Chapter Five
Alexandra
"You're up early." I say to Jeremy, who is wiping his mouth with the towel after brushing his teeth.
"I know. I'm going to search for Vicky." I sigh. It's been three days since Stefan and Elena broke up and Vicky turned.
"Good luck," I tell him. Elena and I go to the boarding house early before school. "So how are we going to do this?"
"Not sure. I just want to get this done." She gets out and I follow suit. She knocks on the door before I can even close the car door. Damon answers. They talk, she pushes past him, and I make it to the door.
"Sorry about my sister. She's moody today."
"It's all good."
"Do you want to know what I don't get." He waits for me to continue. "Why you're so arrogant and glib."
"And how can you be so brave and stupid to call a vampire arrogant and glib?"
"If you wanted me dead, I'd be dead."
"Yes you would be."
"But I'm not."
"Yet."
"You wouldn't bite me. You know better. Besides, you don't like to see me hurt."
"Why do you say that?"
I explain it to him and he realizes I'm right. Oh yeah, I'm that good. But instead of him rolling his eyes or denying it, he slams me against the wall and I hit the back of my head, which I'm sure wasn't his intention. "Ow, Damon. That hurt." His eyes held remorse for less than five seconds. I reach up to rub the back of my head. "That really hurt."
"I'm sorry," he let me go and was gone within a blink of an eye.
"Told you," I mumble under my breath. I find myself in the living room talking with Elena and Vicky. I wasn't paying any attention to Vicky and Elena but soon Vicky had Elena pinned to the wall, hand on her throat. "Vicky stop it."
"No. She's had my brother whipped for fifteen years. Fifteen! Now she's with some vampire while Mattie's heartbroken. You'll never learn will you, bitch?"
"Vicky, let go now."
"What can you do about it?"
"This," Elena rasps out. She kicks hard between Vicky's legs and Vicky losens her grip and Elena manages to untangle herself from it and get to me. We leave and head to school.
"You going to the Halloween thing at school?" I ask Elena, laying on her bed listening to her move around while I paint my nails, clear coat only.
"Thinking about it. Jer's mad at me."
"What did you do now?"
"He's mad about Vicky."
"He shouldn't be. He should move on from her. What were you and her arguing about any how?"
"I told her she needs to stop see Jeremy because she's a vampire then she was talking about her brother and I had him whipped for fifteen years, as you heard. She's crazy as a vampire. I liked her when she was human. She was sweet and if she would have opened up to me, we could have been friends."
"I understand, mostly because her and I were becoming friends till mom and dad, well you know what happened." She nods and takes out last year's nurse costume.
"You know what, let's go to the Halloween thing at school. It'll be fun. Get your costume from last year." I did as she said, cause she's the older twin by like two seconds. Last years costume was somewhat embarressing. Cause it was my Alice in Wonderland costume. I liked it when 'Lena and I were at the store and I got it. She got her and Matt the nurse and doctor thing cause they were dating. Things have changed a lot since then.
"Ready 'Lena!" I shouted from my room.
"Me too." She says as she walks down the stairs. "Let's try to have fun, okay?" I nod and we get in the car, Jeremy coming too.
We arrive and get out. We see Matt and smile.
"You went with last years costumes too?" We smile and nod. "You're going as you?" He asked Jeremy. Jer walked away, rolling his eyes.
"We got into a fight," Elena says.
"Yeah, I got into it with Vic when she got home. I'm trying not to smother her tonight but part of me doesn't want her out of my sight."
"She's here?" I choked.
Matt nods. "You really can't miss her. She's a vampire." How fitting.
"I'm going to get something to drink, come with 'Lena," I say, dragging Elena away from Matt. "We've got to find her." She nods. "I'll go this way." I leave and go out the backdoor toward the buses. I hear something. "Jer! Vic!" I yell. I hear something else and find her about to bite Jeremy. "Vicky, no!" I picked up a piece of wood and hit her with it. Vicky was pissed. She pushed me and I almost landed on the pile of wood and a piece would have gone in my shoulder had Damon not caught me.
"Are you okay?" I nod. "Are you sure?"
"Very." I saw what was happening and ran past Stefan. I pushed Jeremy out of the way and Vicky struck my skin with her teeth, and pulled. Before she could rip the entire chunk of skin and muscle away, Stefan stabbed her in the heart. She fell limp, as did I. I landed on my knees, they were surely scraped from the fall but I didn't care. I watch Vicky, expecting her to pop back up and be either the scary monster she was or the happy go lucky girl she was before she was turned. Neither happened.
"Up you go," Damon says, picking me up. He lets me lean on Elena as he takes care of Vicky.
We head on home and I walk to Jeremy's room, my shoulder burning. I hold him as he cries. Damon comes in a short time later. "Your sister wants his memory of tonight gone," he says.
"I agree. He shouldn't have to live with the pain. Can you put it back?"
"No. Once it's gone, it's gone. If he becomes a vampire, then he will remember, but I'm sure you don't want that. Write it down, if he wants to know someday, then he'll have that."
"He's going to be so mad at me and Elena."
"It's going to be okay. Go tend to your wounds. They're bleeding." I nod and go to the bathroom. He does his thing without me as an audience. Elena comes in and I tell her I want to be alone for tonight that I'll open up tomorrow. She nods, know that I will, because I've never lied to her. As I'm washing the blood away from my shoulder, I'm surprised by Damon.
"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be off doing something else? Doesn't my blood make you, is hungry or thirsty?"
"Either term works. But I can control myself. Let me." And I do. I stand and let him care for the wound on my shoulder. A few minutes later, it's patched up. "All done." I nod and the tears finally sting my eyes. I lean forward and bury my face in Damon's chest. I wrap my arms around his waist and finally let the tears out. He holds me, which is surprising. I thought he'd be the big, bad ass vampire he usually is, and let me go. Well Stefan did say I'm his humanity.
"God, this is so embarassing." I pull away. "Alright, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have just cried on your shirt." I smooth his shirt out and walk passed him.
"Allie, it's fine. I let you."
"No it's not. You've been so kind and I've been skeptical of you. Granted on many occasions I've defended you. But you didn't need to know that. Alright get out."
"Come on Allie. Let me stay just a bit longer," he says smirking.
"No. You've had enough time inside my house. Good bye." He smirks and leaves rather quickly. "Thank you. I mumble before climbing into bed to sleep the pain away.
A couple of days later, Elena and I went with Jeremy and Stefan and Matt to the precinct, while Sheriff Forbes, Caroline's mother, talks to us about Vicky's disappearance.
"Where did Vicky say she was going? Did she tell her brother?"
"I didn't talk to her before she left. But she might have told Matt. You can never be too sure with Vicky. She's a wild one."
"Is there anyone else I could talk to about her disappearance?"
I shake my head. "Not that I know of. We've all talked and no one else knows where she went. Though Stefan Salvatore went to her place before she left. He was helping her with the drugs, I think."
"What was her behavior like the days before she left?"
"Normal."
"No agression or violence?" I shake my head. "So you really believe Vicky left town?"
"Yes."
"You're wallowing," I comment when I sit next to Elena on the couch.
"So are you."
"No."
"Yes. I was dumped. You, well I'm not sure. What happened that night? I heard you crying. Was someone in your room with you?"
"Yeah right. Like I'd let anyone in my room," I say, heavy on the sarcasm.
"Alexandra," Elena says in a warning tone. She really wants to know what is bugging me and if there was someone in my room that night. I really don't want to tell her but I do have to. I can't keep a secret from my twin.
"Fine, it was..."
"Can you guys keep it down in there?" Jer calls.
"What are you doing?" I ask.
"Homework." My eyes go wide. I ask since when. "I've got to finish this, I'm way behind and I've got a quiz tomorrow." I fight to hold back my laughter.
"What do you think? Alien?"
"Some sort of replicant, maybe."
"He can hear you." Jer says. I can't hold back the giggles any longer. I tell 'Lena that I need to go away so Jer doesn't get his feelings hurt.
"Want to go to Stefan's with me?" I nod. "I'll drive," she says. I toss her the keys and go to the truck.
"Stefan?" I call when we walk in. I look to my left and find a girl in a towel walking toward us. She stops and stares with her mouth gaping.
"Oh my God. Uh, you two are?"
"Elena."
"And Alexandra." She smiles at my name. "And you are?"
"Lexi, friend of Stefan's. He's in shower, do you two want to wait?" Elena shakes her head. "Alright, I'll tell him you stopped by."
"No, that's okay you don't have to." Elena rushes out of the door and I walk slower. I hear Lexi start yelling at Stefan.
"Are you out of your freaking mind?" She yells. I can't hear his response but her's is equally as loud as the last. "I just met Elena and Alexandra!" So? Although I get why she likes my name. A nickname could be Lexi.
When Elena and I get back, we go to her room and talk about it. We fall into a silence after a while and crawl under the covers not wanting to face the world any longer.
Bonnie comes in a few minutes later and jumps on the bed.
"Guys get up. I have something to show you."
"I broke up with Stefan, Bon."
"Awh, Elena, it'll be okay." She sighs. "Alright. Give me your pillow." Bonnie takes it and holds it in her hands. "No windows are open, no air conditioning, heater, fan, nothing?"
"No. What are you going to do?" Bonnie rips the pillow open so the feathers fly out. "Bonnie!" She ignores Elena and consentrates. she raises her hand and a feather rises with her. She puts it down and continues concentrating. Soon around ten or so feathers fly up and twirl slowly around us. Elena and I smile and laugh.
"It's true. I'm a witch," Bonnie says, smiling. I laugh happily, not wanting this to be over, loving the simplicity of it.
"Are you going to The Grill for Caroline's party?" I ask Elena.
"You know what, sure. It's Stefan's birthday, might as well go. Oh by the way, Lexi is 350 years old. Nothing romantic going on with her and Stefan."
"Good. Let's go."
"You're telling me what happened in your room the night Vicky died."
"Fine. So I was patching up my battle wounds when all of the sudden, Damon is there. He helps me and the sincerity in his voice and in his actions, well I just lose it. I cry and he, surprisingly, calms me down. I apologize for crying on his shirt and tell him to leave. He does what I ask for once." We pull up to The Grill and sit in the car.
"Wow. He does care about you." I nod.
"He hated the fact that I was hurt. You could see it in his expressions that he thought I wouldn't notice."
"How is your shoulder?"
"Hurts, but I'll be fine." She nods and we walk in. We see Stefan and Lexi playing pool, Damon at the bar, and our friends having a good time and it seems like everything is normal. Till I raise my arms to stretch because I'm so tired. Then it hurts, everything comes rushing back and I'm sad again. Our parents are dead, our town is being overrun by vampires, the love of Elena's life is a vampire and I'm slowly befriending one myself. I walk toward the bar, needing a drink, pronto.
"How's your shoulder?" Damon asks, suddenly next to me. I was at one end of the bar and he was at the other. Damn he moves quickly.
"Healing. It hurts, but I'll live." He nods. I lean across the bar, catching the bartender's attention. "Shoo," I tell Damon. He smirks and leans against the bar with me instead of leaving. "Why aren't you gone yet?"
"You asked me to leave last night. That was your only chance to tell me what to do."
"I'm sure I could get you to leave somehow."
"What would you like, pretty lady?" The bartender is shamelessly flirting with me and it's hilarious to see Damon squirm.
Let's see how well this flirting thing will work. "May I please have a shot of tequila? Please?" I bat my eyelashes and smile seductively. Damon rolls his eyes and leaves as the bartender pours me my shot. "Told you I could get you to leave," I mutter, knowing full well he can hear me. I tip my head back and guide the shot down my throat.
I turn my my attention to the dance floor and see everyone dancing. Lexi pops up to my left to me holding a shot out to me. I take it.
"I really like your name," I say.
"I like your's too." We laugh. "So you're the girl Damon is interested in."
"I guess so. You know anything about that?"
"No, what do you know about it?"
I shrug. "Stefan was saying a week ago, that I am Damon's humanity and that confuses Damon."
"Why did he say that?"
"Well my theory is that whenever I'm hurt, he gets upset, which is showing his humanity because he cares that I'm hurt. With my shoulder, he was worried about it and when I cut my hand, he bandaged both injuries up and he was about to kill someone, I swear it."
"So if I hurt you right now and you said ow, he'd rush over here and defend you?" She was showing genuine curiosity. I nod.
"You're not going to, are you?"
"I just want to see if your theory is right or not."
"Alright, let's see if it is."
Before she could do anything, Stefan starts talking. "Lexi." We both look up and at him. "That was odd. But I'm going to head out."
"No Stefan stay! I'm almost done with my conversation with Alexandra." He sighs and agrees to stay. "Thank you Stefan!"
"How long are you in town?"
"Not for very much longer. Till tomorrow maybe."
"What a shame. You're fun."
"And I give great, epic advice."
"Like?"
"Well with your situation with Damon. He cares about you but he doesn't understand it. I know you care about him, though you've known him for a short time." I nod. "You do like him, he can't get you out of his head."
"He's like the itch I can't scratch. He's gotten under my skin and it's nice to have him as a friend. But he's guarded. And it's not like he has humanity."
"Well when it's real, you can't walk away." Her words definitely were epic. It felt nice to know someone wouldn't judge me on it. I hope Damon didn't hear.
"Alright let's see if this theory is correct or not." I expect the pain but not what she does. She digs her fingers into my shoulder, where Vicky bit me. I cry out in pain. God that hurts.
I sink to the ground and Damon is there. "Lexi, stop." She does and Damon helps me up. "You okay?" I nod. He helps me sit on a bar stool. Secretly I give Lexi a thumbs up. My theory is correct. He does care. "Now why the hell did you do that? That was stupid."
"No reason." He starts scolding me for it but I focus in on his lips. It's not that I want to kiss him, but there's blood on the corner. He has the audicity to feed, to hurt someone else but to scold me for proving a theory. I use my thumb to wipe off the blood on his mouth. He stops talking. "Who did you feed on? And why?"
"No one." Now he's the one lying.
"Damon," my voice raises. "Tell me now. Or I'm not speaking to you for a long time."
"Please. You'd still speak to me."
"You want to bet?"
"Yes I do." He doesn't say anything else. I roll my eyes and hop off the bar stool. I walk past him and go to Stefan and Lexi.
"Thanks for that, Lexi."
"Anytime." She smiles and I can't help but grin. I could see us becoming good friends.
"So Stef, did Elena talk to you yet?"
"Nope."
"That girl needs to get a move on. Happy birthday by the way. You need a cake! Or a big fat jug of animal blood I guess. You know instead of hunting, you can get that stuff at a butcher shop."
"I'd rather keep my hunting skills sharp."
"Alright, whatever you say. I'm going to find Elena." I turn and find her on the other side of The Grill and I walk up. "Hey 'Lena. How are you?"
"Fine."
I look to see where her line of vision is. "Jealous?"
"No. They look happy though."
"Stefan smiles, alert the media," Damon says behind us. I ignore him but Elena talks.
"You really haven't given him much to be happy about lately," She says.
"No you're right. Poor Stefan, persecuted throughout eternity by his depraved brother. Does it get tiring being so righteous all the time?" Damon asks, sarcasm dripping from his voice.
"It only flares up in the presences of psychopaths, right Elena?" I say the whole thing to Elena. But Damon didn't get it.
"Ha! You talked to me. Point for Salvatore, zero for Gilbert." I ignore him.
"Damon, I'm sure she was talking to me. Besides what's going on between you two?"
"I wont tell her if I fed or not and she said she wouldn't talk to me for a long time if I didn't tell her and being me, I didn't say anything so not she wont talk to me."
"Damon just tell her if you fed or not. You're going to get and tired of her not talking to you because she's the only one that will tolerate you."
"No. I'll be fine."
"If you do something stupid, she's really not going to talk to you."
"I'll be fine. I wont screw anything up." Liar. He will and then I'll be extra pissed at him.
I walk away, pulling Elena with me, to talk to Stefan. Damon is with Lexi at the bar. It all happened in slow motion. Lexi was dragged out of the bar and Damon was following. Stefan led Elena and I to the back door and we were at the side of The Grill and we saw everything. Damon suddenly in front of Sheriff Forbes, the stake sticking out of Lexi's chest, her skin turning grey as she dropped to the ground.
Elena gasps, but Stefan covers it and I drop to the ground crying. Once they're gone from the parking lot. Stefan walks out, ready to stake Damon in the heart.
"Stefan," I cry out, stopping him in midstride. "Don't kill him. You'll never forgive yourself."
"Are you on his side, Alexandra? He's a monster. He deserves to die."
"Are you willing to give up your humanity to kill your own brother?" I say back. He stops. "Please Stefan, don't do it."
"He's killed Zack, he's killed Tanner, he turned Vicky, I have to kill him. Everywhere I go, pain and death follow. Damon follows. I have to kill him."
"No you don't Stefan," Elena says. Maybe he'll listen to her. "Come on, Stefan, please?" He shakes his head in defeat. He still walks away.
As we walk into our house from the long night, Elena turns to me.
"What?" I ask.
"You really were protecting Damon."
"Now why would you say that? Lexi was my friend too. He shouldn't have done that. I'm pissed."
"But you'll get over it. You were protecting Damon. You don't want him to die."
"Okay, so I don't want him to die, does that make me a bad person now?"
"No, that means you care for a bad person. Maybe you'll be the one to change him. Alexandra, I don't want to see you get hurt and I sure as heck don't want him to be the one to do it. I love you Alexandra." She leans over and gives me a hug that I return.
"I love you too 'Lena. Go to sleep, 'kay? We will talk in the morning." She nods and we go our seperate ways to our respective bedrooms. When I close the door, I turn to walk further in but I see Damon sitting at the edge of my bed. He lifts his head and we make eye contact. Stefan didn't go through with it. My legs go weak at the thought. I fall onto my bottom and close my eyes, breathing slowly in relief.
"You saved me tonight," he says, not moving. "I wanted to say thank you for that." I open my eyes and nod. "And I'm sorry about Lexi. But it had to be done. I was saving Stefan and I from being discovered." Tears are in my eyes. He's in front of me, picking me up. I wrap my arms around his neck and cry into his chest. He sits on my bed, letting me reside on his lap.
"Thank you."