Chapter Eleven

Damon leaned against Alaric's desk staring at the young woman standing in front of him. Her demeanour and attitude toward him had changed drastically in a few short minutes. She was no longer afraid, after getting over the initial shock of seeing him she was confident and in no way scared. If Alaric was right and Ella was indeed a Fae then she was more powerful than any of them realised.

He'd only ever met one Fae, years ago, he never knew what had happened but he believed the Fae has been killed or just died. They were like nothing Damon had ever met before and if you got on the wrong side of one you'd regret it for the rest of your life. They were essentially good and pure beings; in fact they were the essence of good. If you angered one then they became more formidable than any Vampire or Werewolf.

Their powers were based on their emotions, if they were happy then it could spread and life the spirits of everyone they were close it. It was an amazing high, but if they were unhappy it could tear you apart from the inside out. They not only felt everything you felt, they could also make you feel what they felt as well and with an intensity that could kill you. That was just the tip of the iceberg.

"Are you just going to keep staring at me?" Ella asked, breaking the heavy silence between them. She was sitting on the desk in front of Damon, her hands folded on her lap and a frown puckering her brow.

"Is Alaric sure?" Damon asked in response.

"I have no idea," Ella shrugged her small shoulders. "You know as much as I do."

The young woman looked so vulnerable in that moment that Damon felt a sudden urge to take her into her arms and just keep her safe from everything. He'd never felt anything so strong before in his life and he wondered if she felt it too. Could that be why she was no longer afraid of him? Not even Elena could provoke this kind of response in him and it almost scared him.

Damon nodded slowly then moved to the door and opened it. The others were all standing in the hallway close by, waiting for them. He waved them all inside and watched as Caroline and Jeremy were the first to reach Ella. He couldn't help but noticed that the girl visibly calmed when Jeremy placed a hand on her shoulder. If she truly was a Fae he would have to explain to her what the meant for both her and Jeremy.

"Are you all right?" Caroline asked Ella, her eyes moving looking her over and Damon knew she was looking for any sign of injury. It wasn't a surprise, now that Caroline was a vampire she remembered everything that Damon had done to her when they'd 'dated', it gave her just cause not to trust him.

"I'm fine," Ella smiled in reassurance. "We just talked."

Damon turned to Alaric. "What do you know about the Fae?"

"Not much," Ric shook his head. "I know that Isobel studied them briefly, I only remember snippets of her research, but from what I can remember it all fits perfectly with what Ella is doing now."

"What exactly is a Fae?" Ella wanted to know.

"They're supernatural beings, similar to witches. From the little I remember they are always attuned to the emotional state of those around them, however as they grow so does the power. It's not until they begin to reach adulthood that their other powers manifest," Alaric explained.

"Other powers?" Ella pressed, her eyes widening but Damon wasn't sure if it was surprise or fear.

"As they grow and develop their powers will grow. I'm not sure that Isobel ever really knew exactly what kind of powers they had. Their kind aren't as well documented as the rest."

"So we have no way of knowing what she'll become?" Damon asked.

"Not that I know of," Alaric shook his head then looked to Bonnie.

"I've only ever came across a couple of entries about the Fae. Not all of it very clear," Bonnie explained. "Like Alaric said their powers are based on their emotions and from what I can remember they can affect the emotions of those around them, other than that I'm not one hundred percent sure. I look out everything that I can when I get home."

"Me too," Alaric agreed.

Everyone turned to Ella, the colour had drained from her face and she looked as though she might faint. Damon noticed Jeremy's hold on her tighten slightly as if he too expected the girl to collapse.

"I think..." she began, her voice barely a whisper. "I'm going to go home."

"Are you ok?" Jeremy asked, his face a mask of concern as he looked down at her.

"I'm fine," she nodded absently, not looking at him. "It's just a lot to take in is all."

"I'll go and get Tyler, we'll drive you home," Caroline suggested.

"No," Ella shook her head. "Thank you but I think I'll walk, I need time to process everything."

"At least let me walk you," Caroline pleaded.

"I'll be fine; I really just want to be alone." Ella tried to smile at her friend reassuringly but failed miserably.

They watched as she exited the room. Damon gave her a few minutes head start, then followed, telling the others he'd had enough of the teen drama and he was going home. He didn't however go home; he followed Ella, making sure that she got home safely.

It took a while to reach her house but she got there without accident. When she reached the door she removed her keys from the small purse she'd been carrying and slipped the key into the lock. She paused before entering the house, staring resolutely at the wooden door.

"Thank you Damon," she whispered, without turning around. Then she slipped into the house and closed the door.

Damon smiled; he'd had a feeling she'd know he was following her. There was something about this girl and he knew that however hard he could try to fight he was going to like Gabriella D'Angelo and he looked forward to seeing just what she was capable of. There was one thing he was sure of however; he'd be there to help her no matter what. He just wished he knew why he felt that way.

TBC...

A/N: So in Vampire Diaries tradition the school dance didn't go as expected. Will Ella be able to cope with the things she'd learned about herself? Will Bonnie and Alaric find out more about the Fae and what to expect from Ella? And what about Damon? His feelings toward the new girl were strong and unexpected, how could he go from wanting to protect her to wanting to kill her as her vision suggested? Or is there more to what she saw than first appeared?