I forgot to mention in the last chapter that the song is 'Awaken the Music' by Billy Gilman. If you like modern classical music, it's an awesome song.

Anyway, enjoy!

Chapter Eight
and Nine
Companion piece

Mystic Falls 2009

Damon was still remembering things that shouldn't have been and that meant that Stefan was too. They hadn't talked about it because that wasn't something they did. Not for a long time.

Not everything had changed from 1864. Katherine had compelled him to believe he'd loved her - it was kind of hard to remember the original story now; it was all mixed up - so he'd still done things for her he would've done if he had really loved her.

The night Katherine had been captured he'd gone to Emily and promised to do anything if she would just protect Katherine somehow. She had. So Damon had made a deal with her and he'd kept watch over her family, had made sure her lineage survived.

He'd used Rebecca's feelings against her; he'd known she would help him no matter what and he'd also known she had advantages he hadn't back then. She'd been stronger than him. And she must've gone against her very nature to help a bunch of vampires - or even just one vampire. He knew how hard it was trying to fight one's nature but he hadn't thought about it back then.

He and Stefan had still been shot, and Rebecca had stayed with him until . . . Well, until he had completely gone away. She'd risked her life so he wouldn't die alone. She'd been there so he wouldn't wake up alone either. And when he had woken up he hadn't remembered the compulsion at first so he'd been devastated about Katherine being captured.

Rebecca had told him about not being able to stay there with him - now that he'd died she was being completely honest. Damon guessed she thought that since he was in transition that he'd believe anything. But he'd believed her. Damon didn't know if Rebecca ever would've said anything at all if Emily hadn't pressed her to. Rebecca had been quite adamant about him not basing his decision on her. She'd known he'd changed before, obviously, because she'd met him in her time period but she was being selfless. She didn't want him to have to wait for her.

But she'd promised to be waiting for him. And she wasn't here to be waiting for him.

Damon wondered what would happen when she got back.

Things had played out the same. Stefan had still forced him to turn and Damon still hated him for it. Damon hated him even more for drinking from Rebecca and for bringing her to him to do the same. Since Rebecca had changed history completely Damon's mindset had also been changed. He couldn't love Katherine anymore knowing that it hadn't been real. What he had had with Rebecca had been real.

And he'd almost killed her because of Stefan. It had been right then that Damon had made the decision to never be weaker than Stefan again. In general he didn't like being weaker than anybody, and the weaknesses he did have weren't out there for everybody to see and exploit.

So Damon hadn't attacked Stefan. He'd wanted to when he'd first remembered what Stefan had done but he really didn't want Stefan to know he cared about Rebecca at all. Because Stefan would use it against him if Rebecca got back.

And when was she coming back anyway? He was waiting. And impatient.

And why was his life always complicated?

Damon could remember Rebecca asking him to get rid of any evidence that she'd been there when she came back. He would have, he knew, because he'd been that committed to her. Even if he hadn't been, she'd done so much for him he would've considered it returning the favor.

Homicidal vampire or not, he did have a certain sense of honor. It was his own code and it was different for everybody he knew, but still . . . He did believe in paying debts back and such.

She'd played for him and sang. He still wondered if she'd picked that song on purpose - only for a different purpose now. Certain of the lines had described them to a T. One in particular had reminded him of when she'd opened herself up to him only to end up with him holding her and helping her feel better.

One thing she'd done, looking back, kind of but not really made him want to gag. She'd called him my sweet Damon.

He was not sweet, not anymore. He was mean; he liked it.

He and Rebecca had had a moment - one of many - but Stefan had ruined it, as Stefan usually did. And when Damon remembered what had happened he'd had to force himself not to throw things. It was only because nothing had really happened. If Rebecca had gotten hurt again, someone else would've gotten hurt too.

Rebecca had told him she'd loved him again. She didn't want there to be any room for doubt later; he didn't know what that meant for him but . . . Maybe it was a hint that she really would want to try with him when she got back.

Did he want that? The obvious answer was yes. Since she had totally messed up the past - or fixed it, depending on how one looked at it - he did want her there with him. But . . . The less obvious answer was . . . What if that just opened up so many things he'd been keeping inside forever? To be with Rebecca he'd have to . . . He'd have to . . . He didn't even know. But he couldn't treat her as a snack or a one night stand. She didn't deserve that and she wouldn't put up with it, he didn't think. He was sure she had more self-respect than that.

He'd have to feel and that terrified him in a way that he didn't like. He didn't like been weak or vulnerable for anyone; he didn't like giving people the chance to either throw it back in his face or laugh at him or something else equally as negative.

Damon found it amusing that a human had tried to teach a vampire how to feed; it was even more amusing that she'd helped a lot. She'd given him great advice about the not killing people that other people would miss.

She was a terrible slayer; she condoned people getting eaten.

She, however, did not condone killing sprees. Damon sort of had a happy when he remembered that Rebecca had stabbed Stefan; he was sure if Rebecca had been able to stay with them Stefan would've learned control eventually and he wouldn't have had to resort to eating fluffy bunny rabbits.

Things would change, Damon was sure. The first time around Katherine had been the one to show him how to feed and it hadn't been pretty. She'd ravaged two people. Not that he hadn't ravaged in his time, but that had been when he'd been angry or completely starving.

But Rebecca had told him of another way, a different way. Where the victim didn't have to die - that was his fault. She'd connected Vicki Donovan with him apparently.

The morning after the tavern incident . . . Rebecca disappeared. Damon had stocked up on bourbon; he knew the memories without her were going to be harder than the ones with her even if he had originally thought she was going to mess everything up.

It didn't matter . . . She was going to come back now. He could . . . Decide what to do now. Or just go at it impulsively like he was known for.

One thing was for sure, he was not going to be the one to track her down. He was going to let her come to him.

As you can see, Damon is still sort of conflicted. Only now it's less because of Katherine and more because he's wondering if he really wants to open himself up. Because along with the good things comes the bad, and that's not something he wants to feel. Anyway, he's kind of hopeful while still being cautious. LOL