Knowing that Jessa really could remove the supernatural part of a person acted as a strong motivator and took some of the stress off the group. Damon and Jessa moved back to her house. Being around Elena was more stressful for Damon than necessary and Jessa didn't need any more sniping.

According to the few leads coming in, Klaus and by extension, Stefan were about a week away from Mystic Falls. That meant that they arrive in town during the Decades Dance. Bonnie, Caroline, and Elena were all part of the decorating committee and the boys were dutifully going to help as well, so at least that kept the kids together, and gave them all a reason to be where the trap would be laid.

Jessa still hadn't had a chance to attempt to remove a vampire curse, and she was still hesitant. What if she was wrong about the mechanics? What if it wasn't the same as a defibrillator? She'd hate to actually kill someone who had some semblance of a chance of life. When Caroline came to her, asking if she'd consider her as a willing test subject, she had to turn her down. She told the young vampire her reasons. Caroline understood, and knew that if she did do it and it turned out well, she'd be the next successful attempt. She just couldn't allow Liz's daughter die, for good.

And so, here Jessa was the weekend before the Decade Dance with her mind focused on a new vampire at the Mystic Grille as she watched him attempting pathetically to compel Bonnie to go outside to the alley with him. Luckily Jessa had noticed him earlier in the evening on the news as a missing person. Jessa sent her one of her now normal mental messages, and Bonnie was calmly playing along as a very compelled victim. Jessa was going to follow closely, but try her hand at taking his vampirism by mind, with Damon as backup.

Damon was already in place in the alley, waiting with Tyler and Ric. This was the final run of their practice and she hoped that she was strong enough. She didn't need to pass out or need a nap this time. Strength was necessary, Klaus was strong and a hybrid. She needed to be able to take away Tyler's wolf and if necessary at least one part of Klaus' hybrid being. She didn't have time for a nap in between.

Bonnie made her way to the alley as Jessa paid for her drink, and waved at Matt. Jessa casually walked outside and down the street. She kept her distance, but kept her mental walls down. She could hear the new vampire keep up a steady stream of utter nonsense as he wandered toward the area that Damon and the others were.

Silently she approached, and before he could make a move toward Bonnie, Jessa touched the back of his neck. She felt the cold of his skin and took it all from him. The urge to feed, to control, to kill flowed fully from his skin through her fingertips and before all of it could come to her she removed her hand but not the intention to take it. She could still feel it flowing through her and from inside his body. It was no longer part of what fueled him, the longing to take life, the lifeblood that urged his longing wasn't there, suddenly his humanity alone remained.

Before the darkness could envelope her, Damon rushed forward and tightened his arms around her. "I have you, Jessa." He whispered in her hair. "I have you."

His voice anchored her to the light. "Stay with me, Damon." She said.

"Try to make me leave." He said, as if daring the universe to try.

The man who found himself standing before a motley crew of people in a dark alley, not completely sure of what had happened since he'd been attacked days earlier, looked slightly worried. Damon contemplated compelling him to forget. Jessa stopped him.

"Your name is Jason, isn't it?" Jessa asked, her voice quiet and tired.

He nodded. Looking uneasy. "Yes, where am I?"

"You're in Mystic Falls." Ric answered. "You've had an accident. We found you, and Jessa here, she helped you. We're going to help you get back home, if you'd like us to?"

"Yes, I'd like that." Jason answered, relieved.

Damon, half carrying Jessa, happily left Ric, Bonnie, Jeremy and Tyler to take care of resurrected Jason. "Let's get you home."

A FEW HOURS LATER

They were lounging side by side on the bed in their room, after a nice hot bubble bath.

"So that time seemed less difficult," Damon started, curious.

Jessa considered, taking her time to think through how to explain.

"I think, every time I learn a new aspect of my power or powers, it does become easier to a degree. I also think it has to do with confidence. Then there's you." She said, looking up at him. "I can't discount the fact that knowing that you're there, to tether me back. It helps. I can't fully explain it, but it does. I don't know for sure that I can take Klaus' full supernatural gifts away without touching him, and I'm fairly certain I can do it without being in the same room. However, I think I could do it do one of his coffin pals."

"Wait," Damon said, sitting up, "you think you could do it do one of the siblings?"

Jessa nodded. "Yeah. The staked sibling, in a coffin. No problem. For all intents and purposes, they're furniture. I just have to know WHERE they are. So find out where they're stored and pick one, and I'll dust it."

Damon kissed her soundly. "That's perfect. You'd be in the room with Klaus. Elena and the others would be at the dance. Whoever's guarding the staked siblings are watching and poof dead. He'd know you aren't bluffing. Even after Tyler. Babe, he'd run scared. You might not have to take either of hybrid parts. Klaus is nothing if not a self preservationist."

"It's a good plan. Do you know where the siblings are kept?" Jessa asked, raising an eyebrow, thinking she knew the answer.

"I bet it's something mobile and it has to be big enough to hold something that can travel with all of them, so I'm thinking like a trailer of some sort, Ric and I can research it. We'll find it. Trust me, it'll be found." Damon's eyes gleamed.

She smiled up at him. "You're very sexy when you're scheming." She said, her voice thick with need.

He looked down at her, arching an eyebrow wickedly. "Really? Am I only sexy when I'm scheming?"

Jessa giggled, and moved to straddle him. "Well, I could make a list of ALL the ways you're sexy, but don't we already have ONE list to get through?" She asked, leaning in to nip lightly along his jawline. "I wouldn't want to overwhelm us, after all, we're just getting started."

She could feel his slight inhale as she found one of his many pleasure points. Smiling against his skin, she flicked the tip of her tongue against the vein just beneath the skin. "Damon, do you want me to tell you every single time I find you sexy? Every time I look at you and think about having you here, in this bed, underneath me?" She rocked her hips lightly against him. Feeling him harden beneath her, his hands grab at her waist, trying to still her so he could find the words to answer.

Groaning, he finally finds his voice. "I'm not the only one who's tempting, you know? Every time you walk past me, every time I see your eyes, or hear your voice, Jessa, God. I have to fight snatching you up and carrying you to the nearest horizontal or Hell vertical surface and taking you." His eyes burned into hers. "I want you ALL the time. It's like the blood lust, Jessa. What I feel for human blood, but a thousand times harder to fight, and it's ALWAYS at the back of my mind, burning."

Jessa stared back at him, happy that he could put into words exactly how it felt when they were together. "I know, I feel that too. Like it can't be quenched, do you want it to be quenched, Damon? Do you want this NEED to be satisfied?" She asked, kissing him deeply, letting the fire to overwhelm them for a moment before pulling back to allow him to answer, knowing he understood that she was asking him if he wanted the need between them to abate and perhaps leave entirely.

"NEVER!" He answered, yanking her back to him roughly, taking her mouth with his. And then their clothes were gone as quickly as a blink. And they were lost in the quest for temporary relief from the burning fire of their passion for each other.