Chapter Fifteen

Alexandra

Several mornings later, I woke up on top of him. I was completely on top of him, his left hand on the small of my back, spread out and the other hand was holding me in place. Our legs were tangled together and my head on his chest, resting on my hands, looking toward my window. I don't move because I love just laying here but Damon probably knows I'm awake by now.

"Allie," he murmmurs before kissing my head. I sigh, content to be here.

"Damon," I whisper. I smile before looking up at him. His eyes are filled with that sleepy look that I'm so used to waking up to now. "It's Saturday."

"It is." He bends forward and I reach and I kiss him lightly. I sigh and close my eyes.

"How did we get here again?"

"Not completely sure." I bend down and cover my yawn as he shifts so I'm under him and then he's gone. I hear a knock at the door and I yawn again before saying it's cool to come in. It's Elena. She's not dressed but she wanders in and walks to my bathroom. Thank God, Damon's hiding spot is my closet.

He comes back to my bed as she shuts the door and wraps his arm around my waist and the other goes under my head as some sort of pillow.

"Let's stay in bed all day," Damon suggests. I nod and scoot closer to him. I close my eyes, as does he and we fall back asleep.

When we wake up later, I'm on my back, Damon is on his side with his hand spread out on my stomach and the other one under my pillow.

"So what do you think is going to happen with the rest of the tomb vampires?" I whisper.

"No idea. I guess Pearl will figure it out."

"Actually, Pearl is dead. Jeremy told me the day after it happened. Anna thinks it was John."

"Oh. Well that's just more insentive to rip his lungs out."

"Damon, that's not nice. I hate him but he is still my uncle."

"Actually, he's not."

"What do you mean he's not?"

"Haven't you put it together yet? Isobel dated John when she was fifteen, she gets pregnant and ends up at the doctor's office of John's brother. Now where do you think John's role in this has been this entire time?"

"Oh my God."

"Exactly."

"Does Elena know?"

"Well if Stefan told her, I don't know about it. I've been here since I told him. I'm sure she would have told you. You want to tell her yourself?"

"Yeah, actually. Thanks for telling me." I turn to leave the bed but Damon stops me involunteerally. "Do you need to go do something today?"

"Do what?"

"Go get a drink from home?"

"Oh, probably. I'll go when you get up."

"Well Damon, I'm kind of indecent right now."

"I'll show you mine if you show me yours." He winks and chuckles.

"Damon," I chide.

"Fine, I'll leave." He leans over and presses his lips to mine and leaves. I get up get dressed and head over to Elena's room.

"Why aren't you ready yet?" She asks me as I walk in.

"What are you talking about?"

"We need to go to the parade today."

"That's today? I was going to stay in bed today. I was just coming in here to tell you something but I guess it can wait," I say since Jenna is helping Elena with her dress. "Help me get me in my dress and I'll tell you after." She nods. I go into my room and I take out my dress and go to the bathroom to wet my brush so I can brush my hair like every morning. I would love to straighten it but it would take to long and I need to get out of here now instead of later.

"Al?" I hear Elena say.

"Bathroom. Let me get my dress and you can help me." I grab my green dress that resembles Elena's and slip it on after getting undressed. "All right, go for it." I turn toward her and she starts to lace it up so she can then tighten it. Better tell her now before she starts tightening.

"So what did you need to talk to me about?"

"Well Damon has been in my room all morning and we've been talking,"

"Damon's been in here?"

"Yeah, he spent the night, I'm surprised you didn't notice. But anyway we were talking and Isobel was brought up. He told me that John is our father."

"What?" She exclaims.

"Yeah. Think about it. She was in Mystic Falls when she was fifteen, John had a crush on her, obviously she felt pity on him and dated him, she got pregnant with us and then shows up at dad's work and gives birth nine months later."

"Oh my goodness. So Stefan was telling the truth."

"Uh, yeah. Why would he lie to you?"

"I just thought that it was the bloodlust talking, he's still struggling a little."

"Oh, right."

"Wow, that's a lot to take in first thing in the morning."

"That's how I reacted. Come on though, lets go to this parade, kick its butt, and rock our style." Elena laughs and agrees.

Elena and I arrive at the town square and I find Stefan and Damon talking to one another. Odd. I point and we walk toward them.

They stop talking and look at each of us. We smile and curtsey. We've been working on that for a few days now. Almost everytime we see each other, we curtsey to get the hang of it.

Damon smiles and Stefan looks completely smitten by Elena. We continue walking toward them.

"You look beautiful," Damon tells me after whisking me away from Stefan and Elena to get some privacy.

"Thank you." My smile turns serious. "I told Elena."

"And what did she have to say about it?"

"She told me that Stefan had told her and she didn't believe it. But I think she was more shocked that you were with me in bed rather than finding out who our biological father is."

"Why does she find it so surprising that I'm in bed with you?"

"Probably because I don't date and it's hard for me to be close to someone that isn't her or Jeremy. It took years of knowing Aunt Jenna for me to open up about certain things. I'm just a very secluded person. I've been known to be the unemotional twin between Elena and I."

"You've always been emotional with me."

"I have?" He nods. "Oh. I didn't realize it. Anyway, we need to get on the float or else we will get screamed at by Carol Lockwood. No one wants that."

"No one deserves that."

"Except for..."

"Katherine, some people from the world wars that screwed Stefan and I over, that guy Stefan and I killed at the decade dance."

"I can get on board with that." I smile at him and he smiles down at me. He carefully pushes my hair behind my ear and bends a little and kisses me. I grin when we pull back.

As I come out of the bathroom at The Grill, after the parade, Damon is by my side, dressed in his regular black button up and black jeans ensamble.

"I like you better like this. The period look... it didn't suit you."

"Is that an insult and a compliment?"

"Actually Allie, it is a compliment of the highest order." I scrunch my nose. "I promise." I nod and kiss him. I am about to pull back because we are in public but Damon's hands rest on my hips as he pulls me toward him more. I clasp my hand onto his neck and I grip the lapel of his jacket tightly.

"Damon, this isn't very decent." I whisper against his lips.

"Then lets go back to mine?"

"No. I still need to keep my modesty in check. We aren't even in a relationship."

"But we act like we are. Go on dates with me, kiss me just for fun, spend time with me, let me hold you, let me whisk you away on impromtu trips, let me love you."

I stare at him. That's the first time he's said the word love out loud when in regards to me. "Da... Da... Damon, I... I have to go." I turn and rush away into the crowd. I find Elena and she immediately sees my distressed face.

"What's wrong, Al?" I'm almost in tears from the stress and overwhelming desire to throw up or run back into his arms and let him do all that he was suggesting. I'm terrified.

"Damon."

"What did that jerk do?"

"He's not a jerk. He... he just... he just discreetly told me that he loves me."

"Oh my goodness, so Isobel was right." I nod.

"He said something after we gave her the device. I asked him if it was true or not and he asked me what I thought. I said yes and he said that the answer to my question was yes." I feel the tears run down my face and Elena wraps her arms around my middle and mine are around her shoulders as I cry into her neck.

"Al, it's going to be all right."

" 'Lena, I'm scared. Absolutely terrified."

She pulls back and looks me in the eye. "Do you love him?" I shrug. "I don't know is not an answer."

"It should be," I say but I nod. "I do."

"Then tell him."

"No. He said, 'let me love you' not 'I love you' Elena. I can't just say that."

"Then tell him yes. Tell him you'll let him. It'll be the equivelent of that."

"Elena, I'm terrified. I'm scared that I'll push him away if I let myself go."

"You won't do that. With how often he gets to you laugh or smile or even continue to work through every day life. I've never seen you happier even through the whole Charlotte thing. Let him do what he says. He may be a jerk to everyone else but he really cares about you and I'm really going out on a limb here but I think he loves you. Just try it and if it gets too overwhelming step back but don't cut him out. I know how you have a habit of doing that. You'll be much happier if you just let yourself feel something."

"Thank you 'Lena."

"I know I sound bitchy, and don't lead him on. It's not fair to him. You're welcome. I love you Al."

"I love you too." I hug her once more and we walk around. Stefan joins us and we laugh at his jokes as we walk around. Stefan and Elena are holding hands and happy as I search for Damon in the crowd. He really shouldn't be this hard to spot. He's the most attractive guy, vampire, here.

I do see Damon after a couple of minutes and he's stalking toward us, worried but serious and pissed off. He grabs mine and Elena's hands. I exchange a look of 'what the hell' with Elena before she speaks up.

"What are you doing?" Elena asks.

"Saving your lives. Fifteen words or less… Tomb vamps are here, Founding Families are their target." He turns to Stefan. "Get them out of here. Now!" He starts to walk away.

"Wait, where are you going?" Stefan asks.

"That's more than fifteen words, Stefan."

"Wait, Jeremy is out here somewhere," I say.

"Let's go find him, come on!" We walk around as much as we can to find him. We walk down a path that doesn't have many people on it and Stefan drops.

"Stefan, what's going on? What's happening?" He holds the sides of his head as he writhes in pain.

"My head!"

"What?"

"My head!" A cop runs toward us as does Alaric.

"Hey, I got this one. There's one over there. Take this, go! Go! Go!" We pick up Stefan when the cop is gone and we take him to the alley and down the stairs.

"I don't know what happened, he just dropped," Elena says, freaking out.

"Yeah, he's not the only one. The cops have gotten everyone who's gone down, injecting them with vervain."

"What?" Then it clicks in her head. "They're rounding up the vampires." Alaric nods and he runs off to collect more vampires.

"Damon," I point out. Stefan starts panting. It seems like the pain is gone because he isn't crying out.

"Are you okay?" Elena asks.

"It was like needles were piercing my skull and it just stopped."

"I saw at least five vampires go down. They're taking them to your family's old building." Alaric tells Elena and I.

"It's the Gilbert's device. It has to be"

"But how did he get it to work? Bonnie unspelled it," I say.

"Maybe she didn't." Alaric.

"She did, we saw her do it!" I defend.

"No, no, no he's right. Think about it. We asked Bonnie to deactivate a device that could protect people against vampires," Stefan points out. Why does he have to be right?

"So we could protect you."

"And Damon. Vampires. Where is Damon?" That's what I'm thinking.

"I don't know. I haven't seen him since this started."

"Can you get our brother, take him home?" Elena asks.

"Of course."

"Let's go," Elena says. We search the square for our dad's old building and when we find it, Stefan stops us.

"Wait, wait, wait, I can hear them. The building is on fire."

"What?"

"The buildings on fire!" We rush toward it and I see John and I stalk up to him.

"Where's Damon?"

"With the rest of them, where he should be. It's over for Damon."

"You're crazy!" I yell at him.

"Why? Because I'm doing what should have been done a hundred and forty five years ago? This is the right thing, Alexandra." Stefan and I look at the building and I grow angrier. "Go ahead, you won't make it out. It'll save me the trouble of killing you myself," he tells Stefan.

"You know the building well, is there another way in?" Stefan asks me.

"Utility door, there's one around the side." I go to follow with Elena but John catches my arm.

"You take one more step and I'll alert those deputies that they missed a vampire."

"I'm asking you not to."

"That doesn't mean anything to me."

"As my father, it should." He pauses

"You know."

"I wasn't sure, now I am." I pull my arm out of his grasp and I turn and walk away. "Stefan!" I say as he runs into the burning building. "Elena, what is going on?"

"I'm sorry I lied to you." Bonnie says and she grabs my arm and starts receiting a spell.

"Bonnie, I've got to get in there!" I say. She stops and my heart drops into the souls of my feet. "Bonnie… Bonnie, what is it? Are they gonna be okay?" Just then Stefan comes out with Damon's arm thrown over his shoulder.

"Oh my god!" Elena says. I walk over and I take Damon from there. He smiles at me and I wrap an arm around his waist and I set him down on the ground in front of the building. I croutch and look at him.

"Your shirt is torn." He rolls his eyes and speeds off. I can feel my cheeks heat up and I can feel my throat constrict. I want to cry but I refrain.

I walk to the Grill and I grab my purse and only that because my other stuff is missing. I take the long way home and I think about everything. Sure, Damon's a jerk, but I'm sure he just went home to change his shirt. Maybe he hates me because I wouldn't say anything back and I just left. I hope he doesn't hate me. I don't hate him. I feel a tear escape from my eye and I wipe at it as soon as it dropped.

I walk to the stairs and I see a tall figure dressed in black.

"Damon?" I ask. "What are you doing here?"

"Failed and feeble attempt at doing the right thing."

"Which was?"

"It's not important. Let me take this for you." He takes my purse and sets it down on my porch swing.

"Thank you."

He pauses before starting his sentence. "You know, I came to this town wanting to destroy it. Tonight, I found myself wanting to protect it. How does that happen? I'm not a hero, Alie. I don't do good. It's not in me."

"Maybe it is."

"Nah, it's reserved for my brother, and you and your sister... and Bonnie... who, even though she has every reason to hate me, still helped Stefan save me."

"Why do you sound so surprised?"

"Because she did it for you. Which means that somewhere along the way, you decided that I was worth saving. And I wanted to thank you for that."

"You're welcome." He kisses my cheek. Then my other one. He hesitates as he leans into my lips. I take control and press my lips to his. Butterflies fight to get out of the cage in my stomach when our lips touch, but his hand on the small of my back is the key to setting them loose. I smile into the kiss and he slips his tongue into my mouth and we move closer to each other.

Then the door opens. It's Jenna and she looks mad.

"Why are you back out here? I thought I told you to come in here all ready." I nod. She leaves the door open and leaves the house, going to her car. Where is she going? I look at Damon.

"My stuff is missing. That's why I have my purse. Check my room and see if it's in there please." He nods. "Oh and Damon," he turns before he zooms away. "Did she say back out here?"

His eyes go wide. "She did."

"Go, now." I walk in and he zooms to my room. I go upstairs and I see Jeremy in his bed. "Jeremy? Are you up?" I hear something in the kitchen and I walk and I see John unconcious and a lot of blood with his fingers on the counter. I grab the phone and I grab a towel to stop the bleeding.

"911, what's your emergency?"

"Hi, I-I need an ambulance to 2104 Maple Street." I hang up the phone.

"Behind you."

"What?"

"Behind you!" I turn and no one is there. I pick up the knife, bad thing to do, and I walk to the front door. Something flies past me and it startles me and I drop the knife. Then I remembered what I was thinking when I got here, Jer.

"Jeremy!" I race upstairs and I'm terrified when I see him unconscious. "Jeremy! Jeremy! Please, Jeremy, wake up!" He does, thank goodness. Elena and Stefan come to the house and Elena tells me that Caroline is in the hospital. What is going on anymore?

Turns out that Jer took some of Anna's blood and some pills thinking he was going to committ suicide to become a vampire. But Anna's dead. Stefan sends us to the hospital while he stays with Jeremy so he doesn't try anything stupid again.

"Bonnie. How's Caroline?" I ask.

"She's weak. They don't know if she's going to make it."

"What?" Elena asks in horror. Bonnie wraps her arms around Elena's shoulders. I see movement from down the hall and my eyes meet Damon's.

"Is there something that you can do? Like a spell or something?" I ask.

"She doesn't know how, do you?" Damon asks walking up.

"No, I don't."

"No, you don't because it took Emily years to learn a spell like that."

"Well, I can take down a vampire, that spell was easy to learn."

"I can give Caroline some blood," Damon offers.

"No, no way," Elena says.

"No, just enough to heal her. She will be safe in the hospital and it will be out of her system in a day, she will be better Elena."

"It's too risky, I can't agree to that."

"Do it." Bonnie and I say at the same time. Elena is looking at us like we are crazy.

"I did it, Elena. This is Caroline. We can't let her die. Do it," I say.

"If I do this, you and me, call a truce?" Damon asks Bonnie.

"No. But you'll do it anyway. For Alexandra."

"I know this is probably the last thing you want to do right now but we should talk about what happened tonight."

"Yeah, one of the tomb vampires got into the house and almost killed John."

"What? When? What are you talking about? After I left?"

"Yeah. I found him on the floor and I called 911. Then he said that something was behind me and I looked and nothing was there."

"Do you think that's what Jenna meant by I thought I told you to come inside?" Damon asks me.

"Yes. Do you think...?"

"Al, I came as soon as I got your message. How is John?"

"Where have you been?" I ask.

"At the fire department, I had to fill out a report. I told you earlier."

"No, you didn't."

"Yes, I did." She argues.

"No, Jenna, you didn't."

"Yes, I did." Damon's face turns into recognition.

"Mmm, you got to be kidding me." I'm confused and I decide to talk to him later about it.

"Okay, well Damon we should go. Stefan is at the house with Jer and Elena is going to make a rut in the hall if she doesn't stop pacing." He nods. "Come on Elena," I say dragging her away. "Bye Aunt Jenna."

We get back to the house and while I want to go to bed, I see two girls in the house, both being held by Stefan by the backs of their necks. They zoom away.

"Stefan?"

"Elena." They embrace tightly.

"What happened?"

"Katherine and Charlotte happened." We move into the kitchen and I pour myself a glass of juice and I sit down at the bar and watch Stefan and Damon.

"Did she say what she wanted?"

"No."

"Woman certainly knows how to make an entrance."

"They said she fooled one of us, at least. What does that mean?"

"Charlotte pretended to be Allie and I think Katherine did Elena too when I showed up earlier tonight."

"She pretended to be me to Jenna." Elena walks in, stressed.

"I told Jeremy, I can't lie to him anymore." Stefan walks over and caresses her shoulders in a soothing manner. I love him for being so kind and gentle with my sister. She deserves the best and if the best is with him then by all means, go for it.

"Are you alright?"

"No, I'm not alright. I thought that with all the tomb vampires gone things would get better."

"I know. We all did."

"Katherine and Charlotte were in this house, that means she, they, have been invited in, what are we gonna do?"

"Move."

"Very helpful, thank you, babe," I tell Damon.

"Katherine and Charlotte want you two dead; there's zero you can do about it; you would be dead but you're not. So clearly they have other plans."

"Right and we need to find out what those other plans are and not provoke them in the process. What happened tonight when you came by earlier?" Stefan asks Damon.

"To risk another frown line encroaching on a very crowded forehead. We... kissed."

"What do you mean you kissed?"

"Well, you know, when two lips pucker and they go." He puckers and makes kissing noises, Stefan rushes over and tries to pin Damon to the wall, but really they just switched places. "Don't be obvious, Stefan." He bends and presses his lips to mine anyway. He rushes at him once more and I stand and stop him.

"Stefan wait, he asked and I'm the one who completed the action. It was all me. We don't have time for this."

"Later."

"John must know something. There has to be a reason why Katherine or Charlotte tried to kill him."

"She's Katherine. She loves to play games and you're fooling yourself if you think you're going to find out what she's been up to before she wants you to know. Charlotte is just like her sister too."

"No, actually Elena's right, John could know something through Isobel. Your mother, she was in touch with Katherine so maybe we can go to the hospital and get him to talk."

"I've got a better idea."

"What's that?"

"I'm just gonna ignore the bitch. See ya." He turns to leave, probably go upstairs.

"Is that smart?" Elena asks.

"If Katherine, or Charlotte, thinks she's been ignored it will lure her out, she'll make a move."

"Yeah? And then what?" I ask.

"Stake her; rip her head off, something poetic. We'll see." Damon turns and walks towards the staircase to climb up.

"All right guys. No making out, no sex, no more complaining. I'm going to bed," I say

"The same goes to you sister," Elena says chuckling. "By the way, what did you say?"

"I never said anything, if you must know. But I've got to take a shower and get all of this make up off of my face. See you in the morning. Spend the night if you want Stefan, you're the one who has to evade Jenna in the morning." Stefan nods while flashing me a grin. I walk up the stairs and into my room. I don't get very far when I'm pressed against the wall next to my now closed door and I see Damon's smiling face.

"Let's be rebels and make out."

"Damon, Elena could come in any minute. Jenna too for that matter." Damon groans and wraps his arms tightly around my waist. "Are you spending the night?" I ask.

"I figured I should just stay here rather than go back to my very lonely bed and be sad because I can't sleep with you next to me." He pouts dramatically and I chuckle. I kiss his cheek.

"Sounds terrible."

"You called me babe earlier."

"I did?" He makes a noise of confirmation. "I don't normally do that but when am I ever myself around you?"

"All the time, the rest of the time you're putting up a front. When it's just us, you're happier and you laugh at all of my jokes, no matter the gruesome content or the corniness."

"Your jokes are hilarious."

"Thank you." I sigh and move around him and lean against the bed.

"You know what," I whisper under my breath. I turn around and I press my lips against Damon's, my hand on his face holding to mine. His hand goes to my lower back and he holds me to him. We don't do anything else just leave our lips pressed against each others.

When we pull back he asks, "what was that for?"

"I've had a really crappy night." He grins. "And I needed that, so thank you."

"You're welcome."