Chapter 17
January 11th, 2010
Damon ran his fingers through her long blonde hair absently, and she sighed against his chest. After her command that he stay on his side of the bed last night, who was now cuddling against him on his side of the bed? He smirked at the ceiling.
Evie wiggled against his side a frown on her face. He glanced down at her and resumed stroking her hair. She was having another nightmare. She had been restless most of the night, rolling and muttering words here and there. A few times his name had passed her lips, her voice sounding almost anxious, and each time it had he had soothed her back into a peaceful sleep.
A clap of thunder boomed loudly outside the house, causing the windows to rattle, and she jumped up like someone shot her. He kept her from falling out of the bed when she sat up so abruptly and wrapped his arms around her waist.
"Whazhappin?" She asked with sleepy confusion, before looking down at him. Her eyes narrowed. "Let go." She growled, shoving up out of his arms and retreating to the other side of the bed.
He snickered and put his hands behind his head, still watching her. "Hey, you were the one cuddling with me. I stayed on my side of the bed and..." He paused dramatically, waving a finger in the air before poking her nose with it. "-You were snoring."
Cheeks a dark pink, Evie glared at him from under the blanket, bristling like an angry cat as she swatted his hand away. "Was not." She shot back and he just smirked at her. After a second, she started to get out of the bed fighting with the blankets.
"Where are you going?" He asked her with curiosity and amusement as she dug out some items from her white clothes basket of clean folded clothing. "It's raining and you hate rain."
Evelyn decided to ignore his remark about what she disliked, though it bothered her greatly, and pulled on a button-up shirt over her black tank-top. She turned to see Damon still watching her and she scowled, sighing irritably as she did up the buttons on her grey and red striped shirt.
"Yeah, well, I have to help make flower deliveries. The church was selling them to raise money and my Gran owns the flower shop so..." She shrugged. "I got volunteered."
The blue-eyed vampire leaned against the headboard. "Want some company on the road?"
"No, thanks." She rolled her eyes.
He watched her throw her hair up in a ponytail, trying to ignore him.
"C'mere." He said lowly, crooking a finger at her. Trying to tempt her back to bed.
She never turned around, forcing herself not to look at him afraid of the temptation. "No."
He rolled his eyes. "You still pissed at me? Really?"
She turned to glare at him. "Uh, yeah, I still am. You killed somebody, dumbass."
"That didn't stay dead!" He pointed out with a wave of his hand. "He's alive and unharmed. You saw him last night."
"Still doesn't make it okay, jerkwad." She snapped and stomped over to get her phone from the nightstand. Damon was full on glaring at her now, amusement long gone. "You killed hi-somebody. You killed somebody!" Her stumbled over the words made him ball his fists in anger.
"Because I killed him. That's what you mean." Damon mocked at her, getting out of the bed now. "What is going on with you and that idiotic teacher?"
Evie scowled and unplugged her phone. "Nothing. And he's not stupid. You are for taunting him and turning his wife."
Quick as a flash of lightning he pinned her to the nearest wall, holding her wrists on either side of her head.
"You want to screw with him or something?" Damon snapped at her and she narrowed her eyes at him. "You think he'd ever do that with you? Because he wouldn't. He's too busy thinking about Jenna Sommers to even think about you."
Evie clenched her fists and Damon felt a shove against his chest, not too hard, but hard enough that it took him by surprise and he fell to the floor.
"You're sick." She spat angrily, but she wouldn't look at him. "Just stay the hell away from me."
Damon cursed at the ceiling as she grabbed a jacket from the back of her floor and practically ran out of the room.
"Eves, wait a second..."
Evie felt like punching or setting something on fire. She fled down the stairs two at a time.
"Whoa, where's the fire?" Her father joked, as she made it to the front door. "Honey, you okay?" She looked upset and anger was practically radiating off her.
Wiping a hand under her red nose, she replied: "I'm fine. I'm going to be late delivering the flowers."
"Oh." He said frowning, growing more concerned with the fact that she refused to meet his eyes. "Well, be careful. It's raining awful hard. And watch those backroads."
"I will. Bye, love you." She turned and hugged her dad tightly and briefly before scurrying out the door and leaving her father to look after her in confusion and now more worried than before.
Damon was at the van when she stepped off the porch and he slid his hands into his pockets as she neared. It had stopped raining for the moment before he knew it wouldn't last because the clouds that were overhead were very dark.
"We need to talk." He said, most of his anger abated.
"I think you said enough." She snapped at him and he sighed.
"You know I didn't mean it like that."
"Get out of my way. I have to go." She reached for the door handle.
"Come on, Eves. Don't do this." He said, putting a hand on the door and keeping her from opening it. She tried anyhow, pulling as hard as she could. "You were talking to me again."
Evie finally looked at him and folded her arms across her chest. Her eyes were shiny with emotion and he felt shame creep up his spine.
"You..." She began and then shook her head. "We can't-" She stopped herself again in frustration, her lower lip trembling and he winced. He started to speak, but she plowed on. "I won't do this again. Mr. Saltzman is my teacher that's all and even if it was something more that's none of your business. You don't own me."
"I know that." He said quietly, ignoring the stirring in his gut. "Come on, let me go with you. For old times sake? Road buddies?" The last two were questions meant to make her more at ease with him, but they had the opposite effect.
"No." She shook her head and stepped back from him. "We don't work like that anymore."
He frowned. "Because of the teacher?" She rolled her eyes and he ran a hand through his hair. "Evelyn." She looked at him again in shock at hearing her name. He was shifting from foot to foot, his blue eyes focused entirely on her and she felt warmth in her chest. She immediately kicked herself for feeling anything at all.
"I didn't mean that the way it sounded." He realized that he may have hurt her unthinkingly with his comment. She would deny it of course, but he had seen the tense way she had moved out the door.
She snorted. "I don't care."
"Bullshit. I hurt your feelings. I'm sure the schoolteacher would like you." He shrugged and added: "If you're into that."
Evie scowled. "Just stop talking, sicko." Evie's phone buzzed in her pocket and she glanced at the screen as she dug it out. "I really have to go. Just...go away."
Damon moved closer to her. "Eves..."
"Just stop!" She snapped at him and shrugged his hand off her. "I have to go." She got into the van and drove off without giving him a second glance. She couldn't afford to, or she'd stop the van and let him in. And she couldn't.
"Crap." She hissed as her van tires squished further into the mud, spinning wildly. She wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. Turning around, she eyed the plant in the back of the van. She might as well deliver the plant.
"Ms. Gibbons?" Evelyn called, knocking on the door. "Are you home?" The girl was shivering from the rain. "I have the...whatever you ordered." She wasn't sure what kind of plant it was, but it was huge and she couldn't wait to get rid of it.
Ms. Gibbons appeared and she relaxed.
"Hello, dear."
Evie smiled easily, though she became wary of how pale the woman looked. "Here's your plant. The ladies church group thanks you for your donation."
"They are very welcome."
"Can I bring it in for you?" Evie asked in concern. The woman looked far too pale to be picking up anything. The woman smiled.
"Yes, please come in, dear."
Evelyn picked up the potted plant once more.
"Um...Where do you want it?" She asked, trying not to drop it as she stepped into the warm house. She felt a sense of foreboding in the darkened house. She wanted to drop the plant then and there, but she knew that would be rude to the poor woman.
Ms. Gibbons pointed into the living room and Evie set the plant next to the TV. There were a few people scattered around, all were watching her intently. The television wasn't turned on. She tried to ignore them, feeling uneasy, and looked at the woman.
"Is this all right?" She questioned, trying to ready herself to leave.
"Just fine."
Evelyn's eyes flickered to the woman's wrists. There were bite marks all over her and it sent shivers of disgust and dread through her veins. Oh, no. Vampires.
"Are you okay? Did you hurt yourself or something?"
She knew the answer, but she wanted to see if the woman was completely against her will or not. The woman only shook her head.
"Oh, it's nothing, dear."
Evie nodded and started to edge for the door. She didn't want to be cornered, but it was better than having a staircase or a living room of vampires at her back. "Well, have a nice day, Ms. Gibbons." She planned to come back later with someone's help to rescue the poor woman.
"You too, dear."
She turned around to head for the door when a man stepped inside, blocking her exit. He was dripping wet with rain, his dark hair plastered to his head.
Evie's eyes widened. It was the vampire from last night. Oh, shit.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't the little nightingale." He smiled at her. "What a surprise to find you here waiting."
"She brought me a plant isn't that nice of her?" Ms. Gibbons' smiled dumbly and Evie chewed her lower lip.
"Sure was." He glanced over his shoulder for a second before facing her again. "Why don't you stay a while pretty girl? It's still raining."
She gave a forced laugh. "Heh, um, no. I'll be fine. I'm not scared of rain."
He smiled wider, rivaling the Joker from Batman, and she stepped back as he stepped forward, swallowing hard. "I insist, Evie."
"Look, buddy." She scowled and raised her fists even as a shiver went down her spine as he spoke her name. "Get out of my way or I'll hurt you."
He moved aside as two vampires brought in another, dragging him.
"Stefan!" Evie yelped.
He looked up at her in alarm and narrowed his eyes at Fredrick.
"Let him go." Evelyn snapped at the vampire. "Why do you have him?"
"Because he killed Bethane." He nodded forward Stefan was dragged away.
"Move it or lose it, jerkward." She warned and the vampire laughed loudly.
"Why don't you make me, precious?" He mocked. "Or can't you?"
Narrowing her eyes and with a wave of her hand, Fredrick was sent flying into the living room, startling the other vampires. There was no time to get Ms. Gibbons or Stefan out of the house.
Evie threw open the door and sprinted down the steps, heading for the trees. She slipped on the leaves and wet rocks, falling halfway to the van. She landed hard on the ground and felt her right ankle bend the wrong way and a fiery pain erupted from it. Wincing she reached down, feeling to make sure it wasn't broken, but it was starting to swell and was painful to the touch.
Sensing someone behind her, she turned and slung her hand out, sending vampires flying back, but not nearly far enough. It was making her head throb to try so hard. When she whirled back around, she crawled to the van and jerked open the door.
A hand grabbed her jacket and yanked her backward. She hit the ground again with a hard slap, leaves and muddy water flying every direction as she landed in a puddle. She could feel the water soaking her jeans and she grimaced. Wet denim was an awful feeling and the water was now filling her shoes, making her ankle throb more.
Stunned for a moment, she almost let herself be caught and twisted her hand. A vampire's neck snapped before he could touch her. She wasn't quick enough to stop them all however, because someone came up behind her while she was distracted by the ringing sound in her ears and the blood going down her nose.
"Where are you going?" Fredrick asked, grabbing a fistful of her jacket hood and jerking her up from the water. "We're not done with you."
"Let go." She snapped and tried to get out of his grip, successfully wiggling out of her jacket and running for the van again. Or attempting too. Her ankle gave way as she put pressure on it, and she ended up falling just in reach of the van.
Hands grabbed her around the middle, pulling her upward. "You're a spunky little thing."
"Let me go!"
"Why don't you sing for us?" Fredrick whispered in her ear.
She tried to headbutt him and raised her hand to snap his neck or send him flying.
"Ah ah ah. None of that, babycakes." He took a fistful of her hair and slammed her head against the van.
Evie saw stars and felt abrupt pain, then nothing.
"Is that a van?" Elena questioned and squinted, looking out the windshield flooded with rain. She had seen the look of concern that had flashed in Damon's eyes when he had burst into her house telling her Stefan's predicament. He obviously cared for his brother, despite all of the talk about hating him.
"That's a van from the flower shop Evie's grandma owns." She continued.
"Shit." Damon cussed, eyeing the florist's van. He dug in his pocket for his phone, heatedly typing in her number. "Answer the phone, Evelyn." He snarled into the receiver. "Now is not a good time to ignore me."
The brunette frowned at the van. "Is that...Damon is that blood?"
He lowered his phone and frowned at the van, his sharp eyes finding what she had. The driver's side door was hanging wide open. And there was something bright red on the edge of the door, running down in the rain.
"Oh, my god." Elena continued almost breathlessly in shock. "Where is she? Stefan said her powers were still off. But surely she wouldn't go in the house-"
"That's Evie's jacket." He interrupted and sat up straighter. He recognized the overly large dark brown coat that was lying on the ground. There was no reason she would leave it on the wet muddy ground unless there was a scuffle and judging by the blood on the door...
"She was wearing it this morning and she'd never leave on the ground like that. It's her dad's." He muttered and Elena wanted to ask how he knew that but decided to let it go. They had bigger problems.
"Who lives there?" He continued, getting angry. Pearl was obviously trying to get to him by threatening Evie too which he shouldn't care about. But he did and it pissed him off that she even went after the girl and his brother, harming her to subdue her.
"Uh...a widow, I think. She lives out here, I don't know much about her." Elena bit her lip. "Is Evie in there with Stefan?"
"I don't know for sure." He said uneasily, staring at the jacket and then at the blood on the door. "Stay here and I'll find out."
She nodded and watched him walk briskly through the trees and toward the house.
Damon pounded on the door, wiping rain from his face.
"Pearl! Open this door. Or I swear to god I'll bust through and rip your head off." He snapped loudly.
The door opened, but it wasn't Pearl. Damon bristled with fury. It was Fredrick and he looked entirely too smug.
"Pearl's not home." He said unnecessarily and poked his head out the door. "Mm. Beautiful weather. Not a ray of sun in the sky."
"Where is my brother?" He demanded. He didn't mention Evie...yet.
Fredrick moved aside, opening the door wider. "Billy." He called over his shoulder.
Damon looked past him to see two vampires dragging his brother into view. Stefan was weakened from vervain and was groaning in pain, holding his gut where no doubt he had been stabbed.
"You are dead!" He snarled and tried to come in. Only, he was stopped. Apparently, they were smart enough to keep the owner of the house alive.
"Whoa, I'm sorry." The other vampire mocked. "You haven't been invited in. Miss Gibbons?"
A thin woman with short curly black hair and bites all over her, came into view. "Yes, Fredrick, honey?"
"Never let this bad man in." He compelled and she looked at Damon.
"I'll never let him in." She repeated and then went away.
Fredrick glared at Damon. "145 years left starving in a tomb, thanks to Katherine's infatuation with you and your brother. First few weeks, every single nerve in your body screams with fire. The kind of pain that can drive a person mad." He smirked then. "Well, I thought your brother might have wanted to get a taste of that before I killed him. Billy."
Stefan cried out in pain as a stake was stabbed into his side.
"Damon..." Stefan groaned out despite his pain. "They've got Evelyn."
Fredrick grinned. "Surprised you waited this long to ask about your little friend."
Damon's eyes narrowed.
"We got a little hungry, so we picked up a little songbird earlier." He looked over his shoulder. "Pretty little thing, even with the scar."
The vampire froze as she was dragged into view, ice in his veins. There was a nasty cut on her forehead surrounded by a dark bruise, and she was hanging limply between two vampires. The ice in his veins that turned into icy fire. What the hell had she been thinking? Diving into a house of vampires? She wasn't ready for that!
Fredrick saw the look on his face before he could hide it. "Oh, I had to knock her out. She tried to attack us. Feisty little thing, bet she tastes just as good as she sings."
Damon felt his stomach twist at the look he was giving the unconscious girl. And he felt sickened when he knew that they'd soon figure out that they couldn't feed from her. "We'll take good care of her." He informed Damon. "She's our personal guest. You have a nice day." Fredrick smirked wider and slammed the door shut in his face.
Damon growled and stalked off the porch.
He stomped back toward the car, ignoring the stinging rain. Why in the hell hadn't she listened to him? If only he had gotten into the van with her. What had she been doing? How was she going to get away now? His mind was a tangle of scenarios all of which had Evie dead or hurt in ways that sent shivers down his spine and ice in his veins. Frederick would torture her to spite him and she couldn't get away from them. He'd be less worried if she had full access to her magic again.
Elena met him as he rounded the trees and she raised her umbrella to look at him.
"What happened? Where are they?" She asked, looking around as if they would appear.
"They have him. I can't get in." Damon said and a ran a hand over his face to wipe the rain off.
"Why not?"
"Because the woman who owns the house is compelled to not let me in." He grunted.
Elena frowned. "I can get in."
"You're not going in there." He said, rolling his eyes and keeping her from running past him.
"I'm going!"
"You're not going in there." He repeated firmly. "I've already got one human in there. I don't need another." Elena bit her lip.
"Why are they doing this? What do they want with Stefan?"
Damon ran a hand through his hair, raindrops going everywhere. "Revenge. They want revenge." He said, his mind elsewhere.
"What about Evie?" Elena asked, worrying her bottom lip. "Why-"
"Flower delivery gone wrong." He muttered.
"Oh my god, but her magic..."
"I know." He nodded, fighting back images of torture flashing through his mind. She wouldn't heal like Stefan. She wouldn't last as long.
"They can't feed from her."
"Oh..." She frowned at the trees. "I forgot that. Well, they will figure that out soon."
"They won't be able to feed from her, Elena." He said sharply again, trying to get her to understand the importance and the dread he was feeling. "They will do other things to her if I don't get in there. She was at the house last night when he attacked. He saw her with me."
Her mouth opened and closed and then she chewed her lip again. "They'll torture her like Stefan."
He nodded, swiftly. "I have to get inside. She won't be able to get out by herself. She's already tried."
"Or defend herself." Elena whispered, the weight of his words slowly sinking in. The horrified look on her face made him turn away.
He swallowed thickly. "Yeah, that too."
"We have to do something."
"I know."
"We can't let them hurt Stefan or do things to Evie. We've got to get them out of there." She said hysterically, panicking as she started to imagine what they would do to Evie and to Stefan. Damon knew what she was thinking, and he took her shoulders. Someone had to be the steady one.
"I know. Elena, I know." He said softly, his blue eyes focused on her. "But I don't know how to get them out." But even as he spoke an image appeared in his head he scowled. Alaric Saltzman was bound to have more vampire weapons on him. Perhaps it was time to talk to the teacher.
"I can't feed from her." Billy muttered, coming into the pool room.
"What?" Fredrick snorted.
"I can't feed from her." The vampire scowled, wiping blood from his chin. "It's like poison or something. It's disgusting."
"Vervain?" He asked and set down his glass of whiskey.
"No, it's something else."
He went down into the basement to see the girl was dangling from the rafters by her arms, like how Stefan was strung up. Rivets of blood were sliding down her arms from the thick cords of rope cutting into her skin and blood coated her shoulder from a vicious bite. She was glaring at him with a defiant look on her face. He went over to her and swiped some of her blood with his thumb before tasting of it himself. Evie felt sick from the sight and turned her head.
Fredrick spat out the blood.
"What are you? Huh?"
When he saw her looking away, he grabbed her hair, forcing her to turn and look at him. "What are you?!" He demanded. "Answer me."
She spit in his face and he backhanded her, splitting her bottom lip open. She glared at him, blood dripping down her chin, and objects on the walls around them shook.
He smirked. "Ah yes, you must be the little half witch Anna told us about that helped open the tomb. We should probably thank you properly." He looked her up and down.
Evie scowled at his lecherous expression.
"Touch me again and I'll kill you." She warned him.
He snorted. "Honey, if you could use that magic properly, you'd already be up out of here. Just relax. We'll show you how grateful we are that you've liberated us from the tomb." He laughed cruelly and stroked her unscarred cheek. Evie ground her teeth at the contact and jerked her head away.
"Don't touch her." Stefan hissed. "Just let her go."
"I think not." Fredrick smirked. "Besides, she's Damon's girl, and I have a bit of a problem with him. He killed my girl. So..." He grabbed her chin in a painful grip. "It's only fair that I return the favor. But I can have some fun before he gets here."
"I'm not Damon's anything and he could care less what you do to me." She snapped and tried to shake her head loose from his grip, but he tightened his fingers until she whimpered.
He smirked. "Oh, you didn't see his face when he found out I had you. He looked very concerned. So, somehow I do believe that he cares."
Still holding her chin in his steely grip, forced his mouth on hers, kissing her roughly despite the fact that he didn't like how her blood tasted. Evie raised her knees up and kneed him in the groin.
He grunted in pain and let her go with a wet pop. She spit in the floor with a disgusted look on her face and he laughed loudly.
"I love it when they fight."
Stefan glared at him until he was out of sight. "Evie." He said and she looked at him. "I'm not going to let them touch you."
"You don't have a choice." She replied, eyeing his rope burns. "That's drenched in vervain, even if you got down you couldn't help me." She tilted her head back at stared at the ropes above Stefan. "Maybe I can get you down." She concentrated on the ropes that bound his arms, but her head was spinning from the blow that Fredrick had dealt her at the van.
"Stop, you're going to pass out." He warned her as blood trickled from her nose. "Damon will get us out. He'll find a way in." He could feel the rope trembling with movement and knew she was trying to get him down. "It's not worth the effort, Evie. You need to be able to defend yourself."
"You said that Ms. Gibbons was compelled not to let him in. She's a lonely widow with no kids. Unless she dies, he can't get in." Evelyn pointed out.
They turned their heads as the door opened and there was Billy. He grinned at Evie and she scowled.
"What the hell are you looking at doofus?" She snapped at him and he laughed.
"You're going to be a lot of fun." He smirked and Evie rolled her eyes.
Alaric narrowed his eyes at Damon who had just told him about this vampire that might know Isabel's whereabouts. As much as he hated the vampire, he couldn't exactly overlook it even if it wasn't entirely true.
Elena chewed her lip. "It's not just Stefan, Mr. Saltzman. It's Evie too. They caught her trying to help Stefan."
He whipped his head up in shock and for a moment he didn't speak.
"You got her mixed into it?" He snapped at Damon angrily. "She's barely able to make a coffee cup float and you let her go in there? Alone?"
"First, I didn't let her do anything." Damon rolled his eyes, irritated that the teacher was suddenly interested in what they had to say because of Evie. "She doesn't listen to me. She's stubborn as hell. Second, how the hell did you know about her abilities?"
The man frowned. "She showed me last night. After explaining to me that she saw my dead body and had to see if I was alive or not. No wonder she was so upset."
Elena tilted her head as Damon's eyes narrowed at the teacher.
"Look, the point is that we need your help." The brunette got between them before something happened.
Alaric nodded. "All right."
"Just get me in. I'll get Stefan and Evie out." Damon said confidently and Alaric snorted.
"Just don't forget her. She's the human remember?"
Damon muttered under his breath and Elena sighed. This was going to be a long afternoon.
"Come on, darlin'. I just want to play."
"Back off!" Evelyn swung her feet forward, even though her ankle throbbed. She kicked out at Billy and he laughed. "Get off!" She snapped as he grabbed at her again. Evie clenched her teeth as he gripped her hips, jerking her toward him. "Stop touching me, you ignoramus!" She turned her head when his hands wandered up and down her sides.
"Stop it." Stefan snapped. "Leave her alone."
"This isn't right!" A voice shouted and they turned to see a youthful-faced dark-skinned vampire in the doorway.
Billy rolled his eyes. "Shut up, Harper. I'm just having a bit of fun." He nosed her neck and Evie grimaced. "You smell good, darlin'."
"It's called soap, stupid. You should try some." She snapped and he just laughed.
"Stop harassing her, Billy." Harper scowled and grabbed his arm.
"Get off me." He scowled.
Fredrick came up behind Harper and shoved him out of the way.
"He killed Bethanne." He snapped, nodding at Stefan. "One of us, Harper. And don't you think for a second he wouldn't kill you if he had the chance. Pearl says were not here for revenge, right? I say that's exactly what we're here for." He walked over to Stefan. "First him." He sliced a knife across his chest and Stefan cried out in pain. Evie winced. "And then her." She glared at Fredrick.
Harper frowned. "She's just a girl."
"She belongs to Damon. Stefan killed my girl, so I'm going to kill Damon's girl." He walked over to her and grabbed her jaw. "And I can think of plenty of fun things to do with her."
"This isn't right! Let her go!" He went over and took hold of Fredrick's arm.
"You're gonna want to let go of me!" He snapped and grabbed his neck, choking him. Evie frowned.
"Miss Pearl will be home soon." Harper choked.
"Miss Pearl is no longer in charge." He shoved him into the arms of the waiting vampires. "Tie him up and stake him down. Then bring the girl upstairs." He turned and disappeared around the corner. Evie winced as they forced Harper into a chair and drove stakes into his legs to pin him there.
Then they were coming for her.
She waited until they got her arms loose and then struck, snapping their necks before they could grab her. The rope, now loosened, slipped and Evie hit the ground without any support, slamming into the hard concrete below.
"That hurt." She muttered and rolled onto her hands and knees. She tried to pull herself up and used a nearby support beam to get to her feet, wincing as pain shot through her ankle.
"Go Evie. Get out while you can." Stefan said as she made her way toward him using objects in the room.
"I have to help you, Stefan. I'm not leaving you here." She said stubbornly when she managed to get behind him and tried to untie the ropes.
The other vampire in the room shook his head. "It's not right what they're doing."
Evie glanced at him. He seemed sincere and so far, wasn't like the others.
"Evie, please forget me and get out of here. He'll be back looking for you." Stefan urged, but she went over to Harper, hopping the small distance on one foot and using the shelf behind the tied-up vampire to keep from falling flat on her face. Taking a steadying breath, she reached for the first stake, jerking it out once her hand wrapped around it.
Harper groaned, trying to keep from making much sound. Evie moved onto the next one. She had just managed to wrap her hand around it when there was a voice barking down the stairs.
"I said bring me the girl! What are you doing down there?!" Fredrick snarled. "Billy, stop screwing around!"
Evie turned her head to see Billy stirring at the sound of his name.
"Evie leave!" Stefan hissed. "Now."
Harper shook his head when she made to untie him from the chair. "He's right. Thank you for trying to help me. I wish I could help you." The girl hesitated. "Go. It's okay."
Evie sighed and darted towards the door, limping from sore ankle. She slammed into the vampire that was waiting outside the door and he blinked at her, taken aback by her appearance and she twisted her hand to snap his neck. He went down with a thud and then she turned toward the staircase that led up into the house
"Well, well, look who decided to come out and play."
Fredrick was blocking the top of the staircase, an amused smug grin on his face. Slowly, he began to descend the stairs. "Where are you going, my feisty girl? We haven't had any fun yet."
"Get away from me." She snapped and raised her hands to attack him. She shrieked when Billy zipped out of the basement door and grabbed her arms, holding them down. "Let me go! Let me go, you son of a bitch!" She demanded as he walked her over to Fredrick. She was kicking her legs out, trying to get out of his hold. She kicked out harder, connecting with Fredrick's thigh. He grabbed her jaw and squeezed hard.
"Careful, precious. You don't want to piss me off."
Billy chuckled.
"Can't we play with her?" He asked, running his nose along her ear. The sensation sickened her and made her skin crawl with revulsion. Fredrick was still holding her jaw so she couldn't move away.
"Get off me!" She snapped and tried to get out of their hold, making the two vampires laugh. Billy just held her tighter to him. "Get off!"
Fredrick squeezed her jaw hard and she looked at him. "You're going to sing for us, little bird. And if you stop or try to use your magic on us...We'll find other ways to make you sing for us. Fun things." The hand on her jaw trailed down her side in warning, brushing against her waist. "You understand?"
She nodded, wishing he was dead or that she had the ability to kill him right then.
A knock at the door gave her a reprieve from being the radio. She was tired and her voice was starting to crack from having no pause and nothing to sooth her throat.
"Keep quiet little bird." Fredrick warned her, walking over to her chair and grabbing her hair in a tight grip. He jerked her head back, stretching her neck out. She had heard him coming toward her, unable to see him because of the blindfold over her eyes. A precaution against her magic, she couldn't see them and so she couldn't throw them or snap their necks, even with her hands tied behind her and to the chair.
"One little outburst and I'll snap your pretty little neck."
"You'll be good and be nice and quiet for us won't you, darlin'?" Billy crooned and she grit her teeth as he stroked her thigh, going far higher than he should. "Hm?"
"Answer." Fredrick said sharply and pulled her hair hard enough to make her blink back tears of humiliation.
"Yes." She croaked solemnly. He released her and she hung her head down, her hair covering her burning face.
"Good girl." Billy cooed, his fingers stroking her hip and making her flinch.
She heard the door open and chewed her lip, wondering what poor innocent had stumbled upon the house of vampires.
"Oh, good. Someone's home." A voice that Evie instantly recognized spoke and she stiffened. It was Alaric. "Can I use your phone? My-my car broke down a few miles down the road. This is the first house I saw." He sounded so convincing, but she knew Fredrick was smarter than that. He'd know for sure. Evie continued to listen, glad she could hear Alaric's voice. What was he doing here? They'll kill him. The thought worried her, but she sensed that Alaric had to be working with Damon to get in... At least she hoped so.
"Well, lucky you." Fredrick replied and Evie shifted.
"Yeah, lucky me. It's no trouble is it?"
"Not the slightest."
"Great." Alaric stepped inside and then rubbed his hands together to get them warm. "Whew." He turned as the door was shut. "Hey, man I really appreciate it. it's really rough out there."
"Billy." Fredrick called and the vampire reluctantly moved out of the pool room, giving Evie's knee a squeeze as if telling her he'd be back. "Show our visitor where the phone is in the kitchen."
The head vampire jerked his head toward the kitchen.
Billy grumbled at him and walked down the hall, Alaric following him.
Evie turned her head towards the doorway hearing footsteps and hoped he had a plan.
Alaric frowned as he followed the vampire down the hall. He had seen Evie briefly and was angry that they had hurt her.
"Hey, Ms. Gibbons," The vampire named Billy said as they entered the little homey kitchen. "This guy wants to use your phone."
The little woman turned from chopping up vegetables, smiling motherly at Alaric who felt sorry for the poor lady. She had bite marks on her wrists and arms, clearly compelled not to feel pain.
"Oh, sure, honey. It's right there." She nodded.
Alaric grimaced. "Thanks." He turned slowly, reaching into his coat sleeve for the stake he put there. Sensing the approaching vampire, he turned quickly and staked the vampire in the heart. Billy gasped out and then Alaric let him drop to the floor.
Ms. Gibbons blinked as Alaric moved over to the sink turning the faucet and then flipping on the switch to the food processor, effectively blocking the vampires' hearing from the other room.
"What's happening?" She asked in confusion when he took her arm and gently led her over to the backdoor.
"I'm really sorry. But you're going to need to invite a friend of mine inside."
Alaric opened the backdoor and there stood Damon, dripping wet from the rain.
The woman shook her head when she saw him. "Oh, I'm sorry. He's not allowed in the house." Damon rolled his eyes having known that was going to happened.
"Yeah, I know, but you gotta make an exception."
Impatient, Damon scowled. "Get her out of the house. Now!"
Alaric pushed her gently onto the porch and Damon took her arms.
"Ms. Gibbons, now tell me the truth." He said in a babying voice. "Are you married?" He asked.
"No." She shook her head.
"Parents, children, anyone else who lives on this property?"
"No. It's just me." She answered sweetly.
Damon smiled at her. "Good." and with that he snapped her neck.
Alaric's brow furrowed angrily at the sight of the woman's body. Damon eyed the man as he was grabbed the lapels of his jacket and hauled over the threshold.
"You were supposed to compel her." The history teacher hissed in his face and the vampire rolled his eyes.
"It doesn't work that way."
The man shook him roughly. "She is human."
"And I'm not!" Damon snapped lowly at him daring Alaric to touch him again. "So, I don't care." This time he did the shoving and got Alaric out the door. "Now, get out of here. And get rid of the body!"
Alaric scowled at him and Damon shut the door.
Evie jerked her head up when a hand landed on her knee.
Fredrick laughed. "Tired, precious?" He mocked her and patted her leg. "Can't sing anymore?" He leaned close to whisper in her ear. "I can get you to make sounds." His hands slid up from her knees and Evie jerked in her restraints trying to get away. His fingers dug into her skin hard, squeezing her thighs when he reached them. Evie felt helpless to stop him as he continued to grope her and she clenched her fists hard.
"Billy, what's the holdup?" He shouted and then scowled. "Billy, Jacob, get back in here!" Suddenly every light in the house went out on a clap of thunder, turning the house dark.
"What in the hell?" The vampire growled. The other vampires in the room shuffled in the dark, whispering lowly.
"Was that you playing with the lights, babycakes?" His fingers gripped her chin hard and she shook her head loose, biting down onto his hand. "You little wench!" He cursed, pulling his hand back. She was smug about hurting him until she felt his hand striking her face.
"That wasn't very nice." He growled.
There was a thud and the room fell silent except for a shuffling of someone's footsteps.
"Fredrick."
The vampire turned as his name was called and he saw the downed vampire as he neared.
"Spread out." He snapped at the remaining vampires. "We've got company."
Elena gasped as the lights went out. "What was that?"
"Evie or the storm." Damon muttered and helped get Stefan free. "All right, let's go. Clothes on." He tried to get them to hurry, but Stefan was hurt and weakened.
"They took Evie upstairs, Damon." Stefan rasped and grabbed his brother's arm. "Damon, she's hurt and can't get away."
"I know, Stef. I'm going to get her." He said in soft tone that Elena had never heard him use before. He looked up at her. "Elena. Can you get him to the car?"
"Yeah."
"Good. Then go." He said distractedly.
"Well what about you?"
"I'll distract and get Evie. You rescue Stefan." Damon offered quickly before bounding up the dark stairs and into the darkened house.
Being a vampire, his eyes adjusted to the gloom much quicker than a human's and he waited, crouching down on the top few steps to assess for enemies. A vampire strayed too close and he struck, staking her in the back and moving swiftly back out of sight.
He watched as a vampire from one of the front rooms nearly tripped over the one in the floor and they backed up, shining a flashlight.
"Fredrick." Damon heard him call and then he saw him peering out of the room.
"Spread out." He snapped and came out into the hall. "We've got company. You keep an eye on the girl."
Vampires went in search of him and he crept up from the steps, following Fredrick who reappeared in the hallway.
The lights flickered back on for a brief second, but it was enough to give his position away before they went off again.
Fredrick met his eyes and without a second thought Damon launched himself at the vampire tackling him to the wall. The two of them went at it, throwing punches left and right. Two more vampires showed up, snagging Damon's arms and jerking him from his opponent. They knocked him to the floor, kicking and hitting him to keep him down.
Evie took a deep breath and concentrated on the ropes around her wrists again. Slowly, they began to slacken, and she sighed with relief even as blood trickled from her nose. Lifting her blindfold and flinging it off, she glanced at the darkened hallway where there was fighting going on. Her ankle throbbed as she got up from the chair and gripped it to keep from falling as she turned toward the doorway.
She hobbled over to the door and peered out into the hall, squinting in the dim light to see Damon at a disadvantage. She frowned as Fredrick reappeared with something in his hands. A stake. Evie's heart stopped.
"No..." She whispered, growing horrified as the vampires held him down and Fredrick moved above him.
Quickly, she lifted her hands.
Damon grunted as he was held down in the floor, the stake poised precariously above his chest. There was a unanimous snapping sound and the pressure from the two vampires holding him down was no more. Lifting his head, he saw Evie at the end of the hallway, her hands out. She was slightly swaying from exhaustion. Damon felt a rush of air and blinked as the lights came back on and illuminated the situation.
"Get out." Fredrick growled at Damon, holding Evie in a chokehold against his body as the other vampire stood up from the floor. The girl fought to get away, standing on the tiptoes of her good foot to breathe. Her hands gripped at his forearm, trying to pry him loose.
"I'll snap her neck right now. Leave." He snarled again making Evie choke.
There was the sound of a gunshot and Fredrick grunted as his shoulder was grazed. It was enough to spook him and not wanting to take his chances against the hunter and Damon, he dropped Evie and sped out the door.
Alaric stepped out of the shadows and Damon nodded at him.
"I'm going after Fredrick. Stay here with her." He said and zipped from the hall.
There was the sound of something crashing behind him and he turned in time to be tackled by a vampire, fangs bared and ready to strike.
Evie glanced up and her eyes widened as he cried out in pain.
"No!"
Alaric heard the cry and then watched the vampire's head twist in the wrong direction. As it fell to the floor, he glanced behind the fallen vampire at Evie.
"Evelyn, you okay?" Alaric asked as he got up from the floor, rubbing at his neck.
"Whoa, hey!" He caught her from hitting the ground, she turned to put her face into his chest, the lights hurting her eyes. "Think you've overdone it."
"Probably." She muttered, not bothering to move from her position against the man's chest. He was cradling her head and his fingers felt good in her hair. She just wanted to sleep with him holding her forever. "Where's the Count Dorkula?"
He snickered. "I assume you mean Damon. Guess he's still looking for Fredrick." Alaric tilted her head back. "What the hell did they do to you?"
"I'm fine, Mr. S. Just a little dizzy." She coughed again, voice crackling.
He brushed her hair back from her face, his fingers trailing down to her jaw to examine the bruise there.
"You might as well just call me Alaric or Ric." He smirked down at her. "This isn't a conventional teacher/student dynamic anymore. We've fought vampires."
She snorted. "Thanks for the rescue, Alaric." She rasped lightly, staring up at him. "I'm glad you're okay."
"Are you okay?" He asked again and reached for a blanket on the couch in the hallway. He tucked it around her and she sighed.
Damon sprinted back into the house.
"Fredrick got away."
"Well, shit. What are you good for?" She croaked before coughing again and Alaric snorted, patting her back.
Damon rolled his eyes. "You're a real funny gal, Eves. Let's get the hell out of here."
The human man stood, bringing Evie up with him.
"Can you move? That ankle looks bad."
She nodded and then almost fell. Alaric steadied her.
"Thanks." She coughed and cleared her throat. "Sorry."
"Stop talking." Damon said. "You sound horrible."
"You're horrible." She muttered and he rolled his eyes, sending Alaric a "Do you see what I deal with?" look and the history teacher just smirked.
"I'm going to kill him." Damon threatened as he jerked the door open. Alaric helped Evie to the porch and there they froze. More vampires were coming toward the house.
"Now what genius?" Evie asked tiredly, leaning against Alaric.
"How many of those vervain darts do you have left?" The blue-eyed vampire asked.
"One." Ric replied.
"Not gonna be enough."
They slowly backed into the house and locked the door.
Evie scowled as Alaric helped her sit on the couch. "Just let me toss them and we'll run for it."
"Bad idea, one you're out of juju at the moment and two you can't run." Damon pointed out. "Just sit there quietly and let me think."
"That'll take a while."
Damon rolled his eyes.
"So, what you said to get me to do this, about my wife. It was lie, wasn't it?"
"Yep."
"Man, stop egging him on about his wife you asshat!" Evie rolled her eyes.
"Shut up." Damon told her without turning his head. "Or better yet keep talking and maybe you'll lose your voice."
There was a banging noise and they looked at the door.
"Stop!" A female voice commanded. "What is going on here?"
The door opened and in came Pearl and her daughter Anna trailing behind her. they stared at the downed vampires in the floor and then up at the group.
"What did you do?" She snapped at Damon.
"Me?" He scoffed angrily. "Your merry little band of vampires spent the day torturing my brother and Evie."
When Pearl and Anna looked at her, she raised a hand.
"Hiya."
Alaric smirked and Damon snorted.
"Trust me." Pearl said, looking apologetically at the girl. "The parties responsible for this will be dealt with."
"Our little arrangement doesn't work unless you learn to control them."
"This wasn't supposed to happen." She argued.
"Well, it did." Damon said and stalked toward the door. "If I had a good side...not a way to get on it."
He started out the door and came back in when Alaric and Evie hadn't made it out yet.
"Come on." He snapped in agitation.
"If you haven't noticed, Evelyn's ankle is hurt and she can't put pressure on it." Alaric scowled at the vampire.
Damon moved quickly before Alaric could protest, gathering Evie, blanket and all, into his arms.
"Cave man." She muttered and he rolled his eyes.
"You up for a shower?"
"Are you saying I smell?"
He snorted at her words. "Yep. It's gross."
"Your face is gross." She retorted and he smirked. "Um...Think you could help me up?"
He turned and pulled her to her feet. "Thanks. Kind of stiff." She took a step and Damon caught her under the arms when her legs gave way because of her bad ankle.
"Okay, so shower is a no go. You can't stand. Bath it is."
"I can stand. I just can't walk with one leg." She said haughtily.
Damon rolled his eyes. "Come on." He helped her into the bathroom, and she groaned.
"This sucks."
"Wouldn't suck as much if you let me give you blood." He replied in a sing-song voice and set about turning on the faucet to the tub.
"I can do that myself." She muttered with her eyes closed.
"I know," He said in a babying voice and that made her glare at him and he grinned. "But you're too tired. Just sit there for a second and be quiet. Let your voice rest."
Damon filled the tub with salts and things to help relax her sore body and then patted her knee. She blinked at him, having drifted off a bit.
"Get a bath before you sleep. I don't want you to drown."
"Sure, you don't." She grumbled and he smirked. Evie used the wall behind her to get up and he frowned. He didn't want to leave her alone if she couldn't move. She noticed him still standing there as she shed her tank top and started on her jeans. "This isn't a free peep show. Out."
"I've got some bills in my pocket. How much?" He smirked and she rolled her eyes. A smile played at his lips, but he said: "Seriously, can you get in and out without help?"
She considered it a moment, he was very serious, and then nodded. "Yeah." He nodded at her and turned to go.
Evie watched him leave and then finished getting out of her clothes and into the very warm tub.
Damon came back in to find her trying to heal herself, using the bathroom mirror. She was perched on the counter, in only a towel, prodding at her lower lip. He watched her fingers give off a white glow and then fade just as quickly.
"Dammit." She cussed and tried again, healing her bottom lip. She looked exhausted when she finished, and he noticed that her ankle hadn't been healed yet nor the bruise under her left eye.
Evie yawned and looked up, seeing his reflection in the mirror.
"All right. No more hocus pocus tonight." He offered her some of his clothes and then went out of the bathroom.
Evie pulled the boxers on and then a black-t-shirt and then Damon was back.
"I can walk." She said stubbornly, but he just raised an eyebrow at her. Grumbling, she begrudgingly allowed him to help her out of the bathroom and to the bed where she sat on the trunk at the end of it.
Damon went to his dresser, pouring a glass of bourbon. He offered her one and she took it.
"You were worried." She said and he glanced at her. "About me. You were worried."
"Yeah, well if something happens to you, I won't have anyone to argue with." He smirked and she smirked back.
She raised her glass to him. "Cheers." He clinked glasses with her and then they both drained their glasses.
"Now what in the hell did you think you were doing?" He asked lightly, narrowing his eyes. "That was very stupid."
Evie scowled. "I was delivering a stupidly heavy ass plant! How I was supposed to know vampires were in there?"
He rolled his eyes, draining another glass of bourbon and then looked back at Evie.
The girl was toeing the floor, tracing patterns. He couldn't see her expression because her head was down and her damp hair hung down like a curtain.
"Eves?"
"He's...dead right?" She asked lightly before looking up and tucking her hair behind ear, so her face was revealed. He met her apple green eyes seeing the anxiousness there.
"Yeah. He is." He confirmed. "Stefan got him."
She looked relieved.
"You all right?"
He noticed how stiffly she sat, hugging her arms.
"Hey," He said a in softer tone and she glanced at him when he came to sit next to her. "Tell me what happened, Eves. No judging. Honest."
"I had to sing." She muttered. "And they kept grabbing me."
"Where?" He asked quietly.
"Everywhere." She took a shuddering breath.
Damon ground his teeth and a flash of heated anger churned in his stomach.
"I just wanted them to stop."
"I know. Come here."
He pulled her gently into his lap.
"Relax. It's okay." He murmured and she slowly leaned down against him as he stroked her hair. "It's all over. They can't hurt you anymore." He soothed and rocked her slowly when she gave a sob. "Hey, it's okay."
She turned her face into his neck and he held her closer. He didn't say anything else, just let her cry into his shoulder and made shushing sounds. She didn't like to show this emotion and he had only seen her cry one time before. When he had killed Alaric. But this was different. She had been very scared.
"Sorry." She muttered after her tears stopped. She started to pull away, but he wouldn't let her.
"Don't be." He shook his head.
"I've got to get my magic going again. I don't want to be vulnerable."
He nodded. "We'll work on it." He promised. "Now you need sleep."
As if on cue Evie yawned and Damon lifted her off the truck at the end of the bed.
"Dude stop carrying me." She said, but it wasn't much of a protest. She was half asleep from Damon's ministrations on her hair.
"Until you feel good enough to heal your ankle or let me give you blood, you have to stay off it." He countered and sat her on the mattress. As Evie tugged the sheet and the blanket over her, Damon grabbed another blanket he had gotten from the closet in the hall and draped it over her too. He had noticed that despite the warm bath she was still a bit chilled.
The heavy comfort of the blankets made her eyelids heavy and she struggled to stay awake.
"Go to sleep." He snorted noticing her head turning in his direction as he got under the covers.
"Stefan okay?"
"Yes."
"What arrangement do you have with Pearl?"
"Nothing to worry you're pretty little head about. Now stop being nosy and go to sleep."
She huffed and he smirked.
"I'll tell you when you're awake enough to yell at me."
She rolled onto her stomach. "Stupid." She muttered. "I was still pissed because despite everything I still missed you." She said in the dark, staring up at the ceiling. "You drive me insane and most of the time I hate you, but I still missed you."
Damon smiled in the dark. "Ditto, babe."
"Don't make me vomit, Count Dorkula."
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