Twisted Love
Season Four
Memorial
DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the Vampire Diaries, I only own Grace :)
Stefan was packing a bag for his camping trip with Elena, he was going to teach her the tricks of the trade when it came to being a vampire, but Damon didn't think it was such a good idea to get her onto animal blood at such a young age, especially considering what it did to the forest green-eyed vampire when he was new.
"You're making a big mistake." Damon stated as he gave his younger brother a look from where he sat watching him pack for the weekend ahead, knocking back his bourbon as Stefan rolled his eyes.
"No, I'm not." Stefan answered in a sure tone, he had to be sure of himself this was going to work, he didn't want to see Elena go off the rails like he had done, she was too precious and pure for that to happen to her. "If I can get Elena used to animal blood right out the gate-"
"You're reaching."
"Maybe she'll be able to bypass all the things that we went through." Stefan added as his brother gave him a 'are you serious' look, he knew his brother couldn't be that naïve to think Elena was never going to have to drink human blood, it happened to every vampire at one point, even if it was just from a blood bag.
"Delusional!"
"Maybe she actually has a shot at this." Stefan shrugged his shoulders not listening to a word his older brother was saying and the raven haired vampire was beginning to get frustrated with how his brother wasn't listening to him.
"Wrong. You're just wrong, Stefan."
"She won't be able to handle it if she hurts someone, Damon. Her compassion is her Achilles heel and everything is magnified right now." The younger Salvatore told him in a firm voice, when it came to his girlfriend he wasn't about to let his brother tell him what to do.
"You know, Stefan, I think maybe you should listen to me, considering I was the one who was there for when Grace turned and right off the gate I got her on human blood and look at her now, she's a fine, well-adjusted vampire, isn't she?" He cocked an eye brow at his brother who just continue to pack his stuff. "Exactly. She needs human blood, Stefan. From the vein."
"Oh, come on. You know what happens. You name me a vampire who didn't kill at least one person when they were new." Stefan dared giving him brother a look and he quickly scoffed looking over at his spiky haired sibling.
"Grace." Damon hissed in response and Stefan rose his eye brows for a moment before creasing his eye brows once more and turning away from the raven haired vampire. "I'm pretty sure I was there the once and only time Grace ever fed off a human and she didn't kill the girl. Grace didn't make one single kill her first year!"
"She never told you?" Stefan muttered looking over to his older brother whose face had darkened a little, what did the younger Salvatore know about Grace that the raven haired vampire didn't. It wasn't like her to keep something from him.
"Grace never told me what?" Damon ordered in a low voice and Stefan shook his head, if Grace hadn't told him already about her past then she wasn't going to tell him and that was her business. "C'mon, brother. You've already begun story time now, why stop?"
"It's not my story to tell, Damon." Stefan answered in a low voice. "You really want to know about your girlfriend, then just ask her yourself." He added and Damon grit his teeth as he looked across at his brother. "Listen, if Elena kills someone she will crumble. How much pain do you think she could take before she shuts off her humanity switch?"
"It happens to the best of us at least once." Damon shrugged his shoulders as he gave him a look which Stefan growled at. "We get over it, Stefan. A hundred years or so."
"No, I think I'd like get to skip that part." Stefan answered in a low voice as he walked across the room, Damon rolled his eyes as he began to put all of his things back.
"She can't learn to control the blood lust, if she's never actually experienced the blood lust." Damon added in an angered voice still putting Stefan's things away so he couldn't pack anymore.
"What are you doing? Knock it off."
"It's a cheat. It's like giving a kid a calculator before they know math." Damon made comparisons between the two. "Trust me, I know what I'm saying."
"I said stop it!" Stefan grabbed Damon's arm with a great deal of force but the older brother shrugged him off and they both stare each other down.
"Whoa." Elena and Grace both walked into the room looking between the two for a minute, the smaller twin had helped her newly undead sister to pack her things for her weekend away. "What's going on?" Grace asked.
"We're just having a little disagreement about process." Stefan informed them both as they continue to put all of his clothes and essential items back into his bag for the weekend
"You're still not on board with the animal plan."
"Nope." Damon's voice was lighter than before as his girlfriend crossed the room and sat down next to him. "Gracie, c'mon, you have to agree with me on this one."
"Grace?" Stefan looked over at her and she blanked, being put between the two brothers had to be the worst situation to be in, but she had to admit the truth, she agreed with her boyfriend more.
"I'm sorry, Stefan. Damon is right, Elena is a vampire and we have to start treating her like one." She stated and the raven haired vampire resisted the urge to stick out his tongue at his younger brother deeming it to be too childish, but so badly wanting to rub it in.
"Ready to go?" Stefan questioned his girlfriend and lead her towards the door before they heard Grace speak again from behind them.
"This is just what happens Elena, you need human blood to be happy." Grace informed her in a small voice and Stefan threw her a look, he hated how she was beginning to sound more and more like Damon each day. "It's part of the natural food pyramid, you don't have to kill to do it..." She let the statement hang in the air before both vampires took off from the house. "Things are getting so complicated around here... Now that Elena's a vampire everyone in on edge. I really hate it." She murmured looking over at her boyfriend that was watching her suspiciously. "What's wrong?"
"Aren't you meant to be like Team Stefan in all of this?" Damon questioned crossing his arms over his chest creasing his eye brows. "You were with him on waiting for Elena to feed, not anymore?"
"No." Grace answered as she shook her head from side to side looking across at her boyfriend. "He was wrong about Elena waiting to feed and it almost cost Elena her life, I almost lost her because of a decision I didn't agree with in the first place... I'm sticking to my guns, she needs the human blood, but he just has to realise that for himself..."
"Mmm. I'm proud of you." Damon smiled across at her before crossing the room and turning her to face him, caressing her face softly before leaning down and pressing his lips to her own. "So, we have the entire house to ourselves for the whole weekend. No Princess Elena or St. Stefan to disturb us, what do you propose we do first?"
"Hmm..." She smirked up at him tracing her fingers along his shirt, fingering the muscular skin underneath before cocking an eye brow. "I can think of a couple of things we can do you... pass the time."
"I think I know what you're thinking..." He leaned down and nibbled on her ear for a moment making a primal growl escape her lips only driving him further into a lustful state. Moving towards her neck he lined the satin skin with sweet butterfly kisses.
Grace's eyes fluttered open as she looked up into his captivating icy blue orbs for only a moment before looking around to see they were still stood in Stefan's room. "We should... We should take this to the bedroom." She hiccupped.
"I'm thinking more... Fur rug by the fire." Damon growled into her throat nipping at the skin with his deadly sharp fangs, she let out a moan symbolising she agreed and he picked her up, wrapping her little thin legs around his waist and he zipped her through the house to proceed with their love-making.
The next morning it was early as Elena and Stefan were lying on the floor in the woods with a blanket over them, her eyes flutter open and she looks up at her perfect boyfriend that she was laying next to. "Hi." She smiles.
"Hi."
Waking up the next morning Grace could feel the warmth of the fire flicking against her taut naked body that was only just dying from beside her, looking up at the high ceiling of the Salvatore boarding house she began to reminisce from the night smiling to herself before she glanced over at her gorgeous tanned lover who was waking up now, too.
"Morning my beautiful little vampire." Damon purred before rolling over to pin her beneath him once again grinning down at her a smouldering look in his dazzling orbs as he traced his full lips over her slender neck. "How did you sleep?"
"Mmm. So good." She muttered playing with the tips of his raven black hair a heavy blush pulling over her cheeks as he pressed a soft kiss to each cheek. "Best I've had in a while." She smirks as he traces his lips down her throat once again.
"I kinda wanted to ask you something." Damon announced in a small voice and Grace's heart stopped for a moment as she looked up at him a little shocked. "It's about something Stefan mentions the other day... We were... discussing about Elena being on animal blood and we got onto the subject of you." He played around the topic of human blood almost scared to ask her the truth.
"What about me?" Grace giggled a little as she looked up at her boyfriend, they began to get dressed with their clothes that had been disregarded around the room carelessly thrown in any place that they wished. "Damon?"
"Have you ever... killed a person?" Damon questioned looked across at her, she pulled her shirt over her head and blanked for a moment gulping. "Gracie, you can tell me anything." He promised her before walking over.
Slowly she nodded her head ashamed of the fact she had killed someone, she was a vampire and it was bound to happen at one point, her mouth ran dry as she thought of Damon finding out about how this had all happened.
Damon's eyes went wide, he wasn't mad at her more surprised that she hadn't told him. "When? How?" He saw the look on her face, the scared little girl look that she managed to pull of so beautifully. "Ok... How about you tell me over dinner tonight?" He smiled a little trying to assure her everything was ok.
"Ok." Grace whispered and Damon crossed the room to tuck a long lock of her chocolate hair behind her ear looking into her regret filled rich brown orbs. "I love you, Damon."
"I love you, sweetie." He smiled over the concerned look on his face caressing her soft cheek lovingly before placing a chaste kiss on her forehead pulling her close to his body with a loving hug.
Stefan and Elena were wandering through the woods silently when they see a deer eating the brush nearby, Elena began to breathe heavily as she twiddle her thumbs looking at it biting her bottom lip cautiously, she didn't want to hurt the poor thing, but she was so hungry.
"Close your eyes." Stefan assured her in a small voice and she closed her nervous filled orbs slowly before she felt a brush of air zip past her and opens her eyes as she gasps.
Grace's emotions had been a little on edge that day as she sat with Caroline in the Grill, she was supposed to be listening to the blonde talk about her day but in fact the only thing on her mind was Damon knew she had killed someone, honestly she had tried to blank it out as much as possible.
"... What do you think?" Caroline asked and Grace looked up at her a little surprised as the silver eyed girl munched on a cookie. "Did you even hear a word I said?"
"I'm sorry, Care. I have a lot going on at the moment." She answered as she timidly sipped at her milky coffee her eyes distant and glassy as the blonde gave her a concerned look before breaking off some of her cookie and passing it to her. "Thanks." She laughed a little.
"Now tell me what's going on." Caroline pressed and Grace sighed a little running her hand through her dark brown hair looking up into the eyes of the other vampire. "You and Damon haven't had another fight have you?"
"No. No." She laughed and Caroline let out a sigh of relief, she couldn't handle the two of them not being together again, they were both so broody and depressing the first time it had happened that she never wanted to do that again. "It's just... Damon's found out something about me that I'd never told him."
"What? It isn't something else about Klaus is it? Because I for one have had enough with Original Hybrids and their dramas!"
"No, no. No more Klaus." She scoffed and Caroline frowned a bit. "I've killed before." Grace frowned a little and Caroline's eyes widened, the brunette had done a good job of keeping it away from everyone including the girl she told all of her gossip to. "It was so overwhelming and I couldn't... control myself."
"You couldn't control yourself." Caroline muttered repeating the girl who sat in front of her and she nodded her head. "That really doesn't sound good... But since them you've been able to resist."
"It's been a struggle, but yeah, I've been able to keep myself away from anything that might... tempt me too much. Damon's blood seems to help too, kinda calms it all." She added and Caroline throws her a concerned look. "Don't give me that look, Care. Everything is fine. I'm fine."
"No, yeah. I'm sure you are." Caroline nods her head Grace just gnaws on her nails for a moment going back into her own world of thinking wondering if she should even tell Damon all this, if Caroline reacted this way then how would he react.
Elena leaned down and pierced her fangs into the deers throat tasting the warm blood filling her mouth, it felt so good even if it was a little different to the human blood she had tasted, it was dull and boring nothing like the first taste she had.
When she finally finishes the deer was still alive and it quickly scurried away from both vampires into the forest to lick its wounds and heal himself. The new-born vampire couldn't help the tears that escaped her eyes.
"Don't worry, he'll heal." Stefan smiled at his girlfriend lovingly making her turn to face him as more tears spilled down her cheeks as she watched the deer run. "Bigger animals are more resilient." She turns to face the Salvatore sniffling. "Hey..." He dried her mouth with a cloth smiling at her. "You did it. I know it's hard..." He caresses her face tenderly. "But you can do this." She sniffled but nodded her head confidently.
Damon stood in the kitchen of the Salvatore boarding house reading a cooking book now and then before adding an extra ingredient and stirring a pot, he heard the door open and walked out to see Grace walking in shrugging her coat off smiling over at him.
"Nice apron." She joked giggling as he was wearing a 'kiss the cook' apron shielding his clothing from any messes or spills. "I think I might have to take you up on that offer." She giggled as she pressed a soft kiss to his lips.
"No more until dinner is done, you're too much of a distraction as it is." His eye flickered up and down her body as she blushed heavily smiling to herself. "And no coming in here, it's all a surprise, alright?" He ordered in a stern voice and she held her hands up innocently. "No mind reading either, missy, I know your game."
"Damn." She muttered before kissing him once more, he let out a small groan dragging his finger through her hair deepening the kiss before they both smelt smoke, he turned quickly and turned the stove off and put out the small fire. "I think I'll leave you to get on with all of this." She giggled before walking through the house.
He tilted his head to the side and bit his bottom lip as watched her walk away, swaying her hips seductively, it took all his will power to stay in the kitchen and continue their romantic meal.
Grace looked in the mirror at herself and saw something she didn't like, ever since Damon had brought up killing humans she had not been able to stop thinking about it, and then talking to Caroline hadn't helped in the slightest.
Running her lip gloss over her lips she puckered them and smiled a little before smelling something wonderful fill the air, brushing her pale pink dress down and wandering through the house she saw the dinning table had been layered with rose petals and some candles.
"Would you like to take a seat, Miss." Damon pulled out a chair for her, she hadn't seen him get dress but he looked so handsome in a thin black v-neck shirt showing off the top of his rock hard chest and dark wash jeans with dress shoes.
She smiled to herself as she took a seat opposite him as he uncorked a bottle of expensive looking white wine pouring some in a glass for her and then some for himself giving her his most charming smile before taking a seat too.
They had small talk as they finished their meal, talking about their days but then a more serious subject came up after the plates had been put in the kitchen. He gave her a look before asking her. "Tell me about it."
She knew exactly what he wanted to know about, it had played on her mind all day, which meant it had played on his mind all day too. He had told her he wasn't angry, but she knew he must have been a little angry due to that fact she had never told him about it. "Well, it was a little while ago now... When I was travelling with Klaus and Stefan, after everything."
Flashback
It was like sandpaper every time she swallowed, the lack of blood was really getting to her and Klaus refused to get her any blood bags compelling Stefan to not get her any either. He wanted her to feel the power behind feeding off a human but she didn't want to, she wasn't sure if she would be able to control herself.
Due to how weak she was getting Klaus had kept her locked away in a motel room whilst he and Stefan continued their search for werewolves that he could then convert into his Hybrid family, killing anything that stood in his way on their merry trip.
She heard the key turn in the door and knew they were back home for another day, she lifted herself off the bed stopping herself from counting all the cracks in the ceiling above her just to pass the time and get her mind off things when suddenly she saw Klaus, Stefan and an unknown man walk in.
"What's going on?" She rasped up as she tried to stand up but Stefan just gave her a deeply apologetic look as Klaus whispered something into the mans ear and he walked over to join her on the bed giving her a kind smile.
She couldn't help but see the resemblance to Damon in the man, his bright blue eyes, not as breath-taking as Damon's yet still so gorgeous, the tanned skin and raven black hair she scanned her eyes over his full body before looking back over at the other two.
"Bon appétit." Klaus remarked with a cocky grin and she narrowed her eyes before pushing off the bed about to head to the door but the hybrid just stood in her way with an almost concerned look on his face. "Listen, love, how much longer do you think you're going to last without drinking blood of any kind?" She didn't answer him. "You're weak and you're no good to me like this, so drink the human and be a good little girl."
"No."
"Do it, or I will force feed you my blood, now do you know what that means, love? That means-"
"Grace, just... just drink him." Stefan begged from behind her and she looked over her shoulder at Stefan, the only vampires blood she had ever drank was Damon's and when they did that it felt pretty damn good, like they were sharing something so personal and meaningful, almost like sex. "It won't hurt him, Klaus compelled him... Then we'll just compel him to forget and go."
"Stefan..." She looked over her shoulder at him and just felt so weak and broken, she glanced over at the man who continue to sit on the bed watching her with a small smile on his lips. "Ok..." She whimpered as she walked towards him taking a seat on the bed letting her fangs extend so they could be see just below her chapped pink lips.
She muttered an apology before sinking her teeth into his neck, no noise was made but Grace's vision was filled with a bloody haze as she continue to drink from him, she could feel the veins beneath her eyes becoming more thick and prominent with the blood she took in from the human.
She was screaming at her inner-self to stop and let the human live but her throat screamed not to she just kept gulping down the blood before she felt the man go lifeless before her eyes, the light fading from his blue orbs she pulled away and dried her mouth with the back of her hand accordingly.
"Quite a show." Klaus muttered from behind her where he stood with Stefan who looked a little shocked, he hadn't expected Grace to drain the man completely, he didn't think she was that thirsty. "We need to do something with the body."
Her breathing was ragged as she licked the blood from her lips with such pleasure crossing her face. "I need more."
"No, what you need is to calm down." Klaus ordered in a thick voice and she growled up at him baring her fangs, he slammed her back against the thin wall of the motel room giving her a pointed look. "You're walking a very thin line at the moment, love. If you're not careful you'll become like your ripper friend over there." He glanced over at Stefan who was covering the deceased man with a sheet. "Tell me, how did you feel when you killed him?"
"Good." She breathed out without a second thought but then her brain caught up with her rash decisions and she retracted her fangs her rich brown eyes wide as she gulped looking up at Klaus who just smirked a little. "I-I..."
"That's how it is supposed to be, you may be on human blood but that is nothing like when you drink from a human, you need to learn how to control it... Damon has taught you nothing on that." He spat before running his hand over her cheek lovingly.
"Dammit." Damon hissed as he stood up from the table walking directly over to the small corner table that was holding his whiskey and other alcoholic beverages. "I knew I should have got you to feed from the vein from the start." He hissed closing his eyes as he brought the glass to his lips and gulped it down with a second thought. "If I had then-"
"No. No, it isn't your fault. We could have never anticipated that all... that was going to happen." Grace whispered as she walked over to Damon taking his free hand carefully within her smaller hand. "I'm glad you got me onto blood bags."
Damon gritted his teeth for a moment cursing his own stupidity even after Grace's assuring words before asking. "Have you killed anyone since? Even felt tempted?"
"I haven't killed anyone, but... that time you got us to both feed off of the girl, something in me screamed to kill her, drain her dry and... and it really scares me." Grace admitted as she closed her eyes to hide the tears. "I'm tempted nearly everyday, but that's just the life of a vampire, right?"
"Yeah." Damon nodded his head giving her a small smile before pulling her into his chest holding her so close to him. "If... If you ever feel like it gets too much then talk to me, I need to know what's going on, alright?" She nodded against him as he continue to hold her close a pensive look on his face. "I'm going to be here to teach you everything, I promise."
Stefan and Elena were standing in the deep forest, he was teaching her to use all of her new vampire tricks to their fullest. Her supernatural speed came first of course. "I can't do it." Elena giggled as she tried to think of how she was going to manage moving at a blur.
"Alright, it's like the starting line of race, right?" Stefan chuckled as he tried to compare it to something she would be able to relate with. "So you just push-off with every ounce of strength that you have."
"Yeah, but I was a cheerleader. I sucked at track." Elena complained in a whine and Stefan couldn't help but smile behind her.
"Just concentrate, ok? You can do it." He assured her in a sure tone as she crouched into a running position but all her mind could think was where his hands were on her body, at the moment they were residing on her hips squeezing and teasing the taut muscle.
"I can't. All I can think about is your hands on my body." Elena breathed out with a dreamy look in her eyes, loving the way her body set of fire at just a simple touch.
"Oh, ok." He removed them but she grabbed them and placed them back to where they were making every hair on her body stand up as his manly fingers tightened on her skin.
Elena smiled a bit closing her eyes relishing in the touch of her boyfriend. "No, no, no. I-I didn't say to take them off. It feels good."
"Yeah. What does it feel like?"
"It feels like you're touching every nerve on my body." Elena answered in a breathless voice as he ran his hand up and down the length of her arm before moving to her waist and teasing the nerves there.
"Everything is heightened. Taste, smell, sight, touch." Stefan leans his head down and press' loving kisses to her neck, she gnaws on her bottom lip before turning to him fully and kissing him with every ounce of strength she had.
Jumping up she wraps her legs around his waist and he moves them at supernatural speed to press her against a tree. Unwrapping her legs from around his waist she places her feet back on the ground and they continue to kiss.
Moving to their clothes Stefan pulled her leather jacket off throwing it to the floor with little thought and then heading for the button her skinny jeans, Elena didn't waste any time in pulled off Stefan's shirt to reveal his toned body, she kissed every inch of the tanned skin before reconnecting with his full, masculine lips once more.
Elena could feel something creeping up her throat, something that completely turned her off, blood. Pushing her boyfriend away she covered her mouth before rushing off into the forest using her supernatural speed to her advantage. Falling to her knees she vomits the animal blood she had just drank coughing and spluttering, hoping that Stefan couldn't hear.
Damon didn't sleep that night, not that he really needed to, but in any case he couldn't if he wanted to, the story Grace had told him played on his mind the entire night. Looking down at the young girl that lay asleep on his chest he shook his head.
He cheated with her, he threw her straight onto blood bags so when it came to real human blood from the vein she was so tempted she didn't realise what she was doing and she killed someone, he hated that she had to go through that on her own, with Klaus there of all people.
"Are you ok?" A small voice came from below him, he glanced down to see she was fully awake now watching him. "Damon?"
"Yeah, sweetie, I'm fine. Just thinking Stefan comes back today. No more house to ourselves." Damon smirked a little bit before rolling her over onto her back laying between his legs with a cheeky look on his face. "I guess we should make use of what time we have left..." He smirked nuzzling into her neck hearing her whimper and giggle, she rose her legs to wrap them around his waist before looking into his dazzling icy blue eyes. "How are you feeling?"
"Great."
The next day at Pastor Young's now burnt down cabin a dark-skinned man wandered in skulking around with a flashlight, using his torch to look at the lighter on the floor that was burnt from where it had been engulfed by the flame that was the cabin. Then he pulls the stove out to see the gas line had been removed.
A concerned look pressed on his face as he opened the oven door and saw a letter laying inside, pulling it out it read one simple name on the front April he ripped open the letter and read it for a moment before leaving the house with the letter in hand.
Damon passed Grace his drink and she snuck some alcohol from it with a cheeky smile on her face as the Sheriff approached giving them a warning look, she pulled out the seat the opposite side of Damon. "That seat's taken." He ordered in a voice that was filled with authority.
Grace threw the Sheriff an apologetic look before scolding her boyfriend. "Damon..."
Liz just threw down a newspaper in front of Damon and Grace and they both scanned over the headline that the older vampire then read aloud. "Faulty gas line leads to tragic explosion at Young farm." He scoffed a bit. "Really?"
"Better than 'Town council blown up. Police have no suspects' Unless the perpetrator is right next to me." She glanced at Damon with a pointed look. "And his accomplice." She glanced over at Grace.
"Well, don't look at me. I always take credit for killing people... And Grace, she's a school girl." Damon smirked a bit but the Sheriff continued to stare at him. "Seriously, stop looking at me like that, Liz. If I was going to kill twelve people, I wouldn't blow them up, I'd have a dinner party."
"The explosion was sparked from inside. This wasn't an accident." She added with an unimpressed look on her face, Grace studied Damon's face for a moment and even she could see he wasn't lying, it was true if he was going to kill people he wouldn't exactly be subtle about it.
"You say that like it's a bad thing." Damon muttered in response and they all looked behind them as the door to the Grill opened and the mysterious new man walked in watching the three talk. "The Council's dead, Liz. I see that as a win."
"I've known some of the Council since I was a kid." Liz spat back with an upset look on her face, they may have kicked her out of her job and turned against her, but they were still her friends. "They were my friends."
"Well, your friends tried to kill your daughter." Damon retorted with a pointed look looking at the new guy approached the three of them protectively he turned so he was facing Grace ready for anything. "Who's the new guy?"
"Excuse me, Sheriff." The guy called as he reached them with a kind smile on his lips. "Hi, um, I was wondering if I could speak to you for a minute about the explosion at the Young farm." He questioned respectfully.
"I'm sorry, Mr...?"
"Oh, Connor Jordan." Connor introduced himself to her holding out his leather gloved hand for her to shake which she takes happily smiling as she does so.
"Are you with the insurance investigators?" Liz questioned tilting her head to the side, Damon gave a cautious look to Grace which she took and kept with her, she knew that Damon didn't like the look of this guy and was giving her a wordless warning.
"No, no, I'm more of an independent contractor." He answered before sideways glancing at both Grace and Damon who sat watching in complete silence pensive looks on their faces. "Can we speak in private?"
Liz nodded knowing that he might not want to talk in front of an intimidating, protective Damon. "Sure."
"Thanks." He nodded as he wandered away, Liz gave Damon one last look before following Connor across the room.
"Nice to meet you too, Mr. Busybody Guy." Damon remarked sarcastically and Grace couldn't help and smile as she took his drink from him taking a long swig.
Over at the school Matt and Jeremy were packing cardboard boxes into a car. "So, what are these again?" The older blond questioned as he placed another inside.
"They're paper lanterns." Jeremy answered as he followed suit placing the box in the trunk of the car. "The student council made them for after the Memorial. We light them up in honour of all the dead." He added before they walked over to where the rest of the waiting boxes were sitting.
"Nobody thought fire might be a little inappropriate." Matt joked and Jeremy laughed for a moment resting his hand on one of the boxes.
"Yeah, I wouldn't make that crack in front of Elena..." Jeremy warned him with an easy going look on his face, hiding his true emotions, he knew she was on edge and everyone making jokes about the dead wasn't helping her.
Matt blanked for a moment before asking. "How is she?"
"I guess she's fine, considering." Jeremy shrugged his shoulders, truthfully he hadn't seen a lot of her since she had made her transformation, spending most of her time honing her abilities at becoming a vampire.
"If there's anything I can do, you know, short of giving her a ride, you'll let me know, right?" Matt gave Jeremy a look, he could see the guilt heavy in his warm blue eyes. "I'm only alive because she told Stefan to save me first. She's a vampire because of me, so I'd like to pay it back or forward, or whatever..."
"Yeah." The both pick up another box and were about to walk them over to a car when a teenage girl with long black hair and the most beautiful crystal blue eyes approached them with a weary smile.
"Jeremy?" She questioned looking at the brunette with a shocked expression on her face, he looked at her blankly not knowing who this cute girl was. "Picture an emo pixie cut and braces." She joked and he instantly knew who this girl was.
"April?"
"Yeah!" He places the box down on the table again and walks over to her slightly taken back by her new look.
"You look great!" He was amazed her eyes were so clear and beautiful, dazed every time he looked into them, he turned back to Matt who was still trying to place her. "You remember April? Elena used to-"
"Elena used to babysit you. Yeah, I remember." Matt chuckled as he pictured the small girl by Elena's side when she was trying to make some extra money for herself.
"Yeah, before I got shipped off to boarding school by my dad." April answered smirking a bit, her father had been the Pastor, that was why she was back in town to mourn his death in her home town.
"You dad." Jeremy blanked for a moment before giving her a solemn look. "Oh my God, I am so sorry about your dad."
"Thank you. I guess. I sort of don't know how to answer when people say that." She was clear awkwardness on her face as she looked between both handsome boys rubbing the back of her neck.
"You dad was Pastor Young, right?"
"He had the faulty gas line." She nodded her head and both boys glance at each other awkwardly that she would just state it that calmly. "Sorry, I haven't figured out what to say to that yet either. Wow, I am being a freak." She scolded herself shutting her eyes for a moment before looking up at them both. "Um... I'm just, you know, not much for grief, I guess. I have to go register or something, I think..." She walked past them swiftly muttering how stupid she was under her breath.
Elena was in Stefan's room before he was, she was leaving Grace a message on her phone. "Hey, Gracie, it's me. I'm back. I kinda expected you to be in the house but I guess you're out with Damon... Um, can you call me? I've been having some... adjustment issues." She whispered as Stefan walked into the room she quickly hung up her phone. "Hey."
"Hi." He held a bottle of champagne in one hand and two champagne flutes in the other with a beautiful smile on his face.
"What's that for?" Elena asked nervously gnawing on her bottom lip as she looked up at him, she hadn't had the guts to tell him about the vomiting up the animal blood she had drank, it obviously just hadn't agreed with her.
"This is from the year you were born. I think we should celebrate." Stefan smiled, he was just happy that he could get her on animal blood and watch her be a maintained vampire who didn't have to shut off her emotions.
"Celebrate what?"
"Your first feed. I know it was disgusting and traumatic and it was horrible, but you did it anyway." He takes a step towards her giving her an assuring smile. "You survived it."
"Well, um, I wouldn't say I survived it. It actually kind of made me sick." Elena told the truth and Stefan nodded, he remembered what it was like when he first fed, it felt wrong and disgusting but he thought through it and so will she.
"Listen, I choked it down for a month before I could stomach the taste." He told her and a small part of her felt better that another vampire had felt this way. "It gets easier." He holds out the champagne for her to take. "This, on the other hand, will go down like silk." He smiled which made her smile.
"You're so cheery."
"Yeah, because you're here and you're alive-ish. And you're gonna get through this." He promises her in a sure voice and she nods her head too. "So, would you like to do the honours?"
"Ok." Elena pops the cork and it flies across the room hitting a wall, she screams as it does so but laugh anyway, Stefan joining in the floor as the champagne overflows and hit the floor. "Oh my gosh!"
Stefan pours them both a glass and they clink them together before Stefan says. "Cheers." Both of them leaning in for a passionate kiss when suddenly they hear a vibrating noise coming from Stefan's jeans, he fishes his phone out of his pocket and holds it to his ear. "Perfect timing, Damon. Yeah, we just got back. What?"
Elena stormed towards Grace and Damon who were talking quietly sitting as close as they could when she approached them. "Did you do it?" She pressed and they both looked at her. "Did you set off the explosion that killed the Town Council?" She looked directly at Damon.
"Am I wearing my 'I blew up the council' t-shirt, why does everybody keep asking me that?" Damon vented and Grace shook her head from side to side, annoyed that everyone assumed it was her boyfriend all the time.
Elena narrowed her eyes before asking again. "Did you?"
"No, Elena. He didn't do it." Grace hissed protectively as she gritted her teeth together. "Now is there anything else you want, or are you done accusing Damon of something he didn't do for another day."
Elena gulps, she'd never seen this side of her sister, hesitating she nods her head. "Yes, something's wrong. I can't keep any of the animal blood down."
"Well, there's a shock." Damon muttered and Grace shot him a look before turning fully to her sister with a concerned look crossing her face instead of the angered protective one.
"I think I need your help." Elena begged her sister who bit her bottom lip, Damon shook his head at her, she was in no position to be teaching her to drink blood and be able to control it, she couldn't control herself.
"Grace is in no place to help herself, let alone anyone else... but I know she won't let you do this alone, she's like that." Damon informed Elena in a harsh voice looking over his shoulder. "Pick your meal..." He looks around the room. "You've got Asian fusion." He pointed towards one person before pointing somewhere else. "Mexican. What about some good old American comfort food?"
"No." Elena shook her head from side to side. "No, no human blood. Stefan's right, I have to at least try to get through this without hurting someone."
"Fine, then try something else." Damon pipped up before turning to face the newborn vampire. "Go home and drink from Stefan... He'll let you do it, don't worry." He smiled before Elena looked between them. "Grace drinks from me all the time, and vice-versa..."
"Grace?"
"It can help with the cravings sometimes. You don't have to tell him why you want to, just kinda... do it." Grace agreed nodding her head looking over at Damon a lustful look on her face as she smiled at him. "Yeah. You should, uh, you should go try."
Elena nodded her head looking between the two before heading back out to see if she could find Stefan and do what they say. Damon snaked his hand up her thigh giving her a look which she knew all too well.
Within seconds they were in the women's restroom, she was pressed against the wall her fangs deep in his neck drinking his aged blood with so much want and need. He crunched into her wrist gulping down her blood greedily before they pull away from each other, dark looks in their eyes and Damon presses a hard kiss to her lips, mixing their blood in each others mouths.
Elena smiled as she pulled away from Stefan's wrist blood covering her mouth as they lay in his bed, he brushed his hand through her hair tenderly looking into her deep black eyes with veins around them both.
"Well, that was unexpected." Stefan breathed out as she gave him a smile, the blood seemed to had worked like Damon and Grace had said it would.
"I'd really love to stay around, but I need to go help set up the Memorial service in the church." Elena sighed a little and he gave her a forgiving smile, as much as he wanted to spend time with her he knew that she still needed to do things that made her feel human.
Tyler and Caroline were in his bed together, kissing heatedly and touching feverishly when suddenly the blonde pushes him off of her and gives him a sad look. "This is wrong. A bunch of people died and we're having sex."
"Grief sex." Tyler explained in a sure voice as he pecked her neck voice. "It's healthy."
"It's selfish." She countered with a worn expression.
Tyler shook his head and said. "It's natural. Besides, if we stopped having sex every time somebody died in this town, we'd explode." He joked as he went in for another sloppy wet kiss which she pushed him away from.
"We need to be more sensitive." She informs him in a soft voice and he glides his hand up her side warmly. "Tyler."
"Oh, come on." They stare at each other wearing different expressions for a moment. "I love you. How's that for sensitive."
"I love you, too." Caroline breathes out as they touch their foreheads together, their lisp just meeting when suddenly the doorbell rings and the both jolt at the sound of it.
Tyler growls before saying. "Who the hell is that?"
Carol was downstairs at the time and wanders over to the door to open it and reveal the new guy Connor Jordan standing there with a pleasant smile on his face. "May I help you?" She questioned in a respectful voice.
"Good evening." Connor nodded. "I'm hoping I can help you actually. I spoke with Sheriff Forbes. My name is Connor Jordan." He introduces himself reaching his hand out letting Carol shake it.
"Carol Lockwood. I know who you are, Connor and I believe that Sheriff made it clear that the tragedy at the farmhouse was an internal matter." The woman answered him in a stern voice trying to keep him out of the towns dark secrets.
Connor couldn't help but smirk a little, he had been to the crime scene and investigated the area seeing what truly had happened. "That's one way of looking at it, I guess. Although I prefer the term cover up. Do you mind if I come in?"
"You know, I really don't think that's a good idea." She tried to shut he door but Connor forces his way in making her attempt unsuccessful. "Uh, excuse me."
"Thank you." Connor smiled as he looked around the fancy foyer of the mansion nodding his head before returning to the matter in hand. "You're aware that is wasn't an accident. Any rookie fireman could tell you that."
"What are you? The press?" Carol scolded in a cold voice as she looked at the newcomer to town who was intruding on their towns personal business.
"Not exactly." Connor chuckled shaking his head from side to side. "So, twelve Council members are dead, you the Mayor, why weren't you at that meeting?" He questioned curiously.
"It wasn't official town business." She answered vaguely, she had been kicked out of her post as Mayor by the Pastor.
"What was it then?" Connor pressed as he heard footsteps walking down the stairs, looking up he saw Tyler approaching pulling a shirt over his head.
"Mom? What's going on?" He questioned as he walks to standing protectively in front of his mother, Connor watches him carefully as he standing there eyes wild with concern. "Is there something I could help you with?"
"Maybe." Connor shrugged his shoulders. "How are you doing? I'm Connor." He introduced himself again holding his hands out, Tyler reaches out and takes it and the palm of his hand burns in contact with the black leather glove.
Within seconds Connor pulled out a pistol and fires some wooden pulls into Tyler several times until he fell to the ground which was where the new guy continued to fire, all the hybrid could hear was the frantic sound of his mother.
"Tyler! Oh my God! Tyler! Tyler, run!" Carol calls as Connor began to reload his pistol, with that time Tyler scrambles up off the floor and took off out of the window, Connor following after him.
Not much later Stefan was removing the wooden bullets from Tyler's torso with a metal pair of tongs, Caroline standing beside them watching concerned for her boyfriend creasing her eye brows. "Please tell me that's the last one." She begged as the older vampire inspected the bullet carefully.
"These were specially carved; the length, the width. If you were a normal vampire, you'd be dead." Stefan warned him as he dunked the bullet into a glass of alcohol to clean it and Tyler looked up at Caroline relieved that he was a hybrid and survived the attack.
"This guy knew what he was doing. His glove must have been steeped in vervain. He was looking for a vampire and he didn't hesitate for a second when he found one..." Tyler explained as Stefan inspected the bullet closer.
"These etchings..." He muttered as he carefully pressing the tip of his finger to the stranger markings, it instantly burned him making him retreat his finger.
The blonde observed and asked. "Are the bullets spelled?"
"I don't know. They're something."
At Mystic Falls church Matt and Elena were laying out memorial pamphlets on the pews, it was a beautiful old building, purely white and made to feel so homely and safe, that's why the new vampire loved to be inside their so much. "How are you feeling?" Matt questioned as he approached her. "A little strung out?" He hands her more pamphlets.
"I'm fine." Elena assured him but her face didn't match her voice. "It's just my emotions are all over the place. Everything's heightened. I mean..." She opens one of the pamphlets and sees all the people inside frowning at the sight of all the death. "Just the sight of all the names of the dead makes me want to cry for a week."
Matt couldn't help but feel his heart wrench for her, he had no idea what she was going through, he couldn't compare it to anything in his life, apart from losing Vicki to the same thing, but the point was she was going through this because of him. "You didn't have to volunteer."
"People died. People we've known our whole lives, so yeah, I did." Elena nodded her head before looking around the room to see April sitting on the front pews looking down at a small book in her hand a solemn expression on her face. "Is that?"
"April Young. Yeah."
"Oh, wow." Elena didn't waste anytime in crossing the room to go and see her, the vampire gave her a soft smile as she approached taking up the space next to the young girl. "Hey there."
"Hey. Long time, no see. Not since..." Her voice trailed off when the raven haired girl realised that she shouldn't continue her sentence.
Elena nodded her head remember exactly the last time she had seen the girl before she had been sent off to boarding school by her father. "My parents funeral."
"Yeah." April nodded her head when Elena leaned in and hugged the girl warmly, she had always been fond of the girl when she had babysat her, almost like a little sister.
"Are you gonna survive this?"
"They want me to speak. I guess all the kids who lost somebody can. What am I supposed to say?" The icy blue-eyed girl began to tear up shaking her head from side to side. "I'm sorry my dad didn't fix the gas line? But, if I don't say anything then... I mean, what if nobody does? My dad and I didn't always get along or anything, but everybody still deserves to have nice things said about them at their own funeral, you know? I mean, for my mom's funeral, everybody said nice things." She babbled.
"You say what you want to say or you don't say anything at all. And don't worry about your dad, everyone in this town loved him." Elena assured her rubbing her on the back tenderly.
"Yeah." April sniffled as she began to tear up once more. "Until two days ago."
"Even still." Elena gave her a soothing smile as she reached out to take her hand, but all she could feel was the hungry deep inside of her growling as she watched the distort girl. "I'm sorry, I... I have to go." She rushes off at human pace into the restrooms and pukes Stefan's blood into the toilet.
Wheezing as she stood back up she looked in the mirror at herself feeling so weak and hurting so much, suddenly more blood rushed up her throat emptying the crimson mess into sink, blood staining her dress and dripping down her chin.
Bonnie was still recovering from what had happened with her Grams when suddenly she heard a banging on her front door, everything inside of her screamed at her to stay put and ignore everyone but she knew she couldn't do that for the rest of her life.
"Bonnie? Bonnie, I know you're in there." Stefan hollered and she sat upright a frown on her face as she waited a bit longer, maybe he would go away. "I can hear you breathing. Bonnie, please, it's important." With that she stood up and wandered to the door opening it to see the concerned vampire standing there. "Hey. You alright?" He attempted to walk inside but was stopped by the barrier. "Can I come in, please?"
Simply Bonnie nodded her head in response letting the vampire into her house, something she had always been against, even if it was just Stefan, but he walked in and embraced her tightly and she didn't hesitate to whimper into his chest.
Stefan took her back through to the living room where she had just been sitting around remembering that awful moment with her Grams over and over again. "My Grams, it was like she was dying all over again. Just because I didn't listen to her about not going black magic."
"Well, you're dealing with the Other Side. It's not reliable." Stefan tried to assure her but he knew nothing he could say would make this any better. "Witches were probably just messing with your head trying to teach you a lesson.
"Well, it worked." Bonnie nodded her head letting out a shaky breathing. "I tried to do a basic nature spell this morning just to clear my head and it just brought it all back. Like it was happening all over again." She shivered heavily before realising he must have come here for something other than listening to her troubles. "Sorry, I'm a mess, I've been holed up in here avoiding everyone. I've completely blown off Jamie." She sighed heavily. "You came here because you needed something, right?"
"Yeah, but it can wait." He assured her as he stood up, knowing that she was dealing with her witch troubles and didn't need to be dragged into the vampire world again so soon.
"No, come on, Stefan, I'm ok." She quickly told him nodding her head. "You're not exactly a drop by kind of guy, just... if something's wrong, tell me."
Nodding his head Stefan took his seat next to her again reaching into his jean pocket pulling out a piece of cloth showing the wooden bullets from Connor's gun in them. "Alright, these burn to the touch. Could just be stepped in vervain, but this writing, have you ever seen anything like this before?" He questioned and she shook her head simply.
"No. It's not magical writing, if that's what you're thinking." Bonnie answered and he let out a small sigh as he tucked the bullets away again. "Where'd you get these?"
"I think we have a new vampire hunter in town."
"That's bad timing." Bonnie muttered.
Elena was frantically trying to clean up the blood she had vomited everywhere whilst on the phone with Grace who had agreed to bring her some new clothes and some bagged blood, Grace had told she would meet Damon had the service before leaving to help her sister.
"I'm here." Grace was walking towards the church in her huge heels clicking against the cement with every step. "I'm here. Where are you?"
"I'm in the basement bathroom." She answered in a whisper as the door knob began to rattle someone was trying to get into the room from the other side. "Is that you at the door?"
"Not yet." Grace scoffed a little as she ran her fingers through her chocolate-brown hair walking a little faster to head towards the church.
"Sorry, there's someone in here!" Elena called to the person on the other side of the door before lowering her voice again to speak with her twin. "Grace, hurry." She turned on the taps and began to clean the sink, floor and anywhere else she had hit with her blood vomit.
Grace speeds down the stairs two steps at a time with one of her dresses for Elena to wear seeing that Connor was sitting on a couch waiting to use the bathroom, she gulped a bit remembering the look Damon had given her in regard to him.
"Ah, you again." She muttered as he stood up looking over at her, she knew if she wanted to keep this guy off her she would have to act intimidating, act like Damon. "What's with you, huh? Stalking small town funerals?" She questioned as the door to the bathroom opened and Elena stuck her head out.
"Grace, thank God." She sees Connor looking between them both. "Sorry, I-I spilt coffee all over my dress." She snorts with laughter as she gives him a 'what are you going to do' look, he nodded his head giving her a suspicious look.
With that Elena retreated back into the room with the new dress, Connor stared Grace down for a moment before smiling politely at her. "We have not met. I'm Connor. Jordan." He introduced himself holding out his gloved hand.
She looked at it for a moment gnawing on her bottom lip before giving him a kind smile. "Grace. I don't touch until the second date." She joked laughing a little knocking on the door with the back of her knuckles as she saw the humorless look pull across Connor's face. "Everything ok in there?"
"Yeah, just a minute!"
"You two are... sisters? Cousins?"
"We're sisters." Grace confirmed with a curt nod looking him up and down for a moment before hearing footsteps from behind her, looking over her shoulder she saw her boyfriend approaching, he didn't have a very happy look on his face. "Oh, this is my boyfriend, you saw him earlier."
"Nice to meet you, I'm Connor." The hunter nodded holding out his gloved hand, Damon just looked at it for a moment smirking a bit.
"Damon. Germaphobe." Damon informed him and Grace looked up at him receiving the same skeptical look from her boyfriend. "So, what brings you to Mystic Falls." Possessively he placed his hand on Grace's narrow waist. "Bible salesman?"
Connor laughed a bit. "No, actually I'm in environmental clean up." He answered and Damon nodded his head a little.
"Oh."
Connor nodded once more confirming the issue. "Heard you had a bit of a pollution problem."
"Huh, well, I was unaware. I breathe pretty easy." Damon answered placing his hand on his chest starring the guy down at the door knob twisted and Elena walked out looking between the three.
"I'm so sorry that I took so long." Elena apologised to Connor with a completely sincere look on her face, the bathroom was spotless, you'd never been able to tell that she had vomited up her bloody lunch in there.
"No problem."
"Well, enjoy your stay." Damon tightened his grip on Grace's hip making her wince a little. "We love visitors and the scenery is to die for." He gasps falsely and places his hand over his mouth. "Funeral pun. Too soon. Sorry." He leads both the ladies from the basement.
Up in the balcony above the pews April was sat looking down at a blank pages where she was planning to write a speech for her father but no words came to mind, tapping the pen against the page she was startled when new boy Connor came and took a seat next to her.
"Sorry, you scared me." April laughed uneasily running her hands through her thick black hair. "I was just practicing my speech for later."
Exchanging a sad smile with the teen she gets up about to leave, but Connor was too fast and stabbed a knife into her gut and then pulling it back out, she gasped loudly and the hunter gently moves her to she is comfortably sitting on the bench again. Holding her hand to her stomach she pulled her hand back to see the blood covering it just as bloody spilled from her mouth.
Damon stood watch as Grace and Elena were handling some blood, Grace was searching in her bag for the blood she had brought for her sister. "Did you bring the blood bag?"
"Would you mind saying that a little louder?" Damon remarked throwing them a look over his shoulder as Grace finally finds the bag holding it out to her sister.
Elena didn't waste any time in ripping the top open and taking down the blood, it didn't agree with her still and feels it rising back up her throat, missing her and Grace's dresses by inches. "No, I can't. It tastes like... what's wrong with me?"
"I don't know." Grace muttered as she dried Elena's chin completely baffled by what was happening to her sister. "I would say it's because maybe you're a doppelgänger but... I was fine with my transition."
"I'm dying, aren't I." Elena whined holding her pain filled stomach, Grace could feel fear taking over her body, if her sister didn't take any blood or drink then she was going to die, for real this time.
"No, you're not dying." Damon hissed as he approached them giving Grace a look telling her that everything was going to be fine. "You just need to drink from the vein."
"No. No, I don't – I can't risk killing anyone, Damon. Maybe I'm better off dead." Elena sulked and pain crossed Grace's face when she thought of her sister dying for real, she could remember how she reacted the first time, hurting Dr. Fell.
"Don't you think like that. Elena, you'll be fine. Ok?" Grace whispered but her voice didn't match what she wanted to feel, it was almost defeated, the bell began to ring and Elena sighed a bit looking towards the building.
"I have to get back inside." Elena muttered as she walked back towards the church, Grace let out a heavy sigh covering her face with her hands before she felt a pair of arms warp around her body tightly.
"Everything is going to be fine, alright? I promise you." Damon whispered as he pressed soft kisses to the side of her head making her sink into his embrace more. "How are you feeling? Any cravings?"
"Damon, I'm fine." She pulled away from him running her fingers through her thick hair for a moment before looking back up at him. "Sorry. I'm just a little stressed with the Elena thing, but I'm fine, thank you."
Reaching out Damon caressed her face for a moment before leaning down to capture her lips into a passionate kiss making all her worries wash away for a moment as she shared the loving gesture with the one vampire she truly loved.
"What's in the bag, Grace?" Stefan's voice came from behind them and they both pulled away Grace was still dazed by the kiss but as she looked at the younger Salvatore a guilty look struck across her face.
"Mid-service snack. Church always gets me hungry." Damon patted his stomach with a cocky look on his face. "The whole blood Christ thing, you know." Stefan's look turned to a glare.
"Stefan, I brought it for Elena." Grace admitted in a small voice, as much as she thought it was better getting her sister onto human blood she hated going behind Stefan's back, it felt so dirty and wrong.
"Gracie, go inside and save us a seat, sweetie. I need to talk to Stefan." Damon's voice was dark as he gave his girlfriend his best smile, she looked between both brothers skeptically before squeezing his hand and heading into the church. "She told me what happened whilst she was with Klaus and you on your great American road trip."
"Then you understand why I can't let Elena feed on a human, if someone as pure and human-like as Grace can kill someone-"
"No, I understand that I now need to get Grace onto human blood from the vein and teach her how to not kill someone, and why I'm there I might as well give her sister a lesson or two, because if I don't..."
"I saw something in Grace that day, Damon. It was dark and it was a place I've been to, twice over now. It's a place she won't want to come back from, trust me." Stefan hissed at his older brother. "I can't see her go there, you need to keep her on the blood bags and if Elena ends up hurting someone then she'll be desperate to turn the guilt off... She'll turn it off."
"You don't know what you're talking about, Grace isn't going to be anything like you, she isn't going to be a ripper."
"How do you know? Were you there with her that day? No. But I was, and I can tell you from first hand experience, Damon, that I saw in her what I felt inside of me." Stefan hissed as his brother stared him down for a long hard moment.
"You think you're so perfect with Elena? Yeah, I may have messed up with my girlfriend but at least she can take my blood and keep it down." Damon sneered and his younger brothers face went blank. "That's right, brother. Your four-legged protein shake was a bust. The juice box is a no go. She can't even keep your blood down."
"You told her to drink from me?"
"Well technically it was Grace's idea, but yeah, I was all for it. Nice going, Stef. You're gonna have a baby vamp who won't eat on your hands, handle that." Damon sneered as he walked away frustrated.
Elena quietly takes at seat next to Matt and Jeremy, looking a little clammy and pale, both of the boys look at her suspiciously. "You ok?" She just nodded not wanting to speak.
"Hey, April was looking for you." Jeremy's voice was low as he leant towards his sister. "She wanted help with her speech."
Elena gulped a bit feeling such guilt for abandoning the girl when she had needed her most, the teen had depended on her. "Where is she?"
Jeremy looked around too trying to spot the raven haired girl in the crowded room but unable to see her anywhere. "I don't know."
Up in the balcony away from everyone's sight Connor was loading a high-powered sniper rifle with the same wooden bullets lined with vervain. He glanced down apologetically at April who was bound and gagged leaning against the balcony wall, blood seeping from her wound.
Stefan walked into the church calmed down from his confrontation with his older brother only to see Tyler and Caroline in some of the back pews. "What are you doing here, Tyler?" The older vampire muttered to him, only hours ago a vampire hunter had tried to take him down, only to be unsuccessful, now he was standing in the middle of a church, he was a walking target.
"Being sensitive to the communities loss." Tyler answered in a low voice looking at the forest green-eyed vampire standing in the row next to him.
"With a hunter out to get you?"
"I'm not letting a hunter stop me from where I'm supposed to be." Tyler replied shortly as he tightened his grip on the blondes waist giving him a tight smile, all he wanted was to protect Caroline and she was going to do the same for him.
"Also, if he shows his face, I'm gonna kick his ass." Caroline muttered lower than any normal human could hear.
Stefan nodded his head before spotting Grace from across the room, she was keeping an eye on her sister from two rows back and he took a seat next to her giving her an assuring look, he was about to ask how she was when Carol started the service.
"Before we begin the Mass, we'd like to open the floor to anyone who would like to share a memory about our late friends on the Town Council. I know that April Young wanted to say a few words about her dad. April? April, are you still here, honey?" She looked out into the many rows of civilians to not see any sign of the girl. "Is there anyone else who would like to share a recollection or a memory about Pastor Young?"
There was an awkward silence that fell over the room and Elena's heart ached for the family, what April said would happen was happening and now she wasn't even here to say a few words about her own father, she couldn't let that happen. Without a second thought she stood up.
"What is she doing?" Grace muttered to Stefan looking over her shoulder at Caroline who was throwing her an equally concerned look.
Elena does her best to walk in a steady line towards the podium looking out as Damon walked into the room all the vampires turning to look at him as he dipped his hand in the holy water and touches his hand to his forehead, chest and shoulders in a cross shape.
"Don't know why that always makes me smile." Damon muttered as he took a seat the other side of Grace taking her hand she couldn't help but feel safer with him there. "She doesn't look so good."
"Maybe one of you should have told me she was rejecting all food sources." Stefan countered and Grace felt a tinge of jealousy in her stomach but her boyfriend proceeded to scoff under his breath.
Damon replied quickly. "If there is anyone you should be blaming it should be yourself, brother."
"Oh, bite me." Stefan retorted in a harsh voice, the youngest vampire hit both of them in the arm giving them a look.
"Will you both give it a rest." She ordered in a firm voice looking up to see Elena was now standing at the podium holding onto it tightly to keep herself steady in a room full of human blood, smelling each person, each one as tempting at the next.
"I, uh... when I talked to April earlier she was kind of nervous about coming up to speak. And now that I'm up here, I'm kind of nervous too." Elena muttered and Grace tensed next to Damon moving forward in her seat, he held onto her tightly, making sure she couldn't go anywhere. "The worst day of loving someone is the day that you lose them-" She stopped when an intense smell filled her nostrils. Blood.
"Do you smell that?" Caroline muttered to Tyler but know the rest of the vampires in the room would be able to hear them.
Tyler nodded his head and tightened his grip around his blonde girlfriend. "Blood."
"Nobody move. Don't turn around, it's a trap." Damon's hold was like iron around Grace almost hurting her as she let the fresh blood from a living human fill her body feeling her fangs pushing through her gums she put her head down. "Don't think about it. Think about anything else." Damon muttered in her ear so that she would only be listening to him, focusing on his voice.
"I... I um..." Elena breathes out and can feel the veins approaching around her eyes, looking down at the podium she tried to think about anything else, but the smell was too strong, she was surprised when she felt a warm embrace tenderly moving her away from the stage muttering sweet words in her ear.
"Please turn to page forty-two in your hymn book." The Priest then took over standing at the front podium. "Let us join together in song."
Everyone in the room rose and sung as Elena leaned on Stefan as they moved back to her seat next to Matt and Jeremy who looked at her concerned. "The blood. Stefan, the blood, I can smell it. There's so much."
"It's alright; just remember what we talked about. Focus, push back, come on you can do this." Stefan assured her in a whisper, looking over his shoulder he saw Damon holding Grace tight as she looked at him with her black eyes.
Matt gave Elena a concerned look as she shook in her boyfriends arms. "What's wrong with her?"
"She's hungry." Stefan explained in a hushed voice. "She hasn't fed."
"So, get her out of here." Matt replied quickly but Stefan just shook his head back at the human, if he could get her out of there safely it would have been the first thing he tried.
"I can't. There's somebody watching us." Stefan answered and Matt couldn't help but glance around the room slowly but coyly.
Damon scoffed a little from two rows behind. "I'm gonna go rip his head off now."
"Right behind you." Grace's voice was angered and low as she spoke her fangs still not retracted back into her gums, Damon was surprised to hear her so threatening but supported her new found anger.
"You do that and you risk exposing all of us. Just sit tight." Stefan ordered in a voice that was filled with authority, Grace narrowed her eyes as she brushed down her dress still thinking about the blood but it was being overtaken by anger now.
"Well, I think the risk will be slightly diminished when I, you know, rip his head off." Damon countered his angry was only adding to Grace's as he gave her a look.
"Stefan, I'm losing it."
"You have ten seconds before I go old-fashioned on the new guy." Damon straightened his blazer running his hands through Grace's hair for a moment about to get them both to move out thinking it was better to have her with him so he could keep an eye on her.
Stefan gulped a little before pleading. "Don't do it, Damon. Please."
"Three, two, one. Bye." He took Grace's hand about to move them both out of the pews when Matt suddenly spoke up out of desperation.
"Wait, wait, wait, wait." Matt called in a hushed voice knowing the vampires in the room would be able to hear him over the choir singing. "Elena, feed from me." All the vampires look at the blond slightly surprised by his announcement. "It's ok, everyone will think you're upset. Just feed from me."
Stefan and Matt exchange looks as he release the vampire and she holds onto the humans shirt tightly, unknown to them Connor had the crosshair of the rifle fixed on the three of them watching them all suspiciously.
Unbuttoning the top of Matt's shirt carefully she sinks her fangs into his neck secretly hiding it from everyone else who just thought she had got emotional from the service and Matt was just comforting her.
"How are you feeling?" Damon muttered to Grace softly holding her close to him, she was still feeling angry and hungry but just shrugged her shoulders watching as Elena drank from Matt, her first time drinking from the vein and she was doing better than she had. "Don't worry. I'm gonna teach you how to control it." He added as if he had read her mind.
To everyone's surprise Tyler was strutting down the aisle towards the podium, Grace looked back at Caroline who seemed very surprised by the events. "Excuse me. I just wanted to say a few words about Pastor Young."
"Caroline, what is he doing?" Grace muttered as everyone began to take their seats again looking back at her friend who seemed distort by the events, it was obvious that Connor was going to notice Tyler at first glance.
"Back in first grade, I was a brat who couldn't be bothered with team sports. Didn't care much about anything that didn't affect me. But he was the one who made me understand how important it is to be part of a team; a community. Of giving yourself up for the sake of-" A loud bang entered the room as Tyler fell to the floor a sake in his chest.
All the humans civilians began to panic and duck in the aisles rushing out of the church without hesitation, Damon placed a passionate kiss on Grace's lips before disappearing into the crowd without a second thought.
Caroline and the other vampires rushed their way towards Tyler who was already awake pulling the stake from his chest muttering curse words under his breath as Caroline knelt next to him. "I'm gonna kill that bastard."
"Damon's way ahead of you." Grace muttered looking down at the black-haired boy who shook his head taking his blonde girlfriends hand giving her a soft smile, he had really taken one for the team being bait like that.
"Stay here, I have to help him." Stefan told Elena in a firm voice as he went to take off after his older brother but not before his girlfriend grabbed his hand with a concerned look on her face.
"What about April?"
"We can look for her, Elena. Go." Grace told Stefan in a firm voice before looking around the place trying to smell out the teen, the oldest vampire in the room left without another word as Carol pulled her phone out of her purse.
"I have to call an ambulance."
Caroline gave the older woman a confused look. "No, he's fine." He pointed to how he was no longer injured and there was no need for medical care considering he was a supernatural being.
Whilst they had this argument Elena and Grace dissolved into the church surroundings looking for April Young, it had been her blood that had used to try to lure out one of the vampires.
"The whole town just watched you get shot. I'm calling an ambulance." Carol answered in a sharp voice as she dialled 911.
Connor quickly launched his duffel bag full of deadly weapons into the bed of his pickup, jumping in the driver's side he shut the door quickly but was surprised when it was suddenly torn off its hinges and a very angry Damon stood there.
Grabbing the vampire hunter he throws him to the ground violently baring his fangs at him, Connor yanks his pistol out of the holster on his hip firing serval wooden bullets into the vampire making him fall to his knees but Damon reached forward and grabbed the weapon throwing it to the side.
Stefan's voice came from the distance. "Damon?" Connor was about to stake Damon in the heart but instead took off when he heard the vampires back up approaching, climbing into his car with no door and driving into the distance at quite a pace.
"Ow..." Stefan approached his older brother who had a grim look on his face, he holds out his hand to his older brother and when he took it he helped him half way up before punching him square in the face. "Uh, what was that for?!"
"You don't know anything about what Grace is going through, and you don't know anything about Elena, so stay out." Stefan's voice was dangerously low as he walked away leaving his brother on the ground holding his split lip.
Caroline began looking around for Grace and Elena after they vanished, she cursed as she ran up the stairs towards the smell of blood finding Grace about to bite down on April's neck. "No!" The blonde hollered running over and grabbing her slamming her back against the wall pinning her wrists down as the brunette thought against her. "I thought you had it under control."
"I do..." Grace answered in a husky voice her fangs pointing out below her pouted lips staring over at April who was still bleeding. "Dammit. Let me go, Caroline."
"No. You were going to finish that girl off." They both turned when they heard footsteps standing behind them, Elena was standing there looking at her sister shocked. "Elena-"
"That's April... Grace, did you do this? What happened?"
"Nothing... No! I found her like this." Grace answered in a low voice running her fingers through her hair trying to pull herself together for a moment, Caroline didn't waste any time in leaning down and feeding April her blood to heal her.
April wakes up with a gasp looking directly at Grace whose veins under her eyes were just fading away. "Please, don't hurt me. Please." She begged scared.
"No ones going to hurt you." Caroline assured her giving Grace a look which made her feel so guilty she looked away for a moment away from the judgemental looks. "She needs you, Elena. You can make her forget all of this."
"Why did he do this?" April begged looking around so confused as a look was exchanged between the three girls.
Elena shook her head from side to side, she wasn't ready to deal with this kind of stuff yet, she was barely even newborn. "No, I-I can't, Caroline. You have to do it."
"No. The only way you're going to learn is if you do it yourself." Caroline answered her before looking over at Grace taking her over to the side whilst Elena gulped as she walked over to April slowly. "If you would have fed from her, she'd be dead right now."
"I know, Caroline." Grace answered in a soft voice as she looked at the ground, the blonde felt as if she wanted to shake the girl and throw her out a window just to teach her a lesson but that wasn't how she was going to be able get through to someone like Grace.
"You need to get this under control, Grace. Otherwise it will consume you and take you to a dark place which we've all seen before... In Stefan, that was scary and I don't want to see it happen to you." Caroline threatened.
Both Caroline and Grace watched carefully as Elena compelled April to think that everything went smoothly rather than the train wreck that had happened during the service for her father.
Over at the Grill Jeremy and Matt were waiting at the bar for their food order from the kitchen. "That was insane. How do you think they'll cover this one up?" The blond questioned.
"An assassination attempt on the Mayor's son."
"Altar boy goes postal." Matt added shaking his head from side to side as Connor walked over to the bar and takes a seat.
"Hey." Connor called over to Matt who looked at him, a bandaged was now covering the bite mark on his neck hiding him it away from view. "What happened there?"
"Uh, girlfriend went a little overboard." Matt chuckled as he walked away leaving Jeremy there alone waiting on the food.
"Nice ink." Jeremy noted looking at the tattoo down his arm, it was bold something that no body was miss, as he food came the teen took the bag and wandered back to his friend who gave him a slightly confused look.
"What ink?" Matt questioned looking back at Connor to see he was actually tattoo free, nothing was there.
Jeremy gave him a slightly confused look surprised that he had missed something as bold as that. "You didn't see his tattoo? It was huge."
"He didn't have a tattoo." The blonde shook his head from side to side, if there had been one he was sure he would have noticed it, but there was nothing.
"Yeah, he did."
A little later that night Connor enters his trailer that he was stored in the woods of Mystic Falls sitting down at the small table pulling out a letter that he had stolen from the Pastor's cabin earlier.
Dear April, I'm sorry for what you're going through. What I did was a necessary sacrifice and I'm afraid it's only the first of many more sacrifices to come. There's always been an evil that spread through Mystic Falls, but now a greater one is coming. My death is but the first in the war ahead. I will see you again when we all find our salvation. Until then, I love you. Dad.
Stefan poured himself and Elena a drink passing it to her, she sniffs the alcohol groaning in disgust at the horrid smell. "It helps with the cravings." She takes a sip and coughs from the roughness of the finish.
"You're mad." She muttered under her breath looking over at him as he took a large gulp of the whiskey they were both drinking.
"Yeah, I'm mad. You lied to me." Stefan answered in a short voice, he wasn't actually mad her at her just the fact she hadn't been telling him the truth hiding her true emotions from him.
"I didn't lie. I just didn't tell you."
Stefan scoffed a bit seeing right through her statement. "C'mon, Elena, you lied to me."
"You were just so happy that thinks were going well and – and..."
"You think I'm happy?" He wasn't going to be truly happy until she was happy and comfortable in her own skin, at the moment she wasn't that and she wasn't feeding which was worse than anything.
"I just didn't want to ruin it for you." Elena replied in a soft voice she knew that he just wanted to make sure she was ok, but she didn't want to bother him with something that was easily sorted by drinking from the vein.
"You're in hell which means that I'm in hell." He was going to stick through this with her no matter what. "Then you go to Damon and Grace for help."
She began to sob. "Yeah, because I thought that they would understand..."
"You think I don't?" That hurt Stefan more than anything she could say, after everything he had told her about her life she doesn't think she can tell him about not eating.
"Stefan, please."
"They told you to fed on me, Elena. It wasn't your choice, it was something they put in your head. And then to let them know that you couldn't keep down my blood..." He shook his head from side to side trying to shake away his anger.
"I didn't want to hurt you. I'm – I'm sorry – I – look I'm really, really sorry. Why am I crying?" She dries her eyes with the back of her hand. "I'm so sick of crying!" She bellowed angrily beginning to pace around. "I feel like I've been crying since the day my parents died. My life it's - it's like a never-ending funeral. We keep burying people, Stefan. You want to know what's heightened? The grief, I can't stop feeling everyone's grief." The older vampire wandered over to her. "All the hurt, I feel like it's trying to explode out of me."
"Hey, c'mon. Come with me." Stefan reached out and took her hand carefully, she looked up at him through tear filled eyes.
"Where?"
"There's something we need to do. C'mon."
Grace straddled Damon's waist in their room as she pried the bullets out of his stomach with a pair of metal tongs, he would groan every time another one came out or Grace dug around for another one. "Ah!"
"C'mon, Princess, man up." Grace cooed teasingly as she pressed soft kisses to his neck, he looked up at her brushing her hair off of her face as she concentrated on pulling another bullet out. "There. Last one." She smiled at him letting it fall to the floor with a tiny noise.
"C-Caroline called me." Damon looked at her and her entire body froze with shock. "I knew I shouldn't have left you alone in there..."
"Damon, I wasn't thinking I was weak for a moment, but I'm ok now, I can control it..." She promised but honestly her voice didn't match how she wanted to feel, it was wavering and weak.
"Can you? What if Caroline wasn't there to stop you, or what if I'm not there to stop you? You need to learn how to control it." Damon looked up at her as she let out a heavy sigh looking down at her hands. "I-" He was cut off when her phone began to ring.
The couple get out of Damon's car hand in hand to see their friends standing outside of Mystic Falls High, Bonnie was standing there too as they approached the group. "Stefan, what are we doing?"
"We're finishing the memorial we didn't get to have earlier." Stefan begins to hand out lanterns that were supposed to be used for the real memorial before it was cut short by Tyler being shot. "We need to start healing, Damon. We've all lost so much, especially recently. I think we're numb to it. We push it away. We make a joke out of it, ignore how we feel. We've never just let ourselves grieve."
"So, you're lighting lanterns?" Damon questioned a little confused, Grace seemed intrigued by the idea she had never truly got to say goodbye to everyone she had lost.
Stefan nodded his head. "Yeah. Yeah, we need to do this."
"What we need to do is find out who this hunter is and what he knows about the death of the Council. We have more important things to be doing now than this." Damon scoffed a bit about to walk away.
"Not tonight, we don't." Stefan answered in a firm voice. "This is for my uncle Zach and my friend Lexi and for Alaric." He lights the lantern before handing the lighter to Matt.
"This is for Vicki." He lights his lantern before handing his lighter over to Caroline who gave it a thoughtful look.
"This is for my dad. And Tyler's." She lights her lantern passing on the lighter to Jeremy who took it and gave it a thoughtful look.
"This is for our parents. For Vicki. Anna. Jenna. And Alaric." He muttered lighting his lantern and handing the lighter over to Grace took it and got a lantern handed to her by Stefan.
"This... This is for my parents and... our parents." She looked at Elena who nodded a little. "For my Gran and Jenna and... Alaric." She looked up at Damon lighting her lantern before holding it out for him.
He shook his head from side to side. "No. No way. I'm not doing that." He release Grace's hand and heads back to his car.
"Damon." She called but he didn't turn or come back, Caroline gave her an apologetic look and she just rolled her eyes as she stood next to her blonde friend handing the lighter over to Bonnie with a solemn look on her face.
"This is for my Grams." She stated simply as she gets up and stands next to Caroline and Grace before Elena stood up and took the lighter from her witch friend and lit her lantern looking around at her circle of friends.
"This um – is for my mom, my dad, Jenna, everyone that you've all lost, everyone that this town has lost... And for me, I guess." Elena muttered as she steps forward and release her lantern into the sky and one by one they release their lanterns into the clear night sky.
Over at the cemetery Damon was sitting on a bench with a bottle of whiskey in hand talking to a Alaric's gravestone, he found himself always going there when he needed to talk to someone or just think.
"They're floating lanterns in the sky, can you believe that? A Japanese lantern is the symbol of letting of the past. Well, here's a news flash, we're not Japanese!" He takes a large swig of his drink. "Do you know what they are?" He questioned knowing he wouldn't get a response
"Children." He answered for himself. "Like lighting a candle is going to make everything ok or even saying a prayer... And pretending Grace isn't in a bad place, she's a murderous vampire it's about time she faced it. Stupid, delusional, exasperating, little children." Damon hissed narrowing his eyes.
"I know what you're going to say, 'It makes them feel better, Damon.' So what?" Damon scoffed loudly. "For how long? A minute, a day? What difference does it make? Because in the end, when you lose somebody; every candle, every prayer is not going to make up for the fact that the only thing that you have left is a hole in your life where that somebody that you cared about used to be..." He stands up and walks around the gravestone.
"And a rock with a birthday carved into it that I'm pretty sure is wrong." He added as he looked down at Alaric's grave sadly. "So, thanks, friend. Thanks for leaving me here to babysit, because I should have been long gone by now. But... But I got the girl. I won her from Klaus. I'm just stuck here fighting with my brother and taking care of the kids. You owe me big." He takes a long swig of the bourbon before playing the bottle back on the stone and wanders off into the dark.
Alaric's ghost had watched the entire time laughing sometimes but missing his friend more than anything. "I miss you too, buddy."
A/N
Hello! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, I figured that we didn't get to see much of Grace's transition or what she went through when she was a new-born, she hid it quite well but she did in fact kill someone and she is struggling.
How do you think she's going to cope? Will she become a ripper? Do you want her to become a ripper? How will Damon cope with handling another ripper in his family, first being Stefan of course and now his girlfriend. Personally I think she's a mixture of the two brothers, she has the problems with blood like Stefan but she seems to show little remorse like her boyfriend Damon, so it's a dangerous mix to be honest.
Thank you so much for waiting and being patient with me :) I think the reason I'm taking so long is because I want to wait and see what happens in the next chapters to I can plan for that, you know? I don't want to rush it and it not come out how I want :)
If you left a review on the last chapter make sure to check below because I answer any questions and so on :) You know the drill by now :D
Guest - I'm sorry it took so long, girl :) Thank you so much I really appreciate all the support and everyone gives makes me feel great :) xxx
Guest - If you think my story sucks then why are you reading it? And why did it take you 67 chapters to figure out how much it sucks ;) Plus, honestly Grace and Damon don't fight that much, in their entire time together they've fought maybe once or twice (That's big fights) But couples always have little spats. And of course their always going to get back together their my main couple.
storylover3 - Yeah! I'm back and it feels so good to be writing again! No Klaus or Caroline in this story, I don't think yet, it depends the TV show might be able to change my mind but as of right here and right now there is none yet :)
ZooBoy - You're right, Grace is a young vampire so she has a right to be on edge and emotional she's dealing and now we know she fighting her urges and temptations on a daily basis. You definitely get everything I was try to write :D
xxxRena - Dude, I missed writing this story, it was torture waiting for it to come back on TV so I could begin writing again :D I can't wait to see how Grace reacts to having Klaus back in the picture and I'm not sure Damon will be too happy
JasmineChyanne - Yeah, I'm right there with you, I love the Grebekah relationship, I wanted it to be along the lines of Damon/Alaric you know? Friend-eneimies sort of things :) Not many people who still like Klace after everything he's done to her, but I can't wait for them to see each other again. Gonna be awesome to write!
SomebodyWhoCares - I don't think he cares more for Elena than for Grace, I think in everything he does he's protecting Grace whether it's from her getting hurt or protecting her feelings, like he said he'd do anything for her :)
David Fishwick - Thank you so much for reviewing, really made me feel great to read that :) And totally agree with you Pastor Young was freaking creepy!
Luli Cullen - Thank you so much for reviewing and reading! xoxo
Mia Salvatore - Thank you so much for the a.m.a.z.i.n.g review, sweetie! Drace really are adorable and they'd do anything for each other which just makes it even better! And I'm sure Damon will be pretty damn pissed to see Klaus back! xx
zoe - Thanks for reviewing :)
winxgirl1997 - I hope you enjoy the chapter sorry it took so long :)
SharkGurl - Well I hope this was how you like it. It took me a while to cook it up :)
Nette Black Salvatore - :D
pieperson9708 - This one of your favourite fanfics? That's awesome! Thank you so much! Yeah, I didn't want to draw it on so Grace and Damon would be fighting forever, because they had a lot to deal with in this chapter to be fighting, she needed him more than anything and he needs to look after her :) I hope you enjoy :D x
susl - Yeah, I didn't want Klaus to quickly run after another girl especially after all he's been through with Grace and I doubt Caroline would have been happy to see him after everything he's done to Grace :) I had a Klace flashback in this chapter, I hope that's good but they won't meet until next chapter :D
PattyFleur87 - Thank you so much Patty! :D
mrs Tall Blonde and Dead - Yeah! Yeah! I am back! Dracie are the best :) P.S I love your freaking icon Eric Northman *swoon*
TheOneAndOnlyBellaRiddle - Dude, thank you so much for reviewing I hope you enjoy :)
chloe2007 - Don't worry I was always going to continue I love writing this too much!
ash88 - I've missed writing this fanfic thank you so much for reviewing :)
- Here it is hope you enjoy :)
OBSESSEDwithPOWERS - Woot! Woot! I'm back honey's! Thanks for reviewing!
Jane R. Doe - Yeahhhhhhhhhhh New chapter! Did you actually scream :) That's kinda awesome! Thank you so much for reading and there is a lot more Drace lovey-ness in this chapter hope you enjoy :)
Tvdlover87654 - I know it too a long time, this is the first time in a while she's mention Klaus I mean she hated him for a while and now she just doesn't want to fall into a place with Damon where he is so protective over here that he is willing to kill her family and friends (like Klaus would)
Easwen85 - Don't worry, I took your advice and it was a Drace grill toilet scene :) I kinda wanted her to be there in the cemetery with him but I think that was some time he needed on his own and she kinda just knew that :)
TinyDancer365 - Aww, thank you so much honey :) Hope you enjoyed the chapter :)
Avis11 - New chapter! I hope you enjoyed the Drace scenes :) I think it would have been a little weird Grace and Elena sharing like that, I mean, it's an intimate thing that two vampire mates need to share, not sisters :) x
grapejuice101 - thank you so much for reviewing :)