AN: Thanks so much guys. I love your reviews. Thanks to blueberry24, Kira tsumi, uweesomegirl99, Nessalicious for reviewing the last chapter. I am gonna slow down from this chapter. Hope you guys like it more. Thanks for your support. Don't forget to click the blue button at the bottom after reading this chapter and tell me what do you think about it. THANKS.
Chapter 4: A Road Trip with Damon
At the night of the car accident, I sneaked out of the house and waited for Elena's car to arrive at the exact spot where she is going to get rolled over by an unknown vampire. I have planned everything out from before hand. About how I am gonna prevent the accident from happening this time. After a while I saw Elena's car coming towards me in high speed. My plan was to stop Elena's car from moving before it crashes terribly. I thought about standing in the middle of the road. Elena would surely see me and therefore stop her car before getting into an accident.
However, when I was getting to the spot where I planned on standing and wait for Elena to come, I cut my hand by something accidentally and immediately blood came out in a rush. Hence distracted the said unnamed vampire from getting to Elena. And he did move out of the way and let the car pass without creating any trouble for Elena but unfortunately he came right after me. In a blink of an eye the vampire was right in front of me and looked hungrily at my bleeding hand. This isn't happening. I groaned inwardly knowing exactly what I have got myself into. The vampire came forward while licking his bottom lip. I cringed from inside.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." I said to the vampire whose face was changing at the moment. I spoke with him in a way as if I wasn't scared of him a bit. Not to mention I acted as if I was quite used to of dealing with hungry vampires on a regular basis. But the truth is even my bones were shaking inside my body from fear.
"That's alright because I am not you." And suddenly he grabbed my bleeding hand and licked the blood off only to spit it out as his throat burned. Obviously because I was full of vervain.
"What is this?" The vampire asked angrily and coughed in pain.
"Vervain, vampire's poison. Told ya, I wouldn't have done that if I were you." I smirked at him like a smart ass after saying that and it angered him more.
"I may not be able to drink from you but I can certainly kill you" saying that the vampire grabbed my throat and pushed me into a tree. He started choking me slowly.
"It's a shame, you smell so good. Vervain wasted it all." I felt like fading away as the hostile vampire cut off my air supply. I was going to die for sure. Well it wouldn't be the first time. After a while all I wanted was for him to kill me quickly because the suffocation was hurting me a lot. But then again, I wanted the vampire to slow down in killing me, so that I can think of a way to get out of it.
An idea clicked in my mind suddenly and I forced my wounded hand on his mouth and got my blood in his system. Enough vervain filled blood will make him paralyze within moments. The vampire spit the blood out quickly and tried to kill me faster. I closed my eyes shut and waiting for the death blow but it never came because suddenly he was thrown off of me. I felt dizzy in my head and I was about to pass out too. I thought I would hit the ground but someone caught me in time and didn't let me fall.
"Jacq, look at me. Hey, look at me." I heard a voice saying to me but I saw nothing but blackness around me and after a while I stop hearing as well. I knew that I must have fainted right then. I don't know how long it took for me to wake up again but when I woke up I found myself in a car. And Damon was driving beside me.
"Good morning." He said sarcastically. I rolled my eyes at him, feeling sick instantly because of the motion. I knew exactly what was going on and I wasn't a bit happy about the changes. I didn't want Elena to go with Damon to prevent the love triangle from happening but that doesn't mean I wanted to go with Damon myself. I shouldn't be in this car with him.
"Where are we?" I asked even though I knew exactly where we were. It was just to keep up the act that I didn't know anything.
"Georgia." Damon replied with fake cheerfulness just as I thought he would.
"And why are you taking me with you?" I asked with bored tone of voice. Inwardly however I was really feeling sick.
"Because I want to talk to you." Damon replied simply while shrugging his shoulders at me nonchalantly.
"Seriously, what is it with you? You are kidnapping me to Georgia just to talk with me." I shook my head at him with hopelessness. Damon rolled his eyes at that before speaking up again.
"First, I am not kidnapping you. Second, think of it like a road trip and also I have some business of my own. Third, you are gonna answer all my questions without any trouble or I will kill you." Damon bluntly threatened me and suddenly I felt pain in my stomach. Not because of the threatening though.
"You do the killing thing later." I groaned in pain. "Pull over please. I need to get out of the car." Damon looked at me and rolled his eyes but pulled over anyway. I got out of the car quickly and doubled over holding my stomach. I felt like throwing up at the moment. I took deep breaths to ease the pain in my abdomen. Damon was right by me in a blink of an eye.
"Are you okay?" He asked and seemed genuinely concerned.
"Do I look okay?" I asked instead.
"No." He blurted out the only answer. After a while I noticed the bandage on my hand that was wounded last night. Damon must have done that. But there were more problems for me at the moment than worry about a bandaged hand. I couldn't let Damon ask me any question and let him find out that I know about the vampires. It would make things complicated for me unnecessarily.
"What happened to my hand?" I asked him pretending to be clearly surprised about that which surprised him in return.
"You don't remember?" asked Damon while frowning at me with confusion. I shook my head vehemently, trying to look as clueless as possible.
"All I remember is that I was in the woods, walking through it and then I don't know, I passed out somehow, I don't remember why and then I woke up in the car with you." I said with an innocent confused face that anyone would have believed me. Damon however stared at me for a while then smirked at me devilishly.
"I must say you are a qualified liar Jacq but it's not gonna help you this time" said Damon confidently but I frowned in confusion, still trying to play dumb with him but I knew I was doomed already.
"What do you mean?" I asked angrily, obviously I wasn't ready to give up so soon. I even tried to sound offended but Damon leaned in closer to me, invading my personal space in the process.
"I know you are on vervain and you were not compelled to forget anything." I made myself look even more confused as Damon said that.
"Seriously Damon what are you talking about?" That must have thrown him over the edge because the next thing I knew, Damon shoved me against his car and held onto my arms in bruising grips.
"I know you know about vampires." He hissed at me. I made a duh sound and rolled my eyes at him. I can't believe myself that I could still play along.
"Of course I do. I watched and read Twilight couple of times, I even watched Dracula and Van Helsing as well." My sarcasm seriously got on his nerves and his face changed immediately. Damon growled at me loudly like an angry beast. I had to shut my eyes and face away from him because trust me he looked horrific at the moment.
"Okay fine, I know about vampires. Change your face please, you look hideous in that monstrous look of yours." When I opened my eyes he was back to normal and looked at me quite seriously.
"Now spill, what do you know?" He asked firmly with strong tone of voice. I sighed heavily knowing there is no way out of it.
"Loosen your grips on my arms please, it's hurting." I said calmly and thankfully he let go of my hands but stood there looking down at me with such serious face that even Stefan couldn't master that up. I thought for a moment and quickly made up a believable story. I couldn't exactly tell him everything now could I?
"Well, when my parents died, I had kind of gone into zombie state. That time I went through our old stuffs and came across Jonathan Gilbert's journal where he mentioned all about vampires and witches. I didn't believe it then but when Stefan came in town and started dating Elena, I saw his face changing one day. It was just like described in the journal. That's when I found out about him and about you. I have been looking all around for more information. That's why I was in the woods last night. I was going to the graveyard hoping to find something more about vampires in the old graves." Damon kept staring at me after I finished my explanation. For a second I thought, he didn't buy it.
"Why would you look in there to find something on vampires?" He asked and I got a positive vibe in the situation for the first time. Maybe he did believe me.
"Well, I just wanted to check it out. It's not like I could have walked up to you and ask about vampires." This time we stared at each other without blinking for once. It was like a staring competition for us.
"Fine, I believe you but you are not hiding anything else from me, are you? Because if I find out that you were lying to me, I will kill you without a second thought." Damon threatened me again but we were still staring at each other.
"I am definitely going to ask Stefan to be my boyfriend, just for the sake of protection." I said in a dead serious tone of voice which made Damon smirk. He leaned in closer to me and caressed my cheek with his thumb lightly.
"Don't you feel afraid of me? I could kill you in a snap, you know." As he said that I couldn't help but smirk at Damon.
"I know but you won't hurt me." My confident amused him.
"What makes you think that?" asked Damon with interest and curiosity. I didn't loose my smirk as I answered him.
"Because, killing me will hurt Elena and you can't hurt her, not when you love her so much." I said confidently but Damon sighed in frustration because of my answer.
"Let me clear something first, I don't love Elena, okay?" said Damon firmly but I wasn't buying that and my face screamed it out.
"Really, then why would you sneak into her room to check her out every other night." I countered immediately. Damon grew uncomfortable this time. It was actually amusing.
"I did it only once, okay. She reminds me of someone I am looking for." I stared at him for a moment knowing exactly that he was talking about Katherine.
"Someone you love, I assume." I said with confident tone of voice. He looked at me and even though he wanted to deny it, he couldn't.
"Get in the car." Damon ordered me instead of answering my question. Shaking my head to myself I got in the car again. Damon started to drive and for a while we both sat in complete silence.
"Are you gonna broadcast it that I know the secret of vampires to everyone?" I asked breaking the silence. Damon glanced at me as I asked that.
"Elena and Bonnie already know about vampires? Why? Don't you want them to know about your knowledge?" asked Damon curiously. I sighed at that and shook my head.
"I don't want Elena to ask you to wipe out my memories as well. And knowing you, you would do whatever she asks you to do." Damon glared at me dangerously at first then looked at me with amusement.
"Are you really fifteen?" I groaned and rolled my eyes as he asked that.
"What is it with everyone asking me the same question? Age is just a number, okay." Damon chuckled at that and both of us silently decided to drop the current topic. After some time I spoke up again. "Where are we going?" knowing very well where but still I had to ask to keep up the act as usual.
"Just a place outside of Atlanta." Damon replied with casual tone of voice.
"I can't help but ask. Why you tagged me along? The interrogation could have happened at any other time. You could have just left me in the woods. It's not like I am a great entertainer or something." Damon struggled to answer the question but the ringing of the phone spared him that time. It was my phone anyway and Elena was calling me.
"Give it to me." I told Damon and he actually gave it to me but stayed alert. I received the call.
"Hey Elena, what's up?" I asked cheerfully.
"Jacq, where the hell are you? I have been calling you since last night. Do you have any idea what everyone is going through right now?" Elena yelled in the speaker.
"Nope, Listen Elena relax, I am perfectly fine. I will come back soon and explain everything later. See ya." I cut off the call while she was still talking, rude, I know.
"You are gonna get grounded you know that" said Damon and I shrugged my shoulders nonchalantly at that.
"Doesn't matter, I will do whatever I wanna do, anyway." It made Damon smirk at me.
"What you are gonna say when we get back?" He asked and I thought for a moment about it. I sighed heavily before speaking up.
"They can never know that I am here with you. For them you are a bad news and they won't like it a bit that you were anywhere near me. But don't worry I will think of something by the time we get back." I replied smoothly.
"You are quite a complicated thing, you know that?" Damon raised his eye brows at me, doing the eye thing he usually does.
"I know." I smirked at him as he said that. "Speaking of complications, do you have any idea who that other vampire was, the one that attacked me? He surely isn't friendly." I knew Damon didn't know anything yet but still I had to ask.
"I don't know, honey. I never met him before. He is new and clearly created for some purpose." I nodded at the explanation and went back to my quiet mode. I was thinking of what to tell everyone when we get back. I thought about telling everyone that I just wanted to be alone for a while feeling every depressed for no reason at all and I stayed in a motel or something crap like that. They would have no other choice but to buy anything I say.
"What's wrong?" asked Damon seeing me so quiet. I shook my head telling him that I was fine with that motion.
"Just making up an excuse to feed everyone when we get back." Damon chuckled as I said that.
"You sure are something." This time I chuckled at what he said.
"Let's stick to one, either I am something or a complicated thing." Damon glanced at my way as if observing me closely.
"I need to spend more time with you to actually figure you out and name you properly" said Damon as if meaning it and I couldn't help but grin at that.
"I don't think that we should spend time together at all. I am way out of your league. And I know for a matter of fact that you only keep Company of a woman who can thoroughly please you, and you are definitely not gonna get it from a complicated teenager." I bluntly said that but it was true so Damon didn't say anything to retort back. After a while Damon pulled the car in front of a bar.
"Can you get me in?" I asked curiously even though knowing that Damon could do that. He smirked saying that he certainly could just like I thought. "Being in a vampire's company sure has its benefits." I sang it out as we walked towards the entrance.
"It sure has" agreed Damon. He seemed pleased for some unknown reasons. We entered in the bar together and the black bar tender lady grinned broadly seeing us or maybe just Damon. Then they kissed passionately like it happened it the show.
"Yuck!" I said under my breath but Damon definitely heard me and arched up an eye brow at me. But I looked away pretending that I never said anything. The woman noticed me and turned her attention towards me.
"Who is this?" asked the witch to Damon as I smiled at her being friendly and all.
"Oh, don't bother about me, consider me as his extra baggage." I replied before Damon could speak. The woman then checked me out from head to toe.
"You are quite beautiful honey, just needed some more curves on your chest. Then you could have been perfect." if I say that it didn't embarrass me, it would be a huge lie. I blushed like an idiot.
"I am only fifteen." I said with low tone of voice but the woman heard me anyway and gasped dramatically.
"Damon, what are you, a pedophile now?" Damon rolled his eyes at that.
"Oh please give me a break. I just lost a bet and had to bring her along. Ask her, if you don't trust me." I nodded immediately, supporting Damon.
As Lexi was still alive this time, no one tried to kill Damon. He learned that the tomb can be opened without the Crystal which is destroyed now. He also got the information about how it can be opened. I played around while he did the talking. It was finally time for us to leave. I asked Damon to buy a few beers and drinks for the road back to Mystic Falls. He did that thinking it's a good idea after all. However, back in the car, I grabbed a bottle of beer and was about to take a gulp when Damon took it out of my hand.
"No booze for you. We got soft drinks if you are thirsty." I rolled my eyes at Damon.
"Come on, I am very thirsty. Just one gulp, please." I gave him my best puppy dog look. Damon sighed helplessly. No one can resist my cute look.
"Just one time." I nodded and he gave the bottle back to me. In one gulp I almost emptied half of the bottle. He snatched it away when he noticed that.
"Give it back Damon." I yelled but he scoffed at that making me groan in annoyance.
"I already finished half of it. It won't make a difference if I drink the rest." Damon didn't response to that. Fine, silent mode on. In past ten minutes he glanced at me ten times. But I kept quiet. Fifteen minutes later he asked.
"What are you thinking now?" I didn't response to that either. I pulled out my phone and started playing a random game. Eighteen minutes passed. "So, you are giving me a silent treatment now, fine by me. Thank you." What an idiot? It took him almost twenty minutes long to realize that. No wonder why he has such a bad luck in love and lady department. Twenty five minutes later.
"Give it up already, I know you wanna talk." I was totally being a deaf ear still and pretended he was invisible to me like ghosts. I kept playing while ignoring his rolling eyes. What surprised me was that Damon actually wanted me to talk when he always asks a girl to stop talking. Of course not Elena but everyone else. Thirty minutes passed and he thrust the bottle back in my hand.
"Fine, take it." My face lit up immediately and I flashed him a huge smile then drank from it slowly. I slid my phone back in my pocket.
"Now that's more like it." Klaus's dialog but I loved saying it. Damon rolled his eyes at me.
"Are you always such a pain is the ass?" I smirked at him.
"I never missed an opportunity to be one." He actually laughed at that. "By the way, thanks for saving me in the woods. I would probably be dead if you hadn't found me in time." Damon glanced at me for a second.
"Took you long enough. Hope it knocked some sense into you." He said kind of softly. I sighed. I needed to say this to him.
"I have a feeling you don't get thanked a lot from people around you. So, I was waiting for the right moment to say it, hoping it would have an effect on your mind. And it may make you want to do good things more often." Perhaps I shouldn't have said that. The next thing I knew Damon stopped the car with hard break that made me almost hit my head against the dash board. But thankfully I was saved because of the seat belt. He then grabbed my chin and made me look at his furious face.
"Don't mistake me as a good guy Jacq. I can do things to you, you can't even imagine. So, never expect anything good from me, understood." I nodded, gulping down the spit that got stuck in my throat. I was seriously scared this time.
"Yeah, sure" came as a whisper. He let go of my face and started drive again. I sighed out in relief that I will get to see another day. I took another beer bottle in my hand. Damon glared at me.
"What?" I asked raising my eye brows at him.
"Put that down, now." He ordered but I rolled my eyes.
"I thought you said you are the bad guy. You should encourage underage drinking. It will help you with your reputation." He sighed heavily and shook his head.
Then in a blink he snatched the bottle away from me and threw it out of the window. The look on his face really made me want to laugh but I kept my mouth shut. Then, after I relaxed again, I talked and joked. Damon cockily remarked sometimes and sometimes threatened to kill me when I teased him with something embarrassing. It went on for the rest of the way. Damon dropped me home.
When I got inside I found a huge chaos. Stefan was there, sheriff Forbes and everyone I knew was there. I didn't need to do much explanation because Damon showed up behind me and said that I was attacked by a vampire and he compelled me to forget and made me tell everything what I told them earlier on the phone. Well that was what he said to Stefan, Elena and Bonnie? He compelled Jenna to forget and Elena took care of the sheriff.
"Damon, I don't want you anywhere near my sister again, you got it." Elena said to Damon but he said nothing in return. He just kept his lips in a thin line. But I knew he was getting pissed off and angry. Though I didn't know why exactly. Was it because Elena wasn't grateful to him for saving me from a vampire or because she asked him to stay away from me? I hoped it's the second one but knowing Damon it probably was the first one. Whatever it is, things are certainly getting more interesting for me.