PART 1

CHAPTER 3

"I've been gone a while."

"I know."

"They'll worry."

"Make an excuse."

Rosabella sighed at her friend and sire behind the driver's seat. The few days she had been a vampire was blurred in her mind, only the memory of pleasure, blood, and the night remained. She looked away from Damon to turn her attention to the stars in the sky and the moon that glowed the brightest most obvious against the black canvas. Jenna had left her messages, Elena, too. She hadn't responded to either of them, unsure what to say exactly… and not caring enough to bother. Rose knew she would have to eventually get into contact with her family. She couldn't avoid it completely seeing as she was missing classes as well. Damon had praised her for the control she seemed to have developed in few days since she had been turned.

He had taught her the snatch-eat-erase combo, which was the smart way to satisfy her hunger. Rose had been mostly successful, though there had been a few cases where she had gotten too eager and had killed. Overall though the level of control she had was not that easily obtained as Damon had informed her.

She turned her attention to her sire again, taking in his frame. He was devastatingly attractive, there was no question about that but she felt no sexual attraction at all to him. Rose frowned, while she harbored no feelings of lust for him, there was a certain pull in her chest when she looked at him, or even as they were in each other's presence. Before she realized what she was doing her hand reached out and touched his face. His skin was pale and cold to the touch, but to her, it was a comfort despite the cold.

Damon startled at the sudden contact, breaking his eye contact on the road to look over at the passenger. There was a strange look in her eyes and a warm smile on her face. Damon swallowed not sure what to say to the odd touch. "It's weird." She spoke. Damon hummed, turning back to the road. "What is?" he asked, shaking off the strange moment as she lowered her hand to her lap, looking out of the window again as she spoke.

"Vampires, witches… the supernatural… being dead. Why did you turn me?" Rose barely finished her statement before she asked the question, making Damon pause before he gave a reply.

The older vampire frowned, gripping the wheels tighter. He had asked himself that question ever since he had snapped Rose's neck. Why? The truth of it was clear to him, but it wasn't so easily admitted aloud. Damon opened his mouth, ready to lie or deflect her question. Her grey eyes were clear and steady, unblinking waiting for his reply. Damon glared at her but his face relaxed as he felt a strong urge to be truthful with her… to trust Rose. The feelings that seemed to surface around her appeared again further pushing him to be open and honest with her.

"I didn't want to be alone. I didn't want you to be alone and in pain… like I was for so long. I thought… We can at least have each other." The entire time he spoke Damon kept his eyes on the road, but he could see Rose from his peripherals.

After staring at him for a while, she turned away. Rose grabbed at her chest, emotions she could recognize but never truly felt were coursing through her body. She was dead, technically, and yet she never felt more alive. As a human she was numb, she could feel nothing, a different kind of hell and pain. But he had saved her, Damon had saved her from living a life of pretending and of being numb to everything. She felt a tear slide down her face, not bothering to hide it she faced Damon again, reaching out for one of his hands. Rose tangled their fingers together, squeezing it. "You saved me, Damon… More than you will ever know. Thank you. I will stand by you for the rest of my immortal life. The strange feelings I have for you… Whatever they are, I'll never abandon you, I swear."

Damon was experienced enough in life that he didn't react to her words other than a dashing grin, a kiss to her cheek, and blasting the radio for the rest of the ride. But underneath it, he felt like he was crying. For the first time in years, someone had cared about him, had understood him, and promised to not leave him. While he wasn't obligated to believe that there was any truth to her words, Damon knew that he could trust Rose with his undead life. Silently, he vowed the same, looking at the girl who was singing along to the music, he vowed that he would never abandon her, that he would always be there for her when she needed him. That he would protect her against everyone who wanted to harm her.

Bree was a tall woman, taller than even Damon. Granted she did have platforms on, she was still tall. The woman scowled at the vampire before moving towards him and kissing him. Rosabella hooted as they parted, coming to stand beside Damon as Bree moved away from him. "You are way too beautiful to be with him." Rose nodded to Salvatore. Damon glared at her but he still threw his arm over her shoulders pulling her flush against him. "Bree meet Rosabella, my girl." Rose didn't correct Damon watching as Bree winced. "I am so sorry." The witch glared at Damon who had kissed her back. Rose waved Bree off, a mischievous smile on her face. "It's fine, we're into that." She wiggled her eyebrows at Bree. "I see… You're like the female version of him." Bree sighed, moving back to the bar.

Damon grinned down at Rose, leaning into her ear. "Nice." He left a light kiss on her cheek before he moved them towards the bar. Once they were seated Bree served them bourbons, which they knocked back one after the other. Rose frowned as she drank another glass of the brown liquid, still not feeling any buzz. Damon noticing her frown laughed at her. "It's going to take a lot more than a few glasses to get you even tipsy." Rose glared at him, "Turn me back into a human! I need my alcohol!" He laughed at her, motioning for Bree to bring a bottle.

As the witch set the bottle on the counter she looked between Damon and Rosabella. "So what are you here for this time?" She questioned. Damon grabbed Rose's hands, drawing Bree's attention to her fingers. "She needs a daylight ring, can't have her going ashes to ashes." Rose pulled her hands away from Damon to hit his shoulder. "Don't be so biblical."

Bree sighed, "One daylight ring coming up. Be glad that I like the two of you."

Rose used Jeremy to trick her way inside her house. Once she was inside she said goodnight to him closing her room door behind her. She went straight to her shower, using the control she had developed recently to block out Jeremy, Elena, and Jenna's blood and their beating hearts. Focusing instead on the new piece of jewelry she had on her hand. A bluestone, Lapis lazuli, in the expensive ring Damon had compelled her.

In a single day, she had felt more emotions than she had in her entire life all thanks to Damon who had saved her. Rose reflected on the words she had spoken to him in the car. They weren't just empty words. She was immortal now, eventually, Jenna, Elena, and Jeremy would die. Rose had decided that Damon was her family and that she would always be by his side.

Rose slept peacefully that night, all her usual internal struggles fading away as darkness took her.