Chapter Fifty-Seven: The Sharpest Lives

Well it rains and it pours when you're out on your own
If I crash on the couch, can I sleep in my clothes?
'Cause I've spent the night dancing. I'm drunk, I suppose
If it looks like I'm laughing, I'm really just asking to leave
I've really been on a bender and it shows
So why don't you blow me a kiss before she goes?
Give me a shot to remember and you can take all the pain away from me
A kiss and I will surrender, the sharpest lives are the deadliest to lead
A light to burn all the empires so bright the sun is ashamed to rise and be
In love with all of these vampires, so you can leave like the sane abandoned me
~My Chemical Romance

The sun was warm on her back. Nilly stretched her toes under the covers as she lifted her cheek off the pillow. Pushing her bangs out of her face, Nilly looked around the room. It was too bright. Her curtains were pulled to the side and the open window allowed the summer air to blow into her room. With a huff she rolled over and sat up, stretching her arms over her head.

"Morning, beautiful." Damon hummed, coming into her room. "How'd you sleep?" he smirked at her.

"Amazing, actually…" she answered questionably, eyeing him. "What time is it?" she asked suddenly, squinting at the numbers on her alarm clock. That couldn't be the right time.

"Noon," Damon answered her. Nilly eyes widen in surprise.

"Noon?" she exclaimed. "There is no way I slept till noon!" She leapt from the bed, scrambling to get some clothes on and not to trip over the mess she still had from the night before.

"You did, because I didn't let you wake up." Damon shrugged nonchalantly.

Nilly froze in her haste, looking up at him with her mouth gaped. "You- you didn't wa-, what?!" she asked, standing up straight from picking a dirty shirt off the floor.

"What? Are you going to yell at me for giving you a well-rested sleep? Huh?" he eyed her, a grin playing at the corners of his mouth.

"Yes… no, shut it," Nilin huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. She then looked down at herself and realized she was still in her PJs. Her eyes shot up to Damon standing in front of her. He looked like he just walked off the runway with hair carelessly tossed and an impeccably fitted black t-shirt. "I need clothes," Nilly scurried over to her closet, shimming into a pair of jeans.

"Or no clothes, that works for me too," Damon just shrugged his shoulders as he nosed his way through Nilin's dresser, opening the drawers.

Her cheeks heated up as she blushed at his comment. She walked over to him, shutting the dresser draw and shooing him away. "Behave. You already screwed up my sleeping schedule today," she complained grabbing a shirt from the draw and heading to the bathroom.

"You needed it," he said. "Besides you didn't miss anything. All we've been doing is making plans."

"We?" she questioned though the bathroom door as she slipped into her shirt.

"Stefan, Elena and the witches," he explained.

Nilin pulled her hair out of the ponytail it was in, and wet the curls a little in an attempt to control them. "They have names, you know." Nilin said.

"Yes, judgy witch, bubbly witch and serious witch," he smirked.

She rolled her eyes in privacy. "Ignoring your lack of manners, what are the plans?" Nilly called from the bathroom as she scrubbed her teeth.

"You are going to spend the rest of the day at the boarding house," Damon said, surprisingly close to the door. Nilin opened it, toothbrush hanging out of her mouth, to find him standing right there. "Attractive," he commented.

"Shut it, and why am I going to the boarding house?" she asked after rinsing the toothpaste out of her mouth. She tucked her hair behind her ears and stepped around Damon.

"Think of it as your own personal safe house, with round the clock watch," he smirked.

Nilly groaned, turning around. "No," she complained.

"Yes," he grinned. "We'll be leaving in 10 minutes." He started to head for her door.

"Damon," she tried to argue.

"And I'd pack some things if I was you," he winked, quickly ducking out of her room.

"Damn vampires," she said, loud enough for him to hear. Which he must of, because she heard a chuckle coming from downstairs.

Nilly groaned, flopping back on to her bed.

An hour later, Nilin found herself sitting in the Salvatore's boarding house, scribbling in her notebook. She was draped over one of their leather couches in the parlor. Blowing the bangs out of her eyes, Nilly drummed her fingers on the lined piece of paper. The moment she got her, she was told to sit and stay as the other three went upstairs.

She was going insane. Nilin's patience was wearing thin. What could they possibly be talking about? Finally, with a grunt, Nilly pushed herself out of the chair and marched up the stairs. She went to the study, and opened the door to find Elena about to reach for the knob.

"I was just coming to talk to you," she said, putting a smile on her face.

"Mmhm, sure," Nilly said, walking around her sister and into the room. "So, what's the plan?" she asked, sitting on the edge of the long couch in there.

"We have a plan," Damon said, point to him, Stefan and Elena. "You don't. You are staying here."

"Come on," Nilly said, standing up. "You can't honestly think I'm going to stay her while—"

"That's exactly what I think you're going to be doing," Damon interrupted. Nilly glared at him, about to bite back when Elena walked over to her and spoke.

"Can you please just stay here? For one day, that all we're asking," she begged.

"I don't understand why I have to, though." Nilly said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Don't be a baby," Damon chimed in. Nilin set daggers his way.

"Listen Nilin," Elena said, ignoring Nilin and Damon's bickering. "No one's going to be able to keep an eye out for you today," Elena explained. "This is the safest place you could be right now."

"And where the hell is everyone going exactly?" Nilin looked at the three of them.

Stefan walked over, running his fingers through his hair. "We're going to go out and look for clues, basically," he said.

"Clues? Clues for what? This isn't the goddamn CSI." Nilly said angrily. She heard Damon cough a chuckle behind her but she ignored it.

"No, we're trying to figure out where Christian is staying, and what he's planning. The only way to do that is if we go looking," Stefan filled in the blanks.

Nilly just blinked at them, staring at each one with her jaw dropped. "Have the three of you completely lost your freakin' minds!?" she nearly shouted. "You're going to go after him, and you're taking my sister and best friends with you?" Nilly sat back down on the couch, putting her head in her hands. "I can't believe this."

"Believe it," Damon shrugged as he sat on the arm of the couch.

"Not helping," Elena growled at him. Then she crouched down in front of Nilin, placing her hand on top of Nilly's. "Listen, were going to be very careful. No human is going to be by themselves, they'll always be protected. And no one's going to be a hero today, I promise," she said softly. "No one is worried about this, the only thing we're concerned with is you and your safety. That's why we have to go out there and why you need you to stay here."

Nilly was lost for words. She looked down at the ground, grasping Elena's hand slightly. If she stayed here she'd be letting everyone she cared about out. All of them would be looking for the one person she's tried so desperately to keep away from them. And what if they actually found him? Nilly cringed inwardly, her stomach doing nauseating somersaults. She lifted her eyes back up, meeting the familiar swirls of blue.

"I can't," she said softly, shaking her head. "I can't let you guys go out there, especially without me." She looked at Stefan and Damon. "I go or no one goes," she asserted.

"We were afraid you were going to say that," Damon said, standing. Elena suddenly stood up too, backing away as Damon walked over to her. Nilly looked at her, but Elena wouldn't meet her eyes.

"What are you—?" Nilly went to ask, but then her hand instinctively shot to her wrist. Her wrist was bare, her bracelet gone. She never put back on this morning. Then Nilin made the mistake of looking up.

Damon's dark eyes captured her, filling her entire sight. As she stared at him, her hand dropped from her wrist. His eyes dilated and he spoke, "You will not leave this house for any reason and until I tell you to." His voice was low and snuck deep in to her conscious. "Do you understand?" he asked.

Nilly wanted to scream at him, she wanted to tell them they could go screw themselves but she couldn't. Her voice responded robotically, "I understand." And then Damon turned away, breaking the trace.

Nilin had to blink a couple time before she realized what he had actually done. She kept quiet as her eyes stayed to the floor. She couldn't look at any of them, she was sick to her stomach. The room was still as Nilly slumped back on the couch, head casted down.

"Nil," Elena said. There was a slight quiver in her voice, but Nilly didn't look up.

"Just leave," she barked coldly, wrapping her arms around herself. The next time she looked up, the room was empty and she was alone.

They had spent most of the day scouring Mystic Falls. Elena and Stefan's job was to take the places around the Old Wood. Bonnie, Magnolia and Shellie were to take the inner town, and Damon had the outskirts. All of them were looking for something on the new vampire in town. Anything, any indication of where he was staying, who had seen him or what he was planning.

Stefan, Damon and Elena all felt the pull of guilt from what they did to Nilin. It weighed heaviest on Elena, but Stefan had reassured her that it was the right thing to do. There was no other way to keep her safe. They had given Nilly the option without compulsion but she denied it, which pushed them to do what they did.

Or what Damon did really. He was simmering in his own self-reproach.

Though he knew how to keep his emotions in check and not let them leak out like Elena was. Damon was almost annoyed at the way Elena unintentionally had this look on her face like she had kicked a kitten. He knew Nilin's own stubbornness and lack of self-preservation got her into this. She'd be pissed at all of them, but she'd be alive with all of her limbs. Not happy, but healthy. He just hoped she wasn't going to do anything too stupid while they were gone.

They didn't mention how they got Nilin to stay at the boarding house to the others, who were all surprised that she didn't put up more of a fight. Magnolia starred at Elena strangely after that though. Elena tried to shove the guilt away, along with any other emotion that could give her away, but Mags kept her eye on her.

As they split up Elena and Stefan drove around the Old Wood. They hit the cemetery first. From the older part to the newer, they check every mausoleum, every possible hiding place. Next they took the roads that meander through the forest. There were summer cabins out there, most vacant by now. They check each one and still no sign. They continued to comb through the woods with little luck.

Magnolia, Shellie and Bonnie, on the other hand, were picking up on some kind of trial. A man matching Christian's description had been seen at The Grill. Bonnie made sure Matt would keep an eye out and call her if the he showed up again. Shellie used her own friendly charm to find out that there had been an occurrence of 'animal attacks' starting again. None of the cases had been fatal, so the Sheriff and Mayor were keeping them on the down low. Magnolia never got that strange feeling like she did the night of the Lockwood party, which meant that Christian wasn't around and they had hit a dead end.

Damon made his way around Mystic Fall's boarders. Not much was out there which made it perfect for a hide out. He stopped at this old looking bed and breakfast ran by a dotty old lady.

"Hello, sir," she greeted as Damon strolled in. "Are you checking in?" she asked behind the counter.

"No, I'm looking for someone," Damon said, capturing the old woman's gaze. He felt the familiar push of power behind his eyes as he compelled to woman to tell him what she knew. And did she know something. Apparently a young man that she hadn't seen around before came in for a room last week. She gave him a room key and that was the last time she'd seen him. When Damon asked which room he was in, the old lady shook her head and said she couldn't say.

Then, with a tug of compulsion, he made her forget that he was ever there as he snuck up the stairs of the B&B. It was quite, not a soul around… or a heartbeat. Most doors were locked, so Damon sharpened his hearing for any sign of the living or otherwise. After scrupulously searching the entire place, Damon stormed out annoyed and irritated.

Without a sign or lead to go on, they all met back in The Common. Each sporting their own shade of disappointment, from Shellie's worried pout to Damon's lethal scowl. Stefan tried to get everyone to see what they actually accomplished. Proving that Christian was actually staying in Mystic Falls, but that only made their hearts drop farther.

As the horizon began to fade in the orange of a sunset, it was time for them to call it a day. That meant it was time for Damon, Stefan and Elena to return to the boarding house and to Nilin. The car ride was silent as they drove.

As they pulled up the driveway to the boarding house, Damon could already hear the pounding of music coming from inside. The noise grew louder once he stepped out of the car. Opening the front door, they were greeted by some chick singing with waves of guitar riffs and a heavy beat of a drum.

"I know what you're thinking, but you're not right.

You should know I'm not your baby, not tonight.

I never was

The kind of girl to trip and fall in love

I never was

The kind to say enough is not enough

I never was

The touchy, feely, co-dependent kind

I like the feeling but I'm not on cloud nine."

Damon stepped in the house last, after Elena and Stefan, and slammed the door hard. The music drowned out every other sound though, as he made his way down the hallway. Coming around the corner, he found the source of the music.

Nilin was sitting on the couch, her feet propped up on the glass coffee table. She stared ahead at the empty fire place. Damon leaned on the door frame and watched her tip her head back and finished the bourbon in the glass tumbler she had in her hand.

She turned her head to the slide when she heard Elena come in. Elena walked over and shut the stereo off, causing the room to go silent. Nilin turned back to the fire place and refilled her glass, taking a long sip from it.

"Well, did you guys solve the case?" she asked, laughing at her own joke. Damon pushed off the wall as Elena walked around the couch to stand in front of Nilin.

"Are you drunk?" Elena asked furiously. Nilly's laughter grew as she shrugged.

"You left an alcoholic's daughter alone in house full of boos with a reason to drink. Bad decision on your part," she said, taking another sip from her glass.

"Nilly…" Elena sighed, but Nilin didn't look up. Instead she slid her feet off the table and, stood. Her knees wobbled due to the amount of bourbon she had consumed. She finished off her drink before walking over to Damon.

"Can I leave now?" she asked coldly, her words slurring a little. Damon crossed his arms over his chest, and looked her over.

"No, I don't think you can. Not like this anyway," he answered. Suddenly, a glass went flying at his head. He ducked out of the way, of course, as it flew pasted and shattered against the wall behind him.

"Nilin!" Elena gasped, stunned slightly. Damon was a little surprise himself at Nilin, but she just glared at him.

"I can't believe I saved your ass last night," she hissed, walking out of the room. Damon and Elena looked at each other with confusion, eyebrows pulling together. Damon turned and went after Nilin.

"Hey," he called after her. "Wanna explain to me how you did that?" he asked, causing her to stop in the hallway and turn around.

"Oh, that's right," she grinned, putting a hand to her forehead. "I guess I forget to tell you, but with all this mind screwing going on it must have just slipped through," she laughed.

"Okay, I get it. You're pissed, but can we be serious here for one moment." Damon asked.

"I'm not pissed, I'm hurt," she shot back, but then she leaned on the wall. Her hair fell over her drooping eyes as she explained. "I walked in on Alaric Saltzman ready to go to war with a vampire last night at the Lockwood's, stakes all pointy and lethal."

"What?" Stefan asked, coming down the stairs.

"How much have you had to drink, Nilly?" Elena questioned, looking at her suspiciously.

"I'm telling the truth," Nilly insisted. "Mr. Social Studies Teacher has a little secret. He told me how his wife was killed by a vampire years ago, he saw the whole thing. He also told me that he had been tracking that vampire ever since, which led him to our sweet little town of Mystic Falls."

"And what makes you say that it was my ass you were saving?" Damon asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Let's call it a hunch," Nilly retorted, scrunching her eyes. "But luckily, I was able to get him to put down the stake and enjoy a drink with Jenna instead."

"And how'd you manage that?" Elena asked, arms crossed over her chest.

"Not all of us need compulsion to get people to listen." Nilly snapped. Elena cringed back, dropping her eyes to the floor.

Damon even felt a stab on that one. It wasn't like he didn't deserve it. He was sure she'd hate him for days after, throwing glares and remarks at him. But at Elena...? That's was troubled Damon.

"Well, thanks for the warning." Damon said. "That problem will be gone easily," he smirked.

Nilin's eyes widened. "You're not going to kill Alaric Saltzman," she ordered. "He hasn't done anything, yet. I don't care if you're a vampire or human, there's no need to add unnecessary blood to your hands." Nilin finished, walking over to Damon and stabbing her finger into his chest.

"You said it yourself though, the man was on a mission to kill." Damon pointed out. Nilly crossed her arms over her chest and looked up at Damon.

"If it comes to him versus you, then I'd understand," she said, turning on her heel and walking back into the parlor. Damon heard the crunch of the glass on the floor as Nilin walked over it to the other side of the room.

"What are you doing?" Damon asked, as he walked into the room. Nilin kept her back to him as she poured herself another drink in a new glass.

"What does it look like?" she sniveled, gulping down the liquid. Damon snatched the glass from her hand.

"Alright, enough of that," he said, taking a sip of his own. Nilin turned to face him, her eyes blazing.

"Can't you just leave me alone, for god's sake? Why do you have to- to…?" Nilly stumbled on her words and they poured out of her loose lips. "Forget it," she said, shoving past Damon.

"Why do I have to what, Nilin?" he pushed, following her.

"I said forget it," she snapped, but then she stopped and spun around. "Why do you have to get so involved?" she finally asked. Damon just shook his head, placing the glass in his hand down and walking over to her.

"You know why," he answered. Nilly made a sound of annoyance. She went to leave again, but Damon was quicker and grabbed her wrist.

"Let go of me," she growled, trying to pull out of his grasp.

"Not until you listen to me," he said, tugging her closer to him. He saw her other hand come up, about to crash into his cheek but again he faster than her. Now he held both her wrist in a grip, his eyes flaring. "Don't ever try that again," he threatened. Nilin kept her eyes glaring at him, but she seemed to shrink into herself. "Be mad at me, be furious at me but not Elena. It was my idea, they just agreed to it."

"It was wrong of you, all of you." Nilly said, giving up her struggle.

"Can't you see how ridiculous you're being? If you would have just listened to us in the first place we wouldn't have needed to use compulsion. We did this for you, all anyone is doing is thinking about you," he let go of her wrists. "So go ahead and pout, be a spoiled brat," he hissed, leaving the room.

He walked out to the hallway and up the staircase, following the murmur of voices. Anger was rolling off of him, burning his footsteps into the wood floors as he walked. Walking into their study, Damon found Stefan and Elena talking.

"How is she?" Elena asked concerned, pulling out Stefan's arms as she stood.

"Drunk," Damon answered. "She just needs to be alone right now."

"Are you sure that's a good thing?" Stefan asked. Damon rolled his eyes.

"Yes, baby brother. I am sure that's a good thing," he said. "Just let her crash here tonight, she can't even walk straight."

"You're probably right, if she left here she'd just get into more trouble." Elena said, "Like she'd even want to go home with me."

"She needs to sleep it off. She'll forgive you," Damon assured, walking out of the room.

He needed to let off more steam and being in the same room as those two wasn't the way to do it. Damon settled for pacing back and forth and his room for some time. A little while later, he heard Stefan and Elena leave the house, Stefan taking her back home. Damon went back downstairs, into the parlor to check on Nilin.

She was asleep, passed out on the couch. Curled up in ball, she breathed lightly. As Damon came around the couch, he saw the wetness still on her cheeks. Very lightly, with ghost fingers, he wiped it dry before picking her up. Slipping one hand under her knees and another supporting her back, he carried her upstairs.

When he places her on his bed she mumbled something in her sleep. Her head rolled to the side and he saw the fading bite mark. The last bit of guilt faded out after he saw that. They did the right thing today, even if Nilin couldn't see it yet.

He laid a blanket on top of her and left the room, allowing her to sleep.

Author's Notes:
Hello my lovely readers! So a lot has happened in the past few chapters. Things are starting to heat up between everyone. The boiling point is coming, only a handful of chapters left. Thanks for sticking with me and I hope you've enjoyed it this far. Voice your opinions, let me hear your reviews.

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