Chapter 14 – Auctioning Damon

As Jasper changed wagons from 'animal' to 'human', Stefan moved from small game like rabbits to big game like deer and mountain lions. Emmett forbade him from going on bears, not that there were ant bears around. So now, when the bell rang and Stefan was relieved from being wished 'happy birthday' he was eager to introduce his friend.

"Guys this is Lexi. Lexi this is everyone"

Was his introduction. Lexi gave polite nods to everyone and did a great impression of not noticing the sneer on Elena's face as she left the room with her friends. Caroline shook her head sadly at her former friends. I squeezed her shoulder and smiled when I noticed she was holding hands with jasper. Stefan told us how he and Lexi met, she had been asked by Damon to help him stop eating the townsfolk in 1864 and they became best friends over the years. She was a nurse and had been changed about a 110 years before Stefan.

"So you kiss all your friends?"

Caroline raised an eyebrow. Lexi rolled her deep blue eyes

"No, only the ones that blush when I kiss them"

She joked making Stefan blush again.

"Kiss Bella then!"

Emmett crowned. I felt a rise of blood rush to my cheeks and scowled at him. Lexi rolled her eyes and winked at me.

"It was great meeting you Lexi, but I got to go. I have classes"

I excused myself when the break was over and the class had new students.

"Sorry if I made you uncomfortable back there"

Lexi caught up with me in the parking lot. I shook my head chuckling

"You didn't. I'm used to Emmett being Emmett by now. Do you need a lift?"

I asked noticing a bit of sun peeking through the heavy November clouds. Her eyes snapped to mine as she accepted.

"Are you staying at Stefan's?"

I asked pulling out of the lot

"I always do. You know a lot about..."

She trailed

"I'm a witch. Don't worry, you're safe from me but there is a council in town so stick to bags or animals"

She shuddered

"I only drink from bags"

She smiled. I noticed she wore a delicate bracelet on her left wrist. It featured a small lapis oval stone on a set of swirl silver. She noticed it looking

"Family heirloom. My mother gave it to me when I came of age"

She smiled wistfully at it. I must be going soft because I found myself smiling

"Is it spelled?"

"No"

"Do you want it to be?"

Her round face snapped inhumanly fast and her deep blue eyes were wide.

"You would do that?"

I shrugged one shoulder

"Stefan is my friend"

"He told me, he tried to kill you"

A dark blond eyebrow was raised

"He was being influenced by an evil witch. I took care of her"

I shrugged it off.

"I promise no strings will come with it but it's your choice. I like Stefan and he deserves a break, it's bad enough both brothers transferred their feelings of Katherine to Elena and Elena is taunting them while being with someone else"

Lexi nodded having seen the mess Stefan was first hand.

"Plus I didn't get him a birthday gift"

I joked pulling in front of the Salvatore boarding house. With a smile Lexi unclasped her bracelet and put it in my palm.

"I'm throwing him a party. Will you come tonight?"

"I'd love to"

I watched as she entered the house and sped to college. Looks like I'd miss a class today

"She's insane"

"Hello to you too Damon"

I greeted the pissed off vampire sitting on my porch steps returning from my classes that afternoon. He scowled at me and threw me an invitation to a charity event for that same evening.

"Who's insane?"

"The sheriff. They want to auction me. I'm not some meat and no one in this town has enough money to afford this body"

He motioned to himself superiorly. I broke in laughter having seen a Tree Hill episode with the same theme with Alice.

"Don't laugh"

Damon blurred on me and pushed me to the hood of my car. When I kept laughing he tried to compel me and I just laughed harder he scowled and left tossing over his shoulder

"Be ready in an hour. I'm not going solo"

"Sir, yes, sir"

I saluted still laughing and went inside. After spelling Lexi's bracelet I put it in a black velvet pouch and showered quickly. Realizing I had no idea what to wear I did what any girl does. I called my fashionista mentor

"Phoebe Halliwell"

Her voice rang professionally.

"I need advice"

I said in my best valley tone girl. Phoebe is an advice columnist for one of the most successful magazines in San Francisco.

"I'm sorry miss you need to send a letter..."

She began to apologize and I chuckle

"What does a witch wear to an event where her date is being auctioned for charity?"

She gasped and shouted

"Bella?"

"Hi"

We spent a few minutes catching up laughing. Pure had met a guy, Cole proposed again (he had been doing so every six months since I resurrected him) but she said 'yes' this time and piper was expecting. They saw Paige every week and surprisingly their sisterly bond was now better than ever.

"Wait you have a new boyfriend?"

I rolled my eyes

"I told you about all the supernatural crap in this town and you're asking if I have a boyfriend? I knew I should have called Prue"

I teased her. Are both known that the sisters had their roles down perfect and style was certainly phoebe's. She freaking fought demons in designer clothes and jimmy choos for crying out loud

"How many times have you slept with him again?"

She poked fun

"Nothing happened"

I exclaimed feeling my cheeks blaze up

"You so like him"

She kept poking fun but retreated when I threaded to hang up on her. I walked her through my wardrobe and while she liked a few things she picked none

"We are printing an article with evening dresses next week. See a few pics"

She emailed me pictures of a few dresses and we went through them together. I thought a simple black dress would do but she scowled as if I had proposed to wear jeans. In the end she picked a dark red dress with sequins on the bustier and its deep V neckline and organza in the skirt that made it playful.

"It's beautiful"

I breathed. Phoebe urged me to take it and using one of Paige's powers I copied the dress and it appeared laid out on my bed. Phoebe ordered me to take a picture and we said our goodbyes. I got dressed quickly in the Elise Ryan dress, making sure to put on a flesh colored La Perla thong (I learned long ago to never fight with a fashionista) and picked a pair of golden high heeled strappy sandals from my closet and their matching clutch bag. I pulled my hair up in a casual updo leaving a few tendrils to frame my face and copied the makeup on the photo phoebe attached to the email. Taking my pendant off I wrapped it around my left wrist making sure it was tight and put on a white gold heart locket and its matching teardrop earrings. Smiling I took a picture and mailed to phoebe just as the doorbell rang.

I knew I had done something right when Damon's mouth popped open. I closed with a smile

"You'll catch flies"

"You look beautiful"

"And you look dashing"

He drove us fast to the grill where everything seems to happen. The moment we stepped inside I could practically feel the lust coming from .female in the room.

"Everything alright?"

Damon steadied me as the lust almost overtook me. I smirked

"Good luck"

He sobered and glared at me before pressing something in my palm. I looked to see a total black credit card. I raised an eyebrow

"Don't let any of the rags buy me"

"Why not? You can't have slept with all of them!"

"Promise!"

He glared and I held back a smile

"I promise"

"On your life"

He threatened

"On your life"

I repeated smiling. He glared at me and left to join Alaric who looked equally unpleased. I shook my head laughing and went to the bar where Lexi and Stefan were talking quietly

"Not signing up?"

"I'm under 21"

Stefan smirked happily. I laughed as Damon threaded to kill us all to Alaric who nodded eagerly. I pulled the pouch from my purse and handed it to Lexi. Her eyes widened as she saw her bracelet and she hugged me tightly.

"Thank you"

Stefan breathed and hugged me too. I smiled at them both and Stefan asked for a dance. No one was dancing to the soft music so we just swayed

"Why did you do it?"

"You're a good judge of character Stefan"

I replied simply. Together we went to greet Liz Forbes who was talking with the mayor's wife watching as the mayor was naturally teasing his brother for sighing up since he has a steady girlfriend. Gone was the asshole mayor I was introduced to as the arrival of his brother had seemed to mellow him out as well as the extra help to make sure his son never triggered the family curse.

I watched with my new friends as the lights dimmed and carol Lockwood took it upon herself to start selling off almost all the eligible men of the town.

Mason was sold to Liz for twenty grand, a couple deputies were sold for less than a grand to two sisters, Lexi took pity on Alaric when he was on stage and bought him for five grand making a few moms glare at her and I pretended to be in deep conversation with Rosalie when it was Damon's turn. It seemed like he was having fun smiling to the women in this club and I stepped up only when it seemed like they would start throwing their panties to him. Jasper was doubled over with laughter when I raised my hand not even paying attention to the fifty grand Damon would pay to buy himself.

"See? I told you no one had enough money to buy me"

Damon smirked.

"Yeah, you're the eternal stud"

I joked using the nickname he had called himself while sleeping. He rolled his eyes at me but I just smiled at him

"And you're mine"