I think I might've inhaled you
I can feel you behind my eyes
You've gotten into my bloodstream
I can feel you flowing in me
*Bloodstream – Stateless*
Damon ended up driving us out to the ruins of the old Salvatore estate. He walked around kicking at rocks while I found part of a pillar to sit on. After a few minutes of watching him in silence, he finally came to a stop and looked at me.
"You sure you still want to know about Katherine?"
I nodded.
"There's no happy ending." He promised. "Yet."
I shook my head. "Just tell me Damon."
And he did.
I sat in shock, saying absolutely nothing, fearing even the slightest sound would make him stop talking. By the time he'd finished, I'd learned their father had used Stefan to get to Katherine, weakening her and taking her away with the rest of the vampires. I'd also learned that Stefan had attempted to lure the men guarding the vampires away so that Damon could rescue her.
"We had her. She was out, we were taking the chains and muzzle off," he said, his eyes unfocused as he remembered everything. "but I was shot down before I could get her free." He shook the memory away. "I woke up not long after, received my daylight ring from Emily, completed the transition, and now here we are."
"You skipped over something, didn't you?"
"You're a perceptive little thing, you know that?"
"I can handle it, Damon. What are you leaving out?"
"Katherine was in that church. I watched her get dragged in before it was set on fire. Right then, I made the choice. I went back to the quarry where Stefan and I had been taken so that I could wait it out."
"You weren't going to complete the transition?"
"I wanted to die. Welcomed it, even. Then Stefan woke up, went to visit Father, and came back a vampire."
"He didn't –"
"He did. Our father admitted that he had been the one to kill us, and my baby bro ended up killing him instead. On accident, he claims, but the pull of the blood was too strong to resist."
"If you didn't want to – to be a... I mean, you're still here."
"Stefan couldn't accept that his big brother had given up. He compelled some girl from town, brought her to the quarry, and convinced me to feed from her."
"And that's when you promised him an eternity of misery." I finished for him.
"Mmhmm."
"And the deal you made with Emily?"
"She waited until after Stefan and I became vampires to tell us the protection spell had worked. Said if I knew, it would 'impact the most important decision of my life'. Witches... Judgy little things." He said, smiling a humorless smile.
"Speaking of witches..."
"Let me guess, you want to know what Bree was going to say about you? A story for another day."
"Earth to Dani!" Jeremy laughed, bringing me back to the present.
I was spending the night at the Gilberts. Pizza and movie night with Jeremy and Elena, though she was upstairs, and otherwise occupied by the younger Salvatore brother. Jeremy and I were at the dining room table. I was working on some homework, and he had his sketchpad out.
"Hmm? Sorry. Spaced for a minute. What are you working on?" I asked him.
"Don't laugh?"
"Never!"
"It's, uh – it's a vampire."
"What?!" I nearly shouted, grabbing the paper he'd been drawing on. Sure enough, it was a sketch of a woman, fangs bared.
"It's not finished yet. I've been a bit obsessed lately, ever since my history paper."
"Oh, you mean the paper I was supposed to help with but was replaced by your new girlfriend?" I laughed. "So, what? You think the town is crawling with blood-sucking monsters?" I asked, trying to sound calm.
Jeremy chuckled, shaking his head. "Of course not. I just had a lot of fun writing about it all."
"With Anna?" I teased, sliding the sketchpad back to him.
"It's not like that with her."
"So you've said. Many times."
We continued our work in silence until the doorbell rang, causing me to jump.
"Must be the pizza." Jeremy stated, standing up to answer the door, yelling up the stairs for his sister.
The delivery guy was young, attractive almost, with short brown hair and dark brown eyes.
"Hey. It's gonna be... $22." He said, flashing us a smile while sliding the pizza box from the insulated bag he was carrying.
"Elena! I need the money!" Jeremy shouted. To the pizza guy, he waved to a table by the door. "Uh, here. Come in. Just put it on the table."
Elena's footsteps sounded from the staircase. "Hey. Um... keep the change." She offered, digging money out of her wallet and handing it to him. He started backing out of the house.
"Thanks. And you have yourself a good night!"
After school the next day, I met up with Tyler at the Grill to carry on with my history tutoring assignment from Mr. Saltzman. Eventually, Matt showed up to fill out a job application and then stole Tyler from me to shoot some pool. I spotted Elena, Bonnie, and Caroline at a table nearby and joined them. They were discussing outfits for a dance that the school was having.
"What are we all wearing? Remember – the theme is '50s!" Caroline practically sang. "I've already got my dress picked out!"
"Me, too." Bonnie said.
"Ugh, I'm torn between two outfits." Elena admitted, tearing apart a napkin.
"I haven't decided yet either. We can figure it out together." I offered, earning a grateful nod from the brunette.
"Okay, next important topic: DATES! Elena's obviously going with Stefan. And Matt's working, so Bonnie and I are going together. Danica, I'm sure it's been tough to find a boyfriend since you're new to town, so if you want, -"
"Actually, I have a date." I cut Caroline off, rolling my eyes at her.
"Oh, great! That's awesome! I'm so happy for you!" Caroline exclaimed before excusing herself to join Matt and Tyler.
"I swear, that girl makes me want to slap her sometimes." I stated after she left. "Let's not tell her that I don't actually have a date." Bonnie and Elena both giggled.
"Okay, so now that Caroline's gone, I have a huge bombshell." Elena grumbled, before telling the Bennett witch something I'd already suspected: Elena Gilbert was not a Gilbert after all.
"Elena, I can't believe you're adopted. I never saw that coming." Bonnie told her when she was finished.
Elena starting munching on french fries from a large plate that I'd ordered. "And it gets weirder. I looked at my birth certificate. It lists Miranda and Grayson Gilbert as my birthparents. None of it makes any sense."
"What I'm wondering is how did no one notice they miraculously had a baby?" I inquisited.
"Which is why you should ask Jenna." Bonnie suggested. "First of all, the Elena I know would always want the real truth. Good or bad."
"And second of all?"
"You just found out your boyfriend is a..." Bonnie started, dropping her voice to a whisper. "vampire. So unless your birthparents are aliens..." Elena laughed as Bonnie finished her question. "How bad could it be?"
"Ah, ok, look, I have to go to the store. My outfit for the dance is severely lacking accessories." Elena stood up from the table.
"Oh, good idea!" I said, standing as well. "I'll join you. I have nothing to wear."
Bonnie nodded. "Ok, I'll pay the bill."
We said our goodbyes and left the Grill. While crossing the parking lot to Elena's car, my cell phone rang.
"Who is it?"
Shaking my head, I said, "I don't recognize the number."
"Put it on speaker."
"Hello?"
"Hello, Danica." Came a male's voice.
"Hey, who's this?" I asked as Elena fished her keys from her purse.
"You hit me with your car. Remember?" He said nonchalantly, freezing us both in place."Is that a new one?"
"Elena, get the car unlocked! Now!" I exclaimed, looking around to see if anyone was approaching us. Sure enough, there was a guy in a black hoodie headed our way.
"You got away from me that night." He said, sounding almost excited. "You won't next time." He threatened.
Finally the doors made a clicking sound as they were unlocked. We climbed into the car and Elena sped off as quick as she could. As she drove past him, I caught a glimpse of our stalker's face.
"I'm calling Stefan." Elena stated. "I'll have him meet us at my house."
"Elena, it would be safer to wait for him at my place."
"What? Why?"
"Because that was the pizza guy from last night."
Instead of having Stefan come to us, we ended up driving out to the Salvatore boarding house. Stefan greeted us in the driveway and ushered us inside to the study, where we told him about the phone conversation and about how the vampire had been the one that caused my accident, and had also been invited into Elena's.
"Why Danica? What does he want with her?" Elena asked Stefan from her spot next to me on the couch. "A-and if he's trying to kill her, then why call first?"
Stefan walked around the couch and faced us. "It's because we're predators, Elena. We hunt. We stalk. It's often as exciting as the kill." He explained while sitting down on the table in front of us. He handed Elena something that I couldn't quite make out. "I want you to take this."
"This is Jeremy's pocket watch. How did you get it?" Elena questioned him.
"That's the compass that Damon had!" I blurted out, grabbing the device from Stefan as I received baffled looks from both of them.
Stefan nodded, studying me before turning back to Elena. "I took it from him, who took it from Logan, who must have taken it from you."
I opened the compass and held it out for Elena to see.
"What happened to it?" She asked.
"Well, it's not just a watch." Stefan explained. "Like Danica said, it's a – it's a sort of compass."
"But it points to vampires." I finished for him. The compass' needle starting wildly spinning for a few seconds before finally clicking in place, pointing straight at Stefan. Shocked, Elena's attention snapped to the vampire.
"Why did my father have it?"
Sighing, Stefan explained, "Gilberts were one of the founding families. And back in 1864, they were among those who sought to eradicate the vampires. The compass was used to find us."
Curious, Elena asked him, "Did you know them?"
"Yes." Stefan nodded. "Danica, if it's all right with you, I want Elena to keep this." He requested. To Elena, he said, "That way, you'll know if you're ever in danger."
"No. No way. What about Dani? She's the one he's after!"
I shook my head, shoving the compass in her hand. "Elena, Jeremy unknowingly invited a dangerous vampire inside your home. Right now, you need it more than I do."
After thinking it over, Elena silently agreed and closed her hand around the compass. I realized they were "having a moment" and excused myself to go see if Damon had returned home.
Not finding him, I made my way to the basement, wondering what it was Damon didn't want me to see. What I found was a giant cooling chest, and to my surprise, rooms that looked like jail cells.
"Cozy, don't you think?" Came Damon's voice from behind me, eliciting a scream from my throat. Whirling around, I saw him casually leaning against the wall next to the cooler, sucking on a blood bag.
"I really wish you'd stop sneaking up on me."
"Mm. Too bad."
"Why are these cells here?"
"To lock people in, naturally."
"Ha ha, so funny." I rolled my eyes, glancing inside the closest room. There was blood on the floor. "Where did that blood come from?"
"Me, most likely, from when my loving brother drugged me and locked me in there to keep from me killing your precious cheer captain."
"So, when he said that you were 'away'..."
"What he meant to say was 'I'm holding him prisoner'." Damon said, grabbing my hand and leading me up the stairs. "Come on. Your presence is being requested."
"You are so wearing that to the dance tomorrow!" Elena exclaimed. We were at the local clothing store, and I was trying on a red vintage style dress with a classic high neckline, cinched waist, and a flared skirt, with a matching removable belt.
"I have to agree with Ms. Gilbert."
Elena scowled and turned to Damon. "You were supposed to stay outside!"
"I got bored."
Stefan walked into the shop with an apologetic look on his face. Before he could say anything I looked at them and said, "It's fine, 'lena. I don't mind. Really."
The Salvatore brothers had made us promise to let them escort us everywhere we went until our mystery vampire was – as Damon called it – "handled".
"Fine." Elena sighed. "We have 3 hours before the dance starts, and we need to get ready."
After some grumbling from Stefan and a hard glare from Damon, we managed to convince them to let us get ready at Elena's without their supervision. But only by compromising on riding with them to Mystic Falls High. I paid for the dress and we were on our way to the Gilbert's.
Once we arrived, we immediately entered Elena's bedroom and changed into our outfits. And then Jenna called us downstairs for dinner. She asked us to join her in the living room when we were all finished eating.
"I don't understand how one teenager can make this much of a mess!" She exclaimed, picking up some of Jeremy's belongings and moving them to the staircase. "Dani, have you or Ryan had a chance to speak to the insurance company about your Tahoe?"
"Yeah, and it's totaled. So he said I could keep using his truck for now."
"So you're coming to the dance?" Elena interrupted. I hadn't even noticed until that moment that Jenna was dressed up in a cute '50s outfit.
She smiled and, sheepishly, explained "Alaric asked me to help chaperone."
Elena spun around to the table she was standing in front of and picked up an apple. Halting from biting into it, she looked back at her aunt.
"Why didn't you tell me, Jenna?"
Startled by the change of topic, Jenna practically whispered, "Your mom was gonna do it eventually. I never thought I'd have to."
"If my mom were here right now and I asked, she'd tell me the truth."
Jenna suddenly seemed to be lost in thought as she spoke. "Your dad was about to leave the office one night when this girl showed up. She was 16, a runaway, and about to give birth. He delivered her baby, and he gave her a place to stay, but a few days later, she disappeared." Jenna sighed, snapping back to the present. "And there you were. Your parents were trying so hard to have a baby. I-it just wasn't happening. All Miranda ever wanted was to be a mom."
"Well, why were my parents' names on the birth certificate?"
"Your dad was a doctor, Elena. He took care of it. They didn't wanna lose you, so they kept it quiet, told as few people as possible, but if anyone ever wanted proof, they had documentation."
"What else do you know about her? The girl?"
"Just her name. Isobel."
"That's all?"
"That's all. Now, I have to get going. Pre-dance chaperone duties. I'll see you ladies there!"
We said our goodbyes to Elena's aunt and made our way back upstairs to add the finishing touches to our attire.
Instead of keeping my hair in its natural curls, it was straightened and teased up with a black hairband. Jenna was lending me a pair of black drop earrings. All I had left to do was slide my feet into my black pumps.
While getting ready, Elena questioned me about all my vampire-related adventures thus far.
"So Damon attacks you, turns Vicki and allows her to almost kill you, kills Stefan's best friends to cover his tracks, attacks Bonnie, gets you shot by Logan, almost killed again by Lexi's boyfriend, and you're still... whatever you are with him?"
"I won't defend his biting me. Or his killing Lexi. Or turning Vicki. But I'll remind you that he did heal me from her attack. And from Logan's. And I don't know what we are, but I do know that he's still in love with Katherine, and there's no way I can compare to a love that's been going for over a hundred years."
"From what Stefan tells me," Elena called out from the bathroom, where she was brushing her hair, "there's no reason to compare. You're over a hundred times better than Katherine ever was. Can you hand me the pink scarf from the closet?"
Hearing the sound of Elena's hair dryer, I moved over to her dresser and picked up the compass/watch. As soon as it opened, the needle spun around for a few seconds and then stopped. I followed the needle to Elena's closet.
I called out to her, but she couldn't hear me over the blow dryer.
Taking a deep breath, I placed a shaky hand on the closet door and yanked it open, only to find it empty. I heard the blow dryer shut off and then her footsteps behind me.
"What's going on?"
"The compass. It's – it was pointing to your closet." I told her.
"Well, it must be broken or something, because there's no one in there." She brushed it off, reaching for her scarf.
But the compass wasn't finished. It started to spin again. Elena walked to the hallway and called out for her aunt and brother.
"They're at the school already." I reminded her, not taking my eyes off the device in my hand.
She snatched her cell phone from her bed.
"Stefan's phone. How may I help you?"
"Damon?" I asked, following Elena as she ran down the stairs.
"Where is he?" Elena interrupted.
"He's on his way to you. Forgot his phone."
"Oh, thank God." She breathed, halting in the living room. "This compass was spinning. Stefan must be here. Thank you."
"You're welcome." He responded. He sounded confused, though. "See you soon, Dani."
As soon as the call ended, I saw something move out of the corner of my eye, and then we were both thrown against a wall as our new vampire friend dropped down from the ceiling. I looked over at Elena, but she was unconscious.
The vampire dragged me to my feet. His face transformed and he sank his fangs into my throat. It took everything in me to not scream out from the pain. Stefan burst through the door and he pulled away, shoving me to the floor before disappearing.
Stefan looked me over before moving on to Elena. "Call Damon."
It didn't take long for Damon to make the drive to the Gilberts. I watched as he parked his blue Camaro and made his way up the walkway.
Opening the door for him, a feeling of calm rushed over my entire being upon seeing the smirk on his face. He bit into his wrist and offered it to me. "I can't leave you alone for even one minute, can I?"
"Guess not." I laughed. "He was clinging to the ceiling somehow. Jumped down on us."
"My brother here?"
I nodded. "He's inside with Elena."
I led him to the living room, where Stefan and Elena, now awake, had moved to the sofa.
"How did he get in?" Damon asked while walking halfway around the couch before stopping next to Elena.
"He was invited in." Elena answered.
"He posed as a delivery guy last night." I added.
"Well, he gets points for that." Damon said, continuing his path around the sofa. "Did he say what he wanted?"
I plopped down into the chair by Stefan. "No. He was too busy trying to kill us."
"He only wanted Danica."
"Probably you would've been next." Damon shrugged.
"And you have no idea who this is?" Stefan asked his brother.
"No."
Stefan didn't seem convinced.
"Don't look at me like that. I told you we had company."
"You think there's more than one?!" Elena exclaimed.
"We don't know." Damon answered. He sat down on the arm of my chair, reaching for my hand and weaving our fingers together. His actions did not go unnoticed by everyone in the room.
"Damon," Stefan started, throwing a piercing stare our way, "he was invited in."
Damon didn't say anything at first, just nodded and squeezed my hand.
"What are you not telling us?" I piped up.
"We go get him tonight." Damon said, looking down at me before turning his attention to Elena. "You up for it?"
"What do I have to do?"
"We." I corrected her.
"Let your boyfriends take you to the dance. We'll see who shows up."
'BoyfriendS?' I wondered.
"That's a bad idea." Stefan declined.
"Until we get him, this house isn't safe. For anyone who lives in it." Damon expressed. To Elena, he said, "It's worth a shot."
"You know I'm in." I agreed.
Stefan shook his head. "I don't like this. I don't want you in harm's way. Either of you. Especially with vampire blood in your system, Danica."
Damon shrugged. "They deserve to have a little fun. 17 only comes once in a lifetime!"
"Unless you're stuck at 17 forever. Which a very real possibility for her if she dies tonight."
"Shouldn't I have a say in this? This is my life, after all. And I'm going to the dance."
"Believe me Stef – once Danica's mind is made up, there's no changing it." Damon winked at me. "Elena? What do you say?"
Elena thought it over for a minute, and then, with a determined look on her face, nodded. "I'll do it." Linking her hand with Stefan's, she told him, "I'll be with the three of you. I'll be safe."
As we entered the gymnasium, a modern version of 'This Magic Moment' came blaring from the speakers. Damon and Stefan led Elena and me to a table near the punch bowl. I tried to wave at Jeremy, but he was busy pouring drinks.
"I'm going to do a sweep." Damon said before disappearing into the crowd.
"I'll help." Stefan yelled over the music.
Elena started fidgeting with her earring. "Do you think he'll actually be here?"
"Wouldn't surprise me if he already is." I told her.
Whatever response she was about to make was cut off as we noticed Bonnie and Caroline approaching us.
"Having fun?" Elena asked them.
"No, but this," Caroline gestured to her outfit, "took about two hours, so I'm at least staying half of that."
We all laughed except Bonnie. She was too busy staring off into the distance. "What's he doing here?" Following her gaze, I spotted Damon leaning towards Stefan and saying something into his ear.
Sounding more defensive than I meant to, I explained, "He's my date." Caroline and Bonnie both glared at me. "He'll behave. I promise."
"So, what? Is this, like, a thing now? You and Damon Salvatore?" Caroline asked me.
"I don't know." I answered honestly. "But if I'm going to be with Damon, then I hope you can learn to tolerate him."
"Pretty sure if I tried, I'd end up killing him."
"There's a thought." Bonnie said, still glaring at Damon.
"Mm. I'll help." Caroline snarked, clinking her glass against Bonnie's.
I noticed Elena trying hard not to smile. "Hey! You're supposed to be on my side right now!"
"Sorry." She mumbled, looking down.
Caroline and Bonnie sauntered off to the concession table. Stefan arrived at Elena's side. He shook his head at Elena's questioning glance. "Nothing so far."
Sighing, I excused myself from the table. "I'm going to get something to drink."
Jeremy perked up when he saw me, and filled a cup with punch for me. We chatted for a bit before Damon walked up to us.
"Danica, may I have this dance?" He extended a hand as he bowed, making me giggle.
"I'd be delighted!"
I slipped my hand in his and followed him to a space on the dance floor. A female-song version of All Shook Up blared through the sound system.
Much like at the founder's party, he pulled me close enough that I could feel the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed.
"Can I ask you a question?"
"You just did."
"Can I ask you one, er, two more?"
He laughed and nodded.
"Earlier..."
"Go on."
"You called me your girlfriend."
"Actually, I believe what I said was that I'm your boyfriend."
"Same thing." I rolled my eyes. "My question is 'Why'?"
"Vampires like a challenge. If the one we're after sees you as unavailable, he'll want to get to you all the more."
"So I'm bait?"
"Well, right now you're having fun, enjoying a night of dancing with friends." He stated, twirling me and bringing me back to him.
"Can't you sense other vampires?"
"Nope. Not how it works."
"Okay." I dragged out the 'a'. "Why don't we just use our handy-dandy vamp compass to find his Drac-crib?"
Damon chuckled. "To do that, Stefan and I would have to leave Mystic Falls and you'd have to roam around town alone. If he's watching you..."
"I'd be a sitting duck." I finished. "You know, he might not even show up tonight. Maybe we're doing all this dancing for nothing."
And then I felt my cell phone vibrate.
I slid it out from where I'd tucked it into the belt of my dress. I had two texts from Elena.
'He's here. Stefan went after him.'
'He needs Damon's help. They're in the parking lot.'
Damon glanced down at the phone and smirked. "Showtime."
He left, and another message came through.'Meet me by your locker.'
A small group of freshman students blocked the doorway closest to my locker. I slipped through them only to be met with an empty hallway. Suddenly, I heard footsteps behind me, pounding against the floor of the gymnasium, getting closer with each second, until finally...
"He's behind me. Run!"
"What? Elena, what's going on?!" I asked, chasing after her down the hallway. She grabbed my hand and pulled me around the corner, down another corridor, until we reached a set of double doors. When Elena tried to open them, they wouldn't budge.
"They're chained shut!"
"No one's supposed to be down this way." I told her. "Tell me what's happening. Please."
"It was a trick. Stefan went after who we thought was the vampire. He called me when I was alone. He threatened Jeremy, Danica. He said he would kill him if I didn't listen to him."
"It's okay, Elena. Stefan and Damon will figure it out and come find us."
"Oh, I don't doubt that. Question is, will they make it in time?" A new voice caused us to jump and spin around. The vampire was at the other end of the hallway, strolling casually in our direction.
"Quick, through there!" I pointed to a blue door next to us, taking us into the cafeteria. We ran across the room to the doors that led outside, but they were locked too.
The vampire burst through an entrance across from where we came through, vamp-speeding towards us. "Wait your turn. This time, she's first." He said to me, before he flung me across the room. My head collided with a wall with a loud 'thud'.
I couldn't bring myself to focus. I could only hear Elena's scream and the sounds of struggles as she put up a fight. The fogginess started to dissipate, and when it finally lifted completely, Damon was in front of me.
"Look at me, Danica. What happened?"
"I – I don't know. I – I think I . He – Elena – I..."
"Concussion would be my guess. Here." He said, bringing his wrist to my mouth.
"Where's Elena?"
"She's right over there." He nodded across the cafeteria. Elena was standing with Stefan by the vampire, who was kneeling on the floor. "Come on."
Damon helped me to my feet and walked with me over to them, standing protectively in front of me.
And then I noticed the wood protruding from the vampire's abdomen.
Stefan lunged forward, shoving the makeshift stake further into the vampire's stomach. The vampire groaned.
Not taking his hand off the stake, Stefan asked him, "Why are you doing this?"
Sarcastically, the vampire responded with, "Because it's fun."
Again, Stefan pushed in the stake. "What do you want with Elena and Danica?"
"Danica's... special. But of course Damon already knows that. Elena, though... Elena's just for fun. She looks like Katherine."
The Salvatore brothers shared a look of surprise and concern.
"You knew Katherine?"
"Aw. You thought you were the only ones." The vampire mocked in between gasps and moans. "You don't even remember me."
Damon bowed down towards him. "Tell me how to get in the tomb. Hm?"
"No."
Stefan crammed the wood in even more, twisting it a little.
The vampire shouted, "The grimoire!"
"Where is it?" Damon demanded. When he didn't get an immediate response, Stefan drove the stake in again.
"Check the journal! The journal. Johnathan's journal. Johnathan Gilbert's."
"Who else is working with you?" Stefan asked.
In a slightly louder voice, Damon questioned, "Who else is there?"
"No. You're gonna have to kill me."
Stefan looked to Damon, who rolled his eyes and gestured for his brother to go ahead. The stake was pulled out, only to be rammed into the vampire's heart. As he started to dessicate, I was hit with a wave of nausea.
"I think I'm gonna be sick." I admitted. Damon kicked a trash can my way. Elena rubbed my back as I emptied my stomach.
"Why... what... what do you... how are you gonna find the others now?"
"He had to die." Damon explained to her.
"But –"
"Elena." I interrupted, straightening up and cleaning my mouth off with the back of my hand. I gratefully accepted a stick of gum she handed me. "He's right."
Stefan interrupted, nodding to her. "He's been invited in."
A slamming door made us all turn towards where the vampire had entered the cafeteria. I could just make out Mr. Saltzman through one of the door's windows.
Damon looked to Stefan, who nodded in return. "Go. I got this."
He threw one final glance in my direction and left.
"What do we do now?" Elena asked.
"We get rid of the body." I answered her, not allowing myself to look down at the vampire.
Stefan had us go back to the gymnasium to wait for him and Damon. Not feeling much like dancing, we stuck by the punch bowl. Elena finally spoke, so quietly that I had to lean in to hear her.
"He said he would snap Jeremy's neck."
"Elena, Jeremy's fine. He's right there in front of you."
"He said he would kill him if I didn't get you alone with me."
"Look at me, 'lena. I don't blame you. Nothing that happened tonight is your fault."
"I watched him... How do you cope with seeing that?"
"Try not to think about it. And when you do, remember that it was either him or you."
"And if that doesn't work?" Her voice was so small.
But I didn't know what else to say. I was still having nightmares about Vicki and Lexi.
After Damon and Stefan rejoined us, Stefan took Elena with him to the boarding house while Damon drove me home.
When he pulled up to the curb, he turned off the car and dropped the keys in his jacket pocket.
"You've been unnaturally quiet since we left the school. What's going on in that head of yours?"
I wanted to talk to him, to tell him what I was thinking and feeling. But nothing came out when I opened my mouth.
"Danica?"
My heart started to race. I couldn't breathe. I felt cold, and my fingers started to go numb.
"I don't know... what's happening... to me." I finally gasped out.
"It's a panic attack. Just try to relax and take a deep breath. It'll pass."
It took a few minutes, but my breathing started to even out and the feeling returned to my hands.
"I feel like I'm going crazy." I laughed, relaxing into the car seat. "He had to die, I know. I – I've just never seen someone tortured before."
"We had to get him to talk." Damon stated. I nodded my understanding and climbed out of the car. Damon followed me to my porch before taking my hand and pulling my body against his.
"What are you doing?"
"I believe I owe you a dance."
Confused, I reminded him, "We danced at the school."
"Well, this time we won't be interrupted."
A slow jazz song started to play from Damon's cell phone.
My love must be a kind of blind love
I can't see anyone but you
"Have you ever tried getting over her?" I asked Damon. My face was pressed against his chest so my question was muffled.
"Hm?"
"Katherine. Have you tried to move on?"
"Tried and failed."
Are the stars out tonight?
I don't know if it's cloudy or bright
I only have eyes for you, dear
"What if you can't find the grimoire? Would you ever consider trying again?"
The moon may be high
But I can't see a thing in the sky
I only have eyes for you
"I'm going to get into the tomb. One way or another."
I don't know if we're in a garden
Or on a crowded avenue
"What is this for then?" I asked him, gesturing to our bodies still pressed together.
"I – I don't know. It just –"
"Feels right?" I finished for him.
He nodded.
You are here
So am I
Maybe millions of people go by
But they all disappear from view
And I only have eyes for you
I only have eyes for you
"You can't start the next chapter of your life if you keep re-reading the last one."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning..." I started, fishing my keys from my purse and unlocking my door. "Damon Salvatore, please come in."