Thanks to HiddenSight48 for the lovely Reviews. Glad you like my Story.
Today`s chapter is a bit longer.
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Alaric nodded to some of his students, while he strolled to the food tent to grab something to eat. He had spent the whole morning and a good deal of the afternoon helping to set up the historical society volunteer picnic. The teacher had no idea how he always got roped into these things. He just couldn`t say no to Carol Lockwood. That woman didn`t accept no for an answer.
He had to admit that Mystic Falls newest public park was quite nice to look at, even in its current, half-finished state. And the volunteers had really outdone themselves with setting up the picnic. Ric looked around while he grabbed a sandwich and sat down to eat. Elena and Caroline were busy painting a veranda, talking quietly. Stefan was working nearby, casting glances at the two girls every now and then. Ric could also see sheriff Forbes and Carol Lockwood talking to Damon and wondered what that was about.
He tore his eyes away from the dark haired vampire when someone sat down next to him. "Mason, I see you got roped into helping as well." he greeted the other man. "I think everybody has. But you knew I was here. You`ve been watching me the whole time." Mason remarked. Ric shrugged, not really surprised that the werewolf had noticed. "Just making sure you`re really no danger to anyone."
"To Damon, you mean." Automatically the teacher`s eyes were drawn towards said vampire again, who now turned to look at him as well. Ric wondered if he had felt him staring or if he had been listening to his conversation with Mason. "There are other vampires I care about as well. But mostly you`re right." he conceded with a smile. Damon smiled back, before returning his attention to the two women.
"I meant what I said, Ric. I`m not your enemy." Mason assured. "And I believe you. I`m just cautious. No offense, okay?" The werewolf chuckled. "None taken. See you around." He got up and left. Ric got up and as well and was about to join Damon, when Matt appeared and asked for his help with some tables. Sighing in defeat the teacher followed him.
After he was done helping Matt, he was suddenly faced with Stefan, who wanted to know what they were planning. It took Ric some time to convince him that he and Damon weren`t planning anything, especially not killing Mason Lockwood during today´s picnic. In the end Stefan accepted his explanation that they had made peace with the werewolf, but he remained suspicious and told the teacher to keep an eye on Damon, since his brother simply didn`t make peace.
Ric was about to go in search of Damon, who had suddenly disappeared, when a deputy stepped into his way. "Mr. Saltzman?" The teacher nodded, wondering what was up now. "There has been a little accident. A teenager managed to hit your parked car with his motorcycle. He didn`t hurt himself, at least not badly, but your car suffered quite a bit. I need you to come with me and take a look at the damage." Ric groaned in frustration. Great. Just what he needed right now. Could this day get any worse? "Okay, lead the way."
The deputy nodded and took off through the surrounding woods. Alaric followed him, hoping his car wasn`t badly damaged. Like there wasn`t enough to worry about already. He stopped short however, when he suddenly noticed that they were going in the wrong direction. Instead of the parking lot, the deputy was leading him deeper into the woods. "Hey, this is the wrong way. My car is over there somewhere." he called out, but the guy didn`t stop. Rolling his eyes in annoyance, Ric hurried after him and grabbed his shoulder to stop him. "I said you`re going in the wrong direction. My car is over there." he repeated.
The deputy pushed him away roughly. "I know." Ric stumbled backwards and stared at the guy suspiciously. "There was no accident." It wasn`t really a question, but the deputy nodded. "I just wanted to get you away from the party." he admitted. Ric didn`t like the sound of that. Almost automatically he took on a fighting stance. "Why?" he demanded to know. "Ask him." the deputy answered, pointing to his left, where another deputy had just walked out from behind a tree. He looked vaguely familiar.
"You don`t even remember me, do you? But I remember you. You knocked me out and left me to die in that fire." he spat and suddenly Ric recognized him. It was the deputy he had knocked out in the old Gilbert building. He hadn`t been sure if the guy had made it out alive. But obviously he had and now he was pissed. "Sorry man, I was drunk. I don´t even really remember what happened that night." the teacher lied, slowly inching away from the two deputies. He wondered what they were planning. Nothing good, that much was for sure.
"Drunk my ass. You knew exactly what you were doing. You were helping the vampires." the guy spat. "So I feel completely justified to do this." Ric`s eyes widened when he pulled his gun. The first deputy looked shocked as well. "Dean, what are you doing? Put the gun down. This wasn`t the plan. You told me to lure him out here so you could question him. Did you even tell sheriff Forbes?" Ric`s heart was beating wildly, while he watched the two of them. "No, I didn`t. She would only tell me that there is no proof. But I don`t need proof. I know what happened." Dean declared, pointing the gun at Alaric.
"Come on man, this is a misunderstanding." the teacher tried to persuade him. There was a strange glint in the deputies eyes he didn`t like at all. The guy had something manic about himself. "Save your breath. I don`t negotiate with the likes of you." he growled, taking a step closer. "Dean, please." the other deputy tried again, but Dean cut him off. "Why don`t you just go now, Chris? You`ve been a big help. I`ll take it from here."
Ric looked at the first deputy pleadingly, knowing he was probably his only chance of escape. The guy seemed torn. But in the end he took off in a run and Alaric cursed under his breath. He was doomed. There was no way he could escape this one on his own. Dean would shoot him before he could take two steps. And since the deputy was a mere human his ring wouldn`t do much good here. "Looks like it`s just you and me now." Dean taunted. The teacher took a step backwards, holding up his hands in surrender. "Come on man, let´s talk about this like civilised people, okay?"
"Civilised people? You think knocking me out and leaving me to die in that fire was civilised?" the deputy spat. "I`m sorry, okay? It was a misunderstanding. I was drunk…" Ric tried again, but Dean cut him off and told him he was done talking. Alaric`s heart hammered. "You can`t just kill me. People will ask questions." The deputy only laughed. "A lot of people die or disappear in this town. No-one will ask questions, believe me. I mean, who would miss you anyway?"
Ric couldn`t answer. His head was spinning, trying to think of an escape plan and finding none. He felt paralyzed, unable to move. Could only stare at the deputy, who was practically gloating now. "Come on, beg me for your life. I hadn`t thought you´d give up so quickly. No more smartass excuses? Stupid escape plans? No? Can`t even answer my question? Tell me. Who would miss you, huh?" he taunted. The teacher couldn`t reply. His eyes widened in horror when the deputy grinned maniacally and pulled the trigger. The shot rang loud in the silence. Ric braced himself for the impact.
But it didn`t come. There was suddenly something in front of him, protecting him from the bullet. Or rather – someone. "I would." Damon`s voice was a low growl. It sounded barely human. In a flash he was at the deputy, knocking the gun away and pushing the guy forcefully into a tree. Ric could hear the sickening crunch of breaking bones. And he didn`t give a shit. Still too shocked by what had just happened, he watched the scene in front of him with a strange, detached curiosity, while one thought kept repeating in his head: Damon had taken a bullet for him.
He blinked when the deputy crumbled in a heap onto the floor, a gaping hole in his chest. Damon dropped the bloody heart carelessly and turned to stare at Ric. He was breathing hard, his face still vamped out. "You okay?" His voice sounded almost normal again. Ric nodded. "Thanks." Slowly the vampire´s features changed back to normal and he took a step towards Ric, but then he stopped short and looked over Ric`s shoulder. The teacher turned and found the first deputy standing there. Along with sheriff Forbes, who was staring at Damon in horror.
"Oh my god, no. Damon? But you… you can`t be…" she stammered. The vampire took a step towards her, but stopped when she pulled out her gun and aimed it at him. "Stay where you are. Don´t move." The deputy imitated her by pulling his gun as well. "Liz, put the gun down. You´re my friend." Damon tried to placate the sheriff. "I said don`t move." she replied icily. Ric was fumbling for words when there was a swishing sound and the deputy suddenly dropped to the floor. Dead or unconscious – he couldn`t tell. But there was blood on his neck. Caroline was standing over him, blood dripping from her lips. She was looking at her mother almost shyly. "Hi mom."
Damon used Liz' distraction to rush over and take the gun away from her. She didn`t even fight. Simply continued to stare at her daughter in shock. "Well, this is a most unfortunate situation. Two deputies dead …and you. What am I gonna do with you?" the dark haired vampire muttered. Caroline took a step towards her mother. "You won't tell anyone, will you? Mom? Please. Look, I know that we don't get along and that you hate me, but I'm your daughter and you'll do this for me, right? Mom, please. He will kill you." Caroline pleaded.
"Then kill me. I can't take this." Liz said quietly, closing her eyes in defeat. Caroline shook her head. "No. Mom, please." she begged. "Damon, you can`t kill her." Alaric spoke up, finally shaking himself out of his trance. "Relax guys. No one is killing anybody." Damon said calmly, looking at the sheriff intently. "You're my friend." he repeated and Ric breathed a sigh of relief. For a second there he hadn`t been sure what the vampire would do.
"What are you going to do with her?" Caroline asked hesitantly. "Keep her locked up for a few days. And then, when the vervain is out of her system, I`ll compel her." Damon explained, looking at the two dead deputies. "We've got to clean this up." he muttered. "Take care of the sheriff. I`ll get this." Ric offered. He felt off-balance thanks to this roller coaster ride of emotions. At least taking care of the dead deputies would give him something to do. The dark haired vampire looked at him and nodded reluctantly. "Okay." He turned to Caroline. "Help him. And then you`ll grab some clothes for your mother and bring them to the boarding house."
After sharing another look with Alaric he led the sheriff away. Ric turned to the deputies. "Hey, umm would it be okay if I took the…?" Caroline asked, pointing to the guy she had killed. "The less bloody one? Sure." The teacher bent down to pick up the corpse, marvelling at the fact that it didn`t feel all that strange. He spent too much time around Damon. "I just hope we don`t run into anyone." They`d have a hard time explaining this. "Don`t worry. I`ll hear it if anyone is close by. We should be able to sneak around the park without encountering anyone." Caroline assured.
And she was right. Thanks to the blonde´s enhanced hearing they managed to avoid other people and made it to Ric`s car without being noticed. They put the corpses into the trunk (luckily he hadn`t gotten around to cleaning it yet and even the shovels were still in there) and drove off. Caroline seemed jittery, so Ric tried to distract her by talking. "Thanks for your help." She gave him a shaky smile. "I saw the deputy talking to my mom and listened in. He told her that his friend was trying to kill you. So I followed them. I … I was scared of her ever finding out, you know? We never really got along and now… she hates me."
Her voice trembled and Ric felt bad for her. "It was very brave of you to help us. And you probably saved Damon`s life tonight." After everything that the dark haired vampire had done to her in the past, she had faced her mother and revealed her secret to protect him. The teacher was grateful, although he couldn`t really understand it.
"I know. Weird, huh?" she muttered. "I mean, after everything… I remember how he treated me. How he abused me for weeks. Used me as his spy and human blood bag, compelled me to do what he wanted. I remember that and I want to hate him. I want to hurt him." She shifted in her seat and sighed.
"But then I remember other things. Sometimes he was … nice. He did boyfriend things, like buy me a new dress or compliment me or something. And a few times he talked to me. Like, really talked. Told me things of his past. Of course he compelled me to keep my mouth shut and forget everything later. But still… he confided in me. Talked about his obsession with Katherine and how lonely he felt. And since my transition he`s been nice to me a few times. He was there for me, after Stefan had made me kill that bunny and… I think he`s a nice guy, deep down. He`s just… hurt. And after meeting Katherine, I understand. She did this to him."
Alaric glanced at her, impressed at her words. He slowly realized that there was a lot more to Caroline Forbes than met the eye. "Did you know that I knew him even before I came to Mystic Falls? He´d compelled me to forget." the teacher let her know. "Yeah, Elena told me. Stefan thinks he`s just using you, you know? But I think he´s wrong. Damon`s a lot nicer since you are friends again." Her words made Ric smile. "Glad to hear that. I try my best to be a good influence." he joked, glad to hear her laugh.
"And as for Stefan… he always believes the worst of his brother. Considering their history you probably can`t even blame him. But I still think it hurts Damon. Of course he would never admit it." They reached the sheriff`s house and Ric parked in the driveway. "I`ll hurry. And then I`ll help you with the …umm… deputies." Caroline promised, but Ric waved her off. "Don`t bother. I`ll take care of that. Or do you need a lift to the boarding house?"
"No, it´s okay. I got my car here. Elena gave me a lift to the park earlier." the blonde told him. Ric watched her enter the house. Then he started the engine again and drove to the forest. He supposed the dead guy from the carnival wouldn`t mind some company.
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In the meantime Damon had locked sheriff Forbes into one of the cells in the boarding house basement and made her call in sick for work. When he went down again to bring her some blankets, he found the blonde sitting on the cot, staring at the wall dejectedly. "It's not exactly the Ritz, but it's secure. Brought you a good thread count. And once the vervain is worked out of your system, I will compel you, you will forget everything and you will be a free woman." he assured, entering the cell.
Liz took the blankets without looking at him. "Come on, Liz. Don`t act like I`m not even here. That`s pretty childish, don't you think?" Finally she looked up at him and Damon almost flinched at the hatred he could see in her eyes. Would these people ever change, he wondered. "You lied to me. I thought you were a friend, an ally. When in fact you were the enemy." she whispered harshly. The vampire snorted. "The enemy? Really? What about all the things I`ve done for this town? All the really evil vampires I`ve killed?" he asked.
Liz didn`t answer, but then again, he hadn`t expected her to. "We`re not all evil, you know? But you narrow minded little people will never see past your petty hatred for everything you consider abnormal." his voice had taken on a hard edge. Liz was just like the rest of the council. Like his father and the others had been. He turned away when he heard Caroline walk down the stairs, but stopped because Liz finally spoke up again. "Can you keep Caroline far away from me please? I don't want to see her." Damon knew that the girl had heard. "She's your daughter, Liz." he reminded. "Not anymore. My daughter's gone." she sounded bitter. So much like his father. "You have no idea how wrong you are about that." the dark haired vampire whispered.
Outside Caroline ran back upstairs. Damon was about to open the door, but stopped and looked at the sheriff again. "You want to know how I died? My own father shot me in the back, because I tried to save the woman I loved. My bad that she was a vampire." He had no idea why he was telling her this. She`d forget it again in a few days anyway. Not even giving her the chance to reply, he finally left and headed upstairs.
Caroline was sitting on the couch, cuddled against Alaric`s side. It looked like she had soaked his shirt with her tears this time. Damon had been so preoccupied with Liz that he hadn`t even heard the teacher arrive. "She hates me." the blonde mumbled, wiping her eyes. Damon looked at Ric, but the teacher seemed to be just as helpless as he was. "In a few days the vervain will be out of her system. Then I`ll compel her, she`ll forget and she`ll stop hating you." he said matter of factly. But it didn`t really cheer the girl up.
"Doesn`t matter. She never really liked me in the first place. And now she hates me." Damon sighed and took a seat across from her. "I know it`s probably no consolation, but I can relate. If my father was still alive, he`d stake me personally." he said quietly. Caroline looked at him, something like understanding in her eyes. "He killed you. When you tried to free Katherine." she muttered and he remembered that he had told her once. Damn, he had told her quite a lot of things. Personal things. He hadn`t fully realized that she would remember everything now.
"It`s just who she is. Like my father she was taught to hate vampires. Probably can`t even begrudge her for that." he shrugged and caught Ric`s eye. The teacher was smiling at him and Damon remembered his comment about behaving like the 'old Damon'. Finally Caroline managed a shaky smile and pulled away from Ric, who offered to take her home. Biting her lip, she shook her head. All of a sudden she looked scared.
"I can't go home." Damon frowned, looked at Ric, who only shrugged in response. "Why not?" the teacher asked gently. The blonde hesitated. "Because.. Katherine will be there and she's gonna want me to tell her everything that happened today. She told me I had to spy on Elena and report back to her. She threatened Matt and … I'm so scared of her." she admitted. Ric hugged her again, casting a worried glance at Damon. "So that`s the reason why my brother and Elena pretend to be fighting." the vampire muttered. He`d already wondered about that, but Stefan wouldn`t tell him anything.
"They`re only pretending?" Caroline asked. "Stefan isn`t spending his nights at home and their little arguments are just stupid. They probably noticed something was going on." Damon let her know. His brother might be stupid, but obviously not that stupid. "Then they know that I was spying on them. Oh god, I`m a horrible friend." the blonde exclaimed. "Stefan knows Katherine and what she`s capable of. I`m sure no-one`s blaming you." Ric tried to comfort her.
"You can stay here. There are a few spare bedrooms upstairs. Just pick one." Damon offered. He felt kinda bad for the girl. After all, he knew what Katherine was capable of as well. And since they already had one house guest, another Forbes probably wouldn`t matter much. "Thank you. I`ll do that. But can I just sit here for a while?" Caroline asked. The dark haired vampire shrugged. "Sure. As long as you want. There are blood bags in the freezer downstairs. Just help yourself."
Caroline nodded and curled up on the couch, so he got up and went towards the stairs. Ric followed him. "I guess you`re heading home?" The vampire tried to keep his tone light. No need to show the teacher how much he´d want him to stay. He would only get turned down again. "I`d rather stay here. If that`s okay." Ric answered, taking him completely by surprise. Damon stared at him, wondering if he understood correctly. "Sure, just pick a room." he muttered after a second. Ric`s smile made his heart flutter. "Alright."
The teacher moved past him and walked upstairs. Damon cast another glance at Caroline, who was staring transfixed into the flames of the fireplace, seemingly lost in thought. Turning away he walked to his own bedroom, where he found Alaric sitting on his bed. "I haven`t thanked you, yet. You saved my life." the teacher murmured. Damon shrugged. "Just returning the favour." He was more than a little surprised that Ric obviously wanted to spend the night with him, despite the fact that there were other people in the house who might notice.
"How did you know I was in danger?" Ric wanted to know. "Jenna told me she`d seen you walk into the woods with a deputy. I didn`t like the sound of that, so I went to investigate." He had heard Alaric`s racing heartbeat before he was even remotely close and had quickened his pace instantly. Arriving on the scene it had taken him only a split second to realize what was going on and he had thrown himself in front of Ric without thinking. From there on things blurred for a moment. His anger had taken over. His only thought had been to tear the deputy apart, to punish him for trying to hurt Alaric.
It made his stomach turn to think how close he had come to losing Ric. Just the thought of losing him was unbearable. "You took a bullet for me." the teacher noticed quietly. Damon shrugged it off. "Don't worry about it. Wasn`t a wooden one. It`s all healed up." At that moment he had been so angry that he`d barely even felt the impact. Ric looked at him and the vampire almost shivered under the intense gaze. "Show me." Swallowing hard, Damon walked over, stopped directly in front of Ric and started unbuttoning his shirt.
"Here." He pointed to the spot where the bullet had hit him, close to his shoulder. The skin was unmarred, no trace of a wound left. The teacher reached up and tugged him down. Damon complied, settling onto his lap. He shuddered when Ric gently kissed the spot, his lips lingering there for a second, before moving away again. The vampire looked down on him and then crashed his lips against Ric`s without warning. Ric responded immediately, wrapping his arms around Damon´s torso, pushing the shirt off his shoulders.
Damon shrugged out of the shirt and then reached out to rid the teacher of his shirt as well. He groaned when Ric pulled him even closer and started grinding his hips against the other man`s, felt the answering hardness in Ric`s jeans. They broke the kiss, both gasping for air and Alaric`s hands moved to the vampire`s fly, while his lips trailed over Damon`s throat, kissing and nipping. Damon pulled away reluctantly, standing up to shed his jeans, watching Ric do the same.
With a sly smile he pushed the man back down onto the bed and crawled over him, let his lips trail slowly over Ric`s skin, from the waistband of his boxers up to his neck. Ric bucked up against him. "I want you to bite me." Damon stilled and looked down at the man, taken aback by the request. "Are you sure?" Usually he wouldn`t hesitate. Would jump at the offer. But everything was different with Ric. The teacher smiled. That slow smile that always did funny things to Damon´s insides. "I`m sure. Bite me. Like that first time."
He bared his throat to the vampire, completely trusting. Damon leaned down, dropped feather-light kisses onto his throat, traced the vein with his tongue. He could feel the blood flowing just beneath the skin. His gums were aching, his fangs extending, itching to bite. But he took his time, wanting to savour the moment. Wanting Ric to enjoy this as much as he did. When he finally sank his fangs into the soft flesh, Alaric moaned loudly and arched against him. Damon groaned. Ric`s blood was heady and sweet, tinged with the edge of arousal. He rubbed against the teacher, who bucked up into his movements. So close.
Then all of a sudden the door to his bedroom flew open and Damon jumped in shock. He had been so completely lost in the taste and feel of Alaric, that he hadn`t heard the footsteps outside, quickly approaching his room. Hadn`t noticed anything but the gorgeous man beneath him. Startled out of his trance he withdrew his fangs and sat up, slightly disoriented. A few drops of blood escaped his lips and trickled down his chin.
Stefan was standing about a foot away from the bed, Elena slightly behind him. Damon couldn`t tell who looked more shocked out of the two of them. The younger Salvatore was opening and closing his mouth a few times, but no sound came out. Elena was staring at Damon in horror. Then she saw Alaric and gasped. "Oh my god, Ric!" Her gaze fixed on Damon again, her eyes narrowed. Her expression changed from shock to fury. "How could you? He`s your friend. He trusted you and you… you… You monster!"
Damon was so startled at her outburst that he couldn't even react. But Elena was far from finished. She stepped closer and tried to pull the vampire off the bed, all the while shrieking, her voice taking on an almost hysteric tone. "Get away from him!" That finally spurred Stefan into motion. He grabbed Damon´s arm, pulled him off the bed and pushed him forcefully against the wall. Damon was too surprised to put up much of a fight. "You sick bastard. This is low, even for you." Stefan growled. "Why him, huh? Wasn`t corrupting innocent girls enough for you? Did you need to take it to the next level?"
Finding his footing again, Damon pushed him off. "Get your hands off me, Stefan!" The younger one stumbled backwards. He was no match for his brother`s strength, but he didn`t back down. "Why Alaric? To hurt Elena? Because he`s dating Jenna and by hurting her you hurt Elena? I guess we can be glad you didn´t pick Jeremy. Or are you messing with him too?" The accusations stung. Damon knew he was no saint, but it hurt to know how little his brother thought of him.
He looked over at Alaric, who was sitting on the bed, looking completely shocked, while Elena was fussing over him, telling him it would all be okay. He tried to interrupt her a few times, but she kept on chattering, something about finding a bandage and bringing him home, Jenna not needing to know and vervain. Stefan was still stringing curses at his brother.
Finally Alaric had had enough. "Elena!" He hadn`t exactly shouted, but his voice was loud and commanding enough to shock the two into silence. "Would you just shut up and listen to me for a second?" The brunette flinched at his harsh tone, but remained quiet. "Damon didn`t hurt me. He didn`t threaten me and he also didn`t compel me. I`m wearing a vervain-bracelet and aside from that, he wouldn`t do it. He learned his lesson." the teacher explained calmly. They had never talked about this, but Damon had learned his lesson and had sworn to himself he would never use compulsion on Ric again. He was glad the teacher knew that.
"But… but he…" Elena stammered, pointing to Ric´s neck, where a little bit of blood was still oozing out of the wound. "Yes, he fed from me. I asked him to." Ric answered honestly, even as he averted his eyes. "So stop blaming Damon. I wanted this." The vampire felt a little thrill run through him. Alaric was defending him. No-one had ever stood up for him like this. It made his undead heart beat a little faster.
Elena on the other hand was now completely shocked. "You wanted… but.. but.. why?" Alaric blushed a little at the question. "Stefan never fed from you, did he?" he commented. "He did. After we saved him from the tomb vampires. He was so weak and that vampire was after us." the brunette explained with a frown, obviously not understanding what the teacher was hinting at.
"No finesse." Damon chimed in. "It can feel good. It doesn`t have to." He noticed that Stefan suddenly found the floor very interesting and remembered that there had been a time when his brother had indulged in human blood as well. He knew what Damon was talking about. But now he was probably too scared to even try, since there was a good chance he`d accidently kill Elena. Maybe it was better this way. Wouldn`t do for him to rip the brunette`s head off. He would never forgive himself and probably attempt suicide again.
"You`re not actually telling me you .. you like it when Damon…?" Elena asked hesitantly and Ric`s blush deepened. "I do." he admitted quietly, still not daring to meet her eyes. "Oh and I have no idea what gave you the impression I was dating Jenna. We`re only friends. She found out pretty early on that my… interest lies elsewhere." he mumbled, glancing at Damon who grinned at him.
"Well, that explains a lot." All four turned to look at Caroline, who had suddenly appeared in the doorway. "What are you talking about?" Elena again. That girl just couldn`t keep her mouth shut. As much fun as this was, Damon wanted them all gone from his bedroom now, so he and Ric could continue where they had left off before they were so rudely interrupted. But no, the others had to stay for a discussion.
"Haven`t you noticed that Damon`s a lot nicer lately? And he and Ric are always together. Were you never wondering about that?" the blonde asked. Stefan snorted. "I have noticed, but I wasn`t wondering. I know my brother. He`s planning something. And, sorry to say that Ric, but he´s using you. You`re only a pawn in his newest little game." Despite everything it hurt Damon to hear those words. He and his brother had been at each other`s throat for over a century, but still, when it came down to it they had stuck together. But obviously that meant nothing to Stefan.
"Believe what you want, Stefan. I know better." Ric said with total conviction, giving Damon a look that clearly told the older Salvatore he meant it. "I agree with Alaric." Caroline chimed in again and Damon decided he liked that girl after all. At least until she went on: "I mean, just look at them. They`re so obviously in love." Damn vampire Barbie for bringing that up, when Damon was in no way ready to address his feelings, let alone admit them out loud.
"Why did you come barrelling into my bedroom anyway?" he asked, trying to change the subject. He didn`t dare to look at Ric, afraid what he might see in the teacher`s eyes. "Caroline told us what happened today. We wanted to make sure you`re okay." Elena answered. The older Salvatore rolled his eyes. That girl really had to control everything. "Well, as you can see, we`re both fine. So why don`t you leave now and mind your own business?"
Elena opened her mouth to protest, but Caroline grabbed her hand and dragged her out of the door. "Come on, Elena. Leave them alone." It made up at least a little for her earlier comment. Elena protested and cast a worried look at Ric, who rolled his eyes in response. "I`m a big boy, Elena. I can look after myself. And he won`t hurt me." Not a sliver of doubt there. Finally the brunette gave in and left. Stefan glanced at his brother again, a frown on his face, but he followed the girls without further comment.
"Finally." Damon grumbled, turning to face Ric again. He felt slightly nervous, not sure how the teacher would react to Blondie`s little comment. Alaric flopped down on the bed and looked up at him, a slow smile spreading over his features. "Since I turned down Elena`s offer to patch me up, you should probably take care of that." he pointed to the bite-mark on his neck and Damon breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed like Ric didn`t want to talk. At least not right now.
Grinning in response the vampire moved to straddle his hips again. Without taking his eyes off Alaric, he bit down on his own wrist and offered it to the man, a little surprised when Ric´s lips closed around the wound without hesitation. Yes, Ric had tasted his blood before, but only a tiny bit each time. Really only a few drops. Now he was taking more, swallowing almost greedily, before letting go and staring up at Damon with a dazed look. There was blood smeared across his lips and Damon couldn`t help but lean down and kiss him.
Ric moaned into the kiss, wrapped his arms around the vampire and rolled them over, so he was now pinning Damon down on the bed. The vampire didn`t complain. He simply wrapped one leg around Ric and arched against him, deciding that tonight he wouldn`t even try to keep quiet.