Mystic Grill in Mystic Falls, Virginia is buzzing with electric energy. It always is after a Damon Salvatore fight.
Mystic Falls itself is too small to host UFC fight events. Those honors go to Fairfax, Virginia, a few hours away. Mystic Falls can rock a fight after-party though. How could it not, with Ric's "Slayers" mixed martial arts team co-owning the Mystic Grill? Ric, Damon, and Elena, along with Tyler "The Werewolf" Lockwood and Matt "Only Human" Donovan, fight hard and party harder.
The Slayers enter Mystic Grill to a cacophony of whoops and cheers. Queen's "We are the Champions" blasts through the loudspeakers, and the drunken crowd butchers it. The men fondle their exaggerated air guitars; the women fondle themselves. The flashing spotlights illuminate, then hide the writhing bodies. The smell and taste of naked sweat and other unspeakable bodily fluids hang a million tiny nooses in the air. Damon drowns out the choking assault with a couple tumblers of bourbon. The crowd stops to toast to Damon, then resumes its debauchery.
Jeremy Gilbert, Elena's little brother, pulls Damon aside. "See, I told you I could be a badass ..." Jeremy begins, showing off the new, first-ever tattoo on his hand. He is a gifted artist and plans to get sleeve tattoos of his artwork. A live portfolio, if you will.
"Badasses don't say that," Damon fires back and admires Jeremy's handiwork. The kid has spunk, like his sister.
John Gilbert, Elena's father, interrupts to erupt when he sees Jeremy's tattoo. John spews verbal lava in every which direction. Tattoos = Gangbanger. Cage fighters = Savage killers. Jeremy's bored disregard only fuels John's fiery core.
Jenna Gilbert, Elena's mother, leads Damon away from the Gilbert men standoff. She wraps him in a motherly hug, and he basks in the warmth until a group catches his eye at the front door: the Mikaelsons.
Kol's eternal shit-eating grin is dead. Dark shades cover his swollen eyes and a heavy cast protects his injured hand.
Klaus Mikaelson has just finished serving his 90-day medical suspension. Damon submitted Klaus with a merciless heel hook, winning the UFC lightweight belt in the process and becoming the youngest UFC champion in history. Klaus's limp is now barely noticeable.
Elijah plays head trainer to his brothers over at "The Originals" mixed martial arts gym. He is too cultured to fight himself but not too cultured to teach others the brutal art. To show sportsmanship, he waves his entire team into the Mystic Grill and raises a wine stem in Damon's direction.
Elena hops over to Elijah and pecks at his lips and face. Damon would rip Elijah's heart out, if Elijah was not such a stand-up guy ...
Professor Giuseppe Salvatore's powerful voice explodes over the PA system, causing vibrations that interrupt his son's bloodthirst. Giuseppe is the dean of law at Mystic Falls' Whitmore College. He had ordered both of his sons, Damon and Stefan, to follow in his legal footprint. Imagine Giuseppe's shock and surprise when Damon decided to major in English Literature, of all things, and stop at only one degree. Stefan, however, would tow the Salvatore line. He is only 17 now, seven years Damon's junior, but is already on the fast track to becoming a law professor.
This is Giuseppe's first after-party, and he hams it up with lie after lie about how he supported his son's mixed martial arts dream. The "years of support" really consist of only one action - showing up at this after-party - and with curious timing. Giuseppe has just secured the largest endowment donation in Whitmore history, using his celebrity-by-association.
Elena hooks Damon's attention again, when he sees her cheekily put a lemon in her mouth. Elijah needs said lemon to down with his shot. How do you think he goes about retrieving said lemon? Damon's mind starts to drift back three years ...