The Noble Diaries

by SSJ Lone Wolf

Finding himself back in time to the early twenty-first century, Six thought that attending Highschool would be a breeze compared to fighting the Covenant and Insurrectionists. But between Vampires, Werewolves, doublegangers, and countless other supernatural creatures and who knows what else, he finds that his troubles are just starting.

11. Chapter 11

The Noble Diaries

Disclaimer: I do not own Halo or The Vampire Diaries in any way, shape or form, they belong to their respective owners.

Savitarsurffer: Unfortunately, Six and Elena might not be happening after all because of Stefan. But Bonnie will most likely be getting with Six, as will Caroline, which might cause a rift with Elena since her two closest friends are siding with Six who would naturally be against vampires.

EWJOBZ7Z: Caroline will most likely be getting with Six in this story.

pau456: Considering that he revealed that Six is a super soldier to Elena, Stefan knows that Six won't help him. The two are pretty much enemies at this point.

DeathCrawler: Due to Stefan having to know Elena, I think it's inevitable that they will end up together if she doesn't get with Six, which seems unlikely due to Stefan being in the picture.

CrimsonN7: Thanks! Hopefully this was worth the wait!

Guest: Thanks!

Edboy4926: Cheers, man! If Bonnie were to mention the memory of being offered a place in the Spartan-III program, it would be a clear sign that she knows way more than she should as it's a memory and a period of his life that he would have never shared with anyone. As for Halloween, Six will likely go dressed as a Greek Spartan, unless someone is attacked and he goes and investigates in his armour with Bonnie happening to see him and realizes that its Jericho and everything she's seen is true.

Azai Jin: You're welcome. And I think it might add more to the plot/drama if Six and Elena don't end up together at first due to Stefan's presence. But like how Damon had too, maybe Six ends up dancing with Elena at the Miss Mystic Falls Pageant when Stefan gets addicted to blood causing the feelings she had for Six, and vice versa to resurface again.

SilentWriter105: Six and Dot have more of a brother-sister vibe to them, so that pairing is a no from me. But I was thinking that Dot could possibly end up with a certain noble Original Brother.

Blackdragon3665: Love the quote. And speaking of Blade, there will be a scene taken from the first movie in the near future. And he's currently a vampire hunter, but soon he will be a supernatural hunter, killing anything that threatens humanity.

Daua002: For this Halloween, Six will most likely go as a Greek Spartan, a little nod to his forbear as well as sort of going with how Bonnie dressed up as a witch for Halloween despite her being one...even if the costume was Caroline's idea.

Code Viper: At the minute I'm kinda toying with the idea that their relationship/friendship has a massive fallout because of Stefan and him desperately trying to convince Elena that Damon deserves a second chance, that he only killed people because he was a vampire. And that fact that while Six is bust hunting down vamps and working on his auto shop and various other projects he has going, Stefan will be there due to the whole point of him staying in Mystic Falls was to get know Elena.

Grudgematch: She might do on Halloween.

Annartlan Reach: True about Bonnie, but out of everyone, even Dot, she will know Six best. And when she finally tells Six that she knows that he from the future, Six might reassure her that not only is there over five centuries until the Covenant make contact with humanity, but the UNSC can also destroy planets too with their nova bombs, so it isn't exclusive to the Covenant. And when it comes to Damon, Stefan always seemed to overlook the things he done due to his love for his brother.

marlastiano: They do.

Morgiff: Sorry about that. And true about Hailey and Rebekah, as well as Elijah. Though Stefan is definitely the better brother compared to Damon.

Austin: That he will, and whatever other supernatural creatures threaten humanity. Though I imagine in time Six will start acting like Geralt from the Witcher series, as in he only kills the bad monsters. And I'll have to give the show a watch when I get a chance.

Enoch Levi: Thanks!

Savior16: I think that Caroline and Bonnie are definitely in, but Elena, I think that because Stefan will constantly be in her life and convincing her that Damon deserve a second chance, Six and Elena will be on opposite sides for a while. But eventually, old feelings might resurface, and she ends up with Six, too. And true about Caroline, lol. But instead of becoming a vampire in this story, she might be enhanced scientifically, wink, wink.

Regarding other Spartans, I am considering including them. However, they would likely be Spartan-III's such as Jun or Rosenda, who were members of Noble Team, in keeping with the "Noble Diaries" title for this story. I might make an exception for a Spartan-II if that II is Jorge, due to him being a part of Noble Team. Unlike Carter, Kat, and Emile, his survival would be the most plausible since and not me just bringing ALL of Noble Team in when I've made it clear that they all died on Reach like in canon.

NcRanger: Maybe not the 300 Spartan, that might be something I would do for the Six in my Brooklyn 99 crossover since its a comedy, but Six will likely be going as a Greek Spartan.

jmknz777: Elena might be out for the minute but there will likely be lingering feelings between Six and Elena.

UAGLans: I'm glad. And thanks for pointing it out. As for Six and Elena, it might not happen due to Stefan being in the scene.

Krieger Techpriest: Indeed! And yes, I had to look up the prices, especially since season 1 takes place during season 1. He is, though it's not intentional!

aljericho2001: He will, don't worry!"

Jebest4781: Appreciate it.

timurvecherskii: Thanks. And as of right now, Caroline and Bonnie will be getting with Six. As for Elena, I think that her character went downhill after season 3 when they added the stupid sire bond plotline.

Dylan. Lucky: Thanks. And as a Spartan, I felt that Six could only stand by for so long before he decided to deal with the vampires hence why he set out last chapter rather than waiting for several more chapters and not dealing with them until November-December in the current timeline.

Dragonkiller215: At the moment it seems likely that Six and Elena won't happen due to Stefan spending more time with her.

Techdud227: You mean like Six dreams about when he went to Onyx rather than just Bonnie seeing a part of the memory?

Nagiten: Poor Bonnie, but it will ultimately make her closer to Jericho due to being the only one that has seen what he's been through. And unlike vampires, witches would be more careful about revealing their powers out in public. Six and Hailey would like be frenemies, or at least that's how everyone perceives them due to them insulting each other constantly.

And Six might the one of the few that doesn't fall for Katherine's charms, infuriating her. Also, Katherine might realize that her best chance for survival is to stick with Six, so she might stay in Mystic Falls or even move in without asking due to the fact that since Dot owns that house and she's not alive, vamps can just walk in uninvited.

Darkstar the Grimm: I thought that it would give something to do rather than just adding him into the Vampire Diaries episodes. While everyone else is doing their thing, Six is out hunting. And you think? Honestly, with the amount of time that Six has spent with Elena, I thought the chemistry would be the best with Elena. And who knows, maybe Six gets with Rebekah, we'll see.

BIRD0HERMES: Bonnie will certainly be the one to know him best due to experiencing his memories.

BookishTen8: When it comes to Damon, Stefan will always overlook everything he does. I mean, Damon stakes Lexi, Stefan's best friend for over a hundred years on his birthday and Stefan still refuses to kill him.

Guest: It would be quite the scene.

Kripky: You're welcome!

rvala117: At the moment, Six and Elena probably won't happen due to Stefan getting between them.

Guest: Unlike the vamps, Spartan-III's have a damn good reason to be so broken.

NightEternity: Love that idea!

Master of the Underworld: Six will be experiencing his first Halloween, mostly because of Caroline. And Six will be dressing up as a Greek Spartan.

wallsofmine: As of right now, it looks like that might be happening.

xXWolfsterXx644: The first of many. And not just in America, all across the globe vampires shall be hunted down.

Sci-Fi Guy: As of this chapter they may not be.

Varigonx: I'm going to be adding monsters from the Supernatural show, The Witcher Series, and maybe even from the Diablo series, too. So, if those monsters you mentioned can be adapted into this setting, I'll include them. I might even add Jason, Michael Myers and Freddy Krueger.

jasdragon: As of right now, Six and Elena might not happen for some time due to Stefan being in the scene.

The Lone VA: Well, as of right now Six and Elena might not happen for some time due to Stefan coming between them.

Guest: As much fun as a deeply traumatized super soldier can have, at any rate. But Six will be going as a Greek Spartan, a small nod to his namesake. And as of right now, Six and Elena might not be happening for some time, if ever due to Stefan getting in the way of them. And Show Elena and Book Elena are two different people that are opposites to one another.

FinlandNative: Well as of this chapter, Six and Elena probably won't be happening due to Stefan ultimately coming between them.

War Sage: It's about time, right? I don't think that Six would hear the end of it if he didn't go to the party. Yeah, Bonnie needs some love and attention, especially since I've barely had any interactions with her in this story thus far. Maybe, but she'll be the one to understand Six best due to seeing his memories and understanding that despite his often-violent methods, everything he does is to protect humanity. Yeah, screw Christy.

Yeah, even Ian couldn't understand how Elena could forgive Damon for killing Jeremy right in front of her. And fans also argue that Damon knew that he had the ring on so it was fine, but Damon even admits that he didn't. But even if he did, he full on murdered Jeremy because Elena rejected his advances, but all that is conveniently forgotten. Elena was a good character during season 1-3, but after season 4 he just became Damon's yes-girl, which destroyed her character IMO. And I think that Magic would affect him and be one of the greater threats to Six, unless he gets his armour enhanced somehow to give him a resistance to it.

Guest: I did. But that was before Stefan really entered the picture and is probably going to drive a wedge between Six and Elena.

Nicogen: Not bad ideas. Really like that Sam idea.

Sixfan29: Oh, Tanner might die...just not by Damon. Alaric will appear in this story, don't worry. And in Elena's defence, she is a traumatised seventeen-year-old that was forced into the supernatural world due to Stefan entering her life. Sure, Klaus might have eventually found her, but it was Stefan and Damon entering her life that brought her into it. And again, she's seventeen. If I heard that someone, I knew tore someone's arm off, I would be shocked too.

That's the thing about Caroline though. She says that she's never the first choice, but so many of the guys in the vampire diaries get with Caroline. It's Bonnie that never gets any attention from the men in the series. And don't worry, Bonnie won't be backing down. Yes, Dot is gathering as much intel for Six as possible. Katherine was a given since there is someone that looks identical to Elena out there which would certainly gain Dot's attention. Same with Tom.

Six is leaving decapitated heads behind too, so the vampires are gonna know that something out there is hunting them down. But it might be a while before they realize that it's just one man rather than a group of vampire hunters. And vamps rapidly turning humans to fight against this unknown threat could be a potential consequence of Six's actions against them. And I imagine that if Six just happens to take out Lucien, he ultimately so several people from dying like they did in the series.

And I can see Caroline doing that...even if Six hates the idea of celebrating his birthday. And his armour wasn't repaired since it would take longer than just a few days to do so, if anything the Huragoks would make him a new set with Covenant tech. Six most likely will use his blood to cure vamps that have genuine remorse or don't pray on humans, but the ones that do will receive no mercy from him.

Yeah, the Six and Bonnie interactions in this story have been lacking. Six has learned the horrors of clothes shopping...especially for Caroline. Yep, Caroline does. Not just Stefan, everyone seems to hold him on some high pedestal. Not just the characters in the show, but his diehard fans, too. Oh, Damon will be causing problems for Six again, which will backfire on him. Tyler is a dick, but with a father like his and his unlocked werewolf gene, it's kinda expected. And I think that Matt doesn't believe the vampire theory, not since Vicki was compelled by Stefan to forget the entire thing and just blames it on a wild animal.

Honestly, I don't think the writers even know how old everyone was when they first started the show. I get that Damon is a vampire, but it's still disgusting that a 25-year-old, I think that was his age when he turned, is sleeping with Caroline, who at the time was sixteen. And true, I think that might fuck Six up if he sees that his life is nothing more than a video game and Noble Six in the game doesn't even have a backstory.

Xilon: You're welcome!

LeodredAQW: As I've said in numerous responses now, Six and Elena might not be happening due to Stefan driving a wedge between them.

linx007: Fair enough about Elena. But as of right now, Caroline and Bonnie will be getting with Six.

Guest: I haven't actually played the game. I'm guessing that its much stronger than the one portrayed in the Supernatural series.

TheOneWhoWalksThroughFire: Six and Elena might not be getting together after all. And Six would be opposing Stefan so much if he didn't open his mouth to Elena and if he stopped defending Damon constantly.

Nato: Maybe not this chapter, but who knows. And maybe instead of Six, Tanner gets into a debate with Dot who absolutely destroys every argument he tries to make with her due to being an A.I.

Brainstorm Sorcerer: A hell of a lot happened, really. Six is no longer sitting on the sidelines and taking the fight to the vampires. After a thousand years they're the ones being hunted fort a change, and by a human of all things. At least in this story/universe, Damon doesn't get to abuse Caroline. Yep, the gauntlet has been thrown down between Caroline and Bonnie. And if Stefan hadn't been there, Elena probably would have thrown in, too. Pulling a Bruce Wayne...shit, why didn't I think of that?

And that may be true about Bonnie, but unlike the others in his life expect Freya and Davina if he meets them and they see his memories too, Bonnie will know Six the best because of it. Also, Bonnie still isn't in control of her powers hence why she suddenly felt his emotions, then the next few times witnessed his horrific memories and saw pieces of his life. And I'm sure that Six will tell Caroline that.

At this point, Six might just finish what he started and end Damon...even if it does deprive Alaric from finding out what happened to Isobel. But she'll still make an appearance with or without Damon being around. And it won't be long before word starts to spread about armoured titan hunting vamps and other supernatural creatures that prey on humans. And Stefan is only against killing when it comes to Damon. And honestly, when Stefan said that he was going to kill Damon, I knew that it was just talk. Damon murdered Lexi on his birthday and Stefan still refused to kill him. Out of universe its because Ian would be out of a job, in universe its because he can't live without his brother.

Six and Vicki will most likely interact during the Halloween party, or when he asks for a job at his auto shop when she sees how much more money Matt is making compared to her. Like I said, when it comes to Damon, Stefan lets him get away with murder, pun intended. And after his first couple of go's, Six should be able to master pool, shocking everyone present. Yeah, Tyler is a dick, but after his dad is killed, I swear that he becomes better...or at least he will in this story. Hell, he might even be trained by Six to defend Mystic Falls in his absence whenever he leaves to go hunting.

Yeah, Halloween goes much smoother without Damon being a vampire and ruining everyone's lives. Though I might have Vicki cheat on Jeremy with Tyler when she's drunk, that way it paves the way for Jeremy and Anna down the line...assuming that I have them get together. And I imagine that when Six dies meet Lexi, the exchange will be rife with tension due to him distrusting vamps since the only other good one he met is protecting his psychopath brother. But he may warm up to her, especially if she becomes friends with Dot and Jenna.

In Elena's defence, she was a traumatised seventeen-year-old that was dragged into the supernatural world because of Stefan and Damon. And given that she is just a normal human, even a doppelganger, hearing that somebody she knew tore someone's arm off would be horrifying to hear, even against a vampire. But due to Stefan driving a wedge and getting between Six and Elena, Six and Elena might not happen after all.

Yep, Six and Stefan are not going to be friends...at least not for a very long time due to Stefan opening his mouth about what happened between Six and Damon. And true about Six. He doesn't need to stay in Mystic Falls. And even when he leaves, it's not he'll just leave the town unprotected. A couple of automatons placed around and guarding the town will be all he needs to do to protect it.

---

Chapter 11.

---

Monday morning soon arrived. After getting showered and dressed for school, as well as cooking breakfast for Damon and Zach, though admittingly more so for Damon knowing that Zach wouldn't care if he ate or not, Stefan got ready to leave. His bag resting on the ground by his feet, he grabbed his leather jacket and slipped it on.

It had been a few days since his talk with Dot outside the Grill. And while he still had no idea what she was, he had learnt one thing. She wanted Damon dead, or at the very least thought that he should die. He didn't know what Jericho's view was on the matter, they had only exchanged a few words at Caroline's party, and not for a lack of trying. He had tried several times to stir up conversation with him to no avail. Jericho clearly didn't trust him, not that he could blame him after Damon attacked him.

But despite that, he couldn't just sit back and let them kill his brother. He wasn't blind to the truth, he knew that Dot was right about his victims deserving justice, but Damon was still his brother. And he wouldn't give up on him, not now that redemption was possible. He just needed Dot and Jericho to see that. Right now, all they saw was the evil vampire, they didn't the good person that he used to be before Katherine had entered their lives and pitted them against each other for her own twisted amusement.

Hearing footsteps, Stefan turned to see Zach leaving the foyer. "I know you're probably busy, but I need you to keep an eye on Damon today. Make sure that he doesn't try leaving the house, and don't let anyone inside until I get back from school."

"Why?"

Reluctantly, Stefan answered. "Because there are people that might want him dead."

"For good reason."

Expecting that sort of response from Zach, Stefan sighed. "I know that you and Damon don't exactly see eye to eye..."

"That's putting it lightly." Zach shot back. "Every time Damon has shown up here in the past he has done nothing but made my life a living hell, constantly reminding me how easily he could kill me if he wanted too. And not just me, how many people has he butchered for his own sick amusement? And not just this time, but all the other times he's come back to Mystic Falls in the past?"

"I know that." Stefan whispered regretfully.

Frustrated, Zach voiced it. "Then why are you protecting him?"

"Because he's my brother." Stefan replied earnestly. "And more importantly, he's family."

Zach couldn't have disagreed more. "Not to me. And we both know that if Damon was still a vampire, he'd still be tormenting innocent people for his own sick amusement because that's the sort of person he is; and it has nothing to do with him being a vampire. But I know that nothing I say matters. When it comes to Damon, you'll always protect him, no matter what he does or that the world would be a better place without him in it." He declared before walking off.

"I think you hurt his feeling." Damon quipped playfully. Turning to him, Stefan found him leaning by the doorframe that led into the foyer. "Of course, you could always compel our darling little nephew to be more obedient. It's easy. And it'll stop all your problems...well, almost all of them."

Shooting Damon a flat look, Stefan retorted. "Problems that you've caused." He stated as Damon placed his only remaining hand on his chest and feigned hurt.

"Haven't I already suffered enough without my own brother turning against me?"

"I'm about the only person that hasn't turned against you." Stefan pointed out dryly. "Not that you make it easy."

Damon responded in his usual sarcastic manner. "I'll be sure to get you a best bro mug next time I'm in town. Actually, I'll get you two; would that make you feel more appreciated?"

"Could you start taking this seriously?" Stefan pleaded with a slight edge to his voice.

The former vampire rolled his eye. "Would you relax,"

"And how do you expect me to do that when there are people out there that want you dead and you can no longer defend yourself?" Stefan retaliated heatedly. "Jericho was stronger than you, and you were stronger than me when you were a vampire. And for all we know Dot could be stronger than him; and she made it pretty clear that you should die for everything you've done."

Unconcerned, Damon commented, "Yeah, you've told me all about little Miss holier-than-thou," He dismissed with a roll of his eye. "And don't you think that if they were going to do anything then they would have done it by now?"

"I'm not willing to take that risk."

Offering a helpful suggestion, "Well, if you're that worried you could always try compelling them." Damon told him.

"You know I can't." Stefan answered swiftly. "I got lucky with Vicki, and that was only because she was weak from the drugs and being drained of blood. Also, compulsion might not even work on Dot. I still have no idea what she is."

"Have you tried?"

"And risk angering them further if it fails?" Stefan questioned rhetorically. "Dot already thinks you should die. And then there's Jericho...I have no idea what thinks. But considering that you attacked him,"

Not missing the accusation, Damon raised his hand in mock surrender. "In my defence, scar-face should have been dead the second I punched him over his house. How was I supposed to know he was some government freak cooked up in a lab? If anything, I'm the victim here. I lost an arm, an eye, my power...what did he lose exactly? He should be lucky I don't sue his ass. At the very least he could offer me a replacement arm." He commented, even if he planned to get one with or without the freaks help.

---

Sitting inside her Prius in the school parking lot, Bonnie steeled herself. "Your destruction is the will of the Gods...and we are their instrument." Like it had since she had first heard it in her mind, the chilling and utterly terrifying message from the future.

Jericho was a Spartan; one that was from the future. Him and hundreds of other children who had also lost their homes and families to the Covenant, aliens that were so powerful that they could burn entire planets. They were also all child soldiers, most likely manipulated the same way that Jericho had been with the promise of revenge, even if he didn't even know the meaning of the word at the time and what he was signing up for.

Discovering that she was a witch had been a cakewalk compared to learning that aliens were real, and they would attack them in the twenty-sixth century, which Jericho was from. With magic they could fight vampires and protect innocent people, but how was magic supposed to stop aliens that could burn entire worlds?

Amadora, Boundary, Eirene, Jericho VII, Kholo, New Harmony. She quickly put together that they were names of planets, ones that she had obviously never heard of before and had no idea where they were, but most likely outside the Solar System, but the Covenant had burned at least six worlds and who knows how many more they had..

Jumping out of her skin when someone knocked on her window, Bonnie turned her head to see both Caroline and Elena standing there before the former pulled the door open and gave her what could be called a serious glare.

"You've got some serious explaining to do, Bonnie Bennett. How could you just skip out on my sweet seventieth?" Caroline demanded and expected an answer from her.

Already feeling guilty, Bonnie apologised profusely. "I'm really sorry, Caroline. There was this..." Pausing, she thought hard on an excuse to justify her leaving the party on Saturday so abruptly without telling them that she had seen Jericho's memories and learnt that humanity was going to be attacked in the future. And that Jericho was a child soldier, and from the future. "I had a family emergency."

"That's a load of..."

Elena interjected, cutting Caroline off. "Is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine." Bonnie promised, lying through her teeth. Removing her seatbelt and grabbing her bag from the passenger seat, she climbed out of her Prius. "My life has just gotten a little crazy lately."

As Bonnie closed the door, Caroline folded her arms and pouted. "Enough for you to leave without saying anything?"

"You know I wouldn't have left unless it was important." Bonnie said. And it was, as in she needed to talk to Grams about everything that she had witnessed from Jericho's memories.

Once Bonnie locked the Prius, Elena spoke. "And did you get it sorted?"

"Not really."

Still dubious, Caroline voiced it. "And what exactly was this family emergency?"

"I can't talk about it." Bonnie explained awkwardly, offering Caroline a apologetic smile. "It's a Bennett...thing." She mumbled, even if that was like the one thing that she wasn't lying to them about. "And I'm sure you had fun without me being there."

Walking across the parking lot, Elena remarked. "It still wasn't the same without you."

"Did you have fun?" Bonnie asked them both. Though privately, she wished that her really inconvenient powers could have manifested in a couple of months so that she could have celebrated Caroline's birthday with her and get to know Jericho better without reliving his memories every time she touched him. But from what she had seen of his life so far, well, it sucked; and that was putting it lightly. Losing his parents and home, then manipulated into becoming a child soldier. And to top it all off, he was from a time when humanity was being attacked by aliens.

Oblivious to Bonnie's inner thoughts, Caroline happily answered. "So much fun! Of course, it would have been better if you were there...and if my mom wasn't. What sort of party doesn't have alcohol?" She voiced rhetorically. "I was really hoping to see Jericho drunk. While he's sexy beyond measure, he's way too serious and uptight for his own good,"

"For good reason."

Both Caroline and Elena looked at Bonnie. "Something to share?" The blonde quizzed.

"Well, I mean he did watch his parents die,"

Surprised, Elena expressed it. "Jericho told you how his parents died?"

"Um, no, you did, remember, outside the Grill the first week of school." Bonnie reminded Elena, once again lying through her teeth to cover up her stupid slipup. She hated lying to them both, but it was for their own good. She wasn't going to ruin their lives by revealing what she had learned about Jericho.

Casting her mind back, Elena frowned. "Jericho never told me how they died, just that they died when he was five."

"...Well that was the impression I was getting when you told us." Bonnie lied once more, and hating every second of it. "But enough about Jericho," She said changing the subject, even if Jericho was at the forefront of her mind and had been since she had experienced his memories for the first time. "I want to hear about the party."

And Caroline happily obliged. "Oh, where to begin." She said, speaking more to herself than Bonnie as they walked down the path that led into the school and started telling her exactly what she had missed on Saturday because of her family emergency.

---

Her first class over, Bonnie headed to the second. Opening the door, she stepped into Art Class to see several people already at their desks. Glancing around the room for somewhere to sit, her olive-green eyes landed the spartan from the future that was sitting alone in the back; which he did regardless of what class he was in.

Making her way towards the back of the classroom, she walked over to the table that Jericho was sitting at. "Hey." Bonnie greeted softly, offering him a small smile.

"Bonnie." Jericho responded stoically. Turning his head, he casted his piercing blue eyes at her. "How are you feeling?"

Placing her bag under the table, Bonnie pulled out a chair and sat next to Jericho. "Um, much better, thank you." She said, scooting the chair closer to the desk. "Sorry If I came across as rude again, I've been all over the place lately. You know, family stuff." And when he just stared at her with those dangerous blue eyes of his, she realized that she wasn't fooling him. "..you don't believe me, do you?"

"No." Jericho stated bluntly. "But it's none of my business." He added.

Bonnie arched a dark brow. "You're not going to pry?"

"You're intitled to your secrets, Bonnie."

Appreciating it, Bonnie unconsciously smiled. "So, how was Caroline's party?"

"Fine."

Looking up at Jericho, Bonnie continued. "Did you enjoy yourself?"

"Everyone seemed in high spirits."

"...and you?"

Saying nothing at first, Jericho eventually spoke. "My gratification is irreverent."

"To who?"

Jericho answered candidly. "To me."

"You don't think that you deserve to enjoy yourself?" Bonnie frowned, even if that made sense from the crippling emotions that she had experienced from him as well as the memories she had seen.

As quick as a flash, Jericho replied. "There is more to life than enjoying yourself."

"Maybe." Bonnie uttered under her breath. "But you've got to have fun every now and again."

His piercing blue eyes never once leaving hers, "Why?" Jericho questioned, even if it sounded more like a confused demand.

"Because you do." Bonnie answered like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I mean, you're not a machine. You can't just go through life working non-stop, you need to take moments for yourself."

"And what purpose would that serve?"

Taken aback by his blunt curiosity, Bonnie inquired. "Does everything have to serve a purpose?"

"Yes."

"So, you never do anything just for fun?"

"No."

Expecting that from him, Bonnie persisted. "Not even renovating?" She questioned as the class quickly became filled with more and more students. "Haven't you been working on your auto shop for a while now? You must enjoy it a little if you're doing it yourself and not hiring contractors to do it."

"Not even renovating." Jericho returned stoically. "And I prefer to conduct the work on the automobile repair shop myself."

Confused, Bonnie voiced it. "Why do call it that?

"For the same reason I call you Bonnie and not Brandy. Only one is your name."

Fighting back a smile, Bonnie argued. "It's not the same." She said with a meaningful look. "Just call it an auto shop instead of an automobile repair shop, everyone else does."

"By that similitude I should call you Bon-Bon because everyone else does."

Finally giving in, Bonnie smiled. "You can if you like."

"While I appreciate the offer, since neither of us are children, I shall call you by your given name."

Playfully rolling her olive-green eyes, Bonnie sighed with a smile. "Suit yourself." She told the spartan from the future. And while she had every opportunity to talk to him about what she had seen, she just didn't know how to bring it up. What was she meant to say? Hey, so I'm a witch and I entered your head and saw your memories? Yeah, because that was going to go down well.

---

The school bell ringing, signalling the end of the day, Six collected his items and left the classroom. Wasting no time, he walked down the hallway that quickly became filled with other students that emerged from the rooms throughout the school.

"Jericho!"

Slowing his pace when he heard his name called out, Six glanced over his shoulder to see, "Matt." He stoically greeted the quarterback that pushed through the crowd and caught up to him. "Did you acquire assistance?

"Er, yeah." Matt nodded. "Look, um," He began, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck as he walked with Jericho. "I hate to ask, but I don't suppose that you have any paid work that you need doing?"

The Spartan gazed down at him. "You're looking for employment." He stated rather than asked.

"Yeah." Matt confirmed with a small nod. "With mom gone, it's up to me and Vicki to pay the bills if we want to keep a roof over our head and put food on the table; and honestly, money is a little tight right now, even with Vick picking up shifts at the Grill. And if she's working, I don't see why I shouldn't, too."

"...are you busy tonight?" Six asked, despite already planning on working tonight, just not in the automobile repair shop.

Matt answered quickly. "I've got Football practise, but that ends at five."

"Be at the automobile repair shop at 18...at six o'clock." Six told him, correcting his words at the end.

Arching a curious brow. "Why do you always call it that?"

"For the same reason I always call you Matt and not Mark." Six said, repeating his reasonings to Matt like he did Bonnie.

Letting it go, Matt spoke. "Well, I need to get to practise before Tanner rips me a new one. I'll see you at six; and thanks again, Jericho." He said getting a nod from the Spartan before heading back in the other direction.

Once Matt was gone, Six continued making his way out of the school. Stepping out into the sunlight, he walked down the path and headed over to the parking lot where he had left his Charger. Passing the other cars that were parked, he found another familiar face standing by his car. "Elena." He greeted the brunette who smiled; and while she tried to hide it, he saw the nervousness behind it.

"Hey."

"Did you require something?"

Standing by the Charger, Elena looked up at Jericho. "Yeah." She said, her heart feeling like it was in her mouth right now. "It's, well, we haven't hung out in a while. Not since before the Founder's Party. I know we saw each other at Caroline's party, but I missed hanging out with you."

"Have you?"

Thrown off by his sceptical tone, Elena frowned. "Why wouldn't I?"

"If you plan on lying frequently, you should get rid of that tell."

At a loss for words, Elena stammered, "I don't..."

"Do you think I haven't seen the wary and distrustful looks you keep giving me?"

Responding by shaking her head, Elena felt her throat close up as she strggled to get the words out. "No, that's not..."

"And with the hopeful looks that Stefan keeps giving you, I'm going to guess that he revealed what he was." Six stated, cutting Elena off. "Just as I'm sure he wasted no time in twisting the narrative to make Damon out to be the victim and me the aggressor."

Turning with Jericho as he walked past her, Elena hastily interjected. "No, I know that it was Damon that attacked you. I know that I just..."

"Did he say I was dangerous?" Six inquired, unlocking the Charger. "That you needed to be careful around me?" He asked rhetorically, and when he looked at her and saw her teary brown eyes, he got his answer. "Thank you for conforming my suspicions."

Following Jericho round to the door, Elena persisted. "Then explain it to me."

"Explain what?"

As Jericho opened the door, Elena spoke. "About what happened?"

"You know what happened."

Before Jericho could climb into his car, Elena stopped him. "Are you a super soldier?" She whispered softly, finally asking the question that had been on her mind for nearly two weeks but hadn't had the chance to ask, and not from lack of trying. She had invited him round half a dozen times last week and each time he refused, saying that he was busy. "Is that how you were able to tear Damon's arm off?"

"You have a problem with that but not with Damon murdering civilians?" Six returned emotionlessly, casting his eyes over at Elena. "You have no problem with him tearing them apart, mutilating their corpses and leaving Vicki to die alone in the woods?"

Feeling like everything was crumbling around her, Elena replied with watery eyes, her voice cracking as she did. "O-Of course I have a problem with it."

"If that was true,"

Protesting, "It is!" Elena proclaimed, fighting back the tears that threatened to escape that Jericho thought that she had no problem with all the people Damon had killed, or that he thought that she was siding against him.

"You wouldn't be condemning my actions." He stated calmly.

"I'm not!"

Six continued. "Not that I'm surprised. I'm sure Stefan gave you a sympathetic backstory to cast them both as victims, because he had to. Otherwise, you would have seen them for what they are..."

"Stefan doesn't..."

Cutting Elena off this time, Six finished. "Consume human blood? So I've heard. But considering that this is the same Stefan who was more concerned with his brother's survival than the people that Damon killed, even going as far as manipulating you, I don't trust a word he says." With nothing else needing to be said, he climbed into the Charger.

The door closing, Elena watched through teary eyes as Jericho started up the Charger, backed out, and drove off without even glancing at her, leaving her standing alone in the parking lot. "You okay?" A voice suddenly asked, startling her, and making her realize that she wasn't as alone as she thought.

"You were listening in."

Stefan offered an apologetic smile. "It was not intentional. And I'm sorry that you're being dragged into this mess. That's the last thing I wanted, Elena."

"It's not your fault." Elena returned softly, wiping away her tears. "I'm the one that had to snoop instead of minding my own business like I should have done."

Disagreeing, Stefan voiced it. "I'm sure that you would have figured it out eventually." He said with a gentle smile. "And I know you said that you needed time to process everything, but I needed you to know that Jericho is wrong about me. I have never once manipulated you, Elena. Why do you think that I gave you the locket with the vervain inside? So you know that I can't compel you, nor would I." He vehemently insisted. "Everything I told you was because I wanted you to know me, not because I was trying to make myself out to be a victim like Jericho thinks."

"You did say that he was dangerous."

Sticking to the belief, "And he is." Stefan affirmed.

"So are you."

"I never said that I'm not," Stefan pointed out. "But you can't stand there and say that Jericho isn't dangerous, not when he's capable of fighting off a vampire and..."

Cutting him off, Elena hurled back. "You say that like it's a bad thing." She returned sharply. "Like he's in the wrong for defending himself when it was Damon that attacked him and not the other way round."

"That's not what I'm saying, Elena."

Unconvinced, Elena expressed. "Aren't you? Because all I'm hearing is you think that Jericho is wrong for defending himself." She retorted, her eyes red and puffy from crying quickly filling with anger. "And was Jericho telling truth when he said that you didn't care about Damon's victims?"

"Not at all." Stefan swiftly responded. "I don't know what Dot told him, but it couldn't be further from the truth. All I said was how does more death make things better." He explained to Elena, trying to make her see that he was nothing like Jericho was making him out to be. "And now that Damon is human, he is no longer a threat to anyone."

Stating the obvious, "He murdered people." Elena said quietly, not wanting anyone to overhear.

"I know that. But he only did those things because he was a vampire.

Cutting him off, Elena retaliated. "That doesn't justify it, Stefan. You said that you don't feed on human blood, so Damon didn't have to either, or were you lying about that?"

"No, I wasn't lying. And I'm not defending his actions." Stefan proclaimed firmly, desperately trying to make her see that. "If I could bring back all the people that he fed on then I would in a heartbeat, but Damon is still my brother. I can't just stand by as Dot and Jericho murder him like I'm pretty sure they want too; and me too now, I guess," He said, and when Elena said nothing, he added, "If Jeremy...

She cut him off sharply, "Don't bring Jeremy into this." Elena warned.

"But if Jeremy killed someone and even knowing what he did was wrong, would you just turn your back on him?"

Begrudgingly, Elena backed down seeing his point. "No, I wouldn't."

"Then how can you ask me to just give up on Damon?" Stefan asked her. "I know he's not perfect, but he was not always the monster that you see him as. Back before Katherine, he was a good person, someone that I looked up too. He wasn't born a monster, Katherine made him one."

"I'm not saying that she didn't, but that doesn't excuse Damon and all the things he done since becoming a vampire. The people he murdered, they deserve justice." Elena stated firmly.

With a small nod, Stefan spoke. "I know they do." He told her and meant it. "But there has to be a better alternative than more death. There has already been far too much spilt in Mystic Falls these last few months alone."

"You could have him arrested."

Strongly opposing that idea, "That would mean exposing the supernatural to the world resulting in more innocent people dying, something that I want to avoid."

"So Damon just gets away with everything?"

Shaking his head, Stefan disagreed. "Damon hasn't got away with anything, he's suffering right now." He informed her. "He lost his arm, an eye, and most importantly, he's human again. Trust me, there is no greater punishment for Damon than being human."

"Tell that to the people he murdered." Elena shot back before walking off and over to where she parked her SUV. Not even looking over her shoulder, she made her way through the parking lot and away from Stefan who sighed and threw his head back in frustration.

---

The sun setting across Mystic Falls, darkness fell across Virginia. In town, the lights from the auto shop escaped the large building, casting a soft golden glow that reflected off the Dodge Charger and Ram that were parked outside. Inside, Six and Matt worked on painting the reception area.

"So, why black and blue?"

Painting the bottom half of the room black, Six gently ran the roller across plastered wall. "What's wrong with black and blue?" He inquired, never once taking his eyes from the spot that he was working on.

"Nothing, it just seems like odd combination is all." Matt muttered painting one of the other walls. "Thought it might have been something deeper meaning behind it was all."

Stopping momentarily, Six contemplated his words. "Blue is Dot's colour." He commented and it was not inaccurate. Her original avatar had been a grid patten that constantly shifted between blue lights.

"And black is yours?"

"Black is ONI's." The Spartan corrected in his mind. "I guess so." He grunted.

Continuing to paint the wall, staying below the masking tape that Jericho had set up around the room to prevent any of the black paint from going over the blue, and vice versa once they started on the top half, Matt tried to make conversation with his new boss. "So, how come you decided to buy an auto shop in the first place?"

"Take a guess."

Matt smirked a little. "Okay, but I thought that you just made cybernetics." He pointed out, glancing over at Jericho. "I mean, your aunt is Dot Amita. It's pretty obvious that you're that Jericho Reach. Everyone at school pretty much put two and two together."

"I've never hidden my identity."

With a shrug. "I guess. You've also never just come out and said it, either." Matt said.

"I didn't think that I had too."

The quarterback quickly interjected. "You don't, it's just, well, Mystic Falls is not the sort of place you'd expect to find someone like you."

"Someone like me?"

"Yeah, you know, a celebrity."

Six grunted. "I'm no celebrity."

"I think the media would disagree with you there." Matt said, dipping his brush into the paint. "You own Noble Industries."

The super soldier countered. "And Dot runs it. The media should be more focused on interviewing her and my employees."

"Don't want the spotlight on you?"

And with a resounding response, "No." Six declared firmly.

"You know, most people would love to be the centre of attention." Matt commented as he loaded up his roller with paint. "I could probably give you names." He quipped, with most of those names being those on the cheerleading squad like Caroline and Tiki.

Running the roller along the wall, Six grunted. "I'm not most people."

"No?"

"No." Six acknowledged, answering Matt. "The less attention on me the better."

Glancing over at Jericho, Matt couldn't stop himself. "If you didn't want attention, maybe having a self-driving car wasn't the way to go." He pointed out and watched as Jericho stopped what he was doing and looked at him.

"Have you been speaking to Dot?"

"..Um, no. Why?"

"No reason."

Watching Jericho turn back to continue painting, Matt did the same. "So is this place just going to be an auto shop?"

"For the most part." Six informed Matt as they went back to painting the room. "Additionally, it will also function as a filling station."

Stopping again, Matt looked over at Jericho. "You're going to be selling gasoline here?"

"Along with hydrogen gas."

"Isn't that the stuff they use to fuel rockets?"

Like he had with Bonnie, Six explained. "That is liquid hydrogen. We plan to sell hydrogen gas."

"You do know that cars and pretty much everything else like bikes and trucks run off gasoline, right?"

With a small nod, Six responded. "I am."

"Wait, if you're planning on selling hydrogen gas, does that mean that's what your Charger runs off?" Matt quizzed, naturally curious.

What had become his usual reply, Six grunted. "Hm."

"Seriously?"

"Hm."

While impressed, Matt expressed his opinion. "You do realize that you're gonna be losing money since, you know, you're like the only person in Mystic Falls that has a car that is fuelled by hydrogen...well, you and your aunt, I guess."

"Which is why the plan is to offer several free conversions to a hydrogen engine,"

"...Won't that cost a lot of money?"

Concurring, "The cost is irrelevant." Six told Matt. "But once word gets around that hydrogen not only offers better fuel consumption and gives off no pollution, but we are hoping that people will be more willing to convert."

"You optimistic?"

"Hydrogen is the future."

---

On the other side of town, Elena walked over and sat down on her bed. Grabbing her phone that was charging on the bedside table, her eyes lingered on the DS that she hadn't touched in a while after getting back into Pokémon because of Jericho, she powered her Blackberry and brought up the contacts.

Stopping on Jericho's name, she anxiously nibbled her lip as she thought about calling him. It had been hours since their fight in the parking lot and all she wanted to do was talk to him. The worst part was not knowing if he was angry with her. Jericho hadn't raised his voice once or displayed any emotion whatsoever, but then he never did, he just spoke with the same stoic tone he had since they had met at school.

Staring at his name for a second longer, Elena suddenly pulled her charger out and got off the bed. Wanting to speak to him in person rather than just call him, she quickly left her bedroom. Closing the door, she heard muffled noises coming from Jeremy's bedroom and knew, even if he tried to be discreet that he was in there with Vicki. Still finding it strange that her little brother was now dating her ex's sister, she headed downstairs where she found Jenna watching a movie in the front room.

"Going somewhere?"

Grabbing her shoes, Elena turned to Jenna. "Yeah, um, there is something I need to do." She told her. Slipping on her shoes, she made a beeline straight for the door before she could object. "I won't be long." Opening the door, she jumped when she found Stefan standing there with his fist raised, obviously about to knock the door before she had opened it.

"Hey." Stefan greeted awkwardly, offering her an uneasy smile.

Closing the door behind her, Elena replied. "Hey." Her greeting just as awkward as she returned a thin smile. "What are you doing here?" She asked, moving away from the door so that Jenna couldn't overhear them. Even if her new best friend wasn't human, which she probably didn't know, she didn't want to ruin her life by revealing the existence of vampires...and that one was currently on the doorstep.

"To see you." Stefan answered candidly. "I.." Pausing for a second, he took a deep breath before continuing. "I didn't want to end the day on bad terms with you...at least, no worse than they already are."

With a small sigh, Elena muttered. "We're not on bad terms because you're a vampire." She informed him, keeping her voice down so that nobody could overhear. "Though I can't say that I'm your biggest fan right now, not when you keep defending Damon."

"I'm not defending him." Stefan repeated once more, "I know that the people he killed deserve justice, but he is still my brother. I can't give up on him, Elena. Not when I know that he can change."

Feeling like they were going in circles, "That doesn't bring back the people he murdered." Elena pointed out once again.

"I know it doesn't," Stefan stated quietly, keeping his voice down so nobody would overhear them. "But since he became human again there hasn't been a single murder in Mystic Falls." He explained to Elena. "Doesn't that prove that he only killed those people because he was a vampire?"

Conflicted, Elena voiced it. "Yes, no, I don't know." She admitted, sounding incredibly confused. "But it doesn't change what he did,"

"I know that." Stefan said, agreeing with Elena. "Which is why Damon should spend the rest of his mortal life atoning for everything he did as a vampire. I just need to convince Dot and Jericho of that before they decide to kill him, and me now that Jericho knows that I told you what really happened between him and Damon."

With a small frown, Elena disagreed. "You didn't attack him,"

"Honestly, I don't think Jericho cares if I did or not." Stefan countered. "When he looks at me, he just sees a vampire. You heard what he said when he was talking about me."

Elena remarked. "You defending Damon probably isn't helping things."

"I get that." Stefan concurred softly. "But's he's my brother, Elena. I can't just give up on him, not when I know that he can change." He repeated once more, truly believing that Damon could with time.

"...Do you really think that he can?"

And without any hesitation in his mind, Stefan answered. "I do." He proclaimed to Elena who frowned, once again feeling conflicted after hearing Stefan's profound belief that his brother could change. "I believe that everyone is capable of changing, they just need a chance to prove it." He said, speaking from personal experience, knowing that if it wasn't for Lexi, he would still be a Ripper. But thanks to her never giving up on him, he had managed to change his ways...and just like Lexi with him, he would never give up on Damon.

---

It was the following day. The cafeteria filled with chattering, Elena sat with the Timberwolves and her fellow cheerleaders. The tray of food in front of her untouched, she looked at her phone as she had throughout the day, hoping that Jericho would call or message her back to let her know that he was okay.

He hadn't been to school today making her worry that something had happened to him. The last time Jericho hadn't turned up at school was when Damon had attacked him, and she was worried that he had been attacked again. She was going to speak to him last night, but she ended up speaking with Stefan for hours and by the time he left it was pretty late, which was why she decided to wait until today to speak with Jericho in person...only for him not to turn up.

And while Stefan said that he wanted to prevent anymore needless bloodshed, she couldn't help but wonder if he had something to do with his absence. Even if Stefan never said it, him and Jericho were enemies. And after hearing their conversation, intentional or not, he knew that Jericho knew that they had both been talking behind his back and that Stefan had told her what actually happened between him and Damon. Perhaps after leaving hers, he went to speak to Jericho and they had ended up...

"Your foods going cold."

Looking over the top of her phone, Elena glanced at her food for a second before turning to Bonnie. "I'm not really hungry at the minute." She told her.

"You alright?"

Hearing the concern in Matt's voice, Elena gave him a reassuring smile. "I'm fine. I'm just not hungry at the minute."

"If you don't want it," More worried about Jericho than eating her lunch, Elena pushed her tray over to Tyler who eagerly accepted it from her.

Sitting by him, Tiki gave him a disgusted look. "You're such a pig."

"I'm a growing boy." Tyler corrected with a grin, grabbing the untouched burger from Elena's tray and wasted no time in taking a large bite out of it.

While Tyler munched down on the burger, Bonnie looked over at Elena to see her staring at her phone again. Sitting next to her, she leaned over to see her lingering on Jericho's name in her contacts. "I'm sure he's fine."

"I hope so."

Across the table and next to Tiki, Dana frowned. "Is everything okay?" She asked, concerned for her friend.

"Yeah, I'm just waiting to hear back from Jericho." Elena explained to Dana, and unconsciously looked over at Stefan who stared back. Their eyes meeting for a moment, she returned her attention to Dana. "He hasn't replied to any of the messages or calls, which is unlike him."

Around the burger, Tyler chimed in. "Why don't you ask his new bestie?" He suggested glancing at Matt, as did everyone else around the table.

"We're not besties; I just doing some work for him." Matt informed Tyler, along with everyone else. "And what's your big beef with Jericho? Every time you talk to him, you're always a dick to him...more so than you are with anyone else."

Tiki scoffed, "Which shows how stupid he is." She said, throwing shade at Tyler. "Jericho could eat you for breakfast."

"Those gym muscles don't scare me."

Dana disagreed. "Jericho looks like he could rip you in half with his bare hands if he wanted."

"Well, I for one wouldn't mind being pressed up against them." Tiki shamelessly admitted to the table. "I mean he might be weird, but he hot. But most of all, rich."

Bonnie shot her a look. "He's not weird, he just different." She voiced, defending Jericho.

"No, he's weird."

Continuing, Bonnie added. "And it sounds like you're just interested in his money."

"Duh." Tiki droned, not denying it. "I would love to be showered with gifts."

Next to Dana and Tiki, Caroline gave the latter a firm look. "Back off, Jericho is mine." She declared with Bonnie, Dana, Elena, Tiki, and a couple of the other cheerleaders shooting her a look.

"Says who?"

And the blonde replied. "Says me." Caroline informed Tiki firmly. "We have a connection. And he brought me a brand-new car for my birthday. You don't do that for just a friend."

"You do if you're difficult to buy for." Bonnie told her; and if anyone had a connection with Jericho, it would be her...even if she hadn't told Jericho that she knew that he was a Spartan and from the future...mainly because she didn't know how to bring it up.

While Bonnie and Caroline argued about the Audi that Jericho brought her, Matt turned to Elena. "And I wouldn't worry about Jericho, Elena. He told me last night that he wouldn't be in today."

"Did he say why?"

Answering Elena, Matt revealed why. "He just said that there was a problem that he needed to deal with, something that he should have done weeks ago." He explained, unaware of the fear that filled Stefan's eyes.

"Did he say what?"

Taken aback at the urgency in Stefan's voice and why he was even asking since him and Jericho weren't close, they had barely spoken at Caroline birthday on Saturday, Matt still answered. "No. Just that it was long overdue."

"So you're working for Jericho now?" Elena asked Matt.

Matt answered. "Ye.."

"I'll be back soon." Stefan suddenly said, sliding his seat back and quickly left the table.

Arching a brow, Tyler voiced what everyone was thinking. "Where's he off to in such a hurry?"

"No idea." Elena lied, having a pretty good idea that he had left to go check on Damon. With Jericho absence and his comment to Matt, it was pretty clear the conclusion that Stefan came too...one that she also came too.

Just as confused as Tyler, Matt muttered. "No idea." He admitted, watching as Stefan left the cafeteria in a hurry but had a pretty good feeling that it had something to do with Jericho. The tension between the two of them had been so thick that you could cut it with a knife, but he just thought that it was over Elena, but maybe there was something else going on between Jericho and Stefan.

Realizing that he hadn't answered her question, Matt turned back to Elena. "And yeah. I caught him after school yesterday and asked if he had any jobs going, and he offered me a place at the auto shop."

"Doing what?" Bonnie inquired.

Turning to her, Matt replied. "Mostly helping him renovate the building."

"And he's paying you?" Tiki questioned.

Elena interjected. "You don't have to answer th...

"You do realize that you're not his girlfriend anymore, right?" Tiki reminded snidely. "He doesn't need your permission."

As Elena went to retort, Matt beat her too it. "It's fine." He said, glancing at Elena awkwardly, a look that she mirrored. "And yeah, I'm getting paid.

"How much?"

Knowing that Tyler would just keep hounding him until he gave in, Matt relented. "$11.50 an hour."

"You serious?!" Tyler blurted out. And when Matt nodded, he added. "Has he got any more jobs going?"

Dana gave him a dry look. "You sure changed your tune quick."

"Hey, for $11.50 an hour I'll be the guy's best friend." Tyler told Dana who rolled her eyes playfully. "Better yet, I'll make him believe it."

Caroline looked confused. "Is that good?"

"Are you kidding?" Tyler asked Caroline sarcastically. "The minimum wage for under eighteen is just $7.25 an hour, so $11.50 is fantastic," he told the blonde before turning back to Matt. "Are there any other jobs going?" He asked once again.

"You'll have to ask Jericho...though considering how much of a dick you've been to him, I wouldn't hold your breath." Matt remarked bluntly. Tyler might have been his friend, but there were times that even he got sick of dealing with him.

The blonde thought out loud. "I bet I would make a great receptionist."

"You do know that means you'd actually have to work, right?" Bonnie pointed out.

With a shrug, Caroline commented. "I don't mind working if I get to spend more time with Jericho." She voiced candidly, enjoying the time that she spent with Jericho, especially the time that he had gripped her waist with his powerful hands that drove her crazy.

"Nor would I if I got to see him in a pair of tight overalls," Tiki smirked devilishly making Bonnie, Caroline, and Elena glower. "Better yet if I get to peel them off his hot, sweaty body." She declared, smirking further when she saw the jealous looks from them. Jericho might have been weird, but with a body like that, she would definitely have some fun with him.

---

Once he was out of sight and making sure that nobody was around, Stefan left school. Racing across Mystic Falls as fast as he could and making sure to keep to the outskirts, he arrived home. Speeding through the front door, nearly knocking it off its hinges in the process, he rushed into the Foyer. "Damon?!"

Met with only the echo of his own voice, Stefan frantically raced through the manor. "Damon?!" He yelled out, desperation in his voice. He shouldn't have gone to school today, not knowing that Jericho knew that he had talked. Of course he would retaliate.

Racing through the house faster than the human eye could keep up with, he knocked down doors and with every empty room that he came across, he grew more and more certain that Jericho had taken Damon by force. Rushing into his brothers' room, "Damon?! You in here?!" He cried out. Frantically looking around the bedroom, he saw that the bed was unmade and clearly hadn't been used for hours.

Rushing over to the bathroom, he knocked on the door and waited for a response, only to be met with silence. Opening the door, he found the bathroom was empty, and judging by how dry the walls were, Damon hadn't used it for some time. Quickly leaving the bedroom, he darted through the manor and headed into the garage to see that his Porsche and Damon's Camaro were still there.

Not that he was surprised to see the Camaro there. With only one arm, Damon was unable to drive it like he wanted too; just another reason why he probably resented Jericho...that and he had mutilated him and cured him of his vampirism, forcing him to be human again.

Leaving the garage, he sped through the manor and continued searching every room like his life depended on it. The longer his search went on, the more afraid he became that Jericho had decided to finish what he started because he had spoken to Elena. Rushing out into the garden, he checked every inch but found no sign of Damon.

Heading back inside, he returned to the foyer. Feeling like his world was crumbling around him, he threaded his fingers through his hair and gripped the back tightly as his eyes glistered with fear. He shouldn't have gone to school, he repeated in his mind once more. He knew that Jericho would retaliate, and yet instead of protecting Damon from him and Dot, he just left him unprotected and...

"You're home early, champ."

Spinning round, Stefan turned to see Damon walking into the foyer. With a patch covered his missing eye, he was wearing a brand-new jacket, his leather jacket being ruined during his fight with Jericho that had nearly cost him his life. "You're alive?"

"Obviously." Damon retorted, walking past Stefan and over to the minibar to pour himself some of Zach's favourite bourbon. He might have been a whiny little brat, but he had good taste, he would give him that. Must have been a Salvatore thing.

Struggling to keep his emotions in check, Stefan followed after him. "Where were you?" He demanded sternly, not even hiding how terrified he was that Dot or Jericho had killed him while he had been at school. And the thought of never seeing his brother again,

"I have a better question." Damon began, unknowingly interrupting Stefan's train of thought. "What are you doing here instead of trying to win sweet little Elena's heart?" He asked, before his lips curled into a playful smirk, one that matched the twinkle in his eye. "Or does it already belong to a certain psychotic lab freak?"

"Jericho wasn't at school today." Stefan said, ignoring the taunt from Damon.

Grabbing a glass, Damon gasped mockingly. "No, say it isn't so."

"And I thought that he might have killed you."

Rolling his eye, Damon uncorked the bottle with his teeth and spat it out. "You're giving him far too much credit. He might be willing to rough me up a little, but obviously when it comes to killing, he doesn't have what it takes. Stop worrying." He said, pouring himself a drink.

"And you're not giving him enough. Jericho almost killed you last time, and now that he knows that I told Elena what really happened between the two of you."

Filling the glass up, Damon sat the bottle down. "So what you're saying is that if he does kill me then it's your fault for not keeping your mouth shut? And the award for best brother goes too..."

"You mean like you didn't with Caroline?" Stefan countered rhetorically, not appreciating the blame game one bit.

Pushing the cork back into the bottle with the palm of his hand, Damon grabbed the glass and walked past him. "The difference brother is that unlike Katherine lite, the hot blonde didn't open her mouth."

"Elena never opened her mouth, Jericho figured it out by himself."

Falling back onto the couch, Damon gripped the glass and retorted sarcastically. "Quite the intrepid little detective then."

"What is it going to take before you start taking this seriously?" Stefan questioned sharply, and when Damon returned his usual playful smile, he returned to his original question. "Where were you?"

"Out."

"I told you not to...

Damon offered an amused smile. "And I found it adorable that you think that you can order me around. I mean, sure, you could always compel me to be more obedient, but we both know that you won't." He taunted knowingly. "But shouldn't you be heading off?"

"I'm not going anywhere." Stefan declared firmly. "For all I know Jericho might be watching the house and waiting until I'm gone before he..."

Not letting him finish, Damon cut him off. "Your brotherly concern is touching, but if the psycho was going planning on killing me today don't you think he would have done it already? He's not going to kill me. It's been over a month, and he's done nothing, because he's not going to do anything."

"I'm not taking that risk."

"Well, if you're that worried you could always kill him." Damon suggested once more and when Stefan opened his mouth, he continued. "Yes, he's stronger than you, yada yada, but you're quicker. All you've got to do is get behind him and tear out his spine before he knows you're there."

"There's already been enough blood split."

Shooting Stefan a hurt look, "What's a little more when it comes to saving your brother?" Damon asked him. "And just think, with him gone there will be nothing between you and your sweet Elena. I mean, she is the reason that you've stayed so long in Mystic Falls."

"I'm not killing Jericho, Damon." Stefan told him, knowing exactly what he was doing. "Not unless I have no choice." He added, praying that Jericho wouldn't force his hand if he tried to kill Damon. So much blood had been spilt already, no one else needed to die.

---

Due to the time difference between the United States and the United Kingdom, it was approaching six in the evening. And in typical British fashion, rain poured across the streets of London.

The roads flooding, the bright neon lights reflecting in the water, inverting the letters of the sign that read 'The Eternal Thirst' which was mounted above the door of one of the old buildings in the area. Inside, the walls were draped with expressive velvet and the room was furnished with ornate furniture. The air thick with the scent of blood and expensive cologne and perfume that mixed to create an intoxicating aroma to the patrons that went there.

Sitting around the tables, leaning against the walls, and standing by the dark mahogany bar that was polished to perfection, each of the patrons had drinks that were filled with the same crimson liquid that stained their glasses they were using as they listened to the soft music that pulsated throughout the room and watched the entertainment on offer.

As their glass approached emptiness, one of the vampires signalled for a refill with a snap of their fingers. An attendant in the room, moving with a slow, dreamlike gait, made their way over. With faces devoid of emotion and bandages on their arms, marked by stains of blood seeping through, they reached the table and lethargically extended their arm to the patron.

Taking the offered arm, the vampire sank their fangs into the compelled humans' flesh who showed no reaction as they drew blood, not even a cry of pain as they punctured the skin, they simply stood there with the same vacant expression across their face that matched the glazed look in their eyes. Licking the blood from their lips, they turned the arm and compressed their hand around the wrist to squeeze the blood into the glass that poured out.

Once the glass was filled, the vampire dismissed the human with a wave of their hand, ordering them to leave without uttering a word. And without question, they wandered off aimlessly with no purpose but to fill the drinks. A goal that the other humans in the room had, each of them sporting the same emotionless expressions across their faces as they wandered around the room, or stood in silence, waiting for when they were called to serve.

As they brought the glass to their lips, a thunderous sound reverberated throughout the building just as they were about to take a drink, followed by the crack of wood splintering and tiles shattering. Debris falling into the room, they looked up with the rest of the vampires with their eyes widening in fear when a massive, armoured figure dropped down with the rubble with a rifle aimed right at them.

A bang rang out, followed by a scream as one of the vampires' heads snapped back, followed by them burning within a matter of second. Another bang sounding off, another fell, then another, before the figure landed with a hard drop, causing a golden light to shimmer around them as the rain poured into the room through the hole in the roof and over.

Rising from their crouched position, the huge figure towered over everyone in the room as the rain rolled across the metal head and golden eye that almost seemed to twinkle. Bringing up their rifle, the vampires hissed in challenge, ready to defend their territory.

"Kill that cunt!" One of the vampires roared. Seizing the table, he hurled it towards the armoured figure, who deflected it effortlessly while scores of vampires surged through the room towards him.

Two loud bangs echoed, followed by screams as the two vampires nearest to the metallic giant burst into flames. As they were consumed by fire, a third vampire drew near, only to be beheaded by a rapid slash of the arm that sliced through their neck effortlessly. Grasping a fourth vampire by the neck, they were hoisted from the ground and then forcefully hurled back down.

Smashing into the ground, the fourth vampire wheezed, their body shattered, and feeling it starting to heal, looked up only for their eyes to widen in horror when a massive foot came down. "Wa.." His plea fell silent when the foot stomped through his head, crushing his brain beneath it, with the armoured giant dragging it along the ground, detaching it from the rest of his body.

A fifth vampire charged and struck the metal giant in the chest, causing a gruesome snap and a scream as their hand broke, slightly pushing them back. As they recoiled and a golden light shimmered around them, the colossus raised the rifle and fired, sending a single bullet into their skull, igniting them in flames. The fifth burning, a sixth circled the metal titan and jumped on their back as a seventh and eight blitzed towards them.

The armoured figure reached up, seized the sixth vampire, and hurled them to the ground. Then, pointing the rifle at the fallen creature, they fired a round, setting them ablaze as the seventh and eighth closed in. As the figure swung the weapon, the seventh vampire knocked it from their grasp to the ground, while the eighth unleashed a flurry of quick strikes, driving them backward.

As another punch was thrown, the fist was seized and crushed in a massive hand, causing the vampire to scream, fangs fully bared. Then, the metallic giant drew back its other hand and drove it through the vampire's chest and tore out their heart. The seventh dropping to the ground and quickly desiccated in a matter of moments. Throwing the bloody heart at the eighth, distracting them by the surprise tactic, the armour figure sprinting forward, their footsteps thumping across the ground as they ran.

As the dreaded footsteps halted, fear gripped the eighth vampire. She wiped the blood from her face and turned, her eyes widening in terror. And the last thing she saw was the armoured figure leaping through the air with it's massive fist hurtling towards her face.

Thrusting their entire arm through the vampire's face, up to the elbow, the armoured giant executed a swift movement, ripping their arm back and decapitating the creature in the act. As they dropped to the ground, a ninth raced at them. Grabbing them by the front of the jacket, the behemoth tore them off the ground, swung them through the air and drove them headfirst into the ground, crushing their skull.

Grasping the ninth vampire, the figure turned their head as a golden light shimmered around them and gunshots echoed, unveiling another vampire wielding the abandoned rifle. Letting go of the ninth, they drew a large pistol from their hip and fired back. The tenth vampire dodged the bullets with ease, weaving through them and closing the distance, all the while firing continuously until a clicking sound filled the air.

Glancing briefly at the weapon, the tenth vampire's head jerked up at the sound of a bang, only to whip back as they screamed in agony, bursting into flames as the bullet penetrated their skull. Catching the weapon as it fell from the vampires' hand, the armoured titan placed the pistol back on their hip before ejecting the magazine from the rifle in their hands. Gazing over at the remaining vampires who stared back in fear. Never taking their golden eye off them, they placed the empty magazine into one of the pouches on their chest, replacing it with a fresh magazine and inserted it into the weapons chamber.

As the magazine clicked into the chamber, the metallic behemoth held their gaze on the remaining vampires. None daring to move, an eternity passed before the bolt was pulled back in one swift motion. And the second that they did, the vampires dispersed in fear, hurrying to get away by smashing through the door. Gone in moments, all that remained were the humans, armoured titan and the ninth vampire that pried themselves out of the floor, their skull healed...only to stop when a barrel pressed against the back of their head before a gunshot rang out with them screaming as they ignited into flames.

While some of the humans blinked as they came out of their compulsion, the bartender behind the bar hands shot up in surrender when the Titan slowly approached, their golden eye gazing at them. "Look, I just work here, man...thing. I'm not a vampire," He exclaimed fearfully. In a desperate act, he grabbed a bottle, smashed it against the bar, and sliced his hand open to bleed. "See? Not healing. I just work for th..." His words were abruptly silenced as a loud bang sounded, and his head jerked back and fell backwards.

"Are you going to kill us, too?" One of the humans asked timidly, almost scared of the answer only to watch as the metal titan turned to look at them with it observing them with its cracked golden eye.

---

It was the following day. Back in America, Six turned into the school parking lot and found an empty spot. Cutting the engine of the Charger, he unbuckled his seatbelt and grabbed his bag from the passenger seat and climbed out.

Closing the door, he locked the Charger and made his way towards the school entrance. Greeted by several students whom he barely knew, having only seen them in passing, he acknowledged them with nods and proceeded along the path. Entering the building, he made his way down the corridor to his locker's location.

Arriving at his locker, Six gripped the padlock and pressed his thumb across the biometric scanner. Unlocking it, he removed it and opened the door. Placing his bag inside, he heard familiar footsteps approaching. "Hello, Caroline." He greeted. Closing the locker door and locking it with the padlock, he turned his head and looked down at the blonde who glared up at him, which he found more amusing than threatening.

"Really? That's all you have to say after blanking me all day yesterday?" Caroline asked, pouting up at him.

Six replied. "I was not blanking you."

"I texted you dozens of times yesterday and didn't get a single reply." Caroline informed the super soldier with a grumpy look, one that all but said she was expecting an answer from him.

And he did. "I was busy."

"You were so busy that you couldn't even take ten seconds out of busy day to reply to any of my messages?"

In a heartbeat, Six responded. "Yes."

"Doing what?"

"Working."

Caroline gave him a flat look. "You're always working."

"Hm." Six grunted, not denying it.

Suddenly smiling, Caroline moved the conversation along. "Then you need a break," And when Jericho looked like he was going to say no, which she knew from experience that he was, she continued. "And I know the perfect distraction."

"I hav...

Cutting him off before he could finish, "The school is having a Halloween party at the end of the month." Caroline told Jericho who looked just as emotionless as ever.

"Another party?" Six voiced tiredly.

Poking his chest, his perfectly chiselled chest that almost felt as good as when he had gripped her waist with his large, powerful hands that she hadn't been able to stop thinking about, wishing that he would grip them again and pull her close, Caroline kept her finger pressed against his godly chest. "Nobody likes a party pooper."

"Why would I...

Cutting him off again, and her finger still pressed against his chest, Caroline inquired. "You know, I bet you could pull off a great spartan. You ever been one before?"

"Yes."

The blonde smirked. "You do have the body for one." She flirted, complimenting his great physique. "You should dress up as one this year." She said, expressing her opinion to Jericho. "You still got the costume?"

"Hm."

"Great!" Caroline chirped happily. "I can't wait to see you in it." She added, eying him flirtatiously, already imagining just how good he would look dressed up as a spartan with his perfect body. "But since you did ignore me all day yesterday, you can make it up to me by walking me to home room." She declared. Not taking no for an answer, she boldly grabbed his hand and gave it an encouraging tug. Overjoyed when Jericho didn't put up much of a fight, she slipped her fingers through his and felt her heart flutter when his much larger, warmer closed around hers. Smiling, she squeezed back and walked to home room with him.

---

The second that the school bell rang to signal the end of the day, Elena jumped to her feet. Scooping her belongings into her bag, she hurried out of the classroom with the others, she turned down the hallway and tried to make a break for it, but before she could get far...

"Elena!" Stopping, the brunette looked over her shoulder at Bonnie. "We've got practise." She reminded her.

The brunette swiftly responded. "I'll meet you out on the field. There's something I need to do first."

"Alright."

Turning away from Bonnie, Elena quickly made her way down the hall that were already filling with people leaving their classes. Pushing through the thick crowd, she skilfully moved between them, rushing to leave school and catch Jericho before he left.

Throughout the day she had wanted to speak to him, but each time she tried, Jericho was either with someone, mainly Caroline and Matt, the latter who now worked for him, or he was on his way to another class and had no time to talk...that, or he just didn't want to talk to her. And honestly, it hurt thinking that Jericho wanted nothing to do with her anymore.

Unlike with Stefan who made it clear that he was worried about his brother, Jericho never gave anything away. He never shouted, never raised his voice, he just spoke with the same emotionless, controlled tone that he always did from the moment that they had bumped into each other during the first day of school. And thinking about that day, it felt like a lifetime ago.

Back then vampires and super soldiers were nothing more than fiction, but now that she knew that both were real; at least vampires were. Once again, Jericho never actually said if he was a super soldier when she asked. Then there was Dot. Like Jericho, she still had no idea what she was, only that she wasn't human...at least according to Stefan. And to be honest, she was afraid of asking and risk ruining her friendship with Jenna after the two had grown so close since meeting.

Exiting the school, Elena hurried down the path and towards the parking lot to intercept Jericho before he left. Held up by the group of people that strolled leisurely down the path, she stepped onto the grass to move round them only to when she spotted Jericho driving away. Missing him by seconds, she closed her eyes in frustration. If only she had been quicker, she could have caught him and tried to explain that she wasn't siding against him.

It had been two days since they had spoken properly, not since their conversation in the parking lot and since then, it felt like everything had changed between them...and she hated it. She hated feeling like they had fallen out because of what Stefan had told her, which Jericho had figured out by himself. Spending September hanging out with Jericho, it had been the happiest she had felt since her parents died. But now, it felt like all that was over.

---

It was a couple of days later. Finally managing to ditch Stefan after getting him to stop worrying about Frankenstein and Preachy coming to kill him, convincing him that they were all bark and no bite, Damon walked into town.

Parking himself down on a bench, the former vampire looked around his old hometown and the people that were in in. As he did, Damon let out a scoff. He hated the place, and everyone in it. Mystic Falls had taken everything from him; and if he had his way, he would let it burn along with everyone in it...especially the lab freak. While the townsfolk might have taken Katherine from him, it had been Scarface that has stolen his means to freeing Katherine.

For one hundred and forty-five years, he had dreamed of reuniting with Katherine, only to have that dream destroyed by that lab freak. It was bad enough that he had ripped off his arm, gouged out his eye, but his stupid blood had gone and cured him. He had ruined everything, stolen his happiness, robbed Kathrine from him, and for that, he would make him suffer like he'd never suffered before.

But first, he needed to become a vampire again. Once he was, he would just compel someone that worked for his company to get him a replacement arm, but discreetly. He didn't know what security was like in Noble Industries, but he wasn't stupid enough to just head in there and plaster his face across the security camaras. And once he got a new arm, he couldn't think of a more fitting end than for him to strangle and kill Frankenstein with his own invention.

And after that, he would need to reclaim the necklace from the Lockwood Manor, which he had been planning on doing before that freak had ruined everything. There was still time to free Katherine and...

"Are you...human?" A girl's voice questioned.

Turning to the voice, Damon feigned hurt. "Don't rub it in." He told the teenager in front of him. "It's been a long time, Anna. You look good." He complimented, checking her out.

"You don't." Anna shot back coolly.

"Ouch."

Walking over, Anna sat down next to him. "Guess it explains why you suddenly disappeared after stupidly broadcasting vampires had returned to Mystic Falls." She remarked making Damon roll his eye.

"Oh, please, I covered my tracks."

Anna scoffed. "If that's you covering your tracks, I'd hate to see you being sloppy." She droned sarcastically. "Not that you need to anymore." Glancing at him, her curiosity got the better of her. "How are you even human again?"

"Believe me, it wasn't my choice." Damon informed Anna. "I had a little run in with Jericho Reach."

Offering a confused blink, "The big guy covered in scars?" She asked, having seen him at the Gilberts and thought that he was hot. Really hot, actually. He wasn't cute like the Gilbert boy; he was more ruggedly handsome. And with those scars across his face, she knew that he definitely wasn't a normal human. Probably a hunter, if she had to guess. He gave off the vibe of one.

"That's him.." Damon quipped dryly. "His blood made me human again."

Looking incredulously, Anna voiced it. "His blood cures vampires?"

"Cures is up for debate." Damon retorted, not considering himself cured by any means. "I was robbed." He declared bitterly. "But as much as I love catching up with old friends."

"We're not friends."

Ignoring her, Damon continued. "Why are you here?" He asked, even if he had a pretty good feeling.

"For the same reason as you...to open that tomb." Anna revealed.

Damon smirked. "Then maybe we can both help each other."

"And what could you do to help me, human?" Anna taunted the former vampire. "If you knew a way into that tomb, you would have already opened it and reunited with Katherine."

Disagreeing, Damon explained his reasonings. "Well, I was planning too, but there was the little snag with me becoming mortal." He informed Anna, then gesturing to his missing arm. "I had everything planned out, but then that psycho went and mutilated me, ruining everything I had planned."

"Then what good are you to me?"

Smirking, Damon told her. "Because, Annie, I know how to open the tomb...I just lack the means to getting the object that's needed to open it. So, how about it? You help me, I help you."

"And what's stopping me from compelling you to tell me what this object is, and how to use it?"

With a smug expression, Damon replied, "I was a vampire for a very long time." He reminded Anna with a condescending tone. "Do you really think I don't know how to protect myself from compulsion?"

"You mean the vervain you likely have on you." Anna retorted.

His smirk grew. "Precisely. But not only do we have a common goal, but a common enemy. You scratch my back, I scratch yours."

"So let me get this straight?" Anna began slowly, shooting Damon an incredulous look. "You want my help in killing the guy that cured you? The same guy that ripped your arm off and likely tore your eye out. Do you think I'm stupid?"

Playing on her heartstrings, Damon knew right where to hit her. "I think that after a hundred and forty-five years without your mother, you'll do anything to get her back, to keep her safe. And believe me, he will slaughter Pearl the second that he discovers that she's out of that tomb. But between the two of us, we can free Katherine and your mother and get them both to safety before he knows what's happening. But only if we work together. Otherwise, they're both as good as dead...and not in the good way."

"...what do you need?" Anna yielded hesitantly. She really didn't want to fight that Jericho, not after what he had done to Damon...but she wanted her mom back more than anything.

Amused at how easy it was to get manipulate Anna despite her being centuries older than him, Damon answered. "I need you to get me one of those cybernetic arms." He told her.

---

Weeks had passed since he had first started working for Jericho. Stopping outside the auto shop, Matt turned off the engine to his Dodge Ram and climbed out. Planting his feet on the ground, he closed the door and not bothering to lock it, he walked past the Charger in front of the building and over to one of the opened garage doors.

Stepping inside, Matt was surprised to find a rundown 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle sitting by one of the car ramps; though rundown was being extremely generous. The front bumper was dented, rusted, and caved in, the grille and headlights were cracked and broken. The hood was buckled with countless dents and rust across it, the paintwork was faded, and the windscreen was both cracked and covered with green algae. "I didn't think you were opening this month?"

"I'm not." Jericho confirmed as he stood by the car. "The Chevelle is merely a side project." He explained to Matt without turning to look at him.

Approaching the Chevelle, Matt regarded it for a moment before stating the obvious. "You've got some serious work to do if you're ever hope to get her up and running. Is she even salvageable?" He couldn't help but ask.

"She can still be saved." Jericho declared, voicing his opinion. "If you're still looking for work...

Without a moments delay, Matt quickly interjected. "I am. Though I've never restored a car before." He admitted to Jericho.

"And a few weeks ago, you never renovated a building before." Jericho reminded him.

Seeing his point, Matt concurred. "That's true." He muttered, feeling a sense of pride in the work they had done together over the last few weeks renovating the building.

"Speaking of which," Jericho suddenly said. Slipping his hand into his pocket, he pulled out a thick envelope and handed it to Matt. "Inside you'll find your payslip that will detail your earnings for the hours you've done; plus, a bonus for your help."

Graciously accepting the envelope, Matt opened it and was taken back at his bonus. Quietly counting it in his head, his eyes widened before looking up at Jericho who had returned his attention back to the Chevelle. "You've given me a two-thousand-dollar bonus." He voiced numbly, never seeing so much money at one time.

"Hm."

Knowing that it was too much, Matt tried to hand it back. "I can't accept this."

"Then give it to a charity of your choosing." Jericho told him, all but declining the offer to take it back. "The auto shop would not have been completed without your contributions. And it's cheaper than the money that I would have had to spent on a contracting team."

"...don't you mean automobile repair shop?"

Jericho turned his head to look at him. "Nobody calls it an automobile repair shop, Matt." He informed the quarterback before turning back to examine the Chevelle. As he did, Matt looked through the envelope and pulled out his payslip.

"So after paying $86.25 in Federal Income Tax, $53.48 in Social Security, and $12.51 in Medicare," And in that moment Matt realized in the moment that he hated them after seeing how much money he was actually losing. "I've earned $710.26 for nearly three weeks of work?"

"Hm."

Still gazing down at the envelope, Matt lifted his head and looked over at Jericho. "And what about the bonus? Won't I need to pay...

"I've taken care of that." Jericho interrupted, answering his question. "The bonus is yours to do as you please."

"Thanks, Jericho."

With a small nod, Jericho gestured to the Chevelle. "Ready to get to work?"

"Sure." Matt nodded with a smile, placing the envelope into his pocket. "Where do we start?"

---

Several hours had passed. After spending the majority of the evening dismantling the Chevelle, which required a considerable amount of work before she was up and running again, let alone before she was ready to undergo a restomod, Six sent Matt home.

Closing down, Six switched the lights off throughout the building. Closing the door to the second floor, he headed down the staircase and stepped into the reception. Shutting the door behind him, he passed the desk and computer that the receptionist would be utilizing...as soon as he found one, or at least Dot found one, he about to switch the lights off, but before he could.

"Woah. You've been busy."

Looking over to the front door, Six found Jeremy standing there. "We have." He concurred with him. "But now that the small talk is out of the way, I'm guessing that you want a lift home?"

"Am I that easy to read?"

The Spartan answered bluntly. "Yes."

"If you're heading that way."

Six replied. "I wasn't." He told Jeremy candidly. "But somebody needs to make sure you don't step out into oncoming traffic."

"Oh, come on, that happened like one time."

"One time too many." Six countered stoically. "Go wait in the car." He ordered, gesturing over to where it was parked just outside the auto shop.

"Will do."

Watching as Jeremy left the auto shop, Six walked over and switched the lights off in the reception and in the garage. Once they were both off, he walked back into the reception and headed out through the front door. Locking it, he turned and walked around his Charger and climbed in. Strapping himself in, he turned the key in the ignition, starting the engine that roared to life before pulling away and drove Jeremy home.

"So, what's going on with you and my sister?" Jeremy suddenly asked.

Keeping his eyes trained on the road, Six inquired. "Meaning?"

"You haven't been round for weeks." Jeremy pointed out to him. "And you and Elena were always together last month."

Turning the corner, Six responded. "I've been working." He stated simply, albeit cryptically.

"Is that why you're barely at school anymore?"

"Hm."

Tearing his eyes from Jericho, Jeremy gazed out of the passenger window. "Easy for some." He muttered, watching as Mystic Falls passed by. "I miss a couple of lessons and Jenna gets called in, you barely show up and you get let off with a warning probably."

"You know what they say about assumptions."

"Not really." Jeremy admitted, still gazing out the window. "You know that Stefan been spending a lot of time with Elena over the last few weeks?"

Driving down the main road, "I'm sure he has." Six returned dryly.

"Doesn't that bother you?"

"Should it?"

Looking at Jericho, Jeremy frowned a little. "I thought that you had a thing for my sister. I mean, you did go together to the Founder's Party and slept sleep in her room, she even slept at yours a couple of times." He reminded him. "Not worried about losing her to Stefan?"

"No."

"That confident?"

Responding, Six made another turn. "Too busy." He played off, refusing to go into it. Jeremy didn't need to know about the existence of vampires, at least not from him. Not unless he was dragged into that world. And if he was lucky, he wouldn't be.

"Doing what?"

Once again, Six responded cryptically. "Working."

"For your company?"

Turning onto Maple Street, Six drove down the road. "Hm." He grunted, neither confirming nor denying that was what he was doing. With Stefan apparently spending time with Elena, he couldn't afford to give anything away knowing that Jeremy would likely tell Elena, who would then tell Stefan. And he didn't need him knowing what he was doing. Slowing as he reached the Gilbert household, he stopped outside.

"You coming in?"

Six declined the offer. "No. It's late, and I still have work to do."

"Don't you ever just stop and put your feet up?" Jeremy quizzed.

"No."

Unsurprised, Jeremy offered his fist. "Thanks for the lift, dude." He said, and unlike the first time, Jericho bumped his fist back. Getting a nod from him, Jeremy unbuckled his seatbelt and climbed out. Shutting the door behind him, he watched as Jericho drove off until the glowing red lights from his taillights faded into the darkness. Once he was gone, he walked up the path and headed up to the house.

Stepping onto the porch, Jeremy opened the front door and headed into the house where he found Elena and Jenna sitting on the couch with the TV playing in the background.

"You're coming home tonight then?" Jenna asked, looking over the couch at Jeremy.

Closing the door, Jeremy shot back. "Didn't realize you set a curfew.."

"Well it's nearly midnight." Elena pointed out, speaking before Jenna could.

Removing his shoes, Jeremy made a beeline straight for the staircase. "So?" He asked, not really caring as he headed upstairs to his bedroom.

"So," Elena began, putting emphasis on the word and. "It's late." She noted, looking over the couch and watching as Jeremy headed upstairs without even saying hello to Stefan, not even offering him a small nod.

Climbing the staircase, Jeremy retorted. "You know, Jericho didn't care about what time it was when he dropped me off."

"...Jericho brought you back?" Elena suddenly asked, her voice much softer than it was moments ago.

"Yep."

"Where is he now?"

Reaching the top of the staircase, Jeremy called down. "Gone home, I guess. He said that he still had work to do." And with that, he disappeared into his bedroom leaving Elena and Jenna alone downstairs.

And while she was grateful that Jericho had brought Jeremy home, Elena couldn't help but feel hurt that once again he seemed to be avoiding her. It had been weeks since their fight in the parking lot and since then...it was like he didn't trust her anymore. She tried speaking with him at school, when he actually turned up, but each time he was either with other people preventing her from talking about what happened, or he just said that he was busy, and that was that.

She didn't know if Jericho wanted nothing else to do with her, if he knew that she had been spending time with Stefan, or if he really was busy doing whatever it was that kept him away from school. And honestly, it was a horrible feeling. She didn't want to lose Jericho, but she also didn't want to lose Stefan, either. She liked them both, she had always liked them both, that hadn't changed because she discovered that one was a vampire, and the other was a super soldier.

---

After dropping Jeremy back to house, Six returned home. Driving through the metal gate, he used his neural interface to close it behind him as he drove up the path and up to the house on the hill.

Turning around once he reached the top, he opened the garage door and reversed into the garage. Cutting the engine, Six removed his seatbelt and climbed out of the Charger. Shutting the door behind him and using his interface to close the garage door, he moved around Dot's Aston and over to the door that led into the house. As he did, he stopped and glanced over at the Ferrari that was sitting there gathering dust since it hadn't been touched since the Founder's Party, really having no reason too.

Tearing his eyes from it, he walked over to the door. Opening it, he stepped into the house. Hearing the television playing from the front room, Six followed the sound down the hallway and stepped into the large room. Walking towards the kitchen, he spotted Dot sitting on the couch, watching yet another of her dramas that she adored so much. And while he didn't say it, he was glad that at least one of them was making the most out of civilian life.

"How work coming along?"

Approaching Dot, Six responded. "The Chevelle has been stripped, but she needs a lot of work."

"That it does. But with Matt help, I'm sure it won't take long for you both to get her up and running." The A.I remarked, even if she still didn't get why Six and nearly every other car enthusiast on the planet referred to inanimate objects as 'she's.' "Have you spoken to Elena today?"

Walking past her, Six answered. "Briefly."

"And by spoken, I mean...

"I know what you mean."

Pausing her show, Dot got off the couch and followed Six into the kitchen. "I'm guessing that means no." She voiced, approaching the kitchen island and watched as her partner grabbed an empty mug and began making himself a coffee. "You can't keep avoiding her."

"I'm not."

Sceptical, Dot expressed it. "Then why haven't you spoken to her?"

"Because it doesn't concern her." Six returned stoically. "It was between Damon and I, nobody else."

Dot pointed out the obvious. "That hasn't stopped Stefan from talking. And from what Jenna tells me, he has been spending a lot of time with her over the last few weeks. What happens if he turns Elena against you?"

"Elena is old enough to make her own decisions, Dot." Six declared, turning to face her with his coffee in hand. "If she wants to believe Stefan, that's her choice." He said indifferently, his tone betraying nothing. "Now, if you'll excuse me."

Knowing where he was off too, Dot stopped him. "Before you go," She called after him, stopping Six in his tracks. "I thought that you should know that I've tracked the arm that was stolen by the vampire Anna thanks to the tracker inside." And when Six turned to face her, Dot continued. "And given that we caught her with Damon on camera a few weeks ago, I believe it's safe to say that the arm is for him."

"Hm."

"Is there a reason that you're just letting Damon have one of our arms?"

The super soldier answered. "He was silent for over a month." He pointed out to Dot. "It was only after making contact with this Anna that he attempts to steal one of our cybernetic arms to replace his,"

"Which he succeeded in doing."

Six continued. "And thanks to the built-in trackers installed within the cybernetics, Damon has now given us the means to track his every movement. He's planning something, and I intend to find out what."

"Any ideas what it could be?"

"Not yet."

With a curious glance, Dot spoke. "And if whatever Damon planning threatens Mystic Fa..." She tried to ask, only be cut off by her partners emotionless, yet ruthless response.

"Then he dies."

---

And cut! Here is the next chapter of The Noble Diaries. I hoped you all enjoyed it, even if it's mostly another filler with Six mostly interacting with characters than the plot moving along. Next chapter definitely will be the Halloween chapter along with Lexi coming to town for Stefan's birthday. I was going to have the Halloween part happen this chapter, but since I won't be home for a couple of day, I thought I would get this chapter out.

I haven't fully decided yet, but this could be the fallout between Six and Elena. While the plan was to have Six and Elena together rather than her getting with either of the Salvatore's, from a narrative perspective, the idea of Six and Elena being on opposite after growing so close is an idea that I just can't shake. Especially since Stefan would have convinced her that Damon deserves a second chance to change over the last few weeks.

And Bonnie will eventually come forward and tell Six that she knows that he's from the future...she just doesn't know how to do it.

Anyway, let me know what you all thought regarding this chapter. And since I likely won't be updating before Christmas, I hope everyone has a great Christmas and a Happy New Year!