The next morning Ric woke to the smell of freshly brewed coffee. He found Damon at the stove, flipping pancakes and couldn`t help but smile. Padding over he dropped a kiss on the vampire´s shoulder, before grabbing a mug of coffee. "Spoiling me again?" Damon flashed him a grin. "Just making sure you keep your strength up." he replied with a wink. Ric chuckled and sat down at the table. They ate in companiable silence and afterwards Damon even cleaned up, while Ric was in the shower.
"Grill tonight?" the teacher asked as they were about to leave. "Sure." Damon agreed easily. "See you later then." Alaric murmured, leaning over to kiss the vampire. Five minutes later they finally made it out of the door, both a little breathless and Ric once again late for work. He barely made it to his classroom on time, but today he couldn`t care less. Something had changed between him and Damon last night and while he still wasn`t ready to address their relationship openly, it was at least a step in the right direction.
###
The day passed by blissfully uneventful for once. Half of his classes were cancelled anyway, to give the students more time for the preparations of the Founders Day parade. Ric couldn`t really understand the council`s obsession with these festivities, but he wasn`t about to complain. Watching his students work on building a float or rehearsing the parade was a lot more fun than actually trying to teach them.
By late afternoon he was finally allowed to leave his post, as other teacher`s came to supervise the kids. He quickly went to the teacher´s lounge to grab his stuff and was about to head out when he found Isobel standing in the hallway. He stopped dead in his tracks, his good mood gone in an instant. "What do you want?" he asked suspiciously. "I'm leaving. I just thought I`d say goodbye." The teacher snorted. "You couldn't be bothered the first time, so why now?"
"You spent all this time trying to track me down, Ric. What did you think you would find?" Isobel asked. Ric had asked himself the same question. "I don`t know. The woman who gave me this ring? I mean, you act like you don't care, but you cared enough to protect me after you left. Why?" She shrugged. "I was a different person back then." she claimed. And maybe she was. Back then, she must`ve still felt something. Now she was only an empty shell. "And that person is gone. The woman that I married, the woman I loved, she's just… she's gone. But she`s been gone for a long time, right? I lost you long before you turned."
"I wanted this. I needed this. It had nothing to do with you." In other words: he had married a selfish bitch, who never really cared about him. Strangely enough the thought didn`t hurt nearly as much as it should. But something else hurt. "I get why you just left. I mean, I don`t understand it. Probably never will. But I get it. What I don`t get is, why did you make Damon leave? You knew what he meant to me." He hadn`t really made a big secret out of it. She must`ve known.
"I didn`t want you to become involved in all this, Ric. I wanted you to stay oblivious to the supernatural world. To have the normal life you always talked about. I never wanted this for you." He couldn`t tell if she was honest or not. If she had really cared enough or if it was just an excuse. Somehow it didn´t really matter. "That wasn`t your choice to make. You had no right to take him away from me." That probably hurt the most. Isobel smiled and came closer. Ric automatically took a step back. The smile didn`t reach her eyes. If anything it made her look even more false.
"You would have been better off without him. Believe me, Ric. You should turn away and run. While you still can." Her words made Alaric`s anger spike. Who did she think she was, giving him advice. Trying to split him and Damon up. "Listen to me, Ric. Damon is doomed. And those who are close to him, will go down with him." Isobel said, her voice never changing in tone. Still sounding light, like she was talking about the weather or her latest vacation. She leaned closer, tried to kiss Ric. It was the final straw. He pulled a hidden stake out of his jacket and plunged it into her stomach without hesitation. Isobel sank to her knees with a startled gasp.
Alaric leaned down. "No, you listen to me, Isobel. Stay away from me. Stay away from Damon and from Elena. Don`t ever show up here again, threatening the people I care about. Because next time, I won`t miss the heart." he growled with barely contained fury. Certain that he`d gotten his message across he marched away without a backward glance, feeling strangely liberated.
Somehow he couldn`t believe that he`d actually wasted two years searching for that heartless bitch. Although by now he was pretty much convinced that he´d never actually been searching for her in the first place. After her supposed death there had been this horrible feeling. This emptiness and loneliness. This excruciating pain in his chest. Like he had lost something very precious.
Of course he had thought that the death of his wife had been the cause of it. Back then it had been the only logical explanation. But now he was almost certain that he´d never really missed her. That he`d in fact missed Damon, who he couldn`t remember thanks to the compulsion. Still the vampire didn`t need to know that. At least not yet.
###
The next couple of days were rather uneventful. Ric taught his classes, helped with the Founders Day preparations and spent his nights with Damon. Their relationship had deepened, but the teacher still insisted on keeping them a secret and so far Damon hadn`t argued. Isobel had really left town. At least Ric supposed she had, since he hadn`t seen or heard from her since their meeting at school. John Gilbert kept suspiciously quiet as well, fuelling Alaric`s fears that he was planning something.
And then Founders Day was suddenly there and Alaric found himself in the town centre. He was somehow forced into helping with the floats, while his students bustled around, all dressed up in Civil War era clothes, chatting and laughing and being way too loud for Ric`s liking. Somewhere to the side Carol Lockwood was shouting orders, trying to control the chaos. The teacher breathed a sigh of relief when she was finally happy with everything and the parade began.
He crept away quietly, before she could enlist his help for something else. Walking through the crowd he found Damon talking to Bonnie and went to join him. The witch left just as he reached them, a frown marring her face. "What did you say to her?" Damon shrugged. "Thanked her for deactivating the device. Don`t look at me like that, Ric. I`ve been perfectly nice." The teacher nodded with a smile, not really believing him. He knew that Damon didn`t like the witch. "If you say so, Damon."
"I was." the vampire replied indignantly, crossing his arms and pouting for effect. "Okay, I believe you." Ric relented. Nice was still a vague term and Damon usually had his own idea of nice. "Where have you been all day?" Damon asked, changing the subject. Ric grimaced. "Got roped into helping set up the parade. I`m actually hiding from Carol Lockwood right now." This caused the vampire to chuckle. "Aww, poor Alaric. Do you want me protect you from the big bad Mrs. mayor?" Ric punched him lightly on the arm. "Oh shut up and watch the parade."
Still grinning Damon turned back to watch the floats passing by and Ric did the same. The kids had done a great job, he had to give them that. And most of them seemed to have fun. Jeremy`s smile however appeared a bit forced. "Have you talked to Jeremy again?" He glanced at Damon, who continued watching the parade. "No, not really. Didn`t see the need to. I haven`t seen Anna. Although baby Gilbert and I had a little run in earlier. He had a fight with his sister and I told him to stop being a punk." the vampire told him. Ric snorted. "Yeah, sounds like you."
The vampire didn`t see the need to reply, so they continued to watch the rest of the parade in silence. Afterwards they strolled around a bit, before going to the Grill for a drink, since it wasn`t likely that Carol Lockwood would show up there and Ric really had no wish to be roped into helping out again. They talked and had a nice time, leaving only when it started to get dark. There were supposed to be fireworks later and Damon claimed they couldn`t miss those.
The town square was still crowded with people. It looked like all of Mystic Falls was gathered for the festivities. Both men stopped when a girl appeared in front of them, seemingly out of nowhere. "Anna! You`re still here?" the surprise in Damon´s voice was evident. The girl looked troubled. "There's something you need to know. The vampires from the tomb are planning an attack tonight. They want the Founding Families dead. They think I'm with them, but I'm not."
Ric`s stomach dropped at those words. "When is this supposed to happen?" Damon asked. "When the fireworks start." Damon and Alaric exchanged a look. "John must know. That`s why he kept an eye on the tomb vamps. He wants to use the invention to kill them." Ric suspected. Anna gasped. "Then we can't be here!" She looked ready to bolt, but Damon stopped her. "It doesn't work, it's been deactivated." he calmed the girl. "Well, then a lot of people are gonna die. They're already here, Damon."
The vampire nodded grimly and turned to Ric. "You keep those nifty little vampire darts in the car? Sounds like we might need a stake or two." More than two, Alaric was sure. John may think he was prepared for this, but he probably counted on the invention alone. This night could end in a blood bath. "Warn your brother. And Elena. I`ll grab the weapons." he decided. Anna told them she would find Jeremy and get him to safety and they all rushed off.
Ric was halfway to his car when he caught sight of Jenna and quickly went to join her. "Jenna, you`ve got to get out of here. The tomb vampires are here and they`re out for revenge." he explained. "What? Oh my god! Have you seen Elena and Jeremy?" she asked. Ric shook his head. "Damon and Anna are looking for them. Just call them and get the hell away from here." the teacher instructed, already on the verge of running off, when Jenna stopped him. "Ric, wait! I was looking for you actually. I needed to tell you something."
He stopped and turned to her. "Can`t it wait?" He had to get the weapons and find Damon again. "I wasn`t sure if it`s important but,… I was just with Bonnie. She was very upset. She told me she had done something horrible and that Elena would never forgive her." Ric didn`t like the sound of that. He felt a strange sense of foreboding. "Did she say anything else?" They really had no time for normal teenage drama right now. "She wouldn`t tell me any details, but she said she pretended to do something she didn't really do. She said it wasn`t right and her Grams wouldn`t have done it, so she couldn`t either."
It took only a moment until it clicked. Alaric felt his stomach drop. "The device. She didn`t deactivate it." It was the only thing that made sense. And it also explained the strange look on her face, earlier today. Damon had thanked her and she had felt guilty. Ric`s heart clenched with worry. He only hoped they would have enough time. "Find Elena and Stefan and get them away from here. Now." Jenna nodded and took off in a run. Ric sprinted in the opposite direction. The weapons were forgotten. He had to find Damon.
He roughly pushed his way through the crowd, searching for the dark haired vampire with no success and getting more panicked by the minute. After a while he stopped his fruitless search. This wasn`t working. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he pulled out his cell phone and dialled Damon´s number. His heart was pounding while he waited. Finally Damon picked up. "Damon, where are you?" Ric practically shouted. "Just entering Grayson Gilbert's office. Thought I`d have a little chat with John." the vampire replied.
"No. Damon get the hell out of there. Bonnie lied about…" Ric didn`t get any further than that, because all of a sudden Damon was screaming in pain. The sound made Ric`s insides turn. "Damon. Damon, can you hear me?" Suddenly the line went dead. Alaric cursed, finally noticing the chaos all around. Various people were on the ground, screaming and writhing in pain. He saw deputies running to the fallen, injecting them with something. Vervain, he supposed. They were rounding up the vampires.
For a moment Ric just stood there and watched in abject horror, unable to move. He saw the deputies taking the vampires away and the sight finally spurred him into action. Whirling around he sped off towards Grayson Gilbert`s office, hoping against hope that Damon would still be there. Would still be alive. He didn`t dare to think of the alternative. He just had to get there on time.
Which proved no small task. Some people were panicking, not knowing what was going on. Others were completely oblivious and continued partying. Getting through the crowd was increasingly difficult. Ric roughly pushed people aside, not caring if he hurt somebody. His heart was racing, the blood pounding in his ears, mingling with the sounds of shouting and cheering all around. Finally he reached the office, just in time to see two deputies carry another vampire inside. So at least he`d found the right spot. Now he only had to get in and get Damon out.
The teacher ducked down behind a parked car, realizing that he couldn`t just barge in. He needed a plan. Peering around the side of the car he spied Jeremy running towards the building and went to intercept him. "No, let me go! They`ve taken Anna." the teen protested, struggling against his grip. Ric pulled him back into the shadows. "I know, Jeremy. Damon´s in there as well. We`ll get them out. I promise. But we need a plan." Jeremy stopped struggling and slumped against the car. His chest was heaving, terror written all over his face. Ric was sure he didn`t look much better.
"Do you know the building? Is there another way in?" the teacher asked, trying to come up with a plan. After a second, the boy nodded. "Utility door, around the side." Ric saw a few deputies emerge from the building, but no more people entering it. They didn`t have much time. "Show me." They crept around the building and found the door. Alaric entered first. Looking around for a second he saw no-one, but he could hear voices from the basement. "They`re down there." he whispered, pointing to the stairs. Jeremy nodded and they started towards the staircase, but a voice stopped them. "Hey, what are you doing here?"
Turning around again, Ric noticed a deputy coming towards him. "Ah, I`m just looking for the restrooms." the teacher mumbled, motioning for Jeremy to go on, while he walked over to the deputy, swaying slightly, pretending to be drunk. "You can`t be here. I must ask you to leave, Sir." the deputy ordered. Ric stumbled against him. "Yeah, you see… holy shit, what`s that?" he looked over the deputies shoulder, pasting a shocked look on his face. Lucky for him, the guy turned out to be really dumb.
He turned his head to look and Ric used the chance to grab him and knock his head against the wall. The deputy slid to the floor, unconscious. "Sorry man, nothing personal." the teacher murmured, turning back towards the stairs. Just as he reached them he heard Jeremy shouting "No!". Rushing downstairs he found the teen wrestling with John, grappling for a stake. There were about a dozen or more vampires lying on the ground, mostly unmoving. He spied Damon instantly, clearly weak, but alive and even conscious. Anna was lying a few feet away, just coming to. Ric`s heart skipped a beat when he noticed the empty gas tanks lying around and the small fire over in the far corner. They couldn`t waste any time.
John finally managed to throw Jeremy off and advanced on Anna, stake in hand. He didn`t appear to have noticed Alaric yet. "No, John. Leave her alone." Jeremy shouted, struggling to get up again. But Ric was faster. He grabbed John`s shoulder, turned him around and punched him in the face. The teacher knew that he had quite a right hook and fuelled by anger he wasn`t one to trifle with. His punch sent John sprawling backwards, where he stumbled over a vampire and fell to the floor, hitting his head on the concrete. Ric made sure that he wouldn`t get back up all that soon, before turning to Jeremy.
"Grab Anna, get her out of here." The teen nodded and quickly bent down to pick up his girlfriend. Ric hurried over to Damon and hauled him up, putting an arm around his waist to steady him. "I`ve got you." The relief he felt was profound, but they weren`t out of danger yet. The vampire smirked. "My knight in shining armour." Ric managed a weak chuckle. He looked down on John, who was starting to stir. There was blood on the floor, beneath his head, but right at this moment Ric couldn`t care less if John had cracked his skull.
Already the fire was spreading, getting bigger by the minute. They had to get out of there. Now. Jeremy had reached the stairs, carrying Anna bridal style. Without sparing another thought for John, Ric followed him, half carrying, half dragging Damon, who was still weak from the vervain they had obviously injected him with. Luck seemed to be on their side for once. They made it upstairs and out of the main door without encountering anyone. The chaos outside had passed, but there were still a lot of people around. Also a lot of deputies.
Ric turned off to the side and stopped in the shadow of a large building. The parking lot was too far away. They would never make it without raising suspicion. He let go of Damon, who slumped down on the ground. Jeremy set Anna down as well and looked to Alaric for guidance. Thinking quickly the teacher pulled the keys out of his pocket and handed them to the teen. "Get my car. We`ll wait here. And hurry." Jeremy glanced at Anna. He looked torn. Ric clasped his shoulder, looked at him intently. "I won´t let anyone hurt her. I promise." After a moment`s hesitation the boy nodded and took off.
Alaric crouched down next to the two vampires. He seriously hoped Jeremy would hurry and no-one would stumble upon them while they waited. He was certain he could fight off one or two deputies if he had to, but if there were more they`d be doomed. Both vampires were in no condition to fight. "Stefan…" Damon rasped, his brow etched with worry. "He wasn`t in there. I told Jenna to get him and Elena away. I`m sure he`s fine." Ric murmured reassuringly. He just hoped they had gotten away in time. But if Stefan had been caught, he would`ve been down there as well.
He heard people shouting close by and then there was the sound of an explosion. The Gilbert building, Ric suspected, ducking down further into the shadows. He felt a pang of guilt, thinking of the deputy he had left unconscious in the office, thinking of John Gilbert, wounded down in the basement. He didn`t know if the two men had gotten out in time. Then he looked at Damon and realized that sometimes you just had to set priorities. If the two men were dead now, it was their own fault. They had decided to mess with vampires.
Getting up again, Ric peeked around the corner nervously. The building was completely on fire now. People were running around, others stood watching almost fascinated, while some deputies tried to control the chaos. Where was Jeremy? Why wasn`t he back yet? Ric couldn`t tell how much time had gone by. To him it seemed like they`d been waiting for hours. He could hear sirens in the distance, getting closer, making him even more nervous. If someone discovered them hiding here… "Your heart is racing." Damon suddenly remarked. "Yeah and it won`t stop racing until we`re safely out of here." the teacher admitted. Damon struggled to his feet. The vervain was slowly wearing off, but he was still unsteady.
Ric pushed him back against the wall. "Stay put." The vampire looked like he wanted to argue, but finally Jeremy returned. He was breathing hard, like he had run all the way. "I parked the car over there. There are deputies everywhere. They wouldn`t let me drive closer." the teen explained. Alaric nodded. "It`s okay. Grab Anna and lead the way." The girl had been silent the entire time, just sitting there, staring off into space. She startled out of her trance when Jeremy lifted her into his arms again. Ric slung an arm around Damon`s waist to steady him and they started towards the car.
Alaric`s heart was pounding and he kept glancing around nervously, but no-one seemed to take much notice of them. All were focused on the burning house. He breathed a sigh of relief when he finally saw his car. Just a few more steps… Suddenly a deputy stepped in front of Jeremy, forcing the boy to halt. Ric stifled a curse. They were so close. "What`s wrong with her?" the deputy asked, frowning at Anna. Damon broke away from Ric`s grip. He swayed slightly, but managed to stand on his own. "She´s drunk. Some guy from the football team spiked her drink." the vampire explained.
The deputies frown deepened, even as Jeremy nodded. "Do you need help?" the deputy finally asked. "No, thanks. We got this. We`re taking the kids home and I`ll make sure the guy gets his punishment." Ric assured. "Ahh, you`re a teacher, right? Didn`t recognize you at first." the deputy muttered, turning his attention towards Alaric. "Yes, Alaric Saltzman. I`m the history teacher." Ric introduced himself, pasting a smile on his face. "We really should get her home now, let her sleep it off." The guy nodded. "Make sure she drinks enough water. And drive safely." he cautioned. "I will. Thanks for the tip."
The deputy left and they quickly continued towards the car. Damon slumped against the teacher´s side again, muttering: "That was close." Ric tightened his arm around the vampire. "Too close for my liking." he murmured back. Finally they reached the car. Jeremy put Anna into the backseat and got in next to her, while Ric helped Damon into the passenger seat. He had to resist the urge to speed off, forcing himself to drive slowly instead, so as not to raise further suspicion.
Once they had left the town square behind, Ric risked a glance at Jeremy. "Call your aunt. Make sure she and the others got home safe." He had seen the look of apprehension on Damon`s face. The vampire worried about his brother, even if he didn`t like to admit it. Alaric listened to Jeremy, talking quietly. "She`s home. Elena and Stefan are with her. They`re all okay." the teen let them know, before telling Jenna the short version of what had happened. Ric breathed a sigh of relief, finally able to relax at least a little. "I can drop you off at home, before I`ll take Damon to the boarding house." he offered.
Jeremy told his aunt he`d be home soon and he would be bringing Anna with him. The girl mumbled a protest, but Jeremy simply pulled her closer and declared: "You`re staying with me. I`m not letting you out of my sight again." His voice sounded shaky and Ric could relate. He`d gotten way too close to losing Damon again. These close calls really had to stop.
Jenna came running out as soon as they pulled into the driveway of the Gilbert home. "Stefan`s staying with Elena tonight. I haven`t heard anything from John so far." she let Ric know. The teacher nodded and promised to call tomorrow. Jeremy helped Anna out of the car and carried her into the house, although the vervain must have worn off enough by now to allow her to walk on her own. Ric waited until they had all disappeared into the house, before starting the car again and driving off.
The rest of the drive passed in silence. When they reached the boarding house Damon was able to walk on his own without swaying or staggering. Alaric followed him into the house, watched him pause near the stairs. "I`m okay. You don`t need to stay." the vampire said quietly, without looking at him. "But I want to stay." Ric answered. Damon turned to face him. "Do you? Stefan could come home before you`ve got the chance to sneak out." Harsh words, but the teacher didn`t bat an eyelash. He knew that Damon was likely to lash out when he was feeling off-balance. "I don`t care. I almost lost you tonight. Again. I just … I can`t lose you, Damon." he whispered, his voice failing him.
The vampire pulled him closer, hugged him almost fiercely. "You won`t lose me." he promised. Ric wrapped his arms around him and just held on tight for a moment, breathed in his scent, enjoyed the feeling of Damon pliant and alive (or at least undead) in his arms. "Let´s go to bed." Damon murmured after a while, pulling away reluctantly. They climbed the stairs and entered the vampire`s bedroom.
Alaric kicked off his shoes, watched Damon do the same. "Damn, should`ve grabbed a blood bag before coming up here." the vampire muttered suddenly. He stopped unbuttoning his shirt and looked towards the door as if contemplating whether he should go to get one or not. Making a spontaneous decision, Ric pulled off his own shirt and stepped up to him. "No need. You`ve got me right here." Damon looked at him in surprise. "You sure?" The teacher nodded without hesitation. They had only done this once so far, but he had to admit that the thought of doing it again had crossed his mind quite a few times. "I`m sure."
Damon stared at him for a few seconds, seemingly trying to decide if he was honest or not. Finally he nodded and kneeled down on the bed, patting the spot in front of him. "Come here." Ric complied and sat down, his heart rate speeding up again. He shivered when the vampire`s arms slid around him and his hands started gently caressing Ric`s torso. "Just relax." Damon whispered. His breath ghosted over Ric`s neck, made goose bumps rise on his skin.
With a sigh the teacher closed his eyes and relaxed into the embrace, tilting his head to the side to give Damon better access. Finally the tension seeped out of his body. The fear that had gripped him once he realized what Bonnie had done vanished. They were safe. For now.
Damon´s lips trailed over his neck, kissing and nipping lightly. Ric flinched when the fangs pierced his skin, but the short, initial pain faded quickly. The first time Damon had fed from him it had been pure sex. This was different. Instead of the lust and overwhelming passion there was a warm, tingling feeling, that slowly spread through his whole body and made his limbs feel heavy. Alaric could swear he could feel Damon´s contentment as the vampire fed from him.
Finally Damon made a strange noise, some mixture of a moan and a purr and withdrew his fangs. He licked over the wound, clearing away a few stray drops of blood. "Want me to fix that?" Hesitating only a little, Ric nodded. He had already tasted Damon´s blood the last time, so why not again? And he really had no desire to explain the bite-mark or hide it with a scarf.
Damon moved around so that he was sitting next to the teacher. He bit his own lip and Ric leaned in with a smile, licked away the small amount of blood that welled out of the wound before it closed, before pressing his lips to the vampire´s. The kiss was slow and sensual. Ric`s hand tangled in Damon`s dark hair, while Damon´s hands lightly rested on the teacher`s hips.
They broke apart when the need for air got too great. Ric`s hand touched the side of his neck. The wound was already closing. Damon watched him, looking relaxed and sleepy. Pretty much like Ric felt right now. Wordlessly the teacher pulled off his jeans and crawled under the covers, smiling when Damon turned off the light and did the same. Ric pulled him closer and the vampire cuddled into his arms willingly. The events of the day were finally taking their toll and both men fell asleep quickly.