A/N: Here is the next one, everything will not be mentioned.
A storm is starting outside, Grace was up in her room fast asleep she had started whimpering from a nightmare then when a loud clap of thunder hit it had startled her awake causing her to let out a small scream alerting both Damon and Stefan. When both brothers had heard their niece scream thinking the worst they rushed to her room to see her huddled up on her bed with her knees drawn to her chest with tears streaming down her cheeks with sobs escaping her trembling lips.
"Gracie hey it's alright, it's just a storm". Damon said gently, trying to calm her.
"I-It's not just the s-storm". Grace hiccuped.
"What else was it sweetheart?" Stefan asked brushing some hair from her forehead.
"I-I had a dream that the vampires found us and and". She started with a shaky breath.
"Take your time Gracie". Damon said.
The young girl took a deep breath and continued, "They made me watch as they killed you and Uncle Stefan then me". She then started to sob as Stefan pulled her into a hug holding her tightly. Damon on the other was furious, he was ready to go stake the sons of bitches.
"It's alright Gracie, we won't let nothing happen to you". Stefan soothed her.
"Stefan's right nothing bad won't happen to you not now, not ever". Damon said.
"Can you stay with me?" She asked half asleep.
"I'll stay with you sweetheart". Damon said.
Stefan had laid his niece back down then went to his room for the night while Damon stayed with their niece, Grace had curled herself into Damon side using the crook of his shoulder as a pillow. She had just fallen back asleep when Damon was stroking her dark brown hair back.
"I'll always protect you Gracie. Always".
Miss Gibbons's Residence
Pearl comes to talks with Frederick.
"We're running low on blood. You might wanna send Anna to the hospital for some more". Frederick advised her.
"I'll send her out for some tomorrow". She says.
"Maybe I could go with her. If the storm keeps it dark enough, I might be able to go out during the day, no sun and all".
"I'm afraid not. Not after your stunt at the Salvatore house tonight".
"He and his brother deserved it".
"And where did that get you? Your girlfriend Bethanne is dead. And you have no one to blame but yourself. We cannot live our lives about revenge. We have to have better control of our emotions. Not to mention you did it with a child there! You know we never harm a child".
"I understand, Miss Pearl. I just wish I knew what you were up to. And I didn't know she was there, I didn't know they had a child until the other day".
"I'm going to make an exploratory visit into town tomorrow to assess who's under the influence of vervain and who isn't. Anna tells me that the players haven't changed much. It's still the Lockwoods, the Forbes, the Fells..."
"We should kill every last one of them".
"We are smarter than that, Frederick. These people are not our enemies. We don't hold grudges and resentments. We'll get our town back. We just have to have patience".
Pearl leaves. Other vampires enter the room.
"You heard her. No revenge. Patience. Self-control. She seems to have it all figured out, doesn't she?"
Frederick holds up a wooden stake he's been carving. "I can say one thing the Salvatore brothers will get what's coming to them".
Salvatore Boarding House
Damon boards up the window that Frederick and Beth-Anne broke through. Stefan and Elena watch him. Grace was eating a bowl of cereal on the couch as everyone else talked.
"I say we go to Pearl's, bust down the door, and annihilate the idiot that attacked us last night". Damon says.
"I like that Idea". Grace said from the couch as she wiped some milk off her lip.
"See someone agrees with me". Damon said.
"Yeah. And then what? We turn to the rest of that house of vampires and say, "Oops. Sorry?" And Gracie not helping". Stefan said.
"I can't believe you made a deal with her". Elena said.
"It was more like a helpful exchange of information. And it's not like I had a choice. She's...scary. Besides, she's gonna help me get Katherine back". Damon said.
"Of course she is. Damon gets what he wants, as usual. No matter who he hurts in the process".
"You don't have to be snarky about it. And I don't want Katherine like that I want to simply kill her".
"I woke up this morning to learn that all the vampires have been released from the tomb. I've earned snarky".
"How long are you going to blame me for turning your birth mother into a vampire?"
"I'm not blaming you, Damon. I've accepted the fact that you're a self-serving psychopath with no redeeming qualities".
"Hey watch it sister". Grace snapped.
"Ouch". Damon said.
"This isn't being very productive. We're gonna figure out a way to deal with Pearl and the vampires. Yeah?" Stefan added.
Damon leaves the room. Stefan embraces Elena. Grace finished her cereal and sat the bowl next to her.
"I'm sorry. He just makes me so cranky". Elena said.
"I know. He makes everybody cranky". Stefan said.
"He doesn't make me cranky". Grace said.
"Ok well he doesn't make everyone cranky". Stefan chuckled.
"So, what are we going to do?" Elena asked.
"Damon and I are gonna handle everything, I promise".
"Well, what about me? I can't just sit here and do nothing".
"Same here". Grace added.
"That's exactly what you're gonna do, because that's what going to keep you safe. The both of you". Stefan said.
"Which means nothing if you're not safe, too". Elena said.
"What do you mean? I'm perfectly safe. I have Damon, the self-serving psychopath on my side".
"Well, that's comforting". Elena said.
"Could you stop calling Uncle Damon a psychopath". Grace said.
"Sorry Gracie". Stefan said.
She then brought her bowl into the kitchen and cleaned it she then went out to see that Stefan was still there but Elena had left.
"Did Elena go home?" Grace asked her uncle.
"Yeah, why did you need her for something?" Stefan asked.
"No I just didn't like how she was saying all that stuff about Uncle Damon and you were agreeing with her".
"Gracie you know how Damon is sometimes, we weren't saying it to hurt him we were speaking the truth".
"How you were just saying it you made it sound like he's a monster or something".
"I wouldn't make him out to be a monster ever".
"You promise?"
"I promise".
Later on in the day Damon is fixing a clock. Stefan is leaving to go hunt. Grace was doing some make up work that she missed.
"Hunting party?" Damon asked his brother.
"That guy did a number on me last night when he stabbed me. I gotta get my strength back up". Stefan said.
"I've got two liters of soccer mom in the fridge. No?"
"We'll talk when I get back?"
"All right. Give my regards to the squirrels".
"Can I come? I wanna get out for a few minutes". Grace said.
"Is your homework finished?" Damon asked.
"Yeah I was just checking it". Grace said.
"Alright go get your jacket and put your rain boots on".
"Ok".
When the young girl ran up to her room Stefan turned towards his brother.
"What?" Damon asked.
"You know I never take her out while I hunt". Stefan said.
"It's just a walk in the woods besides she needs some fresh air, she's been cooped up the whole time".
"Not the whole time but I agree".
"Just make sure you watch her".
"I always watch her".
Grace had then came down the steps zipping her jacket then slid on her rain boots. "I'm ready".
"We'll talk later, come on Gracie". Stefan said.
"Bye Uncle Damon". Grace called back to her other uncle.
"You two have fun". He said.
Woods
Stefan is out hunting. He turns around and there are vampires surrounding him. He seen one of them holding his niece in a firm grip.
"Let her go". Stefan said forcefully.
"Uncle Stefan help". Grace cried.
Frederick stabs him with a wooden stake.
"Aah!" Stefan cried out in pain.
"No! Uncle Stefan". Grace cried out.
Gilbert Residence
Elena's phone is ringing. She notices it's Damon and ignores it. She hears a knock on the door and answers it. Damon enters.
"You're ignoring me". Damon said.
"The 6 missed calls? Sorry. My phone is dead". Elena said.
"Is Stefan and Grace here?"
"No. Why? Something wrong?"
"They went out in the woods and didn't come back. I can't get either of them on their phones. I figured they'd be here with you".
"It's going straight to voice-mail. Where could they be?"
"You're not going to like what I'm thinking".
Miss Gibbons's Residence
Damon knocks on the door.
"Pearl! Open this door. I swear to God I'll bust through and rip your head off". Damon said pounding on the door.
"Pearl's not home. Hmm. Beautiful weather. Not a ray of sun in the sky". Frederick said.
"Where's my brother and niece?"
"Billy".
Two vampires drag Stefan into the hallway, and another brings Grace out.
"Uncle Damon help!" Grace called out.
"You're dead". Damon growled.
"Whoa. I'm sorry. You haven't been invited in. Miss Gibbons?" Frederick says.
She enters.
"Yes, Frederick, honey?" She asked.
"Never let this bad man in". He tells her.
"I'll never let him in".
"Ugh!" Stefan groaned in pain.
"No!" Grace cried out.
"145 years left starving in a tomb, thanks to Katherine's infatuation with you and your brother. First few weeks, every single nerve in your body screams with fire. The kind of pain that can drive a person mad. Well...I thought your brother might want to get a taste of that before I killed him. Billy". Frederick says.
Billy stabs Stefan with a stake.
"No! Stop!" Grace cried.
"Uhh! Aah!" Stefan groans.
"You have a nice day". He said shutting the door.
"No! Uncle Damon help!" Grace called out.
Woods
Elena is sitting in Damon's car. She sees him approaching and gets out.
"What happened? Where are they?" Elena asked.
"They have them. I can't get in". Damon replied.
"Why not?"
"Because the woman who owns the house is compelled to not let me in".
"I can get in".
"You're not going in there".
"I'm going!"
"You're not going in there".
"Why are they doing this? What do they want with them?"
"Revenge. They want revenge".
"We gotta do something".
"I know".
"We can't let them hurt him and Grace. We gotta get them out of there".
"I know. Elena, I know. But I don't know how to get them out". He looked away from her just as tears were pooling in his eyes. Damon had never in his life cried but when he saw his brother and niece both defenseless that broke him a little inside but what really had crushed him was when Grace was calling out for him to help and he couldn't. He never once seen his niece that scared before.
"We'll get them back Damon and we both know Stefan will protect Grace at any cost".
"I know, I just never seen her that scared before and I couldn't be there to help her".
"We will save them Damon".
"Damn straight we will".
Miss Gibbons's Residence
The tomb vampires are tying Stefan up in the basement with ropes soaked in vervain.
"Vervain on the ropes". Frederick says.
"Aah! Unh!" Stefan groans in pain.
"Stop hurting him!" Grace cried out as she struggled against the vampire's hold.
"That's gotta sting. Speaking of..." Frederick says,
Frederick has an eye dropper with vervain. He puts a few drops into Stefan's eyes.
"Aah!" Stefan yells in pain.
"Stop it!" Grace yelled.
Harper enters.
"This isn't right!" Harper yells.
"He killed Beth-Anne. One of us, Harper. And don't you think for a second he wouldn't kill you if he had the chance. Pearl says we're not here for revenge, right? I say that's exactly what we're here for. Starting with this". Frederick said.
Frederick drags a knife across Stefan's chest.
"Aah! Aah!" Stefan yells out in pain again.
"Stop it! Please just stop it!" Grace calls out.
"And then his brother. And anyone else that gets in our way. And maybe the kid". Frederick said.
"This isn't right!" Harper says forcefully grabbing a hold of Frederick.
"You're gonna want to let go of me!"
"Miss Pearl will be home soon".
"Miss Pearl is no longer in charge. Tie him up! And then stake him down".
"What about her?" Billy asked referring to Grace.
Frederick looked at the terrified child, he knew something was off about her it was as if he smelt it on her.
"Tie her up and leave her with her pathetic sorry excuse for an uncle let her watch him die a slow painful death". He answered.
"L-leave h-her alone". Stefan said weakly.
The vampire who held Grace quickly tied her and put her next to Stefan, he wanted desperately to hold his niece and never let her go. Once the door slammed shut that's when Grace had started crying.
"D-don't worry Gracie I-I'm sure Damon is looking for us now". Stefan said weakly but gently, trying to calm her.
"I-I wanna go home Uncle Stefan". She sobbed.
"We will I promise".
Mystic Falls High School
Alaric is walking down the hallway when Damon appears. Alaric stops in his tracks.
"Well, don't you look...alive?" Damon says.
"You can't hurt me". Alaric responses.
"Oh, I can hurt you, all right".
"Mr. Saltzman. We need your help". Elena said coming in the conversation.
They go into Alaric's classroom to talk.
"Stefan and Grace are in the house. Damon's a vampire. He can't get in. We need you. I would go, but..." Elena said trailing off.
"But your life is valuable. Yours, on the other hand is..." Damon replies.
"Stefan told me about your ring. Elena said.
"What about it?" Alaric asked.
"Let me recap...You tried to kill me. I defended myself. You died. Then according to my brother, your ring brought you back to life. Am I leaving anything out?" Damon replied.
"Yeah. The part where I try and kill you again. Only this time, I don't miss".
"Mr. Saltzman. Please. It's Stefan and Grace. Grace is an innocent child who didn't ask for any of this". Elena said.
"Look you may not like me but I'm trying to save my brother and niece, if you don't wanna do it for me then do it for them. And if you all think I'm a mad man now if anything and I sure as hell mean anything happens to Grace you all can bet your asses that what I'll do will make what I did before look like child's play". Damon said with a bit of darkness in his voice.
"I'm sorry, Elena. But it's not my problem". Alaric said.
"That's a shame. Because the woman in charge of the crowd can help you find your wife". Damon says.
"You're lying".
"Am I? Why don't you ask her for yourself? Coward. Come on, Elena".
Damon and Elena start to leave.
"All right! Wait. I'll go".
Miss Gibbons's House.
All the vampires in the room kept looking at Frederick who still had a curious look on his face.
"Everything alright?" Billy asked.
"No It's something about that kid, I got this weird odor off her". Frederick answered.
"What was it?" One vampire asked.
"I don't know but I will find out".
A/N: Part 2 is coming soon it's already in the works.