This picks up right where the last chapter left off. Damon had just called Rebecca for the key to the incinerator room.

Chapter Forty

After Rebecca got to the boardinghouse she took in the parlor room and chuckled a few times. A window was shattered, a chair was broken, and a body was on the floor. It wasn't funny, but she chuckled nonetheless.

"I swear, I leave you alone for a few hours and things start to go to hell," she teased.

"In a hand basket," Damon quipped.

Humor was how Damon and Rebecca got through things. Some people dealt with things by talking about them; other people made jokes about things. Damon and Rebecca were of the latter group.

Damon enclosed her hand in his and pulled her forward. Strong arms encircled her and his mouth found hers. Neither Stefan nor Sarah were there right at that moment, so she didn't mind participating a little. His lips were warm and searching; hers were tender and insistent. She parted her lips and his hands tightened around her. She read it for the possessive move that it was, but she accepted it willingly. She'd known Chase being here wouldn't just worry her; it would worry Damon as well. And the way he was kissing her right now told her that he wasn't going to let Chase hurt her.

She was his and he was going to protect her. She was safe with him. Homicidal vampire or not; he was her homicidal vampire.

"Mm." She pulled away reluctantly. "This is nice. Too bad it has to be broken up because of the body there."

"Well, we can always pick it up later." He smirked and she smiled.

"Definitely." Her smile faded slightly. "Chase can't stay here, Damon. I don't care if he is Sarah's brother. I mean, tonight is fine, but no more, okay? There are hotels in town, he can stay there. Not here. I feel safe here. I don't want him to take that away from me."

"Agreed," Damon said. Then, "Sarah, we're ready!"

Rebecca gave him a confused expression. "She's coming with us?"

"She's gotta learn somehow."

Rebecca's smile was radiant and she gave him another lingering kiss. Damon wanted to forget about the body for now and carry Rebecca to bed, but he knew he couldn't. He needed to be responsible now. It wasn't fun at all, but he couldn't expect Rebecca to take care of this on her own.

"Where's Chelsea?" Rebecca asked, looking around. "After a fight like that, I though you wouldn't want her out of your sight."

"I didn't, but we have work to do. Stefan is gonna . . . babysit."

Damon, Rebecca and Sarah went to the funeral home and it didn't take long for Bethanne to become a pile of ashes.

"Did they say what they wanted?" Rebecca asked on their way out, making a mental note to call Liz the next day to tell her they'd used the incinerator.

"Nope."

Rebecca bit her lip, now bringing up something she'd meant to at the house but had been too distracted to do. "That was . . . someone from 1864."

Damon nodded. "Most of the tomb vampires are out, some are shacking up with Pearl and Anna outside of town. Anna's . . . trying to control the situation."

"Hm . . ." Rebecca realized that the fact that the tomb vampires were no longer tombed coincided with the new vampire feeding area in the park. She'd recognized the ones that had been feeding when she'd been attacked, and now she knew why. "You said two vampires broke in . . ."

"Fredrick was the other one."

Rebecca grimaced. "He attacked me in 1864. Or tried. I was stronger than him."

Before Damon could respond, Sarah said, "You couldn't have lived in 1864. You're human."

Rebecca smiled. In normal circumstances that would've been true, but . . . Their circumstances were far from normal.

"It's a long story. I'll explain it to you someday."

Back at the boardinghouse now, Rebecca was getting ready for bed. She was still tired and a little sore, but she'd been thinking about that kiss with Damon since it had happened and she wanted to start where they had left off. She stood in front of the mirror and brushed her silky locks. She was in her bra and underwear, a crimson lace set that she was sure Damon would appreciate.

As if on cue . . . Damon stepped into the room and they locked eyes before he strode toward her, confident and relaxed. He had an almost feline grace about him . . . a panther stalking its prey. His patented leather jacket had already been removed and his shirt was unbuttoned, showing off his chest and abs.

She flushed as she took in his intense gaze as he admired her body. Self-conscious now, even though he'd told her she never had to be with him - and usually she wasn't - she felt the odd need to cover herself. She figured it was due to the fact that she'd never waited in his room for him half-naked before.

Damon was behind her now and he rested on her shoulders and played with the straps of her bra. Their eyes were still locked even through the mirror, and she shivered as he bent his dark head and kissed the curve of her neck. She let out a small gasp because, even though he was a vampire - or maybe because of it - she loved when he kissed her neck. He smiled against her because he knew she loved it, too.

She couldn't stop looking at him; she was hypnotized even though she had vervain in the necklace around her neck. Damon slid his hand around her waist from behind and pulled until her back was pressed firmly against his hard chest. His arm tightened as he moved from her neck to her ear, and his other hand slid to her breast, where he caressed possessively.

Damon was doing this on purpose, of course. Teasing her, making her tremble. He loved leaving her breathless with desire. He knew how to push her buttons and he did it often. He turned her in his arms and kissed her again, this time on the lips, and she responded, throwing her arms around his neck to hold him there. She always did that like he was hers to lose when it was completely the other way around. He was completely committed; he wasn't going anywhere - not as long as she wanted him there.

He picked her up, their mouths still connected, and moved to the bed. He unclasped the bra before laying her down, but he didn't remove the offensive thing yet. He looked at her with heavy-lidded eyes and saw her smiling softly at him. Then he slid his fingers under the straps and slid them down her shoulders.

Damon wasn't sure what it was exactly, but she seemed . . . fragile; he wasn't sure why. It was just a weird feeling he was getting from her. He would have to be more careful tonight. He wasn't certain how he knew that; he just did.

Rebecca watched as Damon stood up and removed his clothing, and she shimmied out of her panties. She noticed that her desire had soaked through onto her panties and she blushed. Damon smirked at her, though, obviously knowing where her mind was.

As soon as he was in the bed, he laid on his side and caressed her cheek. Rebecca was enjoying this because she loved being treated like this. With Damon, it was a gift that wasn't shared with just anyone, and for him to give it to her felt amazing.

She turned her head until her lips touched his palm, and then she covered his hand with hers. Damon's breath hitched at the tender gesture and then he was kissing her again, requesting entrance with his tongue. He plunged and retreated, plunged and retreated.

Well, that's a very suggestive rhythm, Rebecca thought wryly, pressing herself closer to him.

Damon rolled her onto her back and covered a breast with his hand. He teased her nipple until it stood firm against his palm. He moved his lips from her mouth to her neck to her other breast, nuzzling until she cried out softly. She tangled her fingers into his hair and she arched her back as his hands began exploring with reverence.

Already she was yearning for him to fill her, but Damon was patient tonight. He was loving tonight. He was taking care of her tonight. He was proving that he wasn't Chase, that he would never treat her that way. He would never intentionally hurt her, physically or otherwise.

He kissed her stomach, his lips going lower, his tongue drawing figure eights on her skin. But when he got to the apex of her thighs he didn't do what she thought he would, what she wanted him to do. He made his way back up her body, smirking and reveling in the sounds of her shuddering breath and speeding heart.

"You're a tease, Damon Salvatore," she gasped.

He chuckled. "You love me anyway."

He was amazed how easily the words came to him, how sure he was that she did indeed love him. In an extremely rare and tender moment, he placed her hand over his violently beating heart to let her feel what she did to him. He let his heart tell her what words could not. He loved her, too, so therefore his heart belonged to her.

Rebecca's emerald eyes shined with love and she brought him down for another kiss. He eased himself between her legs. His length was positioned at her entrance and she lifted her hips to take him in. She could tell Damon was hesitating and she didn't know why.

"What's wrong?"

"Something's different about you . . ." Damon took a deep breath. "I mean, it's not bad, it's just . . ."

She giggled. "Just . . ."

"You'd tell me if something was wrong, right?"

"Of course."

She locked a leg around him and pulled. He smirked at her impatience.

"Regaining focus . . ." he said softly.

"Good."

He eased into her, going as deep as her body would allow, and relaxed when nothing seemed amiss. He still kept his movements slow and deliberate. Rebecca moved with him and molded their bodies together. She smiled as if she knew he was holding back and Damon felt her warmth clasp around him once. His rhythm stuttered and he cursed. She giggled and did it again.

Fine then, he thought, and grasped her thighs tightly, deciding he didn't need to be as careful as he was being. She obviously wanted it faster and harder.

If the yes she breathed out was any indication, it was exactly what she'd wanted. He drove into her again and again with sharp, short thrusts. Her head began tossing from side to side, and then he felt her clench, this time from her orgasm and not as a form of pleasurable torture.

The instant her spasms stopped he began reaching for his own release. He was surprised when she flipped them so he was on the bottom.

As Rebecca stared down at him she laughed because it took a lot to surprise Damon Salvatore. She supported herself against his chest and began moving slowly. So slowly, in fact, that Damon grasped her hips and moved her at a pace he was happy with.

"Not fair," she moaned, though she seemed to be enjoying it as well.

If they hadn't been so caught up in each other, one of them would've noticed that Damon was able to move Rebecca way to easily. He usually had to use at least a little strength, especially if he was working against her, but now there was barely any effort to it.

Every time Rebecca went up she tightened herself around him and watched Damon's face become open from the pleasure. His eyes were most open and vulnerable right before he had an orgasm. She didn't know why, but that was how it was.

It wasn't until he was coming that she realized something was wrong. He wasn't holding on any harder than he normally would but it was hurting her now. She grabbed at his fingers and tried to remove them from her skin. Tears pricked her eyes and she bit her lip to keep from crying out from the pain.

"Damon, you're hurting me," she whispered.

Even through the pleasure, Damon heard those words and released her from his grip. He didn't understand what was different, but now he knew his earlier worries had not been unfounded. His brain was not functioning on the highest level at the moment, admittedly, but he still saw the already angry hand-shaped bruises on her hips and on her thighs where he'd been gripping her earlier.

Bruises from him again. And during sex, too.

It wasn't until after he'd come down from his climax that he realized, if she was bruising so easily, that something was wrong with her Slayer thing.

Rebecca grunted as she moved off of him and realized she was really sore - like losing-her-virginity sore. And she noticed Damon had tensed exponentially. He was breathing heavily when she looked down at him. Damon's manhood was tinged with pink.

Was that . . . blood? No, that couldn't be. They'd had rougher sex without her bleeding so . . . it was just her eyes playing tricks on her.

"What's wrong with you?" Damon wondered out loud.

"I don't know. I - I . . . I was feeling weird earlier when I was training. I thought I was just tired. I don't have any strength either, Damon. I know because I was trying to move your hands."

Damon didn't know what to think. Something had obviously triggered this. Something . . . then it hit him, what had been different earlier. It took her bleeding for him to figure it out, but she smelled different. Not bad, just different.

"Give me your wrist," he commanded in a harsher voice than he'd intended.

She looked confused, but she did it anyway. He wasn't going to drink from her, not now, but he did use his fangs to cut a small enough opening for blood to come out of. She even tasted different. Someone was drugging her. There was some kind of sedative or muscle relaxant in her system.

His immediate thought was Chase. He'd been in the hospital all day with Rebecca. No matter what the guy said he wanted, Damon was sure he was up to something. And anybody with just a little bit of experience could've broken into the dispensary in the hospital, taken whatever they wanted, and gotten out easily - and Chase had the advantage of being a vampire.

He let go of Rebecca's wrist, pulled on his jeans, and left the room. He knew Rebecca would follow after she was decent, so he sped out of bed. Chase barely had his eyes open before he was shoved against the wall.

"Dude!" Chase exclaimed, shocked. "What the hell!?"

"I am giving you just enough air to talk," Damon said, grabbing Chase's neck. "Don't waste it by lying. Now, why're you really here?"

"Sarah's my sister!"

"I don't believe y -"

"Damon!" Rebecca was in the doorway in his shirt and nothing else - he knew because he could smell the unfiltered scent of her recent arousal and the slight scent of her blood. He couldn't believe he'd let himself hurt her that way. And if Damon could smell it, then so could Chase and that pissed Damon off. Her blood and her arousal was not for him. "He couldn't have done it, let him go."

"You weren't with anyone else who would've done it."

Rebecca knew that was true. None of the people she'd been with would've betrayed her by drugging her. Not her dad or her friends, and not even Diana; so that left only Chase, but she didn't think he'd do that either. He'd always been more direct with his games.

"I don't even know what you're talking about," Chase said, grabbing Damon's arm. "Let me go."

Rebecca bit her lip, torn between thinking Chase wouldn't do that and thinking maybe he would. He had been an abusive bastard, but he had never done anything like this before.

She stayed outside the room and let Damon decide what to do. It wasn't like she could stop him right now, with her strength having diminished and all. She knew if Chase had done this, Damon would kill him without blinking and she would let him.

"He's talking about drugging me, Chase. Did you do that?"

"Why would I do that? What would I gain from that?"

"You'd have her nice and defenseless like she used to be," Damon pointed out.

Rebecca chose not to be insulted by that. She had been defenseless when she'd been with Chase. But it hadn't occurred to her until Damon pointed it out that Chase might want that.

While Damon was deciding what to do, it started storming. Thunder echoed through the house and lightning lit up the room. Damon realized he really didn't have any proof that Chase had been the one to fill Rebecca with the drugs. Not that he needed proof to kill this guy, but he had agreed not to kill him yet, so . . . he reluctantly let Chase go but promised himself he would watch him very closely. Truth was . . . he wanted a reason to kill Chase. There was just something about him that made Damon itch, and it had nothing to do with Rebecca.

Rebecca, who was hurt right now and needed him to heal her. He was cursing himself for not listening to his instincts earlier; he shouldn't have let himself go like that. He'd felt that something was off and he hadn't trusted himself. He steeled himself for what was bound to be a very awkward experience.

"Come on," he told Rebecca when he reached her.

She followed him willingly, and when they got to his room again he asked her how hurt she was - Rebecca would not complain and she wouldn't say anything unless she was asked first.

Damon made sure that there was no permanent damage where his hands had been, and there wasn't. There were bruises, but nothing was broken. She was no longer bleeding from their lovemaking session, but she was still sore and, from the feel of her, swollen from him going so fast.

"I'm sorry," he said. More like whispered. "I never meant to hurt you like that."

He was being sincere, Rebecca could tell, and . . . he'd never apologized to her before. Not as a vampire, anyway. But he was apologizing now because he really hadn't meant to do any of this. And he hadn't known it would happen, but he was still beating himself up over it, because it was her.

"I know you didn't," she said. "I don't know what's happening with me, but I know you wouldn't do this on purpose."

She locked eyes with him as he used a fingernail to cut the small area on his neck where his pulse was. Blood flowed out and left a small trail that went toward his chest. She didn't hesitate; she quickly licked up the blood and closed her mouth over his wound and slowly began to suck.

Sometime during the night Chelsea started wailing. Thunder had woken her up and she'd been in Stefan's room. As soon as Damon went to get her she was fine.

It was still raining Tuesday morning. Rebecca woke up to a very faint banging noise and followed it downstairs to where Damon was boarding up the window that had been broken - apparently the rain had been coming in.

Elena, Stefan, and Sarah were in the parlor as well - and Rebecca took notice that Damon had made a play area for Chelsea. Rebecca's sister was playing with a stuffed animal while staring at Damon. Well, the hammer in Damon's hand, anyway. Chelsea was probably fascinated by the noise it was making.

Damon never got credit for what he did, but he never made a fuss about it either. Damon knew that somehow, someway, he'd do something bad that would overshadow what good he'd done. It seemed only Rebecca was able to see the good as well as the bad. And she wasn't going to ignore the good he'd done just because he messed up sometimes.

Rebecca didn't know where Chase was, but he wasn't here with Sarah. She didn't care as long as he hadn't been killed. They still needed answers from him.

Rebecca had come down in the middle of a discussion about what to do about the tomb vampires, and Damon chose the obvious plan of action . . .

"I say we break in and annihilate the idiot that attacked us last night."

Normally Rebecca would've agreed that taking care of the problem directly was best, but they didn't have the power to stir up trouble. Not now. They were severely outnumbered. And it occurred to her then that this was probably what Anna had wanted to talk to her about, but had been too distracted by helping Sarah to get around to it.

"Yeah?" Stefan asked. "Then what? We turn to the rest of the house of vampires and say "Oops, sorry."

Rebecca grinned because she could see Damon doing just that. Damon had a habit of acting impulsively, not worrying about the consequences until after he'd already done something.

Elena was not in a good mood, Rebecca noticed. She understood that, though, because learning that the vampires had gotten out of the tomb wasn't a good thing to wake up to.

"So, what're we going to do?"

"Damon and I are gonna handle everything," Stefan claimed.

"Well, what about me?" Elena asked. "I can't just sit here and do nothing."

Rebecca rolled her eyes at Elena's endless need to participate. Granted, Rebecca knew that she wouldn't know what it was like being on the outside because Rebecca hadn't had a choice in the matter, but she was helpless now and felt no need to contribute anything because she knew right now she was a liability - she would be more than useless in a fight; she would be in the way, actually.

Elena seemed to think that she was immortal because she was dating a vampire, like she wouldn't get hurt. There were a lot of little things that Rebecca had taken notice of since she'd become the Slayer.

"That's exactly what you're gonna do because that's what's gonna keep you safe," Stefan commented.

"Which means nothing if you're not safe," Elena countered.

Then Rebecca thought of something that made her grimace. "Bonnie doesn't know, does she? I mean . . ."

"Uh, actually, I told her," Elena said. "I thought she should know."

"Huh. Uh, if they had starved into desiccation . . . how did they move to get out?" Rebecca asked.

"It would only take one to get out and bring blood back," Stefan pointed out, and Rebecca nodded.

"Point taken. And one of them did bite me that night."

"And your blood is stronger than normal people blood," Damon commented. "Most of the time."

Sarah was silent though the entire conversation. She probably didn't know what to do, young as she was. Rebecca felt sorry for her, she really did - all of this was happening so quickly for the young girl.

"Uh . . ." Rebecca cleared her throat uncomfortably. "Elena, can you give me and Chelsea a ride home? We should leave the guys to it. They can probably plan better without us distracting them all day."

"I have to hunt, anyway," Stefan said. "Guy did a number on me when he stabbed me last night. I gotta get my strength back up."

"I have two liters of soccer mom in the fridge," Damon offered. "No?"

Elena shook her head, but Rebecca bit her lip to keep from laughing. Damon was always making fun of Stefan's diet and, fortunately, Stefan usually chose not to be offended. That was why Rebecca laughed; if it had caused problems it wouldn't have been funny.

Rebecca and Elena each said good-bye to their respective boyfriend - Damon told Rebecca to take it easy. She agreed whole-heartedly even though she was still supposed to train that day.

"After Stefan and I take care of the guy who broke in here last night I'll come get you and take you there. Diana can wait for a couple of hours, okay?"

"Yeah."

Rebecca knew Damon was just worried about her new no-Slayer-strength thing. She had to admit she was a little stressed about that herself. It was frustrating to have been drugged and not know who had done it.

"Both of you be careful," Rebecca said to the brothers. "And Sarah, we'll teach you to fight soon enough, but don't interfere with this one, okay?"

"Yeah. Don't have to tell me twice."

Rebecca kissed Damon on the cheek quickly and he returned the gesture to both Rebecca and Chelsea - Chelsea had demanded it. She'd actually said the word 'kiss' and it had been too cute to ignore. She'd seen them kiss and then had reached for Damon and said the word. Rebecca had grinned and Damon had given in even though he hadn't wanted Stefan to see him do it.

Rebecca left with Elena and she got a text from Jeremy while in the car - he wanted her to meet him and Anna at the Grill.

Sorry, can't. Spent the night with Damon, heading home now.

Vixen, he responded with a smiley face.

Rebecca rolled her eyes but kept up the conversation anyway.

"So . . . Chase is back," Elena said as an opening for what was probably destined to be a stressful conversation.

"Yeah."

"Have you noticed . . . your pattern with men? Chase, abusive; Tyler, aggressive and horny; Damon, homicidal vampire. It's not healthy."

"Stay out of it, Elena," Rebecca said firmly. "I don't make comments on your love life, don't comment on mine. I don't care what quarrels you have with Damon. Okay? He turned your mom because she asked him to, and, yes, he indulges in fresh human blood every now and then, but it's mine most of the time, so . . . I really don't see how it's any of your concern. And FYI, I doubt he knew Isobel was your mother when he did what he did. It wasn't like he thought, "Well, ya know, I think this will make Elena miserable so I think I'm gonna do it." Get over it already!"

She was sick of Elena making comments about her and Damon. Rebecca knew Elena tolerated Damon because of Stefan, but Rebecca also knew Elena didn't agree with Damon's lifestyle, not since Stefan had proven that vampires could live off of animal blood.

Elena was quiet after that. Rebecca felt smug; Elena usually had an answer for everything. Rebecca wished she was spiteful, so she would be able to spill about Stefan's evil vampire days; maybe then Elena wouldn't talk so badly about Damon.

It had been about three hours since Stefan had gone out to hunt, and Damon came to the conclusion that his brother should've been back by then. He figured Stefan was probably with Elena but neither of them were answering their phones. Stefan's went straight to voice-mail, and he was pretty sure Elena was ignoring him. She was still blaming him for the whole Isobel thing. He knew he probably shouldn't be worried, but he was anyway.

He wouldn't have been if they hadn't been attacked the night before. But that was one of Damon's many secrets - he worried a lot even if he didn't appear to on the outside. That was how he'd found himself knocking on Elena's door. When she answered, he let himself in and swept past her.

"You're ignoring me," he said, facing Elena now. He looked around but Stefan wasn't in sight - that didn't automatically mean his brother wasn't here, though.

"You mean the six missed calls? Sorry, my phone was dead." Her tone made it obvious that Damon had been right in thinking Elena had been ignoring him.

"How long are you going to blame me for turning your birth mother into a vampire?" he asked bluntly.

"I'm not blaming you, Damon. I've accepted the fact that you're a self-serving psychopath with no redeeming qualities."

"Ouch."

If Damon didn't know any better, he'd say Elena looked disappointed - like maybe she'd expected better from him. He didn't understand where she got that from - had she paid any attention to what he was like? He did what he wanted and went where he wanted, and what was it to her anyway?

"Is Stefan here?"

"No. Why? Is something wrong?" Elena dropped the attitude.

"He went out in the woods and didn't come back. I can't get him on his phone, I figured he was here with you."

Elena took her phone out and tried Stefan's number. Zero joy.

"It's going straight to voice-mail. Where could he be?"

Damon had a worrisome suspicion he knew exactly where Stefan was.

"You're not gonna like what I'm thinking." That the tomb vampires had either killed Stefan or had kidnapped him. One or the other. Neither was a pleasant thought, but at least if he'd been kidnapped they could could get him back. When he shared his thoughts with Elena she about had a stroke. She always overreacted to things. Rebecca had called her a drama queen and Damon agreed whole-heartedly.

"A'right. We need a little more firepower than just me," Damon admitted. "If Becca has her strength back, she can come with us. You are staying in the car."

Surprisingly, Elena didn't argue.

When Damon and Elena got to Rebecca's house they were both let in by Tina, who had obviously been released from the hospital. She seemed confused when they asked to see Rebecca, though.

"She hasn't been here at all today," Tina said. "She was supposed to be with you."

Damon looked at Elena and she shook her head. "I dropped her off here, Damon."

"Did you actually see her come in?" Damon asked, already dreading where his mind was going. Elena grimacing didn't help. "That's a no."

"I don't understand," Tina said. "What's happening? Is Becca in trouble?"

Damon found himself not wanting to alarm the woman; he actually liked her a little.

"I'm gonna get her back," he said, looking at Tina. "I promise. In a few hours it'll be like this never happened."

"Get her back from where?" Tina asked, voice shaking. "What's wrong?"

Now that he'd begun he couldn't not tell her what had happened, so he explained, though he edited a lot.

"I will get her back," he determined. He didn't care how, but she would be okay.

And then it occurred to him that Chelsea had been with Rebecca, so that meant that . . . That meant that both of his girls were missing.

Okay, think rationally, he told himself.

He would know if Rebecca was in immediate danger. If she was with the vampires then she wasn't in danger yet or he would feel it. Maybe they needed her for something else- a gambling chip or something. And Anna would probably step in if anyone really tried to hurt either Rebecca or Chelsea - Anna wasn't a bad person, she'd done what she'd had to do to get what she'd wanted, that was all.

Damon didn't realize how unnaturally tense he'd become until Elena touched his shoulder.

"She'll be okay," she said. "We'll get her back."

Elena, who had basically been ignoring him and hadn't said a kind word to him for weeks, was now comforting him. They were both in the same boat, assuming Rebecca was with Stefan; they both had the reason for their existence in possible danger - possible mortal danger - and they both needed them back.

The first step of getting them back was finding out if Stefan and Rebecca really were where Damon thought they were.