A/N: Another update, and it didn't take me months to post it! So sorry about all of that. Sometimes, life just happens...
Anyway, straight to the SHOUTOUTS!
Savage Kill: I absolutely love the thought process! I promise, all will be revealed in due time ;)
to the Guest who reviewed: I agree! Damon needs someone who won't play with his emotions and leave him completely heartbroken every other day of his life. Maybe, just maybe, Danica can be that someone? We shall see! Also, I would REALLY love to hear what you believe is huge to the plot of TVD when it comes to Jeremy and Bonnie! leave it in another review or PM me if you have an account. I love chatting with my readers!
jjprules, Michyo61, Magicmarauder171, Darkangel1967, and Chella218: thank you so much for your support! every follow and/or favorite fuels me to keep going :)
one last thing to say: I never wanted to be THAT person, the one who begs for reviews. I still don't want to beg, but I do want to say that reviews play a HUGE part in making me want to write faster, as it reflects how much you love what you've read so far ;)
now, on to what you really came here for!
I wanted love, I needed love most of all, most of all
Someone said true love was dead
And I'm bound to fall, bound to fall for you
Oh, what can I do?
Take my badge but my heart remains loving you, baby child
Tighten up on your reins
You're running wild, running wild
It's true
*Tighten Up – The Black Keys*
"You'll never guess what I caught Jeremy doing in his room this morning." Elena announced as she leaned against the locker next to mine. I spared her a glance before spinning the dial of the padlock on my locker. The satisfying 'click' sounded once the third and final number to the combination had been entered correctly.
"Elena, no offense, but I am a thousand percent sure that I don't want to know what your fifteen-year-old brother was doing alone in his bedroom." I responded sarcastically.
The I-just-drank-sour-milk look on her face made me laugh. "That's disgusting and so not what was happening."
I laughed again, grabbing what books and binders I would need for the first half of the day, stuffing them in my backpack before slamming the metal door shut. We started walking towards her locker.
"Jeremy had his sketch pad out. He was drawing! I didn't go in to see what it was, but the fact that he started doing something with it is a miracle."
"I knew it was just a matter of time. That kid has some serious talent."
"Just don't say anything to him about it. If he knows we know, he'll stop. Psych:101."
"Okay, so wait to gush about it until he shows me. Got it. Now... ask me what you've been dying to ask me since Bonnie and I left last night."
"How can you still want to see him after he almost killed her?"
"I never said that I want to see him, I just said that I'm going to see him. And that's more for Stefan's sake than for Damon's. I'm gonna tell him to meet me at the Grill, where there will be lots of people around, and I am going to tell him to leave us the hell alone."
"Then all we have to do is hope that he actually does."
"Hope that who does what?" Bonnie asked, falling into step at my other side.
"Hope that Mr. Saltzman lays off on the homework assignments until after Friday's game." I lied, jumping in before Elena could say anything.
At this point, we were passing through the threshold of a different hallway, when Matt and Caroline came into view. They were standing extremely close and looking pretty flirty with each other.
Suddenly feeling very confused, I asked, "Did I miss something?"
"They've been hanging out." Bonnie explained, shrugging a shoulder.
"Kind of weird, don't you think?" Elena asked. "He takes Dani out on a date and then starts hanging out with another girl."
"It's not 'another girl', it's Caroline. And she needs someone nice like him, as opposed to a homicidal vampire like Damon." Bonnie said, throwing me a meaningful glance.
"Yeah, how are you doing with all that?" Elena cut in when I started to address the reasoning behind that look.
"I'm freaked out. Damon attacked me. I could be dead right now... But I'm also grateful."
"Grateful?" I questioned.
"To Stefan." Bonnie clarified. "He saved my life, and... Have you seen him?" She asked Elena carefully. Elena took off the scarf that was around her neck, stepped up to her locker and opened it, throwing in her scarf and bag.
"Not since he told me he was leaving. For all I know, he's already gone."
"He wouldn't leave without saying goodbye."
"Yes, he would."
"She's right, Elena. He'd give you more than just a quick phone call saying he can't stay because of everything that's happened already."
"How did you know about that?" She asked, moving on without waiting for an answer. "He thinks he's protecting me. Clean break and all that."
"So, what are you gonna do?" Bonnie asked her.
"What am I supposed to do? I already begged him not to go. If I ask again, I'm being selfish. It is what it is."
"Well, maybe it's for the best."
"What? Why?"
"I mean, what kind of future could you have had with him? Even if he stayed?" Bonnie pointed out.
Elena didn't get a chance to answer. A banner that was being hung up fell down right in front of us, stopping us in our tracks. It read, 'The promise of your future'. Elena and I both looked at Bonnie – Elena out of annoyance, and me out of surprise.
"Did you just...?" I gasped out.
"No, I swear!"
Elena smacked the banner out of the way and stormed off. In silence, Bonnie and I followed her into the history room.
As soon as Mr. Saltzman began today's lesson, I shifted in my chair to face Matt.
"Okay, Donovan. It's later. Now tell me what yesterday's note was about."
"It was nothing. Don't worry about it."
"Fine, don't tell me. Wanna hang out tonight? I was thinking maybe we could order a pizza and watch the new episode of Castle."
"I slept with Caroline!" He blurted out in a loud whisper.
"Whoa. That is not what I was expecting..."
"I mean, I didn't sleep with her, I just slept in her bed with her."
"Um, okay. So are you two, like, together now?"
"No. I mean, I like her but... I don't know. Up until a few days ago, I couldn't stand her."
"Funny how things turn out sometimes, huh?"
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't be talking to you about this."
"Why not?"
The look on his face said it all.
"We went on one date, Matty."
"Yeah, but..."
"'But' nothing. We're friends, and friends go to each other for advice. And if you want mine, here it is: do what you want. You like Caroline? Go for it. If anyone has a problem with it, ignore them."
"You're the best, you know that?"
I returned his smile as I responded with, "Of course I do."
Once school let out, I didn't feel like going to cheer practice, so when Matt invited me to join him and Tyler at the small outdoor basketball court, I happily accepted, taking a seat on the cement to watch and keep score.
"What's this, our own personal cheerleader?"
"In your dreams, Lockwood."
"Funny you say that, because just last night I had the best dream of you in your little uniform –"
"Enough, Ty." Matt interrupted, stripping his shirt off, leaving the top half of his body clad in a black tank. "Either pass the ball or Dani takes your place."
Tyler bounced the basketball to Matt, sending a smirk my way. "Wouldn't want you to break a nail, gorgeous."
"Please. I could beat you one-handed and blindfolded."
"I'll believe that when I see it."
"Do you two want me to leave?" Matt asked, returning the ball to Tyler.
"Would you rather talk about what's up with you and Forbes?
"No. And nothing's up."
"I saw you two in the hall today. Don't even try and deny it, bro. You're tapping that."
"Nice, Ty. Real mature." I said, rolling my eyes at the cocky smile on his face.
"No, it's not like that." Matt told him.
"Never is. Until you become 'we' people."
Tyler shot the ball, making it through the basket. Matt grabbed it and switched places with Tyler.
"'We' people?" I questioned.
"Yeah: 'We can't make it to the party.' 'We'll never miss a game.' 'We don't like the color red.'"
"We hung out, like, twice." Matt explained, also managing to get the ball through the basketball hoop.
"Like I said, 'we.'"
My phone started buzzing in my pocket, so I pulled it out and answered it, immediately regretting not checking the screen first.
"Hello?"
"How's my favorite cheerleader doing today?"
I sighed at the familiar and unwelcome voice as I stood up and walked a safe distance away from my friends. "I was perfectly happy. What do you want, Damon?"
"Your help."
"My help? You attack Bonnie and then have the nerve to ask for my help? Give me one good reason why I shouldn't just hang up on you."
"If you do, I'll have to find another human to assist me in tracking down the vampire responsible for the latest murder in Mystic Falls."
I already knew about the murder: a woman out for a run, supposedly attacked and killed by an animal right outside my home. My original thought was that Damon had been said 'animal', but if he was telling the truth and there really was another vampire in town...
"What do you need me to do?"
"Stand here. Wait for my call." Damon commanded the second I stepped out of my Tahoe. We were at some warehouse on the outskirts of town. Before I could question anything, Damon was gone and my phone was ringing. I didn't even give a greeting before he started in with: "Open the compass."
"You mean the pocket watch?"
"No – it's not a watch. It's an old compass that goes off around vampires."
"Hence the reason why you couldn't do this yourself."
"Exactly. I interfere with the signal."
"Okay... so what do I do now?"
"Look at the compass and tell me what it's doing."
"The needle is spinning like crazy. Wait... No. It just stopped. It's pointing towards town."
"Damn it, I'm not far enough away. Just wait."
"Take your time. It's not like I have anything better to do." I responded with as much sarcasm as I could manage.
"Hilarious, Danica... Okay, how about now?"
"Nope. Still going haywire."
"Are you messing with me?"
I snickered. "Maybe a little."
"Dani..."
"All right... Jeez. It's pointing towards the warehouse. Does that mean what I think it does?"
"Yep. Our new neighborhood watch member is inside. I'll be there in a minute."
"Any idea who this vampire is?"
"No." Damon answered, appearing right behind me. Startled, I spun around to face him.
"Quit doing that! You're gonna make me die of a heart attack!"
He ignored my outrage, instead pointing towards the compass/watch in my hand. "You can give me that now."
"Can I go?" I asked, handing over the device.
"Yes. Go home, lock the doors, and don't invite anyone inside. Except for me, when I finish up here and drop by for my well-deserved hero's kiss." He winked, trademark smirk in place.
"That's never going to happen, Damon."
Not even a second after saying that, Damon grabbed my wrist and pulled me to him, pressing my body against his. His head dropped down low so that his lips hovered close enough that when he spoke, I could feel his lips move against mine. "Never say never, sweetheart."
Disoriented and breathless, I stumbled back a step when he abruptly let go and made his way up to the door of the warehouse.
I was going to get in my Tahoe and leave, I really was... but as I pulled away, every instinct I had told me to turn the SUV around. So – against my better judgment – I drove around the building and parked at a side door that was propped open by a brick. As silent as possible, I crept my way inside and headed towards the door Damon had gone through.
The closer I got, the more I picked up on – like the voices. One belonging to Damon, the other... I couldn't quite tell. It was as familiar as it was unfamiliar. I'd heard it before, but couldn't figure out from where or when. I wasn't too far away when strange, loud popping noises, followed by a scream of agony, echoed throughout the warehouse. Damon had given the same painful cry at the clearing last night.
Quickening my pace, I ducked down behind some boxes when the two vampires came into view. Damon was on the floor, moving his hands in front of himself, but I couldn't tell what he was doing. The other one, I now recognized from the news, was standing in front of him.
And holding a gun.
He waved it around as he said, "I have tons of these wooden bullets, so... nothing funky."
"You don't wanna do this." Damon warned, voice strained. "Trust me."
Without hesitation, the other vampire raised the gun and shot Damon in the arm. I had to slap both hands over my mouth to muffle the whimper that escaped. Damon let out another scream.
"That's what you get."
"For what?!"
"You made me like this." The vampire explained, crouching down in front of Damon, watching as Damon pried the bullet out of his arm.
"I killed you. I didn't turn you."
The news guy – Logan, I think his name was – held a bloodied bullet up, looking it over. "See... I know what you and your brother are. I've been watching the two of you. I knew you'd show up here and I'm glad you did, because I have some questions." He stated, flicking the bullet away as he stood up.
"Me first." Damon countered, pulling a previous bullet out of his leg. "Who turned you?"
"How should I know? Last thing I remember is I'm about to stake your brother and then you grab me. That's it!" Logan announced, once again on the floor and in Damon's face. "Until I wake up in the ground behind a used car dealership on highway four. Somebody buried me."
"It happens." Damon told him, trying to be blasé about it, all the while continuing to dig into his own skin to get out every single bullet that Logan shot into him.
"You bit me. It had to be you."
"You have to have vampire blood in your system when you die... I didn't do that. Some other vampire found you, gave you their blood."
"Who?" Logan asked as Damon fell back, pushing himself back up.
"That's what I wanna know."
Still listening to the conversation, I started looking around for any type of weapon that could be used to defend myself, coming up empty. The only thing around that could be turned into a stake was laying on the other side of the aisle I was crouched in. If I made a run for it, I'd be seen.
"Dude, it's not like the Welcome Wagon was waiting with a bundt cake and a handbook. It's been a learn-as-you-go process. You know, one minute, I'm a small town on-the-rise news guy and next thing I know, I can't get into my house because my foot won't go through the door."
"You have to be invited in."
"I know. I live alone."
Damon let out a chuckle. "That sucks."
"So now, I'm at the Ramada, watching pay-per-view all day, eating everything in sight, including housekeeping."
"It could be worse."
"All I can think about is blood and killing people. I can't stop killing people. I keep killing... and I like it! I'm conflicted."
"Welcome to the club!" Damon responded. Logan straightened up and took a step away, but stopped when Damon spoke again. "Wait a minute. Cops only found one body."
"I left one. I was tired. But I've been hiding the rest of the bodies. They're right back there." Logan told him, voice rising. He used the gun to point to somewhere behind himself. Almost giddy, Logan nearly shouted, "They're just piling up!" After a beat, Logan inhaled deeply, eyes lighting up as his excitement grew. "And it smells like I'll be able to add another one to the collection. Come on out, Danica!"
A quiet, disbelieving groan from Damon was all I heard before Logan again yelled for me to join them. Knowing that cooperating was in my best interest in this situation, I stood from my hiding spot and walked towards the two vampires, sparing a glance in Damon's direction.
"You've got to be kidding me!"
"I couldn't just leave you here alone."
"Isn't that sweet of her?" Logan asked in a mocking manner, addressing me next. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you had feelings for this guy." He pointed the gun at Damon, and I flinched when it went off and Damon clutched his right leg, holding it to himself and gritting his teeth against the pain. My eyes snapped back to Logan when he let out a low chuckle. He sat down, patting a spot on the floor next to him, sending dust flying through the air. "Please, sit. Make yourself comfortable. I don't think we're going anywhere anytime soon."
Wanting to stay by Damon - also wishing I'd just left like he'd told me to - but not having any other options, I kept my eyes on Logan as I covered the distance between us and sat cross-legged a few feet from him. I could feel Damon's eyes on me the entire time.
"So, Damon, let's play a game, shall we? You answer my questions, or I kill your girlfriend, and then I kill you."
Prying the remaining bullet out from just under his shoulder blade, Damon locked eyes with the other vampire, not bothering to hide his anger as he spat out, "What do you want to know?"
"Let's start with..." He began, drawing his knees up and resting his arms on them. When he spoke again, his voice was low, soft, confused. "Why am I so overly emotional? All I can think about is my ex-girlfriend. I wanna be with her and bite her and stuff."
"Well, you probably love her. Anything you felt before will be magnified now. You're gonna have to learn how to control that."
"What about walking in the sun? I'm a morning person. You can walk in the sun which, by the way, is pretty cool." It did not go unnoticed by me that Logan's comment made Damon cover his ring with his other hand. "The council will never suspect you. That's not in the journals."
Not having a clue what Logan was talking about, Damon repeated him. "The journals?"
"Yeah - the founding fathers, they passed down journals to their kids. Come on man... you gotta tell me – how can you walk around in the sun?"
"Who turned you?" Damon countered, angering Logan enough that he pushed up off the floor, pointing the gun in my direction.
"How do you walk in the sun?"
"Who turned you?"
"You know, I've been really nice so far, but I will kill her."
"Then you'll never know." Damon promised, also standing up. I took the opportunity to back away from them. "You're not answering my question."
"You first!"
Almost bored, Damon responded with, "Seems we're at a bit of an impasse then, doesn't it?"
"I have things to do, people to kill. Guess I'll be needing a little head-start."
A series of multiple gunshots and agonizing screams followed Logan's words. Some kind of force hit me in the stomach, knocking me over. I looked up in time to see Logan slip out of the building.
Seeing Damon laying a few feet away, I tried to crawl over to him, ready to try to help however I could, but the first movement I made had me crying out as white-hot pain exploded throughout my body. It felt as though I'd been set on fire. Looking down revealed a pool of dark red liquid coming from the left side of my stomach.
Damon was at my side instantly, pressing his hands over the wound, a look of panic spread across his face.
"Don't move, Dani. Don't move. You've been shot."
"What – what about you?"
Despite the fact that we were both bleeding out, Damon mustered the strength to give a small laugh. "I'm a vampire, sweetheart. I'll survive. You, on the other hand, are not as invincible as you seem to think."
"Should we call for help?"
"Not enough time. Here," He said, biting into his wrist. "drink. It'll heal you enough that I can get the bullet out without it killing you, but you're gonna have to drink more after. If you wanna live, I have to do it now."
"O-okay." I managed weakly. "What a shitty day to wear a white shirt, huh?" I almost wanted to laugh, even as tears streaked from my eyes. Instead, I just smiled before biting my lip and closing my eyes. "Do it."
"This is going to be extremely painful." He warned before pulling up my shirt and shoving his fingers through my skin. Doing my best to not cry out from the pain – and failing miserably – I stayed as still as possible given the circumstance. I could feel them moving inside me, his fingers, as he dug around. After what felt like an eternity, his fingers retreated, along with the wooden bullet, and Damon immediately shoved his wrist to my mouth again.
"Next time I tell you to stay put, do us both a favor and stay put." Damon half-begged as his sweet blood flowed down my throat. He kept an eye on my stomach until the wound healed completely. After another mouthful of blood, he pulled his wrist away from me and leaned back, working on his own body.
Several extracted bullets and rejections of my offered help later, I managed to get Damon to my car and drove straight to the boarding house, breaking at least ten traffic laws along the way, so that Damon could change and 'suck down some blood bags'. I used that time to hide in his bathroom.
Since the shirt I was wearing was bloodied and had a decent sized hole in it from the bullet, I peeled it off and took a minute to assess myself in the mirror. No scar left behind, thanks to the healing power of vampire blood. Digging through a few drawers, I found a washcloth and scrubbed as much dried blood off my torso as possible.
A knock sounded from the door before Damon pushed it open, letting the door swing open all the way. Having almost died for the third time in just a handful of months, being seen half-naked was not as embarrassing one might think it would be.
"Here." Damon said as he held out one of his black shirts and a pair of sweatpants. "They're gonna be big on you, but at least you'll have something clean to wear. Or you could just finish stripping down and call it good."
"No thanks. I'll take the clothes." I responded, taking his offering and closing the door to change. I threw my clothes in the garbage bin. "You look better." I stated when I was finished, plopping down on the foot of his bed.
"I'm fully healed and ready to kick some ass."
"Aren't you going to change?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at his messy clothes.
"I was getting to that." He explained, pulling his phone out of the pocket of his jeans – along with the vampire compass – and hitting a number on speed dial, sticking it on speaker, and rummaging through his closet.
Stefan's voice rang out through the phone as he answered the call.
"Damon? Where are you?"
"At the house. Logan Fell is a vampire... and when I find him again, I'm gonna destroy him limb by limb." Damon declared, slipping out of his shirt and jeans.
"What happened? Are you okay?"
"No, we're not okay."
"Who's 'we', Damon? Who's 'we'?"
Unwillingly, Damon answered his brother's question. "Danica's with me."
"You let her go with you to find him? What were you thinking?"
"I was thinking she would track him down with the compass and then go home like a good little human." He shot back, sending a glare in my direction.
"It's my fault, Stefan. I didn't listen to him."
"What happened?" Stefan asked again.
"We were ambushed, we were shot... now I'm vengeful. Just gotta find him."
"Well, there's no need. He's here at the school."
"You're kidding me. Why the hell is he there?"
"He's working the crowd."
"Well, I'll be right there." Damon said, hanging up and grabbing a new outfit without really seeing what he chose.
"You mean 'we'll' be right there, right?" I asked, standing up and following him out of the room.
"Oh no. Not this time. You are going to listen to me this time when I tell you to stay here."
"No, I'm not." I told him, continuing before he could protest. "I'm gonna run home and shower, grab a few things, and come right back."
"You're not gonna take no for an answer, are you?"
"Nope." I answered, popping the 'p'. His nose twitched in anger before he gave in.
"Fine. But you go straight there and come straight back. Got it?"
"Got it."
"You're so stubborn."
"You'll get used to it."
I wasn't even gone twenty minutes when my phone started blowing up with texts from Elena, Jeremy, and Matt, who was no doubt wondering where the hell I was. I'd forgotten that we were supposed to hang out tonight. I sent a quick apology text to him, choosing to ignore the others for the time being.
The next time my phone went off was when I was about halfway back to the boarding house. This time, it was an incoming call from an unknown number. I almost let it go to voicemail, but answered at the last second.
"Hello?"
Silence.
"Hello? Is someone there?"
Still nothing, except for a faint breathing on the other end of the line.
"Damon, if this is you, I swear I will –"
A beep went off, lighting up the screen as another call came through, showing Damon's number.
"Who is this?" I demanded.
"You should pay more attention when you're driving."
"Who is this?" I asked again, gasping as my eyes focused on the road. "Oh my God!" I screamed.
A figure had appeared out of nowhere and was standing in the middle of the road. Dropping my phone, I slammed on the brakes and tried to swerve, but it didn't make a difference. The front of my car hit the person – a guy, judging from the size and shape of the body – and he flew into the windshield. The impact was too great. My stomach did flips of its own as the Tahoe rolled once... twice... three times. Bits of glass from the shattered windshield cut my face and arms as it exploded before the vehicle came to a stop.
Dizzy from the spinning, I took a few deep breaths to calm my nerves and get my bearings. The SUV had landed on its hood, so I was upside down, having to use my hands to push myself away from the hood. Aside from the small cuts, I couldn't see or feel any injuries.
I mustered up all the strength I could to shove open my door, but it wouldn't budge. Thinking I could just climb out the window, I moved my right hand to my hip, pressing the release button on the belt buckle, but it wouldn't eject.
While trying to find a shard of glass large enough to cut the belt with, a loud snapping sound caught my attention. About thirty feet away from my door, the man lay in the road, his limbs sticking out in unnatural angles. I heard the noise again, flinching from the sound.
I realized all too late that the body was moving. With growing horror, I watched as the man's joints popped back into place and he stood up, pivoting in my direction, his steps of determination bringing him closer and closer.
Struggling again to get my restraint off, I attempted to take in his features, but the hood of his jacket was pulled down over his face. A scream bubbled its way up my throat as he came to a halt at my window, crouching down and starting to reach his arm towards me. Right as he was about to touch me, he paused, turned his head to the side, and disappeared. Slowly, I leaned towards the window to try seeing where he went, only to pull back as another scream escaped my lips. The man had returned.
Or so I thought.
"How ya doin' in there?" A voice asked from outside my door. Turning my head, I looked into a pair of familiar pale blue eyes.
"Damon? How –?"
"You weren't answering my calls."
"And you were worried? I'm touched." I said, hoping use of sarcasm would cover the fear.
Damon didn't acknowledge my shaky voice, instead scanning over my frame. "You look stuck."
"Thank you Captain Obvious." I sighed as he stood up and pried the door open without effort, then was back on the ground next to me. "It's my seat belt. I can't get it off."
"Let me get you out of here?" Damon requested, waiting for my nod of approval. "Okay... I want you to put your hands on the roof." I did as instructed. "Just like that. Good. You ready?"
"I – I think so."
"All right, on the count of three. One... two... three."
He yanked on the seat belt, easily tearing it and freeing my body. Fortunately for me, the distance to the ground wasn't great, and Damon's arms were under me instantly, breaking the fall.
"I got you. Are you okay? Can you stand?"
"Yeah, I think so." I mumbled.
"Is anything broken?"
"No."
"I'm gonna stand you up now, okay? Hang on to me."
He set me down, hands hovering over either side of my waist. A few seconds after my feet hit the cement, my legs gave out.
"Whoa!" Damon exclaimed, catching hold of my arms.
"I'm – I'm okay. I'm okay." I breathed out, feeling quite the opposite. In fact, I was starting to lose sense of everything around me, including the vampire holding me.
"Like hell you are. You're in shock, Dani, and you're fading fast." He pointed out. I must have closed my eyes without realizing, because Damon's voiced turned slightly frantic as he took hold of my chin to keep my head steady. "Danica, look at me. Focus. Look at me."
Digging deep, I found the strength to only say two words:
"He's watching."
I don't remember anything after that.