Disclaimer: I only own my OCs

A/N: This one is a bit action light, but it's always a good opportunity to reflect on what has happened and have some girl time ;) I always like to take the time to show the relationships, especially since the show does have a tendency to gloss over the little moments at times, but that's the beauty of fanfic :) especially since we all know what is coming next ;)

XXX

"If it's six in the morning again," I mumbled into my pillow. "I swear, I will stake you. And you will not enjoy it."

Damon chuckled in my ear as he settled down behind me. He wrapped his arm around my waist before pulling me back against him. I snuggled into his warmth, enjoying the feel of his fingers stroking my tummy.

"Don't worry, I'm not that cruel," he hummed and I snorted.

"Yes you are," I reached back to poke his thigh. "But I love it."

"Aren't I lucky?" Damon laughed before kissing the back of my neck. I rolled my eyes before giggling. I loved those early days of a relationship. When you were learning each other's bodies and likes and hates. Even when you had been friends for ages, it felt different when you did it like this. Of course, being friends first definitely gave you an advantage.

"Damn straight," I agreed before turning around in his arms. Now that I was facing my boyfriend, I immediately pulled him into a kiss. They were honestly so addictive. All I wanted to do when I saw him, was kiss him. And he knew it. I swear that since we started dating, Damon had done something to make his lips more irresistible.

When he pulled back, I let out a hum of satisfaction. Of course, this just made Damon laugh, "I love it when you do that."

I rolled my eyes but opened my legs for him to slide his thigh between them, "It's not nice to tease, you know."

"Oh, I know," my vampire hummed against my skin as he started sucking on my neck. Despite the fact that I knew that my neck would be hickey central for the potluck later, I just didn't care. He had found my sensitive spot and was lavishing it with attention. I wrapped my leg around his hips, my foot digging into his ass as I moaned. Damon's fingers found their way down to my core and I bucked my hips into his hand. Of course, when I did that, I felt just how much this was affecting him too.

My hands shaking, I undid Damon's jeans and slid my hand into his boxers. I wrapped my hand around him and started to slowly jerk him off. It had always fascinated me, learning what made a guy moan in satisfaction. And Damon was not different. He groaned against my skin as I pressed my thumb against his slit, my grip firm as I stroked up and down. His cock grew firmer in my grasp, and I was utterly mesmerized. I just wished that I could look at it, but I couldn't bring myself to stop Damon from his sucking on my neck.

His fingers worked me to the point of completion, but he wouldn't let me fall off that edge into oblivion. He brought me to the edge over and over again, and my actions grew shaky. I had just enough awareness to keep my grip on his cock firm and to keep moving. I found what made Damon groan into my neck, the slightly too tight grip around the head of his cock, the way I twisted just a little. The way I increased the pressure at the tip, focusing my attention there.

I could feel the Damon's face against my neck, his breathing hitching against my skin as I undid him, just as he undid me. But it wasn't until I felt that familiar scrape against my skin that I realised just how much I was getting to him. A part of me was scared, was I willing to take that step? But another part of me, one that I didn't want to admit existed, was exhilarated. This was a part of dating a vampire, and I knew that he wouldn't hurt me, not really.

"Do it," I breathed, reaching up with one hand to press Damon's face against my neck. "Please."

I could tell then that I had eroded away Damon's self-control, as he didn't even question it. His fangs pierced my skin and I fell over the edge. My body shook as I came, Damon's fingers easing me through it. My vampire sucked on my neck as I made him cum. Damon groaned out his orgasm, one of his hands tilting my head back so that he could suck harder on my neck.

Once we were both done, it took me a moment to catch my breath, "That was more amazing than I thought it would be."

Did that say something bad about me? I mean, I was dating a vampire. It kind of came with the territory. But even so, I didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did. Eh, you know what? I don't care. I knew what I was getting myself into, and I was going to embrace it. That's what Damon deserved too, to have someone who enjoyed what he was. And I was definitely going to do that.

Damon hummed, licking my neck, cleaning away any of the blood that had spilt over, "You taste so amazing."

I rolled my eyes as I tangled my fingers in his hair, "Well, you know how to make a girl feel special."

Damon laughed, pulling back, his face still vamped out, "It's what I'm here for, baby."

"Damn straight," I giggled as my vampire leant down to nuzzle his nose against mine. I reached up to stroke that mesmerizing cheekbone with my thumb. I didn't want this moment to end. The happiness in Damon's eyes made me want to never stop smiling. "I wish we could stay like this forever."

Damon smirked and I wanted to melt into another puddle of goo, "I was thinking of something a little different."

My breath hitched as his hand gently gripped the hem of my shorts, slowly sliding it down, "Oh yeah?"

But before my shorts made it more than a couple of inches down my thigh, there was a banging on my bedroom door.

"Alexa!" my not so sweet twin sister shouted. "Wake up! We need to make the chili!"

My head thudded back against my pillow as I groaned, "I'm going to kill her."

XXX

Once I had finally made my way downstairs, and Damon had snuck out to swan through the front door, I quickly took over the chili cooking process. Elena had insisted on pulling out the old family recipe, but I just pushed it to the side. I had found a way to improve it years ago, not that Elena agreed with my amendments. Sometimes she was just like our dad, like both our dads really, and was a stickler for the way things had always been done.

While I had been preparing everything, Damon had been making a nuisance of himself. It was mostly by annoying Elena, but every now and then, he made a cheap shot at my amazing chili. And that wasn't just me saying that, everyone complimented my chili.

"I just don't know why you want to bring chili to a potluck," the vampire complained, bumping his hip against mine. "Everybody brings chili."

"Oh please, no one brings chili like mine," I scoffed, bumping him back. I could feel Elena's eyes on us but I ignored her. I knew that her issues with Damon were surfacing again, not that she would say anything. She had always ran hot and cold towards my vampire, but since Stefan's cruel insistence that she just forget about him, Ellie had been running cold towards all Salvatore vampires again.

"Is your chili really that good?" my vampire snorted, raising an eyebrow. I glanced at him before shaking my head. Honestly, he should know how amazing my cooking was by now.

"Day, it's even better," I rolled my eyes, reaching out to pat his shoulder before continuing with my chili. I muttered about how blasphemous he was, receiving a poke to the tummy. I narrowed my eyes at him, and Damon returned my stare. Of course, it soon turned into a staring contest. One that I was determined to win.

"Hey Ric," my vampire called over, not breaking eye contact. "Jenna."

"What's up?" Ric replied slowly, glancing between us as I had to finally give up. It was only because my chili was in danger, not because I needed to blink. Nope, not at all.

"I see Alexa has taken over making the chili," Jenna remarked, clearly amused, as she grabbed some juice from the fridge.

I laughed, "It was either I do it, or we let Ellie make the crappy old version."

My twin rolled her eyes at me, "You're so dramatic, Alexa." She then ignored my outraged expression to look at the responsible adults in the room. "What time do you two want to go to the Lockwood part?"

"We'll get there around two," Jenna answered, pouring me some juice when I gave her a pitiful look. "That way I might be able to avoid Carol Lockwood's annoyed look when I inevitably turn up late."

"She does like giving you that look," I laughed, clinking my glass with her.

"You know those Founder's parties aren't really my thing," Ric sighed, rolling his eyes at the look my aunt gave him. It was something that he knew that he didn't really have a choice about. But the history teacher always tried to get out of going to them.

When you added in Damon's muttering, it was just hilarious, "Show up, there's going to be nine other people that brought chili."

"Damon, it's an old family recipe, okay?" Ellie rolled her eyes with an aggravated sigh.

"Uh oh, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed," I muttered to Jenna. My aunt just swatted my shoulder but she didn't disagree with me.

"Yeah, I know," the vampire in the room scoffed, letting me shuffle him out of the way. "I knew your old family. They made sucky chili."

"Why do you think I improved the recipe?" I laughed before Ellie could bite his head off. I could see that my sister was not in a good mood this morning. Which meant that the potluck was not going to be fun for me.

"It didn't need improving, Lexa," my sister gave me a look, which I immediately returned.

"Neither did my cookie recipe, but you certainly enjoyed it when I did," I countered, a hand on my hip. Elena opened her mouth, looking for a retort, but paused when she couldn't think of one. I shot her a triumphant look.

"Am I safe in the middle of this?" Damon smirked, glancing between me and my sister. I rolled my eyes and prodded him on the shoulder.

"Hush you and make yourself useful," I laughed.

"Why are you here, exactly?" Ric asked, interrupting the bumping match between me and Damon.

I coughed awkwardly, I hadn't exactly gotten around to telling him or Jenna about my new relationship status. It wasn't that I didn't want to, I just wanted to do it in the right way. And that was harder than I thought it was.

"Elena knows," Damon saved me from making an awkward confession.

My sister rolled her eyes at us before turning to face the other adults, "They think that I'm going to break." Here she glanced over at me, "I'm not going to break. I am just going to keep on helping to make chili, and pretend like I didn't just spend the entire summer looking for someone who didn't want to be found."

Everything was tense for a moment, as we searched for a way to break the awkward silence. I was about to clear my throat and say something annoying, when Damon loudly whispered, "She's in denial."

I stared down into my happy chili while my sister gave Damon a dirty look, "I'm not in denial."

I scoffed loudly before hiding it behind a cough. Damn, Elena definitely was touchy this morning. I was worried about that. It took a lot to get my sister into this sort of mood, and I just knew that it was Stefan related. Damn that vampire, he was gonna get it from me when he eventually made it back home.

"No?" my vampire retorted, saving me from my twin's wrath. He gestured towards my sister's neck, and the necklace that still hung around it. "You're still wearing this necklace. Isn't this the reminder of your unbreakable bond with Stefan?"

Aaaaand the silence just got even more awkward.

XXX

Once my chili was happily bubbling away, getting even more flavorful before it became the star of the potluck, Damon decided to take his leave. Of course, the dirty looks that Elena kept giving him probably helped with that.

So I did my girlfriend duty and escorted him to the door. With Jenna lurking around the living room, speaking to Andie on the phone, I knew that I wasn't going to get a goodbye kiss unless we were outside. And I was going to get that kiss.

"So anything fun planned before the potluck?" I asked, tucking my phone into my shorts pocket. I knew that I needed to get changed before we left. But I didn't want to put my nice dress on while I cooked the chili.

"Liz called earlier, she wants me to compel Bill Forbes' memory of Caroline's little secret away," Damon shrugged as he leant against the porch railings. "He's spent a couple of days stewing over it all in the naughty little prison cell that the Council had kept secret. Should be vervain free now."

"I hope he's given himself a proper headache over it all," I frowned, stepping into his arms when he opened them for me. "He really hurt Caroline, doing what he did. And it took a lot of convincing for her to realise that it wasn't her fault."

My vampire hummed in my ear, "I can make checking for vervain in his system extra painful if you want me to."

"Nah, it's cool," I sighed, enjoying the feel of Damon's fingers stroking my skin. "Just don't go gentle on him."

"As you wish," Damon agreed and I had to bite my lip to stop myself from smiling. I remembered the time when he would have just done what he wanted, without caring what others thought. But now, he had changed, because he had wanted to change. He had found people who relied on him and needed him. Yeah, Damon didn't completely trust the others, not yet, but he was beginning to care what they thought of him. "What about you?"

"Well, my main aim is to avoid Elena's mopey glares while looking after my chili," I rolled my eyes. "I should probably find out what's wrong with her, but I might wait until backup arrives to do that."

"She still not over what Stefan said to her?"

"Nope, and I don't think she will be for a while. She spent her whole summer looking for him, tracking down clues and hoping that he was okay. And now all of that was wasted time. It's gonna be hard for her to get over that. And until she has a new obsession, she's not going to."

"Any idea as to what that could be?"

"Well, last time she was in need of an obsession, Stefan and the vampire drama arrived on our doorstep. So god knows what it could be this time. I just hope that it isn't something to do with me. Otherwise I might need to move into the Boarding House."

Damon chuckled, "You're always welcome there."

"Well, aren't you sweet?" I smiled, reaching up to tap his nose.

"I haven't been called sweet in a very long time," my vampire remarked, an odd look in his eye. My heart clenched slightly and I reached up to cup his face.

"I think you're incredibly sweet," I said softly. "When you want to be."

"I'm sure that there are a lot of people who would disagree with you on that."

"Then I'll fight them. I'm tough now, I stabbed Klaus with a cocktail umbrella, I can do anything."

Despite the seriousness of our words, that made Damon laugh, "You're never gonna let that go, are you?"

"Hell no," I shook my head as Damon grabbed my hands, giving them a gentle squeeze. "That was one of my most badass moments. It's going to keep me going until my next one."

"Well, I hope that you don't need to be a badass for a while. I don't like it when you put yourself in danger."

I glanced around before leaning in for a quick kiss, "I'll make sure that I don't take any stupid risks." I paused before adding, "Unless Elena does something stupid, in which case I might have to take some stupid risks to keep her dumb ass alive."

"And when that happens, you immediately call me for help," Damon's voice for stern and I found myself immediately nodding along. "And if you can't get a hold of me, Ric and blondie are your backup options."

"Can I add Bonnie to that list?" I asked, enjoying the way my vampire rolled his eyes at the mention of my witchy friend. "Cos she can be terrifying when she needs to be."

"Yes, you can add her to the list," he sighed, poking me in the stomach when I giggled. Damon's phone buzzed and pulled it out to glance down. "Now, I really do have to leave."

"Ugh, fine," I rolled my eyes before getting pulled into a kiss. I eyes fluttered shut in happiness and I hummed. When Damon pulled back, I sighed, "Give me another one of those and I make it worth your while later."

"Now isn't that a tempting thought," Damon smirked, before giving me what I wanted. "See you at the potluck."

"Bye baby," I smiled, watching as my boyfriend left. Once he was out of sight, I sighed and turned back to the house. Well, guess it was time to confront my grumpy sister again.

I slowly opened the door before peaking my head around. Hmm, no sign of her. Maybe Ms Grumpy went to go get ready, in which case, I had time to check on my chili before retreating to my room to do the same.

Unfortunately, before I could leave the kitchen, Elena reappeared. She gave me a look before settling down at the kitchen island.

"Hey sis," I shuffled uncomfortably, wondering if I could just run away. It was either that, or I snuck some vodka into her drink, to make her happier again. "Whassup?"

"You need to be careful with Damon," Ellie said without preamble. "He'll get you into trouble."

"He hasn't yet," I shrugged, trying to be careful with my words. "I mean, if I'm being honest, if anyone has been getting me into trouble, it's been you." Elena gave me a dirty look at that and I winced, "Oops?"

"Just… be careful, Alexa."

Aww, isn't she sweet?

XXX

Things got quiet after Elena's words. I busied myself with making some cupcakes to the potluck. I still hadn't gotten changed, and I knew that I wouldn't until I had finished icing my baked goods. I only hoped that Caroline didn't arrive early and tell me off for it. Cos she totally would.

"Is it safe to enter the kitchen?" an amused voice asked from behind me. I glanced over my shoulder to see Jenna lurking in the doorway, a large smile on her face.

"Of course it is," I rolled my eyes, turning back to my cream cheese icing. "Honestly, I'm not as bad as you all make me out to be."

"Oh Alexa," Jenna laughed, patting me on the back as she grabbed a soda from the fridge. "You really are. One day, you'll realise it."

"No, I won't, cos there's nothing to realise," I scoffed, shaking my head. Honestly, they were so mean to me. Just because I liked things a certain way while I was cooking, didn't mean that it wasn't safe for my family to enter the room. They were so dramatic at times.

"So," Jenna started, being completely obvious in what her intentions were. "Is there anything happening in your life that I need to be aware of? Anything changed since we last spoke?"

I knew exactly what she was doing. She was trying to find out if Damon and I had finally gotten together. Whether she would be happy or not, I wasn't completely sure. I knew that she would be pleased that I had found someone who adored me, but whether she approved of Damon, that was something else. I knew that my sister was running cold towards him again, but I didn't know how Jenna felt.

Luckily, I was saved from answering by my sister's arrival. She paused in the doorway, glancing between us for a moment, before rolling her eyes.

"She won't tell you anything, Jenna," Ellie sighed, passing me a glass of water. "She's in the mood to be annoying today."

"You're only saying that cos I won't let you mope around," I protested, hiding my water before my mean sister could take it away from me. "I think that's called being a good sister."

"You would," Ellie bumped her hip against mine. But before I could retaliate, the doorbell rang. I exchanged a look with my sister before rolling my eyes.

"Don't let my cupcakes burn," I ordered my aunt, giving her my best pointy finger, before flouncing to answer the front door. I yanked open the door, only to beam happily and who was on the other side, "Care-Bear!"

"Hi Alexa," she laughed, holding out a bowl. "I come bearing gifts!"

"Please say that's not chili," my sister groaned behind me and I glanced over my shoulder. What did this girl have against chili?

Caroline looked at her with a confused expression, before stepping to the side. I squealed loudly in happiness at who replaced her, "Bon-Bon!"

"I'm back!" our friend laughed as I pulled her forward into a hug.

"Oh my god, I'm so happy to see you," I sighed into her ear. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you too, Alexa," she replied, giving me a squeeze before letting go. My sister took my place while I went to stand by Caroline. I glanced into the bowl in her hands before laughing.

"Bonnie and guac? Care, have I ever told you that you're my favourite?" I wiggled my eyebrows at the blonde before wrapping my arm around her shoulders.

She rolled her eyes at me but wrapped her arm around my waist. While Bonnie and Elena greeted each other, I went through what I needed to do nachos. Luckily, I already had salsa in the fridge, from where I had done nachos for Jenna a couple of days ago. To be fair, I normally had some made, it was just easier. Especially since Jenna got hungry when she drank.

Bon pulled back from my sister and glanced between us, "I leave town for the summer and everything goes to hell for you all."

I cleared my throat awkwardly while Care and Ellie exchanged glances. I mean, she had a point. In the space of a few days, everything had gone to hell for them. I had a pretty good few days, thanks to finally admitting my feelings to Damon.

"Not all of us had a bad time," Care nudged me with an eyebrow raised. "Alexa, want to spill the beans?"

"Uh… well… you see…." I stuttered, trying to find a good way of telling Bonnie what happened. Huh, maybe this was why I blurted things out without thinking. I saw movement out of the corner of my eye and pointed, "Look, Jeremy's here! Go see your boyfriend. Jeremy, look who's back!"

My brother glanced at me, a confused frown on his face, before I shoved Bonnie over to him. An adorable smile immediately replaced the frown, and I couldn't stop myself from cooing.

"Bonnie!" Jer called happily, bounding down the last few steps.

"Jeremy," Bon smiled, rushing forward to meet him at the bottom. The adorable pair then immediately greeted each other with a kiss before hugging.

"Awww, aren't they cute?" I beamed, enjoying the happiness of my best friend and brother.

"Nice dodge," Caroline nudged me and rolled her eyes. "It's normally impossible to shut you up. What happened?"

"There was just so much pressure," I whined, pouting and crossing my arms. "I don't like being put on the spot like that. Maybe one of you could tell Bonnie for me? I would really appreciate it."

"Alexa, you can do this yourself," Ellie shook her head and I pouted at her. "How are you going to tell Jenna and Ric?"

"Uh, well, I was kinda going to just drop it casually in a conversation," I shuffled my feet, looking anywhere but the two girls next to me. Luckily Bonnie and my brother were still caught up in their cute reunion. "Or just kiss Damon in front of her. Whichever one my panicked mind chose first."

I heard my sister scoff behind me and deliberately look away. What? I thought that my plan was a decent one. Not my fault that planning wasn't my strong suit.

XXX

Eventually us girls made our way into the kitchen. I put together nachos for us while finishing my cupcakes. I could see Caroline glancing at my outfit every now and then, but luckily she didn't comment on the fact that I wasn't ready for the potluck yet. Giving her nachos was definitely prolonging that fun conversation.

"The problem with my dad's normal side of the family is normal made for a really boring summer," Bonnie shook her head as she helped me finish off decorating my cupcakes. I had purchased some sugar flowers a while back, and figured that this would be a good opportunity to get them used.

"After the last few days, I would kill for a normal family," Caroline sighed and I reached out to pat her shoulder. I really felt bad for her. The poor girl had only just gotten her mom into a good place with the whole vampire thing. And now her dad arrives back in town just to torture the vampire out of her. I still didn't understand what he was trying to do. Something about associating vampireness with pain. Either way, he was off his rocker. "So Alexa, did you use your amended recipe?"

"Of course I did," I snorted, getting the casserole dish ready. It was one that had been passed down through the family, and I felt the pressure of using it. "Like I told Damon earlier, there was no way in hell that I was going to let that old recipe represent me."

Bonnie exchanged a look with Caroline before asking, "Sooo, what's the latest with Damon?"

I coughed, trying to find the words, when Ellie just rolled her eyes, "They're finally dating."

"Yeah, what she said," I shrugged at the surprised look the witch gave me. "Since my birthday, before you ask. These two are the only ones who know." I paused before adding, "Well, Klaus knows. Cos I yelled it at him. But that's beside the point."

"Seriously, I go away for the summer and you finally get with Damon?" Bonnie laughed, before grabbing my hand and giving it a squeeze. "I'm so happy for you."

"Thank you," I beamed, before giving a small laugh. "It's crazy, isn't it? Sometimes I still can't believe it's actually happening."

"None of us can," Caroline shook her head, a teasing smile on her face. "With the way you two were going, I honestly never expected it to happen."

"Oh please, we would have gotten there eventually," I rolled my eyes. "Good things come to those who wait. Besides, I could say the same for you and Tyler. You two were flirting so hard over the summer, it was so much worse than me and Damon."

"Don't tell me that I missed you and Tyler hooking up," Bon turned her beautiful eyes to the vampire, raising her eyebrow. "You failed to mention that."

"It was on my birthday too," I pointed out helpfully as I directed Ellie to start pouring the finished chili into the casserole dish. "Apparently it was quite a lucky day."

"Caroline won the bet and finally got with Tyler," Elena commented with a wry smile. "Funny how it works."

"You got lucky too, Ellie," I smiled at her. "You got to spend time with me."

"Yeah, Alexa, that makes me completely, ow!" Elena cut off what would have been a lovely comment with a hiss of pain.

"Ellie, are you okay?" I asked as I put the empty pot to the side. I quickly grabbed my sister's shoulders and looked for any injuries. "Did you get splashed? What happened?"

"No," my twin shook her head as she gingerly grabbed her necklace, pulling it away from her skin. "My necklace."

Now that it was out of the way, I could see the burn mark where it had been sitting previously. A part of me wondered what the fuck had just happened. But pushed that thought to the side, I had something more important to think about, like how I could help my sister.

I grabbed a clean dishcloth from the drawer before running it under the cold water. After wringing out the excess water, I passed it to my sister. She carefully held it to the burn with one hand, the other still holding the necklace away from her skin. After ordering her to keep it pressed to the burn for a bit of time, I helped her remove the necklace.

"It burned me," my sister frowned, looking sad and annoyed at the thought. I carefully placed the pendant on the countertop, unwilling to hold it any longer than I needed to.

"Maybe it's a sign that you shouldn't be wearing it," Caroline pointed out. I mean, maybe she had a point? Ellie can't move on while she insists on wearing it. And I can always get her more vervain filled jewelry, Damon had a good amount of it tucked away in the Boarding House basement.

"Caroline," Bonnie shot our friend a warning look. Yeah, this probably wasn't the best time to mentioning it. Since it had just burned my sister.

"What, I'm just saying," the blonde shrugged, looking slightly uncomfortable. "I just don't want her to get stuck in the past."

She had good intentions; Caroline always did. She just didn't pick the best of moments. Which was why I couldn't bring myself to say something. Because she was right. Ellie did need to start moving on from Stefan. He didn't want to come home and I didn't know how long that would last for.

I could see the look on Elena's face and loudly spoke up, before anyone could start fighting, "Bonnie, what do you think caused it?"

"I don't know," the witch frowned, looking down at the necklace. She reached out to pick it up, but then more freaky shit started happening. Sparks flew from the pendant the moment Bonnie touched it. She immediately yanked her hand back, as I pulled Ellie away from the necklace.

"What the fuck was that?" I asked, glancing around for answers. But there were none to be had.

XXX

While Bonnie went home to grab her grimoire, I was sent upstairs to get dressed. Now that the chili and cupcakes were ready, I had nothing to stop myself from getting ready. Except for the fact that I didn't want to. Now that there was a new mystery to solve, attending the potluck didn't seem a priority.

A part of it was because I was frustrated. Things had finally calmed down again. Ellie had given up on her Stefan search, Klaus was chilling in Chicago and Bill Forbes had been banished from town. It should be quiet now. We should just be able to enjoy our lives. But nope, something just had to ruin that plan.

I slipped on the red, flowery dress that I had previously picked out for the day. It was a cute dress, but if something happened to it, then I wouldn't be too upset. And something would inevitably happen to this dress. There was no such thing as quiet Mystic Falls event. Someone normally got covered in blood.

I sighed and glanced at myself in the mirror, running my fingers through my hair. As much as I loved my short hair, I also liked it this length, the way it brushed the top of my shoulders. You could see my natural wave and the extra length stopped me from tugging on it when I got stressed. Which was a very important thing as it was a bad habit that I had gotten into during the whole sacrifice drama.

There was a light knock on the door before my twin poked her head around, "I was sent to find out what was taking so long."

I sighed and rolled my eyes, "It hasn't been that long. Tell Caroline to stop being so impatient. I'll cut off her nachos supply if she's not careful."

"You wouldn't do that to her," Ellie shook her head, sounding amused, as she made her way into the door, carefully closing the door behind her. "So are you going to tell me what's wrong? Or do I need to get Damon to ask?"

"You've got to stop playing that card," I gave her a look before returning my gaze to the mirror. I touched up my makeup and fixed my necklace.

"I'll stop using it when you stop trying to protect me from your emotions," Ellie sat down on my window seat, her arms crossed, eyebrow raised. "Now, what's wrong?"

"It's just…" I sighed and sat down next to my sister. "Things were supposed go back to normal. The drama was supposed to end now. I know that we don't have a certain He Who Must Not Be Named back home with us. But it was supposed to be quiet and safe."

I huffed and shook my head. Elena watched me with soft eyes before reaching out to grab my hand. She glanced down at the ring on my hand, the one that Damon had given me for my birthday, and sighed, "You're worried that the necklace means that something bad is coming."

"Something bad always seems to be coming," I quirked my lips in a mockery of a smile. "I've just gotten back into a good place, I've started to get you into a good place, even if you are fighting it. I don't want to go back to being scared everyday that I'm going to lose you."

My twin was silent for a moment, considering her words carefully, "It won't go back to that. Klaus doesn't know that I'm still alive and he isn't going to come back here. Stefan isn't going to come back either, he made that perfectly clear. Everything's going to be okay, Lexa, I promise."

"Well, I suppose if Klaus does come back, I'm badass enough now that I can take him out," I mused, resting my head against my sister's shoulder.

"You stab him with a cocktail umbrella one time and you think you can kill him," Ellie laughed, shaking her head at me.

I pouted and crossed my arms, "I did manage to hurt him last time he was in town. People keep forgetting that."

"Alexa, he was possessing a human," my mean sister tapped the top of my head. "And then he stabbed you in the leg. Don't think I've forgotten that."

"One day, I'll be so badass that you'll forget about all the times I got my ass handed to me," I mumbled petulantly, ignoring the way my sister's body shook with laughter. But I didn't mind that she was laughing at me. It was so much better than the mood that she was in earlier.

Ellie was about to say something when a voice yelled from downstairs, "Elena! You were supposed to hurry Alexa up, not distract her further!"

"Uh oh, Caroline's telling you off," I muttered, receiving an elbow to my stomach for my efforts. "We should probably go before she berates you further."

"I heard that, Alexa!" Caroline turned her attentions to me. "Don't think I've forgotten about you."

"Well, that's rude," I huffed, pushing myself to my feet. "That's it, no more nachos for her. Or any baked goods either. I'm cutting her off."

"It won't last, Lexa," Ellie shook her head at me, a sweet smile adorning her face. "All she has to do is give you a sad look and you'll be forcing it upon her."

"Hey, that's not true," I pouted at her as I tucked my phone into my bag. It was one of those that went over the shoulder, and it looked cute enough that it didn't ruin the look. "I'm stronger than that."

"Oh Lexa, you wish were you," Elena wrapped her arm around my shoulders as she directed me from the room.

Ugh, why was everyone so mean to me? I definitely didn't sign up for this. That's it, I'm cutting them all off. No baked goods for this lot. All of my cupcakes were going to Tyler and Matt, they've done nothing wrong. Well, I suppose Jenna and Ric could have some too. And Bonnie. It was just Elena and Caroline who were cut off.

XXX

Once we arrived at the potluck, I placed my chili on the main table, next to the label that had been helpfully provided. A part of me wondered what they would have done if I had brought something different. And I made a mental note to bring a different dish to the next potluck, just to fuck with Mrs Lockwood's perfectly laid out table. I placed the cupcakes on the dessert table, before tracking down my sister and friend.

Elena and Caroline had found a small seating area away from the main area. It was up a small hill, with a lovely view of all the tables that had been laid out. I sat next to my sister on her bench, leaving the spot next to Caroline free for Bonnie. She had texted us, letting us know that she was close.

We waited for her in silence, each of us plagued by our thoughts. My main one was what the hell was up with that necklace? It suddenly started attacking people. Maybe it was because Stefan had officially rejected my sister. But nah, that would be so weird.

"Hey," Bonnie greeted us with a soft smile, taking the seat next to Caroline. She pulled her grimoire out of her bag, flicking open to a marked page. "I have an identification spell that might be able to tell me what magic affected the necklace."

Elena nodded and passed over a small bag. The witch carefully opened it and tipped the necklace onto the pages of her grimoire. I gave the pendant a dirty look before grabbing my sister's hand.

"It's going to take a while," our friend remarked, glancing over her shoulder to the potluck below us. "So tell me if anyone's coming, okay?"

"Yes boss," I smiled at her before Caroline turned to face me.

"So how is it going with Damon?" the blonde asked, a determined look on her face. "You've been a bit light on the details."

"It's going well," I shrugged. "I don't know what else you want me to say. He's… Damon. Well, he has been making an effort to make things to go well. You Know Who drama aside."

Ellie rolled her eyes at me, "Alexa, stop using Voldemort references for Stefan."

"Why? It works, doesn't it?" I laughed, prodding her thigh. "He has kinda gone to the dark side."

"Alexa, he hasn't," my sister gave me a dirty look, but she didn't shuffle away from me. "He's staying with Klaus to protect me."

"Is he though?" Caroline pipped up, looking at my sister with a slightly regretful expression. "You remember what he was like on human blood that time. And it's a lot worse now. He wouldn't be able to carry on eating people here."

"Caroline," Bonnie sighed, glancing up from the grimoire.

The blonde turned to face her for a moment, "Stay focused," before looking back at my sister. "As your friend who worries for you daily, you have to start to move on."

"I can't, Caroline," Elena sighed, shaking her head. "Not yet. I'm not ready to let him go, not yet." I opened my mouth to say something, but my sister grabbed my hand, giving it a squeeze, "I won't go chasing after him, not anymore. But I need more time before I can start to move on."

"You can have that time," I slipped my hand from my twin's grasp so I could wrap my arm around her shoulders. "Just promise that you'll talk to us. You don't have to go through this alone." I paused for a moment before adding, "If it helps, Damon is talking to me about it all. You can't let Damon beat you in the healthy emotions department, can you?"

"Damon is talking about his emotions with you?" Caroline cut in, a surprised look on her face.

I shrugged, "Yeah, why?"

"He never talks about his emotions; how did you manage to get him to tell you about them?" Care frowned, clearly trying to work how I did it.

"Uh, I just listened and didn't judge him for it?" I exchanged a look with my sister. "He does the same for me, even if what I'm feeling isn't very nice."

"I can't believe it," the vampire muttered, slumping back in her seat. "I didn't think that anyone could change Damon. I mean, it's Damon. My own father, who I love dearly, couldn't change me, even though he tried. And yet, Damon's changed for you, and you didn't even do anything."

"I just treated him with respect and looked beyond the big evil vampire side of him," I shrugged. "Having an open mind is an amazing thing."

"So you're okay with everything that he's done?" Ellie asked quietly and I glanced over at her.

"Well, some of it is pretty shitty, but he can't change the past, and it's unfair to judge him on it," I answered, before gesturing with my hands. "Why are we even talking about this? Let's go back to the Stefan issue. It's a lot more comfortable for me."

Elena gave me a dirty look but before she could say anything, the witch in the group spoke up, "Hey guys…"

We all glanced over and immediately went silent. The necklace was slowly levitating, spinning gently in the air. Bonnie was sitting back, her hands resting on the grimoire, her eyes glancing around us.

"Uh, what the fuck?" I pointed at the necklace. "What's happening?"

"What are you doing?" Caroline frowned, glancing at the witch sitting next to her.

"I'm not doing anything," Bonnie shook her head. "It has its own magic."

At Bonnie's words, we all turned to face Elena. My twin had a worried look on her face as she started at the necklace. Stefan had given her a magic necklace? Why had it taken so long for the magic to surface? Should we be worried about this? Had it deliberately hurt my sister or had someone unlocked the magic within it?

But there was one thing that I knew for certain, my sister was never going to wear this necklace again.

XXX

Damon's POV

After arriving at the potluck, I immediately tracked down Alexa. She had been keeping me updated via text, with her own little spin on the commentary. The fact that necklace had suddenly burnt Elena was worrying, but I knew that it had gotten under Alexa's skin. She had been hoping for a bit of normality, and this was not going to give her that.

Once I had made sure that my girl had made it here safely, and was happily chatting with her sister and friends, I let myself enjoy the potluck. I even sampled some of her chili. And as much as I hated to admit it, her version was a lot better than her old family recipe. It sat at the front of the table, hiding the chilies from the rest of the Founding Families.

I sensed movement behind me and glanced over my shoulder to see Ric joining me. Jenna was in the background, talking to Carol. Ever since she found out that her son was a werewolf, and learnt the truth about the rest of the supernaturals in town, the mayor had been keen to speak to as many people as possible. Liz had recommended that she speak to Jenna, who had taken all of this in her stride. It was something that I admired about the woman. Some would have freaked out, but Jenna just wanted to protect her wards.

Ric passed over a beer and sighed, "At least there isn't an Original vampire lurking around."

I smirked, "Just your regular ones instead." Ric gave me a look and I laughed, leaning in, "I'm going to let you in a little secret, these Founders parties are just an excuse for the council to gather in back rooms and plot against vampires."

"So that's why there are so many of them," the vampire hunter rolled his eyes. "Can't they find any other ways to plot."

"Probably," I shrugged. "But this is how it's always been done; they aren't going to change it now."

Ric hummed before asking, "So what's going on with you and Alexa?"

I glanced over to him and frowned. I knew that Alexa wanted to tell people in her own time. She had admitted that she cherished this sweet time at the beginning of a relationship. And the more people who knew, the more pressure there would be. And I didn't exactly have the best reputation, my actions when I first arrived in town were still held against me.

My girl had been working out the best way to tell her aunt and Ric, and she would tell them when she was ready. So I just shrugged and looked away, "I don't know what you're talking about, Ric."

"Don't give me that, Damon," the history teacher sighed. "I know that there is something different between you two. I'm not judging, just… please be careful with her. Seeing her happy again has been such a relief for Jenna, I don't want her to get hurt again."

"If there was something different between us," I raised my eyebrow at Ric. "Then what makes you think that I would do something to screw it up and hurt her?"

"Because you're impulsive and don't always think things through," Ric answered bluntly, not even bothering to soften his words. "And I don't want Alexa to get hurt because of that."

"Well, tell me how you really feel, Ric," I rolled my eyes. "But it isn't really your problem. Alexa knows what she is getting herself into and it was her choice."

"I know that, but I'm supposed to be helping Jenna look after her," Ric shook his head with a sigh. "And this is me doing that."

I had to take a deep breath, and remind myself that Ric had good intentions. He cared for Alexa, and that was a good thing. It meant that there was someone else who could look after. My girl was a trouble magnet, no matter how much she tried to deny it, and the more people who could keep an eye on her, the better it was.

Luckily, before I could say anything to prolong the conversation, thus risking Ric saying something to truly piss me off, Liz appeared behind Ric's shoulder.

"Hey, Damon," she smiled, glancing between us. "The mayor just called for the council meeting."

"Thanks Liz," I nodded at her before looking back at Ric. "Catch you later, Alaric."

As I followed Liz towards the Lockwood home, I caught sight of my girl. She was walking back down towards the main area, empty glasses in hand. I could see the rest of the girls at the benches behind her, talking about something serious. Probably related to the necklace that my brother gave the doppelganger.

Alexa must have sensed my gaze as she glanced in my direction. A wide smile immediately formed on her face and she ditched the empty glasses on a nearby table. After glancing back at her sister, my girl started to make her way over to me.

"Heya Damon," she greeted me as I reached out to pull her closer. "Whatcha doing?"

"Council meeting has just been called," I rolled my eyes. "Hopefully it won't be a long one."

"Lol sucks for you," the girl giggled, wrapping her arm around my waist. "But since I am a lovely person, I'll escort you to it."

"Hmm, and it has nothing with your desire to eavesdrop on a meeting?" I snorted, glancing down at her to see Alexa deliberately not meeting my gaze.

"Nope, don't know what you're talking about," she cleared her throat, avoiding eye contact. "But if you do want to find me a good spot to listen in from, then I wouldn't complain."

"I bet you wouldn't," I laughed, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "Next time there's a meeting, I'll find a way to smuggle you in."

"Thanks, Day, you're the best," my girl beamed up at me. "Enjoy your meeting. Try not to cause too much trouble."

"Out of the two of us, Alexa," I leant in close to whisper in her ear. "You're the troublemaker." I could feel her shiver as my breath hit the sensitive skin of her neck, and smirked. "See you later."

I pulled away and made my way into the mayor's office, but not before glancing back to Alexa watching me with wide eyes.

XXX

Alexa's POV

Once I had got my mind back together after Damon's teasing, I grabbed some drinks and headed back to my girls. Bonnie was still there when I got back to them. They were discussing what their next steps should be to investigate the sudden magic in the necklace.

"Ladies," I greeted them, passing out the drinks. "Decided what we want to do next?"

"Bonnie's going to grab some of her grimoires and see if there is anything in there about the necklace," Caroline answered while Bonnie reassured Elena that she would find an answer for her.

"Awesome, want any help, Bon?" I offered, sitting down next to the blonde vampire.

"No, it's alright," the witch smiled at me as she gathered up the grimoire that she brought with her. "I'm going to your house, Jeremy offered to help me."

"Well, make sure you don't get distracted," I wiggled my eyebrows. "I can always send Jenna back with you, to make sure you actually look through the grimoires."

"Alexa, you're the worst," Bonnie laughed, lightly swatting my shoulder. "Not all of us are easily distracted."

"I'll have to take your word on that," I shrugged, before turning to face Caroline. "So what's the plan for us?"

"We are going to mingle and actually enjoy this potluck," Care gave me a look, a determined expression on her face. "Since I put a lot of effort into getting this set up."

"Ugh, why did you have to pull that card," I pouted, slumping forward so I leaning against her shoulder. "You know that always works. It's not fair."

Caroline laughed at me before we all said goodbye to our witchy friend. Once she was gone, Caroline forced me up and dragged me down to the main area. With a stern look, she ordered me to go mingle before taking Elena off in a different direction. I sighed and looked around the area. Luckily for me, there were still enough teens hanging around.

So I flounced through the tables before slumping down at one with a couple of familiar faces.

"Chad, Dana," I smiled, smoothing down my dress. "How's it going?"

"Hi Alexa," Dana laughed, giving me a little wave. "It's going well, haven't seen you for a while. Have you spent the summer in town?"

"Yeah, but I've been busy, mostly hiding out at the Salvatore Boarding House, hiding from my twin's latest obsession," I shrugged, giving the girl a wink when she shook her head with an amused smile. "What about you? You go anywhere nice?"

"My family went down to LA for a bit," the cheerleader nodded. "Got back last week."

"Ah nice, so jealous," I gave her a fist bump. "Chad, how's the munchkin?"

"Driving everyone insane," Chad laughed, and I couldn't help joining in. Julia had always been one to get into mischief, and I wasn't to blame for all of it. The girl was just too curious for her own good. But I missed looking after her. As much as I wanted to go back to being her babysitter, my new life was just too dangerous. I couldn't risk the kid getting hurt. "She misses you."

"Yeah, I miss her too," I sighed, shrugging a shoulder. "I'll come visit her soon. Giver her some presents to cause trouble with."

"My mom would love that," Chad shook his head. "Bring some cookies with you. Jules keeps moaning that my mom's just aren't as good as yours."

"Awww, isn't she sweet?" I cooed, already making a mental note as to when I should pop over. "Let me know what days work best for you guys, and I'll come over."

"Thanks Alexa," Chad nodded before pushing himself to his feet. "I'll see you later."

"Toodles," I waved him off before turning back to Dana. "So, has he asked you out yet?"

"No," she rolled her eyes. "And he isn't going to. He doesn't think of me that way."

"Oh Dana," I tutted the girl. "Have you seen the way he looks at you? He would totally ask you out if you gave him an indication that you said yes. I mean, you should have seen the jealousy on his face when you went to the last decade dance with Adam."

"You think so?" Dana raised an eyebrow, before shifting slightly so she could watch Chad walking through the crowd. "Would he really ask me?"

"Yep, he definitely would," I nodded. "I can always go drop a hint if you want? I'm amazing at that. Just ask Caroline. Her and Tyler have finally hooked up."

"About time, they were driving everyone crazy. Caroline nearly got kicked out of cheerleading bootcamp because she was obsessively checking her phone."

"Oh wow, bet that was driving Maddy insane."

"You should have seen the looks she was giving her."

"Damn, gutted I missed that."

"If it happens again, I'll record it for you," Dana promised me with a laugh. "And no dropping hints to Chad. I'll let him know in my own time."

"Ugh, fine, spoilsport," I rolled my eyes. "But if anything happens, I want to be the first to know. Alright?"

"Alright Alexa," she shook her head at me. "But only if you promise to tell me if anything happens to you in the romance department."

"Well, I suppose I ought to say something now, then, before I break that promise without meaning to."

Dana sat up, eyes wide, "Alexa, what happened?"

"Well," I cleared my throat and examined my nails, buffing them on my dress. "I may be in a relationship with Stefan's older brother, Damon."

"No way!" she exclaimed. "Damn, he's hot. Caroline dated him for a while, right? When he first came to town?"

"Yeah she did, and as per the girlfriend code, I did make sure that she was okay with it. Which she is, thank god."

"Damn, so you Gilbert girls have bagged both of the Salvatore brothers. Talk about keeping it in the family," Dana wiggled her eyebrows at me and I stuck my tongue out at her.

"Well, for your information, things are tense between Elena and Stefan. To the point where I would say that they are broken up. But my sister would term it as they are taking a breather."

"Wow, that doesn't sound good," Dana winced and I nodded.

"It really isn't."

XXX

After Dana decided to head off home, I went searching for my sister and friend. I had lost track of them during the afternoon, but assumed that they had gone inside. When the sun set at these kinds of events, Ellie normally retreated inside.

So I went inside too. I searched the downstairs, knowing that neither of them would have gone upstairs. Luckily, it didn't take long for me to actually track down the two girls.

"Ladies," I greeted them with a nod, as I wrapped an arm around my twin's shoulders. "How are things?"

"Boring," Caroline rolled her eyes as I reached out to give her a fist bump. "Ever since Bonnie left with the necklace, nothing has happened."

"You sound so disappointed with that," I laughed, shaking my head at the blonde. "No drama is actually a good thing, Care."

"Yeah, I know," she sighed. "But it does make these things more tolerable."

"Yeah, you are right," I had to agree with that. The numerous events that Mystic Falls put on can get a bit tedious at times. "So what's the topic of conversation?"

"I was just trying to find out a bit more about the necklace," Caroline replied before glancing over at my twin. "Did Stefan ever tell you where he got the necklace?"

Elena, who had been keeping herself busy by adjusting my necklace, shook her head, "No. And I never asked. Hopefully Bonnie will be able to figure it out."

"Well, if anyone can, it'll be our Bon-Bon," I nodded, tapping my sister's hand away when she started trying to sort out my hair.

"Sort what out?" Jenna asked as her and Alaric joined us. She glanced between the three of us, a suspicious look on her face.

"Elena's necklace decided that it wanted to be magical," I replied, ignoring the way my sister rolled her eyes at my explanation. "It burnt her this morning and it floated earlier when Bonnie tried to do some kind of explanation spell on it."

Our aunt paused for a moment before shaking her head, "Huh, that was not what I was expecting."

"Caught us by surprise too," I nodded, tugging on a lock of Ellie's hair. "I blame this one. She moped the magic into the damn thing."

"Alexa, shut up," Elena poked me in the stomach. "It doesn't work that way, and you know it."

"Hey, when it comes to magic, who knows how it works, we certainly don't," I pointed out, enjoying the look my twin gave me.

"Any chance that we can discuss all of this at home?" Ric sighed, interrupting my sister before she could get all grumpy again.

"Well, Bonnie is there with Jeremy, looking through the grimoires, so yes, Rickster, we can leave," I laughed, moving away from my sister to adjust my bag.

"As much as I don't want to agree with Alexa when she is in this sort of mood," Ellie rolled her eyes, ignoring my offended look. "It is beyond time to leave. Does anyone know where Damon went? I wanted to ask him something."

I did ask, "Ask him what?" but was promptly ignored.

"Normally I would say look for Alexa, as he is always with her," Caroline spoke up, and I looked even more offended. Not only were they ignoring me, they were taking unfair pot shots. I had done nothing to deserve. Honestly, I was surrounded by rude people.

I opened my mouth to voice my annoyance, but before I could, Caroline got a sad look on her face. She was looking behind me, and for a moment, I honestly thought that she was about to cry.

"Care, what's wrong?" "What is it?" "What's the matter?"

We all asked the blonde, worry clear in our voices. It wasn't often that Caroline looked like that, and it was worrying when she did. She was always so happy and bubbly, that when she was upset, it was noticeable. And I wanted to do something about it.

"It's my dad," she swallowed hard before answering, switching her gaze to the side, where Ellie stood.

"What?" I frowned, looking over my shoulder to see Mr Forbes in the adjoining room. He was talking to some council members, looking very cheery for someone who had been torturing their daughter not that long ago. And that doesn't even factor in the fact that he had been compelled out of town. Did Damon not do it? Or did he have some vervain hidden somewhere? Either way, he was lucky that Caroline was my main focus, otherwise I would go tear him a new one.

"Why would he even show up here?" Ellie was also frowning and I knew that she would back me up if I did decide to go yell at Caroline's dad.

"I don't know," Care shook her head, looking like she wanted to just run away from everything. "But I can't…"

Ellie grabbed the vampire's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, "We get it. Go, I'll give you a call later."

"Love you, Care-Bear," I quickly hugged her before she made her way over to the stairs. I got the feeling that she was going to hide in Tyler's room. Not that I blamed her. If I was in her position, I wouldn't want to face him either. And it was only natural that she would retreat to her new beau for comfort. Not that Tyler was home yet, he was at football practice for the day, checking out the potential new team members.

"How is she doing?" Jenna asked, watching the blonde go with a sympathetic look on her face. "She's welcome to come stay that night if she needs to hide somewhere."

"It's hard when she sees him," Ellie sighed, shaking her head. "Normally she can pretend that it didn't happen, but when she sees him, it's a reminder of what she went through."

"I'll let her know that she can come over," I added. "But I think that she's going to spend some time with Tyler."

Jenna nodded before sighing, "Let's get home. I'm done for today."

XXX

We didn't make it very far before we were stopped. In fact, we had only just reached the patch of grass at the bottom of the stairs. A voice called out behind us, one that I recognised very well.

"Wait, wait, Houston, we have a problem," Damon called out, jogging down the stairs to reach us. My heart sank at his words and I just knew that this day wouldn't end peacefully. And the potluck was going so well.

"Where have you been?" Ellie snapped at him and I rolled my eyes at my sister.

"Elena, I don't think that's the pressing issue here," I gave her a look before turning to Damon. "What's the problem?"

"I've been managing Bill Forbes," my vampire shot back at my sister before shaking his head. "Apparently he's impervious to compulsion."

"What, how is that possible?" I frowned, that sinking feeling getting worse. Because that was incredibly bad news. How were we supposed to get rid of the threat if we couldn't compel it out of town? What if he hurt Caroline again? What if he went after Damon instead?

"I have no idea," Damon sighed, sounding incredibly frustrated. Not that I blamed him. "But he threatened to out me. Don't get me started on the irony of that."

As bad as it sounded, I couldn't stop myself from snorting at that. It was funny in a really bad way. Ever worse, it earned me a dirty look from my sister. She was in such a good mood when I left her earlier, what had happened in that time?

"What did you do to him?" Elena crossed her arms, a stern look on her face as she looked at Damon. "How do you know that compulsion doesn't work?"

"That's not the most important piece of information that I mentioned, Elena," Damon snapped back at her before I stepped forward to grab his hands. I hoped that my touch would help calm him down. We needed a plan of action and we wouldn't get one if Elena managed to wind Damon up.

"Sheriff Forbes asked him to compel Mr Forbes out of town and to forget all about Caroline's new status," I told my sister and she backed down. "So don't go yelling at him about that."

"What does Bill want?" Jenna asked, a determined look on her face as she prepared to deal with the latest issue plaguing our little group.

"He wants to control the council," my vampire answered her as I rubbed the back of his hands with my thumbs. "Says it's been compromised."

"I mean, it has," Ric shrugged, getting a dirty look from Damon.

"He wants to put vervain in the town's water supply," my vampire added, a disgusted look on his face.

"For real?" I wrinkled my nose at the thought. The taste of vervain was something that I was familiar with now. And I didn't really want to taste it in my water. Or my coffee. Or have it on my skin. Because there really wasn't a need to put vervain in the water supply. The only vampires in town were Damon and Caroline, and it wasn't like they went munching on people without permission.

"Maybe it's not a bad idea," Elena spoke up and I had to close my eyes at her stupidness. "I mean, it'll help you keep yourself in control now that Stefan's not here to-"

"To what?" Damon snapped, interrupting my sister's words. "To keep me in check? Make me behave? I should have killed him this morning."

"He's Caroline's dad, Damon," my sister snapped back, looking angry again.

"Yeah, and when I kill him, then she will have more parents than all of us combined," my vampire stared her down with a vicious look.

"Guys, stop it!" I pushed myself between them. "This isn't going to solve anything. We just need to think it through."

"You know what needs to be done, Alexa," Damon stared down at me, an intense look in his eyes that I hadn't seen for a while.

"Yeah, and you're acting with your emotions because my sister said some stupid stuff," I rolled my eyes at him, knowing that he was not in the mood to listen. For someone so old, the idiot didn't always think through his actions. I just had to find the right words to get through to him.

"It wasn't stupid, Alexa," Elena butted in and I shot her a dirty look. "Everything that I said was true. And if Bill Forbes can keep him in check and keep you safe, then it needs to happen."

Damon started at my twin for a moment, before glancing down at me. He rested a hand on my hip, the other on my shoulder, before sighing, "I'm sorry."

I was about to ask what he was sorry for, when he used to his grip to spin me around and dip me down. Before I could even blink, Damon was kissing me. It was a strong kiss, his lips molding against mine. I couldn't stop myself from reaching up to tangle my fingers in his hair. It was like those cheesy old movies kisses, and I was utterly caught up in it.

When Damon returned me to my feet, I kept my eyes closed to a movement, getting my breath back. I had been utterly captivated by that kiss and it took me a moment to realise that my aunt and Ric were standing right behind me.

"Alexa, what was that?" Jenna asked and I stared up at Damon with wide eyes.

"Oh shit," I whispered, and he gave me an apologetic look before disappearing from my sight. He had used his vampire speed to escape from the awkward situation that he just dropped me in. I stared after him, still caught up in magic of the kiss. It wasn't until my aunt cleared her throat that I spun around, eyes wide. When I answered, my voice was annoyingly high-pitched, "Uhhh, what was what?"

"Alexa, you know what I meant," Jenna had her hands on her hips and I shook my head.

"Do I? Oh you mean the kiss. Yeah, we're dating now. Surprise? Since my birthday, before you ask. I wanted to tell you earlier but I just didn't know how. I wanted to do it in a sensible way but I guess that isn't going to happen now. Oh my god, I need to stop talking. Uh, I'm gonna go after Damon and make sure that he doesn't do something that he'll regret later. Bye!"

Before anyone could say anything, I spun around and chased after my boyfriend. Behind me, I could hear Elena on the phone, talking to what sounded like Caroline. Good, some vampire backup would be useful until I managed to get through to my idiot vampire.

XXX

I stumbled through the hallways, trying to track down my vampire. I knew that he wouldn't kill Bill Forbes, no matter what he said before. But he would do something stupid, just to spite my sister. I just had to do stop him from doing something that he'll later regret. Because he was stupid enough to act without thinking, just like I do.

With a frustrated groan, I slipped off my pumps, chucking them to the side. I knew that Mrs Lockwood would put them somewhere safe for me until I remembered to collect them. It was a habit that she had gotten into years ago, ever since I was small and playing with her son.

After taking off my shoes, I took a moment to stand still and listen. It was then that I got lucky enough to hear one of the people that I was searching for.

"Like vampire compulsion," Damon snorted and I followed his voice to the Mayors office. I peered around the doorframe and view the situation. Damon was leaning against the wall by the drinks table. Mr Forbes was standing by the sofa, his back to me.

"Yeah, I tried to tell you," the daughter torturing asshole spoke, his voice soft. He had always had a soft voice. He was a gentle speaker, incredibly polite and rarely raised his voice. I used to love it when I was a kid, especially since he used to be the best person to read stories.

I could see Damon glance in my direction and raised an eyebrow. He twitched his hand, indicating that I should stay where he was. I nodded and kept my position. I trusted Damon to deal with this for the moment. He wouldn't do something stupid unless provoked.

"Yeah, yeah, powerful tool," my vampire rolled his eyes at the man in front of him. "Got it. I'm impressed. Can't say I've ever seen that before."

"Well, it takes a certain human focus," Mr Forbes shrugged, sounding completely nonchalant. "It's a skill that I've been honing for decade. Plus, your technique… is a little lazy."

It took all of my self-control to not laugh at that, especially when I saw the slightly offended look on my boyfriend's face. The fact that Bill Forbes had an opinion on compulsion technique was hilarious. It just made you wonder how many times he had been compelled that he knew what a bad technique was.

"Duly noted," Damon forced a smile, not even bothering to make it look sincere. "I'm curious. Why not just expose us to the council?"

"I know you think that I'm the bad guy here, Damon," Mr Fobes sighed, shaking his head. "But I would never expose my own daughter to those morons."

The mood shifted slightly as Damon tilted his head, "It's a pretty risky move, taking me on, don't you think?"

"I knew what I was risking when I didn't leave town," he shrugged, leaning back against the sofa. "But I figured that you're not self-destructive enough to kill the sheriff's ex-husband. Especially with the younger Ms Gilbert watching on."

My eyes widened in surprise as he glanced over his shoulder at me. Since I had been busted, I figured that I might as well make an entrance. So I cautiously made my way over to Damon, keeping my distance from Mr Forbes as much as possible.

"A human in cahoots with a vampire, it's utterly shameful," my friend's dad shook his head at me. "Especially since you're a member of the Founding families."

"I don't think it's shameful at all," I remarked, trying to stay calm as Damon rested his hand on my back. "What I think is shameful, is a dad torturing his daughter for something that she has no control over."

"You're lucky that Caroline is involved in this," there was a dark tone to Mr Forbes' voice, and I had to take a step back. "Because if she wasn't, then I would be reporting you to the council along with the vampire beside you."

The threat in the man's voice must have been the last straw for my vampire, as he disappeared from my side. The next thing I knew, Bill Forbes was on his knees, his neck stained red. I didn't need to see Damon's face to know that it was bloody.

"As inappropriate as this may be," Damon hummed, sounding completely satisfied. "I had almost forgotten how good blood tastes when it's… fresh."

"Yep, an incredibly inappropriate time to be saying that," I remarked, dodging behind Damon to avoid Bill Forbes' gaze.

"What are you going to do?" the man asked wearily, holding a hand to his neck. "Kill everybody who discovers your secret? Everybody who makes a threat against Ms Gilbert?"

"No, I'm not going to kill you, Bill," my vampire answered, looking down at the human on his knees. "No matter how tempting it is. You should be thanking your daughter and Alexa for that."

Before Mr Forbes could say anything, there was a blonde blur and we were joined by someone new. Caroline glanced around the room before crouching down in front of her father. Damon took a step back, allowing the younger vampire to check in on her dad.

"Daddy!" Caroline gasped, reaching out to look at his neck. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he answered, sounding completely unphased by anything that had happened.

But his daughter wasn't convinced, she bit into her wrist and forced it against her father's mouth, "Here, it'll heal you."

Mr Forbes tried to push it again, clearly uncomfortable at the thought of drinking vampire blood, "I said I'm fine."

"Oh grow up," she snapped before grabbing his head and forcing him to drink. It took a few seconds for him to force his head away, but he had drank enough blood that his neck was already starting to heal.

Seeing him being healed finally got a reaction out of Damon, "Let me teach this ass-wheel a life lesson."

"Just get out of here," Caroline snapped, moving in front of her father, blocking him from the older vampire.

"Or what?" my vampire snapped, taking a step forward. In a move that I really didn't expect, my friend punched Damon in the face. In retaliation, he grabbed her by the throat and spun her around, slamming her against the wall.

"I'm stronger than you," Damon growled, and I knew that I had to intervene.

"Stop it!" I snapped loudly, managing to get both of their attention. "This is ridiculous. Caroline, take your dad and tell him to stop making threats. Damon, he won't reveal what he knows, so just calm down. Please."

My vampire stared at me for a moment, searching my face for something, before nodding and taking a step away from the younger vampire. Caroline waited until he was standing next to me before grabbing her father and blurring from the room.

"Damon, what are you doing?!" a voice yelled from behind us. I glanced over my shoulder to see my sister standing in the door, an angry look on her face as she stared at the vampire next to me. "You can't do this anymore. Not in this town. Not around my sister."

"Hey, don't drag me into this!" I protested before Damon could say anything. But that didn't last for long.

"Why not?" Damon snapped, and I sighed. Nothing was going to stop this showdown. Both of them were acting emotionally and I knew from experience that this was not going to be prevented. "It's nothing I haven't done before. And Alexa knows that. So why is it suddenly so important for you to keep me in check because of her?!"

"Because I don't want you to be like that around her," my sister growled, stepping forward. "She deserves better than that behaviour. Better than you acting like-"

"Like what?" my vampire interrupted. "A monster? Sorry to disappoint you, Elena, but last time I checked, I was still a vampire!"

"That doesn't mean that you have to act like one!" Elena shouted back and I closed my eyes. Goddamn, I knew where this was coming from. Ellie's Stefan issues had just reared their ugly head and now she was trying to change Damon. What's worse is that she was using me as an excuse.

"I am not Stefan," Damon's voice went low and I knew that her words had stung. "How about you stop trying to turn me into him? Alexa knows who I am, and that is all that matters."

With those final words, Damon left the room. I sighed and shook my head. Ellie was watching him go, her shoulders still heaving with angry breaths. I knew that no matter what I said, she wouldn't calm down. Elena thought that she was protecting me, and I knew that she would not hear anything that I had to say for a while. So I followed Damon from the room instead.

XXX

I followed Damon down the long road leading away from the Lockwood Manor. Ric and Jenna were no longer outside, and I hoped that they were inside looking after Elena. I was just lucky that Damon hadn't disappeared with his vampire speed. I immediately regretted not putting my shoes back on as the stones bit into my feet.

As much as I wanted to give Damon some space, while also keeping an eye on him, I just couldn't take the painful feeling plaguing my feet. So I called out, "Damon! Wait up!"

My vampire paused in the distance and I sighed in relief as I sped up. Once I was by his side, I reached up to turn Damon's face towards me. His eyes were swimming with anger, but I could see the pain buried behind it. I sighed and stroked his cheekbones with my thumbs.

"Day, you know what she said, I don't think that, right?" I asked softly, catching his gaze. "Like you said, I know who you are. And I chose you. You didn't kill Bill Forbes, and you weren't going to."

Damon cleared his throat before glancing down, "You don't have any shoes on."

"They were making looking for you difficult," I shrugged as my vampire sighed. He reached out and scooped me up, holding me close. I wrapped my arms around his neck and rested my head against his shoulder. "Thank you."

"No, Ally, thank you," my boyfriend murmured into my hair. "Thank you for coming looking for me. And for saying what you did."

"And every word of it is true," I hummed, stroking the back of his neck with my fingers. "I may be a lot of things, but naïve is not one of them. I've known exactly what you are and what you've done for ages now. And I still chose to fall for you, Damon. Nothing is going to change that."

Instead of answering me verbally, my sweetheart just dipped his head down to press a kiss to my forehead. I hummed in content as Damon used his vampire speed to take us back to the Boarding House.

He took me straight up to his bedroom and gently placed me down on the bed. Before he could move away, I grabbed his hand and pulled him down. I knew that Damon let me as with his strength, he wouldn't have moved unless he allowed it. I immediately moved to straddle his lap and pulled his head down so that it was resting against my neck.

"Don't listen to my sister," I whispered softly into his lovely hair. "She's going through some issues with what Stefan has been up to, and she's taking it out on you. It's not fair of her, but she's also just looking out for me. Even though I don't need it, but she's a stubborn idiot."

My vampire's hands rested on my hips, gently squeezing them. I knew that he was listening to me, and I also knew that I would repeat what I said as many times as needed. He would believe what I said, I wasn't going to let it happen any other way.

Eventually, Damon pulled his head away with a sigh, "Thank you, Ally."

"You're welcome, Day," I smiled softly, before leaning in for a kiss. "Let me know when you're feeling better, and I'll tell you off for the way you told Jenna we were dating."

That got a laugh, "I thought it was what you were planning."

I rolled my eyes, "You know that it wasn't a serious suggestion. Now I've got to go home and face the music. Which I am not looking forward to."

"You could stay here tonight," my boyfriend had a suggestive look on his face, one that I immediately returned.

"Oh really now, Mr Salvatore?" I smirked, as Damon's hands moved from my hips to my butt. "And what did you have in mind?"

"Oh I'm sure you'll think of something," Damon purred as he brushed the hair from my face. And I knew exactly what I wanted to do. It had the added bonus that it would definitely cheer Damon up.

I slide off of his lap, and onto my knees. As I looked up at him through my lashes, I slowly spread his legs. Damon kept eye contact with me as I reached forward to unzip his jeans. I was very aware of how loud my heart was beating in my chest and every noise echoed in the silent room. But it just made me even more excited.

Damon lifted his hips and I slid his jeans and boxers, freeing his cock. It was already hard, springing back up as I freed it from the boxers. The brief glimpse that I had caught of it on my birthday did not give it justice. No wonder Caroline raved about his abilities in bed, because when you have a cock like he did, you just had to be amazing. And Damon had had plenty of time to learn how to properly use it.

Moving my hands to his upper thighs, I leant forward and licked from bottom to top, enjoying the way Damon's breath hitched. His fingers threaded through my hair as I wrapped my lips around him, taking him deep. Damon breathed out my name like a prayer as I sucked, swirling my tongue around his tip. I gripped his strong thighs as the grip on my hair tightened slightly.

The only sound in the room was Damon's breathing, low moans and whispers mixed in with the hitches. I allowed my eyes to flutter closed and the smell and taste of Damon envelope me. There was something special about Damon being so vulnerable, so open, for me. It was different to other times; he was letting me take him apart.

I knew when I had brought him to the edge, as his grip on my hair tightened and he threw his head back. I kept him there for a bit, enjoying the way his moaned my name. It was powerful, reducing Damon to this. And I almost didn't want it to end. But eventually I took pity on him.

Damon came with a low groan, my name on his lips, and a satisfied look on his face. I swallowed hard before licking him clean. Once I pulled back, Damon reached forward to cup my face. His eyes shone in the lamplight, sparkling silver.

"You're amazing," he breathed, his thumb running across my lips. And I blushed a deep red. I had just taken him apart, and yet here I was, blushing away. He leant forward to press a kiss to my forehead, and my eyes fluttered closed, a smile on my face.

XXX

I spent the night at the Boarding House, curled up in Damon's arms. I knew that I should go home, but I just didn't want to leave Damon. But once morning came, I knew that I couldn't put off the investable any longer. I knew that Jenna wouldn't be angry that I was finally dating Damon, it would be more of why didn't I tell her sooner. And I just didn't have a good reason as to why.

So when the doorbell rang, I thought that it was my sister, coming to check on me and to bring me home. I gave Damon a quick kiss, before leaving my coffee mug in the sink. He had made breakfast again, scrambled eggs on toast. I swear, he made the best scrambled eggs. Better than mine, not that I would ever tell him that.

I opened the door, ready to greet my sister, only to pause and roll my eyes.

"Oh do fuck off," I groaned, shaking my head. "What do you want?"

Katherine smirked and crossed her arms. She was dressed like Elena, her hair straightened. And I just knew that she had been causing trouble with my loved ones. Her call with Damon aside, we hadn't heard from Katherine since she delivered the cure from Klaus. And I was not happy to be seeing her again. But in the good news department, I wasn't scared of her. Apparently I had recovered from my deaths at her hands.

"It's nice to see you too, Alexa," the bitch smirked at me before peering over my shoulder. "Is Damon around?"

"Ugh, what do you want with him this time?" I rolled my eyes, dodging in front of the doppelganger when she tried to enter the building. "Can't you just leave him alone? No one wants you here."

"What's the matter? Jealous that he'll pick me over you?" there was a vicious gleam in Katherine's eyes and I just had to shake my head.

"Nope, cos I know that it'll never happen," I retorted and Bitcherine narrowed her eyes at me. "And just to prove it," I turned around and yelled, "Yo, Damon, the worst person on the planet is on your doorstep!"

It took barely a second for Damon to appear at my side, a frown on his face, "Katherine? What are you doing here?"

The bitch immediately put on an innocent face, "I'm just a girl, looking for a partner in crime. Feel like hitting the road? Getting the hell out of dodge?"

"With you?" my vampire sneered, resting his hand on my back. "Not in a million years."

"You sure about that?" Katherine asked, holding out her hand. She unclenched her fist and my sister's necklace dangled from her grasp. "Because I promise, it'll be worth it."

"How did you manager to get your slimy hands on that?" I frowned, going to grab the necklace. But the vampire was too fast. She yanked her hand back before tutting me.

"Now, now, little twin, that isn't how you get answers," she smirked and I narrowed my eyes at her. "Not that I'm going to tell you anything." She turned to leer at Damon. "Are you coming with me, or what?"

Damon shook his head before turning to look at me. But I kept my gaze on the bitch in front of us. Katherine wouldn't have come back to town if she didn't need something. And it would have to benefit us, or she wouldn't try and manipulate Damon into doing what she wanted. All I could think was that it was related to Klaus, somehow. Just because he let her go once, doesn't mean that he doesn't still want her dead.

I sighed and looked my vampire in the eye, "Go with her."

Damon's eyes widened in surprise, "Alexa?"

"Whatever it is that she wants, it has to be worth it," I gestured to my sister's necklace. "And we know that the damn thing has its own magic. Go see what it is that she wants. And if it's bullshit, then drop her ass like a hot potato and come back home."

Damon reached out to tuck my hair behind my ear, "You trust me with her."

"Of course I trust you," I smiled, ignoring Katherine's vicious glare at me. "I also trust you not to kill her without me being there. Cos you know that I'm gonna wanna watch the bitch finally bite the dust."

My boyfriend nodded before cupping my face and pulling me in for a deep kiss. I knew that it meant a lot to him, my trusting him with Katherine. With his history with her, it would be so easy for me to want him to stay the hell away from her. But I knew that he felt nothing for Katherine now. He had made that perfectly clear the first time that she had killed me.

"I'll keep you updated," he promised before sighing and looking at Katherine. "If this is some kind of trick, I will make you regret it."

"Hmm, Damon, you do know how to make a girl swoon," Bitcherine smirked, but I could see the anger hidden in her expression. Seeing that she had truly lost her grip on him, it must be burning her up inside. And to lose him to me, of all people, I hoped that she was choking on it.

"Be safe," I told Damon and he responded with a final kiss goodbye. I watched as he followed Katherine down the driveway, getting into Katherine's car. The engine purred into life before my vampire sped away from the house.

I sighed and shook my head, closing the door behind me. Now that Damon was gone, I knew that I should head home. Hopefully the news that Katherine had made another appearance in town would make it easier for me to escape any disappointment from Jenna.

XXX

A/N: Darlings, I give you smut and you give me no reviews :( it was very disappointing. Hopefully this latest round of smut will give me some reviews (please?) I'm contemplating switching to Friday updates were possible, what do you think of that? Hope you enjoyed the chapter, until next time xoxo