Chapter 14: Jealous

I don't like the way he's looking at you.

I'm starting to think you want him too.

Am I crazy, have I lost ya?

Even though I know you love me, can't help it.

-Nick Jonas

Shelby shifted her position again, trying to get as comfortable as possible. The slackie vampire had made the call to the higher bidder a few minutes ago and had returned to his post by the door. Her buyer would be there in a few hours. The woman, who Shelby had figured out was called Vivian, had been in a few more times throughout the day, checking on Shelby and the guard. It seemed she didn't trust him all that well. Shelby smirked to herself; that bitch will get what's coming to her.

It had been about two hours since the phone call when Vivian walked into the room once again. She had changed clothes and pulled her hair into a bun at the top of her head. It did not do well on her appearance. Vivian didn't seem to care.

"Well, it's about time for my associates to finish off what your boys couldn't earlier. Anything you want me to pass on before I drain them?" Shelby decided not to say anything to the vampire. She was not looking forward to another hit to the head. She was pretty sure she had a concussion. The pain from her bleeding wrists was the only thing keeping her from passing out after Vivian had smacked her last time. Vivian didn't seem to think that silence was an appropriate answer this time either, it seemed.

Smack.

Shelby sucked in a big breath and closed her eyes. She was afraid to open them; she didn't want to puke all over the monster in front of her. Something told her Vivian wouldn't care if she was still alive for that buyer if that happened.

Vivian stepped back from Shelby momentarily before she started walking around her, as if checking over a colt before writing a check. Shelby heard the vampire move to her left and decided that now was as good a time as any to open her eyes. The nausea had subsided a bit but she still had to even her breathing out to keep it in check. When would he be here?

"After we're done with them we will be leaving. We have to meet your buyer tomorrow morning and I want to be on the road in two hours." The slackie nodded curtly to Vivian and shuffled his booted feet, slightly nervous. Vivian brushed it off easily, not having much faith in the slackie's intelligence. Shelby smirked at that.

-TOL-

Dean sped down the old country road. He was fuming. His father, the man he looked up to all these years, had lied to him. Not just a small white lie. This was a huge lie. The colt was more than just some old gun. This was the gun that could kill the demon that destroyed the Winchesters' lives. Kill, not just send back to hell. John looked solemnly at his eldest son, trying to think of what to say next. He glanced back at Sam, who was sitting calmly in the back seat, hands between his legs, clasped together tightly. John took a hard breath before continuing.

"Look, guys. I don't know what these vamps would want with the Colt, unless they're working for someone higher up. And I certainly don't know why they would kidnap Shelby if they already had it. It makes as much sense to me as it does to you." John let out a long breath. That was it. He didn't know what else to say. He was worried for Shelby. And his gun. He was so God damn close to finishing what this cursed demon had started. When Dean and Sam didn't reply, he turned toward the window and sighed, yet again.

Sam was clenching his jaw so hard he swore he felt a few molars move. He wasn't surprised when Dean didn't acknowledge their dad. To be honest, he didn't really want to acknowledge him at the moment either. Not after the atomic bomb of information John dropped on them. His mind was reeling with all the possible places Shelby could be. They were currently blindly driving around the countryside of rural Colorado. Would the vampires find another deserted barn to hide out in? Or would they head into town? The hunters in the speeding car went for the former option. But Sam was starting to think that they might have better luck trying in town. That was the last place they would normally think to look for a nest of vamps. And to be honest, this band of vampires seemed a little higher up on the IQ scale than normal.

Just as Sam was about to voice his opinion, he felt a faint vibration come from between the seats under where he was sitting. His large hand searched for a quick moment before he grasped onto what felt like a phone. The gears in his mind clicked as he realized it must have been Shelby's. The face on the caller i.d. was slightly familiar to Sam, from a time long past. Shelby had mentioned him recently though, late one night while discussing her family heritage.

-TOL-

"Sam, if I tell you something will you promise to keep it to yourself?" Shelby looked between the youngest Winchester beside her on the couch to the elder one asleep on one of the motel beds nervously. Sam calculated that she was making sure Dean was asleep. He nodded slowly, halfway nervous about what she had to say. Her small, relieved smile was almost lost on Sam as she nodded towards the door. He followed her quietly.

Once outside, she grabbed his left arm and laced it through her right, leaving both their respective shooting hands available. Sam smirked to himself. She never stops being aware; always prepared. He matched her pace as she led them down the sidewalk, towards the dim lights of the sleepy town, her eyes not leaving the ground.

"So…" Sam decided after a few minutes of silence it wouldn't hurt to try to coax something out of her. It worked.

"My family has a lot of friends. Some of them you know." Sam was so confused. What was this about? She took a breath and he waited for her to continue.

"A lot of them are friends with my moms family. Which you know she's from Virginia…" It seemed she was having trouble forming a complete thought. Poor girl. He felt bad but he didn't know a way to help her. So he gripped her muscular arm a bit tighter in reassurance.

"I have no fucking idea how to say this gracefully." She shook her head.

"You don't have to Shelby. It's just me."

"My family is close friends with the Supernatural." What?

"Like THE supernatural. Like monsters. Only not all of them are bad. Monsters I mean. Well none of the monsters we know are bad. Or else they would be dead. Jesus. Sam please say something so I don't keep babbling like a fucking dumbass." Sam honestly didn't know what to say. Obviously he trusted Shelby and her family. They had never led him astray before. All the family friends of Shelby's that he could remember were always so kind to his family.

"Okay." Shelby stopped suddenly and tore her arm out of Sam's grip.

"That's it?!" She said rather drastically. Sam smiled a bit wider at her comical face. One eyebrow was shot up almost to the hairline of her forehead, and her chin was doubled up as her mouth opened and closed a few times before speaking again.

"Well that went a hell of a lot better than I planned."

"I'm pretty easy Shelb. You should know that." Sam laughed a bit at the joke. Shelby smiled. Good, he thought. She was relaxing.

"So who are they?"

"Well, a lot of them we only talk to when we need favors or have questions specifically regarding their species of big-bads. But one group that you do know we were around a lot more than most. And I still talk with them a lot. Hell, I practically grew up around them even after my mom passed away. I'd spend some months there while you were at school too." Shelby seemed to be trying to still figure out how to spit out which group she was talking about. But Sam already figured it out.

"Damon?" Bingo.

"Don't tell Dean. He already doesn't like the guy. Super jealous. But Damon has been a huge help to my family. His whole group of vampires are great friends of mine." Sam nodded towards the girl standing in front of him, who suddenly looked like she was 10 years old instead of 25. He couldn't believe how nervous she was. It almost made him laugh out loud. Almost.

"As long as they help us fight the good fight, and are good to you, then I honestly don't care. You should know that Shelby. I'm not like my dad or brother." Shelby looked down from Sam's hazel eyes at that comment. Suddenly feeling immensely guilty. Sam seemed to notice and swept her up in an enormous bear hug, lifting her boot clad feet off the ground.

"I'm sorry," Sam mumbled into Shelby's shoulder,

"That was a douchebag thing to say." He continued, trying to make up for his stupid mouth not filtering what was going through his mind.

"It's okay," Shelby replied into Sam's chest.

"Can you let me down, it's getting hard to breathe." The last of the sentence ended in a laugh, letting Sam know she was only halfway joking. He set her down gently, trying not to let his hands linger on her hips too long.

"Think we should head back now? Or are you still scared after your big secret; that honestly isn't even that bad." Sam jabbed Shelby's sides with his fingers, eliciting a small giggle from the brown haired girl. She punched him lightly in the left bicep.

"Yeah, let's go, dork." They walked in silence until they came to stand in front of the motel door again.

"Hey Sam. Thanks. For letting me get that off my chest… And not making a big deal out of it." Shelby smiled tentatively up to Sam, who returned her smile in gusto.

"Anytime."

-TOL-

Damon smirked as he walked casually to the metal door; guards long forgotten at the entrance to the building. He could smell her just inside; more blood than should be noticeable on someone, unless they were wounded. His smirk faded as his normally ocean blue eyes turned a sickly blood red. His fangs threatened to poke through his gums at the thought of her being injured. As he went to break the door down, he sensed another person he thought had disappeared forever. This should be fun.

"Took you long enough." Shelby smirked as she peeked a glance towards the door as it flew off its hinges. Her vision was getting blurrier by the moment, Vivian having more fun than Shelby had anticipated before she went looking for the boys.

"Yeah, well, with hair like mine I've got to be careful with how fast I run; don't want an early receding hairline, ya know?" Damon joked lightly with Shelby as he carefully eyed the two vampires in the room. Shelby smirked and kept her head low; eyes glancing up every once in a while as Damon talked deeply to the vampire in front of her.

"Vivian… Long time no see, huh? I thought you disappeared. That wasn't very nice not to visit." Damon walked languidly towards the center of the dim warehouse room. Hands in his pockets, waiting for Vivian to turn around. When she did, he was met with quite the worried look on the older vampires face.

If Vivian had a pumping heart, it would have been skipping beats at the sound of Damon's sultry voice. She hadn't thought she would ever see him again. Trying to stay on this side of the country proved to be fruitless in the end. She should have known the Master Vampire would have found out about her eventually.

"Damon. I, uh, what brings you here?"

"I got a call a few hours ago about a rare specimen that I might like to add to my collection." Vivian's eyes grew wide and first turned to the slackie vamp in the corner, who seemed to be sweating and shuffling nervously, eyeing the door, before sharply turning her blood red eyes back to Shelby. Before she could launch herself towards the young girl, Damon whizzed past her and planted his booted feet firmly in between the two women.

"So, who were you expecting?" Damon had an amused tilt to his voice, despite being slightly worried about Shelby; her heart beat was slower than it should have been, and there were a few cuts adorning her tanned skin that were worrying him. He needed to get her out of here soon.

Vivian looked towards the ground nervously. Trying to think up a lie to tell the vampire in front of her. Damon was in no mood for games today. He wanted answers. He flew towards Vivian faster than Shelby's eyes could perceive. Once her vision stopped spinning for a moment, she watched as Damon squeezed tightly on Vivian's throat. She lowered her head back down as she listened to Damon's monotone voice.

"Tell me Vivian, who were you expecting?" Shelby imagined Damon's pupils flaring, his eyelids squinting ever so slightly as he compelled Vivian. Being a Master Vampire allowed him all sorts of tricks that usually didn't work on other vampires. Shelby thought she heard Vivian mumble a name out and a small gasp, but before she could even react to the squelchy sound of Damon pressing his fist through the old vampire's chest and ripping out the heart, her vision and hearing a deserted her, leaving her to memories of years past.

-TOL-

"Wow, that is so neat Damon!" An 18-year-old Shelby giggled as Damon tried his hardest to compel the young hunter. His gaze flickered across her smiling face as he tried to figure out why she couldn't be compelled. He couldn't smell any vervain on her. And she doubted that Colt had made her drink it. Plus, knowing her she probably would have declined it anyway, arguing her blind faith towards Damon and his friends. He smirked as he leaned back towards his side of the small love seat the two were sharing.

"Well you know me. Always trying to impress beautiful women." Shelby laughed loudly and smacked his arm lightly. Taking another sip from her margarita glass.

"Whatever." Shelby crossed her legs over each other and kept a playful look in her eyes as she waited for Damon to speak again.

"It is strange though. I should be able to compel anyone. It absolutely boggles my mind that you remain unaffected." His eyes moved over Shelby's features, opening expressing his confusion. Shelby, feeling his heavy gaze, looked around the sun porch timidly. Lately Damon had been acting strange around her, well stranger than usual. Especially since Dean had come to stay in her mom's family's old house, which Damon kept tidy when no one was occupying it. Deciding it was silly to be acting like a young schoolgirl around this man, Shelby took a deep breath and spoke her rebuttal to his earlier comment.

"Maybe it's that weird eye thing you're doing along with it." Although Damon heard the laugh in her voice, he still sent a playful glare her way. Shelby laughed once again, taking another sip of the margarita Damon had made for her. As Damon talked animatedly about something silly Stefan had done the other day, Shelby's mind wandered.

Since coming back to Mystic Falls earlier in the summer, tensions had been high between the Winchesters and her group of friends from the small town. John and Colt took off shortly after dropping the kids off, deciding they needed some time away from the teenagers. That had in turn pissed Dean off, who wanted to go hunting with the men, and Sam who wanted to stay close to Bobby's house to attend summer school. Shelby hadn't minded, she hadn't seen a lot of the people she grew up with in a while.

Damon and Stefan were on that list. They hadn't aged a day. But Shelby had, and Damon had noticed. Shelby didn't particularly mind the compliments and endless flirting Damon sent her way. Actually, come to think of it, she really appreciated it. She deserved some attention. She took another long sip of margarita. She thought it was quite funny watching Dean get jealous around the dark haired man who always seemed to be hovering around Shelby.

When they weren't vying for Shelby's attention, they were at each other's throats. It was rather comical. Even if she didn't have deep feelings for Damon, what could it hurt? Dean never really showed any romantic interest in her, which was confusing with how jealous he had been acting, and despite that circumstance pulling at her heartstrings just a tad, Shelby had come to terms with it. So why couldn't she have a little fun? Margaritas were fun. Another sip. Damon seemed like he could have fun. Another sip.

"Shelby? Hello? Are you still with me?" Damon waved a pale hand in front of Shelby's green eyes. She raised them back quickly to Damon's blue ones, biting her lip. Damon looked down at Shelby's lips as she placed her third empty margarita glass down on the wicker table in front of the couch.

"Ya know Damon. You are really cute." Shelby giggled a little as she said this. Damon smirked and let her continue, interested to see what she had to say.

"I've been bored lately. And, I think, since I'm back in town we should have a bit of fun. Whaddya say?" Shelby wiggled her eyebrows expressively towards the vampire, who couldn't help the laugh that came out of his mouth.

"Shelby, as much as I'd love to see what that pretty little mouth of yours can do, I don't think that would be a good idea under these circumstances." Damon leaned closer as he was talking, meeting Shelby in the middle of the couch. She put her hand on his thigh and squeezed gently. Damon hissed slightly, and opened his mouth to say more.

"Shelby, come on let's-" Mid sentence, Shelby had pounced onto Damon's lap. Straddling him. Her hands were around his neck, gripping his hair slightly.

"Damon, I know you want me. And I finally have enough balls to go for it, so why are you hesitating. I'm not even that drunk." Shelby leaned back, waiting for Damon's response to her reasoning. She knew what kind of guy he was. He would fuck anything with two legs and a vagina normally. Why was he suddenly acting like a shy little boy?

Damon thought for a second. Could he do this? Could he handle being alone again after she left at the end of the summer? He wasn't sure, but the heavy amount of alcohol flowing through his veins gave him the extra push he didn't particularly want.

"Oh, fuck it." Damon said quietly before he closed the gap between him and Shelby. Her lips were as soft as he'd imagined. Warm, so warm. She gripped the back of his shirt tightly and moaned as he slid his tongue along her lower lip. Just like that, her warm lips were ripped out of his reach.

"What the fuck?!" Shelby screeched. Damon sat, still in a slight haze and missing the warmth of the girl now currently being held behind that green eyed hunter who always seemed to be in a bad mood.

"We're leaving."

"What the fuck? Can you not see I was busy?"

"Keyword there is, 'were'." Dean turned from Shelby to face Damon, who was still seated. Damon could sense the jealousy coming off of this guy. The look in his emerald eyes reminded him of himself from a time long ago. He sighed and stood up, realizing that there was no point in trying to argue with someone so deeply in love. It would never stop them. He knew, because even though he cared deeply for Shelby and could see himself loving her, he wasn't sure if his feelings for her could ever surpass his feelings for Katherine. He remembered how he looked at her years ago; the same way Dean looked towards Shelby. Shelby might not really understand Dean's emotions, as he wasn't showing them in the best way, but she would.

"Shelby, I-" Damon felt his head jerk back sharply. He was not expecting the boy to punch him. Especially that damn hard. For a human, Damon gave him credit. To keep up his rouse of being human, Damon fell back onto the wicker couch, letting the blood seep from his nose slowly.

"You don't get to talk. Shelby we're leaving." Dean turned to Shelby and grabbed her arm gently. The alcohol running through her veins had intensified since standing up, making her feel more sluggish. She didn't give much of a fight towards Dean, but looked back solemnly at Damon.

"Don't let this one go Shelby. He is definitely a keeper." Damon winked playfully at Shelby to let her know he was okay. Shelby only looked strangely from Damon to Dean. Dean rolled his eyes and picked Shelby up bridal style when she wouldn't move from her spot in the middle of the room.

-TOL-

John and Dean had ignored Sam's movements as he tried to maneuver the phone out of the seats, though their attention was quickly diverted to the youngest Winchester as he spoke shakily from the backseat. While the other two persons in the vehicle didn't know whom Sam was talking to, Sam did. The severity of the situation at hand came crashing down on his chest as he muttered a shaky greeting to one of the strongest Master Vampire's in the country.

Damon didn't humor anyone with pleasantries. He simply listed off the address of a hotel about an hour drive from their current location and hung up. Sam hurriedly grasped for a spare pen out of the back pocket of the front seat, writing down the address and room number on the back of his hand. He looked up nervously from his hand to the men up front. Dean had pulled over on the shoulder of the deserted highway to pay attention to Sam as he had spoke with the mystery person on Shelby's phone.

"What was that all about?" John decided to speak since neither of his sons had.

"I think I know where Shelby is." Dean's hard green eyes snapped to his brother's hand quickly. He had seen him write something down after the phone call ended. It hadn't been Shelby on the phone, or else Sam would have said so. He had said, 'might have known', where she was. That was better than nothing. Dean threw the Impala into drive and sped down the highway with fire in his eyes as Sam read off directions from the GPS on his phone.

About an hour after the mysterious phone call, Dean found himself angrily trudging down a dimly lit hallway in some casino hotel, looking for room 506. Sam still wouldn't tell him who the other person was, and Dean couldn't readily guess who it could be. 500, 502, Dean's pace picked up. 504. 506. The three Winchesters stopped in front of the gold plated lettering.

"Sure you don't wanna tell me who was on the phone Sam?" Sam met Dean's green eyes and shook his head quickly and rather animatedly towards his older brother. Hell no he did not want to tell him who rescued Shelby. He would find out soon enough. Dean knocked hard three times on the cream colored door and tapped his foot impatiently while he waited for it to open, ready to give a huge hug to whoever had saved his girl.

Those thoughts immediately left his mind when he met strikingly blue eyes on the other side of the doorframe. Thankful green eyes turned murderous in mere milliseconds. What the fuck was he doing here? How did he get to Shelby before Dean had? This guy lived across the country. That was not fair. Dean shook his head slightly. He didn't need to worry about this guy right now. He needed to worry about Shelby. He shoved past Damon roughly and crossed the floor quickly to the plush bed. Damon smirked his way before turning back to the other men and stepped aside, letting John and Sam in.

"Nice to see you too Dean-o." Damon said playfully towards the man sitting on the bed. Damon watched as John and Sam walked quickly to the side of the bed, checking to make sure Shelby was okay. Damon shut the hotel room door softly and turned towards the men coddling Shelby.

"What, no thanks for saving your precious hunter?" Damon wondered how long he would have to wait for the punch he received after that question. He wiped the blood away from his mouth with his white shirtsleeve and smirked at Dean, who was glaring murderously towards the vampire. Sam stood up all the way and walked towards the two men, stepping in between them forcefully.

"Now is not the time Dean," Sam glared hard at his older brother, willing him to go back towards the sleeping girl. He turned towards Damon with a thankful smile on his face; it took almost everything he had not to hug the guy for saving Shelby. He didn't want to think of the outcome had Damon not been there.

"Thank you Damon. So much. I don't think you know how much this means to us."

"Eh, no big deal. I was in the neighborhood. And you guys know me; can't resist a damsel in distress." He finished with a smirk as John turned quickly towards him; no doubt wondering if the damsel was the only thing he rescued from the rogue vampire pack.

"I heard you've been looking for this as well." Damon stepped towards the TV stand and opened a drawer, revealing the Colt. John's hands itched nervously to touch it. Damon scowled slightly at the sweat forming on the older hunters hands as he passed the gun over. Selfish one, he concluded. Dean rolled his eyes at his father. Figures. Sam cleared his throat tightly and gestured to the sleeping Shelby, who had no visible marks on her.

"What did they do to her? She looks untouched. The guys who grabbed her seemed pretty rough. I would have thought that she would be in worse condition- I'm glad she isn't but… I'm just curious is all? Sorry." Damon painted a pleasant look of relieved surprise on his face as he answered Sam.

"I would have thought the same thing. Apparently this person who wanted her brought to him requested that she be untouched. So she was off limits. And before you ask, yes I have a name, no I don't know why he wants her, no I don't know where he is or how to find him, and yes all the big bad vampires are dead." Damon let out a breath at the end of his little speech, quite smug with himself. He could feel Dean's jealousy coming off him in waves. He loved getting this kid all riled up.

"Well thank you. So much, again Damon. What, uh, what was the guys name?" Sam spoke the question he and his brother were both wondering.

"Magnus."

"That's it?" Dean asked roughly. Why would anyone want Shelby? What had she done? Was it something her parents had gotten in and now someone wanted payback? He turned to his father, knowing he knew more about her parents than anyone in this room.

"Do you recognize the name dad? Someone that Colt or Amelia might've gotten mixed up with that wants revenge?" John shook his head solemnly before looking over to Damon with a questioning gaze. Damon thought a bit at the name.

"Never heard of the guy. I'll ask a few friends back home though; look into it. Listen, hate to cut this short, but I probably should be heading out." Damon didn't want to be around Shelby anymore. He still had some feelings for her and while feeling very protective over her and not wanting to leave her at the moment, he knew she was in safe hands with Dean. And it'd be easier to leave if he didn't have to say goodbye to her.

"Damon?" A soft voice came from underneath the plush comforter. Damon closed his eyes at her voice. Dean rushed over to Shelby again and pushed a glass of water sitting on the side table in her face, trying to be as helpful as he could. Shelby took a small sip before setting the glass down and flinging herself out of bed. She put a hand on Dean's shoulder as he looked her up and down. His ears were getting red as he realized that she was clad only in a bra, panties, and what appeared to be Damon's suit jacket. Shelby's calming touch did its job, as he stayed seated as she stepped over to Damon.

"Her clothes were all dirty and smelly. I've sent them to the laundry room. Should be back in an hour or two from housekeeping." Damon answered Dean's anger nonchalantly. Smirking on the inside. Too funny this guy was.

Sam put a hand on Dean's chest as Shelby stood on her tiptoes and flung her arms around Damon's neck tightly. He stood stock still for a moment before wrapping his muscular arms around Shelby's middle and squeezing her softly. His face buried in her hair for a moment and he took her scent in.

"I can't believe you weren't going to say goodbye. Jerk." Damon's eyes moved towards Dean's as he spoke.

"You know me sweetheart. I'm the biggest jerk." He put a smile on his face as they pulled away from each other. He met Shelby's eyes for a split second before she landed a chaste kiss on his cold cheek. His eyes darted up to Dean's once again as he watched the hunter push past his brother and gently grab Shelby from his grasp. Old habits die hard he guessed.

As Shelby scolded Dean with her eyes, Damon decided he really did need to leave. He had some research to do. And he didn't want to be around Shelby and Dean any longer. It hurt too much.

"Well, thank you. I don't know what I would do without your jerkiness." Shelby had a bright smile on her face as she leaned languidly into Dean's side. Damon nodded.

"The hotel room is yours for the next two nights if you want it. So have fun." Shelby and Sam smiled their thanks again as Damon bid everyone a farewell and made his way out the door. Dean pulled Shelby into a breathtaking hug and buried his face into the crook of her neck roughly, praying that the tears he'd been holding back since seeing her unharmed would not fall.

"I thought I lost you Shelby."

"You didn't. I'm okay."