Cursed Blood and Bound Fates
Chapter 12
The past two weeks, Stefan stayed home from school, keeping his distance from the population until he was certain he could be around humans again and not be tempted to eat them. Renfri was frustrated by Damon's lack of help, or at least by his attempts to convince Stefan to try human blood again. Stefan had asked her to give him space because he didn't want to risk hurting her, so she usually stayed across the room or several meters away as requested, not willing to push it even if she didn't like it.
This morning, she could hear the stereo blasting from Stefan's room all the way downstairs where she was getting ready for school, and thought the rock music rather revealed his tumultuous mindset despite the false mask of stoicism he'd been wearing lately. The music lowered as she was munching on her eggs and toast and a couple minutes later, Damon joined her at the kitchen island on the stool next to her. He sipped his glass of blood as she looked at him expectantly.
"So?" she asked.
He shrugged, "He won't listen to me. He insists on sticking to his bunny diet."
She looked at him dryly, "I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact that you can't help but sound condescending when 'encouraging' him to give human blood a try."
His lips twitched, "Who, me? Nah, I always sound like the concerned and loving brother that I am!" His niece rolled her eyes at him.
"He's still doing everything he can to stay busy: blasting music, working out, reading, hunting more than usual, pacing a hole in every fucking carpet in this house. That probably means that he's struggling to ignore the cravings for human blood and mocking him likely isn't helpful in actually convincing him to try the blood bag diet. Flippantly suggesting that he should have 'a liter of soccer mom' isn't exactly persuasive and you know that, you're deliberately making it more difficult," she accused with a disapproving frown.
"Oh, come on, you're no fun," he pouted but sighed, "He wouldn't listen regardless, he doesn't trust me on that front. It's not my fault if he wants to pretend like it's not the best solution and live in denial."
Renfri just shook her head and pouted, "I've already tried, he won't listen to me because I'm not a vampire and I can't understand how he feels. But I don't need to know exactly how he feels to understand the situation to a degree and have an opinion."
Damon finished off his blood and got up to place the glass in the dishwasher, "Well, all we can do for now is keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn't completely fall off the wagon. It's been two weeks since he's had human blood, so he might be fine. He's just got to get through it."
Ren nodded resignedly and put her dishes in the washer, giving him a wave as she left the kitchen. She pet Ash goodbye for the day and headed to school, her concern for her younger uncle lingering in her mind.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
After stopping by her locker, Renfri found Elena chatting with Matt at his own locker as he put textbooks into his backpack. She heard Elena speak as she approached.
"He said his trip is open-ended," she said with a grimace.
"Uncle John, I never really liked the guy," Matt remarked.
"Does anyone?"
Ren stepped up beside them, "I definitely don't. I've only met him twice and that was enough for me to know that that bag of dicks is probably only visiting for his own selfish reasons, not to check in on family."
Elena let out a small laugh, "Yeah, he didn't make the best first impression when I invited you over for dinner while he was visiting."
Renfri scoffed, "Telling a fifteen year old girl who just lost her parents that she should be grateful her uncle took her in because 'family is important' permanently branded him as a condescending asshole in my mind, especially since he's not exactly a paragon of family values himself."
"Maybe you should avoid him if you see him in town, you're just liable to slap him if you meet each other again," Matt suggested, a smile pulling at his lips.
"Which would be completely justified. He's bound to say something offensive to someone while he's here; it's preemptive karma," she said with a grin, making him and Elena chuckle.
"Well, I'm here for moral support if you need it, Elena," Matt continued.
"Thanks, I think I'll suffer this one alone, you've been through enough."
"Thank you, by the way, just for everything you did at Vicki's funeral and her memorial. I couldn't have done it without you," he gave her a soft, grateful smile.
"Of course, Matt," she said, then shifted topics, "So, was Caroline still baking for you guys around the clock?"
Matt shook his head as he closed his locker, "She finally went to her dad's, which is a good thing because my mom was going to strangle her if she dropped off another lasagna."
Elena only smiled but Renfri scoffed, "What's wrong with giving food in times of hardship?"
Matt laughed, "I'm not saying there is, your dishes were greatly appreciated, and delicious. I'll have to bring those containers back sometime soon."
Renfri humphed playfully, "Of course they were delicious, my Italian grandmother would roll over in her grave if I didn't do her recipes justice."
She paused.
"Oh, sorry, poor choice of words," she said sheepishly, and the other two just shrugged it off. "Anyway, Caroline meant well, she just wants to support you…and doesn't want your mom to hate her, which is a lost cause."
Matt nodded in agreement, "Hopefully she'll see that soon and just be herself. The food was good, it just felt a bit smothering because she dropped something off almost every day."
Renfri tilted her head, "Yeah, I guess that's a bit much. But at least it's thoughtful, cooking takes time and effort. Zach made a point to cook dinner every day the first month I was with him, 'cause I certainly didn't feel like it, and he was grieving too. I really appreciated it at the time, it gave me something to look forward to each day, something to move towards. We eventually turned it into a routine, one or both of us cooking dinner every few days, just to spend some time together."
Matt nodded while Elena smiled gently and looped her arm through Renfri's, hugging it to her as they headed to class.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
After history, Alaric held Elena and Renfri back. Once the room was empty of other students and the door was closed, he sat on the edge of his desk and pulled out a packet.
"I made a copy of a paper that Jeremy wrote for me, I think you should take a look at it," he handed the essay to Elena. Renfri read the title over her shoulder curiously.
Fact or Fiction: The Truth About Vampires in Mystic Falls
Renfri raised her eyebrows as Elena asked in suprise, "Jeremy wrote this?"
"He was very clear that he didn't think it was real."
"I really hope that you're right because I've done so much to protect him from all of this," the girl said with worry.
Renfri looked at the two, "And if he lied and actually suspects something? If you remember, he got help with choosing his topic and finding sources: it was Anna. If he was hanging out with a 500 year old vampire girl who suggested this idea for a paper while trying to get to his family's journal, he may have started thinking about it more seriously, especially after he was knocked out by the tomb without even drinking."
Elena looked at her then Alaric with worry painted across her face, looking unsure, "I don't know, I'm not really sure I want Damon to compel him again."
"He was compelled once already?" Alaric asked and Renfri nodded stoically.
"Yes, despite my protests, she had Damon make him forget that his girlfriend tried to eat him as a newbie vampire and had to be put down. He was a mess, so she wanted to take his pain away." She turned to Elena with firm eyes, "You can't do that to him again. If he doesn't already know, he will. You're dating a vampire, Elena, he's going to find out eventually, and at the rate that we keep running into supernatural trouble, he's bound to get involved again. Besides, I'm of the mind that the more informed you are, the more prepared you are to deal with something. It's safer to have knowledge of what's out there. Ignorance is bliss…until you're dead."
Elena shook her head tiredly, "I don't want this for him…"
Alaric looked at the brunette curiously, "How do you deal with it? The lies and the secrets. You have to lie to everyone that's important to you."
"It's not safe for them to know the truth, so yes, I keep it from them, but it's only because I love them," Elena told him but Renfri could only shake her head in disagreement. Alaric nodded a bit, acknowledging her reasoning, though it was unclear if he agreed or not.
"Stefan's a good guy, but, uh, at the end of the day, he's still a vampire," he stated, leaning over his desk.
"I know it's hard to understand, but Stefan's different, he would never do anything to hurt me," she said with certainty.
"Stefan and Damon are the only family I have left," Renfri added, making them look at her, "I can deal with them being vampires, and besides, it's not their fault. They were killed by their own father while they had vampire blood in their systems, can you fault them for continuing to live even if it changed them? I can't, I would do the same thing if I died and had a chance to keep living."
Alaric stared at her with surprise while Elena's eyes widened and she asked, "You would turn into a vampire?"
Renfr shrugged, "If it was that or death, yeah, why not?"
"You'd have to survive on blood for the rest of your life and fight the constant cravings, Stefan's told me how difficult it is, especially as a newly turned vampire," Elena continued.
Renfri tilted her head considerately, "I don't think it's so bad, and honestly, I think that Stefan just has a particularly hard time, for whatever reason. It's just another way to survive and vampires can't help that they need blood to live. Based on what we've seen, human blood is best in keeping them healthy and their predatory instincts satisfied. So, I think if someone was taught properly how to feed with restraint from the start then they wouldn't be as likely to go on a killing spree, it would just take time and effort to get there."
Elena shook her head, "No, I don't think I could do it, drinking people's blood. It just seems wrong, especially if it can push you to kill people."
Renfri raised an eyebrow, "Is it any different from humans killing animals for food? They're just higher up the food chain, although it is more devastating because people are more intelligent than animals and we see them as more valuable and deserving of living a full life, but that's not reality. Of course, I wouldn't want to kill if it's not necessary, but apparently their predatory instincts push them to enjoy the hunt, just like any carnivorous animal would, so they're hard-wired to feel good when they feed on humans."
"Wow, I never really thought about it that way," Alaric muttered, arms crossed as he contemplated what she said while Elena just looked shocked.
Renfri shrugged, "I've asked Lexi and Damon about their perspectives a bit. They both seem to think that Stefan's issue with human blood is a bit unique and that most vampires adjust and gain control with practice, unless they choose to enjoy their more predatory urges or even turn off their humanity and completely give in to their instincts, forcing themselves not to care. That seems like the worst case scenario."
The bell rang just then, making them look up at the clock.
"Crap, we're late for our next class. Can we have a pass?" Renfri asked Alaric, looking at him expectantly.
He nodded and scribbled a quick note on a post-it before sending them on their way, looking thoughtful. Renfri stayed quiet as she led the way to their next period, mindful of Elena's quiet contemplation of what her friend had revealed about her perspective and gained knowledge. Renfri didn't mind that Elena seemed to be a bit more morally uptight than her, she just hoped that her friend didn't hold that she chose to be, what she considered, more practically minded and considerate of a vampire's circumstances against her. Of course, she'd have far less sympathy for a vampire who's humanity was off or killed tons of humans just because they were on a power trip. If she ever turned, she didn't want to be like that, she still wanted to value human life.
Contemplating what she would do if she turned into a vampire made her shift her thoughts back to Emily's warning. Could the curse in her veins be referring to her family? Was she warning her away from becoming a vampire like her two ancestors did? Is that why Emily said to keep her innocence, to avoid turning so she didn't kill people and become something less human like Stefan and Damon?
Renfri sighed, wondering if she would ever find out what Emily had intended by giving her such a vague warning.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
As she got ready for the Founder's Day Kick-Off Party, Renfri was in her bathroom, doing the final touches on her makeup. She had already curled her hair then combed it out into loose auburn curls to go with the burgundy cocktail dress. It had off-the-shoulder sleeves and hugged her figure down to her knees, including a slit that went halfway up her left thigh. She kept her makeup smokey to make her hazel eyes pop and used a dark red lipstick to match the dress. Some people thought redheads should avoid wearing shades of red, but Renfri disagreed, she enjoyed the aesthetic. She tucked her feet into a pair of simple black pumps and grabbed her black clutch with a chain strap to throw over her shoulder.
As she arrived at the bottom of the stairs, she found Stefan at the liquor table in the den, gulping down an amber drink at an alarming rate.
She raised her eyebrows at him, "Is that a good idea? Or even healthy?"
He looked up at her and shrugged, "Alcohol helps with the cravings."
She nodded cautiously, "Sure, but should you be drunk before you even arrive at a town event hosted by the founding families? We don't want to draw attention to ourselves."
Stefan shrugged, "Damon said we need to blend and not invite suspicion, especially with the tomb vampires walking free now, so I'll deal and the alcohol helps with that. Besides, a drunk teenager at a town party? It's probably not a first."
Renfri reluctantly let it go and seconds later Damon joined them, clad in a black suit with a black button down shirt, quite similar to Stefan's.
The teenager laughed, "Did you two match on purpose?"
Damon rolled his eyes and walked past the two, "Let's go, children, time to represent the family to the public." Renfri giggled and followed the two brothers out the door.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
As the three walked through the front door of the Founder's Hall, they paused to scope out the party. It seemed to be a dull affair, with light instrumental music playing from the speakers set up by the DJ (what's the point in a DJ if that's what you're playing?) and people were milling about or just standing in groups and chatting with drinks in hand. Renfri thought it was likely to be a boring evening if that was all there would be to it, just like the year before.
"Oh god, I shouldn't be here," Stefan mumbled as he looked around and grimaced.
"Come on, don't be such a downer. It's a party for the founding families, that would be us. It would be rude to skip it," Damon said encouragingly.
Renfri glanced at the younger brother and added, "And noticeable. You're here now, so just make an appearance and duck out after a little while if you need to." She gave him a light pat on his shoulder as his eyes darted around nervously.
"I really liked you a lot better when you hated everybody," he remarked to Damon.
"Oh, I still do, I just love that they love me!" the older Salvatore joked, inciting a scoff from the other two. Damon watched his brother for a few seconds, who couldn't seem to stand still, "How you feeling?"
"I'm good, I'm fine."
"No cravings? No urges?" he made an overly suspicious face, "Is that whisky you've been drinking all day doing its job?" Stefan only gave a fake laugh and shook his head, ignoring the dark haired man beside him. "We are who we are, Stefan, pretending doesn't change that," Damon continued breezily.
"Ooohh, nothing would make you happier than to see me just give in, huh, Damon?" Stefan retorted.
"It's more about seeing you gain some self-control while on a healthier diet, Stefan; it's not about your dick measuring contest," Renfri snapped, taking a step to the side to get away from the entrance.
"Whatever, it's inevitable," Damon had to add, making his niece sigh in exasperation.
"Is this really the place to talk about it? In the Founder's Hall? Both of you shut up and go enjoy the party," Renfri hissed. Damon just shrugged with a little smirk and Stefan turned towards the main room with the DJ.
"I'm going to find Elena."
"Don't embarrass me, young man!" Damon called after him playfully, and Renfri shoved his shoulder with one hand as she walked away, looking for someone, anyone from school to distract her from her family drama.
She managed to find Tyler and Matt just as they were opening a large bottle of expensive rum. She paused as she passed the doorway of the semi-dark room and backtracked. They froze as she raised an eyebrow at the two. They waited for her to say something first.
"I won't tell if you give me some," she smirked and Tyler let out a relieved sigh and a laugh, waving her over. She had stopped by the bar for a coke, which she had already drank half of, so she let him top off the drink.
She raised her glass, "Pleasure doing business with you boys, enjoy," then strode away, sipping at her prize. She found Elena in the DJ room where the music had picked up to something more modern, surprisingly. She saw Stefan dancing with Kelly Donovan of all people and turned right around. Nope, she wasn't drunk enough to deal with that. She decided to wander around for a little while before settling at the bar to sit and people watch. Not long after, her older uncle joined her, ordering a bourbon.
"Is that a rum I smell on your breath? Now how did you manage that?" he inquired teasingly.
She smiled against her near empty glass and finished the last of it, ordering another soda, "I saw Tyler steal a whole bottle of rum, so I promised not to snitch if they gave me some."
"Ah, my niece, the blackmailer. I'm so proud," he grinned and pulled a sharp laugh out of her just as Elena approached the two from behind.
"Have you noticed what your brother's been up to?" she asked casually.
"Why? Is he blackout drunk now instead of just a little drunk?" Ren asked sarcastically.
"Nope, I've been too preoccupied with yours." Elena looked at Damon questioningly and he continued, "Jeremy's been asking questions about Vicki Donovan's death."
Elena shook her head in denial, "He knows that it was ruled an overdose."
"Really?" Damon said in an overly earnest caricature of Jeremy's voice, "Oh, but sheriff, somebody buried her. Who would do that?" He returned to his own voice, still high and whispered, "I know, I know, me! I mean I can compel him but he's wearing vervain–"
"No, I don't want you to compel him," Elena said immediately.
"Glad to know you actually listened to me before," Renfri said with a relieved smile which Elena returned briefly.
Damon started to argue, "If he keeps asking questions–"
"Damon, no, I'm serious. I'm not going to do that to him again, I'll handle it."
"Okay, don't say I didn't warn you," he replied, plucking a red rose from a nearby vase and handing it to her. She twirled it between her fingers curiously as he walked away with his drink.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Renfri had found her way upstairs where she saw Carol Lockwood directing some staff to clear away empty glasses that were left by guests. She smiled when she saw Jenna talking with Alaric by the far wall. She still didn't love the teacher, but respected him a bit for helping them get Stefan from the tomb vampires, even if he was tricked into it a bit. She passed by other unfamiliar faces and paused when she noticed a couple of french doors that opened up to a balcony with lights winding around the railing. She took a step forward, hoping to get some fresh air and quiet time when she stopped, noticing through the glass that the area wasn't empty. Damon was walking toward the closed doors and away from a smug looking John Gilbert. The vampire paused, eyes stopping momentarily on her through the door paneling and she raised an eyebrow in a silent question. Her eyes skipped over to the man behind her uncle by the balcony's edge and made eye contact, not hiding the distrustful but curious look on her face. Her jaw dropped when in the next second, Damon flashed over to the man and snapped his neck, dumping his body over the railing to land on the cobblestone walkway beneath. Renfri stifled a gasp as best as she could, glancing around with her heart pounding, somewhat relieved when it seemed noone had noticed the moment of fatal violence. She hurried to the doors and slipped through one to join her uncle.
"What the fuck was that!?" she hissed, trying to keep her voice down. She peaked over the balcony and saw the sprawled body of the man face down on the ground below, though no one else seemed to be outside in the backyard, thank god.
Damon put up his hands, "Hey, I'm just ensuring our continued existence here. He knew Stefan and I were vampires and threatened to out us to the council. I had to kill him."
Her eyes bulged and she pointed at her feet, "Here!?"
He shrugged, "The council members are all in attendance, he could have spilled the beans within a minute if I let him go."
"Now they're definitely going to be on high alert, finding a dead Gilbert on their back lawn!" she panicked.
"Oh, they're already on alert, they found out that someone's been robbing the blood banks and people have been going missing in nearby towns. Liz confirmed it tonight, and John was the one who informed them of it happening, he wanted them on the lookout for vampires. They'll assume it was one of the guests or lesser known townspeople here tonight, not a member of the founding families."
She sighed, "I don't know about that. Liz knew that Logan was turned; they won't completely rule it out, especially if the one who warned them shows up dead not long after."
He waved her off, "Well, no use worrying about it now, what's done is done. Let's get back to the party before we're noticed above the crime scene." That had the girl looking around anxiously again and moving quickly towards the balcony doors, eager to get away from the murder she had stumbled upon. He followed her, closing the doors behind him, and headed for the first floor again while she moved to stand by the top of the open staircase that looked down over the front hall and entrance. She sipped her drink and watched as Damon found Stefan and said something in his ear that shocked him, grinned, then walked away. She wanted to slap her hand to her forehead, but that would have attracted some weird looks, so she resisted. Damon couldn't help himself from stirring up shit, especially when it came to his little brother. She watched as Stefan followed him out the front door but froze when he reached the porch, slowly turning his head to the right of the doorframe to something out of her sight. She frowned, wondering what had distracted him, when he turned to move towards whatever had captured his attention.
She made her way down the long staircase in her high heels, cursing how they slowed her down, and pushed her way through the crowd of people moving through the area. As she finally made it to the porch, she turned right but couldn't see Stefan. She paused when she saw a crying Kelly 'Cougar' Donovan sitting by the far corner and pressing something to her forehead.
The white napkin was splotched in dark red.
Renfri froze, worry gnawing at her gut as she looked around, hoping Stefan hadn't been pushed over the edge by the exposure to the fresh human blood. She peered out onto the lawn, seeing a few people walking towards the parking lot and a few on the lawn, but she couldn't tell if any of them were Stefan. Cursing her human eyes, she rushed back inside to find Damon.
As she moved through the front door again and was passing a dark parlor room on the right, she paused when she heard a smack. She backtracked her steps, careful to move quietly and not let her heels click on the floor. She peeked into the darkened room to see the mayor's back, partially blocking the shocked face of his son, Tyler, who had caught himself on a decorative hutch so he didn't fall from what must have been a harsh blow. The mayor put his hand firmly on his son's chest.
"That is the last time you ever embarrass this family."
She quickly stepped into the room, hoping to prevent anything else from happening, "Mayor Lockwood?"
He stiffened before turning to her quickly with a genial smile, "Yes, how can I help you?"
She gave him a false smile in return, "It looks like something happened out on the porch and Ms. Donovan is bleeding from her head, do you know where there might be a first aid kit around or someone who could help her?"
He nodded appeasingly, "Of course, I'll send one of the staff with the medical kit to help her out, thank you for your concern." He straightened his suit jacket by the lapels and moved smoothly past her and into the crowd. Renfri let out a breath and dropped the cheery facade before turning to face Tyler.
He eyed her warily before she asked with concern, "Are you alright, Tyler? I heard that bastard's slap from the hallway."
Tyler looked down immediately, seemingly ashamed, "I'm fine, it was nothing; I messed up."
Renfri frowned, "No, it's not fine, it's never fine. Nobody should hit their kid, Tyler, even if they make mistakes." She stepped forward, laying a hand on his shoulder, "What happened?"
He shook his head, "I screwed up. I got drunk and I made out with Matt's mom. I don't know what the hell I was thinking, then Matt saw and pushed us apart, I tried to explain but he punched me and I just snapped. It was like something just clicked in my head and all of a sudden I was on top of him and just kept punching him. I was pissed and I couldn't control it, I even started choking him until Mr. Saltzman pulled me off of him and I snapped out of it." He looked seriously embarrassed and confused as he spoke, Renfri looking on in surprise.
"Well, knowing that hoe of a woman, I'd guess that she came on to you and made the first move, which is disgusting considering you're her son's age and you were drunk, so it's not entirely your fault, though it's fucked up that you went with it then attacked him. You shouldn't have hit him back, even if he hit you. In that situation, you messed up and should have just backed off, but I understand getting lost in your anger though."
He looked at her in surprise, "You do? I don't think I've ever really seen you actually mad enough to fight someone before."
She shrugged, "I've definitely been so pissed before that I had tunnel vision and couldn't see past my anger, but I had people holding me back from doing something stupid." She grinned at him, "I also don't go around acting like a douchebag and starting fights, which is why you wouldn't see it often."
He rolled his eyes and shrugged, "Yeah, yeah, I'm an asshole, I know."
She laughed, "Only sometimes, just work on it. You've got to overcome that masculine urge to be the toughest guy around and just walk away. And don't take any shit from your dad; he has the right to discipline you, not beat you." His eyebrows raised in shock and she added, "And I don't mean fight him or anything, just walk away, go to your mom, or find someplace public if you think he'll try to hit you. You can even come find me, okay? You have my number."
"Yeah, okay. Thanks, Ren," he said quietly and glanced at her, shifting awkwardly.
She nodded and gave him a kind smile, "Sure, Tyler, enjoy the rest of the party." She patted his arm before leaving the room. She paused in the hallway, remembering what she had been doing before stumbling into the Lockwood family drama and picked up her pace, scanning the crowd for the oldest Salvatore.
She found him just as the mayor was calling for everyone's attention. She slipped through the crowd to him, standing only a few feet away from her history teacher who was intentionally ignoring the vampire. She tugged on his sleeve and he glanced down at her.
"We may have a problem," she said, glancing around the room with nervous eyes. Her brain seemed to glitch for a second when they doubled back to the last person they had passed over, but then it went into overdrive as she registered exactly who she had seen.
"Scratch that, we've got two problems," she revised as he just raised his eyebrows at her. She leaned in to him and nodded to the front of the room, "First, Stefan just got exposed to a bleeding Kelly Donovan and I'm not sure where he went. Second, guess who's back from the dead." His eyes followed hers to the focus of the crowd, where John Gilbert was very much alive to be asked to ring the town's charter bell. The blonde man noticed the two staring daggers at him and just nodded in their direction stoically. The two watched in shock as the previously dead man moved to stand by Richard Lockwood to give a quick speech.
"150 years of community, prosperity, and family. We take care of each other, look after each other," his eyes returned to Damon accusingly then shifted to Renfri as well, "protect each other…It's good to be home." As the audience began applauding, Damon stared back with frustration in his eyes. John knew she saw Damon kill him and yet she still stood next to him, meaning she was fully aware of what he was and was fine with it.
Damon shifted over to Alaric, leaning over to murmur to him, "Look at his ring."
"Whose?" the teacher asked.
"The town's favorite son, look at his ring." They followed his direction and saw the gaudy silver and blue ring on John Gilbert's hand.
"Looks like mine," Alaric commented as Renfri inhaled sharply in realization.
"Yeah, that'd be a big coincidence if he didn't come back from the dead five minutes ago," Alaric shifted to look at him in concern as Damon continued, "Where the hell did you get that ring?"
"My wife, Isabel."
Damon gave a sarcastic laugh, "Who gave birth to Elena under the medical care of the esteemed Dr. Grayson Gilbert, John's brother."
Renfri stepped closer to the two, "So John knows Isabel?"
"I think he knows a lot of things," Damon said and took a gulp of his bourbon.
Soon after the crowd had dispersed, the early deserters began to take their leave, including John Gilbert. Damon hurried after the man with Renfri and Alaric quick to follow as they reached the front walkway.
"Gong somewhere, hmm?" Damon asked as he trailed the man down the front steps.
"I never liked to be the last one to leave a party, it's too desperate," John responded flippantly, "Are you going to kill me again? Or are you going to let Mr. Saltzman do your dirty work as your niece watches." Renfri flinched from behind her uncle as the hunter cleared his throat.
"Okay, you obviously know who I am."
"I do," John confirmed as the three came to a stop in front of the man, confronting him. "Alaric Saltzman, the high school history teacher with a secret."
"You sure know a lot for someone who just got to town," Damon commented.
Damon walked leisurely past him and turned to face them, "More than you can imagine, Damon. My knowledge of this town goes beyond anything that you," he turned to Alaric and Renfri, "or you or the council knows. So if you were planning on some high speed snatch ring vamp kill move, know that if I die everything I know goes to the council, including the fascinating little tale of the original Salvatore brothers and their present-day return to Mystic Falls." He stared Damon down as the vampire glared back at him.
"Where'd you get that ring?" Alaric interjected, his voice rough.
Renfri stepped forward, her jaw tight due to the man's arrogance and unprecedented knowledge. "Seriously, where are they from? You were dead like twenty minutes ago and now you're not; I saw Alaric rejoin the living after this guy," she jabbed a finger in her uncle's direction, "killed him. Where the hell did those resurrection rings come from?"
John raised an eyebrow at the teenager condescendingly, "It's a shame the only adult figures you have left are vampires and a washed-up alcoholic teacher. I was sorry to hear about your uncle, Zach Salvatore. I can take a guess as to how he actually died," his eyes drifted to Damon, "but perhaps it was for the best, since he had been hiding such unsavory relatives from the council."
Renfri clicked her tongue and sneered at the man as she took an angry step forward, but Damon moved in front of her to stop her.
The blonde man smirked, "I inherited my ring and my brother, Gray, the other. This one was his," he held up his right hand with the ring on it. "I wouldn't have given mine to Isabel had I known she would hand it over to another guy."
"So you did know her," Damon said.
"Who do you think sent her your way when she wanted to become a vampire?" the arrogant man quipped.
"You sent her?" Damon asked disbelievingly.
"Guilty!" John sing-songed mockingly, "Why, did you think someone else sent her? Maybe Katherine Pierce?"
Damon continued to keep an air of nonchalance but the intensity remained in his eyes, "How do you know about Katherine?"
"How do I know anything, Damon?"
Renfri clenched her teeth as Damon moved forward threateningly, "What do you want?"
John just watched him calmly and pursed his lips, "So many questions…It's a pleasure meeting you, Ric, I've heard so much about you." He turned to Renfri, "I do hope you find better role models, Ms. Salvatore, so you can uphold your family's true legacy."
The redhead scoffed and crossed her arms over her chest, "I'm doing just fine, though I can't say the same for your family. Clearly, the Gilbert genes aren't everything you think they are, given the receding hairline and garbage personality you so confidently display."
Alaric snorted while Damon's mouth twitched a bit despite the frustration still clear on his face.
John hummed, "We'll see how long you last surrounded by vampires, you're bound to get caught in the crossfire. Good luck." With that he turned and walked away. The three stood in silence for a few moments, seething and full of questions.
"How the fuck does that asshat know so much?" Ren finally spit out, turning to the men who were also scowling.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
In the study, Damon and Renfri were on the leather couch facing the crackling fireplace. The vampire had a glass of blood in his hand which was pressed to his forehead as he contemplated their new problem. Renfri was lying lengthwise across the couch, legs across her uncle's lap where his other arm rested over them, his fingers tapping a rhythm as he was lost in thought.
"What are we going to do about John 'bag of dicks' Gilbert?" she asked, staring at the ceiling, still in her evening dress, though her shoes were on the floor.
"I don't know. I'd love to kill him for real but that would risk him exposing us to the council, and he seems to know things that we don't." He paused when the sound of someone on the wooden steps leading into the room were heard.
"Oh good, you're back," Ren said, sitting up to look at her younger uncle, "Where'd you go–"
She paused when she saw the look on his face as he began to move slowly around the back of the couch, as if in a trance. Damon was too wrapped up in his thoughts to notice her cutting herself off.
"We have a problem, Stefan. And when I say problem, I mean global crisis. It seems Uncle John has a–"
"Damon," Renfri called quietly, tapping his shoulder and not taking her eyes off of Stefan as he moved slowly to stand in front of them. She pulled her legs from Damon's lap to sit up straighter as the older Salvatore finally looked up at his brother. He stared at him with evaluating eyes.
"You don't look so good," he commented while Stefan's dark green eyes stayed glued to the glass of blood in his older brother's hand. "It's different this time, isn't it, the need is too strong. Of course it would be after all these years."
He sat forward and placed the glass on the side table while Renfri stayed still, breathing shallowly and feeling like prey. She wanted to scoot closer to Damon but she could see the predatory gleam in Stefan's eyes and didn't want to bring his attention to her by moving. Damon stood from the couch as she watched and stood in front of his brother, who didn't even look at him, patting his shoulder with pity.
"Have a good night brother."
Damon took a step back and reached an arm out behind him towards his niece silently. She took the cue and leaned over to grab her shoes before taking his hand to stand and follow him as he walked out of the room.
"Uncle Damon," she said quietly as they passed the doorway, looking back at Stefan who took a step toward where Damon had been sitting, "you left the blood."
He nodded without looking back, "I know."
Her eyes widened, "You want him to try human blood again?"
He nodded, "You mentioned he was with the Donovan woman who was bleeding earlier? I think he already had a taste, which is why it got to this point. It's better that he starts with blood bags than people though and what was in the glass was only a few mouthfuls."
Renfri let out a breath, "Yeah, but you haven't exactly locked up your blood supply, so he can drink more if he really wants. And if he can't access it, he'll go for the next best thing." She paused at the bottom of the stairs and he let go of her arm. "Am I safe here while he's going through this?"
He turned to look in her hazel eyes, "I won't let him hurt you. I'll keep an eye on him, but just keep your distance for now." He gave her a crooked smile, "Don't worry about it so much, it'll give you wrinkles."
She rolled her eyes at his attempt to lighten the mood but nodded. He patted her head and ruffled her hair, making her grumble and swat at his arm, before heading up the stairs. She sighed and followed him, making her way to her bedroom. She closed the door behind her, then paused.
Before she could think too hard about it, Renfri turned around and locked the door.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
**Please review, it's very much appreciated!
