Jacqueline tilted her head to the side as she watched her uncle read the newspaper. She had been doing so for the last fifteen minutes and he seemed to be ignoring her existence.
"Are you seriously not talking to me?"
Alaric just flipped over a new page.
"That's kind of juvenile you know?"

"My words don't mean a thing if you don't listen to me."
The man folded the newspaper and placed in on the coffee table.

"But Uncle Ric, I am not a kid anymore, I can take care of myself," Jacqueline whined.

"Because you didn't just sound like a seven year old just now."

"I'm serious," she sat up, "I can take care of myself and I am gonna find a place for me to stay soon enough."

"You don't get it do you? This town was recently infested with vampires and now the woman who screws up lives for her entertainment has showed up and things don't look too good with Mason Lockwood and things just aren't safe anymore."
He looked agitated and Jacqueline hated that she was giving him trouble but she wanted to stay. She had to stay.

"There are hundreds of other people in Mystic Falls and they don't know about vampires or werewolves or any of those things and they lead a perfectly normal life. It's not like these things just randomly attack people. I have my bracelet and I swear I'll drink vervain for extra measure."
She was pleading, earnestly begging for him to let her stay.
"I finally convinced Beau to let me come and stay…the agency is okay with it too, as long as it means a new book and I think I'll find something here, something worth my time."

Alaric sighed. He didn't know why she was so persistent on staying in Mystic Falls. He didn't know what would compel her to come to a place that wasn't safe. She had been interested in the supernatural but he hadn't known that she would have taken such a huge step. Moving to Mystic Falls knowing about what it held was not a good thing; it hadn't done him any good. He didn't want his niece to get caught up in things that would bring nothing but pain to her.
But he told himself that she wasn't a child and that she could take care of herself. She could stay in the shadows, and then she wouldn't face danger.
"I can't say no but promise me that you will in no way try to meddle in matters that are dangerous, okay?"

"No promises," Jacqueline pouted but when Alaric sent a glare her way, she held her hands up.
"Okay, okay! I won't. I'll sit at home and write and grow fat and when you finally get the time to see me I'll be so fat that you won't recognize me."

"Stop joking around, Miss Grown Up."

"I said I'm not a kid not that I've lost my sense of humor," Jacqueline smiled, "And besides you're the only family I have left."

Alaric shifted in his seat, "Don't say that, you have your Mom."

Jacqueline shook her head, "That's not what I meant. Mom has a life of her own, in Tennessee, she's happy there. It's like a bubble that I shouldn't burst, you know. You're the only one I don't need to hide things from."

That made Alaric smile. It was true. They were the only family left to each other, they didn't have to lie to each other, they didn't need to hide things.
"I know. And I'll always be there for you, okay, no matter what."

"And I'll always there for you."
She moved forward to hug him and he wrapped his arms around her in a manner that was protective.
"You smell like home, Uncle Ric."
Ric chuckled and Jacqueline smiled to herself.
Ric had been the only father figure in her life; he'd been the one who had threatened to break her first date's teeth if he tried anything. He had been the one who had taught her about cars, he had been the one who tried to make her understand football although it was apparent that she never would.
He'd always been there to protect her.

"So what do you think about it?" the realtor asked as they stood in the living room of the small apartment.
It was an apartment on the outskirts of the town, a twenty minute ride from the town square.
It had a living room and a kitchen that was adjacent to it, two bedrooms and two bathrooms and a patio that was big enough for them to have a grill. The apartment was cozy; Jacqueline thought she could turn it into a home. And it was on sale for less than what she had gotten from the sale of her apartment in Charlotte.

"I like it," Jacqueline smiled at the man; she turned to the woman beside her, "What do you think Jenna?"
Jacqueline's earlier been reluctant at going house hunting with Jenna but all the discomfort at being with the woman had vanished once they had gotten talking. Jacqueline found out that Jenna was just a young woman who was trying to make it as a guardian. Although she didn't know anything about being a guardian, she found Jenna pleasant. She was fun to hang out with. Alaric had made a good choice.

"It's nice, small and cozy; just right for one person to live in."
The older woman smiled at the younger.
Jacqueline was glad she had found the house in a short period of time…moving her things from Charlotte would have become a hassle if she hadn't found a place to live. Inside she was jumping like a teenage girl, she was that excited to live in Mystic Falls. It was warm and sunny most of the time and it…she didn't know why…it felt like home.

Jacqueline plopped herself down on one of the bar stools as soon as she entered the Grill. Moving had been exhausting to say the least. The movers had arrived with her stuff the day before and she had started unpacking with Alaric's help all day and had fallen asleep on her newly unpacked couch. Today, she had put all the things in place with Alaric and Jenna's help; they were really the greatest people ever.
She had finally had the time to get out of her apartment and she had automatically made her way to the Grill. There was something about the place.
She ordered a drink and just looked around the place. The place was filled with people who had come to enjoy their evening: some were at the pool table, some sitting with their friends in their booths. Jacqueline wished for some company. And as if the gods above had heard her, she heard someone sit on the stool beside her, she turned to look and she face to face with the older Salvatore. Not the company she had been wishing for.

"And what is the writer doing this evening? Thinking about how the world is a dream for those who choose to sleep and a nightmare for those who wish to wake up?"

Jacqueline rolled her eyes at his words but couldn't stop herself from asking, "You read it?"

"Of course I did," Damon smirked, "It was good enough."

Jacqueline raised her hand to her chest in fake gratitude, "That was exactly what I was aiming for," she said, "I was hoping that when the great Damon Salvatore read it, he'd find it 'good enough'."

"I didn't know you were fan."

"Of course, how could I not be Mr. Salvatore? After all, you turned my aunt."

"You're aunt was a fan too."
Jacqueline felt a pang in her chest at his words. She knew Isobel had left willingly but still, talking about her in casual conversation still seemed inappropriate. She cursed herself for bring her aunt up.
"So, our writer finally settled herself into Mystic Falls?"

The bartender arrived and placed a glass of bourbon in front of Jacqueline, and waited for Damon's order.
"I'll have what she's having," he stated and watched Jacqueline as she almost emptied the glass in one sip.

"What?" she asked when she noticed him watching her with his eyebrows raised.

"For someone who's drinking just got legal, you do drink a lot."

"And who in the world has waited to start drinking until they became of legal age?"

"Of course, were you one of the Sorority girls?"

Jacqueline made a face, "What do you think?"

"You were probably the one who never spoke to anyone. Turned down a lot of guys, didn't you?"

"So what if I did? I'm probably one of those forever alone types."
The bartender interrupted their conversation again. Damon didn't even turn to look at the bartender; he grabbed the glass out of his hands and resumed the conversation.

"No, you were probably waiting to move to Mystic Falls and meet a handsome guy at the bar who would engage you in pointless conversation."

Jacqueline smirked, "Yeah, maybe I was. The handsome guy is taking a while to arrive though, have you seen that handsome guy?"

"I have actually," the vampire leaned in, "I see him every time I look in the mirror."

"The next time you see him tell him that…"
Jacqueline leaned in further, her lips near his ears.
"His looks might not be enough to impress this girl."
She drew back slowly, a smirk on her lips.

"We'll see about that."
The vampire's devious smirk grew wider and Jacqueline then realized what she had done.

"Sure…"
She now couldn't come up with anything. She cursed herself for being stupid enough to provoke a vampire.

"So, Miss Writer, I was hoping I could be of some help."
The sudden change of topic surprised her but she was relieved all the same.

"You didn't offer help when I needed it," she shook her head; "I would have really appreciated your super-strength while moving."

"I'll fix that."
And there it was, that devious smirk which actually made Jacqueline want to slap him.
However, she gestured for him to continue.
"Since you're new here, wouldn't it good if your tried making some? Have a house-warming party or something."
She was surprised that his actually made sense.

"That is a good idea," Jacqueline nodded, "but I don't have anyone to invite just Uncle Ric and Jenna."

"And then you have me," Damon placed his glass down on the counter, "I can take care of the guests, I'm sure I can get Jenna to invite some of her friends."

Jacqueline hesitated.
What reason did he have for being so neighborly? Why'd he want to help her?
He was supposed to be a dick. That's what Alaric had said. And of what she'd observed, he wasn't the nicest person in the world.
But then what motive would he have for helping her have a house party?
"I can't help but think that you have an ulterior motive but I'm gonna accept your help."

"You can count on me."
And not one word of that sentence did Jacqueline believe.
She suddenly realized that Alaric wouldn't be too pleased with her new…whatever-ship this was with Damon.
But she didn't think that the older Salvatore would allow her to fall back on her words now.
Jacqueline Flemming, you're in for a treat, she thought humorlessly.