Mason had kept his eyes glued on the ten year old the whole time he made sure that neither Stefan or Damon was around to see him watching their niece or a huge fight would break out. 'I need to get the kid alone so I can talk to her, but how? She's not gonna leave their side for anything. I need a distraction'. He thought to himself. He is at the lemonade stand taking a cup of lemonade from the girl operating the stand.
"Thank you". Mason says to the girl.
"You're welcome".
Mason drinks the lemonade. Damon and Grace joins him, Mason noticed that Damon kept his hands on Grace's shoulder in a protective manner.
"Well, Mason. Working hard?" Damon asked.
"Doing my part". Mason replied.
"I heard you talked to Stefan and Grace".
"They're nice people".
"Yeah, a lot nicer than me".
"Nice is overrated".
"That's what I thought. Huh!"
"You have a good day, Damon".
He leaves.
"That was weird". Grace commented.
"No kidding".
Stefan arrives.
"Please tell me that you were just bonding". Stefan says.
"So what's up this faux drama in your relationship?" Damon replies.
"What are you talking about?"
"Oh come on, Stefan. You and Elena don't fight, especially not over me".
"Drop it, Damon".
"With pleasure".
Grace couldn't help but think to herself, 'Mason was acting weird it was as if he knew something'.
"Would you like some lemonade?" The little girl asked.
"Thank you, sweetie". Damon replies with a smile.
Damon drinks lemonade but spits it out and starts coughing. Liz looks at him from afar.
"Uncle Damon? What's wrong?" Grace asked in a panicked voice.
"What's wrong?" Stefan asked worriedly.
Damon gasping, "Vervain! Vervain!"
"Uncle Stefan is he gonna be ok?" Grace asked her other uncle.
"He'll be just fine sweetheart but for now I need you to stay here with him for just a minute and don't go anywhere".
"Alright".
Stefan had left for a moment while Grace stayed beside Damon who kept coughing trying to get the vervain out of his system. Grace then closed her eyes and focused on healing Damon.
"Gracie". Damon coughed. The ten year old looked over at Damon who was still coughing. "Not here you know better".
"I wanna help you Uncle DaDa".
"I understand that honey but not in public".
"Alright".
Grace then held her uncle's hand as he used his other hand to smooth her hair back. "I'm gonna be ok sweetheart".
Mason was watching Damon and Grace again he kept getting a strange feeling from the young girl. 'There's something about this kid that I need to know'.
Liz is on the phone.
"Look, I can't talk here. Just get Jess and meet me down the hill at the entrance. And bring a...yes we need it". Liz said into the phone.
"What's wrong?" Caroline asked.
"Nothing. I just have something..."
"You mean work? You've surprised me. You last longer than 5 minutes".
"It's important".
"It always is".
Sheriff Forbes breaking into tears, "I'm sorry".
She leaves. Elena joins Caroline.
"What's going on?" Elena asked concerned.
"I don't know. Something's up". The blonde replies.
Damon grabs a bottle of water, rinses his mouth out with it, and spits it out. He's very angry. Stefan had to keep their niece beside him because he knew when his brother got angry he gets violent but never around Grace.
"I'm gonna kill him". Damon spat with venom laced into his voice.
"Listen to me! Sit! Sit! Not in front of Gracie". Stefan replied sternly.
"I'm not listening anymore of your "give peace a chance" crap. He's dead!"
"Okay. I don't like it. He's making threats. He could expose us. He could go after Gracie. We need to put him down".
"He's not gonna come at me will he?" Grace asked as she clutched onto Stefan's hand.
"Not if we have anything to say". Stefan assures her.
"Alright. Let's do it". Damon said.
He sees Mason going into the woods.
Woods. Trash duty. Come on.
"What about me?" Grace asked.
Damon looked at his brother. "We can't leave her by herself".
"Gracie you stay by us and do exactly as we tell you. Understand". Stefan says.
"Ok".
"Let's go".
Woods
Mason is in the woods. Stefan, Grace, and Damon arrive. The two brothers had made sure to keep their niece behind them
"Don't look so surprised. You knew this was inevitable. Go ahead, run. I'll give you a head start". Damon said.
Mason bends down. Suddenly shots ring out, hitting Damon and Stefan. They both fall to the ground.
"No! Uncle Damon! Uncle Stefan!" Grace cried.
Caroline has heard everything.
"Oh god". Caroline says horrified.
"What is it?" Elena asked.
"Stefan and Damon. Grace is crying".
"What?"
Stefan and Damon are on the floor. Liz and some of her deputies arrive.
"No leave them alone please. They're all I have". Grace kept crying.
"Thank you, Mason". Liz said.
She injects Damon and Stefan with vervain.
"Please no they're good please leave my uncles alone". Grace sobbed.
Suddenly everything began to shake frantically, Grace then looked over at Mason with anger in her eyes she knew she wasn't allowed to use her powers in public but at this point she didn't care. She began glaring at Mason inflicting pain on him as he held his head, she was saw that Liz and the deputies have taken her uncles and the second she looked away from Mason he came up behind her grabbing a hold of her.
"Put me down!". Grace exclaimed. She was struggling in his hold she tried inflicting pain on him but couldn't focus.
"If you want your uncles to live do what I say understand". Mason said in her ear.
The ten year old had stopped struggling as Mason put her down he tried to take a hold of her hand but she snatched it away and marched away angrily, everything still shook but not as bad. She rolled up her sleeves to see some light bruises starting to form.
"Kid I know you hate me right now but it's to protect you, you don't have to be scared or afraid anymore". Mason said.
Grace stopped in her tracks as she turned around in anger. "Scared? Afraid? Why would I have to be afraid or scared of my family? I know that they're vampires and I don't care. They wouldn't hurt me".
"You don't know that".
"Of course I know that!" The wind then began flying around very fast.
"So if you're a witch or part witch, what else are you?"
"What are you talking about?"
"The night of the full moon I saw you, your eyes changed colors. In my book when someone's eyes changes color that means that they are either a full wolf, part wolf or something else. So what else are you Grace?"
"Just shut up and leave me alone, be lucky my uncles aren't awake right now or else you'd be dead".
Liz, Mason, Grace and the deputies are going into the old Lockwood estate ruins. The deputies are carrying Stefan and Damon.
"Please let them go". Grace pleaded.
"I can't I'm sorry Grace it's for your protection". Liz said to the young girl.
"But I'm protected with them, I knew they were vampires and I don't care they are all I have for family please don't take them from me. Would you want someone to take Caroline from you?"
Liz ignored the young girl just as Mason spoke up.
"It's down the stairs to the left".Mason said directing them to the ruins.
"Careful. The wooden bullets and vervain won't keep them down for long. What is this place?" Liz speaks up.
"Old slave quarters from the original Lockwood house".
They are in the ruins.
"Thank you, Mason. I appreciate all you've done. We got it from here. I need you to take Grace and get out of here".
"I'm not going anywhere and I sure as hell am not going anywhere with him". Grace spat.
"You're gonna kill them, right?" Mason asked.
"Yes. That's why you should go. Here it's the Council, not the law. You can't be a party to this. It's for your own protection. The both of you".
"I am protected with them, don't you get it if they wanted to hurt me they would have done it by now. But they won't hurt me". Grace said.
"Liz, I don't care about..." Mason starts but was cut off.
"Yes but I do, and I'm not asking. Goodbye Mason. Bye Grace".
"Don't take any chances".
He leaves. Liz glanced to see Grace still in her place.
"Grace please get out of here you shouldn't see this". Liz said to the ten year old.
"You may have gotten him to leave but I'm not leaving. Damon and Stefan are my uncles, they only family I have left. I'm not going anywhere until you let them go".
"I'm not letting them go".
"Can I ask you something?"
"Ok".
"How would you feel if someone had taken Caroline from you? Your only daughter, your child! Damon and Stefan have always protected me and they always will now it's time for me to protect them. You wouldn't like it if someone took Caroline away who is your only family, and I wouldn't like it if you took Damon and Stefan my only family away. If you take them from me you wouldn't even imagine the things I'd be capable of. So please I'm begging you don't take my only family from me".
Outside, Caroline and Elena are running in the woods looking for Liz, Damon and Stefan but suddenly Caroline stops.
"What is it?" Elena asked.
"They've been here". Caroline says.
She bends down and looks at a plant. There's blood on it.
"What?"
Mason arrives.
"What are you two doing out here?" Mason asked.
"Have you seen Stefan?" Elena asked.
"Yeah Elena, I've seen him. Seen Damon and Grace too".
"Where are they?"
"You don't need me for that. I'll let your friend here sniff them out".
He looks at Caroline.
"Does your mother know what you are? I'm happy to tell her". He tells the blonde vampire.
She goes towards him but he catches Elena from behind and strangles her with an arm under her chin.
"Don't be stupid! Necks snap easy around here".
"I can take you".
"Wanna bet?"
"Yeah. I do".
She rushes over him, grabs him, and pushes him against a tree.
"I told you".
She knees him in the groin and pushes him down onto all fours. She then kicks him hard in the stomach which sends him flying against a tree and falls on the ground.
"Come on".
They leave.
In the cellar, Damon wakes up. Liz shoots him in the leg.
"Stop it!" Grace yelled. Everything began to shake around.
"This is how it's gonna work. Answer me and you don't get shot, understand? How many of you are there?" Liz asked Damon.
"Liz, please". Damon replies weakly.
She shoots him again. He screams. Grace continues to make everything shake faster.
"What is that? An earthquake?" A deputy asked.
"How did you fool us? How do you walk in the sun?" She asked again.
He doesn't answer. She shoots Stefan who doesn't react because he's unconscious.
"Stop it please" Grace pleaded. By this time she had more tears running down her cheeks.
"I will drag this out painfully".
"But you're my friend".
"Our friendship was a lie. Answer me and I'll kill you fast".
Elena and Caroline arrive at the ruins.
"What is that?" Elena asked.
Caroline hears her mother.
Sheriff Forbes heard by Caroline, "He's not gonna tell us anything. Kill them the kid out of here".
"Caroline. Caroline, what is it?"
"My mom. She's killing them".
"What?!"
Elena starts motioning forward but Caroline grabs her arm.
"No, no, no, no!"
"We have to stop her!"
"No, I can't. Elena, she's gonna find out about me. Elena!"
Elena rushes into the ruins. Liz is still in the ruins. Grace was starting to feel the affects of her powers, she was getting dizzy, she had blood coming out of her nose but she was still able to stand her ground.
"Let's do this. Each with a stake in the heart, then burn them both". Liz said to the deputies.
"If you kill them you kill me and I don't think you want that on your conscience". Grace said standing in front of her uncles.
"Grace please you need to get out of here". Liz said to her.
"I'm not going anywhere so I say again, you kill them you kill me".
She hears a metallic creaking sound. She looks at one of her deputies.
"Check it out".
Elena hits the deputy with a plank and then goes into the main cell. Liz sees her and points her gun at her.
"Elena! What are you doing?"
"You can't kill them. I'm not gonna let you".
From behind, the deputy comes up and quickly pushes her forward and readies his gun. They hear a noise. The door closes by itself.
"What was that?" A deputy asked.
"Who else is with you?" Liz asked the teen girl.
Caroline circles around at vamp speed, closes on one of the deputies and bites his neck. The other deputy fires at her, but only shoots the first deputy. When he stops shooting, Caroline rushes from behind and knocks him to the ground. Caroline then reveals herself with her vampire face to her mom.
"Hi mom". Caroline says.
Grace stayed by her uncles side the whole time and waited as they started to come too, Grace was beginning to nod off but just as she heard Damon groan in pain more that made her wake up.
"Uncle Damon? Wake up please wake up". Grace said in a pleading voice.
Damon's vision was a bit fuzzy but when he had heard his niece's voice it brought a smile to his face.
"G-Gracie?" Damon asked.
"It's me Uncle DaDa please just wake up and be ok".
After what seemed like many hours Damon finally had gotten up and Grace flew into his arms, burying her face into his neck crying tears of joy.
"Hey I'm gonna be alright sweetheart". Damon soothed.
Grace didn't say anything after a couple moments she had fallen asleep in his arms.
Later, Damon and Stefan are now awake. Damon is feeding on one of the deputies and then he checks on Stefan. Elena is sitting with Stefan. Caroline and Liz are sitting quietly in different parts of the cell. Stefan was holding Grace into his arms as she slept peacefully he was glad that they weren't taken from her.
"You need to drink some deputy blood". Damon tells his brother in a low voice.
"No. I'm gonna be fine. It's just gonna take a little bit longer". Stefan replies, he adjust the ten year old some to now her head is laying on his shoulder. Damon had taken his light jacket off covering her with it.
"Damon's right you know. If there's ever time to break your diet..." Caroline adds.
"He said he didn't want it, okay?" Elena said defending Stefan.
"This is a most unfortunate situation. Two deputies dead and you". Damon says looking at Liz.
He looks at Liz.
"What am I gonna do with you?"
"You won't tell anyone, will you? Mom? Mom? Please. Look, I know that we don't get along and that you hate me but I'm your daughter and you'll do this for me, right? Mom, please. He will kill you". Caroline pleading with her mother.
"Then kill me". Liz simply said.
"No!"
"I can't take this. Kill me now".
Damon bends down to look her in the eyes.
"But you were gonna drag it out so painfully".
He suddenly grabs her. She stands up quickly.
"No, no, no, no, no, no, no!" Caroline cried.
"Damon, don't!" Stefan said raising his voice some. He was lucky that his niece was still asleep.
"Damon, please!" Elena pleaded.
"Relax guys. No one is killing anybody". Damon said to the group.
He looks at Liz.
"You're my friend".
He looks at the deputies.
"We've got to clean this up".
Salvatore Boarding House
Elena opens the door. Caroline is there with a suitcase.
"Hey, sorry that took forever. I just didn't know how long my mom was gonna be here". Caroline said.
"Damon says it'll take three days tops for the vervain to leave her system. Maybe even sooner". Elena replied.
Stefan joins the girls. He had put Grace on the couch so she be closer to them just in case.
"Hey! You get some bunny in you?" Caroline asked.
"Yeah, I'm feeling much better, thank you. Um I put Gracie on the couch so we'll have to keep quiet some".
In the cellar, Liz is on the phone while Damon is watching her across the room.
"A stomach bug. Yeah, it came on fast. I'll definitely be out tomorrow..." Liz says on the phone.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk". Damon says.
She looks at Damon and understands the warning.
"...or longer. I'll text you. Yeah. Good night".
She hangs up and gives the phone to Damon.
"Thank you. It's not exactly the Ritz, but it's secure. Brought you a good thread count. And once the vervain's worked its way out of your system, I will compel you, you will forget everything and you will be a free woman".
Caroline, Stefan and Elena arrive at the cell and are about to enter when Caroline stops outside the door and listens.
"Can you keep Caroline far away from me please? I don't wanna see her".
"She's your daughter, Liz".
"Not anymore. My daughter's gone".
"You have no idea how wrong you are about that. Let me tell you something, Grace might be human and Stefan and I are vampires doesn't change the fact that we're still family".
He looks at Caroline. She leaves, Elena follows her. Stefan starts to follow but stops, looks aside and sees the fridge. He goes over and opens it, revealing it's full of blood bags. He takes a blood bag in his hand and looks at it. Elena arrives.
"Stefan, I think that we should...what are you doing?" Elena asked.
"Katherine took a little vervain every day and built up a tolerance to it...I could do the same with blood. I could learn to control myself on it". Stefan replies.
"But you can't, Stefan. You don't have to".
"I almost died tonight, Elena. Because I was too weak".
"But the last time that you drank human blood..."
"I told you I'll find a way to stop Katherine, didn't I? Well this is it, this is the only way because she's stronger than me. And unless that changes this, I can't protect you".
Elena tapping her ear, indicating others might overhear. "Can we talk about this later?"
"He can hear us wherever we are, because he drinks this. This is...this is the only thing that can help me!"
Elena half whispering, "Are you serious? Are you pretending to fight? Because I can't tell if..."
"No, this is real. No more pretend".
She looks at him and leaves.
Damon had went into the living room and gently picked Grace up off the couch and brought her up to her room, he laid her on the bed taking her shoes off then covering her with the blanket.
"Sleep tight mio piccolo angelo". He whispered.
Caroline is alone in the living room. Elena joins her.
"Can I take you home?" Elena asked.
Caroline shakes her head. "I can't go home".
"Why not?"
"Because I'm scared".
"Why are you scared? Caroline, you can talk to me".
"Katherine's gonna be there and she's gonna want me to tell her everything that happened today. She told me I had to spy on you and report back to her".
"I know and I've been so mad at you. But then, I tried to put myself in your position so that I could understand why you would do this to me and to Stefan because he's been such a friend to you. Who did she threaten?"
"Matt, she threatened Matt and I'm so scared of her Elena! I am so scared of her".
"And you should be. Caroline, we all should be".
"Why is she doing this? What does she want?"
"That's the million dollar question".
She embraces Caroline.
Elena tucks a blanket around Caroline. She gets up and walks to the door. Damon intercepts her.
"Caroline's sleeping on the couch". Elena says.
"I heard and you?" Damon replied.
"I'm going home". She goes to the door, but stops. "What you did for Caroline's mom, that's the Damon who was my friend". She opens the door to leave.
"Hey, Stefan didn't drink the people blood, if you were curious, but he needs to and deep down you know that".
Stefan is in the library. Elena joins him.
"You can come in". Stefan tells her.
"Do you really think that you can control it?" Elena asked.
"I don't know but if I don't try..."
"So a little bit every day?"
"Yeah, just a few drops of blood in my system. I think it's worth trying".
"So do I, but I don't want you to do it alone".
She takes a paper-knife.
"What are you doing?"
She cuts her hand.
"It's you and me, Stefan. Always".
He drinks her blood. His face changes. She kisses him. His face becomes normal again. They kiss again.
Woods
Mason is in the woods. A car is waiting for him. He goes in the car. Katherine is in the car.
"I've been waiting". Katherine said.
*Emerald Coast One Year Ago*
Mason's eyes are yellow. Katherine arrives.
"Mason? What happened?" Katherine asked.
"Jimmy attacked me".
"What? Why?"
"He said that I hit on Marla".
"Why would he think that?"
She embraces him.
"He's dead. I killed him".
She looks at Jimmy's body and smiles.
"Everything's gonna be okay".
She embraces him.
Woods
Mason leans over to kiss Katherine but she puts up a hand to stop him.
"What was that stunt today that you pulled with the Salvatores?" Katherine asked.
"I thought you would be happy about that". Mason replies.
"I told you to stay away from them. Especially the kid she's off limits she's mine".
"Why do you even care? And what's up with that kid? I got a weird feeling from her".
"I don't want you to get distracted. I need you to find the moonstone".
He slowly smiles as he looks at her.
"You got it?"
"I got it".
They kiss passionately.
Salvatore Boarding House
Grace had awoken with a start, she gasped for breath as she looked around frantically. She had shot out of bed as she left her room, the ten year old knew that Damon was alright but she didn't know about Stefan she ran down the steps and bumped into Stefan.
"Gracie? What are you doing up?" Stefan asked.
"Uncle Stefan you're alright". Grace said hugging his legs.
"Of course I am, Damon and I are both ok now".
'I should tell him about Mason'. "Uncle Stefan I need to tell you something".
"What is it sweetheart?"
"We should get Uncle Damon for this".
"I heard my name". Damon said coming in the conversation.
"What is it Gracie?"
She took a deep breath and began, "It's about Mason".
Damon's eyes grew dark he became angry, "What about him Gracie?" Damon trying to keep his voice calm.
"After you guys were shot and put down with vervain I used a little bit of my powers on him then when I looked away for a second he got me from behind-"
"What?!" Damon had yelled. He was ready to kill Mason.
"Damon let her finish, go on Gracie". Stefan says.
"When he got me from behind I tried to escape but he said if I wanted you guys to live I had to do what he said, when we were walking he said that getting rid of you two was for my protection. Then he asked what else I was. He told me that the night of the full moon when he saw me, he said my eyes had changed colors. He said that only happens if someone is a full wolf, part wolf, or something else". Her voice became shaky. "D-does that mean I am a wolf or even part wolf?"
Damon had moved over to her and embraced her as he smoothed her hair back. "Were not sure yet but don't listen to him he doesn't know anything about you for all we know he could be lying".
"I just wanna be normal Uncle DaDa".
"You are normal and you always will be".
She then looked to see if there were any bruises from when Mason had grabbed her when she rolled up her sleeves to see no bruises there.
"They healed". Grace whispered.
"What healed Gracie?" Stefan asked.
"The bruises that were on my arm from Mason they're gone. But how?"
The brothers looked at each other then went back to their niece. "What am I? What am I, Uncle Damon? I want to know what I am". She said.
"You are Grace, you're our niece who couldn't hurt a fly. You're a girl who's trying to control her powers. We love you no matter what Gracie, nothing that changes you will make us love you any less". Damon said.
"Damon's right sweetie". Stefan says with a soft smile.
She then went back to what Caroline had told her. "Do I really have a vampire mother?"
"You did but someone killed her, don't worry about her sweetheart she's not important anyway". Damon said.
Grace then let out a yawn and rubbed her eyes. "Time for you to go back to sleep honey".
"Alright".
Grace then went up to her room to change quickly then she got in her bed just as the brothers tucked the blanket around her.
"G'night Uncle Damon...g'night Uncle Stefan". Grace said sleepily.
"Sweet dreams baby". Damon whispered.
"Sleep tight angel". Stefan whispered.
They kissed her head then quietly left the room closing the door behind them, once they exited the room Damon became outraged he was ready to go out and find Mason and kill him.
"Damon you need to calm down some". Stefan tells his brother.
The elder Salvatore stayed quiet till they went downstairs, they went to the study when Damon poured himself a glass of whiskey and drank it fast.
"He's dead Stefan by the time I get finished with him nobody won't be able to recognize him". Damon said in a threatening voice laced with venom.
"Look I want Mason dead as much as you right now-" Stefan starts but was cut off.
"Then let's go kill the bastard! He took it too far when he brought Gracie into this".
"Lower your damn voice. Killing him won't solve anything clearly he knows something about Gracie we just need to know what it is".
"How would he know anything about Grace?"
"Someone could be feeding him information either on all of us or just her".
"Who would be feeding him the information? Tyler?"
"I don't know until we find out she's not leaving our side".
The same man who was watching Grace is outside watching the house. "This child is growing more and more powerful by the day soon enough she'll be as powerful as him I must keep an eye on her".