Chapter 22
Kick Off
A week later, finally found me back at home. Actually, it found us back at my home anyway. Damon was with me again as per usual. Not that I minded though. In fact, I loved having him with me whenever he wasn't being too cocky. Then again, it was in his nature though, his personality. For me, I loved him exactly the way that he was, faults and all. It was what made him who he was and as an individual, he was actually a pretty decent guy. If you take away the murdering vampire part of course, but as I said, it was who he was and there was no changing that. After all, how could he survive without blood? He couldn't. That was also why I had basically written myself as his own personal blood bank.
I shook my head at the thought as I pulled out a bag of chips. He'd had a field day when I'd told him that I was basically his own personal blood bank at this point. Said he wasn't sure if he'd be willing to share me with Stefan if I was his.
"Aw, you brought me chips. How thoughtful," Damon teased, taking the bag of chips from my hands and opening it.
"Hey!" I cried, moving to take them back.
He just smirked, flopping down onto the bed with them.
"Feel free to join me," he chuckled.
I narrowed my eyes at him, before jumping on the bed, straddling him as I tried to take them back. I knew that he'd get up if I didn't.
"I did not get those out for you to eat," I pointed out, reaching for them.
He still managed to keep them out of my reach though, his other hand resting on my hip.
"Give them back!" I cried, reaching for them again.
He merely chuckled.
"And let you ruin this gorgeous figure of yours?" he joked.
I felt my face heat up a bit at his comment. Even though he was teasing me, that teasing held a hint of seriousness to it.
"Oh, I'm sorry, but we can't all be magnificent vampires like you, Damon," I countered. "Ones whom can eat and drink whatever they desire and not have to worry about the consequences."
A grin formed on his face and I knew that I'd just given him some very useful material to play with.
"No consequences, huh?" he chuckled, sitting up and pushing me backwards onto the bed.
Now, we'd practically switched positions and I found myself laying there in embarrassment, the chips now laying abandoned on the bed.
"I'm sure there's always a consequence or two…for you at least," he said smugly, leaning down and breathing me in.
His lips pressed lightly against my neck, kissing it.
"Damon…" I groaned.
I knew exactly what he was doing. He was playing with me. Granted, I knew that it was only half true though. Doing this allowed him to be what he was and every time, I ended up with a bit or two. It was like the foreplay before the initial bite. At least between the two of us anyway. If he were really hungry and it was someone that he didn't know or didn't like, then he'd likely just tear into them. It was just the two of us though, him biting me, he'd be gentle. He was always gentle when take a drink from me and it didn't go unnoticed. I had no clue if he had ever been the same way with anyone else, but it was only the initial bite that ever really caused any pain. I never fought it either, never struggled, never screamed. I always allowed him to feed.
"If you're hungry…" I started, pausing when I felt his lips upon mine.
I closed my eyes for a moment, kissing back.
"Drink. I know," he chuckled, tapping the tip of my nose with his pointer finger.
I looked up at him, staring into those bright blue eyes of his, an endless sea. They'd always be his most striking feature, the most appealing part of him that drew you in. Lucky for me, I got to view them whenever I wished.
"This'll sting a bit," he warned quietly, leaning back down a moment later.
I tilted my head to the side, giving him more room. Then, I felt it, those fangs of his popping out. They brushed my skin for a short moment, before pushing themselves in, pricking the skin. A prick was too small a word though, but stabbing was far too strong. It was almost like a crossing of the two, the feeling of his teeth penetrating my skin, a faint whimper escaping me for a moment. After that though, it was nothing, just the feeling of him pulling the blood from my veins.
I found my hand reaching up and resting on the back of his neck as he feed, a sigh escaping me. I'd closed my eyes for a moment as I laid there, feeling a bit of blood run down the back of my shoulder, soaking into the bed sheet. It was a feeling that I'd grown used to over time. After all, it kept others safe and allowed Damon to still function normally. Granted, he no long got the thrill of the chase, but he seemed content with it somehow.
"Mmm…" he let out a small grunt, pulling back.
His eyes were still dark and he tried to turn his head for a moment as though trying to get himself back under control. I reached out though, taking his face in my hands.
"Damon," I breathed, running my thumb under his eye.
He stilled for a moment, looking down at me. He liked being in control of himself, so I knew that it bothered him a bit, but it wasn't like Stefan. This was different.
"Why is it that you're never scared?" he asked, the veins slowly disappearing as the color of his skin returned to normal.
"Because…I know I've nothing to fear from you," I admitted, leaning up and pressing my lips to his. "I'll never be afraid of you Damon because I know that you'll protect me."
"How can you be so certain?" he asked.
I laid there for a moment, thinking it over.
"Because despite the choices you make from time to time, you're a good man," I told him.
Those words alone seemed to pull on his heart, a pained look on his face. I don't think that anyone had ever actually told him that before.
"Normally, people just tell me how much of a disappoint I am."
I shook my head at his words.
"You're not," I told him. "You're not a disappointment."
He just looked down at me, disbelief in his eyes. He didn't believe me.
"Damon, you're smart, you're strong, you're charming," I told him, watching as a faint smirk appeared on his face. "You're handsome, you're cunning. Granted, you can be a major pain in the ass at times, but you're not a disappointment."
"All right, I get it," he chuckled, the corner of his mouth pulling up into a sideways smile. "You don't think I'm a disappointment. Unfortunately, you'd be the first though."
I sighed as he said this, yanking him back down so that he fell forward. I felt his weight pressing against me, but I ignored it, bringing my lips to his ear.
"You are not a disappointment, Damon," I told him, tangling my finger in his hair. "You're anything but."
I heard him chuckle, his lips pressing against the skin of my neck. I realized that I was still bleeding, but ignored it, feeling him lick away the blood.
"Damon," I whispered, closing my eyes as he clamped his mouth back down on it.
I felt his teeth gnawing lightly at the flesh, sucking at it in order to draw the blood out. I also felt his hand tangle with one of my own, our fingers intertwining with one another. My mind was reminded of the words that I had spoken, the words of no fear. Those words were true when it came to him, but if ever another were to try such a thing, I couldn't guarantee how calm I would be. Others scared me, that much was true. Damon, on the other hand, he made me feel safe.
Our eyes met once he finally pulled back, eyes dark, lower lip painted red. The blood itself set on the skin of his lip, a reminder of what he was. It didn't bother me though, a hungry look in his eyes as he leaned back down and captured my lips with his own, biting lightly at my lower lip.
I felt myself wince as he punctured the skin, but I ignored it, the taste of my own blood on my tongue. It was a strange sensation, tasting my own blood. At the same time though, I found it to be slightly intoxicating. Sadly, I felt that it likely had more to do with Damon than anything else though.
"I could only imagine how eager you would be as a vampire," he chuckled, referring to the blood. "Are you sure I can't just turn you and keep you with me all to myself?" he joked, sucking lightly on my lower lip.
I let out a faint groan as he did this, my fingers curling lightly. The pressure on my lip wasn't something that I was used to. I also wasn't used to it feeling like a pincushion either though.
"I've never really thought about it," I admitted, feeling him pull back.
"It'll happen eventually," he told me.
"Perhaps," I shrugged, feeling a bit of blood dribble down the side of my lip.
I went to wipe it away, but stop me, grabbing my wrist in his hand.
"Now, there's no point in wasting blood," he chided, grinning lightly as he leaned forward, licking my lower lip.
I nearly jumped at the feeling, my face heating up a bit. He'd done that deliberately, merely for his own amusement.
"Damon!" I groaned, shoving him.
He chuckled, pulling back. I glared at him as he did this, moving to kick at him, but he merely pinned me.
"Why must you always do that?" I groaned, trying to wiggle myself out of his grip.
"Why must you always do that?" he mocked playfully, trying to bite back another chuckled.
I glared at him in response.
"Stop that," I said pointedly.
"Stop that," he repeated.
"Damon," I growled.
"Damon."
"That's it!"
"That's it!" he mimicked.
I took that opportunity to wrap my leg around the side of his waist, my hand reaching up and gripping his shoulder, before throwing my weight around. In doing so, I flipped us, leaving him beneath me. Granted, if he truly wanted to remain in control, then I wouldn't have even been able to do that much. It seemed as though he wanted to play around though, so he'd allowed me to flip us.
"You forget, I don't like being mocked, Damon," I pointed out, sticking a finger close to his face.
As a result, he tried to bite it, ending in me shoving him.
"Quit it," I told him, pushing off of the bed.
"So, you ready for the Founder's Day kick off?" he asked suddenly, changing the subject as he sat up on the bed.
"You're kidding me, right?"
"Nope," he shook his head. "As you know, it's tonight. I need a date," he grinned, looking my way.
"Do I have to?" I groaned.
"Well, you don't have to, but I'd like you to," he said honestly.
"And what do I get in return if I go?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow.
"You mean besides a date with the one and only Damon Salvatore?" he inquired.
I rolled my eyes at his answer.
"You're so full of yourself."
"How about a kiss then?" he suggested, pushing himself up and off of the bed.
"You mean something that I can get whenever I want and vice versa?" I asked, giving him a confident look.
He smirked, coming to stand in front of me, draping his arms over my shoulders so that they hung loosely behind me.
"How about this then? When we're done, you can do whatever you want to me," he told me. "Tie me up, play with me, even get kinky if you want," he said, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.
"Damon!" I exclaimed, shoving him, my face slightly red. "You're unbelievable," I groaned.
"You know you want to," he chuckled teasingly.
"Oh, yeah, I definitely feel like getting it on with the big bad vampire," I said sarcastically. "Although, the tying you up part, that I can live with."
T
I let out a nervous sigh as we stepped up to the town hall, lights lit up all around. It was dark out and they shone brightly. The area was also full of people that I didn't recognize.
"Come on," Damon said, guiding me up the stairs, his hand resting against the small of my back.
"Why did I let you drag me here again?" I asked, looking up at him.
"Hey, I'm the one that shouldn't be here," Stefan told me.
"Come on, don't be such downers you two," Damon told us. "It's a party for the founding families. That means us," he said, glancing down at me. "We'll excluding current company I suppose."
"Oh, thanks Damon," I said, rolling my eyes.
"You know, I think I liked you better when you hated everyone," Stefan point out, tugging lightly at his collar.
"Oh, I still do," he told him. "I just love that they love me," he chuckled.
"I think I need to knock that ego of yours down a few notches," I muttered, looking around.
"Oh, before I forget. How are the cravings?" Damon asked. "Any urges lately?"
"I'm fine," Stefan muttered, looking elsewhere.
"Is that whiskey you've been drinking all day doing its job?" he inquired.
"Damon!" I hissed, elbowing him in the side.
"Don't worry about it, its fine Kali," Stefan assured me. "I'm gonna go find Elena," he announced, before walking off.
"Don't embarrass me young man!" Damon called after him.
I shook my head at this, looking up at him.
"Do you always have to do that to him?" I asked.
"Of course," he grinned, pulling me closer. "Oh, before I forget," he said, pulling something from his pocket.
Holding it in front of me, he revealed it to be a silver looking necklace, a thin onyx feather pendent dangling from it at the center.
"For you, my lady," he said, bowing slightly.
I let out a small laugh as he did this, allowing him to place it around my neck, his lips hovering over my ear for a moment as he stood close to me.
"It has vervain in it," he whispered, kissing my cheek, before pulling back. "Now, let's get a drink," he said casually, leading me through the crowd.
"Please, don't make me be the one to drive us home again?" I begged.
"Don't worry, you won't," he assured me. "Although, I might need another drink after everything is said and done," he told me, referring to the blood.
I gave a sort nod in response as we walked through the crowd. He grabbed a couple glasses of champagne as we walked by a tray, handing one to me. I gave him a small smile in thanks, taking a sip as we linked arms.
"What's that?" I asked, hearing the sudden change in music.
"Let's find out," he replied, guiding me into another room.
Inside, the music was playing, people dancing joyfully. We found Stefan dancing with Kelly, while Elena stood off to the side watching.
"Wow," I breathed. "This is a change."
"Have I entered an alternate universe where Stefan is fun?" Damon asked sarcastically, his voice reaching Elena's ears as we came to stand near her.
"Is he going to be okay?" Elena asked, looking up at Damon.
"Eventually," he answered, causing Elena to give him a look. "One way or another," he finished, a smile on his face as he took a drink from his glass.
I just shook my head at his answered, taking a drink from my own glass, leaning my head against his shoulder. He smiled down me, a faint smirk pulling at his lips.
T
I moved through the hallway of the Founder's Hall, making my way out to one of the balcony areas where tables were set up. I'd had to go my separate way from Damon, seeing how he needed to talk to Liz. Since I apparently didn't know about vampires, at least as far as she knew, I couldn't be around for the conversation. Damon wasn't too keen on the idea of her knowing that I knew, at least not yet anyway. Either way, it kept me out of conflict for the most part though. I didn't really mind though as I leaned forward on the railing, looking out at the scenery. I allowed my fingers to curl around the metal, letting a bit of air brush my face.
"Hello, Kali."
I turned around to find John standing there, Elena and Jeremy's uncle. The man was a complete asshole and definitely not a friend of mine.
"Hello, John," I replied, trying to be as civil as possible.
"I didn't realize you were in town," he began, trying to make conversation.
"Bull crap," I narrowed.
"Okay, so maybe I did know," he chuckled with a shrug of his shoulders. "I noticed you were here with another man. Who's the lucky bastard this time?" he inquired, coming to stand beside me.
"Damon Salvatore, if you must know," I informed him. "Although, I'm sure that you already knew that, didn't you, John?"
He just grinned at me, that cocky smile on his face. I'd never know how anyone managed to put up with the man.
"Information these days can be a rather fickle thing. At least with your love life anyway," he smirked. "Which reminds me, I'd be careful with him if I were you. I hear he's a one night stand kind of guy."
"I think I know more about Damon than you do," I told him.
"And we all know what happened the last time that you ignored my warning," he pointed out, referring to Jason.
"Screw you," I ground out, pushing away from the railing, my previous mood officially ruined.
"Why? Are you offering?" he asked smoothly, a smug look on his face.
In return, I brought my hand up and slapped him across the face, tossing the content of my glass on him.
"Pig!" I hissed, quickly walking back inside, the skirt of my dress brushing my legs.
Perhaps if I asked nicely enough, Damon would get rid of him for me, and then I wouldn't have to deal with his sorry ass anymore.
T
Damon smiled as he walked over toward Liz, a glass of bourbon in his hand.
"You know, I love a woman in uniform, but I have to side with this one," he paused for a moment, looking her over. "You look… you look smashing," he smiled, causing her to laugh.
"Thank you, Damon," she smiled, raising her glass. "Cheers!"
At that, they clinked their glasses together, taking a short drink afterward.
"I needed that," she told him, looking down at her drink for a moment. "You know, I had my doubts about you at first, but like everyone else on the council you've won me over."
"Thanks Liz," Damon smiled. "It's really nice how welcoming the council has been," he told her, taking a small glance behind him for a moment when he thought he heard something. "I like my life here in Mystic Falls. Starting to feel like home again."
"I can imagine," she replied. "It seems to be the same for Kali," she told him.
"Really?" he inquired.
"Yeah. I've heard a few things from my daughter and you seem to be doing the girl a bit of good."
Damon chuckled upon hearing this, taking another drink from his glass.
"Well, who knows, I might get married eventually," he offered.
"Well, I hope you don't plan on doing that anytime soon because I doubt you're going to like what I'm about to tell you," she started, getting back to what she had originally intended on telling him. "Jonathan Gilbert's claims check out. Blood bank, the missing people, all of its true. We might have a problem," she told him, stopping as she spotted Jeremy making his way over to them.
"Excuse me, Sheriff," Jeremy interrupted, coming to stand beside Damon. "I was curious if there's been any more information about what happened to Vicki Donovan?"
"It was an overdoes, Jeremy," she told him.
"Yeah, but her body was buried. Somebody must have done that," he told her, his words putting Damon on edge and making him uncomfortable.
There was a bit of guilt pulling at his heart, guilt that he didn't like feeling. After all, he was the one to bury Vicki's body. He'd also been the one to turn her. The whole thing had been his fault, even the fact of Kali getting hurt as a result of Vicki.
"We're aware of that," she told him. "The investigation is ongoing, but there's nothing more I can tell you at this time. I'm sorry," she apologized.
"It's okay," Jeremy sighed, walking off a moment later.
"I feel sorry for the kid," Liz sighed, watching after him.
"I know what you mean," Damon nodded, glancing back over toward the direction that Jeremy had gone. "Well, I'd better go find Kali," he told her. "She is my date after all," he chuckled.
"Yeah, you probably should. Otherwise, someone else might grab her up," she chuckled.
"Thanks, Liz," he smiled, before walking off into the crowd.
T
"Hey, are you okay?"
It was Alaric.
"Oh, uh, yeah…" I nodded, pulling my phone out.
I checked the time and began tapping it in my hand. It was an old habit of mine that I did from time to time in order to try and take my mind off of things.
"What happened?" he asked.
"Oh, nothing. I ran into John Gilbert," I told him. "He's a rude asshole and he pissed me off. Heck, I even slapped him and tossed my drink on him."
"What?" he asked, nearly choking on his drink.
"I never liked the man to begin with and he's always been an ass to me," I explained, rubbing my arm.
He was about to say something further when my phone vibrated, causing me to look down at it. I was shocked when I found my old number on the caller ID.
Nice dress. Where's the prick at?-
I tried not to react to it, discreetly typing something out on my phone while I grabbed Alaric's hand. It was obvious that he was a bit uncomfortable with the contact, though I assumed that it was more due to the confusion than anything else. I soon remedied it though, tapping his hand twice with my finger to get his attention as I pulled him into the center of the room.
"Dance with me," I smiled, holding my phone up for him to see, while making sure it was hidden.
Ex turned vampire. Here. Need help.-
I had typed, before putting it away.
"Where?" he mouthed, looking down at me as I wrapped my arms around his neck.
I glanced around for a moment, moving to the beat of the music. I wanted things to look normal or at least as normal as possible.
"I don't know," I mouthed back. "I don't know why Elena text me, I guess she's getting bored," I told him, saying this out loud incase Jason was listening in.
"Probably. Although, I did see her with Matt Donovan," he told me, glancing around the room.
I took this time to move closer to him, glancing over his shoulder. That's when I caught sight of him, my fingers digging into the back of Alaric's jacket. He must have felt it because he looked down at me. I merely turned us until he was facing the same way that I had.
"Guy talking with the blond at the bar," I mouthed to him.
He must have caught sight of him because his eyes narrowed, his hands curling at my waist.
"He nearly killed me last time," I mouthed, glancing around the room.
I needed to find Damon. There was only so much that someone like Alaric could do, vampire hunter or not. Then again, Alaric did have that ring of his on his side, but I'd rather not see him die.
"What should we do?" he asked quietly.
"I don't know," I shrugged, before mouthing, "Find Damon."
A moment later, I felt his hand in mine, something dropping into it. I glanced down to find a small syringe filled with what I could only guess to be vervain. He then leaned in close until his lips were to my ear.
"I'll look around. Just be careful," he whispered, pulling back afterward. "Well, thanks for the dance Kali, but I should go find Jenna," he announced.
T
Stepping outside onto the balcony, Damon let out a short sigh. He'd seen Kali and Alaric dancing and it bothered him. He wasn't exactly sure why though. He'd left upon seeing their closeness, fingers gripping the drink in his hand. He took a sip, a humorous look on his face as he heard footsteps treading toward him.
"Damon, right?"
He turned around, finding John Gilbert in front of him, Elena's uncle and currently fellow council member.
"John," Damon greeted.
"We didn't get the chance to meet at the council meeting," he voiced, hands in his pockets.
"Yeah. It's a pleasure," he nodded, looking down at the walk below them, people walking about. "Are you enjoying the kick-off?"
"Oh yeah. I forgot how much fun these small town celebrations can be," John grinned.
"Yeah. Yeah. When's the last time you were here?" Damon asked curiously.
"Oh, hasn't been that long, my brother's funeral," he replied. "How long have you been in town?" he inquired.
"Oh, not long at all," Damon answered.
"About as long as Kali, I assume?" John asked.
"Kali?" Damon asked, pretending not to know what he was talking about.
"Oh, yes, you know, your little girlfriend," he reminded him.
"Oh, that Kali," Damon chuckled. "Yes, I'm afraid I've been around a bit longer than she has."
"So, what do you think Damon? You know this vampire problem is real, right?" John asked, stepped toward him as he changed the subject rather quickly. "It's a potential blood bath."
"I wouldn't overreact John," Damon said as kindly as he could, keeping eye contact with the man for a moment.
"Oh, I think it's like 1864 all over again, vampires running amok," he said, causing Damon to glance down at those below them. "I guess we're just gonna have to hunt them down, throw them in a church and burn them to ash."
"That is the story, huh?" Damon chuckled lightly, bringing his glass to his lips and taking a drink.
"Part of the story, yeah," John nodded, catching Damon's attention.
Even though Damon already knew this, he still acted as though the information was completely new to him, making sure not to give anything away. The last thing that he needed was anyone catching on to what he really was, a vampire.
"Oh, uh, there's more?" Damon asked, slightly skeptical.
"Oh, there's a lot more," John nodded, taking another step closer to Damon. "See, it seems there was a tomb under the church, where vampires were hidden, waiting for someone to come along and set them free."
Damon acted as though that was news to him, as though he'd had no clue about it. That quickly changed with John's next words.
"But then you already knew that didn't you?" John asked, causing Damon to still.
Damon didn't look at him, an uncomfortable feeling washing over him.
"I mean, you're the one that did it," John voiced, a smile on his face as Damon finally turned toward him.
"And you're telling me this why?" Damon asked, fighting the urge to tear him apart and protect his little secret.
"I just thought we'd get the introductions out of the way," John replied casually.
"You know that I could rip your throat out before anyone would notice?" Damon reminded him.
"Yeah," John nodded.
"Yeah, okay. But you probably ingest vervain so…"
"Why don't you take a bite to find out?" John challenged. "Trust me, I'm not as easy as dear little Kali."
Damon narrowed his eyes at John's words, finding himself rather irritated upon hearing him talk about Kali in such a way.
"Don't think I didn't see the two of you come here together. I've heard things, Damon and I've done a bit of digging around town," he told him. "How many times have you had to compel her, hm?" he asked.
"Does it really matter?" Damon asked. "After all, she can make her own decisions."
"Oh, yes, I know exactly how that works. I warn her to stay away from someone and she doesn't listen," he voiced carelessly. "She ever tell you that I warned her about Jason?" he inquired. "The girl never listened."
"And what does this have to do with anything?" Damon asked, raising an eyebrow in question.
"Oh, nothing really. Although, she does leave quite the mark," John commented, rubbing his still red cheek.
Damon smirked upon hearing this.
"Yes, she can be rather forceful at times," Damon grinned proudly. "Tasty too, now that I think about it," he added, before making to walk back inside.
Although, right as he was about to go in he turned around, rushing toward John. In seconds, he'd snapped his neck and tossed him over the balcony, a grin on his face as he looked down at the broken body.
"Well, that was easy."
T
"I swear to God, if he doesn't stop following me…" I was interrupted as I bumped into someone, stumbling back.
They grabbed me by the arm though steadying me.
"D-Damon," I stammered, looking up at him.
I then glanced behind me, taking his hand and dragging him across the room. I couldn't stand being followed, especially, when I knew that it was a certain someone doing it.
"So, did you have a nice dance with the history teacher?" Damon inquired, making a gesture with his drink.
I just rolled my eyes, snatching the glass out of his hand and taking a gulp. It was obvious that he was surprised by it, a shocked look residing on his face.
"Okay, what's going on?" he asked, snatching the glass back out of my hand.
I just shook my head, looking around, before dragging him a bit further into the room. It wasn't until I'd pulled us over into one of the corners that I turned to him, looking him in the eyes.
"We've got a problem," I told him, standing a bit closer to him as I linked my arm with his.
I wanted to make things look natural while we talked, that way, no one would suspect anything.
"Jason's here," I whispered, feeling his muscles stiffen.
"Damn it!" he hissed quietly. "Just what I need."
"Damon, what are we going to do?" I asked, glancing around the room.
"We are not doing anything," he told me, wrapping his arm around my waist and tugging me against his side. "You are going to stay with me and that's that."
"But Damon," I started, feeling him silence me with a kiss.
I looked up at him with confusion, before catching a figure over by the entrance to the room. Now, I knew what he was doing, a small smile forming on my face. He was doing that as a means of trying to protect me, keeping Jason distracted and making a point that I belonged to Damon and not him. So, seeing it only appropriate to play along with it, I got up on my tiptoes and pressed my lips to the spot below his ear.
"You know, I wasn't kidding when I said you could tie me up later," he joked, grinning down at me.
I had to try so hard not to roll my eyes.
"Oh, yes," I nodded. "Maybe toss you in a corner somewhere," I countered, poking him in the chest.
He then grabbed my hand, bringing it to his lips. He kissed my palm, blowing lightly on the skin, before nicking it with one of his teeth.
"Ouch!" I hissed, trying to pull it away.
He wouldn't let me though, giving me a firm look, eyes trailing over toward Jason. It was obvious that the smell of blood made him stiffen, his face darkening slightly, before he ran from the room. I let out a sigh of relief afterward, feeling Damon loosen his grip, his tongue licking away the bit of blood that he'd caused.
"Stay close to me," he whispered, moving us over to the bar. "Another Bourbon," he ordered.
The bartender gave him a nod, pulling a bottle from behind the counter and pouring him another drink. I snatched it though before Damon could take his first drink, putting it to my own lips and taking a sip. I needed the feeling of it burning down my throat to remind me of the dangerous situation that I was in right now, reminding me that I had to stay sharp.
"Give me that," Damon groaned, moving to take it from me.
I just smiled, holding it behind my back.
"Kali," he started, a smirk on his face.
"Maybe I don't want to give it back," I told him, standing on my toes.
He just grinned down at me, pressing his lips to mine as he reached behind me, grabbing hold of the drink. I snorted as he pulled it from my grip with ease, feeling the smirk on his face as he did so.
"Mine," he grinned, pulling back once he had hold of it.
"Cheater," I muttered, closing my eyes as I allowed myself to lean against him.
All of this running around was rather tiring. If I wasn't trying to stay away from John, then I was trying to stay away from Jason. Tonight was supposed to have relaxing or close to it anyway. Granted, I did want to kill Damon for making me wear heels.
"You've got to be kidding me," Damon breathed suddenly, causing me to look up.
"What? What's wrong," I asked.
"That," he growled lightly, pointing toward John Gilbert.
"Oh, great," I groaned. "Scumbag is back."
"Yes, well, I just killed that scumbag five minutes ago," he hissed lightly, catching my attention.
"What?" I gapped, looking over at John and back to Damon.
"He knows about vampires and apparently, he knows all about me," he whispered in annoyance.
"How much is all?" I asked warily, eyeing him for a moment.
"All, means 1864, the tomb, and the little fact that I opened it," he growled out.
"Oh God," I breathed, running a hand over my face.
"And apparently, he knows a lot about you too," he pointed out.
"Yeah, I already know that," I muttered, moving to pull away.
Damon stopped me though, keeping me close.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"I'm going to go and have a talk with him," I told him, making to move away again.
"No, you're not," he said simply.
"But-"
He pressed his finger to my lips, silencing me.
"Don't speak," he said quietly, mouth twitching slightly.
"Damon, wh—" I was cut off again as he covered my mouth with his hand, his eyes trained in front of him.
I was confused and slightly irritated until I realized that he was listening for something. He was listening to the sounds around him, sounds that my human ears couldn't pick up.
"Come on," he said quickly, pulling me along as he walked out of the room, glancing around the hallway.
"Damon, you're gonna make me trip!" I hissed, trying to keep up with his long strides.
T
Everyone had come to gather in another room, hushed voices meeting Damon's ears as he walked in. Richard Lockwood, the mayor, was at the front of the room.
"Thank you all, thank you very much, thank you," Richard spoke as the crowd applauded. "Thank you all for joining us tonight. In just a few moments we will officially begin the countdown to our upcoming founders' day celebration and it's a very special one this year," he announced, clasping his hands together. "The one hundred fiftieth birthday of our town."
Again, the crowd applauded, causing Damon to roll his eyes. Kali didn't say anything though as she stood with him, leaning against him as he kept his arm wrapped around her waist. He'd be taking no chances, letting her go with Jason still in the area somewhere.
"And, and, I would like to welcome back one of our town favorite's sons to do the honors of ringing our official charter bell," he said as two men dressed in confederate garb brought an old bell into the room.
Damon was reminded of his past for a short moment, staring at the two men. It'd been years since he'd seen such attire. Not since the war or a museum even.
"John Gilbert, would you please join me up here?" Richard asked, a smile pulling at his face, applause ringing throughout the room once more.
"One hundred and fifty years of community, prosperity, family," John started, looking out at the crowd.
Damon glanced around for a moment as he spoke, making sure that he didn't see Jason anywhere.
"We take care of each other, we look after each other, protect each other," John said, making an emphasis on the last part as he looked out at Damon, their eyes locking with one another for a moment.
"Damon?" Kali whispered, looking up at him.
"It's good to be home," John finished, clapping his hands.
Everyone else followed suit as he walked over to the bell, leaving Damon tugging Kali through the crowd with him over toward Alaric. Again, she nearly tripped as a result of her heels.
"Look at his right hand," Damon said quietly, coming to stand beside Alaric.
"Who's?" he asked, glancing over at Kali for a moment, before looking out at the crowd.
"Town's favorite's son. Look at his ring," Damon ground out.
Alaric looked toward John as he rang the bell, the black stone of the ring catching his eye.
"It looks like mine," Alaric answered.
"Yeah, and that would be a big coincidence if he didn't just came back from the dead 5 minutes ago," Damon hissed quietly, earning a small jab in the side from Kali.
It was a reminder for him to keep his calm.
"Where the hell did you get that ring?" Damon asked, making sure to keep his voice quiet as he spoke.
"Isobel, my wife," Alaric replied.
"Who gave birth to Elena," Damon grimaced. "Under the medical care of the esteemed Dr. Grayson Gilbert, John's brother!"
All three of them looked at John after that, watching as his eyes landed on Kali. Feeling uncomfortable, she hid herself against Damon, closing her eyes. It only caused a small smirk to form on John's face.
"Do you think John knew Isobel?" Alaric asked.
"I think John knows a lot of things," Damon replied, glancing down at Kali, before bringing his glass to his lips.
He took a long drink after that, watching everything around him unfold.
T
Outside, Stefan made his way down the sidewalk in a hurry. Kelly's blood was driving him insane and he knew that he had to get out of there before he did something that he'd regret. He was stopped though when someone bumped him rudely in the shoulder. Turning, he found it to be the same man that he'd compelled earlier. Suddenly, he pushed Stefan.
"Sorry about that man. I really am terribly sorry," he mocked.
"You don't want to do this man," Stefan told him, holding his ground.
Again, he shoved Stefan, pushing him harshly.
"I'm sorry about that too," he chuckled. "All I can do is apologize. What's that about?" he asked.
Stefan didn't seem to take into account the man's rather strange behavior. He didn't even think about why he was doing it.
"Get out of my way. Please," Stefan said, trying to make his way past.
"Quite the prick," the man chuckled, Stefan's ears perking up at the word.
Stefan remembered Jason calling Damon a prick.
"No girl to show off for now?" he asked, turning away. "I see how this is," he nodded lightly, before whirling back around and trying to punch Stefan.
With inhuman speed, Stefan caught hold of his hand, gripping it tightly until he heard the audible cracking. He then pushed the man to the ground, ignoring his cries as his face changed.
"What are you, man?" he managed to choke out.
T
Jeremy closed the door behind him as he stepped inside the house, glancing around to make sure that no one else was home yet. Finding that no one was, he made his way upstairs, pushing open the door to Elena's room. He needed to find evidence, evidence that she was lying. He'd been able to tell when they'd talked earlier that she knew more than what she was letting on. He couldn't understand why she was lying to him though. Then there was Kali, he hadn't even been able to ask her about anything. Did she know something about Vicki as well? Something that she wasn't telling him?
Turning the light on, Jeremy stepped into Elena's room, looking around for a moment before making his way over to her dresser. He pulled open the first drawer, revealing some of her bras. He took a breath in for a moment, looking elsewhere.
"If I were Elena, where would I hide it?" he whispered, moving over to the window seat and lifting the cushion. He then looked in one of her decretive boxes, flipping the lid only to find more of her bras, these ones a bit more provocative.
"Jesus…" he breathed, shutting the lid and moving over to one of her smaller drawers.
It was full of knickknacks, but still no journal. He then looked behind her tack board, watching it slide against the wall. Again, there was nothing, leaving him leaning back against her desk. That's when he eyed the large painting above her headboard, stepping forward and carefully prying it about an inch or two away from the wall.
He'd found it.
Pulling the chair from her desk, Jeremy sat down in front of Elena's bed, pulling open the cover of her journal. He didn't like invading her privacy like this, but he felt that it was the only way that he was going to get answers.
As Jeremy dove into the book he found that she did know about vampires. It spoke of bodies being drained of blood, how Stefan and Damon were one of them, creatures of the night. It told of how Damon had turned Vicki, how she'd kept it from him. Elena described her as this monster, a blood thirsty demon. She'd attacked Elena, tried to hurt him, even attacked Kali. Vicki nearly killed Kali. In the end, Stefan had killed Vicki, and Damon had erased Jeremy's memory. Elena called it, "taking away his pain."
She'd lied to him about the whole thing.
T
"Come on," Damon said quietly, pulling me along with him as he followed John.
I followed obediently, pulling my leather jacket on. Personally, I didn't care if it looked tacky together with what I was wearing. Damon had given it to me, so I was going to wear it, it didn't matter what it was with.
"Hold on a second, Damon," I told him, stopping for a moment as I pulled my heels off.
"Hurry up," he urged, stopping for a moment and waiting.
Alaric soon joined us, following John outside, one on each side of him.
"Going somewhere?" Damon asked.
"I've never liked to be the last one to leave a party. It's too desperate. You'd know all about that though, wouldn't you Kali?" John asked.
"Son of a…" I started, moving to go after him.
Damon stopped me though, wrapping his arms securely around my waist. If it weren't for that, I would have lashed out, punching John in the face. Now, keep in mind, I'm not a violent person by nature. My problem comes with John's double ended statements.
"You're going to kill me again or you're gonna let Mr. Saltzman do your dirty work?" John inquired.
"Okay, you obviously know who I am," Alaric spoke, obviously a bit uncomfortable.
"I do," John nodded. "Alaric Saltzman, a high school history teacher with a secret."
"Sure know a lot for someone who just got to town," Damon challenged, his arms still wrapped firmly around my waist.
"More than you can imagine, Damon," John replied, walking passed us. "My knowledge of this town goes beyond anything that you," he paused for a moment, looking at Damon. "Or you," he paused again, looking at Alaric this time. "Or the council knows."
He seemed so confident in his words that it made me sick.
"So, if you're planning on some clever high speed snatch ring vamp kill move, know that if I die, everything I know goes to the council including the fascinating little tale of the originals Salvatore brothers and their present day return to Mystic Falls," John announced. "And the fact that your little girlfriend here has been conspiring against the town with said vampires," he added, grinning at me.
Damon stood there silently. If I had to take a guess, I'd say it might have been out of shock, the reality of John's words weighing down on him. I even felt his grip on me loosen, allowing me to pull away, but only by a few inches.
"How did you get that ring?" Alaric asked suddenly, cutting through the silence.
"I had inherited one, my brother Gray had the other. This was his," he revealed, holding up his hand and showing off the ring. "And I wouldn't have given mine to Isobel if I had known she'd hand it over to another guy," he finished with a hint of distaste.
"So you did know her?" Damon finally spoke up.
"Who do you think send her your way when she wanted to become a vampire?" John replied.
This information set us all off guard, mainly Rick.
"You sent her?" Damon inquired.
"Guilty," John admitted. "Why, did you think someone else send her?"
Damon shrugged his shoulders.
"Maybe Katherine Pierce?" John continued.
I felt myself stiffen at his words, catching sight of Damon's reaction. He wanted to know exactly how John knew about Katherine.
"How do you know about Katherine?" Damon nearly hissed, taking a step forward.
This time, I was the one to grab him and hold him back, gripping at his arm.
"How do I know anything Damon?" John asked, voice almost innocent.
Sadly, I knew that John was far from innocent. In fact, he was probably the worst.
"What do you want?" Damon ground out.
"So many questions," he sighed. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Rick. I've heard so much about you."
John turned to me after that, staring at me. His eyes then glanced over at Damon, before returning to me once more.
"You and your taste in men," John sighed, shaking his head.
I just narrowed my eyes at him, my fingers curling around the fabric adorning Damon's arm.
"One of these days, it's going to get you killed," he breathed out, before turning around and walking off.
It left all three of us standing there, watching after him. Damon and Alaric stared at each other for a moment after that, Damon's eyes trailing down to me. I never liked John and I was certain that it was obvious by the look on my face.
"I'll take you home," Damon said quietly, wrapping his arm around me. "Rick," Damon nodded, turning toward him.
"I'll see you guys later," he nodded, turning and walking off to his car.
I could only imagine what was going through his mind right now.
T
"Not so excited that we have another month of these Founder's day events," Jenna breathed out, walking up the stairs with Elena.
"Tell me about it," Elena groaned.
Elena then moved over to Jeremy's room, pushing the door open as Jenna went into her own.
"Are you okay?" she asked, finding him sitting at his desk, a book in hand.
"Fine," Jeremy answered quickly, glancing down at his book.
He didn't really want to talk to her, not after finding what he did in her journal. He was actually left wondering what Kali had inside of hers. Would it hold some of the same information? Some of the same lies?
"Are you sure?" she asked, feeling as though something were wrong.
"I'm fine Elena," he told her, slightly irritated.
With a sigh, she left the room, walking into her own and closing the door. She took her jacket off, tossing it onto the bed as she came to stand in front of the mirror, her hand reaching up to undo part of the dress. She was startled upon seeing Stefan in the mirror, whirling around in fright.
"Oh my god you scared me!" she breathed out, hand over her heart.
"Sorry," he sighed. "I'm sorry that I ran off earlier."
"What happened? Is everything okay?" she asked.
"Uh, no," he admitted quietly.
"Talk to me," she said, walking over to the bathroom for a moment and closing the door.
She made sure to lock it before walking back over to him, sitting down beside him on the bed.
"Stefan, tell me," she said gently, standing in front of him.
"I tried so hard to keep it together tonight and it was working, it was working but then Matt's mom, she got hurt and she was bleeding and I had her blood on my hands," he rambled, looking down at his hands.
"And then what happened?" Elena asked, staring at him.
She wanted to find everything out, know what he was thinking, know what he was feeling.
"And then that guy in the parking lot, I wanted to feed on him and it took everything inside of me not to do it," he breathed out, holding his head in his hands.
"But you didn't?" she assumed.
"No, but I wanted to," he told her. "Elena, my head is pounding. I feel like my skin is on fire. I have this hunger inside of me that I've never felt before in my entire life and all I keep thinking about is how I promised that I would never keep anything from you, and so I'm telling you this."
"That's okay. I need you to tell me these things," she told him.
"But I don't want you to see me like this, I don't want you to know that this side of me exists," he ground out.
"Stefan, you're gonna get through this. I'm gonna help you pull through. It's gonna be okay, you're gonna be okay," she told him, taking his face in her hands.
He just shook his head, trying to turn away, to pull out of her grip. In the end, he stood up, walking away.
"No, no, no, no, no. I'm sorry, I can't, I'm afraid of what I could do to you," he told her, trying not to look at her.
At the moment, he could barely stand to be in the same room with her. Not that he didn't want to be around her, he was just afraid that he wouldn't be able to control himself and end up hurting her instead.
"I'm not," she told him, getting up and walking over to him.
Again, she took his face between her hands, pulling him to look at her.
"Stefan, I'm not," she whispered, bringing her face closer to his.
She looked his in the eyes, staring at him as she kissed him, her thumb caressing his cheek. She loved him and she hated seeing him like this, she really did.
"I'm not, okay?" she assured him, pulling him into a hug.
Without hesitation, he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. He could feel his eyes water as he stood there with her, holding her to him.
"I love you so much," he whispered, his face scrunching up in pain.
"I love you too," she replied.
T
Standing there, I looked down at my dresser, my hands gripping the edge on either side. John's words were still in my head. It didn't help that I'd already realized that being with Damon might get me killed. The only thing was, I didn't really seem to care that much. I mean, life eventually ends anyway, so why can't I just be happy for a little while. Was that too much to ask?
"Damn it, John!" I hissed, pushing off of the dresser.
I couldn't stand it whenever he managed to get inside my head, a talent that he seemed so good at. I mean, I had no doubt that Damon was a good guy. Yes, I realize the things that he'd done in the past, the people that he killed. He'd just been trying to get by, living day to day the craziness that was his life. It was so much like my own life. Yes, I'd never actually killed anyone. Actually, that wasn't true, I'd staked a vampire. The thing was, since my dad died, I'd just been living day by day. I'd been taking things one step at a time, not really caring what happened around me. I had a feeling that Damon was exactly the same way, including the loneliness that he had to live with. Damon didn't have anyone save for Stefan and even then, he wouldn't even admit to having Stefan in his life at times. Stefan was merely the little brother that Damon tormented. We were both lonely.
I then looked over at the nightstand, moving and sitting down on the bed. I'd taken the time to place the picture of my father and me in a frame. I found myself staring at it, staring at the smiles on our faces. We were happy back then. I also found myself wondering what my father would have thought of Damon. Would he have been as accepting about the whole thing, about Damon?
T
Sitting there on the black leather couch, Damon could hear the crackle of the fire in front of him, the flames rise up to taunt him. Sometimes the flames could be so warm, so welcoming. Other times, well, they were dangerous and threatening. At the moment though, the fire in front of him was a warm welcome, a reminder of his life. Even though he had Kali, things were still just as chaotic. The only difference was that he now had some sort of comfort, someone that was accepting of him, someone that didn't fear him. Not to mention, there was no compulsion needed with Kali. With anyone else, they'd need to be compelled. Heck, she even let him feed without complaint, merely allowing him to drink his fill from her. He'd never understand why she was so good to him, so kind, so loving.
Looking down at the glass in his hand, Damon felt a small smirk pull at his lips. He'd been right when he'd told Kali that he'd likely need another drink after everything was said and done. Shaking his head, he took a sip, pressing the edge of the cool glass to his forehead afterward. He stared at the fire in front of his, the flame reflecting in his icy blue eyes.
A few minutes later, he heard the sound of footsteps, the steps no doubt belonging to his brother.
"We have a problem, Stefan," Damon spoke quietly, staring out at the fire. "And when I say problem I mean global crisis. It seems Uncle John has…" he paused, pulling the glass away from his forehead, his brows furrowing faintly as he stared at his brother.
Stefan was standing there before him, hands in his pockets, eyes trained on the glass of blood in the elder vampire's hand. It was like he was in a trance.
"You don't look so good," Damon commented, noticing that there was something wrong with his brother. "It's different this time, isn't it?" he asked. "The need is too strong," he told him, watching as Stefan pursed his lips slightly. "Of course it would be after all these years," Damon sighed quietly, reaching over and setting his glass down on the edge of the table, the ruby liquid sloshing back and forth a bit.
Damon then stood from his seat, standing and walking over to his brother. He placed a hand on his shoulder, giving it a small squeeze.
"Have a good night brother," Damon said gently, before slowly walking out of the room.
He was going back to Kali's, merely grabbing some clothes from his room, before walking out to his car. It was all too easy, tossing them in the seat.
T
Staring down at his phone, Jeremy slid it open, watching as the key board lit up. He went to his message list, find Kali's within the mess.
We need to talk- Jeremy
T
Quietly, Damon closed the door behind him, locking it as he went. He looked around the room, finding everything still in its place.
"I guess she didn't do anything," he concluded tiredly, making his way into the hallway.
Turning the handle, he pushed open the door to her room, the hinges groaning in response. He glanced down at her, finding her sprawled out upon the bed. She had her journal laid beside her, the picture on the nightstand turned toward her.
Shaking his head lightly, Damon closed the bedroom door, slowly pulling his jacket off. He went over and placed it on the back of the chair, sitting down long enough to pull his shoes from his feet, placing them on the floor. He then stood back up, pulling his pants off and replacing them with a pair of flannels that he pulled out from the dresser drawer. After that, Damon crawled up onto the bed, maneuvering himself beside Kali.
Leaning over, Damon pressed his lips to her cheek, savoring the feeling. He grabbed the journal beside her as he pulled back, watching the pen fall from its place. It left the pages open at his disposal, his eyes skimming over her cursive writing. Granted, he knew that he shouldn't be reading it, but he had to know what saw on her mind after the night's events.
-No matter how hard I try to fight it, John always seems to get inside my head. He drives me insane, always putting me in a bad mood. He even had the nerve to down Damon in front of me, even bringing up my past. Why does everyone do that? I'll never understand it. So what, I didn't 'heed' John's warning those years ago, I made a mistake. Sadly, that mistake led me away from home, but there's nothing I can do about it. The only thing that I can do is try and make up for what I missed.
His words still bother me though, how my taste in men would end up getting me killed. I think his main objective was pointing out that being with Damon would be what gets me killed. It's not like I hadn't realized that death might be a possibility as a result of being with Damon. My thing is, death is inevitable, so why end something when you're happy? Can't I just be happy for a little while, even if it means that death awaits me in the end?
Then, the next issue comes into play. I've lost count of the number of times Damon has joked about turning me. Most have been made in jest, but this time, I felt as though he were slightly serious. It was true when I had told him that I'd never really thought of being a vampire. True, I've contemplated death before, but who hasn't? I'm sure even Damon has contemplated it at one point or another, even as a vampire. A person can only last so long alone. Perhaps, that's why I'm so drawn to Damon.-
Damon paused for a moment in his reading, glancing over at Kali. She was still sleeping, her head turned away from him, her body incased in one of his shirts. He swore that he'd never get tired of seeing her in his clothes.
-Both of us know what it's like, finding ourselves lost in that darkness. Perhaps, Damon more than I, but I too have had my fair share of loneliness. Even with Jason, I was never truly happy. I thought I was at one time, but really, it was just a shame. I was never truly happy with him. Damon on the other hand… I'm still not sure what it is, but I feel a sense of peace, a sense of security. Being around him makes me happy and that's all I truly know. So maybe an eternity with him wouldn't be so bad. After all, he's definitely got a personality, no matter how annoying it may be at times. He's a good man despite what people think, so really, having him by my side wouldn't be that bad.
Somehow in the back of my mind I think that my dad would have liked him. They would have gotten along, Damon's playful banter throwing him for a loop. Dad was always good for that though… At least in the end, I know I won't die like he did. I won't let myself end up dying of cancer, the gene running through my system. Perhaps, I'll live on, spreading his memory.-
Damon chewed on his lower lip as he closed the small book, reaching over and opening the drawer of the nightstand. He placed it inside, dropping the pen in with it before closing it. Again, he found himself staring down at Kali, her chest slowly rising and falling with every breath.
"In the end, it will have to be your choice," he whispered, his lips hovering above her ear.
Slowly, he wrapped his arms around her, cradling her body against his. He heard a faint moan escape her lips, her shoulder brushing the inside of his own.
"Damon…" she murmured, her hand finding his and curling around it.
Never once did she open her eyes.
Alright everyone, that was chapter 22. I REALLY hope that everyone liked it? I put a lot of effort into it.
What did you guys think of Damon's antics before the party? What about Kali's little 'performance' with John? Alaric and Kali and Damon's jealousy? Damon's trick at getting rid of Jason? What about John's little threat to Damon about Kali? What about Kali's journal and her thoughts?
Let me know what you think? If you have ANY ideas PLEASE let me know. I need ideas for the next chapter. MISS MYSTIC FALLS.
REVIEW AND MESSAGE PLEASE!