Ch 11. Grim Reaper

Trying to keep the conversation going Caroline started talking about whatever was popping up in her mind. It did help to ease the tension in a certain way as Stefan was pretty attentive and was charming to talk to as well. But it was still a bit awkward with Damon not saying a word the entire time and burning a hole in her back with his constant staring. It was making her nervous and annoyed at the same time.

And she was not the only one who noticed this weird behaviour of his, Stefan also noticed but choose to ignore it just like her.

Finally, Damon stood up and moved to the kitchen or at least that's where Caroline thinks he went to (probably going to put doubts in Elena's mind against Stefan), saying that he would be right back. His exit managed to calm her nerves down to a great extent.

Now she was alone with Stefan much more comfortable, babbling about things he might not understand or even find interesting in the first place.

"Matt tries, but he's just having a really hard time", said Caroline honestly not knowing when the topic jumped to Matt. And why the hell is she talking about Elena's ex to her current boyfriend. This is what happens when Caroline has little to nothing to talk about.

None the less she continued with a smile taking a sip from her mug, looking over the rim at the younger Salvatore, "You have to understand that, they were each other's firsts, you know? Like from the sandbox."

'Why does it seem like anyone with Salvatore as their last name automatically have to be so gorgeous? Duh, Care! They're vampires! Of course, they're supernaturally gorgeous. But do ugly vampires exist? What would I know? I have only have met 3 but they are all equally stunning. Maybe a little too stunning', though Caroline noting the understanding smile he sends her way at her Matt comment.

"That's a really nice jacket", announced Stefan after a few seconds of silence effectively cutting off her daydream.

She could see where this was going. The only reason she had worn this jacket in the first place was that it hid the bandage on her neck quite well and also cause it went fabulously with the rest of her outfit.

'Well, damn. Isn't he being all conspicuous and shit? Next thing you know he's going to want to see it, she thought annoyed with how obvious he was being.

"Thank you. It's new", she replied displaying her perfect pageant smile.

"Can I see it?", he asked scooting closer to her so that he could get a better look.

She cranked her head, looking at him with what she hoped looked like a mixture of confusion and expectancy.

"Would you mind taking it off?", he questioned once again.

"Oh, I can't," Caroline informed him, knowing very well why she couldn't.

"Why not?", he inquired, head tilting just a little in a completely adorable way.

"You okay?", he asked worriedly. It was kind of sweet that he was worried but he truly didn't need to be. She could take care of herself.

"Yup, it's just that I tend to get cold easily", explained Caroline. She was not lying, she did get cold easily.

Noticing that Stefan was not ready to back down just yet, she decided to give her final blow, "And no offence Stefan, but why would you want to see a pink jacket? I don't mind if you are into all that, I am just curious".

That response partnered with a judgemental tone was enough to embarrass Stefan, successful in halting whatever he was about to utter next.

"What are you two kid's talking about?" Damon's voice captured his brother's attention, who watched him as he claimed a seat on the left armrest of Caroline's chair casually placing a hand across Caroline's shoulders causing her to shiver slightly.

"I was just complimenting her jacket", Stefan informed him

"Mmm, okay. Hey, you know, Elena and Bonnie are finishing up the dishes. Why don't you go see if you can help?", Damon suggested though Caroline was pretty sure it was more of a command. Which she wasn't planning to heed.

"Does it look like I do dishes?", resorted Caroline with a smirk silently laughing at his attempt to get rid of her when she noticed that he had let go of her shoulders and now was running his hand along her back which was doing a great job at distracting her.

"For me?" Damon continued with his fake sugary-sweet voice.

Caroline turned her attention to him looking him right in the eye, before firmly uttering with a smirk, "Hmm. I don't think so."

She knows that she was testing his patience a little too much and that she should stop and give in but hell with that. There's no way she was going to do dishes when she didn't want to. Not him or anyone else can make her do anything against her will.

Disappointment and annoys instantly flickered quickly over his face at her refusal. On a normal day, he would just compel her to do his bidding but since she couldn't be compelled (for reasons still unknown) it wasn't going to be that easy since she wasn't a pushover as he had hoped she would be.

Before he could give her a piece of his mind, Caroline's phone rang. Taking her phone out of her black mini handbag she checked the called ID, a huge smile graces her face when she checked the caller. Her sunshine smile changing the attention of both brother without even meaning to.

"Okay, you guys continue, I need to take this call", saying that she got up, planting a kiss on Damon his unclenching jaw for the show, internally cringing.

Taking a final gulp of the coffee she put down her mug on the table flashing a smile at Stefan as she made her way to the front porch shutting the door on her way out.

"What's up, Pinky", Caroline teased through the video call gaping at the uneven dyed hot pink hair that Jessica was sporting.

"Not you too, Caro", Jess whined as she pulled her hair into a bun covering it with a bucket hat. "I have been through enough of that today".

"I take it that we are not a fan", teased Caroline once again unable to control herself.

"Caro", cried out Jess already irritated. While everyone else called her Care, Jessica likes to call her Caro. Her reasons being that her name was Caro-line, not Care-line. Yeah, Jess is kind of weird like that.

"Okay, okay, I will stop", chuckled Caroline. "So how's the hangover doing?

"They are people, Damon", Stefan began grabbing Damon attention, who was busy eavesdropping on Caroline's conversation without realising it.

"What did you say?", he asked turning to face Stefan not hearing a word he just said as his attention was focused on a certain blonde.

"They are people, Damon", repeated Stefan slightly confused with Damon behaviour today...He glad that Damon didn't compel Caroline to leave like he thought he would but also perplexed at the same time at the fact that he didn't.

When Damon chose to ignore him, Stefan continued trying to make him see where he was coming from "She's not a puppet. She doesn't exist for your amusement, for you to feed on whenever you want to."

"Sure she does", Damon countered. "They all do. They're whatever I want them to be. They're mine for the taking."

Letting out a sigh of disbelieve at Damon's inhuman answer, Stefan tried once again, "You've had your fun." Expression altering into a serious one, he continued, "You used Caroline-"

"You don't tell me what to do Stefan. I thought you were already aware of that", the older Salvatore cut him off with a sneer.

"I've been invited in. And I will come back tomorrow night and the following night, and I'll do... whatever I want to do. Maybe have a drink with your pretty little girlfriend or maybe snack her, that would be even better, don't you think", he mocked a smirk appearing on his face at Stefan expression. "So you better get off my back or you won't like the outcome."

Standing up Damon moved towards Stefan, give him pat on the back as he moved towards the done with his brother for a day.

"Let's go Blondie, we are leaving", Damon said lightly nudging Caroline as he moved towards his blue 1969 Chevy Camaro Convertible. interrupting Caroline's video call with Jessica.

Jessica taking a notice of Damon presence when he passed by, asked curiously, "Who was that?"

"Nobody", denied Caroline a little too quick for it to be considered the truth.

"Ah, is Caro on a date?", Jessica said poking fun at Caroline's nervousness. "That would explain the outfit".

Even before realising it, Caroline let out bluntly "Ewww, no".

Immediately covering her mouth with her hand when she comprehended what she had blurted out, garnering a laugh from Jessica and an offended look from Damon which she noticed when she tilted her head to get a better look at him.

"Hey, Jess I will talk to you later, bye now", she shrieked hanging up the video call before Jess could object.

Without saying a word Caroline climbed into his car as he drove off.

"What do you mean by Ewww, no", asked Damon offended mimicking her voice, finally breaking the silence as they drove up to her house.

"I don't mean it in a bad way, you just don't look like the dating type", Caroline answered chuckling nervously.

And she was right, Damon didn't do dating but she didn't need to know that. He was still very much offended at the distaste in her voice as she had said Ewww, no.

"And you do seem kind of high maintenance", she whispered once again without meaning to, gaining an exasperated look for Damon which made her realised that she had said that out loud.

"Takes one to know one, Blondie", he replied with his signature crooked smirk, though one could feel the aggravated energy surrounding him.

"Hey, I am not high maintenance", Caroline resorted.

At Damon raised eyebrow she carved, "Okay, maybe a little", she mumbled. "But not as much as you, though".

'He literally seems like a child who would throw a tantrum if he doesn't get his way. Ain't nobody got time to deal with that, Caroline thought (And she is right)

The rest of the drive continues with them have the same argument till the very end before Damon dropped Caroline off and just drove off without saying a word.

Caroline stirs in her sleep when she felt a presence in her room. Thinking that it was just her mom coming to check up on her, she tried to go back to sleep. When she could no longer ignore the presence as she realised that this wasn't her mom, she slowly opened her eyes nervously.

Spotting a dark figure leaning towards her closet, yelled throwing whatever she could get her hand on at the figure. The whole time the same sentence 'Did I die in my sleep? Is the grim reaper here to take my soul', kept repeating in her head as she continued to shout.

All of a sudden, the dark figure appeared in front of her covering her mouth victorious in stopping her from waking up the whole neighbourhood.

When she finally settled down to some extent, she looked up at the intruder, light blue-green eyes meeting familiar piercing blue ones making her recognise her intruder immediately. It was DAMON FREAKING SALVATORE. What the hell??? What was he going here??? And at this time???

The light tap on Damon's hand made him realise that he was still holding Caroline. Promptly letting go he took a few steps back as he waited for her to say something not breaking eye contact for even a second.

Caroline was the first to break the staring contest they seemed to be having. Taking deep breaths finally being able to calm down her rapidly beating heart, she glanced at the electric watch on the side table noting that it was flashing 3:00 am in red.

'3:00 am, no wonder there is a demon in my room", she thought annoyed to no end at the idiot in her room who interrupted her beauty sleep.

Done with the silence Caroline exclaimed in a hushed tone, "What the hell are you doing here, Demo...Damon???"

"I want the rest of the names of the council members", he responded with the first thing that came to his mind. Though that was a complete lie. He was at Elena house, invading her dreams and looking around her room. He might have even peaked into her diary. And God was that girl boring. She was the perfect sweet girl next door, so sweet that it could give one diabetes. Totally Stefan type but not him. He liked feisty women like Katherine or even the Blondie here

for example. So obviously bored out of his mind he looked for entertainment. And since he had no access to Katherine he decided to go to the only exception and mildly entertaining person of this horrid town, Caroline.

"NOW?! At 3 a.m. Couldn't this I don't know...wait till the morning?", Caroline half yelled aggravated at his crazy behaviour.

"Yeah it could but I don't really care", he answered with a smirk (he sure smirks a lot) hands crossed against his chest.

"Wow Damon so thoughtful of you. Your selflessness will never cease to maze me", she mumbled sarcastically.

"Give me the names Blondie", he ordered ignoring her jab.

"Yeah, yeah, give me a minute", she resorted lazily getting out of bed straightening her silk blue pyjamas and growling at the fact that her beauty sleep was now completely ruined.

Moving to the desk, she took pulled a file labelled COUNCIL from under her copy of gone with the wind and moved towards him.

Damon watched as she shoved the papers in his hand and moved back to the bed.

"What is this?", he asked shifting the file from left to right as he watched her climb back onto her bed covering her torso with a blanket.

"That is all you need to know about this towns vampire council and their members. I have colour coordinated everything from their names to their ages to how long have they been a council member for", Caroline explained as Damon began flipping through the file.

"I have also mentioned their actual roles in the council like my mother job is to get rid of the vampires, your uncle sorry, nephew Zach's duty is to supply vervain and Mayor Lockwood is accountable to lie his ass off regarding the murders in this town, you get the gist", Caroline concluded waving her hands in the air.

Just as she had said, Caroline had jolted down the whole biodata of the whole council. She had even mentioned their likes and dislikes and had set the papers in the order of easiest to hardest to impress. And even the number of vampires they had managed to kill to date. Now the question was that how to hell does she knows all this.

"Your quite efficient Blondie. I didn't expect this at all", he mused as he continued to flip to the pages wondering when the hell did she make time for this.

"The faster I help you, the lesser I have to deal you", Caroline mumbled. Damon seemed to be too engrossed in the file to notice what she had uttered or he either chose to ignore it. Either way, she did not care. She just needed for him to get the hell out of her room and so that she could finally go back to sleep.

Turns out that Damon didn't share the same sentiments cause he took it upon himself to annoy her for the rest of the night only leaving through the window when the sun peeked out in her room.

A/N: So that's was it for today.

How did you guys like it?

Normally, I would write around 1000 words per chapter but this time I wrote about 2600 words. So I hope you all enjoyed the slightly longer update.

In the next chapter, I will cover the game and the founder's party.

Do leave a review. I love to read your thoughts.

Until next time