Ch. IV
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'm back. (Waves) Sorry about how short the last chapter was but I'll try and make it up to you, my faithful readers. (Smiles) I'm thrilled that everyone has enjoyed the last chapter and the best has yet to come. (Winks) I also hope everyone is keeping safe with this Covid-19 going around. My mother and I already got our first shots without any side effects except for a slight sore arm. (Smiles Brightly) And thanks to everyone who have left reviews. (Gives Thumbs Up) You guys are awesome and I hope you enjoy the newest chapter of Life & Death.
Notes:
Personal Thoughts
"Phone Call/Radio"
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(The Next Day, Mystic Falls High School – 12:20 PM)
Waking up the next morning half an hour before her alarm was set to go off, Erica forced herself to get out of bed. Before doing anything, she moved over to her full length mirror and took in her appearance. The bruises around her neck and on her cheek were slowly going from purple to lime green, making them look worse then they were. Her other injuries were also doing much better. She could now smile without splitting her lip nor is her neck as sore as it had been. Turning away from the mirror, she headed to her closet to pick out something to wear. Not really wanting to put makeup on her bruises, she opted for a sleeveless dark blue turtleneck.
That way the only bruise she needed to cover would be the one on her cheek. Grabbing a pair of white washed blue jeans, she then grabbed a bra and underwear before heading to the bathroom before Jeremy woke up. After taking a quick shower, Erica was back in her bedroom trying to cover up the bruise on her cheek. While she could cover most of the bruise, it seemed part of it refused. Finally deciding it was good enough, she did the rest of her makeup before grabbing her wallet and book bag before heading downstairs.
She found Jenna in the kitchen table doing her own school work since she didn't have any classes that day. After grabbing a togo cup of coffee, Erica told her aunt goodbye and headed into the living room to grab her keys. Before she could step out the door, however, Jenna called after her to remind her that she still wanted to meet the vampire that had saved her from Tanner. Mentally groaning, having hoped Jenna had forgotten, she grabbed her keys and headed out to her car. Tossing her bag into the passenger seat, she placed her coffee in the cup holder before climbing in.
With Jeremy having already left before she got up, the ride to school was quiet giving her time to think of what was on her to-do list. One was Esther's talisman. She needed to deal with the necklace but in order to do so she would need to destroy it and it would bring trouble since it originally belonged to Rebekah Mikaelson. It was then an idea of making a replica of the necklace so after she destroyed the real necklace, she would still have it when Rebekah Mikaelson woke up. A few other things she needed to deal with was Emily's talisman and Grimoire.
From what she could remember, both were needed in order to open the tomb or Shelia would overextend herself and die from using to much magic. Erica also knew there were other items she needed to deal with but for the life of her she couldn't seem to remember what they were. Cursing whoever was messing with her memories, she pulled into the school's parking lot and quickly spotted Caroline and Bonnie. Thankfully Stefan was no where in sight which was good because she didn't really feel like dealing with him at the moment.
After finding an empty parking place close to where Bonnie and Caroline were standing, Erica climbed out of the car and headed over to her friends. They were both thrilled to have her back and proceeded to tell her everything she missed such as the history teacher that arrived. Mentally kicking herself for missing Alaric's entrance, she asked Caroline for her missed homework. Heading to her car, Caroline retrieved what she'd gathered and handed it over to Erica along with her and Bonnie's notes. Once more, she wondered if Elena knew just how great friends Bonnie and Caroline were.
While heading to their first class, after the warning bell, Bonnie informed her that a few guys were wanting to ask her to the Founders Day party with Caroline backing her up. Groaning, Erica informed her friends, once more, that she did have a date for the party but wanted to keep it a secret. Bonnie and Caroline seemed to believe her, however, through out the day it appeared that the guys in their school didn't have the same brains as they did because over 10 guys had asked her to the Founders Day party by the time the lunch bell rang.
Before the bell even stopped ringing, Erica hurried from the class room in hopes to avoid any more guys asking her to the party. She quickly searched for Bonnie and Caroline after grabbing a small lunch. Finding them outside at the bench they took over during freshman year, she made her way towards them. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Stefan step out from the school and scan the crowd. A few short seconds later, he spotted her and began to make his way over to her. Not really wanting to confront him, she did her best to try and ignore him he called out to her.
"Oh," Erica pretended to have just seen him. "Hey, Stefan." She gave him a slightly forced smile, wondering if he would ever get the hint she didn't like him in a romantic sense.
"Hey," His eyes darted to Caroline and Bonnie, the later seeming to want to be anywhere but where she was. "Can we talk?" Stefan nodded a few feet away, "In private."
Caroline wiggled her brows while Bonnie looked worried. "Sure." She agreed, knowing there was no way out of not turning him down, "Watch my stuff will you guys?" She didn't wait for a reply, glaring at the two before following Stefan a few feet away. "You wanted to talk?"
"Um yeah," Stefan suddenly seemed rather shy, running his hand through his hero style hair. "I was wondering if you would like to…." He stopped when Erica held her hand up.
"Let me stop you right there," Erica stopped him, holding her hand up, "Thank you for asking me, Stefan but I really do already have a date to the party." She noticed the shocked look in his face and realized he had thought she was waiting for him to ask her, "I'm sure if you ask someone else, they would love to go with you." She hurried back to the table where Caroline and Bonnie were looking at her in disbelief, "What? Please tell me you two believed me when I said I already had a date?" She raised her brow, looking between her friends.
Bonnie scoffed, "Of course, we did." She sent a look to Caroline because they really hadn't. "Its just….we just thought you were going with Mr. Hero Hair." She nodded to where Stefan stood a few feet away, no doubt spying on them, "So, if it isn't Stefan, who is it?"
"It's a surprise." Erica claimed as she finished eating her lunch, "My date is picking me up though." She decided to give them something to tide them over until they find out who it is.
"Really?" Caroline wiggled her brows, "Is it anyone we know?" She leaned forward, loving a good piece of gossip.
Erica swallowed the bite of food in her mouth, thinking, "Yes and no." She offered them, "And that's all I'm saying." She gave them a stern look that booked no room for arguments. "Now, why don't you guys come over to my house and we can get ready together like we use to."
"Sounds like a plan," Bonnie nodded, finishing her own lunch before gathering up the trash and putting on the lunch tray.
"I'm in." Caroline followed Bonnie's example of gathering up her own trash even though she had a small portion left of her lunch, "I just need to tell Matt to pick me up at your place instead of mine." She blew a stray strand of hair out of her face, "Mom has the day off but I have no doubt she'll be called in to work." If someone listened closely, they would be able to hear the longing in the girls tone as she spoke of her mother.
Bonnie and Erica looked at each other sadly before deciding to change the subject, "What's this we hear about you going to the prom with Matt?" Erica questioned, taking a sip of her chocolate milk she got with her lunch. "I could have sworn you two broke up."
"We did." Caroline mumbled, swallowing the last bite of her lunch, "Yesterday he came up to me and asked me to go with him since he hadn't thought to ask anyone else." A slight smile spread across her face, "Since I hadn't been asked to the party, yet, I agreed to go with him." She shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal, not seeing the disbelieving looks from her friends.
"So you two are going just as friends?" Bonnie questioned, glancing to Erica and noticed she also looked skeptical of the entire situation.
Caroline hummed an affirmative which neither Erica or Bonnie believed yet before either of them could say anything, the end of lunch bell rang signaling that lunch was over and they had only a few minutes to get to their next class. Gathering up their garbage and throwing it away, Erica, Bonnie and Caroline made a pact to meet up at Erica's house a few hours before the party started to get ready. With the three of them being in different classes, they said their goodbyes and headed off to class. Luck wasn't on her side because Stefan also had the last three class of the day with her.
Erica did her best to ignore him but with him being in her class, he used every advantage he could to speak with her. If he wasn't warning her away from Damon and how dangerous he was, Stefan was apologizing for not realizing she did have a date and wasn't just being polite in turning the others down. He may not have come out and said it but Erica could hear the hidden meaning in Stefan's sentence. By the time the end of school bell rang, she wanted nothing more then to run a stake through Stefan's gut at his superior attitude.
After sending a text off to Caroline and Bonnie to let them know she was leaving, she climbed into her car and pulled out of the school's parking lot before Stefan could catch up with her. If they were going to have words or if it ended up in blows, Erica didn't want it to happen while they were at school. The entire way home, she kept her eyes peeled for any blur that could be following her. Luck was on her side it seemed because upon pulling in the driveway no one was home. Breathing a sigh of relief, she pulled the keys, grabbed her book bag and headed into the house.
Once inside, she dropped the keys in the bowl beside the door and her book bag in her room before heading to the kitchen to find something to eat. After fixing herself a sandwich and grabbing a soda, Erica headed upstairs to start on the homework Caroline had got for her during her absence. Thirty minutes before Bonnie and Caroline were due to arrive, she decided it was time for a break and put the work she finished away. Before she could gather up her trash to throw it away, her cell began ringing. Picking up her phone, she wasn't surprised to see that Mrs. Lockwood was calling.
"Hello?" Erica greeted, using her shoulder to hold the phone as she headed downstairs.
"Oh thank goodness," Mrs. Lockwood said through the line, "I need to ask where the Gilbert's watch is? Your mother told me it would be made available for viewing." Which was a big fat lie, but Carol didn't know Erica knew.
Rolling her eyes, she stepped into the kitchen and threw away the trash in her hands before grabbing the phone, "I'm sorry Mrs. Lockwood but it seems the watch was misplaced and no one has been able to find it." She lied right back, noticing that Jeremy, who was playing his video game, eyed her, "I'll look again but I don't really know where it could be."
"Thank you, dear." Carol's voice sounded colder then it had been, "Call me as soon as you have it." Without another word or goodbye, Mrs. Carol Lockwood hung up.
"Why did you tell Mrs. Lockwood you couldn't find it?" Jeremy asked since Erica had been the one to give the watch to him.
Erica pursed her lips, wondering if she should let him in on what was really going on when the front door opened. With a sigh, she knew the talk would have to take place later as she headed over and opened the door. Bonnie and Caroline were standing at the door with their dress and makeup bags. Stepping aside and motioning for her friends to come in, she told the two to just head up to her room that she would be there in a moment after she spoke with Jeremy about something. Neither seemed curious as to what they were going to talk about because Bonnie and Caroline headed directly upstairs to Erica's room to start getting ready.
"Because I have a feeling something more is going on." Erica decided to go with a half truth, "Ever since these 'animal' attacks have started, most of the oldest members of the Founding Families have seemed on edge." She glanced towards the stairs, "Look, can we talk about this later? I need to get ready for the party."
"Yeah, yeah," Jeremy waved her off, returning back his game as his sister's observation swirled around in his mind. "Just keep it down, yeah? I would like to hear my game." He gave her a pleading look that knew wouldn't do any good.
With a chuckle, Erica nodded before hurrying upstairs. Stepping into her room, she found that Caroline and Bonnie were cooing over her royal blue single strap dress with an empire waist. As soon as she appeared, the two jumped on her like wild dogs demanded to know just where she got the dress from. Rolling her eyes, she spend the next forty five minutes explaining along with what types of items they had. Caroline and Bonnie both fell in love with the site before they realized they needed to finish getting ready for the party.
Hour and a half later, Bonnie, Caroline and Erica finally finished getting ready and were waiting downstairs with Jenna for their dates to arrive. Caroline was rather put out when Matt was the first date to show up. Bonnie laughed at her as Matt escorted her from the house but it was Erica that got the last laugh when Ben showed up seconds later. After Bonnie left with Ben from the Grill, Erica suddenly became rather nervous since she realize that Ben had been turned into a vampire. He hadn't entered the house when Jenna had stepped to the side to allow him entrance.
Bonnie was completely obvious to the fact which caused Erica some worry. First chance she got, she would bring the fact up to her friend but only after Bonnie finally accepted the truth that she was a witch. Ten minutes after Bonnie had left with Ben, Erica was getting worried something had happened until there was a knock on the door. Before Erica could get up to answer the door, Jenna beat her to her to it as she opened the door to reveal a rather handsome looking Damon Salvatore in his tuxedo. Knowing their conversation would be best done in private, she invited him inside.
Damon instantly knew something was going on from the look Erica's aunt was giving him which put him on edge. Cutting his eyes towards Erica, he saw her giving him a look that told him she was sorry for what was about to happen which didn't help him in the least. Turning attention back to Erica's aunt, he noticed how she looked him over with a thoughtful look. It made him wonder just what happened after Erica was released from the hospital. He soon understood when Jenna thanked him for saving Erica from Tanner's assault.
"I thought Tanner was killed by an animal?" Jeremy's voice caused them to remember that he was still there.
"Jeremy." Jenna and Erica both gasped, having forgotten that he hadn't left for the party yet.
Damon smirked, letting his face change as he sped over behind Jeremy, "You could call me an animal." The boy yelped, spinning around to face Damon as Jenna and Erica glared at him, "I prefer the term vampire, though." He looked mischievously as he shrugged his tuxedo clad shoulder, "Allow me to introduce myself since Erica hasn't done so, Damon Salvatore at your service."
"Damon, that was uncalled for." Erica scolded him, having already decided to speak with Jeremy but tomorrow after school.
"He's gonna find out eventually." Damon shrugged, unrepentant as he relaxed and let his face return to normal, "Now, without further ado shall we take our leave?" He turned a charming smile towards Erica, wondering if he should let her know the real reason for his return to Mystic Falls.
Jenna cleared her throat, gaining everyone's attention, "First, its nice to meet you Damon." She gave him a warm smile because even if she didn't like him she could see how he looked at Erica, "And second, I want you to promise to take care of Erica." She ignored her nieces glare, continuing, "She's still having some dizziness from the concussion she got from Tanner."
"I'm fine, Aunt Jenna." Erica groaned, even though what Jenna said was true but it wasn't as bad as it had been, "I told you that I just got up to fast earlier." She may not be completely healed but she was feeling better then she had the day before.
"If you're not feeling good then maybe you should stay home," Jeremy injected, not seeing the look Damon had on his face as he looked from Jeremy to Erica but Jenna did had hid her smile.
Erica rolled her eyes as she looped her arm through Damon's, "As I already told Aunt Jenna," She sent a glare to her aunt, "I'm doing much better but if I do start feeling ill, I promise I'll ask Damon to bring me back home. Not to mention, Caroline will kill me if I don't show up. I will go to this party even if its only for a short time."
"Just be careful. Please, Erica." Jenna pleaded with her niece, knowing just how stubborn she was when she wanted something, "And please don't keep her out late. She does have school tomorrow." She reminded Damon as she walked them to the door with Jeremy right beside her.
"I'll have her back here before midnight." Damon promised, chuckling as he turned his eyes towards Jeremy, "You coming with us?" He raised a brow, seeing the burning questions in the kids eyes.
Jeremy looked to Jenna since he was still grounded and was told he had to stick with her the entire night. With a curt nod, Jenna decided Jeremy could go with Damon but told him she would meet them there. Once everything was settled, Damon ushered both Jeremy and Erica to his Camaro. Making her brother take the back seat, Erica climbed in the front passenger seat once Jeremy had climbed in. Damon closed her door then sped around to the drivers side and climbed in with a grin on his face. As soon as they were on the road, Jeremy began firing off every questions he had.
(Lockwood Manor, Founders Day Party – 7:24PM)
Lockwood Manor was decorated to the nines as people milled around chatting, drinking champagne and looking at the items each founding member loaned for the evening. In the shadows, away from the guests, those that were in the know gathered in a side room talking about the fact they were still unable to get a hold of the Gilbert watch. They had lost all hope until Logan Fell offered to get it for them, then they felt a renewed relief. Or at least most of them did because Elizabeth Forbes once more questioned what she had been taught about supernatural creatures.
After talking with Erica Gilbert, her views of vampires were slowly changing not that the other founding members realized. Liz had made sure to keep quiet on what she had been told because she doubted that the others would feel the same way she did. In fact she was sure that as soon as Erica began explaining her views on things, Richard Lockwood would certainly vote against Erica joining the Founding Council. Of course, she really didn't know what the others would do. As a waiter passed with a tray of champagne, she snatched a glass only to see her daughter heading in her direction.
"Really, you couldn't even change out of your uniform for the party?" Caroline wondered just what was going on with her mother.
"I'm working, sweetheart." Liz told Caroline, setting the empty champagne flute on an empty passing tray, "And where's your date?" She raised a brow, knowing that Caroline had come with Matt.
Caroline sighed, shaking her head, "He's off trying to locate Vicki." She took a deep breathe, "Anyway, I thought you were off work?"
"Something came up," Liz wanted nothing more then tell Caroline everything but was worried about what it would do to her daughter since her own mortal compass of being rewritten. "I just stopped by to speak with Richard and Carol." She gave Caroline a sad smile, "You look beautiful. Now go and have a good time. Just because you came with Matt doesn't mean you can't dance with other guys."
"I know." Caroline rolled her eyes, searching the crowd once again for Erica but came up short, "I'm just waiting for Erica to arrive. She's been telling everyone she had a date but wont tell us who it is." She also spotted Stefan in the crowd, wondering if he'd dance with her.
Liz grinned, noticing her daughter's gaze then saw Erica enter with a tall, dark haired young man, "I think Erica just arrived." She pointed towards the entrance where Carol stood to greet any late comers, "And it seems she does have a date."
"Oh my god!" Caroline whispered, her hands covering her mouth, "She came with Damon Salvatore."
"Who?" Liz frowned, wondering why Zach never mentioned having a nephew.
Caroline blinked, forcing her eyes from Erica and Damon, "Damon Salvatore." She motioned to where Stefan once stood, frowning, "He's…..um…..Stefan Salvatore's older brother and the guy Erica has a major crush on."
"Really?" Liz suddenly realized just how knowledgeable her daughter was about what was going on, "Do you know who their parents are?" She pursed her lips, watching Damon with Erica.
"No." Caroline shook her head, "I questioned Stefan when I first met him and he told me they were both dead." She raised a brow, "Why do you want to know?"
Liz gave her daughter a tight smile, "Just wondering." She brushed a stray strand of Caroline's hair behind her ear, "Its always good to know who's who in the Founding Families."
"True." Caroline nodded in agreement, basking in the fact her mother was actually talking to her like a normal person, "I suppose I should go and save Erica." She spotted Stefan trying to butt in between Damon and her.
"Go ahead," Liz told her daughter, waving her on. "I need to get back to work." She sighed sadly as she watched her daughter go and save her friend before heading outside to her cruiser, she hadn't been lying when she told Caroline she was working.
While Liz headed back to the office to get some work done, Caroline made her way over to where Damon, Stefan and Erica were standing. A serious conversation seemed to be happening if Stefan or Erica's face were anything to go by which is the reason she popped up beside them with a bright fake smile on her face as she greeted the three. Erica seemed to understand why she was there and relaxed slightly as she squeezed Damon's arm that hers was looped through. Stefan, on the other hand, seemed as if he drank something rancid as he stood there looking rather put out.
"I take it this is your mysterious date, Erica." Caroline beamed, ignoring the glare Stefan was giving his brother, "Caroline Forbes." She held her hand out, "The eyes and ears of Mystic Falls. If you need anything, just ask." She winked, grinning when Damon took her hand and kissed the back of it.
"Pleasure, Ms. Forbes." Damon replied, wondering if his first assessment of the blonde was correct, "Damon Salvatore at your service."
Caroline hummed before turning to Stefan, "Would you like to dance Stefan?" She felt she needed to get him away or there would be a fight, "It appears my date abandoned me."
"What?" Erica stiffened, eyes narrowing as she suddenly realized that Matt wasn't beside Caroline, "Where the fuck is he?" She scanned the crowd but couldn't see him anywhere.
"I have no clue," Caroline retorted, flicking her hair over her shoulder. "Nor do I care." She looked back to Stefan, "So? Dance?" She raised a brow.
Stefan looked ready to argue but suddenly thought of something, "Sure." He looked uneasy as his eyes scanned Caroline's neck as held his arm out for her to take, "We'll be right back, Damon."
"Take your time," Damon responded, looking stoic while he was laughing hysterical as he realized Stefan must believe he actually compelled Caroline to intervene. "Erica and I will be right here." He rolled his eyes, turning his back to his brother which earned a chuckle from Erica.
"He does seem like he has a stick up his ass." Erica murmured low enough where only Damon could hear as he lead them through the crowd.
Damon smirked, humming as they darted off into a side hallway, "I've been saying that for years." His eyes were scanning the artifacts on display, "Of course, nothing I say seems to matter. Now be quiet, you're my look out."
"What are we doing here?" Erica asked in a whisper even though she had a feeling she already knew.
"I left something here a while ago and I need it back." Damon explained that much as he retrieved the necklace Emily Bennett had given him.
Erica raised a brow as she kept her eyes opened, "What do you need it for?" She didn't know if he would answer or not.
"Its a key." Damon vaguely explained which was more then Erica thought he would, "Its the reason, I needed an invite to the party tonight."
"Odd looking key." Erica commented as she watched Damon pull it out of a box of some sort, already knowing exactly what it was and what would happen if she didn't speak with Emily, "What does it go to?" She asked in a whisper as they headed back to the party.
Damon stopped then turned grabbing a hold of Erica's arm and pulling her into a side room, locking the door, "Can I trust you?" His eyes boring into hers as he waited on her answer.
"Yes," Erica promised him, determined not to let him down as others have in the past. "I won't ever intentionally betray you, Damon." She smirked, tilting her head to the side, "I never mentioned to Stefan that I saw you long before he showed up."
"What?" Damon frowned before his eyes grew wide, realizing what she was saying, "You remember."
"Of course, I do." Erica chuckled, thrilled she was able to throw Damon off kilter, "You do remember I can't be compelled right?" She raised a brow, crossing her arms over her chest.
Damon sly smirk spread across his face as he vamped in front of Erica and grabbed her before she could move away, "Oh I remember." His eyes smoldered at the memory of the night he 'compelled' her to kiss him, "You tricked me into thinking I had successfully compelled you only to find out you were just playing along."
"As if you wouldn't have done the exact same thing in my position." Erica rolled her eyes, quickly breaking Damon's hold which shocked him, "And don't think I didn't realize you changing the subject." She told him, turning to face him once she was sure she was far enough away. "What's the deal with the necklace?" She raised a brow, hoping he would answer her.
"I already told you," Damon smirked his normal smug smirk, pocketing the necklace into his left tuxedo pocket. "It's a key." He slowly walked in front of Erica, holding out his hand, "May I escort you back to the party?" He couldn't decided if he should tell her why he was in Mystic Falls nor did he know if he wanted Erica to know about the necklace.
Erica glared at Damon, not saying a word as she slipped her arm through his and allowed him to lead her back to the party. She didn't ignore the fact that Damon didn't answer her but she let the matter drop once they arrived back at the party and were found by Stefan. Stefan looked between the two rather suspiciously as he asked Erica for a dance. Wondering just what he was up to, she winked to Damon without Stefan seeing before taking his hand and allowing him to escort her out on the dance floor. As he kept glancing towards Damon every few seconds, she quickly put 2 and 2 together.
"He's not feeding on Caroline," Erica whispered to Stefan, causing him to stumble.
"What?" Stefan's gaze snapped to hers, not seeing the smug look on Damon's face as he listened to them, "How do you know?" He questioned slightly harsher then he should have as his eyes trailed over her exposed neck.
Erica shrugged, letting Stefan take the lead, "I made a deal with him." She could tell that Stefan didn't like that she made a deal with Damon. "And no, he's not feeding on me."
"You need to be careful with him, Erica." Stefan stressed, not believing Erica could deal with his brother, "Everyone he associates with ends up dead. One way or another." He felt like he was speaking to a brick wall from the look Erica was giving him.
"And you need to get off your high horses, Stefan." Erica retorted, standing up straighter as she glared Stefan down, "While I agree your brother may be dangerous, it doesn't mean I can not defend myself." She sneered and went to walk away when Stefan popped off.
"You mean like you did with Tanner." Stefan winced as soon as he realized what he said but it was already to late.
Everyone watched in slow motion as Erica turned, reared her fist back and slammed it directly into Stefan's face. Stefan stumbled back a little ways, holding his now bleeding nose as Erica shook out her hand she used to hit him. Her eyes were filled with fire as she looked down at him from where he dropped to his left knee. Damon was just about to step in when Erica slugged Stefan and wondered what his brother did this time to deserve Erica's ire. Before he could intervene on his brother's behalf, however, Erica began to rip into Stefan as if she were scolding a child.
"If you ever so much as talk that to me again," Erica seethed with rage, "I will do more then break your nose." She completely ignored their audience as she let him have it. "While you may think your brother is evil incarnate, Damon has been nothing but nice and maybe even sweet when he's with me. He has never harmed anyone I cared about nor does he try to act like he's better then anyone else." She wondered if he realized the dig was at him, "And if you think I can't take care of myself. Go to Richmond and find the Dragon's Dojo. Ask for Master Chi." Without a word, she turned and walked over to where Damon stood, "Can you take me home? I'm starting not to feel to well."
"Of course, milady." Damon bowed, holding out his arm and leading her away, "You really don't like my brother do you?" He whispered as they walked out of the Manor.
Erica shook her head, taking a deep breath to calm herself once they were outside, "No." She pursed her lips, hands fisting into the fabric of her dress, "He acts as if I don't understand you are dangerous." She rolled her eyes, scoffing, "You're a vampire, so of course, you're dangerous. To keep the balance of nature you had to be dangerous."
"Really?" Damon raised a brow, wondering what she was getting at, "And how do you know about the 'balance of nature'?" He crossed his arms, standing in front of her as he waited for her answer.
"Let me ask you this," Erica sighed, kicking off her high heels as she moved around Damon, knowing he would follow. "If lions were suddenly to be extinct, what would happen to their prey's habitat?" She glanced over to her right, seeing Damon looking at her as if she were crazy, "Just answer the question." She pleaded, wanting nothing more then to get off her feet.
Damon wondered what this girl was thinking as he went along and answered the question, "Their habitat would be destroyed and it would lead to a lot more damage."
"And so lions keep their prey's populations under control." Erica smirked as they made it to his car, "Now replace lions with vampires and humans as the prey." She tossed her shoes into the front floorboard on the passenger side, "I believe that Nature allowed vampires to be created in order to keep the balance. Humans are overrunning the world, Damon. We are slowly going to run out of resources if it keeps up and what would happen? Hm?" She raised her brow, staring at the stunned vampire in front of her.
"You really believe this." Damon knew she did because her heart didn't skip but he wanted to hear it from her own mouth.
Erica nodded, "Yes, I do." She tilted her head to the car, "Can you take me home? While I'm ok physically, that little tussle with your brother zapped what energy I had left."
"Hm." Damon hummed as he held the door open for Erica to climb in before shutting it behind her and hurrying around to the drivers side, the entire time his mind racing as he stared at the woman in the passengers seat of his car.
"I did have fun, Damon." Erica decided it was time to change the subject, "Thank you." She gave him a smile before turning to look out the window, resting her head on her hand as she watched the trees pass by.
Seconds later, Erica's eyes drifted closed and she dozed off unaware of the looks she was getting from her companion. Damon was having an internal battle as he tried to figure out if he should tell her about everything. Hearing what she said about vampires struck something inside him that made him wonder if she was right. Every witch he had ran into, on the other hand, always said he was nothing more then an abomination that needed to be destroyed unless he was saving their ass. Grip tightening on the steering wheel, he turned onto the street Erica lived on.
Pulling up outside the house, Damon cut off the engine and just looked at Erica as she slept next to him completely peaceful. Reaching out, he ran the back of his hand against her cheek causing her lean closer. Ever since he first saw her all those months ago, something inside him made him want to seek her out. No matter how hard he tried to stay away from her, he always ends up in her presence. It was as if there was something drawing him to her and it had nothing to do with Katherine. Getting out of the car, Damon zipped around to the passenger side and gathered Erica into his arms.
Seconds later, he was laying Erica down on her bed and covering her up. He just stood there after laying her on the bed and stared at her. For some unknown reason, he felt almost compelled to leave Emily's talisman with her. Damon had always believed in magic but he didn't like the fact he was letting the one thing that could get him Katherine out of his sight. Even though he was beginning to fall for Erica, he couldn't forget about Katherine. She was the first woman in his life that accepted him for who he was and didn't shy away from him, aside from his mother.
Finally making a decision, Damon pulled the amulet out of his pocket and slipped it over Erica's head. He would give her the benefit of the doubt and trust her with the key to opening the tomb. Even though he was still going to release Katherine, he decided he wouldn't be leaving with her. With one last to Erica as she rested peacefully curled up on her side, Damon forced himself to leave the house and head to his car. Starting up his car, he looked at the Gilbert house once more before heading back to the boarding house, not realizing he was heading head first into danger.
Pulling up out front of the Boarding House, Damon was suddenly on edge as Stefan stood on the front porch looking ready to go a few rounds. With a roll of his eyes, he climbed out of his car and walked as slow as humanly possible towards the house. Before Stefan could say anything, Damon sped forward and snapped his neck causing him to drop to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut. Scoffing at his pitiful excuse for a brother, he headed inside and headed directly to the sitting room to pour him some bourbon before he headed to bed.
"Dick move, Damon." Stefan growled as he finally came in once he was healed enough, "Why the fuck did you snap my neck?"
"Because you were being the dick." Damon remarked, leveling his gaze to Stefan as he took a sip of his bourbon, "I do have a question, are you going to piss Erica off again?" A sly smirk spread across Damon's face seeing how tense Stefan became, "Because, damn, her punching you was a thing of beauty." He whistled, downing the rest of his bourbon then set the glass down on the table.
"So, I said something I shouldn't have." Stefan shrugged, not believing he did anything wrong, "I'll apologize to her tomorrow after she's calmed down. For now, though, I'm heading to bed. Goodnight Damon." He turned on his heel and headed up to his room, when in reality he was going to get the vervain dart he was going to use to take down his brother.
Damon just stood there dumbfounded as he stared at his brothers back, wondering for the millionth time if his brother had been dropped on his head as an infant. Shaking his head at his brothers idiocy in regards to woman, he headed into the basement where he stashed his blood supply. As he headed down into the basement, he didn't notice Stefan quietly appearing back of the bottom of the stairs with 2 syringes filled with liquid vervain. Moving quickly as he could, hoping to surprise his brother, Stefan rushed into the basement only Damon to be waiting and snap his neck.
"Good try, lil' bro." Damon murmured, sipping from the blood bag like it was a juice box, "But better luck next time." he rolled his eyes, stepping on the two syringes to destroy what was in there and headed back upstairs, wondering just where Stefan had gotten vervain, "Oh Zach!" He called out, tossing the blood bag in a trash can as he zoomed pass and up to Zach Salvatore's room, kicking the door in, "You wouldn't happen to know…...Fuck!"
"As it so happens, I do." Zach told him hitting him with four syringes filled with vervain as soon as he stepped into the room, "I'm sorry, Uncle Damon but this is for the best of the town." He injected Damon once again and snapped his neck to make sure he'd stay down as he moved him to the cell before picking him up and taking him downstairs in the opposite direction of where Damon stored his blood bags.
While Stefan was healing as quickly as he could, being on the animal diet, Zach locked Damon up on his own after making sure he took Damon's sun ring and he was dosed with enough vervain to keep him out until the morning. Looking down at the dark haired vampire, who was his uncle, Zach felt no remorse in what he was doing. Turning his back on the cell where Damon layed, he walked out without a backward glance and went to find Stefan. It took no more then a few seconds before he found Stefan laying in an odd angle in a room with a refrigerator full of blood bags.
"He's been feeding on blood bags." Zach whispered in disbelief, staring at the refrigerator as he walked over and peered inside, "I was sure he's been hunting around town." He pursed his lips, wondering what was really going on.
"Zach?" Stefan groaned, finally healing from Damon snapping his neck again, "Is it done?" He forced himself to stand up, swaying slightly but using the wall as a crutch.
Zach shut the refrigerator door before turning to Stefan, "It's done." He nodded, walking over and helping Stefan up even though he didn't need it, "Damon's locked up in one of the cells and he wont be able to get out unless someone opens the door."
"That wont be happening anytime soon." Stefan reassured Zach as the two men made their way upstairs, "I need to go and hunt after having my neck snapped twice. Stay upstairs." He ordered his human nephew before disappearing, not seeing the frown marring Zach's face as he watched Stefan disappear before heading up to bed after the last couple exhausting few hours.
The next morning, Stefan went down into the basement on his own while Zach was still sleeping. As he suspected, Damon was wide awake but looking rather worse for wear as he sat on the floor, one leg bent and his left arm resting on it as his right layed in his lap. While he had wished it wouldn't have come to this, Stefan knew he had no choice or Damon would keep on killing. Having snatched Damon's ring from Zach while he slept, Stefan stepped closer so Damon would know he was there because with the vervain in his system his 'enhanced' senses were dulled.
"Where's my ring?" Damon questioned, not looking at his brother as he leaned his head back against the wall and his eyes closed.
"Gone," Stefan lied, since while he had it he was going to throw it away. "You wont be needing it anymore." He stepped a little closer to the bars of the cell, "Mystic Falls is finally safe."
Damon scoffed, opening his eyes to look up at Stefan, "How long are you going to keep me here?"
"As long as it takes," Stefan answered truthfully, crossing his arms over his chest as he stared down unphased at his brother. "During the dark ages, if a vampire's action threatened to expose or bring harm to others of their race, they would be judged for their actions. Most believed a vampire could be reeducated." He cocked his head to the side, "Let's see if it works as they said it did."
"You know what will happen if I don't feed." Damon stared at his brother, unsettled that his brother and Zach got the best of him.
Stefan pursed his lips, "You'll grow weaker and weaker until you wont be able to move or speak." He looked slightly remorseful on what he helped accomplish, "In a week, your skin with desiccate and then you'll mummify becoming a living corpse." He leaned forward slightly, uncrossing his arms as he took a hold of the cells bars and ignored the sting of vervain that was infused into the metal, "No longer able to hurt anyone. Ever. Again."
"So what?" Damon tried to keep the grin off his face, "You're just gonna leave me here in the basement forever?" He raised a brow, leaning his head back against the wall.
"No," Stefan shook his head, a sad smile spread across his face. "Once your circulation stops, I'll move you into the family crypt and then in 50 years maybe we can reevaluate things."
Damon narrowed his eyes at his brother, "I'm a lot stronger then you think I am, Stefan." He still had a few tricks up his sleeves, "You may think you've won but you haven't and when I get out of here I'm going to show you just how you haven't."
"I'm sure you are, Damon." Stefan agreed with a curt nod, "But you are not stronger then vervain and that's your weakness. Zach injected enough into you that will keep you down for a few days until we can inject you again." He looked thoughtful for a few seconds, "I wish it didn't have to be this way. I am sorry." Without another word, he turned and headed out of the basement.
"You sure in the hell ain't acting like it there Steffie!" Damon yelled after Stefan so he would hear him, not expecting a response, "Bastard!" He hissed softly as so Stefan wouldn't hear him, running a hand through his hair.
Knowing he wouldn't be able to do anything until the Stefan was out of the house, Damon shifted around and layed down on the floor of the cell he'd been thrown into. The entire time, his mind was on Erica and what she was doing. Since it was morning, there was no doubt in his mind that she had found the crystal that he left with her. He just prayed he didn't make a mistake in letting her keep a hold of it. If Stefan had found it, Damon knew he would become more paranoid because he knew exactly who's the crystal once belonged to. Upstairs, Stefan was getting ready for school as Zach stuck his head into his room.
"You're going to school?" Zach found it odd that with his brother locked up in the basement, Stefan would be heading to school and not sticking around to keep an eye on him.
"I came here to live a normal life, Zach." Stefan told his last living relative, "I also need to apologize to Erica for something I said at the party." He pursed his lips, rubbing his nose as he remembered the pain of her breaking his nose, "Without Damon around, I maybe able to get her understand just how dangerous he is."
Zach raised a brow, tilting his head to the side, "Erica can take care of herself, Stefan." He suddenly wondered just what his uncle said to the girl, "She's been training in both Judo and Muay Thai since she was young."
"That may be true, Zach." Stefan retorted, hating that everyone seemed to believe Erica didn't need to be protected, "But going up against vampires is completely different then humans." He picked up his book bag, shouldering it as he turned to his nephew, "She barely held her own against Tanner. I have no doubt that Damon or another vampire would kill her." He walked pass Zach as he headed downstairs.
"If that's what you think, you're in for a surprise." Zach uttered as he shook his head, following after Stefan, "What are you going to do with Damon?" He questioned, stopping Stefan from walking out of the house.
Stefan frowned, turning to look at Zach, "I think it would be best if you didn't go down into the basement." He ran a hand through his hair, "Even though Damon is weak, he could still hurt you. I'm not sure just how dangerous he still might be."
"I wasn't planning on it," Zach scoffed at Stefan's over-protectiveness which he didn't need. As if I haven't dealt with him and Damon for years. He mentally rolled his eyes as he watched Stefan nod before disappearing.
(Mystic Falls High School – 7:26 AM)
Waking up thirty minutes before her alarm clock was suppose to go off, Erica was slightly disoriented until she remembered what had happened the night before. Flexing the hand she punched Stefan with, she was glad to feel no soreness. Pushing off the blanket that Damon must have thrown over her, she sat up only to freeze when she felt something that hadn't been there when she went to sleep. Looking down, Erica's heart fluttered when she saw the amulet Damon had taken from Lockwood Manor, during the party.
Knowing it was a sign of trust since he had left it with her, Erica decided to keep it around her neck to keep it safe until she could speak with Emily then she would hand the necklace over to its rightful owners. After taking a quick shower, she headed into her closet to pick out an outfit for school. Heading back into her bedroom once she was dressed, she froze upon seeing the crow that sat on her window sill. Frowning she walked over to the crow slowly. It crowed at her before what sounded like Damon's voice spoke to her.
Help me. Damon pleaded which was odd because he sounded desperate, Erica, help me! The crow then cawed before flying away.
"What…" Erica whispered before her eyes grew wide, remembering what Stefan had done to Damon in the show. "If he…." She snarled, taking a deep breathe to calm her temper, "Just wait Damon." She whispered, knowing the perfect time for her to set him free, "I'll get you free." She then turned and finished getting ready.
Once she was done, Erica grabbed her wallet and backpack before heading downstairs. Another thing she hadn't seen was Vicki in the bathroom which, hopefully, wouldn't happen. Saying goodbye to Jenna as she hurried out the door, she climbed into her car and took off to school. Pulling into the parking lot, she noticed that Bonnie and Caroline were sitting at their bench with Stefan. From the look on Bonnie and Caroline's faces, Stefan seemed to be trying to convince them of something but they didn't seem to be buying what he was selling.
"Hey guys," Erica injected herself into their conversations, seeing both Bonnie and Caroline seem to relax. "Everything ok?" She raised a brow, looking from her friends over to Stefan.
"Everything's fine," Stefan told her, which she didn't believe from the looks he was getting from Bonnie and Caroline. "I was just telling them that they wouldn't need to worry about Damon. He….erm….left last night after dropping you off." He looked remorseful but Erica could see the underlying pride in his green eyes.
Erica pursed her lips, realizing just what he had done, "Why would they need to worry about Damon?" She questioned, arms crossing over her chest as she stared down at Stefan, "He hasn't done anything to hurt anyone. Which begs the question, where did Damon go?"
"I already told you, he left and didn't say where he was going." Stefan tensed, not liking how Erica wouldn't let it go.
"Ok," Erica nodded, noticing out of the corner of her eye that Caroline and Bonnie looked on with mirth in their eyes. "Then when is he coming back?" Erica probed for answered, having a bad feeling that Stefan had vervain Damon as he'd done on the show.
Stefan's face harden as he stood from the table, standing face to face with Erica, "He's not coming back, Erica." He gave her a fake sad smile, "I'm really sorry."
"Why don't I believe you?" Erica murmured soft enough for only Stefan to hear before turning to Bonnie and Caroline, "You guys ready to head inside? I need to stop by my locker before first period."
"Yup." Bonnie popped up, standing, while Caroline looked relieved as she stood up, stating, "You bet." They both grabbed their bags, making sure they had everything.
Stefan blinked a few times at the plain dismissal he just gotten. "Erica?" He said, clearing his throat, "Before you leave, can I speak with you alone?" He still needed to apologize for what he had said the other night.
"No," Erica denied, holding her hand up when it looked like Stefan was going to argue. "I already have a feeling why you want to speak to me alone and I can tell you that I do not forgive you." She narrowed her eyes at him while Bonnie and Caroline looked on curiously. "What you said was a low blow and will take more then a few words for me to forgive you."
"I am sorry, Erica." Stefan went on as if she hadn't spoke, "I was just so angry with Damon that….."
"Just shut the hell up, Stefan!" Erica snapped, her anger getting the better of her, "I don't want to hear your excuses. Now leave me the fuck alone." Without another word she turned on her heel and stalked away.
Bonnie and Caroline just shook their head as Stefan before following after their friend. Most of the students, who happened to be outside and watched the entire thing, couldn't believe Stefan Salvatore's audacity at pushing Erica to forgive him. Even Tyler Lockwood, someone who usually goes up against Erica and her anger, knew when not to push but it seemed that the new kid didn't realize it just yet. Looking at Matt, the two guys headed over to speak with Stefan before the bell rang. Hopefully they could starve off an explosion, that was no doubt coming if Stefan kept pushing.
Unknown to those loitering outside the school before class, a crow was perched in the tree above the table Caroline, Bonnie, Erica and Stefan had sat at. It had listened to every word and transmitted it back to its master. At the boarding house, Zach became spooked for a few hours when Damon began howling in laughter. The human Salvatore wondered if vampires could go crazy due to lack of feeding but wasn't going to go and find out. Back at school, Bonnie and Caroline were doing their best to get Erica's mind off Stefan by telling her things or asking questions.
"That's a new necklace." Bonnie popped up as her and Caroline waited for Erica while she got into her locker, "Where'd you get it?" For some odd reason she felt drawn to the ugly thing.
"Damon gave it to me," Erica smiled brightly, picking it up and looking down at it. "He knew Stefan gave me a necklace and didn't want to feel left out so he found one in his things to give to me." She could see Stefan tense out of the corner of her eye as he listened to their conversation.
Caroline wrinkled her nose, staring at the amulet, "It's ugly in my opinion." She snorted, "At least Stefan had good taste when he gave you a necklace." She pursed her lips, tilting her head to the side, "Speaking of, where is that necklace. You haven't worn it since the first day Stefan gave it to you."
"The clasp on it broke." Erica lied, making sure her heart didn't give her away, "When I have the money, I'm going to get it fixed." She noticed that Stefan was no longer eavesdropping as they headed to their first class.
"Well, when you do I know the best jewelry store to get pieces fixed." Caroline explained, giving Erica a wink before peeling off towards her class.
Bonnie shook her head, "I wish I could bottle her energy." She wished she had half the energy that Caroline did.
"I think our parents said the same thing when we were kids." Erica joked, bumping shoulders with Bonnie when the final bell rang, "See ya after class." She said as she hurried into the class room just a few seconds before the teacher walked in.
"Good show, Erica." Bethanne Roberts whispered to Erica as she passed by on the way to her seat, while the teacher began taking attendance for class.
Chuckling at Bethanna's comment, Erica took her seat extremely grateful that most of her classes were Stefan free because she really didn't want to deal with him and his rather high opinion of himself. He seemed to believe that he was better then Damon but in reality he was just as bad because he denied himself and was setting himself up to fail by not feeding on his natural food source. Damon understood that a part of being a vampire was drinking blood. From what she was allowed to remember, Damon never shied away like Stefan had when Katherine came clean to them.
When Erica next had Stefan in class, he stayed away from her as she requested but noticed him glaring at either Matt or Tyler when they looked his way. That, in of itself, made her curious causing her to ask round and thanks to Mystic High Rumor Mill she was able to find out that Matt and Tyler spoke to him about not pissing her off which he had been doing. She wondered how long it would last when the final bell rang and she said her goodbyes to Bonnie and Caroline before heading home. Pulling into the driveway, Erica spotted the crow from earlier and suddenly heard Damon's voice in her head.
Help me, Erica! Damon once again sounded desperate which caused a shiver to run down her spine, Please! Help Me.
"Just hold on, Damon." Erica said loud enough for the crow to hear, hoping Damon would hear her as she climbed out of the car, "I have to wait until Stefan is busy before I can set you free." She explained before heading into the house and shutting the door behind her, breathing a sigh of guilt at the thought of how long Damon would be without blood.
"You ok, kiddo?" Jenna asked as she stepped into the living room from the kitchen to see which kid was home, "You don't look so hot."
Erica forced herself to smile, which was more of a cringe, "I think Stefan did something to his brother." She licked her lips, "What I haven't told you is that not only is Damon a vampire, so is his brother Stefan."
"I figured as much," Jenna commented with a shrug. "With them being brothers, it was kind of obvious and I don't know many guys named Stefan and Damon Salvatore. Do you?" She raised a brow, grinning when Erica returned her smile with a real one of her own.
"No. No, there isn't." Erica chuckled, feeling a little better but not by much, "Is Jeremy home yet?" She hadn't seen her brother since he checked in on her after her argument with Stefan.
Jenna shook her head, "Nope." She tilted her head to the side, eyes zeroing on the necklace around her neck, "That's new."
"Oh." Erica blinked, picking it up and looking at it, "Yeah. Damon gave it to me." A small smile spread across her face, "A lot of people think its ugly but I think its kinda cool. It use to belong to one of Damon's old friends until they gave it to Damon before their passing." Or at least she believes Emily gave Damon the necklace before she had been killed.
"Its...unique." Jenna replied, thinking that of course her niece would like the 'unique' necklace, "That's for sure."
"Funny." Erica said, rolling her eyes as she shifted her book bag, "I've got homework." She made her way over to the stairs, "Let me know when Jeremy's home and I'll make dinner." She called over her shoulder, heading up the stairs to her room.
Once in her room, Erica began plotting on how to get Damon out while avoiding both Zach and Stefan. Stefan would be rather easy since she could be the one to get the towels instead of Caroline but Zach was another story all together. Being human, she couldn't hurt him but she could make him pass out. Part of her training with Master Chi had been learning pressure points. If she could sneak up on him, she would be able to knock him out long enough for her to get the cell unlocked and Damon out. Of course, that also presented another problem. Damon's bloodlust.
Damon wouldn't really be thinking once he was free and would go on a killing rampage to sate his thirst. If she wanted to keep herself and others off the menu, she would need to get a hold of blood bags before she even went to the boarding house or she would most likely be on the menu. Even with the blood sharing, Erica had no idea if it would keep her safe from Damon when he was driven by his need for blood. Shaking her head, she pushed those thoughts to the side as she turned her attention on her homework she had told Jenna she was going to do.
(Salvatore Boarding House – 3:32 PM)
Even though he knew Stefan told him not to go into the basement, Zach needed some answers that he knew only Damon could give him. Making sure he had drank his vervain tea as well as have some vervain on hand in case Damon got handsy, he steeled himself as he made his way down into the basement. What he found was what he had been expecting, Damon layed on the ground with an arm thrown over his face. The signs of him not feeding was already beginning to show as his skin was paler then Zach had ever seen. Pursing his lips, he cleared his throat to get Damon's attention.
"What can I do for you nephew?" Damon sneered, moving to a sitting position that took some effort on his part. "Here to rub in that you finally got the better of me? You are just like your grandfather. He didn't like it when I came to visit either."
"That's because you don't visit, Damon." Zach stated, moving only a single step towards the cell, "You appear, unannounced, reminding me that this isn't my home and you're just permitting me to live here." He shook his head, running a hand through his hair, "Hell, you've said it before, you would kill me given half the chance."
Damon snorted, closing his eyes once more, "Well, someone had to mow the lawn." He joked, noticing how angry Zach was getting, "Now why are you here, Zach?"
"I want answers." Zach explained, pulling a blood bag from Damon's stash out from his shirt, "Have you been feeding on bags the entire time you've been here?"
"Nope," Damon grinned, his eyes locked on the blood bag in Zach's hand. "Why? Think I'm changing because I can tell you that I'm not." Using what little strength he still had, he grabbed Zach by the shirt allowing him access to the blood bag Zach had in his hand.
Unfortunately, Stefan had arrived home and heard what was going on and vamped into the basement just in time to pull Zach away causing the bag filled with blood to explode at the opposing forces. Time seemed to slow as blood began raining down, hitting the three men, the floor, wall and the cell bars. Stefan disappeared from the room, no doubt to clean the blood off himself while Zach had hit the opposite wall of the cell and was groaning in pain as he forced himself to stand. Damon just smirked, licking the blood from his hands. It wasn't much but it did help strengthen him a little.
Zach was finally able to get up the stairs but from there, Damon had no clue as to where he went because his footsteps didn't echo loud because with the amount of vervain in his system, his hearing was just above normal for a human. While he had a small amount of his strength back from the blood he licked from his hands, he could tell his desiccation had slowed but to stop it completely, he needed to feed. Erica's words that floated through his connection with the crow he sent to her had given him hope where as his lil' spy just shooed the bird he went to her away.
Deciding to preserve what little energy he had, Damon closed his eyes and mediated as an old mentor taught him. While it may appear he was sitting on the floor, leaning up against the wall, looking rather relaxed, he was in fact using his connection to Erica to check on her only to find her asleep. Knowing she wouldn't be able to do anything until the morning, Damon too decided to sleep. The sooner he went to sleep, the sooner Erica would get him out of this hell hole and he could take his revenge on those that put him down here. Of course, Stefan couldn't sleep without one more dig.
"I don't even have to look at you to see you're feeling pretty good about yourself." Damon opened his eyes and saw a spark of satisfaction, "Yup." He snorted, closing his eyes again, "There it was. Satisfaction."
"The only thing I have to be satisfied about is the fact you cant hurt anyone." Stefan retorted, crossing his arms as he justified his reasons, "I'm also protecting Erica from you whether she realizes it or not. She doesn't know just what kind of monster you truly are." He sounded sincere but Damon didn't seem to believe him, "You are my brother, Damon. Why do you think I'm only putting you in the crypt for 50 years? Zach wanted you locked up in there indefinitely."
Damon's eyes snapped open as they zeroed in on the direction of Zach's room, "So much for family loyalty." He scoffed, turning his icy gaze towards Stefan, "Be proud of yourself, Steffie, because you caught the bag guy but be warned the lies you tell will catch up to you in the end."
"Erica will understand in time," Stefan argued, not knowing just how true Damon's statements were. "Of course, the beauty of you being locked up down here is that I can walk away." He turned and started up the stairs, only to stop when Damon called after him.
"One of these days, Stefan, your past is going to come back to bite you in the ass!" Damon called after his brother, unaware that he was predicting the future even though it wasn't the immediate future.
Stefan didn't respond to his brothers taunting as he continued up the stairs to his room. Once the door was closed, he took a calming breathe before walking over to one of the many journals he wrote throughout the years and pulled down the last journal he finished a few years before. When he opened it, laying innocently between the pages was an old photograph. The image was of a young woman with curly hair, dark eyes and was identical in features to Erica Gilbert. Thinking of Erica, he thought back to what Matt and Tyler had told him about pissing her off.
(Flashback)
Stefan watched as Erica walked away from him with Caroline and Bonnie at her side, not even looking back at him. He wondered what just happened because for some odd reason things got turned around and he ended up being the bad guy. Even though he tried to apologize, it appeared that Erica was still pissed at him because he believed she needed protected from Damon. Didn't she understand he vervained Damon to protect her? Feeling the need to make things right, he went to follow when Matt Donovan and Tyler Lockwood stepped in front of him.
"Hey man," Matt started, looking a little apprehensive about something. "I'm not trying to get into your business but rumor has it you don't think Erica can take care of herself." He had his hands shoved in his pocket while Tyler had his crossed over his chest as if he was trying to be intimidating.
"My brother, Damon, is dangerous but for some reason I can't seem to get Erica to understand that." Stefan felt relief for a split second before Tyler crushed it with his next statement.
Tyler snorted, shaking his head, "You, dude, are an idiot if you think for one second Erica Gilbert couldn't kick anyone's ass in this school." Tyler stared him down, which slightly unnerved Stefan, "What she did to Tanner was nothing compared what she could have done. She was holding back because he had been a teacher. Don't let her sweet persona fool you, Erica is more then willing to hurt someone if its necessary."
"Which means you need to back off," Matt injected, speaking up when Tyler finished. "She's been through a lot and doesn't need a new guy snooping around her. Erica doesn't date. She'll be your friend until you try controlling her and who she hangs with then you'll have to deal with her temper."
"And it ain't pretty." Tyler added just as the warning bell ran, "Come on. We have class." He motioned for Stefan to follow them, "We're not trying to strong arm you into doing anything but messing with Erica isn't good for anyone's health because she's a hurricane when she's pissed." Matt nodded in agreement as they headed into the building with the other students.
"I do have a question that's been bothering me." Stefan confessed, feeling as if he could talk to the two boys, "Is there a reason why Erica doesn't date?" He looked between the two guys when they stopped at Matt's locker to get a book he needed for his second period class.
Matt and Tyler shared a look before Matt sighed, closing his locker, "Come on." Tyler and Matt lead him to the nearest boys bathroom. "I don't wanna talk about it out in the open." After making sure the bathroom was empty except for the three of them, Matt had Tyler locked the door.
"What's with all the secrecy?" Stefan questioned, wondering just what the hell was going on.
"Erica has dated before but only once and it lasted less then a day." Matt began, dropping his book bag on the ground as he leaned against the sink he stood in front of, "Adam Sinclair was Mr. Popular and a good friend of ours." He motioned between him and Tyler, the later nodding in agreement. "He always said he was going to get Erica to date him and eventually he did."
"We just figured he was going to ask her out or on a date. Something like that," Tyler injected, speaking up from where he leaned on the barrier wall between the bathroom stalls.
Matt snorted, a look of disgust washed across his face, "But he didn't do any of that." He closed his eyes, "A few days into our sophomore year, Adam never showed up for practice and Erica hadn't shown up to cheerleading after school was over. Some of the football players heard Adam talking to himself that today was the day he was going to do 'it'. We all thought he had finally decided to ask her out and waited a few minutes before going in search of the two."
"What we found wasn't Adam trying to woe Erica," Tyler spoke up, seeing the green tint to his friends face. "He had tried to rape her but ended up in worse shape then Tanner because he had brought a knife to school. Adam knew that Erica was just starting to get into her Judo training while she had been a black arm band for a few weeks in Muay Thai so he knew he had to have an advantage but it didn't work out like he thought it would."
"Did she kill him?" Stefan felt as if a few puzzle pieces began to fall into place but Damon wasn't human, not that he could tell Matt and Tyler that.
Matt and Tyler shook their heads, negatively, "No, we arrived just in time to pull him away before he lunged at her." Matt took back up telling the story, "Erica had gotten the knife away from Adam and had done some serious damage before we arrived in time to save his life." He sick smirk spread across his face, "Of course, he wished he had been killed after he found out the result of his little attempted assault on a founding member."
"Hell yes he did." Tyler smirked evilly, "Not only did Grayson take his family to the cleaners but Dad backed him up." He looked to his watch, "Come on, we don't have long before the final bell rings." He scooped up his backpack and unlocked the bathroom door.
(End Flashback)
Stefan had asked the guys why no one spoke about it because not even Zach had known about what had happened. Tyler just looked at him as if he was an idiot and told him simply that Grayson, Richard and Erica had spoken to, payed off and threatened everyone to silence because they didn't want it to get around Erica was able to protect herself as she could. Apparently when she was only 5 or 6, a man appeared in Mystic Falls asking about her only to end up attacking her for no reason. Abby Bennett had been the one to protect young Erica only to disappear afterwards.
It made him wonder who the man was but knew he wouldn't ever find out unless Erica told him and that was if she had been told. Pushing those thoughts to the back of her mind, he headed to the bathroom in order to get ready for bed. Once finished in the bathroom he dressed for bed then climbed in between the sheets. As he drifted off to sleep, he couldn't help but worry that Damon was planning something he wasn't privy to which would be disastrous to Mystic Falls and everyone here. His last thought was if Erica would help him figure out why Damon was in Mystic Falls to begin with.
(~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~)
Author Note – And the 4th chapter is finished! (Cheers) I hope everyone has enjoyed this chapter and where it went. (Smiles Brightly) As for who you want Erica to be with, there is a poll on my Fanfiction account, DragonSpirit03. (Winks) I hope everyone votes to let me know what you think. (Smirks) So far, Klaus/OFC/Damon is in the lead. (Wiggles Brows) Till the next chapter, keep reading and reviewing!
~*Dragon*~