Chapter 6
Things started to change for Gwen over the next week. She elected to not confront Ric about his real reason for coming to Mystic Falls. Instead, she followed in his and Isobel's footsteps and immersed herself in research. However, hers had a much narrower scope: Mystic Falls and the Salvatores. Thanks to Jeremy, she had a pretty good idea of where to start. But between work, yearbook duties, and school, she barely had any time to spend in the library researching town history. By Thursday, she'd made up her mind; something had to go.
Claire, the yearbook editor, was less than pleased. If the club sponsor hadn't been present, a rare occurrence itself, Gwen guessed she would have thrown a tantrum. As it was, she could barely keep her voice from screeching as Gwen turned in her equipment.
"You can't quit! We have championships coming up!"
Gwen shrugged, affecting an apologetic demeanor. "I'm sorry. But my grades are bad, and my uncle said those come first. I'm off of staff until they come back up."
"Like I'll let you back on," Claire scoffed.
Gwen shrugged again. She had more important things to worry about than football championships. Like keeping her uncle alive and maybe stopping a tomb full of starving vampires from being let loose on the town.
Standing up, Gwen gathered her things and with an equal mix of confidence and annoyance said, "Claire, you have two very competent photographers left. If you can stop harping on them every two minutes, they may actually put effort into their work. Now, I have to go. Good luck with championships."
She left Claire, mouth gaping, in her wake, getting a few thumbs up from other staff members as she went. Gwen smirked. Even though she'd only been on staff for a month, it had been hell. Claire was way too invested in something that would ultimately end up forgotten on a shelf collecting dust or in a box. Feeling a little too pleased with herself, Gwen left the school for the library. She had about two hours before her shift started at the Grill.
Head bowed against the wind, Gwen walked the few blocks from the school to the library. Winter had truly set in now, she thought as the freezing air cut through her coat. She really should find her heavier coat, even if it was obnoxiously puffy. It's not like she needed the full use of her arms while she was outside, especially since she was no longer taking photos for the school. Gwen bit her lip, worry tinging her moment of victory. She had no idea how she would explain dropping yearbook to Ric, and she'd have to come up with something before someone at the school told him.
Between her thoughts and the wind, it was only a matter of time before she ran into someone. She just wished that person hadn't been Stefan.
"Sorry," she mumbled, her cheeks warm from embarrassment.
Stefan, who had reached out to steady her when they collided, dropped his hands, smiling good-naturedly. But there was a tightness around his eyes, suggesting that maybe he wasn't as calm and friendly as he was trying to project. "Don't worry about it. I was hoping to run into you actually."
"Really? Why?"
"It's about our project for English. I'm not going to be able to work on it tonight," he explained.
Gwen had completely forgotten about the project; but he didn't need to know that. "Oh, uh, why not?"
He hesitated. Gwen couldn't tell if it was because he wasn't sure what to tell her or if he wasn't comfortable telling her anything. The second option was, honestly, just as likely as the first. They weren't friends. He didn't owe her a detailed explanation.
"It's family stuff," he finally said, his friendly demeanor falling and replaced by one of clear stress. "Damon's skipped town and I'm not sure what he's going to do. He wasn't in the best state of mind when he took off. You wouldn't know where he's going, would you? He hasn't reached out to you?"
"Why would he tell me where he was going?" Gwen asked, genuinely confused.
"I thought you two were friends?" Stefan looked crestfallen, as if he'd been holding out hope that she had some insight into whatever was going on with his brother.
Gwen dropped her eyes, shifting her weight to her left foot. She had no idea what Damon was to her, or why he'd mention her to Stefan. "I don't know if I'd say we're friends. I mean, I'm mostly his waitress. I don't know him that well. Wouldn't have pegged him as unstable though."
Stefan gave a hollow laugh. "Well, it's probably for the best that you're not close with him. The people he's close to… they get hurt. If he comes back, you may want to keep your distance."
Gwen's brow furrowed. Stefan's concern, while appreciated, didn't make a sense. They really hadn't spent much time together at all. "Uh, ok. I can't stop him from coming to the Grill though, and that's usually where I see him. Is there something you're not telling me?"
"No, I, uh, just don't want you to get hurt."
"Thanks, I guess," she said, still thrown by his concern for her well-being. "I have to go to the library. We'll reschedule to do the project?"
"Yeah, sure."
They parted. Resuming her trek to the library, Gwen continued to mull over why Stefan had been so insistent that she stay away from Damon. She knew, from listening in on Elena and Stefan's conversation earlier that week, that he was dangerous, single-minded in his mission to free Katherine. What she didn't know, however, was how she played into any of it. As far as anyone else knew, Gwen was in the dark about the vampires of Mystic Falls. She couldn't see how Damon could have any use for her in his schemes, unlike Caroline and Bonnie.
Heart sinking, Gwen came to an abrupt stop on the sidewalk outside the main library entrance. Damon's alleged interest in her probably had nothing to do with his plans for the tomb. It was far more likely that he had found out about Ric and his plans for revenge. Damon could be planning to use her against her uncle in some way.
Nearly numb from the wind, Gwen finally entered the library and sought out the secluded desk she'd been using all way at the back of the second floor. She didn't have any more time to waste on research. If Damon had found out about her uncle, she needed to act fast. Thoughts swirling in her mind as the beginning stages of a plan started to form, Gwen wandered over to the town history section she'd been haunting. The faded and cracked spines offered her no help. But, as she continued to stare at them, she knew what she had to do.
It was, without question, the dumbest decision she had ever made.
Everything was almost in place for Gwen's plan to confront Damon. Despite his reluctance, she'd convinced Stefan that they should meet at his house to work on their project. It'd been difficult. It was clear he didn't want to risk her coming into contact with Damon, but her desire to get into the house — and keep him out of hers — was stronger, and he'd caved in the end. Gwen had woken up early that morning to sneak back into the drawer, which she found unlocked this time and containing several more stakes. She took two, just in case, and plucked a few sprigs from the vervain plant Ric kept in the kitchen. Whenever she'd asked about the plant, which looked more like a weed than anything, he'd said it had health properties. By a stretch, she supposed it did.
A horn honked from the front of the house, prompting Gwen to slip on her coat. She left the house to see Caroline's car idling in the driveway. Gwen smiled, both in greeting to her friend and relief that she hadn't bailed. Getting to the Salvatore Boardinghouse would be quite the challenge without a ride. The only downside to Caroline driving was that she'd be on her own and without an escape once she was dropped off. Gwen forced the doubts away. This was going to be fine. She just had to be smart.
"Thanks for the ride, Caroline," Gwen said, buckling her seatbelt. "Ric must have forgotten I needed the car today."
"He really needs to get you a car," Caroline commented as she backed out of the driveway. "How are you getting home?"
"I'll text Ric. He should be done with his stuff in a couple of hours." Gwen's response sounded nonchalant, but the tightness in her stomach intensified. She hadn't thought about after her confrontation. All of her planning had been about the before and during; she hadn't even considered what would happen after or planned an escape route.
There was still time. Gwen could back out now. Tell Caroline Stefan had flaked and cancelled again. She wouldn't be surprised; Stefan was always backing out of things. Taking a deep breath, Gwen pushed her doubt away. She had to do this.
The Salvatore Boardinghouse was on the outskirts of town. The further they drove, the she noticed how the trees became thicker and thicker and houses further and further apart. When they finally pulled into the driveway, Gwen estimated the nearest house to be at least a mile up the road. She would be completely on her own.
"Thanks, again," she said, gathering her things. Caroline nodded, a funny look on her face. She was staring at the house in a way that said she didn't trust it. "Caroline, are you ok?"
"Huh? Yeah, sorry," she said, snapping out of her daze. "I had this feeling of déjà vu. Are you sure you'll be all right? I can stay?"
Gwen smiled reassuringly. "I'll be fine. I'm meeting Stefan, remember."
Caroline hummed, still looking uneasy. "Ok, well, see you later."
"See ya!" Gwen slammed the door and turned to walk up the driveway. From the front door, she waved to Caroline as her friend drove away. Gwen turned to face the door, which gave a daunting vibe with its unusual height and design. Composing herself, she raised her fist and knocked three times. A few moments passed, during which Gwen tried to keep her heartrate normal, before a confused Stefan was opening the door.
"Gwen? What are you doing here?"
"We were meeting to work on the project today. Remember?"
Groaning, he closed his eyes and drew hand over his face. Dropping his hand, he opened the door further to let her inside. "I'm really sorry about this, but I'm going to need to reschedule. There's something I have to go do right now. You can stay here until you can get your ride back. I'd take you, but I'm not going into town."
Though looking apologetic, he said all this very fast, eyes darting to the door. Whatever was going on had him on edge. Gwen wasn't sure how to feel about this new development. If Damon was home, Stefan being gone could make things easier. However, it also made them more dangerous.
"Oh, um, ok," she said, feigning awkwardness. "That's fine. Caroline's on her way to some charity thing but I can probably get Ric to wrap up early and come get me."
"Good, good," Stefan muttered, clearly distracted. He motioned for her to follow him further into the house. Ultimately leading her to what she assumed to be the living room. With the layout and half walls from the second floor, it still resembled a lobby more than anything. Attempts to modernize it had not been successful. "You can wait in here. The kitchen's right through the door on the left there. You can help yourself to anything. I'm so sorry about this."
Observing her surroundings, she set her bag down on the coffee table. "It's all right. Things happen. I'll be fine. You need me to lock up when I leave?"
"Huh?" he asked, seemingly surprised by the question. "Uh, sure. Listen, Damon's upstairs. He probably won't come down, but if he does and you don't feel safe, call me immediately."
With feigned confusion, she said, "I'm sure I'll be fine, Stefan. Damon's not going to do anything to me."
She wasn't sure until after she said it, if that statement was meant to reassure Stefan or herself. If anything, maybe saying it out loud would ensure that's what happened.
Stefan nodded, though he didn't look comforted. After one more rushed apology, he had disappeared out the front door. Left alone in the house, Gwen briefly considered actually texting Ric. It was clear she'd really had no plan and had been driven by fear and panic to confront Damon. There was no way he'd make a deal with her. This whole thing was stupid.
Sighing, she reached into her bag for her phone. Her hand brushed a sprig of vervain as she pulled out the phone. Thinking it was better to be safe than sorry, she took it out too. She was unlocking her phone when something on the shelf caught her eye. Distracted, she lowered her phone and walked over to the bookshelf. The was an old, practically ancient, black and white photo propped up at eye level. Dressed in clothes from the 1860s, Stefan and Damon were frozen mid-laugh, Stefan holding something that looked like a football. They looked happier than she had ever seen them. She knew, from her photography classes, candid photos like this one weren't displayed much back then. Something about them not being considered proper. This image had probably been saved from the trash pile. It had meant something to someone.
"I didn't realize the Grill delivered."
Startled, Gwen spun around to see Damon sauntering down the stairs. He looked as if he'd just woken up: his hair a disheveled mess and black t-shirt wrinkled. Oddly, he didn't seem at all bothered to find her standing alone in his living room.
"We don't. I was supposed to be working on a project with Stefan, but he had an emergency." Her nerves kicked into high gear and she hoped Damon couldn't her pulse race or, even worse, smell the perspiration that had started to form on her palms. She wiped her hands on her jeans, trying to hide it.
"And he left you here to what? Wait for his return?" Damon asked scornfully. He came to stand next her, fixing himself a drink from the bar. Gwen wondered if alcohol helped with the thirst for blood or if he simply liked to drink. He did seem to consume a lot of alcohol.
"Not exactly," Gwen said, sounding unbothered. "I don't have a car and he said he wasn't heading back into town, so I'm waiting for my uncle to come and get me."
She mentally kicked herself for not sending the text to someone. Now, she really didn't have an escape route, and no one who could help her knew where she was. Damon studied her over the rim of his glass, his ice blue stare no less intense than if he had been looking at her normally. She broke eye contact, settling her gaze on the lamp that was visible over his shoulder.
"Well, make yourself at home. Can I offer you a beverage?" he asked, smirking as he gently rocked the glass between his fingers.
Gwen shook her head. "No, I'm good. Actually, I-I was hoping to run into you," she said, cringing at the slight shake in her voice. It didn't help that his smirk had deepened.
"Oh? Missing your favorite customer?"
Gwen rolled her eyes. His smugness was annoying enough to push her past her nervousness. Besides, he wouldn't take her seriously if she sounded like a scared little girl. "Not quite. I wanted to talk to you about what I saw in the alleyway behind the Grill the night of Stefan's birthday party."
Damon froze mid-sip. His eyes darted to her, narrowed in skepticism. Smugness gone, he asked, "And what is that you saw?"
"You attacking, well, feeding off of a girl."
The next few seconds were the tensest Gwen had ever experienced. Damon's usual cocky demeanor was gone, replaced by blank features. She couldn't tell if he was angry or worried about what she said. Gwen couldn't predict what he was going to do — and that made her more nervous than anything else.
In a blink, he was across the room, pinning her against the bookshelf. The shelves dug uncomfortably into her back. Instinctively, Gwen looked to find a way to escape. But there wasn't one. She knew he was too strong to fight, and she'd stupidly left the stake in her bag.
"All right, you know what I am. So, what do you want? To be turned? To save me?" he asked, practically snarling.
"God, no," she scoffed with a confidence she certainly didn't feel. "I want to make a deal with you."
Surprised, he took a step back, giving her just enough space for her to slip out from between him and bookshelf. With a comfortable distance between them, albeit one he could close at any time, she continued.
"I know what you are, and I know what you want. I'll help you get Katherine out of the tomb, but I need you do something in return."
He laughed humorlessly, though his stance relaxed. "And how exactly can you help me?"
"Information, getting into places you can't, and you don't have to worry about me double crossing you," she listed, glaring slightly. She knew she would have a hard time getting him to take her seriously, but that didn't mean it didn't annoy her.
"And what makes you think I'm going to be double-crossed?"
She shrugged. "People don't like it when you hurt the ones they care about."
"True," he muttered with a tilt of his head. "All right, you're offering to be my spy and errand girl in return for what?"
Gwen bit her lip. She didn't want to give too much away when it came to Ric in case it caused Damon to seek him out instead. She had to choose her words carefully. "For starters, if I'm going to be helping you, I want you to leave Caroline out of all of your future schemes. I think you've done enough damage there. I also want you to swear that no matter what he does, you will not go after, maim, or kill my uncle. And —"
"Hang on," he said, suddenly interested in her demands. "You want me to promise to not do anything about someone who clearly has a vendetta against me?"
"Yes." She crossed her arms across her stomach. This was the tricky part. It was an insane request, but it was the most important one.
"Care to elaborate?" He plopped down onto the couch, resting his feet on the coffee table near her bag. Again, Gwen thought of the stakes she had grabbed earlier and was suddenly glad she'd left them in the bag. Clearly, they wouldn't have been much use to her, and they might have made him less amenable to her offer.
"Not really."
"Do it anyway," he demanded, the edge in his voice suggesting she quit stalling.
She sighed, thinking of how to explain it enough without telling him everything. "He lost someone, someone important, and he's pretty sure it was a vampire who killed them. He's looking for revenge."
"And he thinks it's me?"
"I don't know." That at least was the truth. She copied his earlier action and sat down in one of the high-backed leather chairs across from him. "I don't think he even knows who you are, but I think it's you. And if I'm able to figure all this out after a week, I'm sure he will too — and soon."
"I'm trembling," he said, smirk returning. "Why are you so sure it's me? There are a lot of vampires out there."
"This person my uncle lost they left a lot of research behind. Your name appears a few times in it. By the way, been to Duke University in the last couple of years?"
"I've been a lot of places," he said, taking another drink. Silence fell between them, and Gwen accepted he wouldn't give her a straight answer. It didn't matter; she didn't need to know. In fact, she preferred to not know. It was easier that way.
"So," she said, breaking the silence. "What do you say?"
Eyes trained on her, he set his glass down with a light clink. A moment later he was getting up from the couch and walking to her. She sat up straighter, pushing against the back of the chair while maintaining eye contact with him. He stopped within a few inches of her chair.
"Stand up," he demanded. Gwen did as he instructed, though she took a step back to try to put some distance between them. "You're right, I can't trust Stefan or Elena. Your motives are obvious at least, but there's still one thing."
"What?" she asked, absently twisting her bracelet on her wrist.
"If we're going to work together, and I'm expected to leave certain individuals alone no matter what, I need you to be completely honest with me."
"About?" She had no idea what he was getting at. Gwen thought she'd been honest enough. If he was going to have secrets, she should be able to have a few as well.
If it was possible, his stare seemed to grow more intense. Gwen shifted uncomfortably under it but forced herself to meet his gaze. "What are you?"
Her eyes narrowed, eyebrow raising slightly. "What am I? I'm a human, girl."
She hadn't meant to sound so sarcastic. He was clearly being serious, but it was such a ridiculous question. Seeing his lips go tight, she asked, "What do you mean? I'm not anything."
"You must be something," he countered. She had expected him to sound angry, assuming he thought she was lying. Instead he sounded almost perplexed. "I can't compel you. No human can fight that without —"
"Without this?" she asked, showing him the spring of vervain she'd been holding in her fist. "Yeah, if you've been trying to compel me this whole time, then it wouldn't have worked. See, nothing special. I'm just a somewhat prepared girl trying to make a deal with a vampire. Totally normal."
Damon's mouth curved slightly upwards, momentarily amused and impressed. "I haven't been. I haven't tried to compel you in a while, actually. Did you have that the night we met?"
"No," Gwen answered immediately, vaguely recalling how weird he'd been initially. "You tried to compel me then?"
"Of course," he said, as if it was the most natural thing for him to do. "I thought you'd be easy prey. I mean, you still were even if I couldn't compel you, but that made you too interesting to kill."
"We've only had the vervain plant for a couple of weeks," she mumbled, more to herself than to him, but he still heard it. She chose to ignore the chill Damon's words about her being easy prey sent down her back. He was a vampire after all. She shouldn't be too surprised he'd once considered her food.
"So, back to my question," he said, walking closer so there were only a few inches between them. "What are you?"
His closeness should have made her uncomfortable. But she was too busy recalling some of the weird coincidences that had happened since she moved to Mystic Falls. Gwen shook her head, staring blankly at him. "I-I don't know."
"Then I'm making an addition to our deal," he said, leaning down slightly. "I'll leave Caroline and your uncle alone, you help me get Katherine out of the tomb, and we try to figure out how exactly you're not so 'totally normal.'"
"Deal." Gwen hadn't even hesitated. Ric and Caroline would be safe, which was what she wanted.
Damon looked pleased, which only increased Gwen's unease. He backed away, turning back toward the bar. "Great. Let's celebrate with a drink."
And this time, Gwen accepted his offer.
AN: Thank you Wordspin, PrincessMagic, and everyone else who leaves reviews. Getting the notifications and reading them really make my day. And thank you to everyone who is following/reading this story. I hope you all continue to enjoy it.
