The next morning Ric made breakfast, while Damon pretended to still be asleep. He was pretty sure Ric knew he was only faking it, but the teacher didn`t say anything when Damon finally joined him at the table. They ate in silence, both enjoying the peace and quiet of the moment, knowing it wouldn´t last long. Afterwards Damon resisted the urge to join Alaric in the shower and instead busied himself with cleaning up.
He didn`t turn around when he heard Ric emerge from the bedroom. "Katherine showed up at the boarding house last night." he murmured. The teacher didn`t respond. Damon had thought about not telling him. But then he realized that Stefan might mention something and Ric could take it the wrong way and be pissed at him. So it was better to tell him straight away. "She said she never loved me. She always wanted Stefan. I was only a diversion." No need to mention the fact that he had almost kissed her. After all, nothing had happened. He`d stopped himself in time.
"I figured something like that." Ric said finally and Damon turned around in surprise, eliciting a chuckle from the teacher. "Hey, I do know you a little by now. I could tell something was off and it didn`t take a genius to figure out it had to do with Katherine. You were too quiet last night. And very cuddly." he commented. "Cuddly?" Damon asked indignantly. Ric grinned and stepped closer. "Yeah, cuddly. Although I`ve got to admit, I kinda like you that way." he murmured, pulling Damon closer and dropping a quick kiss on his lips.
"Cuddly. And that from the guy who´s prone to hugging my pillow when I slip out of bed." the vampire grumbled. Ric laughed, but there was definite blush staining his cheeks, making Damon feel better. The teacher glanced at his watch and sighed. "I´ve got to go. I`ll probably be forced to help set up the carnival." he mumbled apologetically, shaking his head at the thought. "Obviously the very recent death of the mayor isn`t reason enough to cancel it. This town is addicted to its festivities."
Damon shrugged. "I think most people aren`t too sad about the death of our mayor. He was a dick." Alaric went to grab his bag. "He was." he had to admit. "And he was also something else. But I have no idea what." Damon went on. Ric paused with his hand on the doorknob. "Because he was affected by the Gilbert device." The vampire nodded and joined him at the door. "His son was affected as well. And now the uncle showed up… I think we should look into it. If there`s some unknown supernatural element running rampant upon our town, I`d like to know what we`re up against."
Ric nodded slowly. "I`ll try to keep an eye on Tyler. See what I can find out. Be careful, okay?" Damon grinned and leaned in to kiss him, breaking away only when they needed air. "I will. You be careful, too." he whispered. "Promise." Ric whispered back, finally opening the door and leaving. Damon glanced at the clock and chuckled. The teacher would be late again.
###
After Ric had left, Damon busied himself with Jonathan Gilbert´s journal. Ric still had the copies and the vampire was sure he wouldn`t mind him lingering in the apartment a little longer. He had no desire to face his brother yet again. Unfortunately Jonathan had written nothing useful about the Lockwoods, so the vampire finally gave up and paid a visit to Carol Lockwood. She told him she would be acting as interim mayor until the elections and asked for his help with the council. Damon assured her he would do whatever was needed, while eavesdropping on the conversation Tyler was having with his uncle in another part of the house. But he only found out that Tyler had anger management problems and that his uncle seemed very interested in those.
He returned to the boarding house to change clothes and grab a blood bag, running into Stefan on his way out. The younger Salvatore still seemed concerned about him and kept mentioning Katherine. "We have no idea what she's up to." he stressed. Damon rolled his eyes. "Sure we do. She came back to profess her undying eternal love for you. So I'm gonna let you deal with her, because I have more important things to do." He turned to leave, but his idiotic brother stopped him.
"What could be more important than finding out what Katherine´s planning?" Stefan wanted to know. "Investigating the Lockwood family secret, for one. The Gilbert device affected them, but vervain didn't, so they're not vampires. They're something else. And I want to know what." Stefan didn`t seem concerned about the Lockwoods, but he didn`t try to talk Damon out of it either. He seemed wary, afraid to set Damon off. It amused the older one immensely.
He even accompanied Damon to the carnival, where the older Salvatore used the chance to observe Tyler Lockwood. The guy was beating pretty much everyone at arm wrestling. At least until his uncle came along and beat him. Deciding a little experiment was in order, Damon pushed Stefan forward. "Stefan wants to go." His brother turned to glare at him, but he couldn`t really back down now. The dark haired vampire watched with interest, but Stefan didn`t put in any effort at all and lost deliberately. When Damon grumbled at him however, Stefan surprised him, insisting that he had put effort into it. Damon frowned. "Is he…?"
"No, no, it wasn't that kind of strength. But it was more than human, if that makes any sense." It didn`t, but lately nothing about the Lockwoods seemed to make much sense. Damon decided to try another experiment and compelled a guy to pick a fight with Tyler, not surprised when the uncle intervened. The moves Mason Lockwood showed at least proved the vampire`s theory that he had to be supernatural. No human could move like that, no matter how hard he trained. Now he only had to find out what the hell that guy was.
Not wanting to listen to Stefan`s yapping about endangering innocent lives any longer, Damon left his brother standing there and went in search of Alaric. He suspected the teacher might be hiding away in his classroom, afraid Carol Lockwood or someone else might get him to help otherwise. On his way there he almost ran into Caroline. Even with his blood healing her, she had gotten out of hospital awfully quickly. But the vampire didn`t think much of it and was about to pass her, making a comment about getting out early, when she stepped into his way and declared that she remembered.
"What do you remember?" Damon frowned. Something about her seemed off, but he couldn`t put his finger on it. "I remember how you manipulated me, how you pushed me around, abused me, erased my memories, fed on me. The memories have been coming back, in pieces." she stated. Damon was speechless for a moment. Then he shook his head. It was impossible. "You can't remember. It's impossible, I mean unless you're becoming a..." the vampire trailed of. No, it couldn`t be. Could it? He watched with unease as a slow smile spread over Caroline`s face. "I have a message from Katherine. She said 'Game on'."
Before he had time to react, she pushed him and sent him sprawling onto the floor. Damon could only watch as she sped off. "Oh you´ve got to be kidding me." This couldn`t be happening. Groaning in frustration he got to his feet, just in time to see Alaric round the corner. The teacher stopped in surprise and then hurried over. "Damon? What happened?" There was no mistaking the worried tone. Damon sighed. "We`ve got another problem. We need to find Stefan and Elena."
"Okay. Why don`t you just text them and ask them to meet us in my classroom? And while we wait you can tell me what happened." Ric offered. Hesitating a moment, Damon nodded and quickly sent a text to his brother, knowing he would bring Elena along. He followed Ric into the empty classroom and sat down. The teacher gave him a questioning look, clearly waiting for an explanation. "You remember that I gave Caroline my blood?" Ric nodded and motioned for him to continue. "Well, it looks like Katherine killed her. With my blood still in her system. So…"
"She`s turning into a vampire?" Ric asked, clearly shocked at the news. "No, she`s not turning into a vampire, she already is one." Damon answered. She had been too strong and too fast to still be in transition. He couldn`t help but wonder if she had killed someone. She must have. It was the only way she could have turned already. Probably a nurse or something, which meant he probably had to pay a visit to the hospital later and clean up her mess.
Both men looked up when the door opened to reveal Stefan and Elena. "Okay, what`s so important that we had to come here immediately." the younger Salvatore wanted to know. "Katherine turned Caroline into a vampire." No need to beat around the bush. They didn`t have time for that. Elena gasped in shock. "She did what? But … why?" Damon shrugged. "Because Katherine is a manipulative nasty little slut. And she wants to send a message. She had Blondie tell me 'Game on'."
"But why Caroline? She's doing this to me, isn't she?" Elena sounded close to tears. "No, she's doing it to me." Stefan whispered. "Caroline must be completely out of her mind. She doesn't even know what's happening to her." he muttered. Damon snorted. "Oh I think she does. All of my compulsion from the past started wearing off the minute she was in transition." Which meant he was in deep shit if the girl ran into her mother and started talking. "We have to find her." Stefan stated and for once Damon agreed with him. "Yep and kill her."
"You're not gonna kill Caroline." Elena jumped up, her voice taking on a shrill edge. The dark haired vampire got up as well. "She knows who we are. What we are. She's officially a liability, and we've got to get rid of her. Caroline, of all people, will not make it as a vampire. Her mother is a vampire hunter. Guys come on, we all know how this story's gonna end. Just flip to the last chapter and..."
"Elena is right. You can´t just kill her, Damon." Alaric stepped in. He looked at the dark haired vampire pleadingly. Damon stifled a curse. He hated that look. It always made him want to give in to the teacher. Why couldn`t they understand that he had to do this? "I have to, Ric. It's the only way." he replied quietly, speeding out of the room, before the teacher had the chance to utter another word. He knew that Ric would be mad at him if he went through with this, but he really had no choice here.
He pushed his way through the mass of people, looking around for the blonde, but seeing her nowhere. Where could she be? Then he thought of his own transition, how he had felt right after turning. Everything had been intensified, all the sounds and smells, as well as his own feelings. It took some time getting used to. She wouldn`t be in the crowd, he realized. She`d try to find a secluded spot. So he had to search the empty parts of the school. Like the parking lot.
Picking up a stake, obviously left over from setting up the tents, he headed for the parking lot and sure enough there she was. He could hear her crying from afar. She was sitting on the ramp of a truck, next to the guy he had compelled earlier to pick a fight with Tyler Lockwood. There was blood all over her face. "He's dead. I killed him. Oh god! What's wrong with me?" she sobbed and Damon actually felt bad for her, remembering what it had felt like for him at first. He had killed many people over the years, but he`d never forgotten the first time.
"Hey, it's okay. I can help you." he murmured, stepping closer. She looked so hopeful that it tore at his heart. "You can? What are you gonna do?" she whispered. "The only thing I can do. I'm gonna kill you." Damon answered honestly, watching the fear spread over her face. She didn`t even try to run, simply shook her head. "Please don't! I don't want to die! Just help me! Please, you`ve got to help me!" she was begging, fresh tears streaming down her face. Damon pulled her closer. "Okay, shh." She sobbed against his chest, pleading for his help. It made his insides turn, but he held her in place with one hand while he raised the stake with the other.
And then he looked over her shoulder and saw Alaric. The teacher wasn`t doing anything. He was just standing there, looking at Damon pleadingly. The vampire stared back at him for what felt like hours, waging an internal battle with himself. Ric would hate him if he killed the girl. Probably forever. But not killing her would endanger his own life.
Caroline was oblivious to all that. She was clinging to him like a lifeline, soaking his shirt with her tears. Heaving a resigned sigh, Damon threw the stake away and wrapped both arms around the girl. Ric breathed a sigh of relief and came closer. The dark haired vampire scowled at him. "I`m going to regret this." he muttered. "Maybe you won`t." Ric murmured back.
Just then Elena and Stefan arrived on the scene. Elena immediately rushed over and tried to pry Caroline away from Damon, but the blonde got hysteric and pushed her off. "No! Get away from me! You killed me!" Elena stumbled a step back. "No, no, no Caroline! That wasn't me. You know that! That was Katherine. I would never hurt you." Caroline hid behind Damon, clinging to him once more. "But why did she look like you?! And why did she do this to me?"
The dark haired vampire sighed and grabbed her arms, holding her still. "Hey, look at me. Elena didn`t kill you. Katherine did. It`s a long story and we don`t have time for this now. So calm down." His voice was quiet, intense. Almost as if he was trying to use compulsion. The blonde nodded and took a deep breath, calming at least a little. Rolling his eyes, Damon shoved her towards his brother. "Get her away from here. And wash the blood off her. You wanted to keep her alive, you take care of her." he instructed, before pointing to the dead guy. "I`ll clean up this mess."
Stefan nodded and gently guided Caroline away, murmuring soothing words. Elena gave Damon a grateful smile. "Thank you." The older Salvatore just waved dismissively, so she turned away and followed Stefan. Damon turned to the dead guy, surprised when Ric addressed him. "Can you get him to my car? I`ll see if I can find us some shovels." The vampire raised a questioning eyebrow. "Us?" Alaric`s answering smile made his stomach flutter. "Yeah, us. I`ll help you." For a moment Damon was rendered speechless. Then he smirked. "All right. Meet you at the car."
He watched the teacher walk off towards the school building and then turned to grab the corpse. Slinging the guy over his shoulder he rushed to the car. Ric met him only minutes later, carrying two shovels. They put the corpse into the trunk and Ric drove off. "Where to?" Damon gave him directions to a spot in the forest he knew, far off and away from prying eyes. With a little luck no-one would find the guy there.
The drive passed in silence. They reached the spot quickly and got out of the car. "Over there." Damon decided, pointing to a mossy spot between two old oak trees. Rather poetic, at least in Damon´s opinion. Ric nodded and handed him a shovel. Neither spoke while they dug out the grave and buried the guy. The silence was grating on the vampire`s nerves, yet he didn`t know what to say. It was strange and quite annoying that words failed him so often when he was around Alaric.
"I knew you wouldn´t kill her." the teacher spoke up after they had gotten into the car again, startling Damon out of his reverie. Damon glanced over at him. "I should have." He still wasn`t sure if it had been a good idea not to do it. She could get them all killed. But with Ric looking at him like that… "No, you shouldn`t and you know it. You did the right thing." Ric protested. "Her mother is the sheriff. It´s only a matter of time until she finds out. And then?"
"Even if she does find out. She wouldn´t kill her own daughter." the teacher spoke with total conviction. Damon however wasn`t so sure. These people were taught to hate vampires. Had hunted them for over a century. He and Stefan had been shot by their own father for helping a vampire. Maybe Liz wouldn`t kill her own daughter, but maybe she would. He was pretty sure she would kill him, if she knew what he was. Even if he liked to think otherwise.
"You would have felt guilty for killing Caroline. Just like you do with Lexi." Alaric claimed. Damn, he should stop telling him so much. Why did he have to bring up Lexi now? "That was completely different." the vampire muttered. "Was it? Lexi reminded you of your dark times. Of the bad things you`ve done. Now that Caroline is a vampire, your compulsion wore off. She remembers everything you did to her. How you abused her. And she makes you remember it, too."
Damon looked at the teacher in surprise. He hadn`t told Ric about the things he`d done to Caroline. The teacher hadn`t even been in Mystic Falls when he used the blonde as his fake girlfriend. How could he know? Ric glanced at him for a second and seemed to guess his thoughts. "Elena told me. Just after we started becoming friends again. I think she wanted me to know about the evil things you`ve done. She told me not to trust you." he let the vampire know. Typical. That girl just had to stick her nose into everything.
"You can`t undo the bad things you`ve done, Damon…" Ric started, but Damon cut him off. "I know that, Ric. And believe me, you don´t even know one percent of the bad things I`ve done in my life." he spat, getting defensive. Ric saw too much. Understood him too well. And it scared the vampire. Ric looked past his stony mask and had no problem calling him on his bullshit. The fact that Ric didn`t even flinch at his venomous tone was further prove of that. "But you can try to make up for it." the teacher continued unerringly.
"What, by keeping Blondie alive? You`ve got to be kidding me." Damon muttered darkly. Ric chuckled. "Why not? It was your blood that turned her. Doesn`t that make you her sire or something?" he asked. "You read too many crappy vampire books, Ric." Katherine was the one who killed Caroline. So she was responsible for the whole disaster. Not him. He refused to take the blame. And since Stefan was the one who had insisted on keeping the blonde alive, he could also take care of her.
When he told Ric just that, the teacher only smiled. "Want me to drop you off at the boarding house? Or will you spend the night with me?" he asked, changing the subject. The tone of his voice told Damon that spending the night with Ric wouldn`t only mean sleeping tonight, which made the decision an easy one.