Chapter Sixty-One: Oh, Ms Believer

Oh, Ms Believer, my pretty sleeper, your twisted mind is like snow on the road
Your shaking shoulders prove that it's colder inside your head, in the winter of dead
I will tell you I love you but the muffs on your ears will cater your fears
My nose and feet are running as we start to travel through snow, together we go
We get colder as we grow older. We will walk so much slower
Oh, Ms Believer, my pretty weeper, your twisted thoughts are like snow on the rooftops
Please, take my hand, we're in for inland as we travel through snow, together we go
We get colder as we grow older. We will walk so much slower
~Twenty One Pilots

It had been several days with their new house guest and Damon found himself becoming more fascinated with her each day. He enjoyed Nilin's company, preferring it over his brother's usual broody demeanor. Even Saint Stefan seemed to loosen up when Nilin was around. That girl really knew how to cast her spell on people.

A light feeling had settled over the usually dark and dingy boarding house. As if one human girl had brought life into the house of the living dead.

The first time he saw her after their little conversation in his bathroom was the day after, when she had sauntered groggily into the kitchen. He could tell by her slow stiff movements that she was in pain from her ordeal the day before. It caused a flare of red to flash in his eyes, but she seemed to be taking it like a champ. Nilin managed to smile at him when she saw him in the room.

He took note of her bed head, her curls springing everywhere, as she rubbed her eyes with her knuckles. "What time is it?" she asked, squinting her eyes because of the light filtering in.

"Almost one, looks like you've slept the day away, again." Damon answered with attempts of getting a rise out of her. She just rolled her still sleep-filled eyes at him. Nilin came over and sat down on one of the brass counter stools and folded her arms on the granite top.

"Here," he said, placing a mug in front of her. She immediately sat up and peered in the cup curiously.

"Coffee?" she asked, eyeing him questioningly. He smirked at her and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Yes, coffee," Damon answered. "Stefan thought it would be a good idea to get food to feed the human," he joked lightly. "So, I got you coffee."

Nilin's eyes just scrunched up at him as she tried to fight the smile on her lips. "How thoughtful," she said, taking a sip of the steaming dark liquid.

"Aren't I always?" he smirked.

"Mmm, something like that," Nilin said, putting the mug back to her lips. "So," she began, "I have a question about this little safe haven."

"Go on."

"Well, how safe is it actually?" Nilin asked. "I mean, everyone who lived here is dead. Which means that there isn't technically an owner of the house, so what's stopping the next vampire from taking a stroll on through?"

Damon smirked. The girl was clever. "You've offended me once again, beautiful. Don't you think I would have covered all my bases? I haven't made it this long with sloppiness."

"Care to elaborate?" she raised her eyebrow.

"I had a witch who owed me a favor," he explained. "Remember Bree from our little road trip? Well, she vampire proofed this house, Stefan and I excluded obviously."

"So I really am safe here, huh?" Nilin seemed to say to herself, her little hands wrapping around the coffee mug.

"Doubt me now, too?" he said with a grin. "And here I thought you were starting to like me."

Nilin snapped back into herself. She looked up at him and narrowed her eyes. "You're an ancient smelly vampire, why would I like you?" her lips perked up with a smirk.

"Ha ha, cute," Damon said, leaning his elbows on the counter in front of her.

"Aren't I always?" she mimicked.

Damon's grin grew. "Very true," he agreed, sweeping one of her curls behind her ear. Damon noticed the red glow come to her cheeks.

"When did Elena leave?" Nilin asked, setting her now empty mug down on the counter.

Damon shrugged. "Didn't realize she stayed," he told her.

"We kind of dozed off last night," she explained. "She probably went home to face Jenna," she said with a smile.

"Yeah, well wherever she went Stefan followed," he said, smirking.

"Oh, poor guy. He's so whipped." Nilin joked, her smile erasing any remaining signs of sleep on her face.

Damon laughed, leaning in more. He found himself standing there, for who knows how long, talking to Nilin and cracking more jokes at their siblings' expense. He'd do whatever it took to keep her mind light and off of the dark problem surrounding them.

The next time he saw her was later that night. Stefan had gone off to his room hours ago and Damon was in his own, bourbon in hand. He had only meant to check on Nilin and return to his room but when he saw her room empty he followed the thud of a heartbeat up the hallway.

He stopped at the door to their library, leaning on the frame. Nilin sat alone at the end of the long couch, the comforter from her room curled around her. The room was dim, the light came from the lamp that had been dragged next to the couch.

Damon watched her as she peered down at the book in her lap, unaware of his presence. She flipped the page, her eyes scanning the words back and forth. "Couldn't sleep?" he asked when he finally decided to make himself known. Like he expected, Nilin jumped at the sound of his voice and almost lost the book. She recovered quickly though.

"What are you reading?" he asked, setting his glass down and coming over to sit next to her. He heard her heart rate increase as he laid his arm behind her, resting on top of the couch.

"Poetry," Nilin shrugged, as she accommodated herself next to him. "I found it on the shelf, I hope you don't mind," she answered him.

"Not at all," he grinned. "So what's kept you up to this hour of the night?"

"I could be asking you the same thing," she mumbled, laying the book in her lap. She looked down at the cover with a small smile. "The idea of sleep and I don't really mix well together. It's a kind of a love-hate relationship."

"Ahh, I see." Damon said as he stretched his legs out in front of him. "Well, from my understanding, rigorous activity tends to tire people out. I could help you with that," he offered, raising an eyebrow. His amusement grew when he saw Nilin get all flustered.

"I'm gonna take a guess here and say you're not referring to a late night jog," she said, scooting to the side so that she could get a better look at him.

"Clever girl," he smirked. Damon reached down and grabbed her legs laying them in his laps. "Well if you're not up for that then we'll just have to figure out another way to get you to sleep."

Nilin leaned her head on the arm rest, it propping her up like a pillow. "No more compulsion," she nearly squeaked.

Damon rolled his eyes, "Fine, no compulsion," he huffed. "You're no fun."

"I'm a ton of fun, when I want to be," she told him, snuggling down into her comforter. He slipped his hand under the blanket and ran his fingers over the soft skin of her bare legs.

He found delight in the little human shiver that ran through her. Her head lolled back on the couch as she sighed with sleep. "You should get some sleep," he told her.

"Yeah, I should," she challenged him. She made no sign of calling it a night. Damon grinned.

"Fine," he sighed. In one movement Damon stood up, dropping her legs from his lap. He started to head for the door.

"Wait, where are you going?" Nilin popped up. Her eyes seemed to widen with panic, her curls bouncing off her back as she shot forward.

"I'm going to show you something, come on. Grab your shoes," he told her, leaving the room. He could hear Nilin scrambling after him as he made his way down the stairs. Leaning on the door frame to the back door, Damon waited. Then Nilin came hobbling into the room, her left sneaker barely laced. She had on a pair of black pajama shorts and an oversized pink t-shirt, exposing a tan shoulder.

As she caught up with him, her curls sprang around her face. The huff of air she let out blew her bangs to the side. "Where are we going?" she asked.

"Shh, don't want Stefan to hear us sneaking out," he winked.

"Damon, are you sure this is a good idea? I mean… he's still out there, somewhere," she said, swallowing hard.

Damon took her hand. "Don't worry we're not going that far," he told her. "And besides, I said I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

Nilin looked up at him, giving him a small smile. "Fine, let's go," she outstretched her hand to him. Damon took hold of it and led her outside.

The boarding house had a garden on the side that use to be a grand thing, containing every variety of plant you could of. Over the years though, neglect had caused it to wither down to a skeleton of itself. Now Damon led Nilin across the lawn, ducking under fallen trellises and overgrown vines.

In the middle of the ancient garden sat two rusting lounge chairs. Damon pulled them next to each other and took a seat in one. He pulled out the bottle of vodka he had swiped from the cupboard and took a swig.

"Well?" he asked Nilin who was standing in her short shorts, watching him. "Join me," he motioned for her to sit down. She seemed to be chewing on the inside of her cheek as she lay back in the lounge chair.

Nilin was quiet for a while. She had taken a couple sips from the bottle before passing it back to Damon and laying her hands on her stomach. "Wow," he heard her whisper.

He looked over to her and noticed that her head was tilted up towards the night sky. Stars punctured the black above them.

"All the nights I've spent on this Earth, looking up at the sky still hasn't ceased to wonder me." Damon found himself saying.

"Has it ever gotten lonely?" Nilin asked in a soft voice. Damon turned his attention off of the night sky again to look at her. She was watching him, waiting for his answer.

"Sometimes," he turned away again. "It's just a vampire thing, though." Damon told her, eyes on the constellation.

Suddenly Nilin was sliding off of her lounge chair and on to his. She cautiously laid her head on his chest and curled her body next to his. Damon was stunned for a moment, but as she scooted close to him, he relaxed.

"It's not just a vampire thing, Damon," she said quietly. In response he wrapped an arm around her. The air had cooled a little, Nilin tucked herself closer to him.

"Sleep, Nilin," he ordered, tightening his hold on her.

She sighed a low breath of air and nodded against his chest. "Goodnight, Damon."

"Goodnight," he replied. It didn't take too long for her to drift off. She was out in a matter of minutes. Damon lay there with her though, afraid that is he moved she'd wake up. He caught himself running his fingers through her hair and watching Nilin's delicate features as she slept.

Still transfixed by her, Damon let his fingers that were still tangled in the tips of her hair, run down her arm to the inside of her wrist that lay on top of his chest. The skin became bumpy with scars and Damon felt anger well up in him.

A certain level of protectiveness had built up for this one human. Damon was weary. The last time he had gotten close to someone, it had turned out badly for him and left him emotionally unstable for a century, give or take.

For once, Damon wasn't sure how to handle the situation in front of him. At the moment though, it had gotten cooler outside so he placed a gentle kiss on the top of Nilin's head and stood, lifting Nilin easily in his arms. Immediately her fingers gripped his shirt and her head nuzzled into his chest.

He carried her back through the house and to her room. Damon had a hell of a time detaching Nilin from him, but once he did he laid her in her bed. Not once did she seem to stoop out of her slumber.

Author's Notes:
Hey guys! Here's the next chapter, it's a little like snipets of Nilin and Damon. It's the calm before the storm, if you will. We're coming close to the end here, my lovelies. Are you ready?
See you on Monday! ;)
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