Chapter 17: Settling
Next day I woke up extra early again and after a shower I got dressed and walked to get the essentials for breakfast. Coffee, sugar, milk and a mix for pancakes.
Dad woke up early as well and we sat to take our breakfast together. We talked about the local news and how he and Liz found a plausible excuse to tell the public about the mayor's death. A meeting between the founders (or what's left of them) would occur in the afternoon to elect the next mayor and whatnot. Dad told me that Mrs. Lockwood did not exactly have a vote since she was simply married to the mayor and with John Gilbert dead (stabbed to death and with his fingers cut) the only remaining founder descendant was Liz Forbes, the sheriff, and the Salvatore brothers. I had to bite my cheek not to snort at that. So the votes would probably be by the kids. Elena and Jeremy Gilbert, Tyler Lockwood, Damon and Stefan Salvatore. Unfortunately that meant that they would have o be told what the Founder's council really was about. Considering that Jeremy and Elena know about vampires and Stefan and Damon are vampires it would be a fun meeting, I thought dryly. Dad and Mr. Saltzman would be present as well as honorable members. They both knew and could help, at least while the next generation was still underage.
'The Founders Council is an association of the Founding Families, townspeople descended from the original settlers of Mystic Falls, as well as various municipal officials. Outwardly it appears to be a civic organization dedicated to celebrating local history. Secretly the council's mission is to protect the town from vampires. Journals written by the members of Founding Families descripting vampires and how to catch and kill them are passed down through subsequent generations. The original founding families were Giuseppe, Damon & Stefan Salvatore, Jacob & Nancy Lockwood, Honoria & Thomas Fell & Sheriff William Forbes and the current members were
Logan Fell [Deceased]
Jonathan Gilbert [Deceased]
Miranda Gilbert [Deceased]
Mayor Richard Lockwood [Deceased]
Carol Lockwood
Sheriff Elisabeth Forbes
Zach Salvatore [Deceased]'
Dad turned to me and asked if any vampires like the Cullens were here as well. I told him I didn't know and it was the truth. That's when dad said I should go as well and mention at least to the adults about the other kind of vampires so that they'd be prepared in case any of those popped up.
After that we decided to stay in and work around the house. It didn't feel like a home yet but more like a hotel. A luxurious one but still without the right feel. I unpacked our boxes and used a small table behind the couch to place all the family photos. I hung up along the stairs on the wall the previous generation's photos, aka Charlie's parents. In my bedroom I put mr Fluffy, a ridiculous small pink rabbit I loved sleeping with as a baby and dad kept it all these years, on my bedside table some photos I had taken with my friends in Forks the day before I left and on my childhood rocking chair (that dad insisted should come with us) the huge teddy bear Mike won for me on our date. I sat on my bed looking at the photos Edward had taken from me and tried to think what to do. I didn't want to throw them away but didn't want to see them on a daily basis either. I thought about it and I simply put them back in the box along with the cd he made me and Alice's gift and put them in the closet. If I ever wanted to remember I'd know where it was. I put all the toiletries in the bathroom and feeling my stomach grumble I let dad know I'd be in the supermarket.
I had no idea where that was and I got there in the end. I got a large stroll and started throwing things in. Since dad and I had gotten to an agreement on turning to a little healthier food and maybe loosing that beer belly I didn't feel guilty stocking up on fruits and veggies. After that I passed through the frozen entrees on my way to the canned food isle and saw Matt. I joined him and he jumped when he saw me. I found out he had kicked his mom out but was feeling guilty about it was going to call her to at least talk. We shopped and talked for a while. I was right, he is just like Mike! Friendly and loyal (just see on how he is still friends with Elena even though she dumped him) with just a hint of a golden retriever (he's Caroline's servant despite the fact she's in a coma). He also told me that Caroline's dad should be here tomorrow morning to see Caroline just in case something goes bad. We both cringed at that and the thought of Damon or Stefan saving her came back to me. We finished shopping together and left, Matt had a shift at the Grill & I went back home and Matt went to his house first and then to the Grill. I was thinking of getting a job myself, I liked making my own money.
When I got home dad was going through the photos I placed in the seating room. He seemed upset that there were no mine but just like he didn't want his I didn't want mine.
We had a quick simple macaroni cheese lunch and we piled up in the Impala to go to the mayor's office for the founder's meeting. Elena was already there with Stefan and Damon pretended to be busy looking at the bookshelf while Jeremy was looking out of the window. I guess Tyler was on his way. Alaric was doodling and Liz Forbes kept looking at her cell phone obviously waiting for news on Caroline. I was feeling uncomfortable. I sat on the table next to Elena and gave her a smile. She replied with one as well and Tyler and his mother came through the door. Liz told us all to sit down and offered coffee. After that she went on to tale the history of the founding council and its true meaning. Tyler was the only one shocked, obviously. He got over it pretty fast and after staying silent for almost 30 minutes when he found out about Vicki he was back into business. In the end it was agreed that the excuse for the mayor's death was that he heroically went to the flaming building to save someone and failed. There was no body actually so the story would be easily bought. John Gilbert's murder was also concealed as a sudden heart attack due to blood pressure problems. Elena snorted at that and I raised an eyebrow but she sent me one of those I'll-tell-you-later looks. In the end it was decided that Liz Forbes would be a candidate for the mayor's chair while Carol Lockwood would keep her position, not as the mayors wife as Damon murmured and caused everyone to chuckle besides Liz, Alaric and dad who all sent him an evil look, but as the general planner, dad would take over the sheriff position and Alaric would be the general keeper, the decisions would be made of the four of them and Damon until the kids grew up and be ready to officially join. After the meeting was over Jeremy practically grew wings in his haste to leave, Tyler had a date, Liz and dad would give the news to the local paper and TV channel and I stopped Damon, Stefan and Elena. We went to the boy's house to be sure no one would overhear us.
Their house was huge, a lot bigger and older than mine. Elena seemed at ease there and easily went to make coffee for us all. I sat on one sofa and Stefan on the other. Damon chose the armchair. Elena came a few minutes later with 4 cups of a steaming coffee. I took a deep breath and started.
"I was thinking."
"About what?"
"Stefan you fed Bonnie your blood when Damon almost killed her to save her, correct?"
"Yeah..."
"Can't you do the same with Caroline?"
"If she dies while having vampire blood in her system she will be changed"
"True, but she is stable, has been for the past days"
"We'd have to be revealed to the Sheriff" Damon piped in
"After everything you've done to help her I really don't think she'd mind it, you gave her all the vervain she needed after all. Would you have done it if you didn't want to help?"
"Because of us the tomb vampires broke out" Damon said
"They're gone now, and if you save her daughter do you really think she'll care? Not to mention she's bound to notice you won't get older when everyone else will"
"She has a point" Elena said
"We already saved Caroline's life from Logan once, this time it won't be in secret, though"
"Wouldn't you have done it if it was Bonnie?" I asked Elena and when she lowered her eyes I knew I'd gotten through to her
"Bella is right"
We talked about it some more and in the end the brothers agreed. I was supposed to come clean to Liz this evening; Damon and Stefan would accompany me and talk to Liz as well. If all went good Damon would do it since he was stronger. We talked some more and then Stefan went out with Elena and I was alone with Damon.
"Hey"
"Hey"
"You're still gloomy"
"You're fighting a lot for this, why?"
"Caroline was my first friend here, Elena and Bonnie didn't seem very happy to be close either to me or her, I think she deserves it. Besides I'm not asking you to change her just help her get better, she's been your free buffet before"
"Remind me why I told you all that again?"
"Because you're like me, curious. By the way why are you still avoiding them?"
I motioned the front door where the couple had passed thorough
"I'm not avoiding them"
"and I'm entirely human"
"about that"
"Don't change the subject"
"If it was Katherine she's in town and was the one that killed Elena's dad and used me to get invited in. If it wasn't I made out with my brother's girlfriend who is now perfectly capable of ignoring it and going strong with him"
"SO one hand either you got used by Katherine again or you got used by her descendant. Both options sound equally awful to me"
"Yep"
"How can you know if it was Katherine? I mean in general too, how can you know if someone is a vampire or not?"
"first glance?"
"Preferably, the shedding blood is not exactly a great way to figure it out."
"You can't, the only physical change is the eye veins and fangs when experience strong emotions or hunger"
"So there is nothing I can do to help you confront Elena about the kiss"
"Actually there is one thing; Katherine never wanted to lose something"
"Jealousy?"
He nodded
"So what? You'll start going out with someone else and hope it makes her jealous? And if it was Katherine who bailed town right afterwards?"
"No clue"
"Or you could just forget it and move on, you know be an adult"
my cell rang, dad was at home with Chinese waiting for me with Liz. I looked at Damon and got up to leave. Damon drove me home and dropped me off there, I wasn't sure if I wanted to invite him in, I may felt like I should trust him but I always trusted easily. I mumbled I'd see him tomorrow and went inside. Dad and Liz were at the dining room already with dinner. Liz seemed upset about the fact her ex husband would be coming to MF the following day to see Caroline. He would bring his boyfriend too, according to what Caroline had told him their relationship wasn't very deep and that they'd drifted apart after the divorce. I remembered how dad and I drifted apart when I was in Phoenix. Liz seemed anxious and for a moment I thought about how awkward it was with both mom and dad when I was in that hospital in Phoenix and vowed I'd help her. On a whim I thought about trying to set her up with dad but that would be too awkward in the end. After dinner I made coffee and talked to Liz about the cold ones. I disclosed all the information about me, obviously, only saying I dated one and that's how I know. I promised to write it all down along with the information about their physical appearance and how and if they could be killed. After a while she left to go back to the hospital, dad turned the TV to a local sports station (I swear if our cable only has espn I'll scream) and I retreated to my room to talk to Angie and Mike on our daily rdv in the chat room and maybe read a bit. It's still hard for me to read my favorite classics so I started reading mystery & crime novels. I wrote to my diary and fell asleep only to be woken up a couple hours later by a knock to my window. I jumped up and went to see what was going on. I pushed the curtain out of the way and saw no one else but Damon.
"Did I wake you up?"
He asked with fake seriousness
"What do you want?"
"Has anyone told you you're bitchy when you've just woken up?"
"30 seconds before I close the window and go back to sleep"
"I need to talk to you"
"Can it wait?"
"No"
"fine back off a bit"
He did and I climbed outside the window while holding my slippers on one hand and sat on the window. He picked me up and jumped us to the ground to sit in the backyard. We sat on a bench. I rubbed my eyes and pushed the hair out of my face.
"Why don't you just invite me in?"
"The truth? My ex spent way too much time in my house without me knowing it and I became dependant on him. I don't want to let anyone in without knowing they'll leave when I ask and ask before they come in again. Anyway what did you want to talk to me about?"
"I need to move on"
"ok"
I yawned
"Do you really have to do this?"
"I was sleeping, so who are you going to move on with?"
I asked feeling a strange panic rise in me, why am I feeling this way?
"I'm not sure yet"
"Why did you come to tell me?"
he seemed to be thinking hard what to say
"I've always thought about myself first. Except when tormenting my brother of course. I've never actually cared about anyone else but myself and when I first came in this town I wanted to destroy it. All I cared was getting Katherine out of the tomb and be with her. On founder's day I found myself wanting to protect it. How does that happen? I'm not a hero Bella, I don't do good. That's what I told Elena that night. I should have died in that fire and I didn't. Bonnie deemed I was worth saving only to give my brother a warning about keeping me in line otherwise she'd take care of me. I have changed and I don't know what to do."
"What do you want to do? You've lived for more than a century Damon, you know how to survive. No Bonnie can stop you if you don't want to and I think you know it. Do you want to go back and be the same arrogant man or not? It's your choice, no one else's"
We talked for some more and I was getting more and more sleepy
"Are you going to hate me if I go back to bed?"
"Humans, always need to sleep"
"And you don't?"
"Of course I do, I'm just superior to you"
I raised an eyebrow and stuck my tongue out at him
"I'll reply properly once I'm fully awake"
I got up to go inside and when the morning came I found myself sleeping on the bench wrapped in Damon's arms and my dad looking strangely at us and pointing a gun in Damon's head.
"I know I'm not seeing my baby girl sleeping in some guy's arms"
I jumped up only to hear a groaning behind me and feel Damon scooting closer to me
"Dad it's Damon, please back off"
"What is he doing here?" dad asked not lowering his gun
"Girlfriend issues, he came to talk last night and I guess we fell asleep, I don't really remember"
"Fine, get dressed soon"
Dad replied while finally lowering his gun and pointing at my grayish shorts and tank bed attire. I nodded, he kissed me on the forehead, got in the impala and left. He'd get a proper cruiser as soon as he officially started working in the MFPD. I stretched and wringled softly out of Damon's arms and went to start on coffee and take a shower.
When I came back a few minutes later he was still sleeping soundly. I was dressed in a denim skirt and a simple black top. I didn't know why I felt the need to dress to impress. It's not like I like-like Damon, don't I? He's a friend who happens to be a guy, right? Right. I shook my head and served me a cup of coffee. I wondered if Damon would want one or if he'd prefer a cup of blood. I chuckled and after making sure I didn't overdo it with makeup (simple morning one, natural eyes and slightly redder lips than normal) I headed outside.
I sat on the bench chair and sipped my coffee waiting for him to wake up. Thankfully he did so a bit later. He groaned and sat up stretching
"Morning sleepy head"
"mmm. What time is it?"
"A little after 9"
"Why did we fell asleep here?"
"You did first. Plans for the day?"
"None, I simply want to go for a drive, maybe find a workout route, maybe a job."
"Want company?"
YES!
"Sure, do you need some time to get breakfast, take a shower, brush your teeth?"
"Are you saying I stink?"
"I simply made a suggestion..."
I said teasingly and he smiled
"Nuh I'm good. Let's go, do you want to drive or should I bring my car?"
"I'll drive"
I got my purse and shoes and got in the car. We drove by the beach for a while talking aimlessly. We got to some cliffs and I saw that it was barely a 20 minutes drive. I could drive each morning or run, jog on the shore, maybe swim a little and run back. Hmm maybe run to and back was too much. Maybe I should drive. I was lost in thought when I heard something. A kid was swimming and was going down. Without thinking I got up, threw my shoes off and jumped in the water. I dove a few times and got the kid out. Damon helped me and after some tries of CPR the boy was ok again. (thank you so much Renee for dating a lifeguard, he taught me all that) I looked at Damon and we smiled at each other.
"Still think you're not good?"
He didn't reply but kept staring at me. After a few minutes he shook his head and we went to the grill to return the kid to his dad, the owner, and have coffee. Thankfully the sun was shining brightly so it wasn't long before I was makeup less and dry. When we got there I excused myself straight to the bathroom to comb my hair before I looked like a mental patient. I was fine when I got out and we went to a pool table.
Almost half an hour later Elena & Stefan joined us. We played a couple rounds when a man came up to us and asked who pulled his kid out of the water. Confused I raised my hand and he engulfed me in a hug, he told me he was the owner of the grill and was going to open a summer place by the shore. Did I want to work for him there? What would I do? Mainly have my eyes on the water as to no kids getting drowned. I like it. We shook hands and made a mental note to bring dad here sometime to meet George (the owner). He needed friends too.
In the afternoon I was on my way home, I had promised dad a home cooked dinner. I unlocked the door carrying my shopping bag when I felt a sharp burn on my scar. That's odd I thought. I haven't invited anyone in. Maybe dad did?
I placed the bags on the counter and slowly turned around only to see ...
