The Daughter of Damon Salvatore
Chapter Two
Stefan looked over at his niece in the passenger seat. She was quietly taking in the new surroundings which were currently in the form of the highway. Stefan could hear her heart beating erratically and felt deep sympathy for the young teen. He put himself in her shoes. She had just lost her mother and had been forced out of the only home she had ever known and now she had been put on a plane to fly to a completely different country to live with strangers she had never met. Stefan thought just how overwhelming the whole situation was for her.
Stefan also thought about how nervous he had been at the airport. He had watched the passengers come off the plane and was looking at each potential Jessica as they passed him. However, he really needn't have bothered. He knew it was Jessica the second he laid eyes on her, her resemblance to Damon was uncanny and he couldn't have hidden his shock if he had tried. The black curls and the ice-blue eyes were a dead giveaway and he marvelled at just how beautiful his niece was. He also knew just how protective he felt of her already.
He cast his mind back to a few months ago, when he first discovered that he even had a niece – he hadn't believed it was possible…
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Five Months Earlier:
Stefan had just arrived home from his first day of school (again!). He had decided to go back to school to get to know the intriguing Elena Gilbert better. Having saved her from the car accident, and noticing just how much she looked like Katherine Pierce, he could not let it go.
As Stefan walked through the front door, he immediately sensed the tense atmosphere. His eyes darted over to the couch where he could see his nephew Zach staring at what looked like a letter. Zach had been so engrossed in the piece of paper, that he didn't even notice that Stefan had entered the house and was moving towards him.
"Is everything ok?" Stefan asked Zach.
Zach practically jumped out of his skin and looked at Stefan.
Stefan tried to hold in his disbelief as he took in Zach's pale features.
"What's happened?" Stefan asked.
Zach looked up at Stefan, hesitating. He then sighed and started to speak.
"Do you remember when you were here about fifteen years ago?" Zach asked.
Stefan tried not to cringe. He hated reflecting on that year, and he particularly hated that it was Zach who was asking about it.
"1994? Sure, I remember" Stefan said, keeping it cagey.
"Do you remember a young girl named Joanna?" Zach asked.
Stefan thought really hard at that. Did he remember a woman named Joanna?
"Wait. Wasn't she the teenager that Damon was chasing after at the time?" Stefan asked, recognition of the name finally sinking in.
Zach nodded.
Stefan waited patiently for Zach to continue.
"Well, Joanna wasn't just any girl. She was a witch" Zach said.
"A witch?! How did I not know about this? Of course, Damon would have been chasing around after a witch – he's always had a thing for keeping witches close to him. God knows why!" Stefan exclaimed.
How had he not noticed that this Jo girl was a witch?
"That's who this letter is from" Zach stated, drawing Stefan's attention back to the situation at hand.
"You guys are still in touch?" Stefan asked curiously.
Zach nodded.
"Yeah, I helped her flee the country" Zach admitted quietly.
Stefan's eyes widened.
"Flee the country? Why on earth would she need to flee the country?" Stefan asked in pure shock.
"In 1994, Jo had gotten herself pregnant" Zach replied.
Stefan was again stunned. The poor girl, she was so young at the time. No older than seventeen at the very most.
"She obviously didn't mean to get herself pregnant. In fact, the person she was sleeping with at the time was under the impression that he could not have children" Zach explained.
"How did she get pregnant?" Stefan asked.
At that, Zach smirked.
"A hundred and something years old. Surely you know how someone gets pregnant" Zach chuckled.
"I know that Zach! God! I meant how did she get pregnant if the guy was supposedly firing blanks" Stefan asked.
"The guy wasn't 'firing blanks' in the normal sense, he was a vampire" Zach stated.
You could hear a pin drop.
"What! That's impossible!" Stefan exploded.
Zach nodded.
"Yeah, a very impossible half-witch half-vampire baby. Can you imagine the chaos it would have caused had that information reached the vampire and witch communities?" Zach asked.
Stefan shook his head not wanting to think about it. There would have been mass bloodshed, most likely the blood of the young witch and the unborn child, it would have rocked everything that the vampire and witch communities new on its axis. Potentially even caused an all-out supernatural war.
"It would have been carnage" Stefan whispered in agreement at the horrific images in his mind.
Zach nodded.
"Exactly. She would have been in so much danger. I saw the look on Joanna's face after she had been to the doctors to have it all confirmed, she was distraught, and I knew I just had to help her. I offered her a permanent place to stay here and told her that I would do anything to take care of her. I asked her if she wanted me to contact her family. When I asked her that, she broke down and confessed that the father of her child was a vampire, and she would never be able to tell a soul. As far as I'm aware, she did tell the father, but he practically laughed in her face at the impossibility of it all and took off – he hasn't returned since." Zach said.
Stefan shook his head again, not really knowing what to say to it all.
"Well, what's with the letter?" Stefan asked nodding towards the letter in Zach's hand.
"After Jo told me about the vampire father, she said that it wasn't safe for her to stay here in the USA anymore. I completely agreed. So, I pulled a few strings, got her some new identity documents, and gave her some cash to help her settle comfortably enough to help her support herself and the baby. I then put that kid on a plane to the UK. After the baby was born, we stopped all contact. Jo and I felt that the communication whilst she had been pregnant was risky enough. After she'd had a completely ordinary birth – much to our surprise – she felt that she was in a position to take things into her own hands. That was the last I heard from her, until today" Zach spoke with a hint of nostalgia to his tone.
"Why today?" Stefan asked.
Zach sighed.
"It looks like Jo is dying" Zach said sadly.
Stefan shook his head.
"Poor woman, is there nothing that can be done? What about her magic?" Stefan asked.
"It looks like she has an inoperable brain tumour the size of a mushroom. She's been told that she only has a few months left to live. However, this letter suggests that the tumour is the least of her worries. She seems really concerned about what is going to happen to her now fifteen-year-old daughter, Jessica" Zach replied.
Stefan blinked.
"What is going to happen to the kid?" Stefan asked.
"She will likely go into foster care. The problem is that her powers as a witch are starting to develop. She will grow up not learning to control or master her magic and it will eventually become uncontrollable. In short, she needs to be around witches – without divulging her true full lineage" Zach explained.
"So, Jo's got in contact with you again, in the hopes that you may know of somewhere Jessica can go and be safe and looked after as she grows and gets stronger" Stefan stated knowingly.
Zach nodded.
"Do you know of anyone?" Stefan asked.
"Sheila Bennett" Zach stated.
Stefan stared, he had met Bonnie Bennett today and wondered if there had been a connection there. Seems like there was. He remembered Sheila from decades ago, she was a good, headstrong, capable woman, and a good choice to help raise a young witch.
"I'm going to invite Jessica to live here. She will be under my care, as Jo trusts me to take care of her, but will be able to control her powers through sessions with Sheila. What do you think?" Zach asked.
Stefan was dubious.
"Why do you feel so obligated to take in and help raise a child that is not yours? I understand the helping of Jo whilst she was young, pregnant, and vulnerable. I understand that this kid is special. But why do you feel so responsible for the kid now?" Stefan asked.
Zach sighed once more and took a deep breath before speaking again.
"Because she is family" Zach stated.
Stefan looked confused.
"A direct relation?" Stefan asked, really confused now.
Zach nodded.
"In 1994, that teenage witch got pregnant by a vampire. Who was the vampire who was constantly chasing after her at the time?" Zach quizzed, waiting for Stefan to catch on.
It took approximately two seconds for his eyes to practically pop out of his skull; he had worked it out.
"WHAT?! NO WAY! Are you sure?" Stefan asked, slightly panicking.
Zach nodded, wary of the vampire's ire.
"DAMON?! A father?! And he just abandoned them both! That son of a…" he stopped before he went as far as insulting his own mother.
Wait! They had the same mother!
"Oh my god! She's my niece, my actual biological niece!" Stefan whispered.
Zach nodded, noticing that Stefan had calmed.
"Yeah" Zach said staring at the fireplace in thought.
"Well, if you are going to invite this Jessica kid to stay with us, I will also promise to protect her with my life" Stefan vowed.
Zach nodded, glad to have Stefan on his side.
"We can do this together" Zach agreed.
Zach had made all the preparations, signed all the paperwork, and had even sent an airline ticket to Jo in Jessica's name. Together, Stefan and Zach had purchased new furniture and cleaned out one of the old unused guest rooms. They had made sure that the room was immaculate, and it was fit for a princess, which Stefan ensured that Jessica would be treated as such. She would need it after losing her mother. Everything was ready and both men soon relaxed into the idea of raising the young teenage girl together.
Sadly, 'together' hadn't lasted very long. Damon had unexpectedly come back to town and was as unpredictable as ever. A couple of months after that conversation had taken place, Zach unfortunately met an untimely death at the hands of Damon himself. When Stefan had found Zach's motionless body, neck twisted at an unnatural angle, Stefan mourned the loss of another relative and a good friend – all things considered. Stefan buried Zach's body respectfully, in the Salvatore family crypt. He promised Zach that he would not go back on the plan to protect his niece. It was only a few weeks after that, that he received the call from England to confirm that Joanna had passed away and that Jessica would be coming to America soon.
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Present:
Stefan shook himself out of his thoughts and snapped back to the present. He looked over to the young girl who was now staring at him in question.
"Sorry. I kinda spaced out a bit there. Did you ask me something?" Stefan asked.
She nodded.
"I was wondering if we could stop soon. I could do with using the loo" she repeated shyly.
Stefan smiled at her; her English accent was going to take some getting used to. It suited her though.
"Sure, next rest stop is in about 10-15 minutes. Will you be good until then?" he asked.
She nodded gratefully.
"When was the last time you ate? I bet you could do with having something to eat. You look half starved. Have you been eating properly recently?" Stefan asked, concerned that she did actually look like she had lost a lot of weight suddenly.
She stared ashamedly at her feet.
"No, I haven't been looking after myself at all, not for a long time" she admitted embarrassed.
Stefan's heart sunk for her.
"Hey. It's completely understandable, I also lost my mother when I was young, and that hollow empty feeling can sometimes feel like it's going to consume you entirely. But you can't let it. Your health is important, and we promised your mother that we would look after you. We can start making good on that promise by getting some decent food in you" Stefan said.
She tried to keep the tears at bay when he started talking about her mother.
Stefan noticed but did not comment.
"I'm sorry that you lost your mum so young" she said.
He smiled.
"It was a long time ago and it does get easier with time but, at the end of the day, we all only have one true mom, and she is always special" Stefan stated, completely aware he was admitting he was always a momma's boy.
Jessica just nodded in agreement.
A few minutes later, the exit sign came into view and Stefan pulled off the highway. He stopped the car outside a small diner and the two got out of the car and went inside.
"I will grab us some menus whilst you use the restroom – they are just over there" Stefan pointed in the direction of the bathroom.
"Thank you, Stefan" she said as she headed for the loo.
Stefan grabbed a booth and waited patiently for Jessica to come back. His first impression of the kid was that she currently carried the weight of the world on her shoulders. A heavy burden for someone so young and, not only was she a teenager, but she was a young witch starting to develop her powers. The next few years were going to be interesting, that's for sure.
Jessica emerged from the bathroom and found the booth Stefan was sat at.
"Better?" Stefan asked.
She nodded as Stefan handed her a menu.
The waitress came over and the pair ordered their food. Whilst they were waiting for their food, Jessica decided to ask some questions to learn a bit more about the mysterious, seemingly brooding, teenage boy she had only just met.
"So, you're related to Zach Salvatore? When will I get to meet him?" Jessica asked.
Stefan tried not to freeze.
"Hopefully soon, unfortunately he was called away on business and will be out of town for a bit but don't worry, everything is all set up for you at home so you will quickly settle in, I'm sure" he smiled, trying to keep the conversation light.
She nodded.
"What about you? You said Zach is your uncle, so you also live with him?" she asked.
"Yes, I also live at the Salvatore Boarding House, but the place is massive, and we are unlikely to get in each other's way if that is worrying you" Stefan said.
She shook her head quickly. Stefan frowned; he could tell she was lying and that she was nervous about staying in a strange home and every instinct in him was telling him to press the matter further but, he didn't want to upset the girl whose trust he was trying to earn. Stefan silently looked at her expecting her to ask more questions, but she remained quiet. Stefan was getting the impression that she was naturally shy, which was a complete contrast to her father, that's for sure.
Their food came and they ate in a comfortable silence. Stefan paid for both their meals, much to Jessica's insistence that she at least pay for her own meal. Stefan grinned at her as he refused her request and the two headed back to the car.
"You didn't have to pay for me you know" Jessica stated as she buckled herself in.
"I know, but I wanted to" Stefan replied.
"Thank you" she said.
"You're welcome" Stefan smiled.
As the pair got closer to Mystic Falls, Stefan knew they would have to approach a different kind of topic. He was unsure about what the girl knew regarding the supernatural. Apparently, Zach had been just as clueless and had planned to ask her himself. Now, that fell to Stefan. The girl obviously knew she was a witch as she'd had some training but, what else did she know?
"So…" Stefan began, unsure about how to approach the subject.
Jessica looked at him expectantly.
"Ummmmm…." He paused.
Jessica looked at him with raised eyebrows.
"Ok, I'm just going to ask. How much do you know about the Salvatore family? We know that you are a witch and that your mother was a witch, and that's all cool by the way, but…" he trailed off.
At first, Jessica stared at him in stunned silence, and was about to go on the defensive. However, something in her told her that she could be honest with Stefan, without sounding like she was completely mental. She took a deep breath.
"Yes, I'm a witch. My mum used to tell me bedtime stories which featured all kinds of supernatural creatures such as witches, werewolves, vampires etc. Of course, when I was a kid, I believed that it was all make-believe for the purpose of storytelling – not real. However, a couple of years ago, I got into a really bad argument with an ex-friend at school and, for the first time, I got really angry. As I was walking home, that anger bubbled to the surface and exploded out of me in a way I couldn't describe. All I knew is that all the glass of the streetlights I was walking under at the time shattered when the anger exploded from me. When I got home and told my mum about it, she knew it was time to get me focused on the truth about my lineage. She told me I was half-witch and half-vampire, and that she was also a witch and would help me control my magic. After I started to believe in the witch stuff, I accepted that the vampire and werewolf stuff must exist as well. According to my mum, she had read that I will reach my physical and magical majority when I hit twenty and there is a good chance that I will stop aging at that point. However, she never got the chance to research more into that before she died" Jessica told him.
Stefan nodded and waited for Jessica to continue.
"She also told me that the Salvatore family were the best people to approach in regard to learning about vampires and that my biological father is a Salvatore" she said quietly.
Stefan nodded, blown away that she already knew as much as she did, he hadn't been expecting that.
"So, are you a vampire?" Jessica asked awkwardly.
Stefan's eyes widened completely blindsided by the question.
"What makes you ask that?" Stefan asked, trying not to stutter.
"So, that's a yes then? Also, you feel like death but you're living. You are literally a 'dead man walking'" she answered like it was obvious.
"How do you know that I feel like death? How would you recognise that?" Stefan asked, genuinely curious.
"You shook my hand at the airport, and I got the same feeling wash over me that I had when I touched my mother's cold, dead, cheek after realising that she had died in her sleep" Jessica answered flatly.
"I apologise" Stefan grimaced at her tone.
He sighed deeply.
"Yes, I'm a vampire" he admitted.
She looked surprised, even though she was already certain that she had been right at the airport.
"Are you going to eat me?" she whispered.
Stefan chuckled, and she looked up at him in alarm.
"No, no, no! I'm not going to eat you" Stefan tried to ease her concerns.
"But don't you need to drink blood to survive? Or is that a myth?" she asked.
"I do need blood to survive, but I drink the blood of animals instead…I can't risk hurting anybody, so I don't create the risk in the first place" Stefan informed her.
She sighed in relief.
"However, most vampires do live off of human blood, so please be careful at all times. When we get to the boarding house, I'm going to give you an herb called 'vervain' for you to wear in a piece of jewellery so that it is on your person at all times" he told her.
"What's so important about this vervain stuff?" she asked.
"It is toxic to a vampire. So, if you have it in your blood and a vampire tries to drink your blood, it will weaken them immediately and you can get away. Also, vervain prevents compulsion, which is a form of mind control, then you can be sure that your mind is always your own" Stefan was honest with her.
"I consider myself to be a nice guy, a good guy, but not all vampires are. I am not going to risk anything when it comes to you, you are under the Salvatore's protection now after all" he said with a smile.
She nodded, processing this new information.
"How long have you been a vampire?" she asked.
"I died and turned into a vampire in 1864" he answered.
Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped.
"God! You're old!" she said, ignoring how rude the comment sounded.
Stefan chuckled at her and nodded in agreement.
"Are you the only vampire in your family?" Jessica asked, probing for information.
Stefan shook his head.
"Nope, my brother Damon who was also turned in 1864 is also a vampire but, I don't really have much to do with him" Stefan responded, momentarily forgetting about Jessica's relation to Damon.
"So, that makes you, my uncle?" she asked quietly.
Stefan hesitated; he didn't realise that she knew who her father was.
He just looked at her.
"My mother told me the name of my father before she died. I think she was giving me a reason to trust the name Salvatore despite my father's attachment to it because she knew I was going to be going to the care of Zach" she explained.
Stefan nodded.
"Yes, I'm your uncle Stefan. Hello Jessica, it's wonderful to meet you" Stefan replied.