A/N: Welcome back, keen readers! Was completely gobsmacked by the amount of views I got for my last chapter only hours after posting it. I am very pleased that you are all still enjoying this story after all this time.
As always, I must stress to you that I do not own The Vampire Diaries or The Lost Boys. The Vampire Diaries are the property of author L.J Smith, and The Lost Boys belong to writers Janice Fischer and James Jeremias. The film is owned by late director Joel Schumacher. I do own however, my OC Grace and this story.
Please review, and no flaming will be accepted. Thank you!
Keep safe, wash your hands, and keep wearing those masks if asked to. #F**kCOVID. #UniteAgainstThePandemic.
Enjoy xx
LOST IN THE SHADOWS
"It is the unknown we fear when we look upon death and darkness, nothing more."
~Albus Dumbledore (Harry Potter)
Santa Carla Inn
Day
(Grace P.O.V)
I was awoken from my sleep, by the lightest touch to my nose that stroked up and down the bridge. I screwed up my face in irritation and batted away the annoying thing to go back to sleep again. However, whoever it was trying to get my attention was persistent.
"Bugger off, Damon. It's too early for this." I mumbled out loud, once again swatting away the thing. Damon made an incomprehensible groan from beside me, and I cracked open an eye and turned towards Damon's side; only to discover that he was sleeping shirtless with his back to me, oblivious to the world and in the throes of sleep. His hand nowhere near my face. "What?" I muttered, feeling confused and sat up … only to nearly headbutt someone who was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking down at us. Immediately, I reached underneath my pillow for my dagger and brandished it at the intruder, only to lower it when I realized exactly who it was.
"Hi!" He greeted me cheerfully, not fazed by the weapon I had in my hand aimed at him.
"Henrik?" I lowered the dagger, scowling at him. "What the hell are you doing here?" I yawned, replacing the dagger on the bedside table, and sitting up properly. "And what did I tell you about personal space?" I bitched for good measure. Thankfully, Henrik had the decency to look apologetic for his actions.
"Yeah, sorry. I keep forgetting you're not a morning person." Henrik acknowledged.
"Neither am I." Henrik and I both turned and looked over at Damon, who had woken up and was now sitting up a little and glaring sleepily at the both of us. "What's ghost boy doing here?" He yawned, grumpily.
"I was just about to find out, Damon. Sorry for waking you." I responded, apologetically. He waved off the apology.
"Don't bother. I can't sleep anyway." Damon looked pointedly at Henrik. "You were saying?"
"Kol sent me." Henrik replied, succinctly.
"Of course, he did." I groaned. "Why wouldn't he?" I reached over to check the time on my phone, as Damon looked at the both of us with annoyance.
"Is this a common thing in your family?" He asked Henrik, crabbily. "Sending out unnecessary protection, when it's clear everything is already under control." Damon flipped back the duvet and got to his feet, padding his way towards the bathroom. "Besides, what kind of protection can a ghost be anyway?"
"You'd be surprised." I said, putting my phone back down and stretching. "And to answer your previous question, yeah it is a common thing; or at least an instinctive thing." I defended Kol's actions. "It dates back to when women were considered delicate and defenseless, and needed to be protected at all costs."
"You don't need that much protection." Damon retorted, stepping back out of the bathroom, dressed in his usual black jeans, and walking over to his luggage for a shirt.
"You wanna tell Elijah, Kol and Nik that?" I questioned, smiling sweetly at him.
"Pass."
"Yeah, didn't think so." I said, smugly. I turned my attention to a highly amused Henrik who was following our witty conversation like a spectator at a tennis match. "Enjoying yourself?" I asked, dryly.
"Are all conversations between you two like this?" Henrik asked.
"Pretty much." Damon and I answered at the same time. Henrik laughed.
"So, what's on the agenda today, my dear?" Damon asked me coolly, as he pulled on a white T-shirt over his head. I got up off the bed and headed for my duffel as I gave my answer some serious thought.
"Go check out the Boardwalk during the daytime, I guess." I replied, choosing what I was going to wear today. "Then maybe go for a swim, or a hike. Do some sketching." I trailed off, as I walked into the bathroom.
"Cool." Damon responded absently. "Say, do you still have that comic on you?" He randomly asks, out of the blue. I stuck my head out of the bathroom doorway, blinking at him in astonishment.
"Uh, yeah. It should still be in my jacket pocket. Why?" I pointed to where I had draped my jacket on the back of a basic wooden chair. Damon immediately made a beeline for it, just as Henrik perked up out of interest.
"What comic?" He asked, curiously.
Damon ignored him. "No reason. Just might have been a bit hasty on my first reaction last night." He said, as he pulled the comic out and started flicking through the pages again. Henrik frowned at the cover.
"Vampires Everywhere?" He read out loud. "Is that a joke?"
"Quite possibly." Damon responded absently, as he started reading from the beginning. I came back out of the bathroom dressed in my orange hibiscus print bikini top and black board shorts, with a sheer white poet's shirt, sandals, and my hair pulled back into two plaits.
"I decided to have a proper read of it too when I got back last night." I confessed, sheepishly. "It's not a bad read. I think I might have been a tad bitchy about the way I reacted when I got that last night." I confessed. Damon hummed in acknowledgement, but didn't look up from the comic, much to my surprise.
I glanced over at Henrik and took a seat beside him on the bed.
"So have they made any progress locating Nik yet?" I asked my baby brother, hopefully. Henrik looked a little uncomfortable, which only made me all the more curious.
"Sort of." Henrik replied, reluctantly.
"What do you mean sort of?" I asked and noticed Damon glancing at him from over the top of the comic, also curious about what Henrik was about to reveal.
"Turns out that Nik body-jumped into Tyler Lockwood's body seconds before Alaric staked his body with the White Oak Stake." Henrik revealed, hesitantly.
"He what?" I exclaimed.
"How'd you figure that out?" Damon agreed, frowning at him.
"Rebekah found out. Along with Caroline when Nik saved them from being kidnapped." Henrik explained.
"Kidnapped. Why were they kidnapped?" Damon demanded, casting aside the comic, and giving Henrik his undivided attention now that Rebekah had been somehow involved in something bad in our absence.
"You know how Alaric outed you guys to the Council?" Henrik asked.
"Yeah?" I confirmed, warily.
"Well, they kinda took over and relieved Sheriff Forbes and Mayor Lockwood of their duties and started rounding up the known vampires." Henrik revealed. "They're even planning on putting vervain in the town's water supply."
Damon and I groaned in exasperation.
"Leave town for a day, and everything goes to hell in a handbasket." Damon bitched. I sighed heavily.
"If you want to go back, Damon. I understand." I said, tiredly. Damon turned and looked at me in surprise. "But I'm not going back just yet. I was serious when I said that I needed a break from the town." I stated, firmly. I flinched back when Damon threw me a 'don't-be-an-idiot' look.
"As much as I love you saying that sweets. Your safety is more important." Damon stated, coming over and grabbing me by the shoulders, and I frowned at him; questioning why he was so adamant in staying here when he obviously less than liked this town. "You're not gonna get rid of me that easily." I couldn't help but smile gratefully at my best friend for that.
"You sure?" I questioned him.
"Wouldn't say it if I wasn't." Damon insisted. "Besides, your family, Caroline, St. Stefan and everyone else can take care of themselves." He added, but I couldn't help but notice the deep look of concern reflected in Damon's eyes, with a touch of worry too.
"Alright. If you insist." I shrugged, trying to push down the growing suspicion I was feeling when Damon refused to go back.
"So, I take it that Elena has completed transition then?" Damon asked Henrik, changing the subject back to Mystic Falls' latest conundrum.
"Yep. According to Rebekah, who saw the whole thing, all it took to do that was being trapped in a converted barn that had vervain being filtered into the place, for Elena to change her mind about dying." Henrik stated. "So, she and Stefan joined forces to help Elena complete transition, and the rest is history."
I was surprised. "Never thought I'd see the day that Rebekah would willingly help Elena with anything." I stated, impressed with my sister's act of compassion and mercy. Only problem was, was that we were now stuck with Elena for eternity.
I just hoped that Rebekah could live with that.
"That's my girl." Damon commented, without any emotion on his face.
"What about Nik?" I asked, and Henrik scratched the back of his head, still looking uncomfortable.
"He's back in his own body now. Forced that Bonnie girl to fix the problem and tried to take out Tyler's heart from his own body too." He revealed. I made a face.
"That must've been pretty." I stated, revolted.
"But it didn't come without a cost." Henrik stated, looking a little sad.
"What do you mean?" I asked, feeling dread.
"According to Jeremy, who was there and witnessed it all. Apparently, the witches didn't like the fact that Bonnie was dabbling in dark magic to reverse Nik's situation and punished her by torturing her grandmother's ghost or something." Henrik looked sympathetic. Damon and I looked at each other, feeling worn out by all this news, and we hadn't even been there when it all went down.
"And to think, all this happened in one day, while we were 30,000 miles in the air and then in a three-hour bus ride to get here." Damon stated.
I scoffed in agreement, "If it doesn't rain, it bloody pours." I sneered. "Man, the supernatural world sucks."
"And then some." Damon agreed. Then something occurred to me that made me panic a little.
"Nik doesn't know where I am, does he?" I asked Henrik, rather urgently.
"He's trying to get Elijah to reveal your location, but as far as I know he's mum on the subject. Why?" He asked, looking at me weirdly.
"Because he's likely to come down here and drag her gorgeous ass back to Mystic Falls kicking and screaming." Damon answered before I could, rolling his eyes for good measure as he continued reading the comic book cover to cover. "Everybody knows that apart from being a paranoid, sadistic fucker, he's also extremely overprotective and possessive. He'd ruin all the fun." He added, and I scowled at him.
"In a nutshell. Although, I probably wouldn't have put it quite like that, Damon." I said, and Damon shrugged, uncaring.
Henrik considered this, "He'll still find you eventually, Grace." He pointed out.
"And hopefully when that happens, I will have had a few days to rest and recuperate before the next catastrophe occurs." I agreed, reaching for the bottle of 50+ sunscreen and working it into my skin. "Now, you guys ready?" I asked.
Damon looked at me over the comic book.
"For what?"
"I'm gonna get some breakfast, and then take a hike to find a nice place to do some sketching, and then maybe take a swim afterwards." I answered.
"Okay. I'm in." Damon shrugged, and in the next blink he was standing at the door, shrugging on his jacket and sunglasses, and tucking the comic book into the back pocket of his jeans with his phone and wallet. "You coming?"
I grinned and finished stuffing my sketch portfolio into my purse as I put on my straw cowboy hat and aviators and followed him out with Henrik close behind.
Grassy Hillside
Day
Damon, Henrik, and I stopped by a small, but trendy café; where I bought myself a large latte with two sugars and comfort food in the form of a blueberry muffin that was about the size of my hand. It still baffled me how I kept forgetting the portion sizes in America … and I had been living here for the last thirteen years.
Damon got a large black coffee, which was pretty normal, if you didn't count the fact that he compelled the barista making our coffees to Irish-up his with a little bit of her blood and then forget the incident ever happened. I couldn't help but turn green when I unintentionally spotted the poor girl nicking her finger with a small paring knife and milking the crimson fluid into the steaming takeaway mug. But then I found myself remembering all the times I had to watch Nik, Rebekah and even Kol sipping at their glasses of fresh blood every morning, and I admonished myself, mentally saying that I really should know better by now since I willingly chose to live and associate with vampires.
I should have a thicker skin.
Once we had gotten our sought-after booty, thus began our sightseeing hike. Our first stop was the Santa Carla Wharf, which was breezy and surprisingly crowded this early in the morning. Although, the three of us soon discovered why it was so crowded when we reached the end and heard the loud noises of seals.
"Where the hell is that coming from?" I pondered, frowning when I couldn't spot them.
"No idea, but it's getting annoying." Damon bitched unhelpfully, taking a sip of his black coffee spiked with blood.
"Over here!" Damon and I glanced over and spotted Henrik, pointing excitedly over the railing to something hidden away underneath the pier. My eyes nearly bugged out when I looked in the direction where my brother was pointing.
"Wow! There's so many of them!" I gushed, marveling at the size of these mammals. "Are they seals or sea lions?" I wondered out loud.
"Sea lions." Damon piped up, and I looked at him in surprise.
"How do you know?"
He scoffed, "I've been here before, hon." He reminded me. "Wasn't as impressive as it is now."
"So why were you bitching and moaning about it yesterday when we first got here?" I asked, feeling a little miffed with him.
"I was bitching and moaning about the locals and the way they were behaving. Back when I first came here, everything was a lot more civilized." Damon pointed out, and I nodded understandingly.
"Fair enough." I acknowledged, pulling out my phone and snapping a few shots of the sea lions sunbaking on the deck below us. Then I turned and took a sneaky shot of Damon, who at first was taken aback but then smirked and posed begrudgingly for the picture when I pouted at him for refusing.
I posed for a couple of pics with just myself and Damon, me and Henrik – who hooked an arm around my neck and pressed our cheeks together – and then an awkward looking picture of the three of us, with the sea lions in the background. It was awkward, because we were trying to figure out the best angle to take the photo in, without one or all of us taking a header into the bay below. And as funny as that image sounded, it would not have been a particularly pleasant experience. In the end, a nice lady solved the problem for us by graciously taking my phone and snapping the pic for us.
Eventually, we abandoned the wharf and continued our hike around the town. Darting around groups of tourists, we decided to look for an information booth to scope out a possible place to explore. Instead, what we really found was a wall of missing posters; some, only just recently put up, and some yellowing from age or covered over with another missing poster of a local – mostly teenagers – or peeling off from weather conditions.
"Woah." I spoke up beside a strangely silent and grave looking Damon. "I do believe that they weren't kidding about the 'Murder Capital of the World' label we saw on our way in." I mused, uncomfortably.
"Figures you'd pick a vacation spot that could rival Mystic Falls in terms of mysterious disappearances." Henrik said, and I aimed a glare at him.
I noticed that Damon hadn't made any sarcastic comments to add to our conversation and turned to look at him. He was observing a middle-aged woman with red-rimmed eyes taping a missing poster to the wall, with two equally distraught children standing by her side, watching her. The woman finished what she was doing and turned to leave, only to pause when she realized that she had an audience watching what she had been doing. To my surprise, Damon merely acknowledged the woman with a small smile and a genial tilt of the head.
"Have a good day, Ma'am." Damon bid the woman respectfully, and the lady gave him a watery smile back and returned the nod before corralling her children and disappearing back into the crowd. As we watched her go, I turned to take a look at the person the woman was missing and gave a loud cry of recognition.
"Hey! Isn't that the security guy from yesterday? Beasley?" I asked Damon, who swiveled his hard gaze away from the crowd bustling around us and looked at the black and white photograph of Beasley.
"Yep. That's him." Damon confirmed, sounding pissed off for some reason.
"Geez, I wonder what happened to him?" I pondered, genuinely concerned. I was even more concerned and confused when Damon immediately turned and started walking on without another backwards glance to the poster. His relaxed posture had suddenly turned ramrod straight, and both Henrik and I exchanged bewildered expressions with each other before we had to jog to keep up with Damon's large strides.
"Hey slow down!" Henrik called out.
"Damon, what's the rush?" I asked and stepped in front of him to stop him from walking on. "Hey, what's wrong?" I demanded, and Damon shrugged.
"Nothing's wrong. I thought we were taking a walk?" Damon replied in a deceptively calm manner that instantly made me suspicious. "Shall we?" He offered me the crook of his elbow, and I immediately took it as we continued exploring. Henrik stood on Damon's other side, also giving him quizzical looks as we continued on our merry way.
I knew that something was up, as Damon never acted like this unless something bad was happening and he didn't want anybody else knowing or getting involved. I was determined to get to the bottom of what was currently bugging Damon, and I was also not going to take no for an answer if he tried dissuading me otherwise. I hated being left out of situations, if I knew that I could help in some way.
Which was how we ended up finding this lovely little grassy hillside, that overlooked the Santa Carla Boardwalk off in the distance. We were surrounded by beach, and a gentle pleasant breeze was blowing in helping to cool off my slightly overheated skin. Henrik was down near the water, splashing through the waves breaking on the shore, collecting seashells and exploring some nearby rock pools. While Damon chose to recline on a large, nearby rock and resumed reading the rest of the vampire comic; and I used Damon as a leaning post while I sketched the Boardwalk.
I was in the process of shading in part of my sketch, when Damon let out a small snore. I glanced over and saw him dozing and using my 'pilfered' straw cowboy hat as a visor, while the completed comic was clamped down protectively on his rising and falling chest with one of his hands. His arm was wrapped protectively around my waist, proving once again how much of a cuddler he really was in his sleep. Now was my chance to confront him about why he was so interested in that comic and his reaction back at the missing persons' wall.
"Hey, Damon?" I spoke up, and felt his arm tighten a little before relaxing.
"H-mm?"
"May I ask why you're suddenly so interested in that comic, when you were completely against reading it last night?" I asked, casually. Damon tilted up my hat and eyed me lazily with a raised eyebrow.
"You may. But I may or may not answer." He responded, before tilting the hat back down over his face and went to go back to sleep. I tilted the hat back up and glowered at him.
"Humor me." I countered, all business, and Damon let out a tired sigh before sitting up and putting my hat back on my head. He swiveled round on the sand to sit beside me and stretched.
"What I'm about to tell you, stays between us. Understand?" Damon lectured me, sternly. I nodded and inclined my head in the direction of Henrik who was squatting on the sand and sifting through some buried seashells, presumably for some unbroken ones.
"What about Henrik?" I asked, and Damon shrugged.
"Up to you." He said, dismissively. I wedged my pencil in the spine of my sketchbook and closed it, before giving Damon my undivided attention. "I went out hunting last night after you went back to the motel." Damon explained.
"Yeah, so?" I responded, not sure what Damon prowling for blood had to do with why he was now so into that vampire comic, unless the graphic, slightly gruesome pictures he had briefly seen had given him the munchies.
Damon sighed, "Not that kind of hunting."
"Oh. What were you hunting for exactly?" I asked, curiously.
"I felt bad that you were unable to find that Biker guy, so I decided to go find out where he hangs out, find some information about him for you." He confessed, and I beamed at him, pleasantly surprised.
"You did? That's so sweet of you, thank you." I said, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and bringing him closer to peck him on the cheek. "But what's that got to do with the comic?"
"I'm getting to it." Damon said, a little impatiently. I mimed zipping shut my mouth and he smirked at me. "Turns out it was a bust. Couldn't find him or his friends anywhere. So, I decided to grab a bite to eat before going back to the motel." Damon continued.
"Punny." I grinned, and Damon playfully glares at me before finishing his explanation.
"Anyway, by the time I gave up the search, the only person around was Beasley." He yawned, trailing off mid-sentence, while my eyes widened in horror.
"You didn't…"
"Not me, no." Damon reassured me, cryptically.
I raised an eyebrow, "Come again?"
"Beasley is dead, but I'm not the culprit who got him. Something or a group of somethings, got there first." Damon stated, looking somewhat flummoxed by the memory. "They swooped down on Beasley from out of the sky and carried him off while he screamed bloody murder."
"Yikes?" I gulped, not liking the sound of what Damon had just described to me. "Did you see what it was that got him?"
"Happened too fast for me to see it." Damon frowned, looking frustrated.
"Too fast even for your enhanced abilities?" I blurted out, shocked.
"I didn't have to see it I could hear it. An irritating screeching noise, and maniacal laughter. So, I followed it." He said.
"Why do I get the feeling I'm not gonna like what you're gonna tell me next?" I asked, feeling uneasy. Damon grinned at me, looking proud.
"Because you're not an idiot."
"Go on." I prodded, reluctantly.
"Followed it all the way to the beach. Then lost sight of them once I got there. I was about to give up, when Beasley was dropped from the sky in front of me. Dead as a doornail." He said, making a face. "Probably knew I was there and wanted to scare the shit out of me." Damon scoffed. "They're gonna have to try a lot harder than that."
"Heart probably gave out." I guessed. But Damon shook his head, grimly. "No? How did he die then?"
"Drained of blood. Just not in the traditional way." Damon described.
I paled, my mind giving me unwanted possibilities of what Damon might've seen last night. "What do you mean?"
"He looked like a deflated balloon. Every drop of blood was sucked dry from him."
"Holy shit." I squeaked. That definitely didn't come close to what I was picturing. "How did you know he was drained?"
"Two punctures. Right here on his neck." Damon touched the spot right on my own neck, and I flinched instinctively away from the finger. "Never seen anything like that, and I've been around the block a few times."
"So that's why you've been reading that comic. You suspect they're vampires?" I questioned, and Damon shrugged.
"Not ruling it out." He stated.
"But you can't fly, unless you're in your crow form. And I've never heard of you, Nik, or any other vampire that I know of doing anything like you've described to me. How can you be sure?" I argued, and Damon sighed heavily, rubbing at his eyes.
"It's like I said before, back when we were doing research on that bogus 'Sun and Moon Curse': I'd be an idiot if I didn't at least heed the knowledge when it's right in front of me." He said, reaching for the comic and handing it to me. "Couldn't hurt to be well-informed."
"From a teenager's comic book?" I said, dubiously.
"You read it, didn't you?"
"Yeah, but…" I hesitated, looking at the cheesy vampire on the glossy front cover. "Could there be another type of vampire out there?"
"I wouldn't be surprised." Damon said, dryly.
Henrik chose that moment to surprise the both of us, by waving a handful of wet and slimy seaweed in our faces, prompting Damon to spring to his feet and chase a gleefully cackling Henrik back down the hill to the shoreline to tackle him in playful retribution. I laughed at them, and set aside my stuff, pull off my poet's shirt and aviators, and follow them to join in on the fun.
Santa Carla Boardwalk
Dusk
They say time flies when you're having fun, and pretty soon, Damon, Henrik and I were dragging ourselves back to our motel room to freshen up and remove the smell of sea salt, sweat, and sand from our bodies, and get ready for yet another night on the town. Hopefully this time, it will be a bit more successful, and I'd stay out a lot later than I had last night. And perhaps, I might catch another glimpse of that Biker leader to see if he is actually David.
"I heard that there's a concert happening tonight." Damon announced, as he walked from the bathroom; having scraped off the sweat and sand he had collected during our day at the beach.
"There's always a concert or visiting band performing here at night." I pointed out. "Who is it? Do you know?" I asked him, curiously. Damon shrugged.
"Who knows." He responded, buttoning up his shirt. "It's 80s week, so your guess is as good as mine." He added, somewhat vaguely, and I rolled my eyes and gathered up what I was wearing tonight on our night on the town.
"That's very helpful. Thank you, Damon." I said, sarcastically.
"Don't mention it." Damon smirked back at me, and lounged casually on the bed, flicking on the TV. "Don't take too long in there, sweets. Don't want to miss it." He suggested, mockingly, and I chose to ignore this and went into the bathroom, slamming the door behind me. From behind the closed door, I overheard Henrik chiding Damon, disapprovingly.
"I wouldn't push your luck, Damon. You know what kind of temper Grace has." Henrik reminded Damon.
"I know. It's all in good fun." He reassures Henrik and I shook my head exasperatedly before shedding my swimsuit and stepping under the blissfully warm shower, trying to forget my troubles in this sanctuary.
Dressed up in a pair of tight blue jeans, a shimmery black spaghetti strap top, and my hair pulled back into a high ponytail to avoid the late-night breeze whipping around my hair, I stepped from the bathroom; earning an appreciative whistle from Damon who looked at me from head to toe while I fastened on some large hoop earrings.
"You didn't need to dress up for me." Damon teased, and I gave him a sarcastic smile in response.
"I didn't." I replied, earning a half-hearted pout from my best friend. "But you said that there was a concert tonight, so it doesn't hurt to dress comfortably while dancing in a crowd of possibly sweaty bodies." I stated, and Damon nodded.
"Fair enough. You ready to go?" He asked, and I nodded as I hopped around trying to pull on my knee-high black leather boots with a low heel.
"As I'll ever be." I confirmed, then looked around for a notably absent person. "Where's Henrik?" I asked, and Damon pointed to the window that looked out to the balcony outside our motel room.
"Waiting for us outside." He said. "What is it with girls, and taking so long in the bathroom to get ready?" He mocked and laughed when I hit him with a pillow. "Was that supposed to hurt?" He asked, still laughing, and dodging a second attempt.
"It wasn't intended to hurt, you ass. It was supposed to indicate my annoyance." I retorted, dumping the pillow on the bed, and grabbing up my military-style jacket to shrug on. "Besides, you're one to talk. You take up almost as much time as I do getting ready as well." I rooted around in my purse and retrieved my wallet, stuffing it in one of the front pockets of my jeans; but not before taking what paper money I had and my bank card, and stuffing them down my cleavage, just in case sticky fingers managed to lift my wallet tonight.
You could never be too careful.
Damon grinned at me, lasciviously. "Why mess with perfection?" He indicated to his appearance, and I rolled my eyes and headed out the door.
"You're so full of yourself." I commented and hooked an arm around Henrik's shoulders and made the descent downstairs, as Damon deadlocked the motel room behind us, and stuffed the key into his pocket.
We headed down the two blocks towards the Boardwalk, dodging and weaving around other tourists and locals who were heading in the same direction as we were, or just standing around drinking, smoking, laughing … whatever. As we turned onto the wooden pier that lead towards the Boardwalk entrance to the Amusement Park part, we strolled past the Frog Brothers' comic book stall, and I noticed the boys replenishing their stock as usual in their almost deserted shop. As though sensing I was there, both looked up and stared directly at the three of us. I raised a friendly hand at them and waved.
"Hey boys, having a good night?" I bid them but received blank, stony faces in response. I paid them no mind. They obviously were eccentric, but harmless. So, I just smiled and nodded and continued walking with Damon and Henrik like nothing happened. Although, I did notice the looks of suspicion on their faces when they clapped eyes on Damon though. I looked at Damon in amusement. "Think they suspect that you're a vampire?" I asked, half-seriously.
"Please." Damon scoffed, and both Henrik and I giggled.
The sounds of the Amusement Park got louder as we approached, and I paused when I spotted a busker playing on a Harp Guitar. It seemed that this guy was playing a very short rendition of Linkin Park's 'In the End', and I grinned, impressed with the talent. I wasn't the only one, as a small crowd started gathering a short distance away from the guitarist, phones out and everything to record the soothing, slightly haunting notes that the guy was plucking away at with his long fingernails. To my surprise, Henrik was one of the recorders.
"What?" He said defensively when he caught me looking. "He's good, and I think Elijah may like this when I show it to him." Henrik told me, reminding me of our brother's musical talent, that I could've kicked myself for forgetting.
I smiled at him, affectionately. "Am I stopping you?"
By the time this guy had finished; he had earned quite a bit of cash for the performance.
"Not bad." Damon complimented with a smile on his face as he clapped along with the rest of the crowd. I reached for the stash of cash in my bra and pulled out a twenty, tossing it into the guy's guitar case. He looked up and gave me a beaming grin.
"Thanks!" He said, and I smiled back.
"Don't mention it. You earned it; it was beautiful." I complimented him and waved as Damon, Henrik and I moved on. "Hey guys, I'm gonna get a soda. I'll meet you at the concert." I said and started walking over to the kiosk when Damon nodded and started heading over to where the strains of synthesizer music could be heard down on the makeshift stage on the beach.
Ahh, the 80s…
"I'll come too!" Henrik called out, and I nodded, and we joined the cue. As we started discussing the guitarist and his music, we suddenly heard what sounded like whimpering and crying, then other sounds of jeering and egging on, and looked up to spot a large group of Surf Nazis surrounding somebody who was trapped in the middle of them.
"Oh, geeze. What are these idiots up to now?" I groaned and stepped out of line to investigate and possibly act if things got out of hand. Henrik immediately grabbed onto my sleeve to stop me.
"Hold on, Grace. Don't be stupid, that could be dangerous." He pointed out to me, and I scowled at him.
"Look around, honey. Do you really think anybody is likely to intervene?" I said, gesturing about at groups of people who had obviously spotted the group of thugs, but easily dismissing them and going about their business like they didn't want to get involved.
Pathetic… I cautiously strode over, with a reluctant Henrik following, and noticed to my anger that the poor unfortunate victim, turned out to be a little boy of probably no older than ten-years old. The kid looked like a cornered puppy and was attempting to make himself smaller as he looked for a way to get away from these morons.
"You better leave me alone." The kid bravely warned them.
"Or what?" The leader, the same guy who picked a fight with the guy I suspected was David, and wolf-whistled at me, slurred.
I cringed.
Oh, great. They're drunk, or close to it… I thought in annoyance.
"Or I'll sic my brothers on you!" The kid stated, frowning despite the frightened and frustrated tears streaming down his poor little face. My heart went out to him. The Surf Nazis immediately started cackling like demented hyenas; like what the kid said was the height of hilarity, rather than a bona fide promise.
"Oh, I'm really scared." The leader sneered, before grabbing a fist full of the kid's jacket and hoisting him into the air, ignoring when the kid kicked and struggled to pry the guy's hand away. I saw red. You should be pal… I strode forward, and this time Henrik didn't stop me. "Guess I'll make an example of them after I'm finished with you." He reared back his fist, and the kid noticing this, bravely steeled himself for the blow. I caught the guy's fist, wincing only a little from the slight pain the impact made, inches away from the kid's nose … and jerked the idiot's wrist sharply in the wrong direction, causing him to let out a yell and instantly release the jacket.
"Why don't you pick on somebody your own size, huh?" I suggested, smiling sweetly at the group of thugs. I absently noticed out the corner of my eye, Henrik leading the poor little boy away from us, and attempting to comfort him. I returned my attention back to the leader who glowered at me.
"Let go of me, you crazy bitch." He snarled, and I obeyed him, watching him cradling his hand to his chest. "I think you broke my wrist." He whined pitifully.
"Good. It serves you right." I retorted, evenly.
"Why don't you mind your own business, girlie?" One of the other members of this bloody surfing gang yelled out at me, and I glared at him; making him shrink back out of fear.
Miserable coward… "No, I'm making it my business. What gives you the right to pick on a little boy like this?" I demanded, sharply.
"Payback." I turned towards the one who responded to my question, narrowing my eyes at him. "His 'brothers' keep setting foot on our turf."
"I see." I acknowledged. "And you got the bright idea of taking it out on the most vulnerable person, who couldn't possibly be involved in your little turf war?" I concluded, with disgust. "Very brave."
By this time, a crowd was beginning to form; their interest probably peaked, by the fact that a petite, seemingly out of her depth Good Samaritan was supposedly trying to win a losing battle against these self-imposed 'Kings of Santa Carla'. Boy were they in for a surprise. I didn't take those self-defense classes, sword-fighting classes, or took up marshal arts for no reason.
"Look here, bitch. We're not gonna tell you again. Beat it, this doesn't concern you." Yet another one of the thugs piped up, and I bit my bottom lip and pretended to give their 'friendly' advice some thought.
"Nah. I'm good." I responded, smoothly. The leader, still cradling his arm, got into my face.
"You think that we won't hit a girl?" He spat, literally. I grimaced but stood my ground, placing my hands on my hips and rising to my full height … which granted wasn't much, but I didn't particularly care.
"And you think that this girl won't hit back … hard?" I retorted, a shark-like smirk on my face. One of his flunkies attempted to swing a punch at me without warning, but I dodged and grabbed his arm, darting behind him and slamming my knee into his solar plexus. He went down hard, struggling for breath. While his buddies looked at him, then at me in horror.
"Now, the way I see it." I began, my voice smooth as silk as I reached into the innards of my jacket for my hidden weapon that I used only in dire emergencies … or to scare the living daylights out of a bunch of surfers who needed to be put back in their places. "You've got ten seconds to get the hell outta here, before I do something worse, not just to him but also to you." I cautioned. "Ten. Nine. Eight—"
"You're bluffing." One of them piped, stupidly. I merely produced the handle of my machete, enough for them to see it and looked at them pointedly.
"Three. Two—" It was almost amusing to see these fully grown men, pick up their fallen friend and their leader and move off so fast, they left after images of themselves in their places. "Rats. I really wanted to hit them until they bled." I muttered to myself, dejectedly. I sighed, returning the machete to its hiding place, and walked over to where Henrik was talking quietly and soothingly to the little boy.
"Have fun?" Henrik asked, dryly. He had obviously been partially watching me toy with those cretins, and I grinned unapologetically at him, before turning my attention towards the boy, who was looking at me warily.
"Are you okay now, sweetie?" I asked the boy, kindly.
"Yeah. Thanks for that." The kid replied, quietly. I squatted down to his level and smiled at him.
"You're very welcome." I responded. "So, what's your name?"
"Laddie."
"Laddie? That's a very unique name." I complimented him, before thumbing over at Henrik. "Kinda like my brother's name." I added, trying successfully to get Laddie to smile before offering my hand to him. "My name is Grace. And my brother's name is Henrik." Laddie tentatively took my hand in his and pumped it up and down.
"Hi." He greeted me, before taking Henrik's hand and doing the same thing to him.
"You have very nice manners." I complimented Laddie who grinned at me before I straightened up. "So, Laddie. What were you doing here all by yourself? Where's your parents?" I asked him, and raised an eyebrow when Laddie looked uncomfortable.
"I don't live with my mom and dad anymore. My brothers and Star take care of me." Laddie eventually explained.
"Star?" I parroted.
"Who's Star?" Henrik asked.
"She's my friend. Star spends her time with me and protects me when my brothers aren't around." Laddie said, and both Henrik and I glanced around the crowds trying to spot somebody looking frantic and searching around for somebody.
"Where is she then?" I asked, and Laddie looked a little sheepish, causing me to frown at him sternly. "You didn't run away from her did you?"
"No. There was a lot of people around when we came here, and we got separated. I was trying to find Star when those bullies found me." Laddie defended himself, and I nodded; accepting the answer.
"Well, that sucks." I stated.
"Do you want some help finding your friend?" Henrik offered, and Laddie grinned and nodded enthusiastically.
"That would be great! Thanks."
We smiled at him, "Don't mention it, kid." I waved off the gratitude. No kid should be left alone unsupervised and defenseless. Even if it was accidental and unintentional. "But first, why don't we get you something from the kiosk? You look a bit peaky." I suggested, shifting into mother hen mode and Laddie instantly looked excited.
"Really?! Are you serious?" He yelled, and I nodded.
"Sure. Why wouldn't we be?" I asked. "I was in the process of grabbing something before we stepped in to help you."
We went back into line at the kiosk, and about five minutes later, we walked away armed with a soda and a pretzel each.
"Laddie! Laddie, where are you?" A young woman's voice yelled to be heard over the din the Amusement Park was creating and the three of us turned towards the voice. We spotted a girl roughly in her late-teens dressed vaguely like a weird combination of a gypsy and a hippie with long waist-length wild, curly black hair and large expressive, doe brown eyes. She looked worried, and the second he spotted her, Laddie took off.
"Star! Star!" He shouted, and she turned and sagged with relief as she grabbed him in a tight hug.
"Are you okay?" Star demanded, looking Laddie over for any injuries. Laddie turned and pointed in our direction, excitedly.
"I'm fine. They helped me when those surfer jerks tried to hurt me." He explained, and Star looked at us both gratefully and warily. Henrik and I walked over calmly to Star to explain ourselves.
"Thanks for helping him." Star said, graciously.
"It's not a problem." I reassured her, brushing aside her gratitude.
"Do you want to come to the concert with us?" Laddie asked, bouncing up and down on the spot; making me instantly regret getting him that soda if he reacted like this after only a few sips.
"That's where we were going when we stopped for a drink. If you don't mind the extra company, of course." I directed this question to Star who shrugged, but I could tell that she was nervous about something. The second we agreed to come along, Laddie instantly grabbed Henrik's hand and started dragging him through the crowds in the direction of where Damon had headed off to. I giggled at the surprised expression on my little brother's face when this happened.
"I didn't get your name?" Star spoke up quietly from beside me as we walked unhurriedly to catch up with Laddie and Henrik.
"I never told you." I stated with a smile, before offering my hand to her. "Grace. Laddie just dragged away my little brother Henrik." I added, pointing in the direction the boys went off in.
Star frowned, "You don't look anything alike."
"That's probably because Henrik is my brother-in-law. Or he will be soon." I explained, holding up my left hand and wiggling my fingers to show off my engagement ring. Star's eyes zeroed in on the ring and she brightened a little.
"It's beautiful." She complimented. "What stone is that? I've never seen it before." Star asked, taking my hand, and examining the dark blue stone curiously.
"It's lapis lazuli. My fiancé had it custom made for me." I said, fudging the truth a little instead of admitting that Nik had actually made it for me out of pure silver and the stone, and added the diamonds around the band centuries later.
"You're so lucky." Star sighed, looking a little sad. I looked at her with concern, visited with the desire to ask her what the matter was; but backed down from that idea very quickly, as I barely knew the girl, and it wasn't really my business.
We eventually caught up with Henrik and Laddie and weaved our way through the sea of fans headbanging and cheering to the current artist performing on stage. I took a proper look at who it was and grimaced. The artist turned out to be a half-naked, oiled up man wearing chains on his hips, his greasy looking hair tied back in a ponytail, and wrapping his lips around the mouthpiece of a saxophone, while he thrusted and gyrated his hips in time to the music he was playing.
"Where the hell were you?" I jerked my head towards Damon, who came storming up to us through the crowd, looking slightly irritated.
"Your fiancé?" Star guessed, earning a raised eyebrow from Damon who looked her up and down curiously. I offered her a pained grin.
"No, this is my best friend and my sister-in-law's boyfriend." I explained, before turning back to Damon. "Damon, this is Star." I awkwardly introduced them to each other, and Damon gave a small smirk and took a slightly flustered Star's hand, raising it to his lips.
"Charmed, I'm sure." He acknowledged the introduction as he brushed his lips across Star's knuckles. The girl quickly ripping her hand from an unfazed Damon's grip.
"Nice to meet you." Star greeted Damon hastily. I mouthed sorry to Star, who waved her hand dismissively and smiled at me to indicate that no harm was done.
"So, back to my question." Damon asked, pointedly.
"Henrik and I were sidetracked when we defended a little boy's honor when he was being pushed around by those Surf Nazi thugs." I hastily explained, and Damon immediately looked pissed.
"You really are worse than Elena when it comes to running headlong into danger, you know that?" Damon pointed out.
"Don't waste your breath, Damon. I already gave her the riot act. She ignored me; naturally." Henrik piped up as he sidled up to me, with Laddie practically glued to his side as the ten-year old watched the concert with Star. Damon glanced at Laddie with interest.
"Who's the kid?" He asked.
"The boy we rescued." I was quick to answer. Laddie turned and grinned at Damon, waving at him.
"Hi, I'm Laddie!" He introduced himself, and Damon blinked in surprise before smirking back and shook Laddie's hand, looking mildly amused.
"Hello, Laddie. I'm Damon. Nice to meet you."
Damon straightened up and eyed me for an explanation that I wasn't going to give. In the end, we decided to just enjoy the concert. I had to admit, the song was growing on me, despite how obviously sleazy the artist singing the song looked, and I found myself dancing along with the other fans. So much so that I almost didn't notice Damon nudging me in the side with his elbow, and I turned and frowned at him.
"What?" I scowled.
"Looks like your friend has an admirer." Damon smirked, thumbing over at Star. I looked at my friend who was glancing at somebody a little further down from where we were standing, looking a little uncomfortable and quite frankly annoyed. I followed where she was looking and spotted a guy who looked roughly the same age as Star or slightly older, trying and failing not to look in our direction … or more specifically at Star.
"You okay?" I asked Star, feeling protective. She relaxed a little but didn't look away from her not-so-subtle admirer.
"Yeah. Don't worry about it. It happens all the time, I'm used to it." Star reassured me, and I turned to look disapprovingly at the guy.
"You shouldn't have to be." I pointed out. He was tall, probably roughly the same height as Damon or maybe even Stefan, with shoulder-length curly brown hair and blue eyes. The teen was dressed simply: a pair of blue jeans, a dark T-shirt, cross-trainers, and a brown jacket. Nothing seemed completely remarkable about this guy. Cute, but I'd seen and known better.
"Not very subtle, is he?" Damon drawled, and I elbowed him in the ribs. Not that he likely felt it, but it sent the right message … to shut the hell up. Apparently, the younger teen standing next to Star's admirer agreed with Damon too, as he looked over to where his companion was looking and made a face, before grabbing the guy's jaw and attempting to swivel his head back to the front and mockingly tapped his cheek. "I like this kid." Damon chuckled at the failed attempt.
"I think they might be brothers." Henrik observed also.
"You think?" I asked, a little dubious.
"Why not. They have the same eyes and facial features." Henrik insisted, and I turned to look at the younger teen. This kid was blonde; his hair styled just so, with not a strand out of place, and was dressed a little louder than his brother, and bolder too. Clearly, the type that tried too hard to fit in with his peers and kept up with the latest fashion trends.
I was cut off from my observations by Star grabbing my arm and sharply tugging me away.
"Follow me." She urged, and I stumbled and tripped after her over my own two feet, trying not to face-plant on the ground when Star pulled me along with her. Damon reached out a hand to grab my elbow and steady me, and I heard him chuckling underneath his breath.
"Very funny." I hissed back.
"Yeah, it was." Damon agreed, not fazed by my irritation. "And FYI, lover boy is following us." He informed Star and me, and I glanced over Damon's shoulder. Sure enough, there he was, trying to keep us within his sights as we followed Star and Laddie through the crowd to who knew where.
"So, uh. Where are we going, Star?" I called out to her, trying to be heard over the loud noises of the Boardwalk.
"Because if you're trying to give that guy the slip, it's not working." Damon added, still smirking like this whole situation was the funniest thing he had the privilege of witnessing in his 173-years of life.
"I'm not trying to give him the slip." Star admitted, holding Laddie's hand so he didn't get lost in the crowd again. "I just realized that Laddie and I need to go." She stated, and Damon, Henrik and I exchanged confused looks between us before aiming them at Star.
"Then why did you drag us away from the concert?" Henrik asked on our behalf.
"Not that we're not grateful, of course. I've heard better music." Damon stated, dryly. Star stopped just a few yards away from the entrance, allowing Laddie to go on ahead from us towards the gate, dragging a startled Henrik with him by the hand.
"Protection. You never know, that guy could be a creep." Star said, grinning mischievously.
"You could've told us." Damon grumped, before turning and headed for the kiosk. "I need a drink." I giggled before turning back to Star who looked guilty.
"Sorry, if I've caused trouble for you." She stated and I shrugged.
"He'll get over it. He was actually serious about the quality of the music we were listening to earlier, and grateful you pulled us away like you did." I reassured her, then spotted 'lover boy' still searching for us with his brother tagging along, looking bored and probably whining. "You better go." Star nodded and started walking towards the entrance. I followed to pry Henrik away from Laddie's grip, as it was apparent that the little boy had bonded with him like a baby chicken.
However, when I got there, I froze in my tracks when I spotted Star heading directly for the quartet of bikers Damon and I observed yesterday on the carousel. I barely registered Star's admirer and his brother walking up beside me, more focused upon the guy Star had taken a seat behind on his black Yamaha XT500 Triumph.
"Come on, she stiffed ya. Ha!" I heard the younger brother tease the elder, which catches the attention of both Star and the guy she wrapped her arms around for safety on his motorcycle. He looks at Star's admirer briefly and just as quickly dismisses him with a cocky, arrogant smirk, then glances away as his eyes swivel over to me … and widens comically as I see the recognition take hold in his blue eyes.
"David?" I question, causing Star to look between us in surprise and confusion. I take a single step towards them before Henrik immediately barrels over to me looking concerned.
"Grace? What's wrong? Did something happen?" He demands, but I hastily attempt to step around him to continue walking towards the blonde mullet biker who was most definitely my long-lost older brother and demand an explanation about where he had been for most of my life. But David revved his bike and immediately sped away, with his three friends following him; hollering and laughing as they went. I broke off into a run as Star waved goodbye to me uncertainly.
"Hey, wait! Stop!" I yelled as I tore off uselessly after the four bikers. "David…"
"Hey, are you okay?" I turned and looked over my shoulder at the owner of the voice and saw Star's admirer and his brother looking at me with concern.
"I don't know." I responded truthfully, before turning on my heel and wondering back into the Boardwalk to find Damon and call it a night.
Santa Clara Inn
Night
As predicted, Damon was none too happy with me when he learned that I attempted to run after my brother and his friends. (Not that I was likely to catch up with them on their bikes), and for putting myself into unnecessary danger when he learned what really transpired when I stood up for Laddie.
"Jeeze, you really are a magnet for danger." Damon had bitched at me as he paced the length of the motel room floor, while I sat in the middle of the bed with my hands buried in my hair that I had pulled back away from my face, in my frustration.
"And could you sound any more like a broken record, mate?" I had growled back tiredly, absolutely not in the mood for a lecture.
Henrik had disappeared the second we returned to the motel room, probably to avoid listening to us argue or to avoid another one of Damon's pointless safety lectures, that he should've known by now don't work on people such as myself. He had yet to return from where he had gone. I figured that it was also pointless even trying to defend my actions when Damon was in this kind of mood, so I just let him rant.
Eventually, he decided to go and hunt.
"I'm craving a blonde." Were his parting words, and he left after planting a firm, but affectionate kiss in the middle of my forehead, looking at me with worry and concern reflected in his eyes. "Try not to miss me too much." He teased, and I smiled sarcastically at him before leaning back against the headboard and staring broodingly at the dark television screen. It was then that I suddenly understood why the vampire (and Hybrid) men in my life abhorred pity. It made you feel ashamed of yourself, vulnerable, and embarrassed to the point of wanting to lash out irrationally at the next unfortunate well-wisher.
But the idea does have merit… I decided, a little childishly. I glanced over at my phone vibrating on the bedside table, and sighed heavily before reaching over and answering the call without a single glance at caller ID.
"Hello?" I mumbled, tiredly.
"Hello, my love. Are you enjoying your vacation?" I glanced heavenward, gathering every ounce of patience I possessed so I could get through this conversation without losing my shit completely.
"So far so good." I replied with false brightness. "How are you, Nik?" I returned his kind inquiry and heard an indulgent chuckle in response.
"Not as good." He said, truthfully. "Wish I was where you are at the moment." Nik added, and I made a face. Yeah, I bet you do… "Speaking of, where exactly are you?" Nik not so subtly asked, and I rolled my eyes.
"Why do you need to know that Nik?" I responded with a question. "I'm not cutting my break short, just so you know." I stated, sternly.
"I wouldn't dream of asking you to do that, love." Nik sounded appalled by the idea. "I just want to know that you're safe." He insisted.
"I'm fine. Honestly." I responded, evenly.
"Really? A little birdy has told me otherwise." Nik growled softly at me, and I frowned. Little birdy? Then a thought occurred to me, and I balled my hand into a fist; feeling annoyed.
"Henrik's a dead man." I promised, tersely.
"Don't blame him. He's within his rights to be concerned about you. Now, tell me what's up." Nik demanded, sternly. I mentally swore at Henrik for putting me in a situation like this. But resigned myself into thinking that more than one person should understand what I'm feeling and what I had just learned this night. So, I reluctantly revealed to Nik my situation.
"I found my brother." I eventually said.
"Your brother?" Nik sounded surprised. I grimaced, knowing that I would probably have to reveal where I was now.
"Yes. My brother." I confirmed, calmly.
"You never told me you had a brother." Nik stated, a little accusatory and I frowned, despite the fact that he couldn't see my face.
"You never asked. Besides, what's the big deal that I never told you that I have an older brother that I haven't seen for ten-years?" I questioned him, a little defensively.
"The fact that you haven't seen him for ten-years, and then you suddenly find him in…" Nik trailed off, and I knew that this was the cue to tell him where I was. I just hoped that I wouldn't regret it.
"Santa Clara, California." I confessed, reluctantly. There was silence on the other end of the line, and I pulled my phone away from my ear to see if I had accidentally ended the call with my cheek.
"WHAT?" I heard my fiancé shout down the line without having my phone pressed against my ear. I winced, but stubbornly persevered.
"You heard me. Don't give me a lecture about how dangerous this place supposedly is. I've heard enough from both Elijah and Damon." I pleaded, crossly.
"And yet, you remain there. Despite my brother and your best friend's objections." Nik sounded furious. "Have you no sense of self-preservation at all?!" He asked me, incredulously.
Now it was my turn to become silent.
"And here I thought you had a bit more faith in me to keep myself safe and not be foolhardy." I said, hurt. Then I let out a weary sigh. "Look, apart from a disturbingly large amount of missing posters, a group of thugs who womanize and are more focused on finding the perfect wave than acting like civilized human beings, and something weird and disturbing that Damon witnessed last night; nothing appears to be dangerous or as life-threatening as you all are making it out to be." I insisted.
"Weird and disturbing?" Nik snagged on that little detail. Figures that he'd latch onto that.
My paranoid lover.
"Yeah, you'd have to ask Damon for details on that. He told me what he saw, but it seemed a little unbelievable to me." I confessed a little dismissively.
"I think I shall. Or better still, I might come down there and investigate for myself." Nik declared, and my eyes widened in alarm.
"No, Nik. Please don't." I immediately objected.
"Baby, I just want you safe." Nik insisted, sounding pained and, dare I say it, vulnerable; which I know he loathes with a passion, as he had felt like that many times back when he was human and a little bit after he first transitioned. Fuck you, Mikael!
"I know, Nik. Besides, I've got Damon, and Henrik can go back and forth with any information that we believe you need to know." I compromised. "And if it suddenly looks like it's about to go pear-shaped, I'll call you immediately." I promised.
Nik snorted, "That does not inspire confidence, love. Especially when Damon Salvatore is involved."
"I want your word, that you will not come down or send any of your brothers or hybrids down here prematurely, unless I genuinely require help." I requested. Again, I heard silence; which meant that Nik was probably quietly seething, and likely to start trashing his study once he got off the phone. "Please, this is supposed to be my mini-vacation." I insisted, and finally I heard an angry, resentful but resigned sigh.
"As you wish, love. I give you my word." He acquiesced.
"Thank you, Nik." I said, relaxing a little, now that I knew that he wasn't going to come barreling in and attempt to drag me back to Mystic Falls kicking and screaming. "I love you, and I miss you… a lot." I added, truthfully.
"I love you too. Despite times, like now for instance, when you irritate the hell out of me, and I feel you need to be punished." Nik stated, grumpily.
I grinned, "Really now?" I teased, almost flirtatiously.
"Behave, you little minx." Nik scolded sternly. Although, I could hear a hint of playfulness in his tone and could visualize a roguish smirk on his face.
"No promises." I sing-songed.
"See you, love." Nik chuckled as the line went dead, and I couldn't help the grin that remained on my face. Nik always made me feel better when I was feeling down. But, yet again his reaction to where I was, vexed me. I really needed to get to the bottom of what was going on in this town that had Elijah, Damon and even Nik spooked.
And … I needed to find David and demand an explanation from him about why he was here and why he never kept in contact with me all these years.
A/N: Hope you've enjoyed this latest addition. Please review with your thoughts and stay tuned for the next chapter. Keep safe during these FRUSTRATING, and deeply demoralizing times.
TTFN xx