The Hybrid

"Damon?" I called. "Damon?" He vamped in front of me, startling me. "Damon! For God's sake!" I hit him on the shoulder.

"What are you doing here?" he said grumpily, making his way over to his wine cabinet.

"I am here to make sure that you don't spiral," I said, sitting down at the side of his bed. He groaned. "You do have a tendency to go off the rails when things get tough."

"I told you, I didn't care about her," he snarled through gritted teeth. "She was just another-"

"Human blood-bag?" I finished. "Yeah, I thought so too, until I heard you on the phone after she died. You were quite distraught, if I remember correctly."

"Come to taunt me?" he asked.

"Nope," I replied, popping the 'p'. "I've come to remind you of your humanity."

He scoffed, pouring out some bourbon. "Well, I'm not the Salvatore who's ripping people's heads off and trying to put them back together again."

"No, but you are the Salvatore who's just lost someone they cared about, while battling feelings for his newly-turned ripper brother's girlfriend," I said. I noticed that Damon didn't show any spark of emotion when I mentioned Elena... that was odd. "And since Stefan's beyond our reach for the moment, I've decided to focus on you."

"Thinking of becoming a psychologist? Am I your first test subject?" he asked bitterly.

"Actually I plan on becoming a doctor," I said. "So, don't worry, you're not my latest experiment. But I need you to open up, Damon."

"Nope," he replied. "Not gonna happen."

"We need to find Stefan," I told him. "And we can't do that if you're dealing with your own inner-demons. So, the sooner we sort out yours, the sooner we sort out his."

"Ah, I get it," Damon said. "You're trying to ignore your problems by focusing on mine. Great tactic." He winked and raised his glass at me before gulping the rest of it down.

He turned on the TV. They were talking about Andie's death. He went over to the closet and began taking off all the notes and the map.

I saw Elena at the door. She looked at me suspiciously and accusingly. I raised an eyebrow. Why was she- oh... Oh! She thought I was making a move on Damon, and she didn't like the thought of sharing one of her Salvatore's. I rolled my eyes.

"Why didn't you tell me you were working on finding Stefan?" she asked me.

Oh, that's why she was looking at me like that. Ooops... well, at least she's not a complete possessive bitch.

"Did I forget to mention that?" I smiled sweetly.

"Just can't stay away, can you?" Damon asked, groaning.

She turned her attention to Damon. "You've been dodging my calls."

"Yeah, well, busy dating a dead fake girlfriend and all," he said.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Elena asked.

"Happy Birthday, Elena. Stefan killed Andie. Cake?"

"You don't seem to have any qualms about telling Louise," she said, a tinge of bitterness and jealousy in her voice.

"She's different," he replied.

I wasn't sure whether to feel complimented or offended by that.

"Stefan called me," she said.

"What?" Damon whipped around to look at her.

"Stefan called me last night," she repeated.

I stood up. "Well, what'd he say?" Damon asked.

"He didn't say anything, but it was him. I asked Sheriff Forbes if she would trace the call's origin. It came from Tennessee."

"Where he's binge drinking on the country folk," Damon said sardonically. "We went through this, Elena. Stefan's gone. I don't mean geographically."

"If he was gone, he wouldn't have called," Elena tried.

Damon burnt everything he had in his closet and stormed out of the room. Elena sat down on his bed as I followed him out of the room.

"Hey, Damon!" I called after him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"What?" he spat.

"You can't give up on him," I said as he glared at me. "He never gave up on you."

His expression softened. He didn't struggle under my grip, the vampire could have easily thrown me off, but he didn't. "I didn't kill his girlfriend."

"You did some pretty crappy things, though, Damon. Like, turning Vicki Donovan and killing numerous people." He narrowed his eyes at me. "Falling in love with his girlfriend..." No emotion. What the hell was wrong with him? "I could go on all day. But he never gave up on you."

"I thought you were against getting him back."

"I was, but then he called Elena... maybe there is hope after all." I gave him a large smile, which he returned. "You want to get your brother back, I want to get my best friend back. But until then, how about we have a relax day?"

He rose an eyebrow. "Relax day?"

I nodded. "We could watch TV, play on your Xbox, whatever you want."

"I'm not Stefan you know," Damon said. "I'm not your replacement best friend."

I patted his shoulder. "No, you're not. Which is why we can play more gorey games. Stefan gets into ripper mode when we play Call of Duty. So, I've had to settle with Crash Bandicoot on the PS3."

"Sounds like Stefan." He let out a small chuckle. "If you insist on being my therapist, then we're gonna do something fun."

"Like what?"

He smirked mischievously. "Dance party."

I jumped on the couch, dancing. I took a swig of the alcohol as Damon danced like a goof, his shirt unbuttoned revealing his toned chest.

I jumped down and went over to him. He spun me around and gripped my waist. I swayed my hips against his lower body. I was actually having fun. I had never been the party girl type, but Damon had brought something out in me. Something fun.

"You know, this is reminding me of my time with my mentor, Sage," Damon whispered huskily in my ear. "She taught me every I know."

I grinned as his grip tightened. "How to be a murderous vampire?"

"How to have fun." He turned me around and held me closer to him. Damon wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "Maybe I could teach you."

My heartbeat quickened and I felt something I never felt for Damon before. I glanced down to his lips and edged closer to him.

"Ah... Girl look at that body.
"Girl look at that body.
"Girl look at that body.
"Ah... I work out."

I tore away from him. "Seriously, Damon? Sexy and I know it? That's your ringtone?"

He shrugged. "I'm sexy-" I scoffed and he smirked. "-and I certainly know it."

I rolled my eyes. "Just answer the damn thing, you cocky bastard."

Amusement was laced in my tone, so Damon didn't get offended. He chuckled and answered his phone. "Ah, Alaric, what can I do for you?" His face fell. "She what?"

Damon and I arrived at the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee. "I mean, what the hell is wrong with your sister?" Damon growled. "Does she have a death wish?"

"I hope not, but she's not the brightest, I suppose."

"She's gonna get herself killed looking for Stefan," Damon said.

He pushed a branch out of his way and in flung back to me. It would have hit me straight in the face if I hadn't ducked. "Damon!" I shrieked. "That almost hit me!"

He shrugged. "Heh."

I rolled my eyes and scoffed. "Quit being a dick."

Damon smiled innocently. "It's my greatest quality." We looked ahead to see Alaric and Elena.

The old vampire vamped over to them and pushed Elena into the water. I sprinted over to them and threw my hands in the air. "What the hell Damon!"

Elena's gaze shot to the two of us. "Damon? Louise? How are you two even here?"

"Thanks for the tip, brother," Damon said to Alaric, smiling.

Elena narrowed her eyes at Alaric accusingly. "You sold me out!"

"You think I'd take you to a mountain range of werewolves on a full moon without backup?"

Elena stayed in the water stubbornly, her arms crossed. "Come on, Elena," I said to her.

"If I get out of the water, you're gonna make me go home," Elena accused.

"Yes, because she's not an idiot like you," Damon snapped.

I patted Damon on the back in a friendly gesture. "Aw... thanks Dames."

He rolled his eyes. "Right now, you're all acting like idiots," Alaric said.

"You two gave up on him," Elena spoke up, looking to Damon and I. "You're suppose to be his best friend and you-" she pointed her finger at Damon. "-are suppose to be his brother."

"I didn't give up on him, Elena. I faced reality. Now get out of the water," Damon demanded.

"No!" she protested.

"What's your big plan, Elena? Huh? You gonna walk through a campsite full of werewolves, roast a marshmallow, and wait for Stefan to stop by?" the raven-haired vampire taunted, getting into the water.

"My plan is to find him and help him. Damon, this is the closest that we've been to him since he left. I'm not going home!"

"Klaus thinks you died when he broke the curse. That makes you safe. This... this is not safe," he tried to reason with the stubborn Gilbert.

Granted, I was stubborn too, but at least I was mildly intelligent. Now was not the time to save Stefan, we'd have to negociate with Klaus. The time just didn't feel right.

"I'm not leaving before we find him." Elena pouted.

"It's a full moon tonight, Elena."

"Then we'll find him before then. Damon, please," my twin begged.

"Okay. Okay. But we are out of here before the moon is full and I'm werewolf bait."

"I promise."

"Unless you wanna relive that whole deathbed kissy thing..."

Elena didn't want to talk about that and, for some reason, I didn't want to hear about it. "I said I promise."

And then she came out willingly.

I looked up to the sky. The sun was setting which meant crazy, vampire-hungry wolves would be roaming around the forest in the next few hours, looking to kill some vampires.

"We've got a mile left," I said. "And the sun's about to set."

"I can see that, Louise," Elena sort of snapped.

I held my hands up in defense. "Just sayin'," I said in an 'I'm innocent, don't hurt me' kind of voice.

"The moon doesn't reach its apex for a while. We have time," Elena assured us.

The silence of the supposedly empty woods was ruined when we heard a twig snap. A guy who looked incredibly worn and ill approached us. Alaric held up his crossbow.

"Stay where you are!" Alaric warned him.

Hybrid, I realised. And if he was anything like Klaus, it meant that his bite was lethal any time of day. He looked to Damon. "Vampire."

He rushed over to Damon and began to fight him, pressing him against the try. I panicked when he went to bite him and stepped behind the crazy hybrid. It was a trick I learned from Bonnie's grimoires.

I put my hands on either side of the hybrid's head and muttered the spell. I felt the power surge through me. He dropped to the ground, unconscious.

"What did you do?" Alaric asked from behind me.

I stared at the guy's limp body. "It's kind of like electrocution. He'll be out for a couple of minutes, long enough to tie him up to interrogate him."

Damon put a hand on my shoulder awkwardly. I smirked at his unhappiness of having to be saved. "Thanks," he said through gritted teeth.

"You're very welcome."

Alaric kicked over the man's body. "Let me guess... hybrid."

'

Damon and Alaric were tying the hybrid to a tree. "These ropes aren't gonna hold him much longer. What else do we have?"

Elena sprayed the rope with vervain. "Ric, here. Take these."

Damon went to take it and grunted in pain. "Ah! Ow!" he exclaimed.

I gave him a pointed and amused look. "She did say Ric."

Damon glared at me as Alaric took the vervain and sprayed it around him. "All right, that's the last of the vervain. We don't have enough stuff to hold him. I don't think we're gonna make that Ridge before the full moon," Ric explained.

"If we can get him to talk, we don't have to," Elena said.

Ray awoke and yelled. "Oh my God!" I shrieked. "I think he's turning!"

Elena shook her head. "It's impossible. It's still daylight."

"Tell him that," Ric said, gesturing to the hybrid.

Damon - stupidly - got closer to the hybrid and caught his shoulders. "There aren't supposed to be werewolves out here until the moon is full," Elena said.

"When he turns, those ropes won't be able to hold him," I said. I gripped Damon's shoulder and tried to pull him away from the transforming hybrid. "Damon, we have to get out of here. Now! Damon, now!"

We ran into the forest. I wasn't sure why Damon didn't vamp away, he was the one the wolves really wanted. Werewolves hunted vampires as their chosen prey due to centuries of being slaughtered by them.

I tripped over a tree root and fell to the ground. When I was about to stand up, Damon warned, "Don't move." I rose my head to look at a wolf. I tried to keep my heartbeat under control. "Here, doggie, doggie."

Damon vamped away and the werewolf ran after him. "Come on. Let's keep moving," Alaric said as he helped me up.

"We can't leave Damon," Elena insisted from behind him.

"He can handle himself. Let's move," Ric urged.

"No. If he gets bit, he'll be dead. I'm the reason he's out here!"

"I am the reason he's out here. I told him where we were, and I'm telling you to keep moving. Let's go. Elena, Louise! Now!"

Reluctantly, Ric put us in his car. Elena sat in the front seat while I stretched my legs across the back seats. "Stefan's out there somewhere and now Damon, and we're just sitting in this car?" Elena asked rhetorically.

"Let the vampires fight the hybrid zombie mountain man. I'll take care of keeping the humans-" he gestured to us. "-safe."

I sat up quickly. "Hey! I am not a human! I'm a witch who's perfectly capable of defending herself. Did you not see what I did out there? I totally saved your asses."

Alaric chuckled. "You certainly did, Louise, but maybe, as the adult, I should be one saving your asses."

I popped my head through the gap between the driver and passenger seats. "I thought you were done taking care of people, Ric," I teased, grinned.

Ric sighed. "I know what you're doing. Don't. There doesn't need to be a lesson here."

"You're better at it than you think, you know," Elena assured him.

I nodded. "Uh-huh."

"Oh, boy, are you two suckers for a lost cause or what?" Ric asked us.

"You're not a lost cause, Ric," Elena said, "You're just lost. But so is Jeremy, so is Louise-" I opened my mouth to protest, but she continued anyway. "-and so am I. Our family is gone. We don't have anybody. I'm sorry, but you don't have anybody either, so... We're kind of good for each other."

"I'm keeping the ring, then."

I smiled happily. Yay! We get a new member in the family!

I saw Damon approach the car. "Damon?" I said, getting out of Ric's car.

"Are you okay?" I asked him, examining the vampire for bites. "Did you, uh..."

"Fine, bite-free. Get back in the car, please," Damon urged snappishly.

I put my hands on my hips. "Hey, drop the tone. Can you please just give me a minute or two to savour the sweet fact that you're not dead?"

"Since when did you care?" he asked, raising a curious eyebrow.

"I... uh..." I rubbed the nape of my neck awkwardly. "I don't. I just don't want Stefan coming back home to a dead brother and wasting decades with a psycho maniac hybrid for nothing."

He rolled his eyes. "I'll give you ten seconds. Nine... eight..."

"Anyway," I cut him off. "My stuff is in your car."

He groaned. "Hey, Ric did you happen to see where I parked my car?"

"Well... that was a waste of a day," I said to Damon as he drove us home. "Got attacked by crazy hybrid zombie with no Stefan-results. We came for nothing."

"That's uh..." He stopped. It looked as if he was debating whether or not to tell me something. "That's not true."

I sat up straight. "You saw Stefan?"

He nodded slowly. "He doesn't want to be found, Louise."

"We can't give up," I said. "I know you don't want to give up, Damon. So don't."

"What's up with you lately?" I shot him a questioning 'what the hell are you on about' look. "You're being... nice. Are far as I'm concerned, you hate my guts."

"I never hated you. I just didn't particularly like you."

"Why the sudden change?" he asked. "Do you want me to be a replacement Stefan?"

"For the second time, no," I insisted. "Maybe... maybe I actually care about you. Is that illegal or something? Before, I saw you as some screwed up guy who didn't give a crap about anyone, but your humanity is showing... and I like that."

"So you are trying to make me into Stefan." He nodded, thinking he understood what I was saying.

He parked the car in front of the Salvatore boarding house. "No. I'm not. I like that you're not Stefan. You're... eh... dangerous. Maybe I like that about you." I gave him a smile smile. "Why are you so insecure when it comes to him?"

He scoffed. "Because he's the good brother that everyone chooses. Katherine... Elena."

"Oh," I said quietly.

"What would you think if I told you I was... over Elena."

My head snapped over to him. "I'd say you were lying."

He edged closer to me. "What if I wasn't?" Damon brushed a lose strand of hair from my face. I shivered from his touch.

The vampire captured his lips in mine, his hand softly gripping the back of my head. What was I doing? He was in love with Elena... my sister. He was using me as her replacement.

I pulled away from him, panting heavily. His icy blue eyes stared into mine. "Let's make one thing clear. I am not an Elena replacement."

"Done."

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