AN: Thanks so much for the reviews guys. I have decided to update another chapter. I know that I am rushing my story. But that's only because I want to get to the good part fast. But I am gonna go slow from this chapter. Hope you will like it more.
Chapter 6: Rescuing Alaric
It was the following day after the opening of the infamous tomb. It was also the timeline of the episode 'A Few Good Men'. I really wanted to see Damon badly. I knew he would be miserable for the time being and I wanted to be there for him. I wanted to go to the boarding house and see if I could make him less self destructive. But for what reason? I couldn't just go to Damon and say that 'hey I was so terribly missing you that I couldn't stay away from you. And that is why I came to see you so that I could comfort you in your hard time'. No, I can't say that to him. If I show care for him now, Damon would consider it as pity and he wouldn't want me anywhere near him. So, having no other choice, I made up a stupid excuse about Jonathan Gilbert's journal. I will go to the boarding house and I would tell him that I want it back even though I know that he doesn't have it anymore. Sometimes I could think like a normal teenager too. So with that plan, when I got to the boarding house, I saw Stefan walking out of the house. Thankfully he didn't see me because he was too occupied with his own thoughts. I walked up to the entrance door of the house and knocked. Being polite and all. After all this was the first time I was at the Salvatore residence. A few moments passed but no one opened the door or responded from inside. After waiting for a while longer I opened the door myself and stepped inside the house, not caring about politeness anymore. They never lock the door anyway.
"Damon!" I called out loudly but again no response came from him. I started to get a little worried but then I heard rock music playing with high volume. Someone must be dancing in the house and having fun. I didn't need to wonder who that might be. Gathering up more confidence, I walked further into the house. Finally I found him, Damon I mean. He was surrounded by naked sorority girls. I didn't count how many.
"Gross." I said under my breath with disgust in my voice. My whisper made Damon look up and he found me standing there. In the very room moreover with a disapproving look over my face. Great! Obviously he didn't hear me yelling out his name but he heard my whisper. Vampires are really weird sometimes. Or maybe it's just Damon. The said vampire frowned at me with confusion and annoyance at the same time.
"What are you doing here?" Damon demanded answer with voice full of irritation. However, I smiled at him with obvious fake sweetness.
"I was nearby so I thought about stopping by to check up on you. You know, to see how you are doing and give you a hug….. but now... I have just changed my mind. See you later" saying that with thick sarcasm in my voice, I turned around to leave but Damon was there right in front of me in blink of an eye.
"Seriously, I hate it when you do this." I was talking about his habit of blocking my way all on a sudden. I tried to go around Damon but he stopped me, again, by blocking my path.
"Why are you really here?" Damon asked seriously this time. I sighed heavily and decided to answer him properly.
"I was wondering if you still have the journal of Jonathan Gilbert. I want it back." Damon stared at me for a few seconds. Seeing if I was lying about it or not.
"Last I saw the journal, it was with Anna. Forget about it. You are never gonna get it back now" stated Damon and I nodded my head in understanding.
"Well that's sad. Anyway I have to go now. Enjoy your...whatever it is." Saying that I tried to get away from Damon but again I was stopped. I sighed out exasperatedly. I was running out of patience quickly.
"You are not going to meet Anna, are you?" asked Damon doing his eye thing with me. Ignoring that, I looked at him as if he was crazy.
"Damon, I maybe reckless sometimes but I am not suicidal." While saying that I noticed blood and god knows whatever else on his bare chest. My face immediately crunched up in disgust and I stepped away from Damon. Not caring if he was going to feel offended by my action. Actually I wanted him to feel offended, maybe even hurt. And I had no idea why?
"Eww, don't forget to take a shower." I said with as much disgust as possible but instead of feeling hurt, Damon smirked at me arrogantly.
"Wanna join me?" He asked with a suggestive tone of voice. I glared at him heatedly and without wasting anymore time with him, I walked out of the door.
What the hell is wrong with him? I asked myself in my mind as I walked away from the house. This is his way to make his pain go away? Well I know it is and I felt like a fool that moment. I should have never gone to the boarding house in the first place. Besides, why should I care about Damon? Sooner or later he would fall in love with Elena anyway. And speaking of Elena, she was quite in a mess. She along with Stefan discovered something very shocking. I obviously knew everything from beforehand about that. During this time, the center of everyone's attention was Elena's birth mother, Isobel. Seriously, I should be worrying about that like everyone else, not about Damon. I'm seriously mixing up my priorities. Which I need to sort out fast. Because it was only a matter of time that Isobel would come to pay us a visit and things are gonna get very nasty afterwards. Her reason for coming to Mystic Falls was obviously to get rid of the tomb vampires so that they wouldn't be able to finish off the decedents of the founding families, including Elena. And by doing so they would full fill their revenge. But it would never happen. Isobel definitely has good intentions with bad ways to get it done. Speaking of the tomb vampires, I realized that I will soon need to speak with Pearl and Anna. I am not gonna let them die this time. They are good people even though vampires. Besides, Jeremy is eventually falling in love with Anna. So there is no way in hell I am letting them get staked this time. However, the rest of the tomb vampires need to die. They are violent and nothing but trouble for the town.
Before I knew it, another important event for the town's people came up. Gosh Mystic Falls is full of festivals. I mean seriously. In every couple of days they find something to celebrate. Damon was going to the stupid function about bachelors obviously. He was changing his behaviors so fast that it was actually really hard to keep track of his mood swings. Damon is more cocky and smug now and not to mention highly arrogant. Every bad thing about him was magically magnified lately. He drinks all the time and could kill anyone in a snap. I really hoped that what I started to feel for him when I saw his sad face after he discovered about Katherine's treachery, that mind boggling feeling would go away seeing his wracked condition. And then everything would go back to normal for me. Well as normal my situation could get. But unfortunately the feelings didn't go away like I thought it would. Like I wanted it to go away. And I still kept feeling something for him. I didn't know what it was that I was actually feeling for Damon. The feeling has no name. It was not entirely pity, or love or friendship. And I had never felt something like that before in my life.
However, I couldn't think much about my troubling feelings because I had lot of other things to do. I would have a lot of time to figure out my feelings for Damon later but certainly now is not a proper time. Soon it was time for the occasion. Like everyone else in the town, I too had to go to this party when I didn't want to at all. Not to mention, I wasn't even invited in the first place. Apparently it wasn't a party for a underage girl like me. But Caroline dragged me in this asking me to help her. Well I owed her one anyway. So, I agreed to be her assistant for the night. However, I couldn't help but glance at Damon now and then at the party. He was there, flirting freely with every woman he was coming across and absolutely not caring about their age differences or status meaning married or unmarried. And the women were enjoying his attention as well. Gosh everything seemed so fucked up to me.
"Why are you looking at Damon, Jacq?" Caroline asked me with a frown of confusion when she followed my gaze and found Damon. She not only looked confused about it but looked highly bothered as well. At first I thought about denying it. Tell Caroline that I wasn't looking at Damon. But then I decided not to bother to hide that I was indeed looking at him.
"He is flirting with the Mayor's wife. What is wrong with him?" I knew Damon's every move from beforehand but still it bothered me to no limit. Caroline let out a heavy breath.
"That's Damon, what else do you expect?" Well she got a point but I disliked it anyway. What both surprised and bothered me the most was the fact that I knew these things are going to happen sooner or later, that Damon would act like this for a while but still it troubled my mind and I hated it. I hated the fact that Damon was getting under my skin slowly. And I hated it because I knew very soon he would fall head over heels for Elena and no one else. What is wrong with me? Why am I letting Damon get to me when I knew what's going to happen? I must do something about my stupid feelings before they get out of my hands.
The party soon came to the point where the presenters started introducing the illegible bachelors in the house to all the ladies. When it was time for Damon to introduce himself and say something about him, he literary made it clear to Elena and Alaric that he killed Isobel. I saw Elena getting out of the room aggressively and Stefan followed her out. Well no changes in there. Then Carol Lockwood started to call upon numbers and paired up couples for their date. Like it happened in the show Matt's mom Kelly was chosen to date the plumber guy first. When she came to take her ticket, Caroline smiled at her sweetly. Just like she was supposed to. Caroline was being polite and all and obviously trying to get on Kelly's good side as Caroline was dating her son. But she had no idea what was coming for her.
"I hope you enjoy your date, Mrs. Donovan." Just as Caroline said that Kelly stopped and glared at her.
"You should stop the 'being nice' thing cause it's fake. You are fake just like your mom. I don't know if someone has told you before but I don't like you and no one should. Matt surely doesn't have any taste left in women department after Elena broke up with him. You are not even appropriate for rebound. You aren't good for anything else but one night stands. Why people hang around you is out of my understanding." Kelly particularly looked at me when she said that last part. I didn't remember Matt's mom saying those extra things in the show. Because in the series she didn't take it to that level. It was too harsh this time. Caroline was about to break down into sobs. I felt bad for her and angry at the woman. I considered Caroline my friend. How dare she talk to her like that? I simply couldn't let her get away after that.
"Forgive my bluntness but I don't think so Mrs. Donavon that Caroline could ever be more dis-likable than you are. Honestly even if she try her best, Caroline can't be anything like you. I am sorry to break it to you but damn you suck. You are the worse kind of woman I have ever met and even worst kind of mother. Caroline can never be like that. Why people even talk to you is out of my understanding." I tried to keep my voice cool and collected the entire time. It always has more affect than yelling. One more important thing, if glares could kill I would have died right away because Kelly was glaring daggers at me. She walked away aggressively ordering Caroline to send the plumber guy to the bar at the grill. After she went completely out of our sights, Caroline hugged me tightly right away.
"Thank you baby." She looked genuinely happy that I stood up for her. And I felt nice too. I hugged back Caroline with as much enthusiasm as she was showing me.
"You are welcome Care." I said and pulled away lightly. "Let's get to work now." Because if we didn't start working soon the impatient women would start yelling at us. One by one they started to come up to us and we gave them their tickets and arranged their sitting spots as they preferred. When the number of women in the line came to only a few I couldn't help but ask Caroline something that I wanted to ask her for a while now.
"Say Caroline, why does Mrs. Donovan hate you so much? It can't be only because you and Matt are getting close now. There is more to it, isn't there?" Caroline took a deep breath as I asked that but answered my question.
"My mom arrested her once for doing drugs. Mrs. Donovan however claimed that she was being framed and that my mom was just misusing her power." As Caroline said that I couldn't help but be baffled about it because there was no such story like this in the show before. It seemed like my being here was not only changing the present and the future but the past was changing as well somehow. Wonderful, (with sarcasm). I wondered what else is going to change for my presence here.
Though I was quite busy with Caroline but I didn't forget that tonight Damon is going to kill Alaric and they are going to discover the power of his ring that Isobel gave him. Should I go there, to the boarding house? Or let things work their own way? Because nothing bad like dying permanently was supposed to happen to Ric. However my assumptions changed when suddenly I crossed path with Jenna at the party.
"Hey Jacq, have you seen Ric somewhere?" She asked me while looking around the crowd for him.
"No." I said to her. Ric has gone to kill Damon. I said that in my mind of course. "Why are you looking for him?" I asked pretending to be completely clueless about Alaric's whereabouts. I am getting better at this everyday.
"I have his ring with me. I took it off from his finger to look at it properly but then he left suddenly without taking it back. Now I am looking for him to give it back." Just as Jenna said that, I froze on the spot. My breath got stuck in my throat suddenly. What the hell? This can't be happening. Fucking shit.
"Jenna, I know where he is. I will give it to him." I kind of snatched the ring from Jenna and started running. Jenna called after me but I didn't stop. I needed to go to the boarding house, like right now. I couldn't let Ric die like this. Because if he dies that would be partially my fault because my presence was changing everything in this world. Besides, I wanted him alive no matter what. I saw Caroline and ran to her immediately.
"Hey Caroline, Elena asked me to borrow your car keys."
Thankfully she was busy doing something so without thinking much she gave her car keys to me. I took it and ran to her car and got in as fast as humanly possible. Even though I didn't have license but I knew how to drive a car like an expert. Besides, at that time, I couldn't careless about driving license. I drove up to the boarding house as fast as I could. When I got inside the house I saw Damon was already fighting with Alaric and had him under attack. Before I knew it he drove a stick through Ric's chest then pulled it out right in front of my eyes. Ric fell over the floor writhing in pain but he didn't die immediately. I ran to him in rush and put the ring back on his finger before he took his last breath. It has to work. It just has to. Come on, Ric, you can't die now. Not before bonding with us. Not before becoming Damon's drinking buddy and best friend and his accomplish. I kept thinking of those things in my mind and completely ignored Damon's presence in the same room. Damon however was beyond shocked to see me there and very confused as well. But I couldn't care about Damon's questioning gaze at me at that moment. All I could think about was Alaric's dead body and whether he is going to come back to life or not. I couldn't help but feel that this is my fault. The situation altered because I am here. But my being here should do them good. Then why did this happen? What did I do wrong? Should I have stopped them from opening the tomb? I will be damned if Ric dies now because of my fault. My eyes were about to get teary with all the horrible thoughts running through my mind.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Damon asked me but I wasn't in the right state of mind to answer him anything. To my relief, right then Stefan entered the boarding house. He saw Alaric and obviously saw me hovering over his dead body. I was like praying for him to come back to life, begging actually. I didn't know myself that I felt for the history teacher so strongly until now. He was the father figure for me that I never had in any of my life.
"What happened Damon? What did you do?" Stefan asked sounding horrified and came over to Ric's dead body and me.
"Did what? He attacked me." Damon defended himself immediately. Stefan glared at him heatedly right away. "All I did is, told him the truth. His wife didn't want him anymore" saying that Damon sat down on the couch and took a sip of bourbon from his glass. Damon wasn't even slightly bothered that he killed someone a few minutes ago.
"It's not my fault he couldn't handle it" added Damon arrogantly with a nasty smirk on his lips. He dared to kill my favorite history teacher. Moreover he was being smug about it too. If I wasn't so worried about Ric I would have driven a stake though Damon myself. Obviously not to kill him but to cause him enough pain.
"Like you have been handling Katherine?" Stefan snapped at him angrily then looked back at me with concern in his eyes, avoiding Damon's glare at him.
"Jacq, what are you doing here?" Stefan asked with soft tone of voice. Damon had the same question in his mind.
"I am waiting for him. He is going to come back." I said seriously but silently, almost in a whisper that only a vampire could hear.
"What?" asked Damon thinking that I have gone crazy after seeing someone getting killed so ruthlessly. Stefan wondered the same thing though he was more worried about getting me out of the house. Only if they knew anything about me.
"Look Jacq, you can't be here right now. Just go home. How did you come here anyway?" asked Stefan with curiosity and concern. Without looking at him I replied-
"I drove Coraline's car here." Both Salvatore brothers got confused hearing that answer.
"Why did you come here in the first place?" asked Stefan with furrowed brows. He was clearly puzzled with my behavior.
"I came here to save him." I said getting worried now, fearing that I failed to save Alaric. That I was too late and he is gone forever. Stefan looked at Damon for answers who shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly at him.
"She knows about us being vampires." Damon replied to his unasked question. Stefan looked back at me, shocked but still trying to figure out everything.
"I am sorry Jacq but there is nothing we could do now. Come on, I will get you home." Stefan tried to get me away from Alaric but I didn't bulge neither removed my eyes from Ric's still dead body.
"Just give me some time Stefan please, I know he is gonna come back." I said that more to myself than to Stefan. Damon looked utterly irritated now.
"Stefan, get her out of the house please. And take care of the body. And for your kind information, I didn't kill Isobel. I turned her. She asked me to" saying that Damon was leaving us. Stefan sighed out with frustration at that. It was also a painful sigh. Stefan was about to try to get me out of the house again but right then Alaric's fingers moved. Both Stefan and I saw that.
"Get some water Stefan." Without questioning me Stefan got up and returned with a glass of water. Alaric started coughing, twisting and turning.
"What the hell?" said Damon out loud who was still in the room and saw the miracle happen with his own eyes. Seeing Alaric alive again I sighed in relief but I wasn't entirely relaxed. I needed to get Damon away from Ric or he might kill him again.
"Stefan, take care of him. I am going home. And tell him never to take off his ring ever again." Saying that I got up and walked up to a shocked looking Damon. I practically dragged him out of the house. Once outside Damon gripped on to my arms tightly and turned me around to face him.
"What the hell just happened Jacq? How did he come back to life?" asked Damon with firm tone of voice. I understood that he wasn't going to let me go until I answered him. I sighed out heavily, how could I tell him? How much should I tell him?
"Bonnie told me a few days ago that the ring Alaric wears all the time isn't a usual ring. It's magical. It has the power to bring someone back from dead if killed by something supernatural. But it won't work if killed by a human. I saw Ric going after you at the party. I figured out that he is going to try to kill you but he will get killed himself. But I knew he had the ring, so I didn't bother that time. But then I found Jenna. She was looking for Ric and holding his ring that Alaric's supposed to wear all the time. I knew I had to get to him anyhow before he dies. And well you know the rest." I took some deep breaths to calm myself down after the informative explanation. My heart was still beating loudly and fast. I was sure Damon could hear it very clearly.
"You really looked worried back then." He said slowly after a while.
"Yeah, I would've hated to lose my favorite history teacher." I said and we stared at each other some more. "I should really go now." I said breaking the staring contest between us.
"Get in the car; I will drive you back home." I wasn't very sure if he could drive well in his drunken state but I gave him a chance anyway.
"We need to drive this car back to Caroline. Then go home." I told Damon and we got in the car. It was silent for some time.
"I guess you are still not curious about what's going on" asked Damon suddenly but I shook my head obviously.
"I already know that you turned Isobel, Alaric's wife. He got pissed, you killed him, he came back to life." I said that in a matter of fact tone of voice.
"There is more to it" said Damon. He was obviously trying to get me curious.
"If you want me to know then just spit it out Damon." I said with not so much interest. Damon thought something for a moment.
"Isobel is Elena's birth mother. Elena was actually adopted by your parents" stated Damon and expected me to get stunned but that never happened. After a few seconds, I opened my mouth and simply said-
"Well that's very interesting." My lack of shock obviously made Damon frown in confusion at me.
"You don't look surprised." He said with annoying tone of voice that made me chuckle.
"It's still gonna take a lot more than this to surprise me, Damon." At that Damon smirked at me and shook his head to himself.
"You know what? Someday I will really surprise you. I promise you that."
Though the end of the day was crazy but everything was alright for the time being. And now that I have saved Ric's life and all, I had some other important jobs to do as well. I needed to get in contact with pearl and Anna as soon as possible. However, I was conflicted on whether or not I should save pearl. I mean what if she doesn't trust me? What if she turns her back on me later I save her? Or worse kill me. So I decided to wait till its right time to save them. Besides, I needed to take some time in making my decisions. I didn't want another accident like today. Ric could have really died. I didn't exactly know where my fault was but I do know now that it has to do something with my being here in this world. I realized that I can't do things without thinking twice about it when it comes to changing things drastically. I maybe playing a game but I still have to be careful. Because as much as I don't want to admit it but I have started to care about the people around me. I have a feeling that I may have a bigger purpose to be here in the vampire diaries world than just play around with the characters.
AN: So, how was it? Do you want me to go more slow and add more details? You can freely tell me if you see something wrong in the story. I really appreciate that. I hope to get more reviews from you guys. Next update will come up right away after I get enough response.