As soon as Rachel appeared, they all looked up. Some were shocked, some were worried, some were angry...

"Daddy!Daddy I escaped! I need your blood daddy it hurts so much!" Rachel yelled in a weak voice as Damon took her in his arms.

They didn't even realise that Damon had rushed to her and had her in his arms.

"Daddy?" Stefan and Elena asked at the same time.

"It's okay princess, you'll be okay!" Damon said as he bit on his wrist and put it on her mouth so she could drink and heal while he walked her back to the house.

"Why did she call you daddy?" Stefan asked as Damon walked in front of him. He had Damon's arm in a tight grip.

"Let me go, I need to get her inside!" Damon growled as he noticed Rachel's leg was twice the size it should be.

"Answer me!" Stefan demanded.

"I think it's time to tell him everything daddy…" Rachel whispered as she stopped drinking.

"Are you willing to invite him in then?" Damon asked softly in a tone Stefan had never heard him use.

"Sure… Uncle Stefan can come in… We'll always be able to shut him back out with Sheila's help later. She told me she could do it." Rachel said, her head on her father's shoulder.

They all walked inside and settled on the couches. Damon kept Rachel in his arms while she healed and Alaric stayed close to them while Stefan and Elena sat on another couch. The history teacher was galring daggers at the Gilbert girl, he couldn't help himself, she looked too much like the woman who had killed his wife.

"How can she be your daughter? Did you adopt her or something? What about the other Damon? Where is he? Who is he?" Stefan asked. He looked really confused.

Damon sighted, took his bracelet out of his pocket, showed it to Stefan and put it on his wrist, doing what was necessary for him to look 40.

"What? It was you all along!" Stefan exclaimed as suddenly, Elena and him could see him young.

"A few years ago I asked a witch to do this for me… So I could follow my daughter around and actually act like her father and not have to pretend I'm her young uncle or her brother or something. Since you know about it, you won't see the old me anymore." Damon explained.

"How can she be your daughter? You're a vampire!" Elena asked.

"Why don't you shut up and listen to the explanations?" Alaric snapped at her.

"What? Mister Salzmann… What did I do? Why are you so rude and why do you keep glaring at me?" Elena asked in a whining tone. She had realised that the teacher seemed to hate her for no reason.

"Alaric, keep in mind that she's human… She's not Katherine. She's not the one who killed your wife!" Damon said softly as he put his hand on Alaric's shoulder.

"You're right… It's better if I leave anyway… Call me later to tell me how Rachel is doing okay?" Alaric said as he stood.

"Sure mate!" Damon replied as his human friend left the house.

"Katherine killed his wife?" Stefan asked.

"Yes, but this is a story for another time. You'll have to ask him if you want to know more about it. If you want to know about Rachel I suggest you shut up and listen because this is a story that very few people know."

"Did Zack know?" Stefan asked.

"Yes, uncle Zack knew and you killed him! Daddy told you to stay quiet so stop talking right now!" Rachel snapped, already feeling better, beside the headache that was still very present.

"Don't talk to him like that!" Elena snapped back at the human Salvatore.

"He's hurt my family and me, I can talk to him the way I want! You better shut it too or you're out. I have no obligation to tell you anything!" Rachel snapped as Elena looked down and sat closer to Stefan.

"Are you sure you want him to know Star?" Damon asked his daughter.

"I don't like him much right now daddy but I know that even if you hide it, you want your brother in your life…and he obviously needs your guidance! I know you'll be happier with him in your life." Rachel replied.

"You're so smart!" Damon said proudly before he turned back toward his brother who still looked confused:

"It all started on night in a bar…"

"It always does with you…" Stefan rolled his eyes.

"I met a woman, a witch. Her name was Shelby Corcoran. She was looking for a way to go to New York… she needed money and had done a spell that told her she would find the answer that night in the bar. I was curious so I stayed too. When nothing happened she spent the night with me."

"You had sex, you mean!" Elena intervened.

Damon acted as if she had said nothing at all.

"She kept going to the same bar the next few nights and so did I. I was curious as to how her little problem would end… One night, she came and told me that she was pregnant. That it could only be mine and that she had done a spell to figure out how it was possible. The child was going to be human until her 18th birthday. Then she would be half witch and half vampire. She had a destiny to save a lot of people, do lots of good…You know the kind of prophecy I'm talking about... Clear and confusing at the same time. Shelby was afraid and wanted me to give her some money to get an abortion." Damon stopped and looked at his daughter to check if she was okay. He knew that this story always made her feel sad.

"Don't worry daddy, I'm fine. You can go one." She replied softly. He put his arm around her shoulders and kept on talking, looking at his brother and ignoring Elena.

"I paid Shelby to keep the baby and make sure she was healthy during the pregnancy, I even moved in with her for this. I just couldn't let her kill that baby… The second she told me about it I felt so much love for this child that was half me… I couldn't let her be killed… I stayed with Shelby until she gave birth to my princess… Shelby wanted nothing to do with this child but before we went on our separate ways, I still told her where she would be able to find us for the next three years…just in case... She never came…"

"Why didn't you tell me?" Stefan asked. It was obvious in his voice that he was hurt. On his face they could all see guilt and pain.

"Because you might think the Bambi diet is best for you but you're not in control. I didn't want you anywhere near my daughter until you were in control of yourself while drinking human blood. It's also why I wanted you to leave town so badly..." Damon replied.

"You want him to become a monster!" Elena snapped.

"No, I want him to accept that he is a vampire and to act as such! I want him to gain control of his action while on human blood! Do I need to remind you that he killed two people since he got in town?" Damon snapped.

"Damon, you know how I am when I drink human blood… I can't be the ripper again. It's not two people I'll kill it's the whole town!" Stefan whined.

"You won't if we do this the right way! You need to slowly increase your intake of human blood. Drink a little everyday until you can drink more and more… Accept that those dark feelings are a part of you… Lexi gave you what could be called an emergency solution for someone who is afraid of dealing with the truth… If you want to be a part of our family and live here with us, you will do this and get some control." Damon said.

"You could move in with us today if you agreed to try and gain control!" Rachel added when she saw her uncle hesitate.

"Really?" Stefan asked.

"Stefan… you don't have to do this…" Elena said.

"But he's right… I didn't even recognise my own brother when he was right in front of me…I'm weak! I think I should do as he says… A little bit everyday can't hurt…I think I'm going to accept this offer… I also need to make amends for trying to hurt Rachel…my niece… I...I have a niece... I… I'm truly sorry for everything…" Stefan said, looking first at Elena and then at the other two.

They talked for a few more minutes before Elena went home and Stefan went to Mrs Flowers' Boarding house to get his things and settle back in his family home.

Anna isn't gone yet... it's far from being over.

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Lorelei Candice Black