Chapter 8

Elena was the first to greet a sobbing Jessenia, stopping her from running past them, a deep frown marring her face. "Jesse, what happened?" Her lips were slightly swollen and Elena could already feel her blood boiling, knowing Damon had put his hands on her. "Did he…?"

"Did you know?"

That question took Elena aback, confusion entering her eyes. "Did I know what, sweetie?"

"Did you know that he and…and…" Jessenia couldn't go on, jumping when Alaric took a step toward her, shaking her head. "Stay away from me. All of you stay the hell away from me!" Breaking free of Elena, Jessenia ran up the few stairs and took her heels off before bolting out the front door, running as fast as she could.

Alaric was going to kill Damon, glaring when the son of a bitch showed his face and started for him, but Stefan stepped in the way. "Ric, it's not worth it."

"What did you say to her, dick?" Alaric demanded, watching as Damon went to get another drink. "What the hell is going on?"

"Told her the truth about what we did to Logan." Damon smiled and walked over to sit on the couch, propping his feet up on the table while the heat of the flames washed over him. "She didn't take it very well."

"Well no kidding! She just ran out of here and told us all to stay away from her! I'm dating Meredith, do you have any idea what this is going to do to our relationship?" Alaric was pissed; it showed on his face, squeezing the wooden stake in his hand, really wanting to end Damon's existence and rid the world of him.

Elena could tell what Alaric was thinking and stopped him before he did something he would surely regret, shaking her head. "Go find Jesse before she ends up hurt. We'll talk to Damon and tomorrow I'll sort things out with her."

"Damon, I'm only warning you one more time, you stay the hell away from Jessenia or I will kill you." Alaric wasn't giving him another caveat and stormed out of the house, slamming the door behind him.

"Whatever." Damon downed the rest of his whiskey before setting it on the side table, ignoring Elena's disapproving look. "I don't need a lecture. I did what I had to do."

"Do you have any idea how much pain you caused that girl tonight, Damon?" Elena asked softly, still having her compassion and humanity even after being changed. "You possibly destroyed her."

"And that should bother me why?" Damon retorted, standing up from the couch to stand in front of the fire, the flames dancing in his eyes. "I may have caused her a world of pain, but that pain will cease since she didn't even know the guy."

"And what if it doesn't?" Elena demanded, watching as Damon turned to face her, their eyes meeting.

"Believe me, when you chose Stefan instead of me it nearly destroyed me, Elena. I got over it though. And what makes you think I even care if she does survive? She's a HUMAN and I'm a VAMPIRE, did you suddenly forget that? I don't feel anything for humans, not anymore." Taking the glass, Damon launched it as hard as he could in the fireplace, watching as the flames exploded briefly, gritting his teeth.

Elena frowned, knowing she had really hurt Damon when she chose Stefan over him, but the heart wanted what the heart wanted. "Good night, Damon." She whispered, leaving him alone and went to join Stefan in bed, having sent him away so she could talk to him privately.

"Yeah, night." Damon muttered, walking away from the flames and headed to his bedroom, slamming the door shut.

It wasn't that Damon wasn't over Elena because he was, had been for awhile. He enjoyed making Elena feel guilty because she chose the wrong man. Damon loved her more than Stefan, or loved, now she was stuck with his weak brother who refused to show her how to feed on a human.

When Elena transitioned, Damon had to be the one to track the human down for her to feed on to complete the process. If she hadn't, she would've died and Stefan didn't care. He thought animal blood would be strong enough to complete Elena's transition, but as soon as she tried it, it made her sick. So Damon took matters into his own hands, which he did often, and found an older woman that was ready to croak, allowing Elena to use her blood to survive.

That was fine though, Elena and Stefan could have each other because Damon was done with her.

Pouring another glass of bourbon, Damon plopped down in bed and instantly closed his eyes, the smell of jasmine surrounding him. Jessenia was definitely a one of a kind woman, one he really wanted to get to know better and on a more personal level. Of course, that was going to be really hard now that Alaric had a stake with his name on it if he went near Jessenia again.

There was always a way around that though, Damon smirking as he downed the rest of the liquor and just lay there for awhile, thinking about the burning kiss he shared with Jessenia.

~!~

Jessenia somehow found the main road that lead back into town, making it out of the woods. She had to hide behind a tree out of sight when Alaric drove by, needing to get home to tell Meredith what she found out. Damon and Alaric were responsible for her father's death. The more Jessenia thought about it, the more her heart broke into a million pieces because she had no other family besides Meredith.

An hour later, Jessenia arrived at home and was thankful to see Meredith's car in the driveway. However, that wasn't the only car and Jessenia suddenly recognized it as Alaric's. This wasn't good. How was she supposed to face one of the men that killed her father?

'I have nowhere else to go.' She thought miserably, slowly walking up the stairs and reluctantly opened the front door, closing it behind her.

"Jessenia?" Meredith called out, walking out of the kitchen and immediately rushed over to her, hugging her close. "Oh thank god…"

Jessenia instantly broke down against her cousin, hugging her to the point of almost cutting off circulation, burying her face in Meredith's neck. Meredith had no idea what happened, running her fingers through Jessenia's hair and looked over her shoulder at Alaric, frowning. What the hell happened over at the Salvatore house?

"It's okay, Jess…"

"No…No it's not!" Jessenia sobbed brokenly, every part of her hurting from both what Damon did to her and the heartbreak. "It never will be again…"

Meredith pulled back, staring into her cousin's red swollen bloodshot eyes, feeling all the pain pouring from her body. "What happened, Jess? Talk to me."

"Get him out of here." Jessenia ordered through gritted teeth, trembling from head to toe and staring deadly at Alaric. If looks could kill, he would be on the floor dead at her feet. "I'm not saying a single word until he's gone." Pushing her cousin away, Jessenia rushed up the stairs to her room, the door slamming shut echoing down the stairs moments later.

Meredith slowly turned to face her boyfriend, realization evident on her face. "She knows?" When Alaric nodded, Meredith instantly went into his open arms, tears stinging her eyes. "Christ, I was just waiting for the right time to tell her."

"I know." Alaric whispered, slowly pulling back to stare into her eyes. "It was Damon who told her. He…He forced her to tell him the reason why she moved to Mystic Falls. You know how paranoid he is."

"We should've told her." Meredith muttered, walking away from Alaric to go back inside the kitchen, running a hand through her hair. "I have no idea how I'm going to explain any of this to her without her freaking out. I mean how do you tell someone that vampires exist?"

"I don't know."

Alaric didn't even believe they did until he witnessed his wife die at the hands of one. Only she hadn't been murdered, she was changed, after begging Damon to do it. Alaric sighed heavily, scrubbing a hand down his face, having lived the last few years of his life as a vampire hunter. Now he was friends with a few of them, it was irony at its finest.

"Damon had no choice, but he didn't actually kill him. I'm the one who did it, technically."

"I know that and I love you for it." Meredith said, reaching up to wrap her arms around his neck, kissing him softly. "Everything will work out, Ric. You just have to have a little faith. But in the meantime, I think you should leave so I can talk to her. She's upset and not rational right now."

Alaric nodded, completely sympathetic and kissed her forehead. "I'll call you tomorrow. I'll understand if she misses a few days of school too."

Meredith nodded, kissing him one last time. "Hey, this doesn't change anything between us. I still want you." She wanted to assure him, refusing to lose Alaric because of vampires and especially Logan.

Smiling, Alaric caressed her face and ran the pad of his thumb across her bottom lip. "I know, I'm not going anywhere."

Meredith watched him walk out the front door and looked up at the ceiling, knowing her cousin was going to be furious with her. When Monica died unexpectantly, Meredith was the only one who would take Jessenia in, the other family members turning their backs. This wasn't in Meredith's plans, but she couldn't leave Jessenia to fend for herself in Maryland and moved her to Mystic Falls.

Sighing, Meredith headed up the stairs, replaying over and over what she was going to say in her head. The sobs coming through Jessenia's bedroom door broke Meredith's heart, hating that she caused her cousin so much pain. She should have just told her the truth instead of bringing her to Mystic Falls with false hope.

"Jessenia, can I come in? We really need to talk." Meredith tapped lightly on the door, leaning her head against it. "Please?"

Jessenia didn't move an inch, curled up in a tight ball on her bed, crying her eyes out. Meredith slowly walked over and sat on the bed, placing a hand on her back, her own tears forming. Having to raise a teenager at her age definitely wasn't on Meredith's agenda, but here she was.

It reminded her of what Jenna Sommers had to go through, which was Alaric's ex-girlfriend. Elena Gilbert's parents had died in a horrible accident off of Wickery Bridge, both of them drowning. She took in both Elena and Elena's brother, Jeremy, becoming their legal guardian much the same way she did with Jessenia.

"What do you want, Meredith?" Jessenia asked in a cracked voice, staring straight at the wall.

"I should've told you this from the beginning, Jess, and I'm so sorry you had to find out like this." Meredith said sincerely, placing her hand on Jessenia's shoulder and let a few tears slip down her cheeks. "You were going through so much and I was waiting for the right time…"

"The right time?" Jessenia's sarcastic laugh echoed around the room as she slowly sat up, wiping her tears away. "The right time would've been before I was threatened with my life if I didn't reveal my secret!" Scrambling out of bed, Jessenia walked over to stare out the window, touching her throat. "And scared to the point of hyperventilation and manhandling." Light bruises coated her throat, along with her upper arms and even her lips, her fingertips running across them.

"What?" Meredith stood up instantly, eyes widened. "W-What do you mean? Are you okay?" She turned Jessenia around, staring at the bruises that marred her throat and hugged her tightly, rubbing her back. "I-I'm so sorry, Jess. God I'm so sorry…"

Jessenia held onto her cousin for dear life, trying to stop trembling and crying, but it wasn't happening. "Alaric killed him…" She whispered, slowly pulling back to look at Meredith. "Why?"

Sighing heavily, Meredith took Jessenia's hands and guided her over to sit down on the bed, not releasing them. "Before I tell you what happened, there's a few things you need to know about this town." That definitely got Jessenia's attention. "I need you to have an open mind about this. Do you promise?"

Jessenia nodded, simply waiting for Meredith to explain. So she did. Meredith explained about the Founding Families of Mystic Falls, which were the townspeople descended from the original settlers. They formed the Founder's Council, an association of the Founding Families that was dedicated to celebrating Mystic Falls' local history. Secretly, however, the council's actual mission was to hunt down and destroy vampires. Each of the Founding Families kept journals that described how to catch and kill a vampire, which have been passed down through the generations.

"That's not the only supernatural being in Mystic Falls though, Jessenia." Meredith stated, looking down at her clasped hands, swallowing hard. "There's also witches and werewolves."

This was a lot to process as Jessenia just sat there, trying to mull all the information Meredith just told her, blinking. Five minutes passed and Jessenia finally looked up at Meredith, knowing she was telling the truth. Suddenly, Damon popped into Jessenia's mind and felt her hands turn clammy, her breathing turning erratic.

The speed, the pale complexion, the strength she felt from him…Jessenia was on her feet instantly, watching the confusion cross Meredith's face. "Meredith, I need you to answer this honestly."

"Okay…"

"Is Damon…?"

"Yes." Meredith nodded, not meeting Jessenia's eyes. "Nobody knew what he was planning to do to you. Alaric said he'll be dealt with."

"He's…a vampire. You're telling me I was threatened and manhandled by a damn vampire?" This was too much for Jessenia to take, feeling her legs turn to jelly as she collapsed on the floor, fresh tears sliding down her cheeks.

Meredith went to her aid, wrapping her arms around Jessenia's shoulders, pressing her forehead against the side of Jessenia's head. "He won't hurt you again, Jess. He knows your secret and now we can move on. Alaric will protect you. That's why you need to wear that necklace at all times, even in the shower. We're acquaintances with the Salvatore brothers, Damon and Stefan. I'd like to keep it that way since they're possibly the most dangerous vampires in the Mystic Falls area."

That was not comforting in the slightest. "What about Elena?" Jessenia asked softly, slowly looking into her cousin's eyes. "Does she know about all of this?"

"Yes, and she's also a vampire." Meredith admitted, being completely open and honest with her. "And it's okay to be her friend because Elena is a sweetheart, vampire or not. I trust her and you should too."

"I want to go to bed, Meredith." Jessenia whispered, having heard enough for one night and she was exhausted after what Damon put her through. "We can talk more tomorrow, please."

"Of course." Meredith whispered, slowly getting to her feet and helped Jessenia up as well. "Tomorrow is a new day."

Nodding, Jessenia hugged her tightly around the neck and accepted a kiss on the forehead, smiling in spite of everything she heard. "Good night."

"I love you, Jess. Never forget that."

"I know, I love you too and thank you for taking me in."

"Anytime." Meredith murmured softly, hoping her cousin was going to be alright with all this newfound information. "Good night."

As soon as the door closed, Jessenia stripped out of her dress and changed into a light pink tank top with matching cotton shorts, climbing into bed. She turned the lamp off on her nightstand and snuggled into the pillow, trying to force herself to sleep. The last person on her mind as Jessenia drifted off to sleep was Damon.