"A wise man once told me, 'family don't end in blood.' But it doesn't start there either. Family cares about you, not what you can do for them. Family is there, for the good, bad, all of it. They got your back, even when it hurts. That's family."

~Supernatural

...

The party was in full swing. Damon had gotten in the Lockwood house with no issues, easily slipping away from her side after an hour or so of forced pleasantries. He'd left her to her own devices while he searched for the locket, she could manage on her own for a while. Beside it meant she could take a few minutes to herself and away from all the curious eyes. Which brought her to her current predicament.

Marcella eyed the offered glass of champagne distastefully. She raised her brow at at the idiotic ripper. Not only was she completely underaged, physically, she also did not drink. Nor did she like Stefan for that matter.

"No thank you." She bit out through bitter lips, Marcella didn't have the patience to deal with this sort of vampire dickery. Stefan raised his brow, he went to push the glass into her hands.

"I insist. Take a drink." He tried to compel her, to force her will. Marcella should have punched him then and there, but she did have a semblance of class. Instead she raised her own brow in response making sure that no one's watching she took the glass from him and flung the contents back at his stupid privileged face.

She would be lying if she said watching the vervain roofied drink burn the flesh of his skin didn't please her just a little bit. Marcella was an extremely protective person, especially when it came to those she considered hers. Damon was hers, had been from the moment he tried to make her a snack. Of course she wasn't about to let his own brother use her against him, she offered him one of the cloth napkins. Because she was still her and her mother had raised her to at least be polite. Sometimes..

"If you ever try to compel me again Stefan the consequences will be a lot worse than vervain champagne in your face." She tells him softly, not one to bring to much attention to them. Marcella was above causing that much of a scene. Aesthetic she has to live up too and all.

"Noted." He mutters dryly, wiping the burning liquid from his face. Stefan hadn't expected that reaction, he'd been sure the girl wasn't on vervain. How could she have been if she came here with Damon.

Damon walked over then, looking rather proud of himself. She knows he got what he came for. Marcella turned her full attention to the dark haired Salvatore smiling vivaciously at him. Stefan watches, he's never seen someone look at his brother like that. He couldn't explain it.

"Everything okay here?" Damon asked when he noticed the pained expression on his brother's face and the dimming fire in Marcella's eyes. She nodded her head a mirthful smile tugging at her lips. One that meant no good for his little brother. He grinned at her.

"Yep! Can we go now? If I have to make small talk with one more member of the Historical society I'm gonna scream." Damon chuckled at her, confusing the younger Salvatore further. It couldn't be.

Were they actually friends? He hadn't even considered that option, Elena had told him that the younger Forbes girl was probably the kindest person she'd ever met. Stefan had assumed Damon was just using her. This was so much worse. How had this happened? Especially since it seemed the petite blonde knew about them, it would seem Stefan didn't have all the facts. That didn't bode well for him.

"Sure princess, just meet me at the car I need to talk to my baby brother for a second." She gave him a wary look, eyes dropping in concern. Damon offered a reassuring smirk before turning his attention to Stefan. Marcella rolled her eyes then, he knew what his brother had tried to do.

Before she walked away Marcella looked over her shoulder and met Stefan's curious gaze. "One more thing, if you ever try to use me against your brother ever again, I will stake you." Damon snickered at her retreating figure, that girl. She was practically skipping as she walked away from them.

Damon tsked at his brother, drawing Stefan's attention back to him. "She's something isn't she, and she's mine Stefan. I should kill you right here for trying to use her against me, but I won't, maybe I'll just pay a visit to Elena tonight instead. Tootals." He whistled while he walked away leaving an unsettled Stefan behind.

He didn't know what was worse, Damon without his humanity. Or this new weirdly protective Damon. Stefan got the feeling that either would stop at nothing to get what they wanted. Suddenly he realized that maybe he didn't want his brother to care at all. This might prove to be worse. Much, much worse. There was a lot he didn't know about the human girl who'd apparently befriended his brother.

Marcella Forbes was going to prove to be a difficult problem to work around if he actually intended to stop Damon's murderous rampage. Because from where he was standing it almost seemed like she was enabling it. It seemed that he was going to need more of Zach's help.

After her encounter with twilight wonder boy Marcella wasn't too sure she wanted to leave Damon behind. She remembered what Stefan had tried to do to his brother In the original timeline and it made her blood boil. Damon was hers. No one hurt the things or people who belonged to her.

She'd thrown herself across his bed the moment she'd entered his room, mind spinning. He'd brought them back to the boarding house instead of taking her home immediately. Marcella hadn't wanted to leave him alone.

"You are being over dramatic." He tells her frowning down at her. Marcella bites her lip when their eyes meet. She didn't think he realized the gravity of the situation.

"Am I? Your brother tried to vervain roofie me, he probably is trying to trap you or somethin'. I don't want you hurt Damon." She tells him sitting up, crossing her arms over her chest. Marcella looked like a petulant child throwing a fit. Damon raised his brow at her annoyed sounding huff.

"Careful princess, sounds like you care." He teased, taking a seat next to her Marcella shifted to lean into his side. Damon allowed the contact between them.

"I do care Damon. Maybe I shouldn't, maybe it should bother me that I've befriended a vampire. But it doesn't. Damon I don't know if you realize this or not but you are my friend which means you are mine. I'm selfish, I don't share what's mine." He pressed a kiss to the top of her unruly head. Marcella completely froze, startled by the affectionate action. Up until now she'd been the only one to initiate physical touch between them, it was just the type of person she was. Damon shoved her soon after making her fall back into the bed.

Marcella giggled. The situation just called for it. Giggled straight up like a freaking child, Damon rolled his eyes. "Don't worry sweetheart, nothing can hurt me." She grimaced at him, slightly kicking him in the side with her barefoot. Not at all one to let a score go unsettled. Plus he knew she hated being called sweetheart, it was just cringeworthy, especially from him.

"You are a vampire Damon, that doesn't mean you are invincible. Don't call me sweetheart." He chuckled standing from the bed. Marcella rolled off the other side of the bed, her feet hits the ground with a soft thud.

Damon watched her walk around his room collecting her things. Purse, shoes, one of his long sleeve shirts. He raised his brow at that one as she pulled it over her head. She gave him a look that obviously said that this was now hers. "Sure whatever, ready to go princess?" Marcella nods.

"Sure you don't want to go to New York with me? I'm a fun road trip partner." She tells him. He leads her out of his room, they go down the stairs one step at a time. Marcella still practically hops down them like the child she tries to be, but neither of them talk about it.

"I'm pretty sure I can handle whatever Stefan tries. Go, dance your heart out or whatever. Besides I think I'll pass on being locked in a car with you for over an hour." She looked back sticking her tongue out at him. Jerk.

At the end of the stairwell they both come to an abrupt stop. Damon almost runs right into her smaller frame from the impromptu decision. Marcella braced herself against the banister so she would trip herself, her eyes met the dismaid human descendant and his blond vampire uncle. A grimace took the place of what had previously been a smile.

"You need to get away from him, Marcella it's not safe." The human descendant tried, she offered him a completely and utterly done look as countenance to his fear fueled concern. If Damon had wanted to kill her he's had plenty of chances.

"I'm on vervain, Damon is not eating me, now get out of the way before I call my mom and out you to the council for hoarding a ripper in your house." Marcella declares pushing past both men, she meant every word too and she could even spin the story in a fashion that didn't out Damon to the council. Damon smirked at them grinning in satisfaction. Apparently neither had expected that declaration from the tiny blonde.

"He's a monster. He's been killing people all over town, he killed Coach Tanner. He has to be stopped!" Stefan reached for her determined to stop this madness. He grabbed her wrist as she passed him forcefully tugging at her arm. It would definitely leave a bruise.

Marcella turned quickly on her toes, practically pirouetting, she slapped him. Hard. The sound of her hand hitting the side of Stefan's face echoed in the silent room. She seethed. "News flash for you Stefan, you're a monster too. You're both vampires for crying out loud! Just because you eat bunnies doesn't make you some fucking saint, nor does it expunge all the lives you've ended in your life. So how about you take a look at your own self before you attack your brother."

Stefan is at a loss for words and Zach knows better than to speak. She pulled her hand from his grasp and turns to look at Damon. He falters for one moment, there are tears building in the corner of her eyes that he doesn't understand and it makes his blood boil. They would pay for making her this upset, no one got away with making his tiny human cry. Especially when all she was doing was trying to defend him.

"Take me home." It's not a question. Damon doesn't even hesitate encasing his arms around her pulling her close to him. He sent one last look to his stunned brother and his silent nephew. This was far from over.

XOXOX

You guys! Thank you so much for all the love! It means so much to me, here is another chapter for all the love. I hope you all enjoy it! Please let me know what you think, thanks for reading.

Sincerely, La'Rae