Thank you so much for your lovely reviews. So glad you like my story.
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Alaric had just finished writing his lesson plans for the next day, when there was a knock at the door. He got up quickly and went to open it, already knowing who it would be. "Jenna, please come in." The blonde entered and strolled over to the couch. "So I guess your invitation has something to do with your trip to the Duke, right?" she asked. Ric nodded and took a seat next to her. "Yes, it has. How much did Elena tell you?" he wanted to know. "She told me about the werewolves and that you suspect the Lockwoods. And about that book she`s currently obsessed with." Jenna rolled her eyes at her nieces behaviour.
"Well, the book is Elena´s problem. I`m more worried about the wolves." Ric admitted. "Because it is said they can kill a vampire with a bite." Jenna suspected. He nodded, not even trying to hide his unease. "Damon called earlier. Obviously Stefan and Caroline were attacked by a werewolf last night. Luckily Tyler scared it off before it could bite them." Something that still had Ric confused. Tyler hadn`t changed into a wolf. He had no idea what that meant.
"So you think the wolf was Mason?" Jenna`s voice cut through his musings. "It`s at least highly possible. We need to find out more." the teacher let her know. "Okay. I get that. But where do I fit in?" she wanted to know. Ric bit his lip. "Well, we figured you know Mason. You went to high school together, right?" When she nodded he continued. "We thought you could maybe … invite him, or something like that. And then Damon and I could try to find out more. Don`t ask me how. It was Damon`s idea." he grimaced, knowing how stupid that must sound.
Jenna looked sceptical, but before she could say something, there was a knock at the door again. Damon this time. It was strange how Ric could tell that just by hearing him knock. "Ah, you`re already there." the vampire commented when he spied Jenna. "I just told her about your brilliant plan." Alaric let him know. "No need to sound so snarky. My plans are always brilliant." Damon claimed with a smirk. Ric just rolled his eyes and sat down again. Damon took a seat as well.
"So let me get this straight: You want me to invite Mason and the two of you. And then what? You`ll ask him if he is a werewolf?" Jenna wanted to know. "I would be a little more subtle about it, but basically, yes." Damon answered. Elena`s aunt looked at the two men sceptically. After a moment`s hesitation she nodded. "Alright. I guess we could make a barbecue tomorrow. But Mason is a nice guy and I don`t want him to get hurt. I want you both to promise me you won`t do anything rash. Even if it turns out that your suspicion is correct." she ordered.
Damon frowned. "If our suspicion is correct he tried to kill my brother last night." he reminded her. Jenna stubbornly crossed her arms. "Maybe he didn`t mean to. Maybe it was accidental or whatever. At least promise me you`ll give him a chance to explain. He deserves that much. Promise me, or I won`t help you." For a moment she and Damon glared at each other, while Ric looked on in resignation, wondering how long they could keep this up. They were both pretty stubborn. Surprisingly enough, Damon gave in. "Okay, okay. I promise I won`t kill him straight away. But if it turns out that he`s a danger to me or anyone else, he´s dead meat."
Jenna sighed and nodded. "Okay. Fair enough, I guess. I`ll invite him and then I`ll give you a call." she promised, getting up and motioning for Ric to remain seated. "It`s okay, I know the way out." Ric watched her go and then turned to Damon. "Please tell me you have a plan. A real plan." The vampire shrugged. "We`ll watch him, how he behaves and stuff. Maybe drop a few hints. I don`t know. We`ll make it up as we go. If nothing else works you could shoot him with a silver bullet." he joked. Ric rolled his eyes. "Great plan."
Damon only smirked. "What exactly did Stefan say happened last night?" the teacher asked. They needed as much information as they could get or this could end up backfiring on them. Ric was scared it might do just that anyway. "Stefan didn`t say anything. He wasn`t home last night." Damon let him know and Ric frowned. "And then how do you know that he was attacked?" he asked, clearly puzzled. "Vampire Barbie told me. I found her on my couch when I got home. She was sobbing because my brother made her kill a bunny."
"And then she came to you of all people?" Ric was more than a little surprised by this. After all the things Damon had done to the girl in the past he should be the last one she´d come to seeking help. But then he remembered the night they had found her after her transition. How she had clung to Damon, begging for his help. How Damon had comforted her. He had been the one to find her. His blood had turned her. Maybe there was some sort of connection after all.
"Who else would she turn to? Katherine?" Damon asked sarcastically. "What did you say to her?" Ric wanted to know, ignoring the vampire´s comment. Caroline had appeared pretty normal today at school. Maybe a little more jittery than usual, but aside from that he hadn`t noticed anything strange about her. "Don`t look at me like that, Ric. I`ve been perfectly nice. I told her the bunny diet won`t work. I even promised I would supply her with blood bags and teach her to feed from humans without killing them."
Now the teacher was even more surprised. But pleasantly so. "What are you grinning at?" Damon grumbled. "I`m grinning because you`re starting to behave like the old you. The Damon I`ve met three years ago." Ric explained, the smile never leaving his face. He loved these moments, when he could see the kind hearted man he had known beneath all the posturing and evil vampire exterior. He wanted to believe that this was the real Damon and the other stuff was just an act. But he wasn`t sure yet.
The vampire snorted and shifted uncomfortably. "Well, I can`t have another potential ripper running around town. And since you didn`t allow me to kill her, what was I supposed to do?" he muttered. "I`m glad you`re helping her." Ric told him honestly. "We`ll see about that. If she gets too annoying I`m going to stake her." Damon threatened, but Ric could hear no heat behind his words. He suspected that Damon liked feeling needed. He just didn`t like to admit it.
"So, what exactly did Caroline tell you about last night´s events?" the teacher asked, taking pity on the vampire and changing the subject. "She bit the quarterback. Probably would`ve killed him if Stefan hadn`t pulled her off in time. Then she was attacked by a wolf, who tried to bite her. But suddenly Tyler Lockwood appeared and scared it off." Damon answered. Ric nodded slowly. "So Tyler didn`t change. Which can only mean that he`s no werewolf. That leaves Mason." He was dreading the confrontation with Mason Lockwood, but he knew it was inevitable. They had to know the truth.
"Okay, enough about Vampire Barbie and the Lockwolves." Damon said suddenly, as he moved to straddle Alaric`s lap. "You were neglecting me yesterday. How are you going to make up for that?" Ric chuckled and pulled the vampire closer, sliding his hands up Damon´s back beneath the tight shirt. "Oh I guess I can think of a few ideas."
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It was early afternoon when Damon knocked on the Gilbert`s front door. He was surprised when Caroline opened. "What are you doing here?" the dark haired vampire asked, while he went inside. "Elena invited me to the barbecue. Guess she wanted some back-up." the blonde explained, closing the door. "The others are in the kitchen." Damon nodded and was about to head there, when she stopped him. "Damon, wait. About the … training…" She trailed off, bit her lip nervously. Great, he`d almost forgotten about that. But he couldn`t back out now. Especially after he`d told Alaric about it.
"Meet me tonight at the Grill. About eight?" he offered. Caroline nodded. "Okay." Damon nodded as well and went to the kitchen, passing Elena who was just on her way out. He found Alaric, Jenna and Mason drinking shots. "Am I too late?" the dark haired vampire asked. Ric shook his head with a chuckle. "Right on time. We were just doing shots." He went to fetch another glass for Damon, while Mason introduced himself. Damon shook his hand with a smile, forcing himself to be polite. For now. He didn`t miss the fact that Jenna was watching him like a hawk.
"I heard great things about you." Mason let the vampire know, who raised his eyebrows in response. "Really? That's weird, 'cause I'm a dick." he answered quite honestly. "That`s true." Jenna chimed in, downing another shot. Ric grinned and clapped Damon on the back. "He`s not always a dick. He has his moments." Damon couldn`t help but grin, loving the fact that Ric would defend him, even if they were only joking around. "Aww, thanks buddy." he muttered.
Jenna shook her head and left to take care of the food, while the three men talked a bit. Mason told them about leaving Mystic Falls to find his luck in California, about surfing and the other sports he liked. He did seem like a friendly and easy-going guy, Damon had to admit. But it could still be an act. He certainly wouldn`t drop his caution. They were here to test their theory after all.
Soon enough Jenna told them that the food was ready and asked Ric to fetch the girls. "Where`s Jeremy, by the way?" the teacher asked, once they were all seated around the table. "He`s at the Grill with Anna. She needs to meet some new people." Jenna answered, before turning to Mason to explain. "Anna is his girlfriend. Her mum died recently, shortly after moving here and now she´s pretty much an orphan, so we took her in." Damon wondered if this was the official version and if they had told the same story at school. He hadn`t really seen the girl after their escape from the burning building and had almost forgotten about her, truth be told.
Elena seemed uncomfortable with the subject and quickly changed the topic, making the vampire wonder how well she and Anna got along. He remembered that they didn`t exactly have the best start. After all, Anna had abducted the brunette to use her as leverage. Elena was probably still a bit pissed.
But all in all it was a nice lunch. Once the plates were cleared away they moved the party to the living room and Caroline had the brilliant idea to play Pictionary. Damon decided to use the chance for some subtle hints, since Mason was behaving like a perfectly normal guy so far. Maybe it was time to bait him a little.
Sure enough Mason managed to guess pretty much all the movies the vampire was drawing, from 'Wolfman' to 'Dances with wolves', which meant he was either catching on or he had a very vivid imagination. "How is that a wolf?" Jenna asked, frowning at the wolf in a tutu the vampire had drawn. Damon shrugged. "Come on, that one was easy." Mason agreed with him, while Jenna giggled and told him he was a terrible artist. Damon started wondering how much she`d had to drink.
They finally ended the game and decided it was time for desert. Damon offered to help Elena in the kitchen, not really surprised when Jenna joined them as well. "I gotta admit, this is fun." she announced. The vampire chuckled and claimed: "Someone`s getting tipsy." Elena shook her head and put the pie on a plate. She seemed distracted, but Damon had other things on his mind. "I can handle my liquor." Jenna claimed, taking a cake knife from a set. Damon looked at it with interest. "These are fancy."
"My mother's silver set." the blonde explained. Damon took the knife from her to examine it. "You don`t say. How convenient." Jenna frowned at him. "You`re not going to stab Mason with that, are you?" she asked cautiously. The vampire snorted. "I said I`d be subtle about it." he reminded her. "You did. But I`m a little worried about your definition of subtle." Okay, fair enough. Damon turned to wink at her. "Trust me, Jenna. I`ve got a plan." He didn`t miss Elena`s worried look at his words. Really, that girl had no faith in his abilities.
Back in the living room the vampire put the knife down next to the pie. "Mason, why don't you start us off?" Mason nodded with a smile, seemingly unconcerned. "Sure." He grabbed a piece of pie using his hands instead of the knife. "Oh sorry, I'm an animal." he apologised and the others joined in his laughter, but Damon cast a knowing glance at Alaric, who nodded in response and addressed Mason: "So you and Jenna never dated?"
"Not like I wasn`t interested, but she was always lost in Logan Fell land." Mason replied with a shrug. "My mistake. Mason was a catch; he had girls lining up. And Logan turned out to be an ass." Jenna let them know, casting a regretful smile at Mason. Damon could see Alaric watching the two of them with a calculating look. He didn`t like it at all and chose to bait Mason again. "Really? I always pegged you for a lone wolf." Mason just smiled and proposed a toast.
Shortly after, Elena and Caroline left, stating they would check up on Stefan. Damon helped clearing the table and was just rinsing his cup in the sink when Mason joined him. "Jenna just brought out "Guitar Hero"." he said with a dramatic shudder. Damon smiled at him. "Well, I just happen to like "Guitar Hero". So you my friend, are barking up the wrong tree." Mason held his eyes for a second. Then he sighed and looked away. "Okay. Enough with the innuendos. You win, you're hilarious."
Damon turned off the faucet and looked at him, wondering where this was going. "Come on, man. You don't think I know what this barbecue is about? The comments, the drawings, the silver knife… You`re quite obvious, you know?" Damon crossed his arms in front of his chest and regarded the other man warily. "Okay, let´s stop the pretence then. How do you know about me? Your brother was completely clueless." The mayor didn`t even get suspicious when he saw him down in the burning cellar. Idiot. "It doesn't matter. I'm not your enemy, Damon."
The vampire snorted. "You tried to kill my brother." he pointed out. Mason shifted, looked uncomfortable. "He`s got a point there." Alaric joined the discussion. Damon had heard him hovering in the doorway. Obviously so had Mason, because he didn`t look surprised. "I didn`t mean to. There was confusion. The kids were still there, partying. I couldn't chain myself up in time. I have no control once I shift." he explained. Damon regarded him with raised eyebrows, shared a quick glance with Ric, who shrugged.
"I'm serious. Let's not spark some age old feud that doesn't apply to us. I don`t mean any harm." Mason assured. "You expect us to believe that you are in Mystic Falls planting peach trees?" Damon asked sarcastically. He didn't trust the dog. Not yet. He´d be an idiot if he would just trust him. "I'm here for my family. My brother just died. I`m sure you understand. Please, let's be above this." Mason implored, holding out his hand. A peace offering, but still Damon remained sceptical.
Changing tactic, Mason addressed Ric. "Alaric, you seem like an understanding guy. Tell me what I`ve got to do to convince your lover that I`m honest here." The teacher looked at him in shock and Damon had a hard time hiding his surprise as well. "How do you…?" Ric stuttered. Mason chuckled. "Come on, I`m supernatural. I can smell him all over you." Heightened senses. Good to know. Damon filed that information away for later use, while Mason was giving Ric a calculating look. "Does Jenna know her boyfriend is fucking a vampire?"
This shook the teacher out of his trance. "I`m not Jenna´s boyfriend and yes, she knows about us. You got a problem with it?" he asked, his voice taking on challenging edge. Mason held up his hands in surrender. "No, no, not at all. Just didn`t want Jenna to get hurt. She`s a great woman. And what or who you`re doing is up to you." he assured quickly, looking from one man to the other.
"So… what`s it gonna be? This was a nice afternoon and I don`t want to make enemies here, okay?" Again he held out his hand. Damon looked at Ric, who nodded encouragingly and mouthed "do it". Rolling his eyes the vampire complied and shook hands with Mason. "Alright. But I`m warning you – better chain your furry ass down next time, because if you ever try to attack me or someone I care about I`m going to rip out your heart without a second thought. Are we clear?" The werewolf nodded. "Crystal. Same goes for you."
He turned to Ric, who shook his hand as well, just as Jenna entered the kitchen. "Did I miss something?" Mason stammered something about guy talk, but Ric interrupted him. "We were right about Mason, but they made peace." Jenna looked at the wolf. "So you really are a werewolf?" When Mason only stared at her open mouthed, she shrugged. "I know everything. Better get used to it. And you should thank me, because I made those two promise they wouldn`t kill you."
"No, you made us promise we wouldn`t kill him before he got the chance to explain." Damon corrected her. Jenna rolled her eyes and called him a smartass. "Well, thank you Jenna. I guess." Mason muttered, looking at the blonde with a kind of wonder. She smiled at him and Damon saw that calculating look on Ric`s face again. "Okay, I guess I should leave now. Unless you want to join me at the Grill for a few drinks?" Mason asked, looking around, his eyes lingering on Jenna the longest. "Sorry, but I have to be a role model now." she declined. The two guys turned down the offer as well, so Mason left.
"Okay, I guess that went well." Jenna commented, once the door had closed. Damon shrugged. "We`ll see if we can really trust him." The vampire noticed that it was already getting dark outside and remembered his promise to meet Caroline. "You know, I should probably head out too. I`ve got to meet someone. Jenna, thanks for the help. You know, we really should repeat this. Maybe without the dog, but…" Jenna giggled and punched his arm. "You really are a dick. And now off with you." Still grinning Damon left the house.
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When he reached the Mystic Grill he found Caroline sitting alone at a table. She looked nervous. Nearby Stefan was having a rather heated discussion with Elena. Damon dropped down into the booth across from Caroline and she jumped in shock. "Are we eavesdropping?" the dark haired vampire asked. The blonde averted her eyes. "She`s my friend. I`m just concerned." Damon nodded. "Yeah, perfect excuse. But now we`ve got more important things to do, right?"
Taking a deep breath she looked up again. "Okay." The older Salvatore noticed that Elena was leaving, but chose to ignore her for now. Just like he ignored Mason, who had taken a seat at the bar. "Alright, pick someone." Caroline looked around the room, until her eyes settled on a blonde guy over at the pool table. "Him? Okay, why not." Damon shrugged. "Go over and compel him. Tell him to meet you in the alley behind the Grill. And Barbie… try not to be too obvious about it." he instructed. She got up and made her way over to the pool tables.
Damon remained seated and watched her. She walked up to the guy and asked if he needed someone to play with. He obviously thought she was flirting, because he agreed eagerly. Taking a step closer Caroline compelled him. "Wait five minutes. Then go to the alley behind the Grill and wait there for me." He nodded and she went to the restroom. Pretty nonchalant, the vampire had to give her that.
When she emerged she joined Damon at the table again. "How am I doing so far?" The dark haired vampire smirked. "Not too bad, Blondie." They both watched the guy leave and Damon was quite impressed that she didn`t try to follow him right away. She was better at this than he`d thought. "Okay, come on." he said finally. They got up and went outside. Sure enough the blonde guy was standing in the alley, looking lost. "Tell him to stay calm and quiet. Then ask for his wrist. Bite-marks are easier to hide there."
She did as she was told. Damon could see her eyes darkening, the capillaries appearing underneath, when she brought the wrist to her mouth. "Keep in mind that he`s human. You don`t want to hurt him. Take only as much as you need." Taking a deep breath, Caroline bit the offered wrist and started feeding. Damon watched her closely, making sure she wouldn`t take too much. Just as he was about to tell her to stop, she stopped on her own, pulling away with some difficulty.
The dark haired vampire was impressed. "Okay, tell him to forget what happened." Caroline looked slightly dazed, but she nodded and compelled the guy again. "Forget what happened here. You stumbled and hurt your wrist on a broken bottle. You never saw me out here." she ordered. "I never saw you out here." the guy repeated, turning around and walking off. Caroline turned to Damon again. She looked like an eager puppy waiting for praise. "Not bad for the first time. I think you won`t need all that much practice. You`ve already got more restraint than Stefan." he complimented.
Caroline beamed. "Really?" She threw herself into his arms without warning, hugging him almost fiercely. "Thank you." The dark haired vampire patted her back awkwardly. "Yeah, don`t mention it. I mean that. Don´t mention it. Next lesson in a few days, okay?" The blonde pulled away and nodded. "Alright. I`ve got to go home now. So… see you around." Damon watched her go, shaking his head. But a smile was tugging at the corners of his mouth.