Season 1 Episode 3 Friday Night Bites (Part 2)
Our ride was mostly filled with Caroline's babbling. Although I think she meant well and she was just trying to keep up conversation she was getting to be very annoying. I could see Damon getting very agitated the more she talked. I wanted to try and alleviate some of that tension but I didn't know how to do it. Besides, it wasn't my place to. They were the couple here.
"Are we going to my house first?" Caroline asked. I knew that these streets were not of my own, so I figured the same. I just thought that he would take me home first and then hang out with Caroline. That was just what boyfriends did right?
"Yes." Damon answered her quickly. He was actually a fast driver, causing my heart to race every time we made a turn. I didn't drive, only when it was necessary, but I would be a safer driver than Damon any day.
"But I thought you were coming over." Caroline pouted. I watch Damon clench his jaw and roll his eyes. He was obviously done with her whining and he probably needed a break. Caroline was sweet, at least for the most part, but she just could not stop talking.
"We'll see." He said. She continued to whine. "Caroline. Shut. Up."
She fell quiet then, a sad expression on her face. I looked at her through the side mirror, but she didn't meet my gaze. I didn't know why she let him be so rude to her. She just took it. When we pulled up to her house, she told me goodbye and then went inside. Damon didn't wait until she was safely inside before he started to drive in the opposite direction. My eyes scanned over to Damon, just now realizing that I was in a car alone with him. I barely knew this guy and I was alone in a car with him. He had all the control, and I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little fearful.
"Do you have to be so mean to her?" I asked suddenly, surprising myself. He smirked, that smirk that I was becoming all too familiar with. "I mean would it kill you to be a little nicer to her?"
"Yes. Yes it would." He admitted, still amused. I rolled my eyes and shook my head. Caroline may have been shallow, rude, and inappropriate… but underneath all that was a living, breathing person with feelings. What gave Damon the right to tear her down like that?
"It's a bad sign when you can't stand to be around her." I told him. He cocked an eyebrow. "I mean it takes less time to get to my house. You could have dropped me off first."
"Maybe I just wanted to be alone with you." He said with a smile. I didn't have a comeback for that one. I just swallowed and looked out the window. "You blush such a lovely color."
My hand went right to my cheek. It was burning, and I hadn't even known that I had been blushing. He chuckled, very satisfied with himself. I let my hand fall and I glared at him.
"Do you get some kind of sick enjoyment in making me uncomfortable?" I asked him. I had never been this ballsy with someone, but Damon Salvatore brought something out in me. He brought out this sassy, nervous, and blushing version of me that I didn't like.
"You make it so easy darling." He told me. I felt a shiver go up my spine. He chuckled again. I didn't speak or acknowledge him for the rest of the ride home. I had forgotten that he knew where I lived, which was weird but convenient because then I didn't have to speak to him.
"Thanks for the ride." I told him when I opened the door. He then grabbed my arm, preventing me from leaving. My eyes went wide and my heart skipped a beat.
"It was lovely seeing you again." He told me. I nodded and he let me go. I hurried to the house quickly locking the door behind me. He creeped me out. There was something about him that just didn't sit right with me. He was treating Caroline badly, Stefan his own brother didn't even trust him, and then he lives to make me uncomfortable.
I sighed to myself and went to get ready for bed. I hopped into the shower, washing the day away. I spent an extra twenty minutes in there, thinking to myself. I always get my best thinking done in the shower. Once I was done, I wrapped a towel around myself and went back to my bedroom. I heard a caw, coming from the crow in my tree. I swiftly closed my blinds and dressed for bed.
Once I was cuddled in my sheets I closed my eyes and attempted to drift off to sleep. It took me a while, because I was thinking of other things. But soon my tiredness over took me and I was slipping into a deep slumber.
"Good morning."
The coo of the sweet voice brought me out of my sleep. I rolled over, not opening my eyes. My bed was so comfy, like I was sleeping on a cloud. My sheets were so soft, it was like I was wrapped in feathers. I did not want to wake up at all and ruin this.
"Wake up."
The voice was one a recognized but couldn't place. My eyes dared to flutter open, the light blinding me for a second. When they finally adjusted I was not ready for who laid next to me.
"Damon?" I asked out loud. The oldest Salvatore was lying next to me in my bed, no shirt in sight. He had a bright smile on his face and his hair was tousled with sleep. His white hand came up to push a piece of hair from my face and I felt a blush creep up my cheeks.
"Oh, I love when you do that." He murmured as his long fingers brushed my burning skin. "So warm."
"Wh-what are you doing here?" I asked, contracting back a bit so I was out of his reach. That didn't seem to stop him. He reached for me, pulling me back to him.
"I slept here remember?" He said leaning forward. He placed a kiss to my cheek, and then to my jaw. "We had so much fun last night. How could you foget?"
He moved his lips across my jaw and down my neck. That was when I noticed how bare I was. I was only in a bra and some panties. I never slept like that, I was more of a ratty old t shirt and sweats. That was when I concluded what he was insinuating.
"Damon… did we…." I left the question there, not having the gall to finish it. If we had done what I think he was saying, then I had no recollection of it. That was a big milestone, how could I have missed that?
"Oh yes." He said shifting in the bed. "Over, and over, and over…"
That was when he climbed on top of me. He didn't press his full weight onto me, so he did not crush me. I felt my whole body burn, like I had a full body blush. I was very much not a fan of not having my own personal space, and Damon was giving me none.
"I-I…" I tried to speak but the words did not come. He shushed me and I found myself obeying. He grinned down at me licking his lips before he continued with his assault. After the initial shock was over, I found myself enjoying the feel of his lips upon my neck, my jaw, and my chest. I found myself wanting more, wanting to be closer to him. I had never felt such a thing in my life. With all of the confidence I could muster, I pulled his face up to mine. We stared at one another for a second before he closed the distance between our lips.
It was so different, nothing I had ever experienced. I had never been kissed before, so if this was to be my first then so be it. I felt like my whole body was on fire and Damon was throwing gasoline on it. His hands traveled down my body, leaving a wake of sparks as they moved. I never wanted this feeling to end, but he had other plans.
"Wake up." He cooed to me, nipping at my ear lobe. "Wake up, Alex."
"I don't want to." I moaned when he sucked on my neck. "Please don't make me."
"Wake up!"
My eyes burst open then as the shouting woke me from the dream. I was caked in sweat, my pillow soaking up even more. I was twisted in my blankets in ways that I didn't know were possible, I probably had created a knot around myself that would take hours to untie. My hair was everywhere, going in all kinds of different directions. I felt like a mess.
"You look awful." The voice that had woken me up said. I rubbed my eyes, having to adjust to the new light. I blinked a few times as the person sauntered around my bedroom.
"Caroline?" I asked watching the blonde bounce around my room. I didn't know what she was looking for, but she seemed to be on a mission.
"Morning sleeping beauty." She said but then gave me a once over. "Ok maybe wrong princess."
"How did you get in here?" I asked her, not caring how rude it sounded. I was tired and very, very uncomfortable. There was a tightness in my lower abdomen that was giving me a fit. Stupid sex dream. Stupid Damon.
"You're mom let me in." She answered, looking through my closet. "Do you own anything other than t shirts?"
"Not really." I replied, trying not to think about the fact that I had just had a sex dream about Caroline's boyfriend. "What are you doing here anyway?"
"You are going to the football game tonight." She told me. I wasn't much into football, or any sport for that matter. Besides there were too many people there in one small spot and I wasn't one for big crowds.
"I don't want to." I told her and collapsed back onto my bed. "Just let me sleep."
"No." She responded before tearing my covers away. "You desperately need my help."
"With what?" I asked her, lunging for my blankets. She pulled them out of my reach and gave me a very disapproving look. She looked like a mother, not like my mother, but one who focused on appearances. I would be a disgrace to that mother.
"Your wardrobe is so lacking." She commented. "And do you even own mascara?"
"No." I answered. She wailed in horror before she went out into the hallway. She was gone for about a minute and I thought she had given up and left. To my horror she came back in with a large suit case.
"What is that?" I asked with wide eyes.
"This." She said and threw the case on my bed. "Is how we are going to make you beautiful."
"My mom says I'm beautiful just the way I am." I told her. She rolled her eyes and started pulling things from the case. I could not imagine how much all of these products had cost. There were make ups of all colors and all different brands. She even had some clothes in there, some that would barely cover anything. I wondered how much the thing weighed.
"I will admit that you are already naturally pretty…. bitch" Caroline told me, muttering the last word. "But I have a way to enhance that natural beauty."
"What if I don't want to partake in this… makeover?" I almost gagged at the word. Caroline was already picking things out and comparing different colors to my skin. It didn't seem to matter if I wanted to do this or not.
"Then I will tie you down and make you." She responded. "Listen, let me have my fun and then if you hate it you can take it off. Deal?"
I could tell that she was really excited about this whole thing. She obviously had been planning it. Who was I to deny her that fun? Besides she said I could take it off if I wanted to. What was the harm?"
"Alright fine." I replied. She squealed and clapped her hands with joy. I watched her pick a few more things before she got to work.
The first thing she did was prepare her "canvas" as she called it. She plucked at my eyebrows, moisturized my skin, and picked at any impurities. She complimented me on how good my skin really was. I felt a bit of pride well up inside of me.
The second was putting on the foundation, the base as she called it. She had to pick through a few colors, saying that my color was actually really weird. I wasn't too pale, but I was nowhere near tan. I was in a weird place in between.
Then she worked on my eyes, something that I hated the most. I didn't like the fact that she was putting an eye lash curler so close to my eye. I felt like she was going to poke it out or something. Eye liner was even worse. I apparently kept fidgeting and she kept messing up and had to start over. Mascara was the easiest and I found that it was actually easier to put on than I originally thought.
After my face was prepared she handed me an outfit to try on. I had to nix some of the tops she handed me, because they were much too showy for my taste. I settled on a maroon long sleeve sweater that fell off one shoulder and a pair of black jeans. She let me compromise by letting me wear my converse instead of the wedges she had in mind.
"Are you ready?" She asked, very excitedly. I took a deep breath through my nose and let it go out through my mouth. I then silently nodded and she turned me to face my full length mirror. I was very shocked to say the least. The girl in the mirror didn't look like me, well she looked like me, but a different me.
"Whoa." Was all I could say. I looked… good. Although I would personally tone down the eye make-up and maybe wear different pants, I did actually look decent. Instead of just rolling out of bed, I looked like I tried. I looked like I took pride in my appearance. It was different for me. I barely even recognized myself.
"Is that a bad whoa or a good whoa?" She asked. I turned from the mirror to her. She looked like she was nervous for my answer, her bottom lip was in between her teeth and I thought she would die before I told her how great she did.
"It's a good whoa." I told her. She squealed again before hugging me. If you would have told me months ago that I would have had Caroline Forbes in my bedroom giving me a makeover I would have told you to stop smoking acid. But things were changing, and I was actually enjoying time spend with her. I was loving getting to know Bonnie Bennett. I was actually connecting with Jeremy. I was starting to like Elena.
There were so many things that were happening and I was surprised I hadn't passed out from all the new things. I felt good. This whole experience was a good one, even if I fought it at first. Living alone was not all it's cracked up to be, especially now that I knew what it was like to have friends. It was nice to know that someone was there to listen. It was good to know that I was being accepted.
"Here let me do something with your hair." Caroline said before sitting me down. She came around to my back and began her work. I didn't mind her tugging and pulling at my locks. In fact, it almost put me to sleep.
"So how was the ride home with Damon yesterday?" She asked me. My eyes popped open. My thoughts immediately went to the dream I had had before she came here. I couldn't very well tell her about that, she would be really weirded out if not mad.
"It was fine." I told her. "Pretty uneventful."
She nodded and I knew something was bothering her. I didn't know if she was upset that he didn't come over that night or she was jealous that I was the one who ended up alone with him. Either way she did not look happy.
"He's funny… Damon." I said. She nodded. "Very full of himself."
"Yeah he is." She replied. I swallowed at the awkwardness in the room. I wanted her to talk to me. I didn't know how to get anything out of her. She wasn't taking the bait on anything I said. So I asked the question that I had on my mind since last night.
"Why do you let him talk to you the way he does?" I asked her suddenly. She stopped working on my hair after the question left my lips.
"He doesn't mean it." She told me, continuing to work on my hair. "He just wants what he wants."
"But what about what you want?" I asked her. "You don't have to do everything he says."
"Yes I do." She said quickly. "I have to do everything he says."
"No you don't Caroline. He doesn't own you. " I told her as I turned around. When I saw her face I could see the pure terror written on it. "Oh my God Caroline."
"It's ok." She said pushing me away. "I don't mind."
"What is he doing to you?" I asked her. She shook her head and started packing up her stuff. "Caroline what is he doing to you?"
"Nothing!" She shouted at me. "Just drop it ok?"
I opened my mouth but she gave me a look, begging me to stop. I clapped my jaw shut and she silently thanked me. Once she was packed she left as quickly as she came. I got a very bad feeling about all of this.
Caroline drove me to the game. She had to be there early for cheer leading. I felt a bit self-conscious, fiddling with my sweater. She had scolded me a few times, telling me not to worry. I liked the look, it was different, but I didn't think I was ready to change completely. I did as she said though, for fear that I may make her upset again. I didn't like the way she reacted when I asked her about Damon. She acted terrified, like there was something that she was dying to tell someone but couldn't. I wanted to know what he was doing to her, because if he was hurting her… no one deserved that.
"I'm going to get my girls ready." Caroline said. I nodded and watched her bounce away. I stayed where I was for a while, no one around that I really talked to or knew well. I awkwardly walked up the bleachers to find a seat. There weren't too many students here already, and I felt very out of my element. Why did I even agree to this? This wasn't me. I didn't come to football games. I didn't hang out with the popular kids. I didn't dress like this. And yet… here I was.
"Nice sweater." I heard behind me. I turned and a girl who I was pretty sure made fun of me in grade school, was smiling at me. I was taken aback, but still said a thank you and watched as she went on her way. I rolled my eyes. I put on a freaking sweater and people are nicer to me. Figures.
"So I just got yelled at by Caroline." I looked up and saw Elena standing next to me. "This seat taken?"
I shook my head and she sat down. I wrung my hands nervously. I hadn't expected her to sit with me. I expected to be alone. I might have said that she couldn't sit with me, but I voted against it.
"She's mad because I quit cheer leading." She shrugged. "But I'm pretty sure she is ok with it. She was pretty mean yesterday at dinner."
The mention of Caroline made me think about how weird she acted earlier. I wondered if I should tell Elena or if that would be breaking some kind of girl code. But something wasn't right and I didn't know who else to turn to.
"Have you noticed how Damon talks to her?" I asked her. Elena furrowed her eyebrows but shook her head. "She acted really weird when I brought him up."
"Do you think he's hurting her?" She asked me, obviously concerned for her friend. I shook my head but made a face.
"I don't know if he's hurting her but…" I answered. "He was pretty rude on the car ride home."
"Like what?" Elena asked.
"He was ordering her around and telling her what to do." I replied. "But the weird thing is she did everything he said without hesitation."
"That doesn't sound like Caroline." Elena told me. I always knew Caroline to be outspoken and if she didn't want to do something she didn't do it. With Damon it was different. She did everything he said, no qualms at all. It made me think of what he was doing to her when people weren't around.
"It may be nothing." I told her. I didn't want her going and saying something without proof that Damon was abusing her. "But I just don't want anything to happen to her."
"I'll keep an eye out." Elena told me. I nodded.
It wasn't long before the sun went down and the bonfire went up. Elena dragged me out of our seats on the bleachers and down to where the small group was forming around the team. I could see Elena and Stefan making googly eyes at one another. I smiled a bit. Seeing how happy and cute they were gave me hope that real love was still out there.
"Wait, wait, wait, Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Wait. Let's be honest here. In the past, we used to let other teams come into our town and roll right over us!" Tanner called out, out of his usual teacher garb and instead looking like a coach. The crowd around me booed at his statement.
"But that is about to change." Tanner continued his speech. Everyone cheered this time. I simply clapped, not really one to yell. I didn't understand the point of losing your voice over a simple speech. Why not save it for the actual game?
"We've got some great new talent tonight starting on the offense, and I'm gonna tell you right now, it has been a long time since I have seen a kid like this with hands like these. Let's give it up for Stefan Salvatore!" Tanner finished gesturing to the new guy. He simply nodded and smiled humbly. I clapped for Stefan, alongside Elena who was giving him a big grin. She was proud of him, I couldn't blame her. Stefan just started here, it surprised me that he had even got on the team, let alone starting tonight. I guessed that he was really good, so good that Tanner put aside his pride so they could win the game.
Suddenly, the sound of a scuffle started to our left. I looked over, but I couldn't really see past all the bodies. I could hear a female yelling "Tyler stop!" I figured it was Lockwood, getting into some kind of trouble as usual. Elena started to weave through the crowd me following behind. That's when I saw Jeremy on the ground, his nose bleeding. I saw that Stefan had grabbed Tyler, who must have been punching Jeremy. That's when I saw Jeremy pick up a broken beer bottle.
"Jeremy! No!" Elena yelled just as Jeremy lunged. Tyler got out of the way but Stefan wasn't so lucky. Jeremy's weapon had seemingly nicked him. "What the hell Jeremy?"
I watched as Matt pushed a very angry Tyler away from the scene and Elena checked on Jeremy. I continued to stand where I stood, not wanting to get involved where it wasn't necessary.
"Put your head up, you're bleeding." Elena ordered her brother.
"I'm fine!" He yelled at her, pushing her hands away. He was obviously drunk and angry.
"Yeah, you smell fine." Elena said, commenting on the alcohol on his breath.
"Just stop ok?" Jeremy said to her before pushing her out of his way. I debated on stopping him, but the glare he was sending told me he needed to blow off steam. I didn't bother even trying to speak to him. It wasn't my job anyway, to try and calm him down. That was when Elena ran over to Stefan.
"Oh, my God, your hand." Elena said. Stefan immediately closed his palm and hid it from her.
"No, no, no. It's fine." He told her. She wasn't buying it.
"Is it deep? How bad is it? Come on!" She asked while trying to get him to open his hand. He didn't. She pulled and he finally gave up, opening it. I looked over Elena's shoulder and saw nothing. Just a blood stain. No cut what so ever. But I saw what had happened. He had been cut.
"But... I saw it, it was…" Elena trailed off. Stefan pulled his hand away.
"He missed. It's not my blood. See?" He said wiping his hands on his jeans. "I'm fine."
"No, no, no. I... I saw it. The glass cut your hand. It was..." Elena continued but Stefan wasn't hearing it.
"It's ok. I'm ok." He assured her. "It's almost kick-off time, all right? So, um, I'll, uh, I'll see you after the game."
He hastily left, following the other players. Both Elena and I stood there dumbfounded for what seemed like forever. Stefan had to have been cut by that glass. Granted the lighting out here was bad and I might not have seen correctly. Elena said she saw the blood. But there was no sign of it.
"Did you see that?" Elena asked when she turned to me. I could see the utter confusion on her face. "He was cut. I saw it."
"Elena." I said grabbing her shoulders. "There wasn't anything there. He couldn't have been cut."
"But…" Elena trailed off.
"Don't worry about it." I told her. She stared at me for a minute before she nodded. Then we headed back to the bleachers.
Damon watched from his spot as Elena said that she needed to talk to Bonnie alone. Alex told her she understood and said that she needed to get her jacket anyway. He watched as she walked all by herself to Caroline's car, grabbing her jacket from the back. Then he moved in, quickly and quietly so that he was standing right behind her when she turned around. She gasped once she saw him. He responded with a smirked.
"You have got to quit doing that." She said her hand over her heart. It was then that he noticed her makeup and that she wasn't wearing her typical ensemble. It was a good look for her, but he had started to get used to the oversized t shirts and the natural look she had every time he saw her. This seemed alien to him.
"New look?" He commented pointing to her off the shoulder sweater. He could see her blush even in this low lighting. He wondered when, if ever, would she stop doing that. He kind of hoped she didn't.
"Caroline got a hold of me." She told him, looking down. She looked ashamed of it, like she was afraid of what he would say. He could tell by the way her heart rate had sped up that she was nervous. All he could think about was the warm blood that it was pumping. It made his mouth water.
"So that's where she went." He said. "You look nice."
"Thank you." She replied. Something about the way she said it made him believe that she didn't believe his compliment. He assumed that she didn't get complimented very often, and probably didn't know how to take one. He reached back and took hold of her hair. With a quick movement, it fell down her shoulders.
"It looks better down." He told her. Her heart skipped a beat. This close proximity was making her very uncomfortable, Damon could tell. But something about that innocence of hers made him long to be around her. She wasn't like the other girls. She didn't pine after him, although it was obvious she was attracted to him. She was pure and sweet, but she had this fire in her that was set off mostly whenever he was around. But Damon had a feeling that there was another side to Alex Gilbert that he had yet to see.
"Are you here to see Stefan?" She asked. He smirked and leaned forward. She stood as stiff as a board, not moving an inch. He could smell her blood and he craved it. He had to get her out of sight before he drank from her though. Couldn't risk blowing the secret.
"What if I said I came here to see you?" He asked. She visibly swallowed. She was so much fun to play with. That innocence continued to shine through every time he was around her. He wondered if he would taint that childlike attitude if he continued to hang around.
"Wh-what about C-Caroline." She stuttered. He smirked. She was very much concerned with his fake relationship with the blonde cheerleader. He could have used Alex as his personal slave, but Alex was different from Caroline. Caroline lived to please him, even if he wasn't compelling her. She was afraid of being alone where Alex… she had survived years of being alone. She was only now getting accustomed to being friends with people let alone having a relationship. No, Damon would just use her for his meals while Caroline would handle the dirty work.
"What about her?" Damon asked. She had pushed herself up against the back of Caroline's car, looking very nervous and unskilled. She had no idea what she was doing, and she didn't know how to react. It was very endearing.
"She's your girlfriend." Alex replied. Damon rolled his eyes. "Shouldn't you be with her?"
"I'd rather be with you." He told her. She scoffed. "What?"
"She's much more pretty and popular than me." Alex answered quickly. Damon cocked his head to the side. "You could have any girl you wanted."
"That's true." Damon agreed. Alex rolled her eyes.
"But I can't be that girl. The girl you keep on the side." Alex told him. "I wont't be."
Damon looked her over. She was much more resilient than he thought she was originally. He thought it would be easier than that. Of course he could always compel her, but on her own free will she wouldn't let Damon treat her like a second choice.
"Come with me." Damon compelled her. She didn't resist this time, following him to a secluded area. With his vampire speed he pushed her up against the wall of the building behind them. She didn't make a sound, much to his surprise.
"I can make you be anything I want you to be." Damon told her. She stared him in the eye, not breaking away. "I can make you do anything."
"Then why don't you?" She asked. He slowly smirked and leaned to her ear.
"Where is the fun in that?" He said before chomping down on her neck. Her scream of pain was blocked by his hand. He drank from her until she fell limp in his arms. He pulled back, listening for any sign of a heartbeat. He heard it, weak but it was still present. He licked his lips, savoring the taste. He heard her whimper and looked down at the small girl in his arms. She was leaned against his chest, completely unresponsive. He took a breath, breathing in her scent. She smelled like roses, and that's what she reminded him of. A delicate flower that people looked at for beauty, but had thorns on its stem that would bite when the flower was placed under harm.
"Damon?" He heard the voice of his brother. With vampire quickness he turned on his monster façade and turned around, revealing the unconscious girl in his arms to Stefan. "What have you done?"
"Relax little brother." Damon said when Stefan approached. "She's alive."
Stefan stood a safe distance away, but close enough to grab Alex if he had to. He listened himself for any sign of life and once he heard her heartbeat he looked back to Damon. Damon was still holding her, effortlessly because she didn't weigh that much. She was rested on his chest, her arms limp to the side and her legs not holding up any of her weight. But it didn't go unnoticed that Damon still held her. It was like he didn't want to drop her, for fear of hurting her. It was unlike Damon, and it struck Stefan to his core.
"Why?" Stefan asked. Damon cocked an eyebrow. "You usually don't leave your victims alive."
"Not when the victim tastes this good." Damon replied looking down at her bleeding wound. "You should try it."
"No thank you." Stefan replied. The smell of her blood was tempting, but Stefan could control it. "So what? You're just going to use her like Caroline?"
"No." Damon replied. "I'm sleeping with Caroline. I haven't slept with Alex."
Stefan rolled his eyes and Damon smirked. Alex was still sleeping, but she moved her head slightly on Damon's chest.
"But never say never." Damon replied wiggling his eyebrows. He thought about the dream he had given Alex last night. He wished he could have finished it, but Caroline had woken her up too soon. Although he could invade dreams of mortals, he had no control over what they did or how they reacted. So it was clear to him that Alex would probably enjoy herself if the time came. Damon would enjoy it too.
"You don't want to kill her." Stefan said suddenly. Damon's eyebrows furrowed. "You like her."
"Psht no." Damon replied. "I like the way she tastes."
"No, it's not just that." Stefan said. "There is a part of you that feels for her."
Damon rolled his eyes. He wasn't the feeling type. Not anymore, not after Katherine. The only woman he ever loved, and will love, was gone. He didn't catch feelings like that anymore, especially not for humans like Alex Gilbert.
"I was worried that you had no humanity left inside of you." Stefan continued. "That you may have actually become the monster that you pretend to be."
"Who's pretending?" Damon asked. "I could kill her in a second and feel nothing."
"Then do it." Stefan dared. He was taking a chance, because if Stefan read this the wrong way he could be dooming Alex forever. But the way that Damon held her and the fact that she wasn't dead yet was a good sign. Damon was fond of her, even if he didn't want to admit it.
"I can't." Damon replied. "Then I wouldn't be able to do this."
Damon bit down on her neck again, sparking a whimper from her mouth. He didn't take too much, afraid that he might actually kill her. He wanted to prove Stefan wrong, that he could kill Alex and not feel remorse. But he wouldn't be able to taste that sweet blood of hers and that would be the real tragedy.
"Alright, then kill me." Stefan suggested. Damon looked up from the bloodied neck of Alex.
"Well…" Damon started. "I'm tempted."
"No, you're not. You've had lifetimes to do it, and yet, here I am. I'm still alive. And there you are." Stefan pointed to Damon. "You're still haunting me. After 145 years. Katherine is dead. And you hate me because you loved her, and you torture me because you still do. And that, my brother, is your humanity."
Damon stood there, fuming in his anger toward Stefan. It was because of Stefan that he wasn't dead right now. It was because of Stefan that he and Katherine weren't together. It was because of Stefan that he lived life like a ghost that was hollow and empty of feeling. It was all because of Stefan. And Damon wanted him dead.
"Salvatore! What the hell? We've got a game to play!" Tanner said when he came from the locker room. With quick thinking Damon thought up his next move.
"If that's my humanity... then what's this?" Damon asked. He pushed Alex into Stefan, who caught her before she fell. With his vampire speed he ran to the teacher and bit into his neck. It didn't take Damon long to kill him. Stefan protested, but it was too late. The teacher was dead and on the ground.
"Anyone, anytime, anyplace." Damon said, blood all over his face. Stefan stood there in horror at the monster his brother had become. "Take care of this for me will you?"
"Alex… Alex sweetie."
I groaned. I felt an ache all over my body. My head was pounding and my neck… it hurt so bad. I struggled to open my eyes, but when I did my vision was all blurry.
"Hey baby." It was my mother's voice. I had to blink a few times before I could see her. "Thank God you're alright."
"Mom?" I asked. I was in my bedroom. The last thing I remember was talking to Damon at the game. "What happened?"
"You fainted." She answered. "Hit your head pretty hard."
I tried to sit up, but I hurt all over. I never remembered fainting, or feeling like I was sick. I remember Damon. We were talking and then… it was all black. I was getting very tired of not remembering things. I was forgetting how I got somewhere or who had taken me. I was tired of hurting. I was tired of being scared.
"You're classmate, Stefan." Mom continued. "He brought you home. Said he found you in the parking lot."
I shook my head. I didn't remember Stefan. And if I had fainted then where the hell had Damon been? If I had fainted he should have taken me to the hospital or he should have gotten help. How long had I laid in the parking lot before Stefan found me? What had caused me to faint? How did he know where I lived?
"Alex." Mom said, catching my attention. "There's something else."
The look in her eyes was sad, like what she was about to tell me, she didn't want to tell me. I swallowed, preparing myself for what she was going to say. Had something else happened to me and I just couldn't remember? What had Stefan seen? Did Damon do something to me?
"Your teacher. Mr. Tanner." She said before she swallowed. "He's dead honey."
I didn't speak, I didn't cry. I didn't do anything. I just sat there and half listened to her telling me that an animal had attacked Mr. Tanner in the same parking lot that I had fainted. I wondered if that's why I had fainted. Maybe I saw the animal and passed out and Damon ran away. But I don't remember seeing Mr. Tanner at all. I only remembered Damon. Damon had the answers.
Damon was the one I needed to talk to.