Sorry for the late update guys! I got a new job and had to do training and stuff. Updates will definitely slow down, but I'm going to try to update at least once a month. Thanks to everyone that's been favoring and following. You guys rock.
But here is an extra long chapter (about twice as long :P).
Disclaimer: I DO NOT own The Vampire Diaries or any of its characters, but the plot and any original characters are mine! No copyright infringement intended. It's just fun to play with the characters ;)
Chapter Seven
Damon was growing antsy and frustrated. He had yet to find the vampire that was hunting Jen and it'd been a week since she'd come home smelling like him. While he searched all through Mystic Falls and the surrounding towns, Stefan had kept an eye around the bakery and JD's school. He sighed heavily as he checked his phone. 'Jen will be getting out of work soon.' He drove to the bakery and walked in.
She was cleaning up as she was laughing with Barbie Klaus and Caroline. "No way!" Caroline shook her head!
"I don't believe you!" Rebekah said still laughing.
"What are you girls talking about? My mad bedroom skills?" He asked with a smirk leaning against the counter.
All three girls rolled their eyes. "Oh please, Damon." Caroline crossed her arms.
"Just because you've slept with the three of us, doesn't mean all we talk about is how good you are in the sack." Rebekah scoffed. "How do you live with this?" She looked at Jen while pointing at Damon.
Jen chuckled. "Oh well, you know, I have an amazing Damon tolerance level." She shrugged with a smirk.
Damon shook his head. "Ok, this is officially a bad thing." He gave the girls a crooked smile.
"What is?" Caroline arched an eyebrow.
"My exes being BFF and all that." He stated and the girls laughed. "Now I'm gonna be ganged up against."
"You're lucky it's only three of us." Jen added. "Imagine if we got every single girl you've ever bedded? Then you'd be fucked." She said as she grabbed her bag and keys, and the girls laughed.
Damon mock pouted. "Don't be a bitch." He teased as they all exited and she locked up.
"So this is where you've been hanging out, huh sister?" They all heard from behind them, making them turn around simultaneously.
Rebekah let out an exasperated sigh. "What do you want, Kol?"
Kol smirked. "Well I was worried for my little sister. I got home and asked Nik where you were and he didn't know, so I decided to make sure that you were staying out of trouble and all that." He shrugged and turned his attention to Jen. "Aren't you going to introduce me to your little friend, Bekah?" He gave a leery smile.
"No." She crossed her arms.
"Aww…" He pouted, but a smile teased the corners of his lips. "Come on, baby sister."
"It's ok, Bekah." Jen assured softly, surprising Kol with the closeness of their friendship by calling his sister by her nickname, and Damon scoffed.
'There is nothing ok about Kol Mikaelson.' He rolled his eyes, moving to stand close to Jen's side.
"Hi, I'm Bekah's friend Jen." She held out her hand.
Kol smirked. "Well, you're a pretty thing. I'm Bekah's big brother Kol." He looked her up and down. "I think I like you."
Damon rolled his eyes again. "Alright, that's enough." He put an arm around Jen's shoulders. 'I already have one vampire to worry about. I don't need another.'
Kol finally looked at Damon. "Oh hey, mate. Didn't see you there."
Damon glared. "Come on, Jen." He gritted his teeth. As much as he wanted to just punch Kol in the face, he knew that the Original was stronger than him. "We need to pick up JD."
Jen nodded. "See you, Bekah. Bye, Care." She waved at the 2 blondes, who waved back.
"I'll see you around, lovely." Kol winked, and Damon tightened his hold on Jen and helped her into his car.
"I'll see you, Rebekah." Caroline nodded to her, got in her car and left.
"What the hell is you problem, Kol?!" Rebekah yelled at her brother.
He shrugged innocently. "What are you talking about, little sister?"
She groaned. "Just stay from Jen, alright? She's actually my friend and if you do something to her I'm going to be furious with you."
"Well," he rubbed his hands together. "She's just to pretty and too interesting to ignore so you're going to have to deal with it." He challenged.
Rebekah's blue eyes glared daggers at Kol. "I swear, Kol, you better stay away from her."
"Calm down, Damon." Jen patted his shoulder. He hadn't said a word since they got into the car and he was gripping the steering wheel so tightly that she was afraid that he was going to break it. "Damon, please relax." She repeated and he took a deep breath. She couldn't understand why he was wound so tightly. "What's wrong?"
His hands relaxed on the steering wheel. "As if one stalking vampire wasn't enough, now the original asshole is after you too." He glared at the road ahead of him. "Worst part is, I'm not stronger than him. Kol can actually kill me."
"Hey," She made him look at her during a red light. "He was just a flirty douche. I'm sure he did that just to bug Rebekah." She smiled assuring.
"I hope so because if Barbie Klaus doesn't keep her brother in line, we are going to have a problem." Damon returned his attention to the road and kept driving.
"You can't blame Rebekah, Damon." She protested with a frown.
"I can, because she's strong enough to fight him." He retorted. "You wanna be friends with her? That's cool, you're a big girl, but friends don't let their idiot brothers hurt their friends. The moment she puts you and, or JD in harm, we'll have a problem." He explained as he parked in front of the daycare.
Jen smiled with an eye roll. She couldn't help but be touched by how much Damon cared, but he was stubborn as hell. 'Very stubborn.' She chuckled as they walked to the receptionist. "JD Salvatore, please." She smiled at the middle-aged woman as Damon stood behind her with his arms crossed.
"Just one second." She picked up the phone, letting JD's teacher know that they'd arrived. A few seconds later, he came running out.
"Mommy, Daddy!" He ran into Jen's arms.
"Hey baby!" She hugged him before passing him to Damon.
"Hey, kiddo." He hugged the little boy with a smile, but Jen could still see the tension in him. "Ready to go?"
"Yep." JD nodded as his teacher handed Jen his backpack.
"Thanks, Mrs. Martin." Jen gave her a gentle smile.
"You're welcome." Mrs. Martin smiled back. "See you tomorrow, JD." She waved before walking away.
In no time they were walking into the boarding house, as JD continued to tell them about his day. "I'm glad you had a good day, sweetie." Jen smiled tiredly at her son.
"I did, Mommy." He nodded making her and Damon laugh.
"I'm gonna go start dinner."She put her bag and JD's on the banister.
"I'll give him a bath." Damon smiled at her. "Then we'll come down for dinner with Mommy, right little man?"
JD nodded, but a knock on the door stopped them from making their way upstairs. Jen opened it finding Rebekah standing there. "Hey, Bekah." She smiled. "Come in." She stepped aside, allowing her in.
"Hey," Rebekah smiled and stepped in.
Damon watched hesitantly. He still didn't like Rebekah, but he was trusting Jen's judgment. 'She seems to make the Original bitch less bitchy.' He thought to himself.
"I just wanted to let you know that I'm gonna make sure that my brother doesn't bother you." She stated rather awkwardly and very un-Rebekah like. "Don't worry, Damon. For once, we're on the same side." She gave him a fake smile.
"Goody." He returned in like as footsteps made their way to the foyer.
"Hey, Uncle Stef!" JD ran over to him.
"Hey, JD!" Stefan swept him into a hug. "How was school?"
"It was fun!" He grinned. "I fingerpainted."
"That's great, JD." Stefan smiled and then turned to Rebekah. "Hey, Rebekah." He nodded with a polite smile.
"Hi, Stefan." She nodded back. He thought about the subtle changes in Rebekah ever since she started hanging out with Jen while JD explained his day to him. One of the major differences was that she was definitely less hostile to others. 'She almost seems nice.' He thought as Elena walked in from the parlor, having heard the commotion.
"What is she doing in here?" Elena asked with a frown. How could Damon and Stefan even let her in the house when Rebekah had been the one that caused the accident that brought on her death?
Before Rebekah opened her mouth to give Elena a snide reply, Jen stepped in. "She is my friend and she came here to see me."
Elena crossed her arms. "Well in case you didn't know Rebekah's not exactly good with humans. She killed me."
"I know." Jen shrugged. "You have every right to dislike her and have your problems with her, but that doesn't mean that I should only be friends with people that you like. I'm perfectly capable of making my own decisions on who I can and cannot be friends with." Jen arched and eyebrow, challenging Elena to keep fighting her on the subject.
But Elena remained quiet, having noticed that Damon and Stefan didn't promptly side with her and the smirk on Rebekah's face, she knew she couldn't win this fight alone.
A silence enveloped the room as the 2 Petrova descendants eyed each other. It was only broken by a snicker from Rebekah. "It's clear that I should get going. I'll see you around, Jen." She hugged the older Petrova, who returned the hug. "Bye, JD." She smiled and ruffled his hair. "Stefan, Damon." She nodded to each brother accordingly and sped out.
Jen let out a long sigh and rubbed her temples. Stress was radiating from her and the tense climate in the foyer wasn't helping. "I guess I better get started on dinner." She began to walk to the kitchen.
Damon grabbed her wrist, and turned her around. "Forget dinner. I'll just pick something up from the Grill." He assured. "Go upstairs, take a hot bath and relax. When I come back, I'll give JD a bath."
"Damon, its fine. I don't mind." She immediately protested.
"That's the problem." He rolled his eyes. "Stefan, take JD upstairs please." The request was really more of an order, but Stefan did as he asked, and Damon looked back at Jen. "You need to chill the fuck out and take some time for yourself. One of the reasons I brought you to Mystic Falls was for you not to have such a heavy burden on your shoulders. I told you that I was going to take care of you too, not just JD." He narrowed his eyes, daring her to argue, but she remained silent. "Now go upstairs, soak in the big ass tub that's in your bathroom and you stay in there until I tell you otherwise." He pointed to the stairs.
"Damon-"
"I'm not kidding." He crossed his arms. "You better be soaking in that tub when I get back because if you're not? I'm going to strip you myself and make sure that you relax as you get all naked and wet." He smirked as she blushed lightly and rolled her eyes.
"Fine." She surrendered. "But I am not gonna turn into a giant prune just because you take forever at the Grill."
'Damn this woman knows how to be stubborn.' Damon rolled his eyes at her. "Yeah, yeah. You know I'll be back in a flash. I won't even drive, I'll run. Now go." He nudged her towards the stairs.
"Fine!" She groaned. "No need to be so pushy, dammit."
"Well if you would just listen without arguing, maybe I wouldn't have to be so pushy." He retorted with a crooked smile. Jen simply scoffed and went upstairs, but she had a small smile on her face.
Damon ran to the Grill at vampire speed and went over to the bar. "I need 2 cheeseburgers, 2 hamburgers and 3 French fries to go." He told the waitress and then locked eyes with her. "I need that order pushed to the top of list." He added with his typical charming smile. The waitress nodded dumbly, the compulsion clearly taking effect. "Good girl, and bring me a glass of scotch while I wait." He winked and sat down as he looked around.
He spotted Jeremy talking to someone who was clearly not from Mystic Falls. With the worries he had with Jen being hunted, he honed in on the conversation.
"You look new." Jeremy said to the tall, dark-skinned man that was sitting next to him.
"I just got to town." The man nodded. "I'm Connor Jordan." He held out a hand covered with a fingerless glove.
"Jeremy Gilbert."Jeremy shook his hand. "Welcome to Mystic Falls."
"Thanks." Connor smiled.
"Nice ink." Jeremy looked down at Connor's right arm. "Well I'll see you around." Jeremy stood up and walked away.
Damon furrowed his eyebrows. 'What's Jeremy talking about? That guy didn't have any tattoos.' Before he could further ponder upon the circumstance, he felt a tap on his shoulder and he turned around.
"Here you go." The waitress handed him the to-go bag. "That'll be $16.62."
Damon pulled out a $20. "Keep the change." He handed it to her and sped back to the boarding house.
Damon rolled his eyes as Bonnie, Jeremy, Matt and Caroline walked into his house and to the living room. "What the hell are all of you doing here on a Wednesday night?"
"Elena told us to come over." Jeremy answered with a shrug.
"She told me that it was urgent." Bonnie looked at him confused. "Did she not talk to you?"
Damon shook his head. "No." The anger was clear in his voice as footsteps made their way to living room. He turned around and saw Elena. "What the hell is going on?"
"I want to wait for Stefan so we can all talk together." She crossed her arms as Jen walked in as well.
"I didn't know we were having guests." She looked around confused. "If I'd known I would've prepared something."
"Oh no," Damon shook his head. "You and I are in no way responsible for feeding them since we didn't even know they were coming." He threw an arm around her shoulders and led her to the couch. "If they're hungry? Elena can feed them." He shot her a look as Stefan walked in. "Did you know about this?"
"Yeah," Stefan nodded. "I assumed that you did too." He looked at Elena confused. 'She didn't tell Damon?'
"Great." Damon grumbled. "Let's get on with whatever this is." He waved his hand in annoyance.
"I met this guy at the Grill and he had a tattoo on his arm." Jeremy explained.
"But I didn't see it." Matt interjected. "There was no tattoo."
"I didn't see it either." Damon added. "I went to pick up food for us and saw baby Gilbert talking to him."
"Well this guy, Connor Jordan, is a vampire hunter, and that tattoo is called a Hunter's Mark. He talked to me at school today and offered to help me learn to hunt vampires." Jeremy explained.
"Great." Damon stated sarcastically. "Just what we need right now. A vampire hunter watching our every damn move. What do we know about this guy?"
"That he has an RV filled with weapons that can kill us and he's the one that shot Tyler." Stefan explained.
"Clearly we need to get rid of him." Damon said simply. "Since he's a vampire hunter, he most likely drinks vervain and can't be compelled, so we kill him." He explained. "Baby Gilbert, he clearly trusts you. Keep talking to him; tell him you wanna learn to kill vampires. I'll talk to the Original pains-in-the-ass and see if they know anything this guy."
"I can ask Rebekah." Jen chimed in. Though she wasn't deeply involved in the supernatural, she wanted to help as best she could.
Damon nodded. "Sounds great. Jeremy, tomorrow I want you to tell him to go to the hospital and talk to Meredith about finding vampires because she's on the council. When he gets there Klaus and I will be waiting to find out who this guy is."
"Are you sure we should involve the Originals?" Elena looked at Damon speculatively.
"Yes we should." He rolled his eyes. "They have ancient knowledge that we don't." He explained. "Plus, the fact that I won't have to deal with Barbie Klaus makes it that much easier."
"Being close to the enemy isn't a good idea either." Elena snapped back.
"What are you talking about?" Damon retorted in an annoyed tone and Elena's eyes flickered to Jen.
"She's talking about me." Jen answered for Elena. "She doesn't like that I'm friends with Rebekah."
"Well consorting with the enemy is a bad idea." Elena glared at
Jen.
"And Rebekah isn't my enemy." Jen glared right back. "Your issues with her are your problem, not mine. Rebekah is my friend and the fact that you or anyone else don't like, it isn't going to change it."
"So you're going to put yourself and your son at risk by being around her?" Elena challenged and Jen clenched her jaw.
"Don't you dare bring my son into this, Elena and never imply that I don't care about his safety." Jen glared daggers at her as the others just watched. "Rebekah is less of a threat to my son than you are. You're the newborn vampire that lacks control, but Damon trusts you so here we are." She reminded. "Rebekah can be mean and spiteful, but she has her issues, Elena, just like you have yours. You don't like me being friends with her and I honestly don't give a shit." Jen crossed her arms. Luckily JD was already asleep and there wasn't a chance that he'd hear any of this.
"Someone please make her understand." Elena looked around pleadingly to the others that had been quiet up until that point.
"Honestly I don't think being friends with Rebekah is a good idea." Bonnie came to Elena's defense. "It's not like we can exactly control any of the Originals and their actions."
"That's true." Matt agreed. "They do what they want, when they want." Even though he liked Rebekah, he knew that she and her brothers did what they wanted regardless of anyone else.
"Plus," Bonnie added. "We stick together. Rebekah killed Elena."
"And Elena killed Rebekah." Jen shot back. "The reason why doesn't matter. If you go to court and explain why Elena stabbed Rebekah in the back, she will not be considered innocent, just as Rebekah would not be innocent in her reason to kill Elena." Jen explained as everything she once learned to be pre-law came back to her.
"Look, I don't feel good around the Originals, but shouldn't it be Jen's decision on whether or not to be friends with Rebekah?" Jeremy spoke up. "She wasn't around for all the previous bullshit anyways so we shouldn't pile that on her." He shrugged and noticed an odd look on Damon's face. Damon was clearly deciding on the right moment to speak up.
"But we know Rebekah." Elena stressed. "She can't be trusted."
"Listen," Caroline called out for everyone's attention. "I have seen Rebekah around Jen. In fact, I hang out with the 2 of them at the bakery sometimes, and Rebekah's not that bad when she isn't homicidal. She's like a normal teenage girl. She's cool with Jen and we even see eye to eye on a lot of things." She explained. "She even defended Jen against Kol. She considers Jen a close friend."Caroline's statement surprised the ones that didn't know about it and Jen smiled at Caroline, thankful that someone was on her side.
"Blondie's right." Damon agreed. He'd remain silent just to see who was on which side, but now he was going to speak his mind. "Rebekah likes Jen and JD. She doesn't endanger them and that's what matters. With Jen being hunted, Kol having an interest in her and this new vampire hunter around here, I want her as safe as possible. Barbie Klaus and I have declared a truce on that note. We don't like each other, but as Jen said before," He looked directly at Elena. "She is a grown ass woman, capable of making her on decisions. She doesn't give a shit about your opinions and neither do I." A shocked gasp came from Elena as the others were surprised as well.
"Damon's right. She and JD are safe with Rebekah, Elena. Rebekah clearly considers Jen as someone worth protecting." Stefan added. "I can't always be at the bakery keeping an eye on her and Rebekah goes to see her every day." He loved his nephew and he was growing to care more and more for Jen. They were his family now as well and he wanted to protect them.
"So never again insinuate that Jen doesn't care about our son's safety." Damon stood by Jen figuratively and literally with his arms crossed, glaring openly at Elena.
Jen smiled inwardly. Damon had defended her to Elena of all people and it meant the world to her. "Then this conversation is over." Jen sighed.
"You can show yourselves out." Damon pointed to the door as he guided Jen upstairs.
-PB-
Jen walked up to the bakery, pulling out her keys. She sighed as she opened the door and checked the time on her phone.
"Good morning, lovely." She heard a smooth voice from behind her, making her jump.
"Holy shit!" She turned around with her hand over her chest as her heart beat rapidly against her ribcage to see who it was. "Kol?" She let out an exasperated breath. "What are you doing here?" He had been stopping by to see her every day since they'd met, and he made sure to come by when no one was around. She turned her back to him and walked in the bakery.
"I came by to see you of course." He followed. "It's not easy to see you regularly when my sister and Stefan are hanging around."
"That's because I don't want to see you, Kol." She rolled her eyes as she put her things away and began fixing things for opening hour. "I'm tired of you following me around. The only reason that I haven't told Rebekah or anyone else yet is because I don't want to cause any problems, but if you don't leave me alone? I'm not afraid to ask Klaus for one of those daggers that he used to keep you dead." She shot him a glare.
"You're so feisty. I like it." He smirked. "But you wouldn't want to walk around making threats to a vampire like me, darling."
"And why is that?" She arched an eyebrow.
"Because I'm volatile and I don't like not getting what I want." He said simply with a smile. "Plus you wouldn't want anything to happen anything to happen to that precious little boy of yours, right?"
Jen gasped loudly. 'How does he know about JD?' She hadn't said anything about JD for the very reason that she knew that Kol would try to use him against her. "Don't you dare!" She clenched her teeth. "He's just a baby."
"Yours and Damon's right?" He slipped behind the counter, standing over her. "That's why he was so protective of you the other day, because you're the mother of his child." He took a step towards her and she took a step back as her heart beat in fear. This was the first time that she had actually been afraid of a vampire since arriving in Mystic Falls. "I'm sure that he'd be very heartbroken if something were to happen to that little boy. I mean, how many 150 year old vampires can say that they have a child?" The smile on his face made more and more fear course through her.
"Please leave them alone." Her voice shook as he took yet another step towards her and she took another step back, her back hitting a wall.
"You love him." Kol stated with realization and a faux pout formed on his face. "How awful it must be to love the father of your child while he pines for another… Poor Jennifer." He ran his nose up her neck and she whimpered. "You smell positively… delicious."
"Kol…" She cried out in a barely audible voice. "Please don't."
He chuckled, making her let out another whimper. "Relax, my dear. I can give you the attention that the man you love doesn't." He pressed his lips to her neck. "It'll only hurt for a second." His voice was quiet and a cry came from her lips as a tear slipped down her cheek, and she closed her eyes.
"Kol!" A yell came from him and he was yanked back roughly.
Jen crumbled to her knees from the fear as she began crying. She was embraced ass someone rubbed her back. "Shh…" She looked up and saw Stefan holding her while Rebekah dragged Kol away.
"Stefan…" She looked up at him with the tears still streaming and then hugged him tightly as her emotions took over.
"How long has he been pushing himself on you?" Stefan asked in a quiet voice, not wanting to frighten her. It had been a long time since any human around him had been frightened by a vampire.
"Since we met… but this was the first time that he's tried to…" She couldn't finish as she remembered what it had been like to be fed upon roughly.
"It's ok…" He held her close. "You should've told Damon. He's gonna be beyond pissed when he finds out."
Jen nodded. She knew this, but she knew that Kol was stronger than Damon. "He threatened JD, and he's stronger than Damon." She explained. "I don't know what I'd do if Damon got hurt because of me." She looked down. She loved him too much to lose him.
"And Damon would flip out if something happened to you or JD." Rebekah stated walking over and crouching next to them. "I'm so sorry about my brother, Jen." She hugged her tightly. "I'm going to talk to Nik. Maybe he can keep a leash on Kol."
"It's not your fault, Bekah." Jen assured with a smile and then turned to Stefan.
Rebekah scoffed. "It's lucky that we got here when we did. God! I'm so pissed at him." She shook her head.
"I'll call Damon and tell him what happened." Stefan stood up, helping Jen stand as well. "He needs to stay alert till I get there, and be prepared for Kol, just in case. I'll be watching JD while Damon meets with Klaus and handles the vampire hunter."
Rebekah nodded. "Good idea. I'll stay here with Jen."
Stefan nodded back to Rebekah and kissed Jen's forehead. "Be careful alright?"
Jen nodded. "Thanks, Stef." He smiled and left. Once he was gone, Jen looked at Rebekah with a small smile. "Why did you and Stefan show up at the same time?"
"I come here every morning and I bumped into Stefan on the way here." Rebekah explained. "He wanted to try something of yours and when we got to the door I smelled Kol."
Jen nodded, but with a smirk on her face. "It's obvious that you like Stefan, Bekah." She walked into the kitchen with Rebekah following, and washed her face.
"Don't you think that we should talk about your recent attack instead of my feelings for Stefan, especially since he's just as in love with Elena as Damon is?" She scoffed.
"But at least I can admit that I love Damon." Jen challenged.
"Not to his face." Rebekah shot back and Jen sighed.
"Well my circumstance is more complicated." Jen reminded. "Plus, neither Stefan nor Damon are here, so you can talk to me."
Rebekah sighed. "Stefan and I met during his ripper days. He understood me and didn't judge. We had a lot of fun together and I was willing to leave Nik to be with him, but Mikael found us." She explained and Jen remembered her telling the story about how they began and their issues with their father. "That's when Nik compelled him to forget and daggered me. I love Stefan, but I'm not gonna sit around and wait for him."
"And this is where Matt comes in." Jen added. Rebekah had told her about Matt.
"Exactly." The 2 of them walked back to the kitchen as Jen carried out a tray of muffins and cupcakes. "So what have you got new?"
"Well I have the blackberry Danish." Jen answered.
Rebekah licked her lips. "Then I want one of those and a coffee." She walked back to the customer side of the counter.
"You got it." She began making Rebekah's coffee and prepared the Danish. Fifteen minutes later, Jen handed Rebekah her order. "Here, Bex."
"Thanks, Jen." Rebekah handed her a $20. "Change is all yours." She smiled. "I'll be back after school."
"Good, there are some things that I need to talk to you about." Jen nodded. Her mind went to Kol, and she frowned.
"Don't worry about Kol." Rebekah assured. "I told him that I'd tell Nik to dagger him for almost killing Caroline's friend so he shouldn't be back anytime soon."
"Thanks, Bekah." She let out a breath of relief.
"See you later."
~LD~
Jen checked her phone. It read 3:30. Rebekah would be arriving soon. Her phone rang and she answered it quickly. "Hello?"
"Jen, Klaus and I are headed to the hospital to set up for the hunter." Damon explained. "You talk to Rebekah and see what you can get from her. We'll talk about the Kol situation at home."
She could hear that he was angry. "Damon-" She tried to explain, but he stopped her.
"At home, Jen." He repeated and hung up, making her sigh heavily.
"What's wrong?" She heard Caroline ask as she and Rebekah walked in.
"Damon's pissed." Rebekah answered. "Kol got a little too close to Jen today and he'd been following her around too closely and she didn't tell any of us."
"Jen!" Caroline's jaw dropped. "Why didn't you tell us?"
Jen sighed. "He was just being overbearingly flirty at first. He just took it too far today, and threatened JD and Damon."
"I should've figured that you were protecting Damon." Caroline rolled her eyes, but a smile played at her lips.
"So what did you want to talk about?" Rebekah asked as she and Caroline sat at the counter.
"There's a vampire hunter in town." She answered.
"Yeah," Rebekah nodded. "Nik told me that he was meeting with Damon to question him."
"He's the one that shot Tyler." Caroline added.
"So what's so special about this hunter?" Rebekah asked.
"Well Jeremy met him at the Grill, where he saw a tattoo on his arm, but Matt and Damon didn't see it." Jen explained. "It was invisible to them."
Rebekah's eyes widened. "Oh my God…"
"What?" Caroline and Jen asked in unison.
"He's one of the Five." She shook her head. "They were supposed to be destroyed."
"What's the five?" the other 2 asked, once again in unison.
"It's called the Brotherhood of the Five. " She answered. "They were group of supernatural vampire hunters from the 12th century consisting of five members. They were highly skilled, and had enhanced strength and reflexes. They were created by a dying witch who wanted them to fulfill Qetsiyah's dying which is to kill all vampires with a weapon that no vampire can survive. On their bodies, there's an invisible called the Hunter's Mark which reveals more of itself with each vampire or hybrid the hunter kills, but it's only visible to non-hunters until the Mark is complete." She explained. "I knew one of them. Alexander, that was his name, told me the weapon was to convince me to leave town… I loved him, but he daggered me while the others daggered my brothers, which is where Nik got his daggers. He said there was a cure. Nik killed the Brotherhood that night and un-daggered us. The tattoos disappeared from their bodies so we couldn't look for the cure or even see if it really existed."
"So there's a cure for vampirism?" Jen asked wide-eyed.
"Maybe, maybe not." Rebekah shrugged. "Alexander could've been lying for all I know, but I want nothing to do with it. The worst part is that you can't even kill the bastards."
"Why not?" Caroline asked, leaning on her elbows.
"The hunters were spelled by witches to kill vampires; if you prevent one from fulfilling his destiny then he'll take you down with him." Rebekah replied.
"What do you mean by that?" Jen frowned. Damon was planning on killing Connor. 'Probably today…'
"The Hunter's Curse is basically a failsafe, designed to torment the killer of a hunter and drive them insane so that they could commit suicide, and as a way to protect the hunter from being killed by vampires. Thus, the hunter's job is still completed." Rebekah explained. "It basically works like this: the vampire responsible for the murder of the hunter will experience horrifically vivid hallucinations, usually in the form of the people that the recipient has killed in the past, the first being the hunter that was killed to trigger the curse, which will then prey upon the killer's guilty conscience, and may even manifest in strange forms, tempting the killer to kill themselves in order to escape this psychological torment." She finished and Jen gulped.
"How do you know all this?" Jen's voice was barely a whisper.
"Nik was tormented inside his head for a period of 52 years, 4 months, and 9 days." Rebekah answered as realization hit all 3 girls. "It only ends when a new hunter awakens to take the dead hunter's place."
"Oh my God," All 3 said in unison.
"No," Rebekah shook her head. "Nik will not let this hunter die."
"Well Damon is difficult to convince." Jen pulled her phone out and called Damon. "Please pick up…" She mumbled.
"Hello?" Damon, who fortunately was alive and now stretched out on the floor of the hospital, outside the room that had just been blown up.
"Are you ok?" Jen asked worriedly, hearing him panting.
"Yeah, just hit a little snag." He responded as he stood up. "We didn't get all the information that we wanted from Mr. Connor Jordan."
"Please tell me that you didn't kill that hunter, Damon." She practically begged, hoping that he hadn't.
"Uh…" He took a breath. "He may have been blown up just now. Why?"
She gasped and turned to the other girls with a worried look. "Damon, Rebekah explained everything. He's a hunter from an ancient brotherhood formed by a witch. Whoever kills a hunter from that brotherhood, will go crazy and become suicidal." She explained frantically as worry took over her.
"Relax, Jen." He attempted to placate her. She was clearly insanely worried. "Klaus was too smart to stay in the room when it exploded so I'll go meet with him and have him explain whatever it was that Rebekah explained to you."
Jen sighed heavily. "You can't just go blowing people up all willy-nilly. I swear to God, Damon, if you killed that guy? I'm gonna stake you myself." She nearly growled. "Do research before killing people that could be a threat."
Damon couldn't help but laugh at the tone of her voice. She wasn't pissed at the fact that he may have killed someone, but that he didn't research on his victim. 'She is one of a kind.' He ran a hand through his hair. "I'll be sure to do that from now on." He rolled his eyes and dusted himself off.
"Good." She smirked. "Now stop rolling your eyes at me, Damon."
He looked at the phone incredulously. "How did you know?"
She chuckled. "I'm a mom and I know you."
"Whatever." Damon chuckled as well, but then his tone got serious. "I'm going to meet with Klaus and then I'll be home. Have Rebekah go with you to pick up JD and then go home." Jen could hear clearly that his tone had no room for argument. "I'll be there soon so we can talk because clearly we have to talk."
Jen sighed heavily. "Ok, Damon." She fought the urge to roll her eyes. She knew that he was pissed and he had every right to be, but she sure as hell wasn't going to let him scold her like she knew that he was planning to.
"I'll see you and JD at home, Jen." His tone softened a bit. "Please be careful."
A small smile appeared on her face. "I will. You be careful too, even more so."
"I will." He smiled too. "Bye, Jen."
"Bye, Damon." She responded and he hung up.
"Aww…" Rebekah crooned teasingly. "You get all googly-eyed after talking to Damon."
Jen rolled her eyes. "Rebekah, please don't even go there."
Rebekah laughed, quickly joined by Caroline. "If it wasn't Damon, I might actually say that it was cute."
Jen stuck her tongue out at the smirking blondes. "You're so funny." Jen said sarcastically as she returned to her work. "You can't say anything because you slept with him, remember?"
Rebekah scoffed. "I try not to."
"Me too." Caroline shuddered.
"But you can't forget, can you?" Jen teased. "If there's something in this world that Damon is damn good at, it's in the sack."
"Unfortunately." Rebekah nodded and then turned to Jen with a mischievous look in her eyes. "Do you still think about it?"
"Think about what?" She walked in to the back as Rebekah followed and began icing some cupcakes.
"Sex with Damon." Rebekah answered. Jen blushed, shook her head and didn't say a word. "Well?" Rebekah pushed further.
"Bekah… Please…"Jen pleaded softly, still not looking at the blonde.
"Come on, Jen. You can tell us." Caroline nudged Jen's side and Jen blushed profusely.
"Of course I thought about it, guys." She admitted in a barely audible voice.
"Do you still think about it?" Rebekah asked. "Have you been with anyone since Damon?"
"How could I?" Jen shrugged. "When I got back, all I did was miss him, and then I found out that I was pregnant with JD, and let's be honest Bekah, what 18 year old guy wants to date an 18 year old girl that's pregnant with someone else's baby and was kicked out of her house?" The tone in her voice was almost bitter with a hint of sadness.
"So you've never been with anyone other than Damon." It was more of an affirmation than a question, and Jen nodded. At that moment Rebekah figured that it was time to lighten the mood. "God, how do you survive without getting laid?"
Jen let out a small laugh. "I manage."
"So you take care of yourself?" Caroline waggled her eyebrows.
"Of course not!" Jen nearly yelled. "I never had time for that."
"You do now." Rebekah reminded, making Jen roll her eyes.
"In a house full of vampires?" She arched an eyebrow. "Where the vampires are the man I'm in love with, his brother, and the vampire chick that the man I love is in love with? No thanks." She shook her head. "I'm closing early today since it's slow." She cleaned everything up. "Let's get out of here."
Rebekah nodded, all three girls walked out, and Jen locked up the bakery and Caroline left. "That's a good point." Rebekah laughed. "I can't even imagine what would happen if that little doppelganger heard you moaning Damon's name." She chortled.
Jen pursed her lips. "That's not even a little funny, Rebekah." Jen glared lightly as they got into her car and she drove to JD's daycare.
"It's a little funny." Rebekah giggled and Jen shot her another glare. "But really, Jen, I can't even imagine what it would be like to go so long without some kind of release."
Jen shook her head as she parked in front of the daycare. "Please refrain from speaking about this with my son in the car."
"Oh relax, momma bear." Rebekah rolled her eyes and Jen exited the car. A few minutes after walking into the building she returned holding JD's hand as he chatted away about his day.
"Ok, baby." Jen opened the door and JD climbed into his car seat and buckled himself in. "Good boy." Jen ruffled his hair and put his bag on the seat, before getting back in the driver's seat. "Say hi to Rebekah, JD."
"Hi, Bekah!" He gave her a wide smile.
"Hey, JD. How was school?" Rebekah looked back at him with a smile.
"It was fun! I built a Lego city and I saved from it Loki!" He explained excitedly making Rebekah looked at Jen confused.
"Cool…" She said reluctantly as Jen laughed.
"Great job, sweetie." Jen smiled at him through the rearview mirror.
"Thanks, Mommy." He smiled.
The drive back to the boarding house was quick as JD filled Rebekah and his mother in on the things that he learned in school that day. When they arrived at the boarding house, JD quickly unbuckled himself from his car seat and Jen opened the door for him.
"Man, he talks a lot." Rebekah chuckled.
"He gets that from me." Jen smiled. In a general sense, JD was more like his father than anything, especially his looks but, there were little things about his personality that reflected her. She walked over to the door, opened it, and they walked inside. "Sweetie, go upstairs while I make a snack for you ok?"
"Ok, Mommy." He nodded and went to his room.
"You're lucky… to have him." Rebekah whispered wistfully.
"I know. I love him more than anything." Jen responded seriously. "But I get a little sad sometimes."
"Why?"
"Because I can't have another." She answered with a shrug.
"Yes, you can." Rebekah responded.
"But not with Damon." Jen added and a heavy silence settled between them and both girls got lost in their thoughts.
After a few minutes, Rebekah decided to lighten the mood. "I've decided that at some point, we need to take you and get you laid, or at least drunk. You're too uptight."
Jen shook her head and chuckled. "No thanks, Bekah. Going out and partying kinda isn't my scene anymore." She walked to the kitchen as Rebekah followed.
Rebekah rolled her eyes. "Oh please, it's either that or I can tell Damon to help you with your little problem."
Before Jen could open her mouth to protest, she heard someone speak from behind her. "What problem?"
It was Damon. 'When the hell did he come in? I didn't even hear him.' Jen's heart beat rapidly in her chest and she saw Rebekah smirking. 'She knew! That bitch!' "Nothing!" Jen answered before Rebekah could say anything. "Rebekah is just being annoying." Jen shot a glare at the blonde.
Damon smirked. "So what's new?"
Rebekah glared at him. "You're funny." She snapped sarcastically, making Jen and Damon laugh as Jen began preparing JD's snack.
"I know." Damon shrugged, walking over to Jen and ruffling her hair. "But we do have a problem that we need to talk about." He gave her a meaningful look. "Stefan told me what happened." The anger was clear in his voice, but his eyes softened a bit. "He also told me how he found Kol. Are you ok?" Even through the anger, the concern for her was clear.
Jen took a deep breath and closed her eyes as the memory of Kol's teeth against her neck came over her, also triggering the memory of when Damon fed from her. She shook slightly and tears filled her eyes. The fear raced through her much like it had when she was attacked.
Damon's hand cupped her cheek. "It's ok." His voice was tender. It had been a long time since he, or any of them really, had been around a human that was still genuinely scared of vampires, and he knew she wasn't simply upset because of what had happened with Kol, but because of what he had done. "Jen, look at me." He lifted her chin, making her teary chocolate brown eyes look into his worried crystal blue ones. "It's ok to be scared. You're around fucking vampires and you've already been attacked before, but I won't let anything happen to you. You have to cooperate with me though!" The anger was finally taking over him and he began pacing. "You can't keep things from me, especially if what you're keeping away from me can cause your death! JD and I can't lose you. I cannot raise him without you! You can't leave him! You can't leave us!"
Jen could see the tension in Damon's posture as he paced back and forth and then he turned to look at her. "I don't want to leave you or our son, Damon." Her voice was soft and assuring.
"Then let me take care of you, protect you." His tone left no room for argument, making the request sound more like an order. Jen nodded her agreement. "Promise me." His eyes bore into hers.
"I do." She responded with a tiny smile. Rebekah, who'd been quiet until that point had been silent, smirked at her friend's choice of words.
Before anyone else could say anything, a knock on the front door broke through the moment that had enveloped the kitchen. "I'll get the door." Jen asked, taking a step back. "Can you finish preparing JD's snack?" She asked, receiving a nod from Damon, and then opened the front door, seeing a familiar face frowning at her.
"I know you."
"Hello, Katherine." Jen smirked.
"Jen, who's at the door?" Damon asked walking over, with Rebekah following closely behind. "Oh, it's you." He rolled his eyes upon seeing the older doppelganger.
"Yes, it's me, and clearly she is the reason that I can't come in." She glared at Jen.
"That would be about right." Damon retorted, loving that Katherine had been caught off guard.
"Not to mention that the original bitch is here." Katherine flashed her eyes over the original vampire, earning a growl. "How are you even human?" She arched her eyebrow at Jen.
"Mommy, is my snack ready?" JD's small voice rang from the stairs, earning the attention of the adults. "Daddy, you're home!" He ran to Damon, who scooped him up immediately.
Katherine looked at the little boy intensely. He had understated features that mirrored his mother's, but he was a near copy of Damon. "How?" The word stumbled out of her mouth before she could process her thoughts. 'Vampires can't have children…'
"Emily's magic." Damon answered.
"She took me back in time to where Damon was very human, and together we made JD." Jen explained as simply as possible in front of her son.
Katherine quickly placed her mask back on. "So Damon's a father?" She smirked. "How cute." Wheels were clearly turning in her head. It was true that now, Damon had an easy weapon that could be used against him.
"And he, as well as I, are your descendants." Jen added with a smirk of her own, making sure that Katherine didn't get any ideas.
Katherine stiffened. "Well since we're family," she nearly spat the word, "won't you invite me in?" She bat her eyes.
"One bitchy doppelganger around here is enough." Rebekah sneered.
"You're not welcome here or around my son." Damon glared and slammed the door in her face.
Katherine growled. She figured she could cause hell for them, but it just wouldn't be worth it. If Rebekah was around and siding with Damon? It usually meant that Klaus wasn't far behind, and he was still someone that she didn't like to be around. So she took her leave.
Not long after Katherine's departure, the gang gathered together at the Grill to have dinner together.
"Mommy," JD tagged at his mother's shoulder. "I gots to go potty."
"Ok, sweetie." She pulled him out of the highchair.
"I'll take him." Jeremy volunteered, standing up. "I was about to go anyways."
"Thanks, Jer." Jen smiled and the young man took the toddler's hand, guiding him to the bathroom as Jen returned to the conversation where Damon was informing the others of Katherine's visit.
Minutes passed and Jen checked her watch. "Damon, JD and Jeremy have been gone way too long." Worry clear in her voice and chocolate brown eyes. "They should've been back by now."
"I'll go check." He ran to the men's restroom, finding it completely empty and returned to the table with a frown.
"Well?" Jen asked, expecting him to have returned with Jeremy and JD. "They're gone." He bit out.
"What?" She panicked. "How? Who? Why?" Tears formed in her eyes as everyone stood. Rebekah placed a comforting hand on her best friend's shoulder.
"Whoever did it is dead…" He growled. "You guys head out, try to find any traces of them." He said to Bonnie, Matt, Caroline, Elena, Stefan and Rebekah.
"No way." Elena shook her head. "This is my brother we're talking about. I'm staying here with you just in case."
"I am too." Stefan piped. "JD is my nephew. I'm not going on some wild goose chase."
"But we need someone out there just in case there's a scent." Damon glared.
"Caroline and I will go." Rebekah volunteered. "The humans should get home just in case."
"I'll accompany them to Bonnie's first, then go out searching with Rebekah." Caroline added.
"Thanks so much for doing this." Jen smiled at her 2 blonde friends.
"We got your back, Jen." Caroline gave her an assuring hug and everyone departed.
Damon's phone rang, and he noticed that it was an unknown number. "Where the hell is my son?" He growled, knowing that it could only be JD's kidnapper.
"Well, if you come to the church you can get him back." Damon recognized the voice and Damon nearly broke the cellphone.
"Conner Jordan." He spat. "When I get my hands on you, you're going to wish that I would kill you."
"Be sure to tell Elena that Jeremy is here keeping JD company." Conner hung up without another word.
"What happened? Does he have JD?" Jen asked frantically with tearful eyes.
Damon nodded angrily. "That bastard took him and Jeremy." He looked at Elena, whose face contorted with anger. "Jen," he cupped her cheek. "I'm gonna get him back safe and sound." He promised. "I want you to go back to the boarding house and wait for us."
Fire burned in Jen's eyes. " Are you fucking insane?!" She yelled, nearly murdering Damon with her eyes. "That asshole took my baby! There is no way in hell that I'm just gonna sit around and wait for you to bring him home!" She poked him in the middle of the chest. "I'm going with you! Plus if I kill Conner, none of you get stuck with the curse." She added and Damon sighed.
"Fine, but you do what I say when I say it. If I say run, you run. If I say hide, you hide, got it?" His tone left no room for arguments and Jen nodded.
"Damon, are you serious?" Elena asked in a tone colored with disbelief and indignity. "She's human! She'll just end getting in the way or hurt."
"And how many times was the human you involved in life threatening situations?" He arched an eyebrow at her. "If you Petrovas are anything alike, I know that Jen would just go behind my back and end up killed so I'd rather just have her stay with me and doing what I say." He retorted, turning to his brother. " Come with, just in case."
Stefan nodded, prepared to fight for his nephew.
Damon drove at breakneck speed to the church where JD and Jeremy were being held hostage. "Be careful, it might be booby trapped." Damon warned, taking the lead. "Jen, stay between Stefan and Elena. I'm gonna go through quickly, first. Stefan, you lead the girls through it after I go in." He ordered and zoomed in.
"Follow me closely and only step where I step." Stefan explained as he walked in cautiously. They walked in silence, wary of any traps that might be out. At the speed that Damon had run in, it was unlikely that he'd set any off. When they neared the stairs to the basement, a stake shot out from under one of the floor panels, nearly impaling in Stefan's chin. Fortunately he caught it just in time.
Jen gave him a proud smile and he returned with a smile of his own. "We have to be careful. A wooden stake won't kill you for the same reason it kills us, but it'll still kill you." He stated before they continued.
Damon was panting as fury pumped through him. Just as Klaus had explained, Conner was stronger and faster than a normal human being. He was having a hard time trying to subdue Conner without having to kill him in front of JD or killing him at all and being stuck with some hellish curse.
"I swear I'm gonna make you pay for taking my son and if you hurt one hair on his head? You're sure as hell gonna wish you were dead." Damon growled, his vampiric instincts trying to take over, but he couldn't show his vampire face around JD, who was tied to a chair and crying restlessly. Unfortunately Jeremy was unconscious, and couldn't distract the toddler from the fight.
"How does it work anyways?" Conner asked in a taunting voice. "I learned all about you. You're a 150 year old vampire. How is it that you have a 2 year old son? Or is it that you like to play daddy to a little brat that's not even yours?"
"He is mine." Damon lunged forward, knocking Conner to the ground and making the stake that was in his hand fall a few feet away. "I swear to God I'm gonna find a away to kill you." His blue eyes burned with murder.
"Daddy..." JD sobbed as he struggled against his bindings, desperate to reach his father.
Damon stood up immediately and ran to his son at human speed as not to scare him. "Just hold on a little longer, kiddo. I promise that daddy's gonna get you out of this." He kissed his son's forehead.
"Daddy! Look out!" JD's blue eyes filled with terror.
Damon felt himself be injected with vervain and groaned at the burn spreading through his veins. He turned, pushing Conner back with a growl. "JD, close your eyes." He ordered between clenched teeth and the toddler immediately obeyed.
"Very smart, telling your son to close his eyes as to not witness your death." Conner taunted again, lunging at Damon and pushing him against the wall. "I don't know how you claim the little brat as yours, but it doesn't matter anyways. He's about to be fatherless." He held up a stake and a shrill scream echoed from upstairs.
"JD, keep your eyes closed until I tell you to open them." He groaned out, feeling the tip of the stake against his stomach, and he grabbed Conner's throat.
"Sounds like someone got hurt upstairs." Conner rasped with a wicked smile.
"I'm gonna kill you." Damon's eyes bled red, his fangs elongated and the veins surfaced.
"Not before I kill you." The hunter shoved the stake into his stomach and Damon's hand relaxed from around his neck. "Say bye-bye to your son."
Damon growled, clutching the protruding stake as Conner held up another, and by the smell, Damon could tell it was soaked with vervain. Damon then used his free hand to grab Conner's arm, twisting it at an awkward angle. Conner cried out in pain as Damon kept pulling, breaking the hunter's arm, and then shoved him back. He gripped the now blood-covered stake, and pulled it out slowly. Conner lunged at him again with the stake in his other hand, and before he could react, a gunshot echoed around them and Conner fell forward.
Damon looked toward the door and there stood a frightened Jen, holding a gun with trembling hands.
"Jen." He breathed out, surprised at who his rescuer was.
She dropped the gun as if it burned her hands and ran to him. "Damon." Her eyes trained on the blood gushing from the hole in his stomach. "Oh my gosh..."
"I'll be fine." He rested his forehead on hers. "Go check on JD." He nudged her in the little boy's direction as Conner began standing up. Damon quickly moved to stand between the relentless young hunter, and Jen and JD. "You just won't die, will you?" He looked at the bullet wound on his side.
"Not easily." Conner shot back through clenched teeth.
Damon sighed, hoping that Jen had killed him so that none of the vampires would have to and suffer the curse. Damon stumbled forward, still weak from being staked and injected with vervain.
"You bastard." Elena declared, coming up behind Conner and snapping his neck.
"Elena, no!" Damon, Jen and Stefan, who had followed Elena in, shouted as she killed the hunter.
Damon shook his head. 'She let her emotions take over.' He sighed heavily and turned around to look at Jen and JD as Elena moved to check on her brother.
JD was clutching onto his mother for dear life as he sobbed. Jen held him to her tightly as she cried as well. He shook his head. This was the type of situation that he never wanted them to suffer. He took a pained step toward them and was quickly supported by his brother.
"You need to feed." Stefan helped him walk over to Jen and JD.
"I'll feed from a blood bag at home." Damon said with a wince. "I just want to get them home."
"Elena killed Conner." Stefan reminded.
"And we'll deal with that later." Damon shook his head. If the curse was as bad as Klaus said, controlling an emotionally unstable Elena wasn't going to be easy. Damon put his hand on Jen's shoulder, and she stood up with a still crying JD in her arms.
He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Let's go home." He kissed his son's head and then Jen's forehead.
Stefan helped his brother up the stairs and they all got into the car. Damon occupied the back with Jen and JD while Elena and Jeremy, who was now conscious, sat in the passenger bench seat and Stefan drove. The drive back the Salvatore manor was silent as the frightened little boy clung to his parents. He wouldn't let go even to sit in the car seat so his mother held him in her lap and his father kept one arm around the two of them and ran a calming hand up and down his back.
"Daddy?" The toddler's voice was hoarse from crying.
"Yeah, kiddo?" Damon responded with a slight wince as the wound in his stomach hadn't healed all the way.
"Can I sleep with you and mommy tonight please?" Wide blue eyes begged tearfully.
A cord struck inside Damon and the other adults. In JD's eyes, his parents' relationship was just like all other parents, and all other parents slept in the same bed. A lump formed in Jen's throat as nervousness began to flow through her as she as well as the others waited to hear Damon's answer.
"Of course, kiddo."
The answer was received with a wide smile and hug from the little boy. Jen smiled a little. She had to admit that the thought of sleeping with Damon even though it was with their son made her giddy inside.
"Sweetie, stay with mommy because daddy's hurt." Jen pulled JD back onto her lap seeing Damon grimace.
"Sorry, daddy." JD jumped back into his mother's lap. Stefan parked in front of the boarding house and helped his brother inside.
"Go give him a bath and get him ready for bed. I'm gonna feed, shower and make him some milk." Damon told Jen and she nodded. "Tomorrow morning I'll call the school and tell them that JD won't be coming in for the next week."
"I'll call Layla and let her know I won't be coming into work." She added and went upstairs.
Thirty minutes later, everyone was showered and heading to bed. Damon walked into his room with a sippy cup of chocolate milk and found Jen and JD waiting for him.
"Daddy, are you better now?" JD asked as Damon handed him the sippy cup and sat on the bed too.
"Yes, I'm better now." Damon answered and with that JD climbed into his father's lap.
"I was so scared, daddy!" JD cried. "Why did that man take me and Jeremy? Why did he want to hurt us?"
Damon sighed and Jen's eyes widened with tears, seeing her son's distress. Sometimes JD being so smart wasn't a good thing.
"He was just a bad man, JD." Damon held him tightly. "But I promise I won't ever let anything like this happen again." He kissed JD's head. "Let's get some sleep." He looked at Jen, who showed clear signs of worry and exhaustion. "I can compel him to forget..." Damon suggested softly, hoping to ease the worry in her heart as well as his own. Their son had been through a traumatic situation and they were unsure how it would affect him.
"No." She shook her head. "He's been drinking vervain tea since he was a baby."
He sighed and nodded as the three of them laid down on the king sized bed. JD was tucked safely between his parents while Jen placed an arm over him, making her hand rest on Damon's chest, and Damon kept a protective arm over both of them. They were all asleep in a matter of minutes.
Elena walked to Damon's room to ask him how he was feeling and saw him asleep with Jen and JD guarded in his arms. She frowned. 'I can't believe that he was serious... I shouldn't be surprised. Damon would jump at the chance to have a woman in his bed no matter what the reason.'
Though her mind had established proper reasoning, seeing another woman in Damon's bed grated her nerves to no end. Lost so deeply to her emotions, Elena didn't sense her ex-boyfriend approach with a smile upon seeing his brother and his family.
"Elena," He called softly with a gentle hand on her shoulder. He could feel the anger, confusion and frustration rolling off of her like waves. "Let's let them sleep." He reached for the doorknob and shut the door with a quiet click.
'She's finally starting to realize her feelings for Damon...' He told himself, but it didn't bother him as much as it would've before. 'I just wonder if it's too late...'
So there it is guys! Sorry it took so long, but at least it was twice as long as all the others, hitting at about 40 pages whereas the other were around 20.
Thanks do much to everyone that has favored and is following the story.
It'll be a while before the next chapter, but soon I'll have more time to write, I promise!
Please review!
-MajorJ.