Cursed Blood and Bound Fates

Chapter 3

A few days later, Ren came downstairs with Ash by her side, dressed for the day in jeans, black lace up boots, and with a red and black plaid shirt left open over a white tank top. She was tying her copper waves up into a ponytail when Ash froze at the bottom of the stairs with his ears perked, barked, then headed for the foyer instead of the dog flap. As he disappeared around the corner toward the front door, she started to follow, concerned.

A feminine voice floated back to her, "Aww, when did you get a puppy? Hi sweetie…" then she clearly heard Ash's rumbling growl.

She rushed to catch up to him and stopped when she saw Stefan standing by the open front door with a tall blonde with pin straight, waist length hair and a heart shaped face. Stefan had his brown leather jacket on like he was about to leave while the woman was in casual clothing with a small duffel bag over her shoulder, standing just behind the threshold of the door.

"Nein," she said quickly to Ash. He usually didn't distrust strangers so much; he had only reacted to Stefan and Damon that way upon meeting them, leading her to assume this new person was probably like them: a vampire.

The unknown woman raised her eyebrows and turned to Stefan suggestively, "And who's this pretty young thing?"

The young man chuckled and shook his head with a smile, "It's not like that; she's family, like a little sister. This is Zach's niece, Renfri Salvatore, and her dog, Ash." He turned back to his relative and waved a hand toward the blonde, "Ren, this is my best friend, Lexi. She's 350 years old and has helped me through some of the darkest times in my life. Do you mind inviting her in?"

Ren's lips turned up on one side playfully, "Oh, how sweet Stefan, I've started to see you as an older brother too, and of course" She then eyed the woman curiously, "Well, that's quite the introduction. I didn't know Stefan had any friends, he's always far too busy brooding. Lexi, please come in."

Lexi smirked and tossed her hair playfully as she stepped past the threshold, "Only the best; someone needs to show him how to have fun once in a while."

The redhead grinned, "Of course," then she turned more serious and looked at Stefan, "and by 'darkest times' I'm guessing you mean when you were drinking human blood? You're so strict about not having any that I assumed it was a control issue, like an addiction?"

Lexi nodded along with Stefan, who looked ashamed, "Smart girl. We met after he first turned; he tried to eat me," the blonde looked teasingly at her friend who smiled a bit sheepishly. "He was a mess, had almost no humanity, but I got him to a good place eventually. He's fallen off the wagon a few times but he works hard to avoid that from happening again."

Renfri looked back at her, intrigued, "You must be the reason he is so in touch with his emotions yet so tightly wound. He's so repressed sometimes it's painful to watch, especially in comparison to Damon, who is far too carefree."

"Of course Damon's here too," the woman scoffed, rolling her eyes, then turned her lips up again. "That's why I'm here, to make sure he has fun on his birthday, like any normal person should."

Ren laughed, "Well good, he could use a day off, there's been too much drama lately, normal and supernatural." She checked her phone, "I need to head to the sheriff's office to give a statement; do you want a ride, birthday boy?"

"Sure," he agreed.

The girl smiled pleasantly at the older vampire, "It was nice meeting you, Lexi, maybe we can hang out later, you seem like you know how to have a good time."

The older woman laughed, "Of course I do, I've had plenty of practice. And we should definitely hang out, it's good that Stefan seems to have a more positive familial influence than just his asshat of a brother." She waved as the younger two exited and made their way to town.

In the car, an easy smile graced Ren's lips as she remarked, "I like her, you should bring her around more often." Stefan chuckled and nodded as they drove through the woods.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

In the town square, they parked by the Grill and walked to the police station inside the town hall building. They gave their statements about Vicki running away after her 'drug episode' just as rehearsed and kept suspicion away for the time being. She had asked about what Damon had called a compass on the car ride there, and Stefan had explained that it was one of Jonathan Gilbert's inventions that enabled him to point him in the direction of vampires. If that Logan Fell guy had it, on top of the wooden bullets he had in the gun, he must have been part of the Founder's Council which was clearly aware that a vampire was present in their town and responsible for the recent murders. They had to be careful not to draw attention and risk exposure.

On the way out, Stefan paused, knowing Elena was giving her statement as well. He wanted to wait for her to talk and she soon came out along with her aunt and little brother. Ren waited with him and gave a quick greeting to Jenna, who was always kind to her whenever she had visited the Gilbert household, and waved to Jeremy who returned it before continuing on to Jenna's car. While this was happening, Stefan tried to talk with Elena but she insisted that he stay away from her.

Ren waited awkwardly as the other girl hurried away, then stepped closer to Stefan.

"You need to give her time. She's still overwhelmed with everything: learning about vampires and that she had been dating one, Vicki turning and dying, and trying to take care of her brother through all of it. Not to mention she's probably confused about her feelings for you." She gently patted his shoulder, "It's clear she still cares about you, she just is trying to deal with all of that. I think she'll come around, she just needs the time to adjust and think." He reluctantly nodded and sighed.

"Come on," she said and nudged him, "let's pick up lunch at the Grill and bring it back to the boarding house.

"Sure, I know Lexi will appreciate it. I feel bad that she can't be out with us during the day," he replied. Together, they headed for the Grill with Ren trying to cheer up a melancholy Stefan.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Stefan and Ren had returned to the boarding house after retrieving their meals and had settled in the den with Lexi. The teenage girl passed out containers to whom the orders belonged. As they munched on their food, Lexi was catching up on the latest gossip about Stefan's life and was especially interested in Elena. Ren also had the opportunity to ask Lexi for dirt on her ancestor and enjoyed her wild story about them partying with Bon Jovi and his band backstage at one of his concerts in the 80s. As Ren was enjoying her panini and the older vampire's past adventures with Stefan, Damon made his way down the stairs toward them.

"Aw, I'm hurt," he pouted and put a hand on his heart, "nobody invited me to the party." He strode over and leaned over the back of the couch his distant niece was on alone, across from the one Lexi and his brother shared.

"Once again, you are not a nice person, so why would we?" Lexi retorted.

"You guys are so mean to me," he whined, and reached over Ren's shoulder to snag a fry from her paper box. She slapped his hand so that he dropped it back in, making him laugh in disbelief that she'd actually dared to. Then again, they were in front of his little brother and his much older vampire friend, so she probably felt safe to do so. The next moment though, he was pleasantly surprised when she reached down to a large paper bag at her feet and pulled out another takeout container, holding it up behind herself for him.

He snatched it up, grinning broadly, "Ah, see, somebody here actually likes me! Such a good little niece of mine." He swooped down, hooking an arm around her neck and forcing her to lean back, then pressed his mouth to her cheek and let go with a loud mmmwaahh! As he sped around the couch to lounge beside her and dig into his food, she looked at him with wide eyes and rubbed her face, feeling both annoyed and amused at his antics.

"Yeah, well, I figured you were the petty type and would steal my food if we didn't get you any," she gave him a sideways glance as she turned back to her food. "Call it a precaution; I don't like to share."

Damon laughed, "I can see that." Lexi just wrinkled her nose at him and Stefan rolled his eyes but couldn't stop the corner of his mouth from twitching up a bit. At least his brother was interacting with his niece in a somewhat positive way.

Ren heard the metal tags of Ash's collar jingling just before he trotted around the corner, having come in from the yard. He came to a stop in front of his owner, ignoring the vampires in the room in favor of sitting prettily.

Renfri laughed, "Damn, he is usually so tense around you guys, being vampires and all, but he ignored all of you for a chance at a treat!" The vampires in the room snorted in response with Damon rolling his eyes.

The girl sat up straight and said, "If you want a treat, you've got to earn it, buddy." She then ran him through a few commands such as lie down, sit, shake, bark, and finally 'leave it' while balancing a piece of chicken from her sandwich on his nose. The dog sat perfectly still, with his eyes crossing and tail wagging the whole time. Lexi chuckled while Damon tried to screw him up by telling him 'go' in an eager voice, but Ash barely twitched.

Ren finally called, "In ordnung!" and he snapped his head back and snatched the meat out of the air. She grinned, murmuring, "Guter hund," and rubbed his side as he licked his chops happily. She then offered to collect their boxes and bring them to the kitchen to dispose of. When she came back, she found Damon coming from the basement with a small cardboard box. Renfri followed him to the foyer as he put it down and pulled on his leather jacket.

"What's in the box?" she questioned.

He raised an eyebrow at her, "Take a guess."

She looked back at him blankly, "How would I know?"

He sighed dramatically, "Here's a hint: It's for the council from dearly departed Uncle Zach."

Ren frowned at him for his quip about her uncle, but ignored it in favor of mulling over what he said. The council was on the lookout for vampires and Damon had come from the basement where her uncle had kept…

"Vervain?" she realized.

He nodded and hummed, "Mhmm, got it in one."

"Why would you give them something that can be used against you?"

He picked up the box again, "I need to get in with the council so we can keep an eye on their investigation and make sure they don't get close to figuring us out. That's best done from within the group, not as an outsider. My little gift," he shook the box of flowers, "will help get my foot in the door."

Renfri nodded and added, "You're already a founding family member and giving them the vervain Zach promised solidifies that you're on their side. You can find out what you're up against and maybe even diverge the investigation in a different direction."

He smirked, "Precisely." Then he turned and opened the door calling, "I'm off to infiltrate the council of haters!" and strode out of the house.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Elena had been moping for a few days now and, given her attitude with Stefan earlier that day, Ren decided that she needed cheering up. She grabbed Ash and showed up on the doorstep of the Gilbert home with zero warning and rang the bell. Elena answered the door and stopped in surprise.

"Well, are you going to invite me in or not?" Ren grinned, then paused. "Perhaps not the best phrasing, given that we know vampires." Elena choked out a laugh and pulled her in for a hug.

The red haired girl smiled gently into her friend's shoulder, "What, did you think I wouldn't want to be around you 'cause you broke up with Stefan?" Elena let out a relieved sigh and pulled back, letting her and Ash inside and closing the door.

As she led them upstairs and into her bedroom she replied, "Well, you seemed closer lately and I didn't want to make it awkward. I know he and Damon have become important to you because they're the only family you have left, no matter how distantly related."

"I won't deny that. I have gotten closer to them, even to Damon in a way, but that doesn't mean I want to avoid you. I can separate my relationships; I was taking time to get used to them and deal with the drama as well." They plopped down on her bed and crossed their legs while Ash settled on the floor in front of the window, soaking in the sunlight. "I'm sorry if I came off a little judgmental before, but I'd rather be honest than lie to you."

"No, I understand," Elena replied, "I've been having a hard time adjusting and I was kind of taking it out on you, you didn't deserve that. I'm kind of embarrassed," she mumbled and tugged on the end of her ponytail. Ren quickly told her not to worry because she understood that she was dealing with a lot.

"To be honest, I don't know how you get along with Damon so easily," Elena commented, laying back into her pillows.

Ren shrugged and threw herself onto her back beside her, "I guess I've kind of learned to tolerate the garbage parts of his personality that we've seen so far and I make an effort to get along and not piss him off. I think it helps that we're both unserious, sarcastic little shits," Elena laughed at that. "I don't think he's entirely terrible, but he certainly can make it hard to like him sometimes."

There was a sudden knock at the bedroom door and in peeked Bonnie.

"You up?" She asked, letting herself in.

"No," Elena responded and threw her arms over her eyes.

"Why haven't you called me back?" she questioned, joining them on the bed.

Ren lifted her head and put a finger to her lips, "Shhhh, can't you see she's busy moping?" Said friend threw a pillow onto her face causing her to let out an umph. Bonnie gave a small smile before crossing her legs and showing concern for her best friend.

"I'm officially worried, what's going on?"

The brunette sighed, "I'm tired of thinking…of talking, and…" she shook her head.

"Can I get a one line version so I can at least pretend to be helpful?" Bonnie asked, making Ren snicker.

"Stefan and I broke up."

"Oh, I'm sorry…I know I've kinda been MIA when you needed me the most, I suck."

Elena looked at her, "You want to make it up to me? Get my mind off of it."

Ren nodded, "A little distraction can go a long way."

Bonnie seemed to contemplate something before making a decision, "Just remember, you asked for it!" She got up and closed the only open window before grabbing the pillow now lying on Ren's stomach and using scissors to rip it open, dumping the soft feathers into a pile on the bed. Elena protested but was told to be patient as the eager girl settled down again with her legs criss-crossed, the two other girls doing the same across from her in interest.

"Okay, I need to swear you guys to secrecy," she finally said.

Elena looked at Ren before saying, "It's kind of a bad week for that kind of stuff–"

Bonnie quickly jumped in, "No, swear, because I'm not supposed to be showing you this." Ren looked intrigued and the two girls relented. Bonnie continued, "So there's no windows open now, no fans going, no air conditioning…?"

"Right?" Ren confirmed with a raised eyebrow, glancing at the brunette next to her.

"None, what are you doing?" Elena asked, confused.

"Grams just showed me this," Bonnie smiled, "And you're going to love it." She let out a big breath then held a hand up, palm facing down and fingers splayed. As she lifted it up, a feather followed, slowly drifting after it into the air.

Ren and Elena stared in confusion as the girl let it fall, asking, "Bonnie, what's going on?"

She only smiled then rubbed her hands together and held them both out, lifting several at once into the air, hovering below her palms. Ren's jaw dropped as Elena let out a harsh puff of air in disbelief. She let the feathers fall again and dropped her hands before making eye contact with the two again, then lifted her eyes as the whole pile of feathers shot into the air, floating and spinning all around them. Elena got up on her knees and twisted to gape at the white tufts twirling around her, laughing in complete shock and delight at the miracle. Ash barked and Ren leaned forward in awe and reached out to lightly touch one of the floating pieces of fluff drifting by.

"Holy shit," she muttered in utter fascination.

"It's true, Elena, Ren," Bonnie said with complete joy, "everything my Grams told me. It's impossible, but it's true."

Both girls looked back at her as she declared with pride, "I'm a witch."

Elena nodded with excitement, "I believe you!" It was nice to see something other than anger, grief, or worry on her face for once.

Ren nodded, a grin stretched across her face, "Shit, who wouldn't believe it after seeing this?" The three girls laughed in delight and relief. After the feathers had all fallen down to the bed and floor, Ren broke the silence.

"Well, now that you've made a mess, can you magic the pillow back together? I didn't come here to clean." Bonnie rolled her eyes with a smile and Elena giggled.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Ren had been about to head home after Bonnie had left when Elena asked if she could follow her there, she had decided she was ready to talk to Stefan. Elena's SUV trailed Ren's black sedan all the way to the boarding house and parked nearby. They walked up to the door together and as they entered, Lexi came down the hall in a towel with her hair wet. She froze and looked perplexed at the same time that Elena spotted her.

"Oh my god, how…uh…who?" Lexi struggled to string together a coherent sentence.

Ren raised an eyebrow at her, "Lexi, this is Elena." She turned back to the brunette, "Elena, this is Lexi, a friend of Stefan's." Elena was slow to nod, still scrutinizing Lexi standing there in only her towel. As Ren finished the introduction, she unclipped Ash's leash so he could wander off into the house.

"I just wanted to talk with Stefan, is he here?" Elena asked warily.

"He's in the shower, do you want to wait?" Lexi asked with an awkward smile, but Elena shook her head quickly.

"No," she stated quietly, eyes still moving up and down Lexi's near naked form.

"Then, I'll let him know you stopped by," Lexi assured.

The younger girl grimaced and muttered, "That's okay," and moved quickly back out the door. Ren paused, it had started to sink in that this wasn't the best scenario to walk into from Elena's perspective.

"Elena, wait!" she called but the other girl ignored her and got into her car before driving away.

Ren let her head drop back onto her shoulders, "Ugh, what was that?" Then she turned to Lexi who looked confused and lost in thought. "What was with you, too? You looked like you recognized her but something was…off?" Lexi's head snapped up before she moved quickly to wrap an arm around her side then sped upstairs into Stefan's room, letting her go once they were both stopped. Ren took a breath and steadied herself, a bit dizzy from the sudden displacement. Stefan turned towards them, pulling on a button down shirt over his admittedly chiseled torso as Lexi marched over.

"Are you out of your freaking mind!?" she tossed at him accusingly.

Stefan only looked confused, "What are you talking about?"

Lexi strode over to his desk while Ren just stood by the door looking lost. She grabbed up a white envelope with a clear center showing a dark image within.

The blond held it up to Stefan, "I just met Elena," she turned and handed the item to Ren. "You have some serious explaining to do."

Ren looked down at the dark image which appeared to be a vintage looking picture of Elena with her hair curled and pinned back from her face. Then she saw the label on the corner of the white envelope that said 'Katherine 1864' and her eyes nearly bulged out.

"This is Katherine?" she asked in a whisper without looking up from the old photograph.

"Yes," Stefan said reluctantly.

Ren finally looked up at him, "Stefan, what the fuck? Do you realize how messed up this is? How it looks that you dated Elena knowing that she looks exactly like the woman that you and Damon fought over?"

"I know, I know," he insisted, holding his hands up, "but it's not what you think. I'm going to tell her, I just wanted to be sure of who she was first."

Ren shook her head, "I really don't know what you were thinking with this." Then she pointed her finger at him accusingly, "You need to tell her before anything else happens between the two of you, got it? It's not fair to her." Stefan nodded silently.

Lexi spoke up, "Renfri, why don't you go put on something nice and join us for a night out, then we can tell him how screwed up in the brain he is over drinks at the local bar."

Ren looked surprised, "You guys are going to Caroline's party? She texted like half the school."

"Yeah, Lexi's making me go," Stefan replied while his best friend smirked. "Hey, did you know Damon was the one who told us about it? He said it was because we needed to 'blend,'" and he made air quotes with his fingers.

Renfri frowned, "He did go bring vervain to Sheriff Forbes today to help him get in with the Founder's Council; he's trying to figure out what they're up to since they clearly know a vampire is in town and are hunting for them. I guess it makes sense to get out and about in public to appear normal, though that would make more sense to do during the day…" she trailed off, unsure. "I don't know. He's probably scheming something, just keep an eye out so we don't become collateral damage in his plans." Stefan nodded seriously while Lexi rolled her eyes at Damon's problematic behavior.

As she left to get ready, she heard Lexi tell Stefan, "You have some serious emotional damage."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Renfri entered the Grill in black knee high heeled boots and a sapphire blue sleeveless dress that clung to her curves and stopped at her thighs. Lexi followed her in and headed straight for the bar, ignoring Damon as he tried to ask her something. He paused, then spied Ren as she claimed a table by the pool tables, laying her jacket over a seat and brushing her loose auburn waves over her shoulder.

He quickly closed the distance and asked, "Where's Stefan?"

"Probably running damage control with Elena." At his mildly curious look she continued, "She walked in looking for Stefan only to find Lexi in a towel, obviously getting the wrong idea."

"Ah," he nodded, "I thought they had broken up though?" he replied with fake concern before smirking while she rolled her eyes at him. She quickly changed the topic.

"So, on a similar note, why didn't you tell me that Elena looks like she could be Katherine's twin? Seems like something important to know," she questioned.

His mischievous blue eyes glimmered with intrigue, "So the cat's finally out of the bag, huh?" She gave him a deadpan look and he continued, "Well, I figured that either Stefan would spill the beans or it would come out in some obnoxiously dramatic teenage relationship drama. It's not my business if Stefan chose not to tell you." He shrugged his shoulders and made for the bar while she huffed in irritation.

As he walked away, Lexi came over to the table with shots in her hands and Stefan approached from the main entrance. Renfri grabbed one quickly and threw it back, she was determined to have some fun and if it required alcohol to let loose despite the supernatural drama unfolding, then so be it. Lexi grinned and followed suit before grabbing her hand and led her to the dance floor where everyone was moving to the DJ's music. Ren managed to snag Stefan's wrist and dragged him behind her despite his verbal protests.

"Oh, yes, Stefan. If we're dancing, so are you; it's your birthday," Lexi called to her friend. She stopped them in the center of the crowd and started moving to the beat with Ren quickly joining in. Stefan was reluctantly moving back and forth but barely enough for it to be called dancing.

"Okay, I'm going to need a little more foot movement," Lexi told him.

"Yeah, I'm not really interested in making a fool of myself," he drawled back, looking around the room a bit awkwardly.

Ren rolled her eyes at him then laughed as Lexi grabbed her hand and twirled her, "Come on, Stefan, live a little! Have some fun with your best friend and your little sister!" Stefan smiled before huffing.

"Fine, just let me know if you see Damon with a camera phone," he said as he began to move with more energy and they cheered him on.

Ren soon headed over to the bar to grab a drink. Lexi had said she'd compelled the bartender to not check for IDs, so she decided to get another round of shots, a mojito, and a basket of fries to share. As she waited for her order, she noticed Damon coming back in from outside. He stopped a ways in front of Elena, looking from the pool table Stefan and Lexi had migrated to then back to her where she was leaning against a post and watching them having fun.

"Stefan smiles, alert the media," Damon joked as he walked over to her side to join her in observing the pair.

"You haven't given him a lot of reasons to be happy lately," Elena responded smartly, continuing to watch the two vampires across the room.

"Oh, you're right, poor Stefan. Persecuted for eternity by his depraved brother," he mocked in response. Elena completely ignored him this time, so after a pause he turned toward her.

"Does it get tiring," he asked, "being so righteous?"

Elena gave a dry scoff, "It flares up in the presence of psychopaths." She took a few steps forward and away from him.

"Ouch, well, consider this psychopath's feelings hurt," he responded with overly sad eyes and a hand on his heart.

At this time her order came out and Ren quickly grabbed her drinks and food before heading towards them. As she approached, she heard Elena asking about why Jeremy had seemed to change his behaviors overnight and Damon just said repeatedly that he took away his suffering.

She came to a stop on Elena's other side, resting the items on the table by them, "Yeah, we'll see how long that lasts." They looked to her as she held out a shot to Elena, "You look like you could use this, you need to loosen up a little if you're gonna be here."

Elena looked at her before relenting, "Sure, why not." Ren grinned and sipped her drink as the brunette threw hers back. Damon smirked and stole a fry from the basket before moving away through the crowd.

Ren glanced back at Stefan before saying, "You know, you could just join us, instead of standing here and staring longingly." Elena looked down, unsure, so Ren just shrugged and grabbed the fries and drinks before making her way over to her ancestor and new friend. She handed them their shots and balanced the basket on the edge of the pool table.

"Alcohol and sustenance for the weary," she announced and Stefan huffed a laugh. As the younger vampire lined up his next shot, Lexi headed back to the bar for more shots.

Ren laughed, "If that's the pace you guys go in order to get drunk, I don't think I'll be able to keep up." Stefan smiled and shrugged as they continued to play, with Ren losing badly. A few minutes later, Stefan paused and tilted his head.

"What?" she asked him.

He glanced at her and looked, dare she think it, a bit happy, "Lexi's talking with Elena." Ren scanned the room for a few seconds then spotted them standing at a table by the bar; she watched as they chatted and Lexi downed one of the shots and looked their way. Ren quickly turned her eyes away before Elena could catch her watching and returned to the game, snickering and teasing Stefan in an effort to make him mess up his shots. Soon after, Lexi returned, confessing to have drunk all the shots. Stefan just smiled and thanked her, to which she reacted surprisingly sheepishly.

Lexi had headed back to the bar since the drinks never made their way over and not long after, Elena approached. Renfri smiled and silently moved away, making eye contact with the other girl and nodding subtly to which she received a smile in thanks. She spotted Lexi standing by Damon and sliding shots across the counter to him with a serious look. Ren quickly made her way over and came up on Damon's other side, ordering a soda as the older vampire stared him down.

"Cut the crap," she ordered as he drank one of the little glasses of tequila.

"Okay, I have a diabolical master plan," he stated in a monotone voice.

She nodded and replied, "So, what is it?"

"Well, if I told you it wouldn't be very diabolical, now would it?" he snarked back. Then he looked over his shoulder before turning back and continuing to dodge Lexi's pointed questions. All of a sudden, a group of people came up behind them and as Ren turned to look she heard Lexi gasp.

Damon said in a hushed tone, "What are you doing?"

Sheriff Forbes responded with, "Thank you for the vervain, now if you'll excuse me," and her deputies began to drag clearly drugged Lexi out of the bar. Ren made to get up from her stool but Damon grabbed her arm tightly and pulled her back down.

She stared confused into his cobalt eyes as he murmured, "Don't get involved, we don't want them figuring out that you know about vampires and we don't need any more attention." He turned to watch as the group disappeared out the side door. Ren stared at him for a moment and he looked back, still holding on to her with a firm grip.

"What did you do?" she whispered.

He finally let go and said, "It's part of the plan," then got up and walked away.

Renfri immediately got up and scanned the room for Stefan and Elena, finding them moving for the side door as well. Renfri saw the deputies blocking the way, though. Thinking quickly, she grabbed Lexi's clutch from the bartop and headed for the kitchen, quickly ducking through to the back door. It let her out in the back of the building and she quickly made her way around to the side parking lot.

As she turned the corner, she heard the loud crunch and crack of splintering glass. Ren froze then ducked behind a parked car. She peeked out and saw one deputy on the ground by a dented squad car and the other lying on the broken windshield of another. She watched as Lexi stood between the unconscious men and took a step forward with a hiss, fangs out and veins out, at the sheriff. Liz Forbes pulled her gun from its holster and fired a shot, making Lexi pause. Then Ren's eyes found a figure waiting in the shadow of the building on the other side of the street. It was perfectly still while watching, a stake in hand.

Damon.

As the second shot broke through the air he rushed forward, though not at vampire speed, probably since he was moving into view of the sheriff.

Ren looked down, took a huge breath and steeled herself. She jumped up and strode out into the open unsteadily.

"Hey! Sheriff?" she called out loudly and stumbling forward while squinting exaggeratedly. "Sheriff! That blonde lady left her bag at the bar!" she slurred and waved the little black clutch in the air. In the brief second that the sheriff and Damon paused to turn in her direction, Lexi turned and saw Damon. He scowled and lunged for her with the stake, only to miss her heart and ended up scraping her side as she turned away to avoid it. She made a growling noise and flashed away just as the sheriff turned back around to see she was gone and Damon was standing there with a stake that had a bit of blood on the tip.

Damon quickly switched back to playing the innocent human and asked if Sheriff Forbes was okay. She looked shaken but nodded and thanked him before he quickly whispered something to her. They both turned toward Renfri who managed to maintain her inebriated act. She stood up a little straighter as they approached, Damon walking behind the sheriff and looking pissed.

"Oh, was I in-terr-up-ting something?" The words fell from her lips choppily as she brought her hands up to her mouth then threw them out again. "I'm sooo sorry, I didn't mean to dis-disturb you!" she slurred with her arms swinging wildly with her gestures.

Sheriff Forbes looked her up and down scrutinizingly, "Did the bartender serve you without checking for ID?" Ren figured he had served plenty of other minors by now and there was no hiding it, so she nodded.

"Yup!" the girl chirped then grinned, "he was so nice!"

Damon tutted at her and said, "Renfri, you know you're too young to drink," playing the dutiful uncle.

She just shrugged in response and whined, "But it's Stefan's birthday!"

Sheriff Forbes sighed, "She's drunk, why don't you take her home," then she dropped her voice to a whisper that a drunk person likely wouldn't have enough focus to make out, "and make sure she didn't see anything, we don't need odd rumors floating around about the department." Damon nodded and wrapped an arm around his niece's shoulders, gripping her upper arm tightly, and dragged her away towards the main parking lot. When they got to his car, he shoved her back against it and loomed over her, his eyes cold steel piercing into her own.

"What did I say? Don't get involved," he intoned darkly, jabbing his finger into her sternum with each word.

Ren balked.

"You're mad at me when you just tried to kill your brother's only friend?! You'll be lucky if Lexi doesn't end you!" she spit back, equal parts furious and nervous. Not just nervous that he'd hurt her in his anger, but that his stupid plan would get him killed by a much older vampire that already didn't like him.

The dark haired man scoffed, "She'd never kill me, like she could ever do that to poor Stefan."

She snarled, "Which begs the question: how could you do that to him?"

He scowled and snapped back, "I told you, I needed to get in with the council and staking a vampire in front of them would solidify their trust in me absolutely. Now, that's not going to work because you decided to be a hero."

She let out a loud groan of frustration.

"First of all, I think just having defended the sheriff against a vampire was enough to prove yourself, so your position in the council should be fine. Second, there are other ways you could have tried to accomplish that which didn't include killing your brother's best friend!" She paused for a breath then continued her rant as he stared down at her angrily, but she didn't look away. She didn't notice Stefan and Elena approaching them from behind Damon.

"You could have turned someone else, like a criminal, and taken them down in front of her for your 'I'm the vampire hunting savior' plan. You could have just found a vampire elsewhere, killed them, then moved the body here for proof."

He raised an eyebrow in surprise at her suggested alternatives but she ignored him and continued.

"But, nooo, you had to try to hurt your brother in the process. Why!?" she practically yelled and shoved his chest, which, of course, was like trying to push a stone statue.

"Why did you do it, Damon?" came a voice through gritted teeth.

The girl jumped and they both turned to see Stefan behind them with Elena standing just past him and looking extremely concerned. Damon finally stepped back from hovering over his niece who was leaning back against the blue Camaro; his anger had seemed to recede somewhat and turned to a mask of indifference.

He shrugged and looked at his younger brother with blank eyes, "I saw an opportunity and went for it; it's as simple as that." Deep grooves carved fury into Stefan's face and veins began to darken under his eyes. Ren became worried that they would fight but the bang of the side door of the Grill swinging open and shut as well as the laughter and clicking of shoes on concrete filtering into the air reminded her of where they were.

"If you want to duke it out, fine, but not here," she snapped. "We're in the fucking middle of town, so get it under control, Stefan," she finished more quietly than before, more aware of their surroundings. Elena gently wrapped her fingers around Stefan's wrist, silently pleading with him to go with her. He glared at his brother for a few more moments before relenting and turning to follow her to her vehicle. Renfri slowly moved away from Damon, who ignored her and watched his brother leave, then turned to go to her car several spots away. As she drove away, she saw him finally move from his stint as a statue. He watched her pass with irritation sparking in his eyes (thank god it wasn't straight up rage anymore) then moved to open his car door.

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Renfri pulled up to the boarding house and, as she got out of her car, Damon's Camaro rolled up the driveway. She quickly entered the house, ignoring the dark haired man as he followed behind her at a leisurely pace and shutting the door on him. She spotted Ash lying under one of the console tables on the side of the den closer to the stairs and when he saw her his ears perked up but he stayed where he was with his head ducked low. As soon as she stepped through the doorframe of the large room and the front door opened again, something flashed past her in a blur. A dull thud and a groan were heard before she managed to spin around to see Lexi using her superior 350 year old vampire strength to pin Damon to the wall of the foyer. His face was pressed against the wood and had both arms pulled behind him, being pushed up higher than the muscles could flex without tearing.

"You must be the dumbest vampire in existence to think that you could get away with what you just pulled," the blonde growled into the younger vampire's face as she crushed the side of his head deeper into the wood paneling. Damon's face changed as well, veins appearing and fangs flashing, which was clearly the wrong move.

The two disappeared and materialized again on the floor of the den just past the doorway where Ren stood, causing a deafening bang. The vengeful woman held him down with a knee on his lower back and a hand clamping on the back of his neck. She dug in her nails savagely, drawing blood and keeping him facedown on the floor as he heaved in frustration. She proceeded to grab his forearm then forcefully pull and twist until his shoulder popped out of the socket and the bone under her fingers splintered, wrenching shouts of pain from him.

Ren watched with wide eyes and clenched fists, unsure of what to do, but she was certain that she wasn't going to get in between the two right then, it would surely be suicidal. She saw a flash of movement at the corner of her eye and turned her head to see Stefan now standing by the far wall to the left side of the room with his arms folded tightly. Stefan was as still as a statue and watched with a grim face as his best friend viciously broke the bones and tore the tissue in his older brother's other arm as he hissed and yelled in pain into the rug below him. Lexi then hauled him to his feet and slammed him headfirst into the stone of the fireplace, causing the skin above his left eye to split wide and spill scarlet blood down one side of his face before it soon healed over. She let him collapse to the floor with damaged arms that were unable to support him.

As he managed to bring himself up to one knee, there was a sickening sound of something puncturing flesh, a strangled cough, then air scraping through vocal chords weakly. Ren gasped as she stared in shock at the younger Salvatore holding the stake in place as Lexi stood tall and dangerous behind the kneeling man. Damon's blue eyes finally switched from anger and frustration to fear and disbelief as they shifted down to see the wooden stake buried deep in his chest. A hint of relief showed through as he realized it was just an inch to the side of his heart.

"You missed," Damon managed in a breathless voice.

"No," Stefan growled, "You saved my life, I'm sparing yours. I could just as easily let Lexi kill you, it wouldn't be undeserved, but now my debt is paid." He drove the stake in even deeper and twisted it, making his older brother groan and Ren grimace. She took a risk and quickly strode around the furniture and placed a gentle hand on the furious vampire's shoulder while carefully glancing at the blonde.

"Stefan, that's enough," she whispered urgently and tightened the hand on his shoulder.

"Do whatever you came here to do, Damon, then leave so we can all be rid of you," he muttered darkly then let go of the wood and walked away. Damon dropped back down to both knees and Ren knelt in front of him, laying one hand firmly on his sternum and the other gently around the wood sticking out of his flesh. She briefly met his eyes that were darker under drawn brows as he breathed shallowly, attempting to avoid the point of the wood scraping against any more internal organs. She waited for his quick nod before yanking the wood out, taking care to keep it level as it was removed. He gave a sharp gasp then coughed before he started to breathe easier. The red haired girl then stood and turned slightly to face Lexi with sorrow.

"I'm so sorry," she rasped, "I did what I could when I realized something was wrong."

Lexi's face softened, "I know, and he might have succeeded had you not intervened, so thank you." Her face hardened again as her eyes slid over to the man who had gotten up, ignoring their conversation, and was trying to pop his right arm back into its socket against the side of the fireplace.

"He will not be getting any second chances from me, though, so he should keep that in mind." He looked up at her briefly, reluctant defeat and cold fury showing plainly in his eyes, then proceeded to twist his forearm back into the correct position, allowing the breaks to heal properly.

Lexi then held out her hand toward Renfri, palm up, "Give me your phone."

Ren looked mildly surprised but complied. Lexi quickly began tapping her fingers across the device.

"I'm gonna head out while I've still got time before sunrise, but I'm leaving you my number." She smiled genuinely at the teenager, "Call or text if you ever need me, or just want to gossip, I'm always down for that." Renfri returned the smile and accepted her phone back, then gave her a quick hug that Lexi chuckled at and gently returned. She pulled back and sped upstairs to say goodbye to Stefan, returning to grab her bag by the doorway, before speeding away into the night.

Damon had managed to reposition his other arm when Renfri turned back to look at him tiredly. He met her eyes for a few moments, seemingly contemplating her, then looked away before disappearing further into the boarding house without a word.

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**Please review, it's much appreciated!