A/N: I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack! TONS of shout outs to give quick before I let you dive right into the new chapter :)
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reviews: Taylorocks17 - months too late, but here's what you've been waiting for! I appreciate your views on the pairings! I can't say for sure what the end-game is, but I love hearing how my readers feel about Damica (Dani/Damon), Jerica (Jer/Dani), and Matica (Dani/Matt) :) also, feel free to let me know if you have better ship names lol.
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You've seen the world
What did it look like?
You took a plane; I'll take a push bike
Run with the wolves
Calling all the wolf pack
Where did you go and when did you get back?
I don't even know you
You're just someone new I don't want to talk to
You're wild
I don't find you crazy at all
You're on the rocks
Would you like to get some?
I'm kind of straight
Where do you come from?
I'm always right but what's your perception?
I'm kind of shy, oh didn't he mention?
I don't even know you
You're just someone new I don't walk to talk to
You're wild
I don't find you crazy at all
*Wolf Pack – The Vaccines*
It was late, maybe around two in the morning, when something caused me to jerk upright in a panic. Squinting through the darkness, I blinked a few times to help my eyes adjust. My first instinct was to check my cell phone for any missed calls or texts. Seeing no notifications, I got up and tip-toed over to the door, straining my ears for any indication of what had woken me.
Met with complete silence, and cell phone in hand, I left my room and glanced down over the stairwell, but the lack of light made it difficult to make out anything beyond two feet in front of me.
"Hello?" I called out.
No response.
Feeling like the girl in the horror movie that dies because she just had to investigate the creepy noise, I made my way down the staircase, stopping at the last step. Still, nothing could be heard or seen, so I started to go back to bed, scolding myself for being so irrational and crazy.
A soft thud from the kitchen had me instinctively pushing myself up against the wall to my left. My fingers ran along the smooth white surface, searching for the light switch. I flicked it upwards the second I found it.
Only, nothing happened. No light came on to help me see, to give away what caused the sound. Wondering if I'd instead heard it coming from outside, I moved over towards the door.
"Ow! Son of a –" I hissed. I'd found the reason for my waking up: One of the small windows on either side of the door had been smashed in. Shards of glass littered the linoleum below it, fragments of which I could now feel embedded in the skin at the sole of my foot. The large, jagged pieces of glass still attached to the window frame dripped with some kind of dark liquid.
'Blood!', I thought, reaching out as if to touch it.
Then it hit me: Someone had broken in.
Another thud, closer to me, and definitely coming from inside the house, made me cover the short distance to the living room. I mentally smacked myself for not just running out the door and over to Jeremy's. Glancing towards where the back door was located, I prepared myself to make a dash for it, but just as I was about to move, a heavy weight had me pinned against another wall.
"Dani, Dani, Dani... didn't you get my message? No matter where you go, no matter what you do, I will always find you." A voice whispered into my ear.
It took my brain a few seconds to register that I knew the person standing in front of me.
'Oh God, he found me. He found me. And now he's going to kill me. I'm going to die.'
"You always did like to be chased." Adam continued. "Moving three-thousand miles away was just another challenge, wasn't it?" He asked, running his nose along my jawline. "Looks like I win."
"No!" I screamed, desperately thinking of a way to escape. "Please... don't! Get away from me!"
His hands slid my own up above my head, locking them in an iron-tight grip with one hand while the other came down to brush my cheek. I flinched away from his touch, a whimper escaping from my lips as my eyes slid shut. Expecting the worst, they flew open in shock when I felt his lips on mine. He pulled away after a moment with a pained expression.
"Danica... baby, what's wrong? You used to love when I kissed you, when I touched you. What changed?"
I couldn't move, couldn't respond. My body was completely frozen in fear. Dread began coursing through my veins as he spoke his next words.
"It can't be the kid next door. He's not your type. The football player, however... well, he certainly is. Blonde hair, blue eyes, tragic family tale... Tell me, do they know about me? About us?"
"Adam, please... they have nothing to do with this."
"Don't they?" He laughed. "Honestly, did you think you could get away with screwing them both? Do they know about each other? Or maybe... maybe you do them at the same time. Is that it?"
"No, it's – it's not like that!" I protested, only to be smacked with enough force to whip my head to the side.
"No more lies! I've noticed how close you've gotten to them." He yelled, taking a deep breath to calm himself. "But they're not the reason you've been ignoring my calls. No... it's the leech, isn't it?"
My voice dropped to just above a whisper. "What... what are you talking about?"
"Don't play dumb with me. I know who you've been spending time with, what you've been spending time with. I've known about the existence of vampires for a while now. Never would've pegged you as a fang-banger, though. But, it doesn't really matter anymore, does it? I'm here now. Everything's going to be perfect again, like it was in the beginning."
He brought his lips back to mine, his hands moving to hold my head in place. I struggled to push away from him, only to have my wrists once again pinned to the wall behind me. He broke from the kiss and rested his forehead against mine.
"Did you really think you could just leave me like that? That you could vanish from my life and start over? Meet someone new and live happily ever after? Don't you see? We belong together. And if I can't have you, no one can. You hear me? You are MINE!" He yelled, wrapping his hands around my throat. I started gasping for air, failing miserably in a desperate attempt to pry his fingers off...
… And then I woke up.
That same nightmare had been haunting my sleep for the past three nights, ever since I'd received Adam's 'gift'. With a sigh, I pushed the dream from my mind as I threw the covers back to start my day.
Caroline berated me when I'd managed to drag myself to school.
"Look who's finally decided to grace us all with her presence."
"Good morning to you too, Caroline."
"You missed practice this morning. It was short, but necessary. And you can't really afford to skip, you know." She said, giving me a tight smile. Upon my glare, she added, "Since you're new and all."
"I wasn't aware that cheerleading was back on. I thought after Tanner died and football practice ended, we were done."
"Please! The squad will always be needed for something. Plus, rumor has it that the team is getting a new coach, which you would have known if you'd bothered to check your phone at any point over the weekend."
After Friday night, I'd been avoiding everyone, keeping myself locked in my house and not taking any visitors, human or vampire. Now that it was Monday, I had no way of postponing the inevitable.
"I was busy, Caroline, but I'm sorry, really..."
"Whatever. Just be in uniform and ready for practice after school."
And with that, she walked off. I got the impression that me missing cheer practice wasn't the reason for her overly-bitchy mood. The thought vanished as the bell rang. Taking my usual seat next to Matt in first period, I watched as the rest of the students, including Elena and Bonnie, came rushing in.
"Good morning everyone." A man in his late twenties, maybe early thirties, greeted upon entering the room. He walked over to the teacher's desk and set his briefcase on it, his back to us as he rubbed his hands together and grabbed a stick of chalk. "Alrighty..." He began writing on the board, breathing out each letter to himself.
Matt took the opportunity to slip me a small folded piece of paper that read:
'Find me later. Need to talk.'
I looked at him quizzically, but he only shook his head and mouthed 'later' before shifting his eyes back to the front of the classroom.
"... T-Z-M-A-N!" The man finished, his voice getting louder towards the end. He then turned around to finally look at everyone in the room, a huge smile on his face. Again, he rubbed his hands together before tapping the board with a finger as he told us his name.
"Alaric Saltzman. It's a mouthful, I know. It doesn't exactly roll off the tongue. 'Saltzman' is of German origins. My family emigrated here in 1755 to Texas – I, however, was born and raised in Boston. Now, the name 'Alaric' belongs to a very dead great-grandfather I will never be able to thank enough. You'll probably want to pronounce it 'Al-a-Ric', but it's 'A-lar-ic', okay? So, you can call me Ric. I'm your new history teacher." He explained, smiling awkwardly. "Now, let's all take our books... and put them away."
Everyone seemed to perk up at his instruction.
"It may be Month Three for all of you, but it's Day One for me, so, we're going to take today to get to know each other. I've shared part of myself with you, now it's your turn to do the same. Starting with... well, do we have anyone who's new to town this year?" He asked, looking around the room. Matt nudged my arm, which did not go unnoticed by Mr. 'Ric' Saltzman.
"Ah, here we go." He grinned again, gesturing to me before crossing his arms and leaning against the front of his desk. "What's your name?"
"Danica."
"Danica." He repeated, writing my name down. "Tell me, who's your favorite superhero, Danica?"
"My... Superhero?" I asked, confused by the random question.
"As I've said, I want to get to know each and every one of you. Favorite foods, favorite color, things you like to do for fun, where you like to hang out, etcetera. All I ask for in return, is for all of you to be ready to learn tomorrow. So, Danica, superhero – Go!"
"Uh, Batman?"
"Favorite color?"
"Purple."
"Favorite breakfast food?"
"Cereal."
"Be more specific?"
"H-Honey Nut Cheerios."
The questions continued, everyone answering five or six before Mr. Saltzman moved on to the next student.
The following classes seemed to fly by. When lunch came, someone stepped in my way, blocking me from going outside.
"What the hell, Lockwood?"
"We've got someplace to be, Williams." Tyler mocked, grabbing my hand and dragging me with him.
"And where is that exactly?" I asked him, pulling my arm back but falling into step beside him.
"Teacher Ric has requested our presence."
"Why would Mr. Saltzman want to see the two of us?"
"No idea. Thought maybe you knew."
I shook my head, mumbling, "Guess we'll find out."
Only, the classroom was empty when we got there.
"Now what?"
"Now we wait." I sighed, taking a seat on top of one of the students' desks.
"I don't supposed you want to pass the time with a little make-out session?" Tyler asked, plopping down on the teacher's chair and throwing his legs up on Mr. Saltzman's desk, arms and ankles crossed. He barked out a laugh when I glared at him in annoyance.
Mr. Saltzman came in not a minute later, carrying four brown paper bags and raising an eyebrow at Tyler, who in turn took his time in moving to a desk in the third row. Once Mr. Saltzman was sitting in his chair, he tossed two of the paper bags to us. I opened mine and pulled out a turkey sandwich with way too much lettuce, an apple, a stick of string cheese, and a carton of milk.
"Thank you, sir."
"Ric. And you're welcome. Now, the reason you're both here is because of one thing, and one thing only: Your grades. Danica, you're managing a nice 'A' at the moment, which is quite impressive since you've just started here. Tyler, on the other hand, has a solid 'C'."
"I'm right here, you know." Tyler chimed in, not liking being discussed as if he weren't there.
"I'm aware." Ric stated, unfazed by Tyler's tone. His attention focused back on me. "I was hoping you'd consider helping Tyler, tutoring him, if you will, to improve his grade before this semester ends."
"Who says I even want to?" Tyler asked around a mouthful of food. I shot him another glare.
"Mr. Saltzman – er, Ric – I'm flattered, but –"
"No other student will agree to do this, due to his... temper."
'Who can blame them?' I thought, glancing over at my classmate. With a sigh, I nodded. "Okay. I'll do it."
"Good! I was hoping you'd say that." He said, flashing me a grin that turned into a frown. "I'm afraid I do have one more request, though. Another student, also in need of some assistance. It wouldn't take much." He added on quickly. "His grade has shown some improvement recently, but, unfortunately, not long enough for him to pass this semester."
"So..."
"So, I'm going to offer him an assignment for some extra credit. Shouldn't take too long. Of course, you'll also get extra credit if you accept."
Tyler was on his feet in an instant. "Hey, why didn't I get offered extra credit?"
"Would you do it if it was offered?" Tyler didn't answer, just sat back down. Ric never lost his smile, even as he picked up his sandwich and took a giant bite. "I didn't think so."
"Who is it? The other student?" I questioned, ignoring Tyler's outburst.
A familiar voice came from just outside the doorway, answering my question for him.
"Hey Mr. Saltzman, I'm, uh – Dani?"
I gave a short wave as Ric cleared his throat. Jeremy tore his gaze from mine.
"Uh, sorry. I'm Jeremy Gilbert. You wanted to see me?"
"Hold on – it's Gilbert? Uh-uh, no way. That is not happening, Teach." Tyler growled.
"Knock it off, Tyler! It's not up to you." I hissed at him. "Besides, it's not like you'll even have to be around each other. I'll tutor you separately."
"Tutor?" Jeremy asked, eyebrows furrowed.
Tyler stood up in a huff and stomped out of the room, making sure to collide roughly with Jeremy as he passed. As if nothing had happened, Ric waved Jeremy in, not speaking until Jeremy was on the desk next to me, mirroring my position.
"You know that your old teacher had a 'Jackass' file?" Ric began. Jeremy's eyebrows pulled together in confusion for a fraction of a second. Ric continued, picking up and leafing through a brown file that was thick with papers and had been lying on his desk. "No joke. It's, uh, typed on a label. It has all the, uh, troublemakers in it. But really, it's just an opus... to you."
I could see Jeremy swallow as his expression fell, making my heart clench. Ric, however, chuckled, shutting the file and walking over to the garbage can. "Don't worry about it." He said, letting go of the file. It made a loud thud as it hit the bottom. Ric then made his way back over to us. "I'm not him. Clean slate."
Jeremy gave a half smile in disbelief, throwing a glance in my direction, as Ric chose to sit on his desk this time.
"Now... let's talk about grades." Ric threw out, finally getting to the point of this "meeting". And just like that, the hopelessness reappeared on Jeremy's face.
"I know it's been a rough couple of months, but I've been, um... I've been trying to turn them around." Jeremy explained quickly.
"Yeah, I saw that. But, the problem is, we're halfway through a semester, and half a fail is still pretty bleak." He paused. "This is the part where you say to me, 'What can I do to change that?' Well, I'm glad you asked!" He declared in a joking manner, bringing another small smile from the boy next to me. "How do you feel about extra credit?"
Jeremy perked up.
"Yeah! Yeah, totally! Whatever."
"Good! Write me a paper, then." Ric stated.
"Okay. About what?" Jeremy asked, puzzled. "And what does this have to do with Dani?"
"History. Pick a topic. Keep it local. Eh – no Wikipedia-regurgita. These old towns have a lot of rich history, so just get your hands dirty, make it sing, and you're back on track. As for your second question, I'm recruiting Danica to be your partner with this. If that's all right with you, Danica." He added on, looking at me. I nodded. "Good! Now, as I've said, you'll get the same amount of extra credit as Jeremy will." Once again, he paused, waiting for us to say something. When we didn't, Ric raised his eyebrows. "Deal?"
"Ye-Yeah! Deal!" Jeremy agreed, standing up and shaking Ric's hand. "That's a, uh... that's a cool ring." He pointed out.
The fingers on Ric's left hand immediately went to fiddle with a large sterling silver band on his right ring finger. It had a black stone, decorated with what looked like some type of bird.
"Oh, thanks." Ric said, seeming embarrassed. "It was my father's." He explained with a chuckle. "A little garish, but... family. You know."
Jeremy and I started moving towards the door, glancing back when Ric called out, "You've got a week!" before going back to his lunch.
After school let out, I was halfway across the schoolyard when I heard Elena call out my name. I waited for her to catch up to me before continuing towards the parking lot.
"Hey. Aren't you supposed to be at practice?"
"Caroline canceled. 'Personal issues'."
"Translation: Boy problems." She laughed. "Have you seen Bonnie?"
"No, not since Trig. Why?"
"She's supposed to be giving me a ride home."
"I can take you. It's not like it's out of my way." I offered, laughing.
"No need. The little witch is in her car and waiting for you." Damon explained, appearing in front of us and pointing to Bonnie's Prius. Sure enough, she was in the driver's seat, looking absolutely terrified.
"What did you do to her?" Elena demanded.
"We just had a nice little chat, that's all. I was a perfect gentleman." Damon answered before shifting his attention to me. "We need to talk."
I returned Elena's questioning glance with a nod. The second she was out of ear shot, Damon's signature smirk was in place.
"You're beginning to be more obedient."
"I'm not a pet, Damon. I'm a human being."
"Mmhmm. Well, we haven't seen each other since –"
"You killed your brother's best friend?" I supplied, cutting him off. The slight darkening of his eyes gave off his annoyance, but his tone remained light.
"Careful. While you're busy judging others, some of your own skeletons may be exposed."
"Except there aren't any 'skeletons' to find..."
"Really? Then what was it about that package on your doorstep that had you so scared the other night?"
"You were watching me?"
"I told you that I'd be keeping an eye on you."
"Yeah, two weeks ago. You remember? Halloween? That's the night that Vicki was killed."
"As much fun as all of this reminiscing is, you didn't answer my question. What was in the box?"
I debated making something up, but that's when I realized: I wouldn't – couldn't – go to Matt or Jeremy (or anyone else for that matter) about the situation with Adam... but I could tell Damon. Having a vampire on my side if (and when) Adam chose to make his appearance could prove to be beneficial for my sake. Plus, with Damon stalking me, he'd eventually find out anyway.
So, with a deep breath, I made the decision...
"Not here."
"Head straight home. I'll be right behind you."
Knowing he'd be wanting an invitation inside, I shook my head.
"Dani –" He started to protest, but I cut him off.
"The Grill. One hour."
"What is it that's so bad you can't just come out and say it?" He asked. I didn't answer. "All right... fine. One hour." He agreed.
My cell phone went off, alerting me to an incoming call from Elena. The second Damon saw her name on my caller ID, he smirked and said, "Better make that two."
"You can't trust him, Dani. We all need to just stay from him." Elena's voice came through the phone.
"Kinda hard to do when he won't leave us alone."
"You sound like Bonnie."
"Because Bonnie's right. The only thing I have going for me when it comes to him is that he hasn't been invited into my house. And who knows how long that will last? He'll find a way to trick his way inside soon enough."
"Don't let him!"
"What the hell even happened between him and Bonnie?"
"He threatened her."
"Okay... are you going to tell me why?" I asked when she didn't elaborate.
"Because he wants something that she has. Look, I don't have time to explain right now. We're meeting up at my place, Caroline too. You should come."
"I would, but I've got, um... other plans."
"You're going to see him, aren't you?"
"I don't have any other option, Elena! If I don't, he'll probably show up tonight and drag me off to talk."
"What could be so important that you'd risk being alone with him?"
"I won't be alone. We'll be in a public environment. And what we have to talk about... well, all I can tell you for now is that it is extremely important. How about this: I'll come over for a bit before I go?"
"Fine. Just hurry... and be careful tonight."
"I always am."
Three hours and several angry text messages from Damon later, I was laying on the Gilbert's front porch with my feet propped up against the exterior wall of the house. Elena was inside with Bonnie, waiting for Stefan to arrive after asking him to come over.
"You really shouldn't be out here alone."
Not having heard Stefan's approach, I jumped from the unexpected voice, feet falling as I sat up. Stefan was leaning against one of the porch pillars.
"You really shouldn't be sneaking up on people!"
I stretched my arm up to push the doorbell, too lazy to go in and get Elena. She opened the door a moment later.
"Hey. Thanks for coming. I wouldn't have called if it wasn't important."
"I know that." Stefan agreed calmly. "What happened?"
"Damon happened."
"What did he say to Bonnie that had her so freaked out?" I asked, since she didn't want to tell me through the phone earlier.
"He threatened her." Elena began the second she stepped out on the porch.
"What would Damon want with Bonnie?"
"She has this necklace." She explained, pacing from the door to the stairs and back.
"Is this the crystal Damon keeps pestering Caroline about?" I asked, getting to my feet.
Elena nodded and explained further when Stefan continued to seem confused. "Caroline got it from Damon, and she gave it to Bonnie. And now Damon wants it back. He's tormenting her."
"Over a necklace."
"It's not just any necklace. It has to do with Bonnie's heritage. It belonged to one of her ancestors who lived here during the Civil War – when you and Damon lived here!"
"Holy crap. Seriously?!" I exclaimed. Apparently, I wasn't the only one with a history to share. I made a mental note to ask more about that next time I saw either Salvatore.
"Her name was Emily." Stefan continued. "She was Katherine's handmaiden. And a witch."
"You know? About Bonnie?!" Elena asked, shocked.
"The first night that you invited me over for dinner, I made the connection."
"And now Damon knows, and for some reason he wants that necklace."
"What does it look like?"
"It's, um, an antique iron setting with a –"
"With an amber crystal." Stefan finished. "I know it. It belonged to Katherine. Emily gave it to her, which means that..." He trailed off.
"What?" Elena pressed, stepping closer to Stefan.
"I don't know, but I'm gonna find out. Let me talk to Damon." He finished, heading towards the porch steps.
"Will he tell you?"
Stefan let out a sigh, turning back towards Elena. "Probably not."
"I may have an idea as to how to get him to confess..." I interjected.
"How?" Stefan asked.
"Just trust me. I'll – I'll get it out of him."
"Where is he now?"
"At the Grill, most likely. I'm supposed to be there too, but, well..." I trailed off, gesturing towards the house.
"What are you thinking, Danica?" Stefan questioned.
I took a deep breath. "I'm thinking that I open up to him, share a piece of myself that I haven't been able to trust anyone else with so far. It may take a little time and a little magic, no pun intended, since this is about vampires and witches, but I think I can get him to do the same with us. Or at least, with me... eventually."
"If he catches on to what you're doing, he'll kill you without any hesitation." Stefan warned.
"No. No, he won't."
And I fully believed that, and, one way or another, I would get the information out of him.
After hatching out a plan with Stefan, I drove us to the Grill and followed him to the bar where Damon was sitting.
"So, Stefan..." Stefan began, taking a seat on Damon's right. "You know, I've been thinking. I think we should start over, give this brother thing another chance. We used to do it oh-so well once upon a time."
Damon smirked, furrowing his brow and trying to mimic Stefan's voice. "I don't, Damon. I can't trust you to be a nice guy. You – You kill everybody, and you're so mean. And you're so mean, and... You're really hard to imitate, and then I have to go to that lesser place..."
"Can I get a coffee, please?" Stefan asked the bartender before turning back to Damon. "So, what's with the bottle?"
"What's with the cheerleader?" Damon countered, nodding at me. "Oh, right! She was supposed to be here. Hours ago. Alone."
"I got caught up with something." I shrugged as I leaned over the bar and grabbed a shot glass, sitting down next to him and pouring myself a drink from the bottle of whiskey he had. "You're just lucky I even showed. As for not being alone, I ran into Stefan on my way in." I took two shots, filled the glass up again, and then filled Damon's. "Now," I shook the bottle before setting it down, "explain?"
Damon let out a huff of air. "I'm on edge. Crash diet. You know, I'm trying to keep a low profile."
"You could always just leave, find a new town to turn into your own personal Gas 'n' Sip." Stefan suggested. I crinkled my nose at that last part.
"I'll manage." Damon told him, glancing between me and Stefan. Stefan thanked the bartender when he came back with a mug of coffee.
"You know, you don't have to keep an eye on me." Damon explained. "Promise I won't eat any humans."
"I'm not here to keep an eye on you."
"So, why are you here?"
"Why not?" Stefan retorted, grabbing the bottle of Bourbon and walking away. Damon smirked at me before we followed after his brother.
"Care for a game of pool, Ms. Williams?" Damon asked, bowing slightly as he gestured towards an empty table.
"Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of... this." I challenged, walking over and opening a dart cabinet.
"Darts? Really? You do realize that I have sharper senses than you, right?"
"I'm aware."
"Well then, let's get started, shall we?"
It didn't surprise me that Damon fell behind almost the second we started playing. He was too cocky and threw the darts too hard, not bothering to take the time to aim correctly before each throw. Still, we joked and exchanged smiles and laughter the entire time. I actually found myself enjoying spending time with the two brothers.
"Lucky shot." Damon brushed off my giddy squeal as I hit the bull's eye.
"More like a carefully honed skill over many years." I explained.
"You're beating me." Damon grudgingly pointed out as he marked my points on the chalkboard.
"Well, yeah. That's because I'm better than you." He chuckled as I winked at him. "Here, let me tell you what you're doing wrong." Taking a step forward, I lined my body up with his as best as I could, given that he was several inches taller than me. "Don't move your entire body when you throw. Keep the dart level and parallel to the floor." I reached my hand out to straighten the dart between his fingertips. The second our hands touched, I had to swallow and force my attention away from our proximity. "Elbow up. Good. Bring the dart back to your ear. Keep your arm relaxed!"
"I know how to throw a dart, Dani." He argued, rolling his eyes.
"Obviously not, since you're losing to a girl. A human girl."
"Kinda hard to focus with the sound of blood running through the veins of everyone around me. This bunnies-and-squirrels diet is not working for me."
"You sure it's not your crush on me that's distracting you?"
"Are you mimicking me now, too?"
I only giggled and backed away from him, gesturing to the dart board.
"I'm onto you." Damon announced as he lined up his body to take his next shot. He hit the outer ring of the bull's eye, but didn't see it because he'd turned to face his brother and me. "Both of you. The flirting?" He questioned, eyes on me before sliding them to Stefan. "Reverse psychology? I mean, it's a little transparent, but I admire the effort."
"You prefer the brooding forehead?" Stefan asked at the same time that I protested, "I'm not flirting!"
"Seriously, what game do you two think you're playing?" Damon demanded. Stefan saved me from answering.
"That's a funny question, considering the fact that I have been asking you that for months!" He exclaimed, poking Damon's chest. Damon glanced at Stefan's finger before looking away, smirking. "It's frustrating, isn't it?"
"Touché." Damon said mockingly.
Feeling a growing suffocation from all the tension between us, I grabbed the whiskey, only a third of the way full at this point, and took a swig, walking towards the door.
"All right, boys, I'm officially all Grilled-out. Why don't we move this party elsewhere?"
Our next destination was Mystic Falls High. Or the football field, rather. Stefan and I had already been here before we'd gone to the Grill.
"Hey, Danica, you mind?" Stefan asked, pointing at a spot in the grass. I picked up the football that was laying there and tossed it to him. He caught it as he jogged backwards.
"What are we doin' here?"
"Bonding." Stefan explained. "Catch!"
Damon caught the ball with one hand, Bourbon in the other, before tossing it back to Stefan.
"Mmm... Go on!" Stefan cajoled, throwing the ball to Damon again. "Give it a try."
Damon sighed as he passed the bottle of alcohol to me. "Don't forget who taught you how to play this game." Damon pulled his arm back, released the ball as he brought it forward, and ran after it using his vamp speed. Not a second later, Stefan disappeared after him. Damon caught the football just in time for Stefan to tackle him to the ground.
Hearing their laughter through sounds of pain, I grabbed the whiskey bottle and skipped over to them.
"Drink?" I offered, holding the bottle out to Damon as I sat down next to him.
"I can think of something else I'd rather drink." He smirked, taking the alcohol anyway. To Stefan, he said, "Ugh, that hurt!"
"Downside of my diet: getting hit actually hurts a little bit."
"I'm impressed, guys. Fun and flirty with booze and darts, sentimental with football... and now? Starry night."
From Damon's tone, I suspected he knew what was going on, and his next words confirmed it.
"What do you two want?" He asked after sitting up. Stefan did the same.
"It wasn't real, Damon. Our love for Katherine."
"Oh, God." Damon breathed out, smiling in irritation as he looked up at the sky while Stefan continued to talk.
"She compelled us. We didn't have a choice. Took me years to sort that out, to truly understand what she did to us."
"Oh no, Stefan..." Damon said, patting Stefan's knee a couple of times, starting to stand up. "We are not takin' that on tonight." He turned as if to walk away, swallowing another mouthful of Bourbon.
"Damon! Wait!"
"What's next, Dani? Hmm?" He asked, spinning back around. "Swap secrets while we do our hair and paint our nails?"
"You asked me a question earlier, about Friday night."
"So spill."
I turned to Stefan, biting my lip. "Can you give us a few minutes?" Ignoring Stefan's questioning gaze, I took a few steps back and looked up at the night sky.
The crunching of grass announced Stefan's departure, but that didn't stop me from waiting a few minutes before bringing up something that had been bothering me. It my attempt at delaying the inevitable.
"'We're not the only ones with a secret.' That's what Lexi said right before... What do you think she meant by that?"
"That is one mystery I'm trying to figure out."
"Do you have any theories?"
"No more stalling, Danica. Tell me about the box."
"They were roses. Black roses."
"Uh-huh. So you're afraid of a plant?" He chuckled, causing me to roll my eyes.
His question brought a small smile to my lips. "Not exactly. But considering who sent them, I'd be a fool not to be at least a little scared." I half-explained.
"Okay, I'll bite. Who were they from?"
My eyes locked with his as I answered. "Adam."
"The boyfriend?"
"Ex-boyfriend." I corrected. "And it's a long story."
"I have eternity." He pointed out, causing my attention to shift from the stars above to his icy blue eyes. "Vampire, remember?"
"I don't know if I'm ready for that yet, Damon."
"I could always just compel it out of you, right here, right now." He warned.
"Except for this handy little vial around my neck." I shot back, touching the necklace.
"Which is attached to a weak little chain that can be easily removed."
"You wouldn't dare."
Damon used his vampire super-speed to knock me down and pin me against the bed of green. "Don't presume to know what I would or wouldn't do. Start from the beginning, and don't leave anything out."
"Is that everything?" He asked when I fell silent.
"For the most part. He wasn't very happy when I told him I needed a break from him. That was about a week before..."
"A week before what?" He pressed, before realizing what I meant. "The fire."
I nodded. "I started seeing him again after the funeral, but things hadn't changed. At least not with him."
"So what did change?"
"I met you." I explained, not able to meet his eyes. "And I broke up with him for good. You know the rest. Will you get off me now?"
"No." Damon smirked.
"Has he contacted you since then?" A new voice interrupted, causing me to jump. Stefan was standing just a few feet off, peering down at us.
"No, not since he left that package Friday night. I did talk to him the night of the founder's party though."
"Why?" Damon asked, tightening his grip on my wrists ever so slightly.
"I thought I saw him, so I called him. He said he was in California. He... I think he was lying. I'm pretty sure that he's here, and has been for a while. Probably since I moved here."
Stefan exchanged a glance with Damon before looking at me.
"Okay, here's what you need to do: nothing." He said, holding a hand up to cut off my protests. "Keep going about your days as usual. If he's here, I'll find him. In the meantime..." Stefan shifted his eyes to his brother. "What do you want with Katherine's crystal?"
"Stefan!" I hissed. I was ignored by both vampires as Damon's pissed and confused eyes locked with Stefan's.
Damon released me, standing up to look his brother in the eyes.
"How do you know about that?"
"Come on. You knew Elena would tell me."
"That's what this night was about?" He demanded, face hard as he met my gaze. My eyes fell to the ground after seeing the betrayal he tried to keep hidden. Stefan's impatience rang clear as he worked on getting his brother to refocus.
"The crystal, Damon."
"How do you know it was Katherine's? Emily gave it to her on her last night. I was with her, and you... weren't."
"I was the last one to see her, Damon." Stefan admitted slowly. After seeing the hurt expression on his brother's face, he repeated his earlier question. "Now, what do you want with Katherine's crystal?"
Damon pushed his feelings aside, wearing his usual mask of smug arrogance. "She didn't tell you?"
"We had other things on our minds." Stefan taunted. Damon closed the distance of ten feet between Stefan and himself in less than a second.
"I could rip your heart out and not think twice about it."
"Yeah. I've heard that before." Stefan goaded.
Damon looked like he was struggling to not kill Stefan, but in the end, he patted Stefan's arms and backed away. "I have a bigger surprise, Stefan. I'm gonna bring her back."
"Bring... her... back? What are you talking about?" I asked, not getting a reply from Damon. He'd stuck his hands in the pockets of his jacket and took off in long strides towards the parking lot. "What's he talking about, Stefan?"
"I... I don't... I don't know." He directed at me, not taking his eyes off of his retreating brother's back. After we were just a few paces behind Damon, Stefan asked, "How can you bring Katherine back?"
"Before Katherine and the others were killed in the church," Damon once again stopped walking and faced us, "do you remember what it was like in this town?"
"I remember the fear and the hysteria."
"Townspeople were killing vampires one by one. When they came for Katherine, I went straight to Emily... Said, 'I'll do anything. Name your price. Just protect her.' She did."
Stefan shook his head in confusion. "How?"
"She did some kind of spell with the crystal." He explained, pulling his hands out of his pockets and wiggling his fingers for emphasis. "And while the church was burning, and we thought Katherine was burning in it... she wasn't."
"But I – I saw her go inside..."
"There's a tomb underneath the church. The spell sealed Katherine in that tomb, protecting her."
"Are you telling me that Katherine's alive?" Stefan asked, bewildered. I was struggling to understand the conversation they were having.
"Well, if that's what you wanna call it. She's been trapped in a mystical holding cell for the last century and a half, but you're an expert on starving a vampire, so, how do you think she's doing, Stef?" There was a short pause in which he locked eyes with me before looking away again. "Did you know that witches can use celestial events to draw energy into their magic?" He scoffed. "Me either. But in order to give the crystal its power, Emily used the comet that was passing overhead. And, in order for that crystal to work again..."
"The comet had to return." Stefan responded, mystified.
"Downside: long time in between comets. And a... couple of hiccups along the way with the crystal. But the comet passed, and I got the crystal. And then Caroline got the crystal –"
"And now Bonnie has the crystal –" I cut in.
"And here we are." Damon smiled sarcastically, spreading his arms out wide before letting them drop to his sides.
"Why would Emily – why would she do this for you?"
"Because she knew they were gonna come for her, too, and she made me promise that her lineage would survive."
"I remember. You – you saved her children."
"Yeah, it's the only thing keeping me from ripping that little Bonnie girl's throat out to get my crystal back." He explained, obviously annoyed by the fact. He took a deep breath. "Oh well. Deal's a deal. So... you wanna go throw some more?"
Before he could say anything, Stefan's phone started ringing. "It's Elena." He said, answering my questioning glance.
Damon moved off to sit on the bench of a picnic table, leaning back against the table part with his elbows resting on it, his left knee crossed over his right leg. I joined him, sitting down next to him with my hands gripping the bench seat. Feeling awkward from the silence between us, I brought up another thing that had been making me curious.
"Who's Zach?"
"Hmm?"
"Outside the Grill, after the party... Stefan was going to kill you for a lot of reasons. He said three names to try convincing me it was the right thing to do: Zach, Tanner, and Vicki. I already know what happened with the last two, but... Who's Zach?"
"He was a... distant nephew."
"Did you kill him?"
"He got in my way."
"Is this how it'll always be with you? Any time someone does something you can't stand, you just kill them? No second thought? No remorse?"
"I'm a vampire, Dani. What do you expect?"
"Stefan's a vampire. He's not going around murdering innocent people."
"Stefan can't even move on from the fact that he's dead."
"He's not dead, not really."
"He wasn't always such a poster boy for vampire vegetarianism."
A few moments of silence passed before I found my voice again.
"So, uh... " But when I turned to face him, there was only empty air where he sat. "Well, that's a bit rude." I grumbled.
"Where's Damon?" Stefan asked, still holding his phone but no longer talking to Elena.
"He was just here, talking to me... then, poof! Gone."
"He must have overheard Elena."
"Meaning...?"
"Meaning we have to go before he – or Emily – does something that can't be undone."
"So... who exactly is this Emily chick?" I asked, following Stefan through the woods. I hoped he knew where he was going, because I was completely lost. "I mean, aside from what you said at Elena's..."
"She's an ancestor of Bonnie's, a powerful witch who, apparently, cast a spell to protect Katherine from the fire that brought down the church."
"Why is Katherine so important to Damon? They dated, right? Either before or after you did?"
"It's... it's more complicated than that."
"Oh, I know all about 'complicated'. Of course, my version of the word probably differs from yours." I chuckled.
The laughter died short, however, when we reached our destination. Damon was a few feet off the ground, against a tree, impaled by a branch.
"Oh my God... Damon!" I breathed out, rushing forward.
Stefan and I each grabbed onto him and pulled him off and away from the tree. Damon grunted from the pain, even as the wound started to heal itself.
"Oh, that hurts!" More moans of agony. "Uh, this is why I feed on people."
"Stefan!" A voice called out, filled with surprise. We all looked towards where Bonnie – er, Emily – stood across the clearing. She was dragging a large branch over the ground, but I couldn't see if she was just making a circle or drawing symbols. My only concern was the vampire next to me, still groaning and clutching his stomach.
"Hello, Emily."
"These people don't deserve this. They should never have to know such evil."
"What do you mean, 'evil'?"
"Emily, I swear to God, I'll make you regret this." Damon warned, trying to stand up but failing.
"Stay down." I told him, checking his back to see if he'd completely healed or not.
"I won't let you unleash them into this world!" Emily continued.
"Them? What part of the story did you leave out, Damon?"
"What does it matter?"
"Emily, tell me what you did."
"To save her, I had to save them."
"You saved everyone in the church?"
"With one, comes all."
"I don't care about them." Damon said, pushing himself up off the ground. I took his arm by the elbow and helped him stand. Still slightly out of breath, he gripped my arm to stay upright. "I just want Katherine."
Stefan took ahold of Damon by the lapels of his jacket and pulled him close, their faces just inches apart. "I knew I shouldn't have believed a single word that comes out of your mouth. This isn't about love, is it? This is about revenge."
"The two aren't mutually exclusive." Damon pointed out, trying to push his brother away, but Stefan held on.
"Damon, you can't do this!"
"Why not? They killed twenty-seven people," Damon said, voice breaking, "and they called it a war battle. They deserve whatever they get!"
"Twenty-seven vampires, Damon. They were vampires. You can't just bring them back!"
"This town deserves this."
"You're blaming innocent people for something that happened 145 years ago."
"There is nothing innocent about these people."
"Think about what you're doing, about what you're saying. They're vampires, Damon. If you let them loose on this town, they'll destroy everything and everyone in it. That includes Danica."
"Every war has its casualties."
I gasped, shocked at the very blasé tone in which Damon used.
"She doesn't deserve this. She has no ties to what happened back then. None of these people do."
"It was their ancestors that tried to kill them. And don't think for a second it won't happen again. There's an entire council in this town dedicated to hunting down and killing vampires." Damon explained, finally succeeding in pushing Stefan away. "They already know too much, and they'll burn your little grand-witch right next to us when they find out." That last part was directed at Emily. "Trust me."
"Things are different now." Bonnie's voice stated.
"Don't do this." Damon begged.
"I can't free them. I won't." Emily vowed.
"No." Damon breathed out, even as Emily dropped the branch she was holding and shouted, "Incendia!"
Flames shot up around Bonnie's body, encircling her, protecting her. Damon kept screaming in protest, begging Emily not to do whatever it was she was doing.
"Danica, get back!" Stefan yelled, pulling me with him to the edge of the clearing. He wouldn't let go of my wrists, no matter how hard I tried to get away from him, how much I fought.
"Let me go!"
"I can't, Danica. I can't."
"What's she going to do?" I asked, leaning around him, watching the scene before us. Stefan pivoted his body so that we could both see the entire clearing.
"She's going to destroy the crystal."
At that moment, Emily used Bonnie's entire body to throw the crystal straight up above her, as high as she could, and right as gravity was about to force the necklace back down, it exploded, sending sparks everywhere. Stefan turned himself back around, pulling me against him to shield my body with his own.
When the flames around Bonnie died down, Stefan let me go and took a few steps towards his brother. My stomach was in knots as I took in Damon's red eyes, the veins beneath them rippling out. If I could've torn my eyes from his, I knew I'd see the fangs among his teeth. But I couldn't bring myself to look away, especially from what came next.
Damon practically roared as he raced forward, grabbing Bonnie and biting into her neck. Stefan was at his side instantly, dragging him off of Bonnie and throwing him back. Bonnie fell to the ground, unconscious and landing on her side.
I ran to her, dropping down next to her and Stefan, watching as he lay his head on her chest, listening for a heartbeat.
"Stefan? Is she – is she... dead?"
He brought his head up to look at me. "No. She's alive, but barely. I can save her!" He said, right before biting into his wrist, forcing Bonnie's mouth open so his blood could flow down her throat.
I held my breath as I waited for her to move, to make a sound, open her eyes, do something. And then, she did. I could've wept in relief as I watched the wound on her neck heal.
"Thank God." I whispered, sparing Damon a glance. He still looked pissed, but he also seemed to realize what a huge mistake he'd almost made. My attention went back to Bonnie as she coughed and struggled to sit up, but that didn't stop me from noticing when he stalked off. Stefan stared after him, clearly wanting to follow.
"Go." I told him. "I've got her."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah. I'm gonna get her out of here once she can stand."
He disappeared into the trees. I was so focused on wondering what he was going to do that I nearly jumped when Bonnie grasped my hand.
"D-Dani?"
"Yeah, Bon. I'm here. How are you feeling?"
"What – what just happened?"
"I –" I thought about lying, having Stefan compel her, if possible. Then I decided against it. The less lies being told, the less mess needing to be cleaned up. "Later, okay? For now, let's get you home."
"No! My – my dad... He can't know about any of this. Can you take me back to Elena's?"
After promising to take her wherever she wanted to go, I helped her to her feet and to where my Tahoe was parked. She was silent the whole way there, so it shouldn't have surprised me that she'd want answers once we'd reached it.
"Dani? What happened to me?"
"What do you remember?"
"Damon... He attacked me, and... his face... it – it was like... a monster's..." She explained, staring at her shaking hands.
"How do you feel, Bonnie? Any pain?"
"I'm fine." She responded. "It's – it's just this blood... I don't..." She trailed off, eyes widening and staring at something behind me. I turned around, keeping my body in front of hers protectively, expecting to see Damon, but instead, it was Stefan. He stopped coming over to us when he saw her fear.
"I'm not gonna hurt you." He assured her, keeping his voice low and calm. To me, he said, "My brother asked for you."
"Tell him he can go to hell."
"Please, Danica. Whatever's happened between you two, he cares about you. I can tell, even if he doesn't want to admit it to himself. Just – just talk to him."
"Fine, but tell him that if he attacks any more of my friends, I won't stop you, or anyone else, from stopping him again."
Bonnie tugged at the sleeve of my jacket. "What's going on, Dani?"
I faced her again, placing my hands gently on her arms.
"Elena and I will explain everything, Bonnie, okay? Let's just get out of here." When her eyes snapped back to Stefan, I tightened my grip just slightly. "Bonnie... Bonnie, look at me. Trust me, he's not going to hurt you. Okay? Come on, let's get you into the car."
Half pulling, half dragging, I got her in the passenger seat before moving towards the driver's side. Stefan had come a little closer, obviously still having something to say.
"She won't turn."
"I know. Damon told me how it happens."
He nodded once, eyebrows furrowed together. "Just make sure Elena keeps an eye on her tonight, makes sure nothing happens. Once it leaves her system, she'll be fine."
"She's going to be asking me a lot of questions..."
"What are you going to tell her?"
"It's up to Elena. If she wants Bonnie to know..."
"Then you'll tell her the truth."
"I think she can be trusted. After all, she has a secret of her own..." I reminded him, glancing at Bonnie through the windshield. She just sat staring at nothing. "Thank you for saving her."
"Can you give Elena a message for me?"
"Sure." I told him, feeling quite the opposite.
"I have to leave... Too many people have died, too many have almost died. Too much has happened. I can't stay here. I thought I could, that I could have some sort of life with her... but all I've brought is pain and death."
"Stefan, if this is your goodbye, then it has to be given to Elena from you, not from me. I will tell her you have to talk, and I will do my best to talk to Damon, but I can't do this for you."
He only nodded again in response.
I got in the Tahoe and drove away, getting to the Gilbert house as quickly as I could.