A/N: Okay, not a ton of forward movement on the plot in this chapter after all. What can I say - it's a slow burn kind of story. Thanks to those who have added this story to their alerts and favorites lists. It means a lot to me to know that people are reading and enjoying it!

Chapter 16

Becca opened the refrigerator and stared at the blood bags inside. She was hungry after the previous day, and blood bags just didn't look satisfying. She shut the door and turned to Damon. "Want to go out to breakfast?"

Damon looked puzzled. "Out to breakfast?"

"Yeah, we can go a couple of towns over." She looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to make the connection.

It took him a second. "Oh, you mean . . ." He didn't finish his sentence, but Becca knew he understood what she was thinking. There was no need to say it out loud with other vampire ears around. She knew perfectly well that Stefan would not approve of her idea, and while she didn't much care what he thought, she didn't think that Damon needed any more drama from his brother and Elena. Damon continued after a moment. "Why not? I could use a good healthy breakfast."

A few minutes later, Damon pulled his car out of the driveway. "I think I know just the place. There's a campground about thirty miles from here, and hikers make tasty meals. I think it's all the fresh air and exercise. Plus the animal attack excuse is much more credible out in the woods."

Becca laughed softly before offering him an explanation. "I am hungry after yesterday, and blood bags every day get boring. Why shouldn't we eat fresh occasionally?"

Damon grinned. "I couldn't agree more. We better not tell Elena – or even Ric – though. They wouldn't approve."

"No, they would not. I suppose I cannot blame them, since they are human, after all."

"You wouldn't want anyone eating your kind?"

Becca glanced at him mischievously. "Well, I do not mind when you bite me."

She saw Damon's eyes darken slightly as he looked over at her. "You're making me want to turn this car right back around." But he didn't, and it didn't take long before he was pulling the Camaro into a campground. The convertible looked more than a little out of place among the spattering of SUVs, pick-up trucks, and one lone Prius parked in the hiking section.

Becca followed Damon down one of the trails as they sought out an isolated area and some promising prey. They had moved a good distance into the forest when Becca heard a pair of heartbeats. A moment later she caught sight of two hikers, a man and a woman. She looked questioningly toward Damon and he nodded. These two humans would be their prey.

Damon's whisper was almost silent. "Feed and compel, like we did in D.C.?"

"Yes." Becca was glad that they were in agreement on that. They would have their fun, and a tasty meal, and the humans would walk away little the worse for it.

Becca started to move forward, but Damon held her back with a hand on her arm. His whisper would once again have been inaudible to human ears. "Watch this."

He closed his eyes, and a moment later, a fog began to gather around the two hikers. Becca watched, impressed. Very few vampires ever learned to tap into the strange magic at the core of their nature as Damon had just done. She wondered where he had learned this trick. She grinned at him. "Very nice."

She watched gleefully as the two humans looked around in confusion at the sudden appearance of the fog, and Becca heard their heart rates accelerate in fear. She knew there was a predatory smile on her face, and she saw a matching glitter in Damon's blue eyes. As much as the humans might not like it, this was part of their nature as vampires, and Becca refused to suppress her instincts entirely. After the previous few days, she was convinced that it was important that they stay sharp. Just because Klaus was dead did not mean that they did not still have enemies, that she did not still have enemies. Becca had never liked William, but she believed that he was too smart to have attacked her on his own. Someone else had been behind it, and she suspected her sister Magdalena, although she had no real proof and, in fact, little logical reason for the feeling.

She watched as the human woman clutched the man's arm. "I don't like this fog. It came out of nowhere."

"I'm sure it's nothing, honey." The pounding of his heart belied his words, however, and Becca smiled, knowing he was her prey.

"Seriously, Mark. I feel like I'm in a horror movie or something." Even at a distance, Becca could see the woman shudder. This, she knew, was the genius of Damon's fog trick. Becca hadn't seen a lot of horror movies, but she and Damon had held a vampire movie marathon one night during the months spent tracking Klaus so she had some idea of what the humans were thinking. She could smell their fear, and it was intoxicating.

"Come on. Relax, Deborah."

"That's easy for you to say. It's always the girl who dies first in the horror movie." Deborah gave an uneasy laugh, and Becca decided maybe she liked the woman. It was good that they weren't planning to kill her.

Damon caught her eye, and Becca knew it was time. They sped forward in unison and were on the two humans before either could even scream. Becca effortlessly jerked the much larger man, Mark, down so that she could capture his eyes. She compelled him quickly to forget the whole experience even as she felt her fangs descending at the scent of his blood and his fear, and a second later, she was sinking her fangs into his neck. His blood was warm and fresh, flavored by terror as it pumped into her, and Becca drank slowly. She had to stop before she wanted to, careful not to take too much blood from her prey, and she looked up to see that Damon was also pulling away from his victim.

Becca felt a wave of desire sweep through her at the sight of Damon's vampire face. He was just as beautiful like this as he was with his human face, she thought, as she admired the way the red contrasted with the normal blue of his eyes and the way the veins traced along his high, defined cheekbones. Her eyes met his as she dropped the man she had been drinking from. He discarded his prey just as quickly and flew across the short distance to her, pulling her body to him as their lips met. Becca brushed her tongue lightly over one of Damon's fangs, feeling a sharp sting and tasting the coppery tang of blood. Damon growled at the taste of her blood in his mouth, and she felt his grip on her tighten. She threw her head back in ecstasy as Damon abandoned her mouth and dug his fangs into her neck. She tore Damon's shirt from his body as he fumbled with her clothes. If the previous night had been tender and gentle and human, that morning was wild and carnal and all vampire as they took full advantage of their indestructible bodies.

•••••

Damon glared at Becca, although there was no real anger in it. Not after the morning they'd had. After everything that they had been through the previous day, hunting together had proven highly erotic – the sex had been fucking amazing, even more so than usual with them. Well worth the loss of a few clothes, although that didn't mean Damon wasn't going to complain a little. "What did you do to my shirt?" He held up what looked like little more than a black rag.

"Sorry." Becca smirked at him unrepentantly as she pulled on her jeans, looking pleased that those had survived intact. Her shirt was also looking more than a little the worse for wear as Damon spotted it on a branch half way across the clearing.

He turned around suddenly at the sound of footsteps. He groaned as two newcomers, a man and a woman, entered the clearing. The woman stared at him. At first, Damon assumed that it was because he was shirtless with his jeans still unbuttoned, but then he saw the look of recognition on her face. "Damon Salvatore?"

Shit, Damon thought. She was a little old to really be his type, although that didn't guarantee that he hadn't hooked up with her when drunk. If she had been a snack, she wouldn't remember him. . . . "Do I know you?" He quickly buttoned his pants.

The woman smiled brightly. "Carol Lockwood introduced us at a party last year. Fancy running into you out here." Her focus was entirely on Damon and his state of undress, ignoring both Becca and the man at her side entirely. "I'm Amanda, Amanda Fell-Johnson."

Damon felt a small sense of relief that his connection with this woman was apparently innocent. "Sorry, Amanda." He debated offering an excuse about being bad at names, or meeting so many people at those damn parties, before he decided to skip all the justifications. He was just going to compel the woman anyway. He took a couple of steps closer to Amanda and looked directly into her eyes.

Suddenly, Becca was there by his side. His heart couldn't help but give a little skip at the sight of her wearing only her bra and jeans. And how the hell had he failed to destroy her bra in the heat of everything? Becca's voice was deceptively mild, although Damon thought maybe he detected just a hint of jealousy. "Amanda, would you happen to have a shirt I can borrow? And one for Damon?"

Damon hadn't even noticed it, but there was apparently a compulsion behind those words because Amanda promptly took off her backpack and knelt down to dig in it. "Actually, I do. I always bring an extra when we go hiking in case I get too sweaty." She glanced up at the man with her. "Wade, dear, you have an extra shirt in your bag, too. Can you get it out?"

Amanda pulled out a red tank top and handed it to Becca, who promptly pulled it on over her head. Wade had found the shirt in his bag and tossed it to Damon, who caught it. Damon stared at the shirt in his hands. "You have got to be kidding me." It was a yellow t-shirt that said West Virginia football.

Becca smirked at him as she turned to the couple. "Thank you, Amanda. Now you will forget that you ever saw us here today."

"I never saw you."

Damon watched as Becca compelled Wade and the couple left the clearing, continuing on their hike. He was still standing there holding the ridiculous shirt. Of course, Becca got a perfectly nice tank top that fit her well – in fact, it hugged her breasts just perfectly, if Damon did say so himself – and he got this. "I can't wear this."

Becca giggled. "That is fine. You can just go shirtless. I do not mind."

Damon sighed and reluctantly pulled on the shirt. Normally, he would choose the shirtless option, but the woods weren't really his thing and he felt more comfortable, more civilized, wearing a shirt. Even that shirt. (And yes, he was aware of the irony of wanting to feel civilized after hunting for his breakfast.) Plus one encounter with someone from Mystic Falls when he was half-dressed was enough for one day.

Now that they were decent, Damon and Becca strolled down one of the trails through the woods, fingers interlaced. Damon wasn't exactly big on nature, but he thought they could both use some peace after the previous couple of days. And he really wasn't ready to go back to the house just yet, and back to trying to figure out who exactly was behind that attempt to use him to trap Becca. Becca was looking around the forest in wonder, her face alight with excitement, and Damon couldn't help but smile too at her expression. He reached over with his free hand and pulled a twig from her hair, which was adorably messy from their earlier activities.

Becca squeezed his hand. "I see why people in this era put so much value on preserving nature. It is so different from the town or city." She turned to him. "I want to see all kinds of places – rainforests and deserts and mountains and glaciers. I saw a glacier once when I was a young vampire. I wonder if it is even still there?"

"Probably. Don't glaciers pretty much last forever, even by our standards?"

Becca shook her head. "Not according to the environmentalists. They say they are disappearing."

"Oh, yeah. Global warming." Damon looked down at Becca with amusement. "What kinds of things have you been reading now to turn all nature-girl on me?"

She grinned at him. "John Muir and David Brower and Al Gore. And Henry David Thoreau."

"Those must be Stefan's."

Becca's eyes twinkled. "Not the Thoreau. I found it in your bookshelf, and it says 'happy birthday, Damon' inside, dated 1857."

Damon groaned. "I was just a kid – you can't hold that against me."

"It was a present from Stefan, right?" When Damon raised his eyebrows at her, she elaborated. "The inscription was in a child's handwriting."

Damon smiled slightly in spite of himself. "Yeah." Stefan had been so excited when he had given him that book. It had been before the war, well before Katherine, and they had both been so young and innocent then. Their father hadn't approved, of course, particularly since Thoreau had also written anti-slavery tracts, and Damon had had to hide the book. . . . He cut off the memory, not wanting to remember his past and his father.

Becca was looking at him searchingly. "Tell me what you were like when you were human."

Damon shook his head. "Nope. It's too nice a day for depressing topics like that."

"Okay, but I will get it out of you someday."

Damon was sure that she would. He couldn't really deny Becca anything. They walked for a few more minutes in silence before Becca spoke again. "You will come with me to see all of the beautiful natural places, yes?"

"They'll be new to me, too." Nature tourism had never exactly made it onto Damon's to-do list. After a moment, he added, "I'll have to steal some of Ric's plaid shirts to fit in."

Becca hit his arm lightly. "Silly."

Damon grinned at her and caught her hand, stroking her palm. "I'll come as long as you add beaches to the list."

"Yes, of course, beaches."

"It's a deal then." Damon stopped, deciding that a deal like that should be sealed with a kiss. Becca read his mind, or maybe his emotions, as he turned to face her, and she reached up to wrap her arms around Damon's neck. He captured her lips with his for a teasing kiss even as he brought his hands around to cup her perfectly shaped ass and draw her body against his. He deepened the kiss as she moaned into his mouth. Damon knew he would do just about anything with, and for, this woman.

•••••

They settled on a bench looking over a stream, Becca nestling against Damon's side. He put his arm around her. After a few minutes of companionable silence, Damon finally decided to ask a serious question. With everything that had happened, he had no idea how the meeting with her siblings had turned out. "So how did it go in Chicago? Did you manage to convince your siblings of the charms of the twenty-first century?'

Becca sighed, and Damon thought she looked worried. "It did not go well. I am afraid that my sister Magdalena may be behind all of this. William – the vampire who captured us – always did have a thing for her."

Damon understood Becca's worried look then, but he responded with his trademark insincerity. "Your family makes me glad I only have one sibling. Plus the idea of more than one Stefan is a scary thought. I'm not sure the world could handle that much brooding." He gave an exaggerated shudder.

His comment managed to bring a smile to Becca's face. "At least your brother is not trying to build a supernatural army."

"No, and that's just as well since I don't think Stefan would make a very good general." Damon paused, suddenly feeling reflective. "Katherine liked to build up a collection of followers. I guess that's what she probably had planned for me, why she gave me her blood." Thanks to Becca, he could actually think about Katherine with only a twinge of pain, mostly for his own stupidity. "Why do you think that's your sister's plan?" he added.

Becca ignored the real question. "You would not have made a very good follower."

Damon pretended to be offended. "What do you mean? Are you saying I don't take orders well?"

"I am saying exactly that. And I love that about you." Becca's warm brown eyes met his, and Damon suddenly desperately wanted to kiss her. But she turned back to stare at the stream before he could do so, and she spoke again, quietly. "I do not know how to get Magdalena to see that there are other options, other ways to live than always trying to amass power."

Damon's thoughts were going in a different direction. "Doesn't Magdalena care about you? Because that William guy definitely knew you were coming and was ready for you."

Becca shook her head. "No, I do not believe Magdalena cares about me. We were never close. She was too much older, and she just found me annoying as a child. I used to do things like climb up the balcony and spy on her trysts. I was never a proper little girl. My parents were rather indulgent, probably since I was the youngest, but Magdalena never liked me."

"I'll bet you were adorable." Damon could just imagine Becca as a curious, free spirited child, and he knew from personal experience how such children were treated in a conservative society. He was just glad that her spirit had survived, since it was a big part of what he loved about her.

Becca was still lost in her memories. "Even when I got older, I had no patience for the court games that Magdalena loved. By the time we became vampires, we seldom saw each other."

"She is your sister. Surely she must care about you, at least a little."

Becca sounded doubtful. "It is hard to care, as a vampire. You know that."

"Yeah, I know." Damon thought about the extreme emotions that he felt as a vampire. It had been so very hard to let those emotions back in. He wasn't at all sure that he would have done it on purpose, and he had wanted to turn his emotions off more than once since they had come back.

Becca was in a similarly reflective mood. "And it gets harder, every time you lose someone you care about."

They were both silent for a long time after that, listening to the stream as it meandered through the forest and the birds chirping in the trees. Finally, Becca spoke again, changing the subject. "I should not have let that witch live yesterday."

Damon sighed. "Probably not. But it was good for inter-friend relations that you did. I can tell you from personal experience that Ric can hold a grudge about so-called unnecessary killing. Do you really think that Elijah is working on some sort of supernatural peace initiative?"

"I will call him today. But it is the sort of thing that he would do, now that Klaus is gone."

Damon snorted. "I guess everyone needs a hobby, but that is never going to work. This is the real world. Are we going to have vampire elections every four years or something?"

Becca looked up at him. "Maybe it could work."

Damon smiled teasingly at her. "Aren't you too old to be an optimist?"

"If I am, then you are too young to be a pessimist."

Damon shrugged. "Nah, I'm worse than that. I'm a fatalist."

Becca shook her head in denial and scrunched up her nose in the most adorable way. "No, you are not. You fight too hard to be a fatalist."

Damon bent down and kissed her softly, deciding to drop the topic of fate before he lost the argument completely. "We'll figure this out." He thought they could manage anything together, but he wasn't about to admit to Becca that she might be turning him into an optimist.

A/N: I know the show will probably never bring back the fog from early season 1, but I couldn't resist including it.