own. Jeremy seemed to agree but wanted to search just in case something else had happened. Understanding, she sent him off with a promise to call her if he headed home before heading over to the table Bonnie and Caroline picked.
"So?" Caroline asked, watching as Erica sat down as where her soda was placed and took a sip.
"Vicki's disappeared again." Erica answered with a sigh, "And of course Matt is stressed out." She felt rather bad for Caroline because Matt's attention would no doubt be on Vicki for the time being.
Caroline rolled her eyes, picking up the menu to order something to eat, "Ugh, its so much drama." She looked through the choices, "I swear druggies are attention whores." She sighed, "I tried to tell Matt she needed help but I think he's in denial."
"She's all he really has left since their mom just up and left." Bonnie pointed out as she took a sip of her own drink, "So, did I really hear you tell Tyler you were the one who gave Jeremy weed?" She questioned Erica which caused Caroline's gaze to snap up to her.
"What!?" Caroline was looking at Erica as if she was a completely different person, "Aren't you the one who said that ALL drugs were bad and should be stayed away from?" She looked completely flabbergasted, sitting there with the menu hanging loosely in her hands.
Erica shrugged, "Drugs are bad for you." She could see the looks she was getting from the other two girls, "Ugh!" She sighed, running a hand through her hair, "Marijuana is a herb and grows naturally. There is nothing that needs to be done other then plant the seed, water and let it grow, pick a bud, trim it up then make a joint or put it in a pipe." Erica gave Bonnie and Caroline a stern look, "Drugs such as meth, coke, crack and heroin are created mainly by high school dropouts that no doubt flunked chemistry."
"How do you know all this?" Bonnie couldn't help but ask because this was a completely different side of Erica they hadn't know existed.
"I looked it up." Erica explained as she called the waitress over and put in an order of chili cheese fries before returning to the conversation, "Jeremy was going down hill pretty fast after mom and dad's death." She sighed, running a hand through her hair as she remembered how bad Jeremy had gotten, "Jenna and I talked about what we could do but didn't know where to start so we began looking things up on the internet. It was then that we came across an ad for medical marijuana that explained the benefits and side effects."
Before anyone could say anything thing else, Matt walked in with a shaking Vicki in his arms and Jeremy following behind them. Tyler was no where to be found as Jeremy headed to the counter and Matt lead Vicki over to one of the booths that was empty. Caroline pursed her lips, looking slightly upset before turning away from the scene of her boyfriend tending to his druggie sister while Bonnie just sighed, shaking her head before doing the same. Erica didn't do anything as she just turned her back on the trio, knowing Jeremy would fill her in.
"Like I said, attention whores." Caroline muttered as she pulled out her phone only to frown, "Mom's working late again and I have no doubt Matt's gonna be busy with Vicki." She slumped in her seat, showing how hard it was on her that her mother wasn't going to be home.
"You can spend the night at my house, Care." Bonnie offered, earning a smile from the blonde.
Erica smiled at the two of them, "Or at mine." She spoke up, knowing she hadn't had much time for either of them lately, "Of course, there will be weed and I do inhale."
"Oh god." Bonnie groaned, her head falling in her hands, "Now she's going to be joking about it for months to come." Neither of them noticed when tall, dark and dangerous walked into the bar, eyes scanning the Grill until moving over into the shadows as Stefan rushed in, only to freeze before heading over to where Erica, Bonnie and Caroline sat. "Hey, Stefan."
"Hey." Stefan replied, moving around the table so he could sit down closer to Caroline and Erica, "Sorry, I haven't been around. I've been looking for my older brother. Uncle Zach told he might be arriving today." He partially lied as the waitress showed up and took his order.
Caroline leaned forward, looking rather intrigued by the prospect that Stefan's older brother was in town, "Is he cute?"
"Really, Care?" Bonnie sighed, shaking her head at how boy crazy her friend was even though she had a boy friend, "You do have a boyfriend."
"I can still look." Caroline winked at Bonnie before glancing in Matt's direction only to find him busy with his sister.
"He is." Erica answered Caroline's question before turning her gaze to Stefan, "I ran into him earlier. He said he was looking for you, Stefan." She sipped her soda, wondering if Damon was near but couldn't really spot him if he was.
Stefan stilled, eyes snapping in her direction as his face grew pinched, "Really?" He wondered why Damon hadn't said anything about running into Erica earlier when they had been on the roof with Vicki Donovan.
"Yeah." Erica replied with a shrug, "Of course, he disappeared afterwards." She tilted her head, imagining Ian Somerhalder, which Damon was nearly identical to except for the fact Damon had an otherworldly air about him, "He was standing in front of me one minute then the next he was gone." Mentally shaking herself, she turned her attention back to her friends only to cringe when their expressions told her she had a blush on her cheeks.
"Why are you blushing, Eri?" Caroline leaned forward as she raised her brow in a silent question, a smile growing on her face as she stared her friend down.
Bonnie looked thrilled at the turn of events and decided to bust Erica as she'd done to her in the past, "Because our little Eri, here, is finally growing up." She moved her legs out of Erica's reach when said girl tried to kick her, "Erica seems to have the hots for Stefan's older brother."
"Oh my god!" Caroline looked like Christmas had come early, "Its about time! I was beginning to wonder if you were, like, asexual or something." She leaned forward, completely ignoring the shocked look on Stefan's face as he stared Erica down. "So spill. What's he look like? Do you know if he's single? Are you going to see him again?" She was vibrating in her seat at finding out Erica finally had a crush on someone.
"I like boys our age just fine. Its just….. I happen to like older guys." Erica shifted in her seat at the looks she was getting from Bonnie, Caroline and Stefan, "Anyway," She cleared her throat as she began answering Caroline's questions, "I don't know if he's single. Mystic Falls is a small town, so I have no doubt I'll run into him at a later date and as for what he looks like," Erica licked her lips, a smile spreading across her ruby red lips, "Damon's a little taller then Stefan and has a similar build and well… the only way I can describe him is tall, dangerous and fuckable." She wiggled her brows, causing Caroline and Bonnie to stare at her in shock while Stefan stared at her in disbelief and revulsion.
In the shadows of the Grill's second floor, unnoticed by Stefan or those he was spying on, Damon Salvatore sat nursing the bourbon he ordered as he eavesdropped on the conversation going on beneath him. When Erica told Stefan that he was looking for him, he grinned as he waited to see what Saint Stefan would do. His attention turned away from his brother when the Blonde Barbie began asking Erica questions about their encounter. His smirk, however, grew wider when Prewitch outed her about having a crush on him. This made Damon wonder if Ms. Gilbert ever had a boyfriend when she described him to her friends.
Tall, dangerous and fuckable, am I? Damon thought as his eyes smoldered, shifting so he could stare down at Erica, a smirk growing on his face.
"I think I've heard enough," Bonnie popped up as she stood, shouldering her bag. "Not to mention, we have school tomorrow and cheerleading practice." She tapped her watch causing Caroline and Erica to look at their own watches and groan.
"Shit." Erica winced seeing it was a little after 10, "I have to go find Jeremy." She pursed her lips, pulling her phone out of her pocket, "He never called to say if he was heading home." She dialed the house number, waiting for Jenna to pick up while she prayed that Jeremy was at home.
Five rings later, Jenna answered, "Hello?"
"Hey, Aunt Jenna," Erica winced at the sleepy tone her aunt had. "I'm sorry to wake you but can you go and check to see if Jeremy is in his room? Vicki Donovan went missing earlier and he went to look for her but never called me like he said he would."
"Just a minute," Erica could hear her aunt walking up the stairs and opening Jeremy's door. "Yeah, here's here. He's sleeping." Jenna told her, causing Erica to breathe a sigh of relief and annoyance.
"Thanks Aunt Jenna." Erica told her, "I'll be home in a little bit. I'm just leaving the Grill." She would chew Jeremy's ass out tomorrow when she got a hold of him since she doubted he be home when she woke in the morning.
Jenna gave her a hum as an answer before hanging up, "Is he home?" Bonnie asked as her and Caroline had waited to see if their friend needed help searching for her brother.
"Yeah," Erica grumbled, sliding her phone back in her pocket. "The little shits at home, in bed asleep." She took a deep breathe before letting it out, standing up.
"Don't be to hard on him, Eri." Caroline commented, making sure she had everything, "Tonight has been kinda crazy." She pinned her friend a look.
Bonnie nodded as she shifted her bag higher up on her shoulder, "It sure has." She smothered a yawn with her hand, "Come on Care. I need to pay for our sodas before we can head home."
"I'll pay the bill for you." Stefan spoke up, finally finding his voice, "You girls look tired so go ahead and head home." He gave them a smile as he pulled out enough money to pay for their bill and his water.
Bonnie looked ready to argue but Caroline stopped her by stepping on her foot, "Thanks Stefan." She looped her arm through Bonnie's, "We'll see you tomorrow at school, Erica."
"Bye guys!" Erica called after them as they headed out the door before turning to Stefan, "You really don't have to pay for our bill." She hoped he wasn't trying to get in her good graces to try and date her since she didn't see him that way.
"Its what friends do, isn't it?" Stefan raised a brow with a smirk, that looked very similar to Ripper Stefan's smirk before heading over to the cash register before Erica could say anything else.
Erica forced herself not to shiver at the look invoked on her while making sure she had her wallet and keys. "Thanks, Stefan." She gave him a smile when he returned from paying for their drinks, "Do you need a ride home?"
"I'll walk." Stefan gave her a look that told her she wasn't that funny, "I need to see if I can find Damon." The smile he gave her was slightly strained, "But if you do see Damon please be careful. He is dangers, Erica."
"Because he's a vampire." Erica stated, deciding to stop beating around the bush and earning a shocked look from Stefan, "I knew what you where when I bumped into on the first day of school, Stefan. I also know that the necklace you gave me has vervain in it." She chuckled, shaking her head as she headed towards the door towards her car.
Stefan followed her after a few seconds, "You never said anything." He pushed the door open and held it for her as she walked out. "Why?"
"It wasn't my place to say." Erica told him bluntly, walking towards her car that was parked next to the alley, "I figured you would tell me when you felt like you could trust me but I just couldn't help myself tonight." She chuckled, getting out her keys. "You sure you don't want a ride?"
"I'm sure." Stefan sighed, running a hand through his hair as he scanned the area, "I need to find Damon." He needed to have a little talk with his brother before he approached Erica again.
Erica mentally chuckled as she glanced towards the roof of the Grill quickly before back to Stefan. Then look up, stupid. She thought to herself, "Alright then." She nodded, wondering what Damon wanted since he was still watching them, "I'll see you later."
"See you, Erica." Stefan whispered before he disappeared just as quickly as Damon had.
"He really should have looked up," Erica shook her head as she turned to open her car door, only to drop her keys much like Caroline had on the show. "Damn it."
Before she could bend down to pick them up, a pale masculine hand scooped them up. Erica didn't have to look at the face to know who the hand was attached to but she allowed her gaze to travel up from her keys in a pale hand to a black leather clad arm that was attached to extremely nice broad shoulders. Moving the last few inches further north, her eyes finally landed on the smirking face of Damon Salvatore. His icy blue eyes were darker then normal as they trailed over her before traveling back up to her face, he cocked his head to the side as he held out her keys.
"You are either rather brave or extremely stupid." Damon commented, trying to figure this girl….no….young woman out.
"Can't I be both?" Erica asked, raising a brow in challenge as she took her car keys from him, "Besides, I know I can't be compelled." She shrugged, tossing her car keys in through her opened drivers side window, "And it has nothing to do with your brother's present either." She tapped the necklace Stefan had gifted her that was hanging around her neck.
Damon grinned, knowing she could have ingested vervain but couldn't pass up a chance to see if she really could or not, "Really?" He stared right into her eyes, "You really want to test that theory, Princess? You could have ingested vervain before tonight."
"I don't have the taste for vervain in tea or mixed with coffee, thank you very much." Erica divulged as she reached up, unhooking the necklace and tossing it into the seat where her keys layed before turning back to stare directly into Damon's eyes, "Compel me, Damon." She pushed, because she also wanted to know if she could be compelled without having vervain in system or on her thus the reason her necklace was laying on the seat next to her keys and not in her pocket.
"Alright," Damon stepped forward until he could stare in her eyes as he stared down at her. "Kiss me." His pupils dilated as he compelled her, knowing it would work since she no longer had the necklace hanging around her neck and she hadn't lied about not ingesting vervain.
Erica thought of proving it hadn't work until a plan formed in her mind. Not knowing if she'd ever have another chance, she pressed her lips to his, claiming his mouth as hers for a short time. One of her hands wrapped around the back of his neck to bring him closer as her other gripped tightly on his leather clad shoulder. Damon didn't hesitate as he returned the kiss with equal enthusiasm, backing her up against her car which caused a moan to forces its way out of her mouth as she felt his body pressed against the length of her own. Needing to breathe, Erica forced herself to pulled away and looked up into Damon's lust filled eyes.
"I always knew you'd be one hell of a kisser." Erica whispered, kissing him once more before quickly getting into her car, "And while I would love to continue this, I really need to get home. Goodnight, Damon." Erica told him before driving off, leaving Damon standing there staring after her in shock.
Erica knew she was playing a dangerous game, kissing Damon like she had but some part of her demanded she kiss him. She didn't know why but she felt drawn to him as if he was important to her. Deciding to think on it later, she pulled in the driveway only to spot a crow sitting on the mailbox. Knowing exactly who sent the crow, she blew a kiss to the crow before heading inside to get ready to head to bed. Lying in her bed, Erica drifted off to sleep with the smoldering eyes of Damon haunting her dreams not knowing that said eyes were watching her from the shadows.
(Salvatore Boarding House – 12:21 AM)
"Where have you been, Damon?" Stefan demanded as soon as Damon walked into the house.
"Out." Damon told his little brother as he headed over to the bar and poured himself some bourbon all the while his mind on Erica and what she had pulled on him.
Stefan growled at his brother and rushed over, snatching the glass of bourbon from Damon and throwing it against the wall, "Where the hell have you been?" He stared his brother down, "I searched all over Mystic Falls for you."
"Ah, were you worried for me." Damon cooed, pinching Stefan's cheeks before slamming him against the wall, "As for where I was, that's no concern of yours." He growled, dark veins appearing under his eyes as they slowly bleed red.
"It does if you've been bothering Erica." Stefan returned Damon's growl, trying to push him away but unable, "She's been through enough Damon. She doesn't need you showing up and ruining her life."
Damon's eyes slowly returned to normal, a smug grin spreading across his face, "Oh?" He released Stefan, brushing off the dust that fell from his shoulders, "What makes you think I'm going to ruin her life?"
"You've ruined mine." Stefan spat, pushing Damon away which Damon allowed as he stepped back, his face growing cold.
"You really want to talk about who ruined who's life?" Damon's tone was cold as ice as he stared Stefan down, "Really?" He headed back over to pour him another glass of bourbon.
Stefan slumped against the wall, closing his eyes, "Why are you really here?" He stared up at his brother, looking tired of life in general. "It can't be just to torment me."
"You'll find out soon enough." Damon told Stefan as he got to his feet, "I'm beat. See ya in the morning Steffie." With that Damon left Stefan alone as he headed upstairs.
As Damon walked into his bedroom, his mind swirled with thoughts of Katherine and Erica. While they may be identical, they were different in different ways as he was slowly figuring out. It made him wonder if he was doing the right thing in opening the tomb. Jaw clenching, he forced himself to remember the reason he'd returned to Mystic Falls in the first place. He had returned to free Katherine and nothing would stand in his way. Although, the more he thought on the subject of leaving Mystic Falls after freeing Katherine, something inside him caused him to pause.
While he still felt love for Katherine, Erica seemed to have burrowed her way into his mind causing that damned emotional switch to slowly work its way back onto the 'On' position. Stepping into his bathroom, that was connected to his room, Damon stripped off his clothes before stepping into the shower and turned the water to cold because he still felt heated from the two kisses Erica had gifted him with before she left him standing staring at her taillights. He had been so into the kiss and the feel of her body against his that he was completely blown away when Erica pulled back, told him she'd always wanted to kiss him then snatched away her keys and drove off.
It made Damon want nothing more then to find every one of little Ms. Erica Gilbert's secrets. There was just something about her that drew him to her like no one else had, including Katherine. Finishing with his shower, he wrapped a towel around his waist and headed back into his room. Moving around to the side of the bed he usually fell asleep on, he dropped his towel as his mind still swirled with thoughts of Erica. Damon's entire being seemed to burn for her when ever she was near or at the mere thought of being in her presence.
Ever since meeting Ms. Gilbert all those months ago, she was constantly on his mind as his switch slowly began to move towards the 'On' position, someplace it hadn't been for a little over 50 years. Shaking his head, Damon smirked as he remembered what Prewitchy said about Erica having a crush on him. Of course, he figured out the little crush upon hearing how she described him to not only her friends but his brother. He would forever cherish that memory because of Stefan's expression. Dropping his towel, Damon climbed into bed naked.
As he layed flat on his back and hands tucked under his head, he suddenly thinking once more about Erica and what she was dreaming about. The images that had began to take shape in her mind before he came back to the boarding house were things he had also imaged. Just thinking about chasing her through the forest and finally catching her, only to take what he wanted and her begging for it. Closing his eyes, Damon forced himself to relax as he drifted off to sleep. As he dreamed, his dreams shifted to where instead of Katherine playing the main role like she always had, Erica Gilbert took her place and played out his fantasies.
While Damon lay sleeping up in his room, Stefan paced in the living room, worried about Erica. Needing to check on Erica, before heading to bed himself, Stefan hurried to the Gilbert's house. Minutes later, he climbed up a tree growing outside her window, maneuvering around until he could open her window and slip into her room to check on her. Landing inside silently, Stefan breathed a sigh of relief seeing Erica unharmed and sound asleep. Brushing a few stray hairs out of her face, he watched her a few seconds before disappeared back into the night, forgetting to close her window.
(~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~)
Author Note – I know this chapter was slightly shorter then the others but if I continued on with the story line, it would have been twice as long as the first chapter thus I cut it off where I did. (Ducks Flying Food) HEY! Stop that! (Points To The Person Throwing Food) There is no reason to do such a thing. I'll have the next chapter up as soon as I can. (Sighs) I would also like to say that there is a poll on my Fanfiction account on who you wish Erica with. (Wiggles Brows) Vote and let me know what you want. Til the next chapter, keep reading and reviewing….
~*Dragon*~