Chapter Thirty-Nine
The next morning Rebecca woke up first, which was weird because Damon usually had that pleasure. Apparently the events from the day before had worn him out. She couldn't help but stare at the contours of Damon's face. She found it ironic that someone who had such an angelic face would be so devilish.
Okay, so he's a dark angel, Rebecca thought, mentally shrugging. But he was trying for her. Ric being alive was testament to that. God, everything was happening all at once, and sometimes she worried about whether or not Damon's twisted psyche could handle all of it without snapping.
She caressed his cheek once and then stood up and stretched. She removed her shirt and tossed it in the corner. She thought idly that the slaying profession should come with wardrobe insurance - she'd ruined more clothing this year than she had in her whole life. She grabbed another shirt from one of the dressers. She slipped it on and realized it was about three sizes too big. Damon's shirt.
"Mm." She was obviously not fully awake.
She left it on, though, since she wasn't planning on going to the hospital yet and went out of the room. She went to Sarah's room and was amused at the sight that met her.
Stefan had a small mug of what she assumed was blood in his hand and the girl had scrunched her nose up at it.
"But I don't wanna eat bunnies!" Sarah complained. "They're all cute and fluffy. I will not eat things that are cute and fluffy."
"Kids think of bunnies as pets, Stef. You'll never get her to drink that."
Sarah saw her and hopped off the bed and ran, stopped right in front of her. Sarah had always liked Rebecca.
"How're you doing today?" Rebecca asked.
"Better. The nice girl from last night helped."
"I'm glad," Rebecca said sincerely.
"I remember some things," Sarah said. "It came to me in a dream."
It came to her in a dream? Possible, Rebecca guessed, but that either meant she was just remembering that way, or she was something more than a vampire.
"Well, that's convenient," Damon's voice came from right behind Rebecca.
The girl's defiant glare was adorable. "It's true. It did just come." Then less defiantly . . . "Stefan wants me to eat bunnies. I don't want to hurt bunnies. They're defenseless and hoppy, and what'd they ever do to you, anyway?"
The last part was directed at Stefan, who had a deer-caught-in-the-headlights look planted firmly on his face.
"Well, see . . . Stefan chooses not to feed from humans because he doesn't want to risk killing them," Rebecca said, trying to hold back the laugh that wanted to escape. "Because then he would feel guilty and when you're a vampire the guilt can drive you insane if you let it."
"Oh. Well, bunnies have feelings too," Sarah retorted. "One day they're all gonna gang up on you and thump you to death."
Damon had to fight to control his expression to keep it neutral. At least Sarah was happier today. Anna being there last night had obviously helped a lot.
"Anyway, I want breakfast," Rebecca said. "So I'm gonna head downstairs."
Sarah followed Rebecca and strolled directly into a path of sunlight. She yanked back and her face changed. To her credit . . . she didn't scream. She whimpered a little and looked at her skin with wonder.
"Right," Damon said as if he'd just thought of it. "Vampires burn in the sun."
"You don't burn," Sarah said. "Is that a special power?"
"Nope, just a convenience. Some vampires have a piece of jewelry that protects them."
Rebecca watched Sarah home in on Damon's and Stefan's rings. Realization sparked in the girl's brown eyes.
"Sunlight jewelry." She looked up at Rebecca. "I want a ring. Get it for me."
Rebecca's eyes widened at the tone Sarah was using. She was bossy; she always had been. She'd been spoiled, but Rebecca had always hoped that Sarah would grow out of it. She obviously hadn't.
"That's not how it works, honey," Rebecca said, and the way she used the word "honey" was definitely not a term of endearment. "You don't tell us what to do. I helped you. They're letting you stay here. Some respect would be nice."
"Then I'm stuck here?" Sarah's tone was accusatory and Rebecca didn't like it.
"You can leave if you want," Damon said, not helpfully. "I don't recommend it, though."
Sarah crossed her arms over her chest. Rebecca was no longer amused by the little girl. She did not like bratty children.
"As I said, I'm going to find something to eat. Stay up here and sulk if you want."
And just like that Sarah pounced at Rebecca, much like she had done at Damon the day before. And, as with Damon, she went straight for the jugular. Undisciplined as she was . . . it didn't take long for her to be pinned again. By Rebecca this time.
"You're not the only super being here, Sarah. Stop attacking when you know you can't win. And just because you're a vampire now doesn't mean you can't die. If you get out of hand . . . you won't last very long."
Rebecca hated having to be this way to a thirteen-year-old, but they needed to nip this in the bud before it got out of control. Sarah couldn't act this way and get away with it.
After she was sure Sarah wasn't going to attack, Rebecca let her up. Memories or no memories, Rebecca thought Sarah knew she was used to getting her way or she wouldn't have reacted the way she had. Speaking of . . . Rebecca really wanted to know what Sarah knew about her family, about Chase. If he was here . . . and if he was a vampire . . . this would not end well. For anyone, especially her.
As Damon watched on, he thought they were definitely going to have a problem with their new vampire friend. She needed to learn to control herself, yet they couldn't really teach her because she wasn't stable enough to be around people.
Downstairs, Damon set to fixing Rebecca some pancakes. They had a system now. If he woke up at her house, she would cook, if he wanted human food. If she woke up there at the boardinghouse then he would cook. Once the food was done he watched her drown the pancakes in butter and syrup. Not a portion was dry.
"Mm . . ." Rebecca had an orgasmic look on her face as she chewed her first bite. "So good."
Damon, however, wasn't thinking about the food; he was focusing on the pleasurable expressions on his lover's face. Rebecca loved food. She had a sweet tooth to beat all, and she enjoyed eating. She'd once told him that she hated girls who were scared to put dressing on a salad just because they might gain an ounce; food was put on this earth for humans to enjoy so she enjoyed it excessively.
"Tina will probably get out today, which is awesome. And I need a ride if you feel like taking me."
"Sure. Uh . . . what're we gonna do about . . ." He looked up and mouthed, "Sarah."
Rebecca shrugged helplessly. "I don't know. It's not looking good, though." A second later she asked Damon, "Is Chelsea awake?"
She saw him concentrate for a few seconds; he was listening. "Stefan's got her."
"Oh. Uh . . ." She looked at him with a pleading expression. "Can you handle both Chelsea and Sarah today? If you can't, I'll take her with me, but I really -"
Damon's mouth was suddenly on hers. He still interrupted her that way, and it still made her feel torn between annoyance and appreciation.
"I'll do whatever you need me to do, Becca."
"Mm . . ." She smiled softly, at ease now. He didn't even know how good he was to her, she didn't think. "I really, really love you."
She loved that his eyes lit up with happiness every time she told him how she felt. Sometimes she felt she was taking advantage of how much he loved her. She got him to do things he normally would feel no need to just because he felt for her.
Later, at the hospital, there was another uproar. Rebecca had been in the room with her aunt when she heard arguing voices, but since there didn't seem to be any violence going on she intended to stay out of it. But it wasn't meant to be.
"Miss Stone, there's a young man who wishes to speak with you. It's about the young girl from yesterday."
Rebecca turned to see a nurse who looked a little frazzled around the edges. Poor woman. Rebecca then turned to her aunt, and Tina nodded, giving her leave to go.
"I'll be right back."
Rebecca followed the nurse out into the hallway, and said nurse pointed to someone with blond hair. He was tall, lean, and she knew him. Chase Carson. She'd been expecting him ever since she'd found Sarah. She'd . . . he had . . . they had gone out in her junior year, and then he'd moved away with his mom before the school year had ended.
"Chase?"
Rebecca realized her mouth was hanging open but she couldn't help it. She had never wanted to see him again and, even though she'd felt that he would be reappearing, it was still odd seeing him. He'd made her swear off men forever - until she'd met Damon, of course. Chase had been a complete and total ass to her. But he'd also taught her not to accept any bullshit from people.
Chase had a very noticeable scar on his cheek, right below his left eye. She remembered she'd been the one to give it to him. He'd been an ass one too many times and she'd retaliated.
Rebecca and Chase had been at the local movie theater, the one that showed old movies, and they'd had a good time. Popcorn, making fun of the corny movies and bad special effects. Rebecca was glad they could still have fun together. They'd been having a rough patch. They'd been arguing almost nonstop.
It all started with Chase failing math. Because of that one bad grade he was benched in football, at least until he brought his grade up. He'd gotten irritable, so Rebecca had left that subject alone even though she was willing to help him if he wanted her to. Her offering to help turned into him wanting her to do his work for him, which she had refused to do.
He'd gotten mad and had made her leave his house. He was fine the next day.
And yet, every time something went wrong now, he would lash out at her as if it were her fault. Eventually he told her that maybe if she'd "make him feel better" he wouldn't be so angry all the time. She'd known what that meant and she hadn't been into it. She shouldn't have to make him feel good just so he wouldn't be angry with her. That wasn't what making love was about.
She said no and he got progressively aggressive towards her. He'd even hit her a few times. And the night of the movie date . . . it all came to a climax, the end of their relationship.
Rebecca hadn't known that Chase had shown up at the theater with a flask of whiskey until she'd seen him take it out when they'd been seated. By the time the movie had ended, Chase had had a buzz going. He was in a good mood until he'd made a move on her and she'd refused.
They had gone to the Falls after the movie and had just talked for a little bit. That part was good because they didn't talk enough, she didn't think. But then he slowly moved toward her. He started slow, kissing her and rubbing her back, making her feel comfortable and safe. Until he'd reached for the zipper of her jeans.
"No," she said. "Not here and not now."
"Why not? It's a beautiful night, there's a huge moon and it doesn't get much more romantic than this."
"This is not romantic. You brought me here just to you could get in my pants."
And he was still trying to get in her pants. He had them unzipped now and unbuttoned. He was reaching down into her panties now.
"Chase, I said no!"
She reached for the door handle knowing that if she opened it she would fall out, but she didn't care. All she cared about was getting away from him. So she opened the door and, within seconds, her back hit the ground. Chase had fallen forward into the seat and it took him a second to get his bearings.
Rebecca got up and ran towards the road. If she could get to the road, where the cars were, Chase couldn't hurt her. Not where people would see. But he caught her and brought her down to the ground again. She felt her knees get scraped against the hard ground and her hands stung from where she'd caught herself.
Rebecca had never been more scared in her life. Chase was drunk and obviously unstable right now. She knew what he wanted from her, had been bugging her about for the past few weeks. But she wouldn't let this happen. This wasn't how she wanted to remember her first time. Not with pain and violence. Not with Chase, period.
She'd known for a while now that he wasn't the one for her; she didn't know if he was the one for anyone. He had some serious issues he needed to work on before he'd be right for any girl that had a healthy mentality. She just hadn't known how to bring it up to him.
He turned her toward him and yanked at her jeans. She kicked at him but her legs weren't anywhere near strong enough to shove him away. But . . . the thing about being drunk is that one can get distracted very easily. Like Chase was distracted with her legs, with getting her pants off.
Rebecca didn't know if it was the adrenaline kicking in or her survival instincts getting into gear, but she reached for the closest thing available and began hitting him with it. It turned out that the object was a rock. The first time she hit at him all she got was his cheek. It cut him deep, though, and he let go of her legs. As she brought the rock around again to hit him, he grabbed her wrist and squeezed hard enough to make her let it go.
Then he backhanded her, making her head turn to the side with the force of his swing. She blacked out for a moment and when she came to Chase had her arms above her head . . .
That was all she could remember. She knew that somehow she had lifted her leg up to knee him in the groin and that when she'd gotten up she'd hit him with a thick branch. She hadn't aimed, she'd just swung and had hit him in the head. He'd passed out from the blow and she'd left him there.
"Hey," he said and smiled, snapping her out of her memory.
She'd loved that smile at one point; it had drawn her in when she'd first met him. Now it made her stomach lurch because she knew that behind the smile was the most un-gentlemanlike jerk that deserved to fry in hell.
And . . . there was something about him. She drew in her senses, her natural Slayer ability, and finally she knew. He was a vampire. Her heart stopped. She'd been worried about that since . . . since she'd found Sarah.
"Hey?" Rebecca crossed her arms over her chest defensively and protectively. "What're you doing back?"
"Nice to feel welcome," Chase muttered. "We'll get to the point then. Sarah was here yesterday, the nurses said you helped her. Where is she?"
"How the hell should I know?"
Chase looked around and Rebecca was drawn to his eyes. They were a deep green, as they had been when they'd been together, but they were different now. Less . . . less hard, more open and warm. Worried, yes, but not angry.
"Can we go somewhere to talk? Please? I know what happened to her and I know you wanted to help her, so . . ."
Rebecca stiffened. There was no way he could possibly know. Unless . . . unless somehow he'd been there when it had happened. She'd have to hear him out.
"I'm not leaving this hospital," Rebecca made clear. "I don't trust you."
Chase let out a guilty sigh and nodded. "Understood, and I agree. I treated you . . ."
"Let's not take a walk down memory lane, okay? Say what you need to say so you can leave and I can get on with my fun Monday."
Chase seemed surprised she was so blunt and firm. She'd always just taken whatever he'd thrown out before, but she wasn't that way anymore. She was a fighter now. She'd always been a survivor, but now . . . now she was proactive and reactive. She wasn't just a doormat to be stepped on in passing.
The two ended up down in the cafeteria, drinking really bad coffee. Rebecca didn't say anything. She just waited for Chase to start. She hadn't really missed him when he'd left - she'd actually been relieved. But that didn't mean she wasn't conflicted about him being here.
Ironically, Chase had scared her more than Damon or Stefan or any other vampire ever had. He'd scared her because she'd let herself be scared. And Chase had fed on it - he'd liked that he'd had power over her. He hadn't been that way at first, but with every passing week it had gotten worse. Until finally he'd resorted to physical abuse. It had happened only once before she realized it was going to be a normal thing. She'd never had the courage to leave him until that night after the movies. She'd broken up with him the next day, but that hadn't stopped him from doing it again. In fact, he'd gotten angrier and it had become worse. He'd had this sort of "If I can't have you, no one can mentality."
"I need to know where Sarah is, Becca," he said, and she bristled at the shortening of her name.
"Why?"
"Because, she's my sister and I promised I would look after her."
Rebecca scoffed. "Well, good job with that."
"Where is she?"
She shook her head. "Not here. You said you know what happened to her. Enlighten me."
Chase smiled. "You've changed. You're almost mean."
"I'm not mean," Rebecca said. "Just different. And you deserve a lot worse."
"Yeah. Right. Sarah is in this town, we were headed here anyway. I want her back. And yes, before you get all huffy, I know about the vampire thing, and the Slayer thing, and the witch thing -"
"Shh!"
Rebecca was shocked; she couldn't understand how he knew all these things. Well, the vampire and the Slayer things were obvious, bu Bonnie was the witch he was talking about. How the hell . . .? Oh, God, what if Damon was right and someone was making her their prey and what if Chase was the one doing it? He had done it before when he'd been human.
"Prove to me you care and maybe I'll tell you where Sarah is."
Chase pulled out his wallet and showed her a picture of him, Sarah, his mom, and a man she didn't know. His mom had obviously remarried. They all looked happy together.
"She doesn't remember you," Rebecca said. "She only barely recognized me. She probably won't even want to see you."
"She wouldn't remember. A witch I knew took her memories away."
"I'm sorry, what?"
"A witch, or a warlock, or whatever the male equivalent of witch is. He cast a spell and it sort of backfired. He'd only wanted to remove a few memories, but he was stronger than he thought he was. It wiped her slate clean."
"Why did he do that? What did she know?"
"Nothing more than a thirteen-year-old should. Except for the supernatural stuff. That was what he wanted to take away."
Rebecca couldn't say she believed him, but she couldn't say she didn't believe him either. The story sounded good enough, but she couldn't forget that he'd been an amazing liar. She'd been naive then, she wasn't about to make the same mistake again.
"You're a vampire," she said. "Why didn't you just compel her to forget?"
"I wasn't the one who wanted her to forget." He wasn't surprised that she'd brought up the vampire thing, it didn't seem.
"Hm. And why were you coming here?"
"Because you're here."
She felt the need to shiver. "And? Since when are you a vampire?"
"Since right about the time I left. It happened very shortly after."
"And . . . what do you want with me?"
"I . . . I know you're a good person, and I know now that I took advantage of your kindness and -"
"Don't even go there!" she snapped. "You don't get to apologize - you . . . do you even understand what you did to me? You hurt me. The last time you were with me I ended up in the ICU because of you! I could've died that day, do you understand that? So don't sit there and tell me you took advantage of me!"
Chase had come to Rebecca's house to tell her that he was leaving, his mom had decided they were going to move. Rebecca didn't really care. Good riddance, in her opinion.
"Well, aren't you gonna invite me in?" Chase asked.
"No." Rebecca's parents weren't home and she didn't want to be alone in the house with her abusive ex-boyfriend. Or with him at all, actually.
Chase, however, didn't see it that way and he shoved his way into the house.
"Chase . . ."
"You're alone here, aren't you?"
"You know I am." Rebecca felt her heart begin to pound. "Please just go. I've been nice and haven't reported you to the cops, but if you don't leave now -"
Chase smirked. "Are you threatening me?"
"No, more like stating a fact."
"Oh, really?" Chase backed her into the couch and she stumbled when her knees touched the furniture. "Now why would you go and do a thing like that?
"Chase!"
"Shh!" he said, covering her mouth with his hand, which she promptly bit down on hard enough to draw blood. "Ow!"
He yanked his hand away and drew his fist back to hit her. Except for a few occasions, Rebecca hadn't fought back. The night at the falls had been one, this was another. Rebecca didn't like the way he'd been treating her and she wasn't going to take it anymore. She deserved better.
So she fought, and he ended up hitting her hard enough to make her pass out. She woke up in the hospital and was told she'd had internal damage. A few ribs were broken and she'd had to explain to her parents what had happened. Her father had gotten angry and had wanted her to press charges; her mom had just been supportive of her, had helped her get better.
Meanwhile, at the boardinghouse, Stefan was getting ready to go to Elena's - they had a double date planned with Matt and Caroline. He thought it would be good for them to get used to each other. Caroline had said the couple dynamics had changed and it was true. Caroline was with Matt now, who used to be with Elena, who was now with Stefan.
Damon waited until after Stefan left to leave himself. Stefan wouldn't have agreed with leaving Sarah alone in the house but Damon needed a break. And alcohol. He'd run out because he'd been drinking non-stop. He wanted to be drunk, that was what he wanted. He also wanted the little girl out of his house. She was getting on his last nerve. Whiny little thing, she was. But she was a child. He had never hurt a child before and he didn't want to start now, not unless it was completely necessary.
Since he needed alcohol, he ended up at the Grill. He got his usual: Bourbon, neat. And, yes, he could be drunk and still do a great babysitting job, so, by necessity, Chelsea was with him.
There was a woman at the end of the bar who he knew only through Rebecca telling him about her. Kelly Donovan, Vicki's absentee mother. She hadn't even come back when Vicki had been attacked or when she'd first gone missing. It was a credit to Damon's personality that he could be in her presence and not feel awkward, given he'd buried her daughter.
"You're new around here," the lady said.
"Oh, on the contrary, I am very old."
"Well,I haven't been gone that long. I would remember someone who looked like you."
"Yeah? Where'd you go?"
"Around, about."
"Been there," Damon said, chuckling bitterly. Roaming around aimlessly sounded good in theory, but it got old and lonely. Not that he would ever admit to being anything other than content with his lot in life.
"Yeah. I was supposed to be interviewing for the bartender's job, but I think the manager blew me off."
"Well, that's not very nice," Damon quipped.
"Last time I was in town I slept with her boyfriend."
"Well, that's not very nice either."
"It happens," Kelly said nonchalantly.
"Yes, it does."
Damon was suddenly very aware why Vicki had turned out the way she had. She'd had Mommy and Daddy issues. He'd gotten the story before Vicki had died. She hadn't known her dad, and then Kelly had never been around. Vicki's life had been pathetic and she hadn't had one hint of self-esteem.
Death had probably been a kindness for her.
"Kelly Donovan?" another voice, female and more familiar, came from behind him, and Kelly's eyes lit up.
"Jen!"
Damon watched Jenna Sommers embrace the woman, and the former said, "She used to baby-sit me."
"And then I used to party with her."
"This woman is crazy!"
"Not as crazy as you," Kelly commented.
"No, not anymore."
"Well, sit, drink."
"Uh, I shouldn't," Jenna said with disappointment. "I'm all responsibly now, haven't you heard?"
"Well, take a night off; it's good for the soul."
"Great for the soul," Damon added.
Damon could tell that Jenna was a little hesitant, being boggled down with the responsibility she was so worried about, but she sat down anyway. They each had a shot of tequila and Jenna shook her head at the taste.
"This is not gonna end well," Jenna said.
"Can't wait," Damon said, smirking and downing another shot.
He only felt a little guilty about leaving Sarah alone. But she knew not to go out in the sun now and she knew where the blood bags were if she needed one. She had anything she might need in the house, and he'd get back before nightfall. Nothing would happen.
Back at the hospital Rebecca had told Chase not to disturb her aunt. Tina needed all the relaxation she could get, and letting Rebecca's abusive ex-boyfriend in the room would not lead to that. She told her aunt the truth; that someone was looking for Sarah and she was going to help him find her. But she was going to wait until her dad came so her aunt wouldn't be alone.
As soon as Robert got there she left, reluctantly, and went in search of Chase. He was in the waiting room.
"Let's go. My dad can't see you."
Rebecca couldn't help but feel bitter. Why was he here? Okay, so . . . maybe he was telling her the truth. She could understand wanting to be there for Sarah since she was his sister, but . . . Why the sudden change of heart? He hadn't given a damn about anyone but himself before.
"Where're your mom and the man she was with in the picture?"
"Not here," Chase said, and she scoffed. "I . . . they're not coming here. They won't be going anywhere."
His tone revealed what his words had not. The two people were dead. She was sorry even though she didn't like the person she was with. She'd always liked Mrs. Carson. She'd been a sweet woman who had deserved a better son.
"I hate this," Chase said. "This isn't my world. I don't want it."
"Hm. You know, you've got a lot of nerve coming here and seeking me out."
"I know. I'm sorry things worked out that way."
"Right."
Rebecca listened; she always listened, and that was part of her problem sometimes.
"I'm sorry I didn't treat you better.
"Yeah. You know what I'm sorry for? Letting you rule my life for six months."
She was surprised by her own hostility. She hadn't known he still affected her that way. She obviously had unresolved issued with him, probably due to the fact that he'd moved. Yes, she'd broken up with him before that, but since the abuse hadn't stopped with that she hadn't really had any solid closure. She'd always expected him to sneak up on her even after he'd said goodbye.
"I missed you," he said, and . . . she smacked him.
It was good and hard and held the full force of her body behind it. "You don't get to say that to me." Moving on . . . "Did you change your sister? Because she's a vampire now, just so you know."
They reached a black Chevelle with white racing stripes and she realized it was his when he opened the car door for her. She didn't get in immediately. This was how it used to start. He'd be nice and sweet and then came the pain.
She looked him squarely in the eyes. "You didn't answer my question. Who turned Sarah?"
"I don't know. I lost track of her the other night. I scented her out because she'd been hurt, I could smell the blood. I assumed if someone found her they'd bring her here or at least call the police and they would bring her here. That's why I was at the hospital today."
"Hm. You know who I am, so you know I'm not the same defenseless girl I used to be. If you try anything, you'll find I'm a lot more efficient at hurting people than you were."
Chase's blond eyebrows shot up, amused. "Is that a threat?"
"More like a promise," she said. "And I don't break my promises."
"I remember. Now, are you going to get in or not?"
She got in only because she had other things to do and she wanted to get this over with as soon as possible.
Instead of heading to the boardinghouse, Chase had taken Rebecca to the Grill. Darkness was falling over the town and she stared at him, not liking the fact that it was beginning to get dark.
"What're we doing here?"
"I want some food, some human food. It won't take but a minute. I'll grab it and then we can go. Yeah?"
Rebecca shrugged but began to feel uneasy. "Free country, I guess."
She got out of the car, admiring it properly this time. It was an amazingly beautiful car. It was even shiny; freshly waxed, probably.
She went in and searched out anyone she knew. Matt and Stefan were playing pool and talking; Elena and Caroline were off to the side, also talking. Jenna, Kelly Donovan, and Damon were at the bar, getting smashed - with Chelsea.
Rebecca tensed and groaned. Damon had brought her sister - baby sister - to the bar? Wow. And . . . If both Salvatore brothers were here, then who was with Sarah making sure she didn't hurt anyone? AHH! She wanted to throttle someone, and if she hadn't already had a bigger problem to deal with in the way of Chase, she might have gotten mad at Damon for being so irresponsible. Chelsea didn't deserve to be brought to a bar just so he could drink his fill of alcohol.
Rebecca followed Chase to the bar, where he ordered his food, and she slid smoothly beside Damon, who had a shot of tequila in his hand.
"Hi," she said sweetly. "Whatcha doin'?"
She took the glass from him and downed it herself, grimacing as her throat cried out in protest. Damn, it burned. But it made her tummy feel warm when it settled.
"Well, hello," Damon said. "What're you doing here? Not that I'm not glad to see you."
Jenna smiled drunkenly at Rebecca, and she smiled back. Jenna didn't say anything about Rebecca drinking because she was awesome like that. She'd been a partier back when she'd been younger. Actually, she'd been a partier until her sister and brother-in-law had died. Back before she'd been a parental figure.
"Well, we have a small problem at the boardinghouse and you're here, and Stefan's here, and, well, now I'm here, and no one's there taking care of it." She noticed her voice was strained and, since she knew it wasn't really Damon she was mad at - though he could've waited to get drunk when her sister wasn't with him; she wasn't that much of a burden - she tried to calm down.
"Right . . ."
Damon, however, was in a drunk-I-don't-care mood. Sure, he'd meant to get home before dark, but he hadn't. He'd been having fun, something he hadn't had in a while, something he'd needed.
A youngish blond guy placed a hand on Rebecca's shoulder and Damon saw her whole body tense. An eyebrow shot up. What was that about?
"Food's done. You ready to go? Oh, and, uh, I got you a burger and fries. Hospital food's not good for you."
Rebecca sorely wanted to tell Chase where he could stuff his food, but she didn't.
"In a minute. Go wait in the car."
"Why?" Chase removed his hand. "Private moment?"
"Yup. Uh, Damon, this is Chase Carson. Chase, this is Damon Salvatore. My boyfriend and part owner of the boardinghouse I was going to take you to."
Damon stood up. "Well, I thought I knew all of Rebecca's friends, but I guess not."
"Well, I just got here. Uh, I moved last year, but I'm back now."
"And he's not a friend," Rebecca made clear. "And I thought I told you to go wait in the car."
"You did. I didn't."
Jenna was looking on curiously and Kelly was busy drinking her troubles away. Whatever Rebecca wanted to say, she couldn't say it here.
"Anyway . . . Chase is gonna help us with our problem. Um . . . you gonna come with us?"
Damon looked from Chase to Rebecca and back, trying to figure out what was up with Rebecca. She usually didn't act this way around people. And her eyes were basically pleading with him. She didn't want to be alone with the guy that was standing behind her. If he didn't know any better, he'd think she was scared. But . . . that was ridiculous because his little Slayer wasn't scared of anything.
"Yeah. Yeah, I'll come."
"Good. Your car here?"
"Mm-hm."
"Cool. Then Chase can follow us . . . Okay?"
Chase sighed and nodded, then turned to walk outside. She waited for him to leave and then looked at Damon.
"Another drink, please!"
He ordered and she took it from him and downed it much like she had the last one, and he had to admit to himself that he was worried. Rebecca had never been driven to drink before.
"Who was that guy?"
She scrunched her nose up and shook her head. "Bad news, that's who he was."
"He was at the hospital with you?"
"Yeah, but not in the room. He just . . . showed up."
Since her drink was gone, she stood up, picked Chelsea up, and Damon followed her. He really had no choice since his heart so much belonged to her. They went to his car and he started the engine. He decided to drive slower than normal so he could get whatever was going on with her out in the open.
"So . . . I'm in need of the back story here."
He looked her in the eye, trying to get an answer that way. She didn't look away but he could tell it was more out of not wanting to hurt him than anything else.
"We knew each other, obviously. We were together . . . and it didn't end well."
"Well, that's really specific," Damon snipped. He didn't understand why she was holding back; she never had before.
"Damon, it's nothing. He's here for Sarah. He's her brother." Rebecca sighed. "I thought he might show up. I was hoping he wouldn't."
"That's not what I wanted to know." Damon felt something he couldn't really put a name to, and he vaguely wondered what Rebecca wasn't saying. So this Chase guy had been her boyfriend before he'd had to move . . . Maybe she still felt something for him?
But no, that couldn't be. Rebecca seemed repulsed by him, so there was nothing good there.
He heard Rebecca's heart speed up and then she began talking. "I was fifteen, almost sixteen, when I met him. Or when he introduced himself to me, anyway. He was eighteen and he'd taken an interest in me. He was handsome, funny, laid-back. He was sweet and I was happy. But I wasn't . . . really happy because I didn't know the real him."
Damon's hands tightened on the steering wheel and his knuckles turned white. He had to focus on not breaking the damn thing.
"Did you love him?"
"No. Not really. I don't love men who hurt me, Damon."
That last part had been said softly, almost meekly, and Damon bit his cheek to keep from cursing. So this Chase guy had hurt Rebecca, huh? And he just happened to be here now? He'd come back. And he'd looked a little too comfortable when he'd placed his hand on Rebecca's shoulder. Rebecca, however, had looked scared or at least startled.
Rebecca didn't say anything else about that, but she watched Damon's eyes. He had the most expressive eyes; she could tell when he was angry just by the color they turned. They were now an electric blue. He was pissed.
"I, um . . . will stop now before you -"
"No, go on." He had to know what this guy had done. It would explain why Rebecca was the way she was, why she put up with some things, but wouldn't put up with others. It would explain why she was with Damon even though he could be a monster if he wanted to be. Or if he had to be. Whichever the situation called for.
"Glutton for punishment," she scolded gently. "You've been around a while, you know how this story goes. I wasn't as strong emotionally or physically back then. He took advantage of that. He liked having power over me; he was a control freak."
Damon's mind flashed back to them in his bed during the Vicki situation; Rebecca had warned him about not trying to control her. He understood why she'd been against him compelling her even for her own good. That was why he'd only done it once.
"It was little things at first. Um . . . arguing all the time. Him blaming me when something bad happened even if I had no connection to it at all. I took it; I was different then. But then the little things got bigger and . . . stuff happened, and I broke up with him. I was . . . hurt, and I ended up in the hospital and -"
That was when Damon felt it, the switch in him that made him snap. This Chase guy was as good as dead. As soon as they -
"Damon, don't. I don't trust him, but he might be useful."
"I didn't do anything," Damon said.
"No, but your eyes do this thing when you get angry enough to kill someone. I know you enough to see it."
"He hurt you," Damon said simply, as if there were an unwritten law that if someone hurt someone else, someone that Damon loved, Damon could deal with that person as he saw fit. "He scared you. He's . . . still scaring you. I know you enough to see it."
"It's leftover from before, I guess."
She told him everything Chase had told her - or gave him a summary anyway. He wasn't sure what to make of it. By default he didn't like this guy, but he knew Rebecca was right. He wouldn't kill this guy yet, not until they found out everything he knew.
"But Damon . . . you have to promise not to leave me alone with him. Okay? I broke up with him because he wanted me and I didn't want him. And he didn't care what I wanted . . ."
Damon growled as his mind leaped to the only logical conclusion there was for what she'd just said. Chase had, at some point, tried to force Rebecca to give him what she'd given Damon freely, willingly. Damon was so angry that his face changed without him meaning for it to.
"He's not gonna touch you!" he almost hissed.
No matter what had happened before he wasn't going to leave Chase alone with Rebecca.
"I believe you," Rebecca whispered. "He's a vampire now, Damon . . . everything he felt before - the need to control me, dominate me . . . that's gonna be magnified . . . right?"
Damon didn't answer, but she was right. Unless Chase had seriously changed . . . he was going to try to hurt Rebecca again. If the need had been that strong when he'd been human . . . it would be a hundred times worse now that he was a vampire.
At the boardinghouse, Rebecca and Damon found that Elena and Stefan had already come back from their date. Maybe something had gone wrong. Chase pulled up behind Damon's Camaro, and the three got out of their cars. Rebecca got Chelsea out of her car seat and went up to Elena's car to tap on the window. The brunette jumped and then glared playfully.
Then Stefan and Elena were stepping out of the vehicle. Elena zeroed in on Chase, and her glare was no longer playful.
"What's he doing back?" she seethed.
Elena had been the one to come pick Rebecca up the night Chase had attacked her at the Falls. Elena hadn't had her license then and could've gotten caught by the police, but she'd come for Rebecca because she'd known Rebecca had been in trouble. Rebecca hadn't been able to keep secret what had happened, and Elena had told her she needed to get away from Chase. Rebecca had tried.
"Long story," Rebecca said, looking at Stefan. "Does she know about Sarah?"
"Yeah, I told her."
"Okay, well, I'll explain later. Right now we have to -"
Rebecca broke off because she wasn't really sure what they had to do. She hated bad surprises. They bugged her. Surprises were supposed to be good. But at least she wasn't alone. Elena knew, Damon now knew. Bonnie, Jeremy, and Matt knew. Caroline hadn't really been a friend to her in her junior year, so Caroline didn't know. But all the people who could protect her, could stop Chase from being alone with her, knew. That was what mattered.
Meanwhile, with Damon and Chase, Damon was enjoying making Chase uncomfortable. He couldn't kill him yet, so he was toying with him. He had cornered Chase into the side of his car.
"You know, you're a vampire so I don't have to play nice. I'm going to give you the same warning I gave your sister. If you're here for Rebecca, I will kill you. If you hurt her . . . I will rip your head off. And I promise that's something I'm very good at. Got it?"
At least the boy had the good sense to be frightened. Leaving him with that thought seemed like a good idea, so Damon made his way to his brother and the two girls. Elena was telling Rebecca about their date and about how some man had called her Katherine. She didn't know him, had never seen him before.
Damon's mind went to Pearl and Anna and the tombed vampires. Obviously one of them was running around town. He couldn't blame Stefan for not making the connection because Stefan didn't know that the vampires were out. Damon hadn't shared that piece of information because there was nothing they could do about it. At best they had himself, Stefan, Rebecca, and maybe the history teacher. Four against twenty-five vampires? Pointless and stupid, and they'd end up dead.
Elena and Stefan had invited Matt and Caroline over, and when Rebecca found out her eyes just about popped out of her head.
"Sarah! She could hurt somebody."
"No, we're all here," Stefan said. "We won't let her hurt anyone. And she needs human interaction to make her feel more normal."
"Only she's not normal," Damon pointed out.
"Not helpful, Damon," Rebecca chided gently. "But I agree."
By then Matt and Caroline were pulling up in Matt's truck and Rebecca was gearing herself up for what was bound to be an eventful night.
"Okay, so . . . we should go make sure Sarah's fed and not feeling homicidal."
Damon put his hand on Rebecca's back and she gestured for Chase, who was still by his car, to follow them. They all went in after Matt and Caroline caught up.
"Man, I've always wanted to see what the inside of this place looked like," Matt said. "Remember we used to think it was haunted."
"Yeah." Rebecca laughed. "So glad it's not."
"My entire house could fit in here, like, twice." Matt was talking about the parlor alone.
Matt hadn't said anything about Chase being there, but he wasn't confrontational by nature. So he was probably waiting to see what would happen before doing anything.
While Matt and Caroline were hanging with Elena and Stefan Damon, Rebecca, and Chase went upstairs. Damon was pretty much waiting for a reason to kill this Chase guy. Granted, he knew he'd treated women badly himself, but he'd never hit them before. He'd snacked on them and, yes, even killed them, but he'd never drawn out pain my resorting to physical violence. Well, unless they were vampires and had attacked him, but that didn't count. He'd never forced himself on a woman either - not that he'd ever needed to, with the way he looked. Rebecca probably wouldn't have been able to love him if he had.
"Sarah! There's someone here to see you," Rebecca called out quietly.
Sarah's door opened and she stepped out. Damon was sort of surprised she'd stayed there without them guarding her, but at least she'd proved she could be a little trustworthy. Or she was scared of him retaliating. One or the other. Either way, she'd stayed put.
Like when Sarah had seen Rebecca, there was a note of recognition when the girl saw Chase, but that was it.
Damon noticed Rebecca was as uncomfortable as he'd ever seen her. And again he wanted to kill Chase for making her that way, because this was not his Rebecca. This was who she'd been before Damon had come into her life, before he'd shown her the way she deserved to be treated. This Rebecca was a shell of herself. Scared and nervous, shaky even. Rebecca's hands were trembling and her back was tense underneath his hands.
Damon idly thought of how he would kill Chase when the time came. Rip his head off like he'd threatened, or maybe rip his heart out. That would be poetic justice, Damon thought, because he felt as if his heart was being ripped out just by watching the way Rebecca was acting around her former boyfriend.
"You know, the others are still downstairs if you wanna go hang out with them," Damon offered his suffering girlfriend. "I can take care of this."
Rebecca relaxed slightly and smiled with obvious relief. "Yeah, okay. I can't stay long, though, because I still have to go train."
"Need the car?"
"Yes, please."
He handed her the keys and she placed a quick kiss on his cheek. "I'll be back in a few hours. I have to check in with my dad first, but after that . . ."
"Got it." Damon glanced at Chase, who seemed to be observing them curiously. "Don't stop or get out of the car until you get to Diana's, okay?"
"Yup."
Damon had noticed, with some satisfaction, that Chase had looked irritated that Rebecca had basically ignored him. And the irritation had flared to full blown anger when Rebecca had kissed Damon. Chase looked a little confused when Rebecca handed Chelsea to Damon. He was probably thinking Rebecca shouldn't trust a vampire with her baby sister. But Damon would never hurt Chelsea. He had taken her in as his own.
When Rebecca got downstairs she saw Matt was looking at a display case of painted collector's cars. A little hobby of Stefan's.
"You like cars?" Stefan asked.
"Understatement."
Stefan smiled and gestured for the rest of them to follow him. They did, out to the garage. There were two separate car slots; Stefan's and Damon's. Inside was an old 1950's Porsche. Red with silver trimmings.
"How do you have this?" Matt asked in awe.
"It got passed down through the family," Stefan answered smoothly.
"Well, why don't you drive it?"
"Well, uh, it doesn't run. I mean, at least not that I could figure out."
"Why would you keep a car that doesn't run?" Caroline asked, and Rebecca smiled.
"Could you be more of a girl right now?" Matt teased. "This is an amazing car. It's a classic."
Rebecca preferred Damon's Camaro herself, or even Chase's Chevelle, but she could appreciate Stefan's tastes too. Stefan let Matt take a look at the engine, and Rebecca listened to the guys' conversation about building engines and such. Rebecca knew Matt was a brilliant mechanic; he loved working on cars.
"Well, I don't like sports cars," Caroline said. "They're too hard to make out in."
"No, it wasn't that bad," Matt countered, looking at Elena.
Things got really awkward, and then Carline walked out of the garage. Rebecca shared a look with Elena, and Rebecca decided she would try first before asking for reinforcements. After all, if it was Damon who was in love with Elena, Rebecca wouldn't want to be around Elena right now. So Rebecca followed Caroline out to the edge of the garage building. Caroline had her arms crossed over her chest and she was sulking.
"Care? It was one little sentence."
"No, he's still in love with Elena and I'm always the backup."
"What?"
"I'm Matt's Elena backup; I'm Elena's Bonnie backup."
"Care, that's not true. Matt and Elena have a history, but that's in the . . . in the past." Rebecca shook her head. "History is the past, I guess, but you know what I'm saying. And also . . . you know that old adage about other people not liking you until you learn to like yourself? Well, it holds true here, Care. As long as you keep acting like a backup, people are going to keep treating you like one."
Caroline didn't find that the least bit helpful. "So you're saying I'm being insecure and stupid?"
"Not stupid. I don't think you're stupid -" Maybe a little air-headed sometimes, though "- but you are being insecure." Rebecca wrapped her blond friend in a hug and Caroline responded immediately. "We love you anyway, Care. We all get a little messed sometimes. You just need to remember the only reason Matt is here is because you asked him to be. Not Elena, you. You wanted this so he went along with it."
Stefan, Elena, and Matt came out of the garage and Stefan ended up letting Matt take Caroline out for a spin in the Porsche. Caroline seemed happier.
"If it's not vampires, it's girlfriends," Elena said, leaning in close to Stefan for comfort.
"Speaking of . . . what are we gonna do about the one who called you Katherine?" Rebecca asked.
She wondered how anyone knew Katherine and Elena looked alike. It was too much of a coincidence that someone who knew Katherine would just show up. Now, anyway.
"We'll deal with it tomorrow," Elena said. "We need to get through one normal night, okay?"
"If that's what you want," Rebecca said. "But . . . that seems kind of unrealistic to me. Since you're dating a vampire."
Rebecca had to point that out because sometimes . . . sometimes Rebecca thought that Elena didn't get that, or didn't remember or something. She'd understood when Elena had first found out, but Elena had had plenty of time to accept it. And if . . . if Elena wanted normal, she shouldn't be with Stefan, that was for sure. Though Stefan was in denial about who he was, too, so maybe they were the perfect match.
Whatever. That was a question to ponder on a different day. Neither Elena nor Stefan commented on the truth of Rebecca's statement so she smiled, satisfied.
"Anyway, I have to go train, so . . . Bye." At Damon's car, she shouted a "Bye, Damon" toward the house and then she was gone.
Inside, Damon heard Rebecca and he shook his head, smiling softly. His girlfriend was the strangest little human. He probably would've come to like her even without the time traveling spell.
Sarah was asleep in bed. She'd had three blood bags that day, which he had to admit wasn't bad for a new vampire. With the way she'd been snapping he'd been considering trying her on the Stefan diet, but that would've been cruel. The girl, being young and tiny, needed all the strength she could get.
Now that she was asleep, Damon had tried getting Chase to make some kind of mistake, to reveal what he was here for. But Chase wasn't budging. So either the guy was a really good actor or he was telling the truth.
By that time Stefan had shown Elena, Matt and Caroline out. So Damon went downstairs and groaned when he remembered he didn't have any liquor. He'd have to get some in the morning. Since he was downstairs he kept an ear out for movement upstairs. Sarah or Chase. Chelsea had a room upstairs that Damon had set up for her - well, mostly all he'd done was take the mattress off the bed and moved it to the floor so she wouldn't hurt herself if she happened to fall off of it - but since they had two vampire guests Chelsea wasn't leaving his side. She had a little sleeping area in one of the rooms downstairs - no one could get by him to get to her.
He eavesdropped on Stefan and Elena, who were still out front.
"I wish you'd let me drive you home," Stefan said.
"Normal people don't have chaperones or bodyguards or babysitters," Elena pointed out. "We're normal tonight, remember?"
"I know, I just get so worried about you."
Ugh! His brother and Elena were so sickeningly sweet he might actually puke. And vampires didn't do that. He sincerely hoped he and Rebecca weren't like that. Except for those three little words he still had trouble saying sometimes . . . they never really said mushy stuff. They were more the showing-you-care type because, as Rebecca put it . . . words were just that; words.
When Stefan came back inside he sat beside Damon on the couch. "Rebecca stole your car."
"She's coming back."
"So . . . This Chase guy is Sarah's brother."
"Yup."
"Elena and Rebecca don't like him."
"He is . . . an abusive bastard," Damon commented stoically.
"Abusive?" Stefan shook his head. "Rebecca? She doesn't put up with abuse."
"Not anymore." Damon shrugged noncommittally but arched his eyebrows in agreement. He really wished he had a glass of bourbon. Or, hell, he'd take a beer. Just something to create a buzz. His earlier buzz was already gone due to the ass hat of a guy named Chase that was now in his house upstairs with Sarah.
Huh . . . Maybe they would kill each other and solve the problem themselves.
"And . . . he's not . . . dead? He's still breathing air?"
Stefan seemed shocked. Damon understood because a few short weeks ago he was the kill first, ask question never type of person. And now . . .
"Rebecca asked you not to?"
"Pretty much, and I can listen - for now." Damon shrugged. "I told him if he hurt her he's a goner. It happened before. As long as he doesn't hurt her now, we're good."
Because that was what Rebecca seemed to want.
"I think you're getting wise in your old age, Damon," Stefan quipped.
Damon chuckled a few times. "Yeah, right. Today at least."
"Well, one step at a time." Stefan stood up then and stood there looking awkward. He obviously wanted to say something.
"Spit it out, Stef."
"Uh . . . don't say anything until I'm done, okay?"
Damon nodded.
"I'm sorry. It's 145 years too late, but I am sorry for forcing you to turn. I've always been sorry, but I've never said it out loud. And now I am."
Damon could tell Stefan was being sincere, and Damon didn't make any snippy comment. He couldn't. Not about this. It was too important a milestone, for both of them, to make fun of.
"I need you to know the reason I did it."
Damon waited.
"I didn't want to be alone forever. It was selfish of me, but I needed my brother. I didn't stop to think that it might make you hate me . . . forever."
"Irony is ironic that way."
"Yeah." Stefan smiled softly. "I know things can't be the way they were when we were human. Too much has happened. Too much time has passed and we're different than we were then. But we're still brothers and I want to start acting like it again. No lies, no tricks. I'm telling you the truth."
Damon swallowed back the emotion that wanted to come forth. He hated being vulnerable or open with Stefan. They both had taken advantage of the others weaknesses before and he didn't want to give Stefan the chance to do it again now. But, despite Damon's words and actions, he had missed being close to his brother. He'd spent the last 145 years following him, making him miserable, because Damon hadn't wanted to be alone either.
He'd also spent the last 145 years making sure Stefan had survived. He had never let Stefan die. He'd never let anyone take advantage of the fact that Stefan was weaker than other vampires because of Stefan's conscience. His very simple rouse of wanting to make Stefan suffer had fooled his brother because Damon was very good at making Stefan miserable when he wanted to be.
"And I'm happy you've found something to live for . . . with Rebecca."
Damon shrugged and stood up too. "Yeah, well, that was definitely over dramatically done, brother, but . . . I agree we should try and put the past behind us."
Stefan smiled softly, uncertainly. "I've heard that before."
"Yeah, well, I actually mean it this time."
Damon knew Stefan was talking about when he'd first arrived in Mystic Falls. Damon had said something along the lines of what he'd just said but then he'd laughed in Stefan's face afterward, He couldn't help it. At the time, he'd been fresh out of hope for renewing their brotherhood. He still didn't have much hope for it, actually, but he could see that Stefan wasn't trying to play him. Not this time.
They were just about to shake on it when two vampires smashed through one of the living room windows. Damon knew them. Fredrick and Bethanne, two of the tombed vampires. They were obviously not here just to catch up, because Fredrick went straight for Stefan and knocked him to the ground. Fredrick stabbed Stefan with a sharp piece of glass from the window he and Bethanne had crashed through, and Damon grabbed Fredrick and tossed him on the floor, away from Stefan.
Damon figured his brother would be okay since it had only been glass he'd been stabbed with, so he focused on fighting. He couldn't let himself be distracted because both of them would end up dead. So he exchanged blows with Fredrick. He didn't really care why they'd come here, he just knew they weren't there to make peace. Which was okay because Damon wasn't in a peaceful mood. He'd been wanting to kill something all night, and now he could - he even had a legitimate reason.
After a strong battle of wills, Damon tossed Fredrick toward the fireplace. The vampire landing in front of it and Damon was able to focus on other things now. A chair in the corner was smashed and one of the wooden legs had been used to kill Bethanne.
Fredrick saw Bethanne, Damon knew, and the former took off. Obviously he knew the odds were against him. Damon hadn't seen even a hint of remorse in Fredrick's eyes even though Fredrick and Bethanne had been together for centuries, even before they'd been locked in the tomb.
"Damn it," Damon muttered.
"I remember them. From 1864," Stefan said, clutching his still wounded chest. "They were in the tomb."
"Yeah . . ." Damon drew the word out. "About that . . ."
Damon was good at schooling his features to show only what he wanted others to see, but . . . he knew he looked at least a little guilty at the moment.
"Obviously the seal is no longer up at the tomb," Stefan deduced. "How long have you known?"
"Yesterday. I didn't think they were gonna attack us or I would've said something."
Damon then told Stefan about Pearl's request and how he wasn't going to comply. It just wasn't in his nature to help people he didn't like. Especially people he didn't like who demanded his help. He also told Stefan that Anna was going to help control the situation because she'd promised Rebecca she'd help if this exact thing happened.
"That was one of the conditions Anna agreed to when Rebecca offered to help free Pearl from the tomb."
"Because she knew we'd be in trouble if this happened," Stefan added. "She covers her bases, that's for sure."
"Yup. My girlfriend, the not so diabolical mastermind."
Stefan chuckled and, for a second, Damon felt the last 145 years fall away and they were brothers again. Light footsteps sounded on the stairs and the moment was broken. Sarah had obviously heard the racket and had come to investigate.
"What happened?"
"We were attacked,"Stefan said.
Sarah's eyes went from Stefan to Damon to the body on the floor and back to Stefan.
"You're hurt," she commented, staring at the bloodstain on Stefan's shirt.
"I'll live."
Sarah glanced at the body, all gray and mummified. "What happened to her?"
"Well, that's what happens when a vampire dies," Damon explained. "Wood is not your friend."
"Oh."
Sarah was frozen on the bottom step. Damon could tell she didn't know what she was expected to do. Should she go back to bed or stay down here?
"Go get dressed," he said softly. "You have to learn what to do, how to cover your tracks."
Something told him that Chase wasn't going to help her. If he was here for Rebecca - if Chase was obsessed with Rebecca, for whatever reason - then Chase wouldn't waste time with his sister. He probably . . . Hell, Chase was probably the one to change Sarah in the first place. He would've known that Rebecca wouldn't have just left Sarah to die, and there was his opening right there to get close to Rebecca.
"You're gonna teach me?" Sarah asked, caught between being excited and being nervous.
"A little," Damon said. Then he smirked. "Unless you want Stefan to get you some Bambi blood."
"Ew." She grinned. "I'll be back in a minute."
"Come on, you can do better than that," he teased.
Her brown eyes sparkled with amusement and she ran back upstairs.
Stefan was now on the phone with Elena - she'd called to tell him she'd gotten home safe. Stefan didn't tell her about the tomb vampires, and Damon didn't blame him. Elena couldn't do anything about it.
Damon, though, had to make a call of his own.
Rebecca was in the middle of a roundhouse kick when her cell phone rang. She groaned at the interruption and gave Diana a sheepish grin; she knew Diana despised the contraption. Dana had once told her that she was sure that cell phones had been invented by a coven or bored warlocks. Rebecca had laughed it off, of course.
"Yeah?" she answered after she saw Damon's name on the ID screen.
"Do you still have that key to the incinerator room at the funeral home?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Two vampires broke into the house. I need the key."
"Uh, okay. I'll finish up here, fast, and I'll be right there."
"'Kay."
"Was anyone hurt?" Rebecca asked, and saw Diana look at her with an almost concerned expression.
"Nope, not really. One of them stabbed Stefan with a piece of glass, but that's not our poison so he'll be fine."
"Good. See you soon."
She hung up and looked at Diana.
"Everything okay?" the watcher asked.
"Mm-hm. Uh, boyfriend drama. Someone broke into his house."
"He's okay?"
"Yup. No trauma."
"Good. You need to go?"
"Yes. I'll be back early tomorrow, I promise. To make up for today."
"No need." Diana smiled, though it seemed strained. "Same time."
Diana then handed her a book about crystals. She'd said Rebecca might need it someday and they were starting, already, to identify them. Rebecca had had to find the flaw in an amethyst during their training session that day. Though she didn't mind this new, more relaxing, form of training, she didn't understand the need for it.
That was probably why she was the Slayer and not a Watcher. And besides, studying wasn't all bad. Rebecca had grown tired and sore during her physical training. She blamed it on everything piling up at once; it was enough to throw anyone off their game.
Okay, so I threw a few memories of Chase in there for you. I did it to help set the mood for what their relationship was like. Also . . . I really didn't know how Damon would react. Damon in the show probably would've killed him off of principle alone, but this Damon . . . he's a little different obviously because he has the girl he wants.
Let me know what you think!