The Daughter of Damon Salvatore
Chapter Seventeen
Jessica stared at her phone. She had just received a text from Tyler asking if she was ok. She cursed at herself, she'd had forgotten to message him that night he brought her home, the attack and the events with Stefan being captured had taken priority and Tyler had completely slipped her mind.
She texted Tyler straight back, explaining that everything was ok and that she was sorry for not replying sooner. She also told him that she was going to stay at home now and apologised that it had all been sudden. Tyler was cool about it all and even offered to drop the stuff that she had left at his place back round to her.
Jessica was also checking in on Jeremy. He had been a mess since the body of his ex-girlfriend, Vicki, had been unearthed. She was really worried about him recently.
She was more concerned about her uncle Stefan though.
In fact, just that morning, she had been woken from sleep by loud rock music vibrating through the house. Upon going down to investigate, she found Stefan exercising whilst Damon also watched him with interest.
Damon and Jessica shared a glance of concern before Damon told Jessica that he had found Stefan in their basement late last night draining blood bags uncontrollably from the freezer.
"I'm fine, just need to detox" Stefan stated as he clearly heard their conversation.
"Oh, come on little brother, you should drink. It's healthy. A little people blood in your diet every now and then will make it better" Damon encouraged, his own glass of blood in hand.
"Get it away from me!" Stefan snapped.
"Ok!" Damon surrendered.
Damon grabbed Jessica by the shoulders and removed them both from the room.
"What are you going to do?" Jessica asked.
"I don't know yet" Damon admitted.
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Jessica sat deep thought in the living room when her thoughts were broken by Stefan joining her.
"Hey uncle Stefan, how are you doing?" she smiled kindly.
"Fine" he gritted out.
Clearly, he wasn't fine.
Damon also joined them both in the living room but said nothing, he did not want to set Stefan off again whilst Stefan was struggling to keep himself together. Damon also did not want Stefan left anywhere near Jessica alone.
"Damon, I told you to keep the blood away from me" Stefan yelled as he paced up and down the living room, as he squeezed his eyes closed in concentration.
Damon frowned in confusion.
"I haven't got any blood out Stefan" Damon stated.
"Am I causing a problem?" Jessica asked, she had ordinary(ish) blood flowing through her veins after all.
Damon shook his head but looked concerned.
"No, it's fresh blood, are you injured?" he asked her worriedly.
Jessica looked equally confused.
"No, I'm not" Jessica confirmed.
Stefan's pacing got worse until he snapped.
"Ok, I don't care what game you are playing here Damon, tempting me with fresh blood? Whatever! I'm getting out of here and going for some fresh air" Stefan growled as he blurred his way out of the house.
"Well, that was concerning" Jessica stated as she and Damon stared at the open front door Stefan had just fled through.
Damon shook his head.
"It was odd but, Stefan is right" Damon admitted.
Jessica stared at him in confusion, waiting for him to explain.
"There is fresh blood out somewhere, I can smell it. I probably left my glass in the study…" Damon trailed off as he stared at Jessica again.
"Are you sure you're not injured? Like, even a papercut?" Damon frowned.
Jessica shook her head.
"No, honestly" Jessica confirmed as she held out her arms as if to double-check herself for a potential scratch she didn't realise had happened.
Damon nodded, knowing that Jessica was telling the truth.
He sat and contemplated the situation momentarily…then he froze and stared at Jessica.
Jessica noticed his stare and waited for him to say something. When he didn't, she got impatient.
"What?" Jessica asked moodily.
Damon nodded to himself, as if his thoughts had been confirmed, before clearing his throat.
"So…an awkward, deeply personal, question for you…" Damon began hesitantly.
Jessica looked at him expectantly.
"Er…are you, you know?" Damon asked.
"What? That gives me absolutely nothing to go on. Am I…what?" Jessica asked again.
Damon sighed.
"Is it, you know, that 'time of the month'?" he gritted out feeling awkward and, dare he say, blushing slightly at the personal question he was asking her.
Her eyes widened comically.
"Oh my god! Er…yes, it is, as it happens" she confirmed, equally as embarrassed.
"Well, that explains the fresh blood smell" Damon stated.
Jessica wrinkled her nose.
"Yuck! But that's so gross!" Jessica exclaimed trying to mask her mortification.
Damon shrugged.
"Blood is blood to vampires" he explained.
"Still…that's gross! Does it bother you?" she asked.
Damon shook his head.
"I'll admit that it is unbelievably disturbing coming from you, but it doesn't bother me. Stefan on the other hand…" Damon left the end of the sentence open.
Jessica winced in understanding now.
"Do you want me to leave for the week?" Jessica murmured.
Damon's eyes widened at her question. He stood up and went and sat on the couch next to her. He slung his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close.
"Absolutely not, this is your home, and I am not kicking you out every month for a week. Stefan is the one with the issues here, if he can't cope…he's the one that can leave" Damon stated as he comforted his embarrassed daughter.
"But…this is his home as well!" Jessica protested, hating that she was being a problem again.
"And as he's a hundred and sixty whatever year-old vampire, he has plenty of other homes that he can retreat to alone if he needs to. You, on the other hand, are a child and you need to have adult supervision. Don't worry about it, we will deal" Damon reassured her.
Jessica nodded and thanked him.
"Do you need me to get you anything to help with um…?" he hesitated and gestured awkwardly towards her body.
Jessica shook her head.
"I have everything covered for now, but I will let you know otherwise. Thank you though" she said as she relaxed into Damon's side.
"Don't worry, I will have a word with Stefan later…he can decide for himself what he wants to do" Damon stated.
Jessica nodded but her curiosity had snuck up on her.
"You guys are around women all the time, surely this isn't unusual?" she asked.
Damon frowned as he realised that she was correct.
"Actually, it's not, normally this sort of thing would go mainly unnoticed, so I wonder why with you it's different…" Damon contemplated.
Jessica thought for a moment and then a thought struck her.
Damon noticed and waited for her to speak.
"I think it's because…I can't use tampons; I have to use pads" she verbalised her thoughts, she felt slightly uncomfortable discussing this.
Damon frowned in confusion and noticed her discomfort.
"Well, surely that wouldn't change anything" he shrugged, trying to be nonchalant and encouraging of the topic.
Jessica shook her head in disagreement.
"Yes, I think it actually would" she replied.
Damon still looked confused and cautiously motioned for Jessica to explain, he wanted to understand this side of female life a little more so that he knew how to take better care of his daughter in the future.
Jessica sighed.
"Well, with tampons, the cotton absorbs the blood whilst it's all still inside the body. However, with a pad, the blood actually leaves the body first, and the pad collects and absorbs the blood outside the body" Jessica explained.
"Oh" Damon replied, that made more sense.
The two of them sat in contemplative silence again for a couple of minutes, then Damon cleared his throat.
"So…another awkward question for you, and I completely understand if you don't want to answer it but, is there another health reason I should be aware of that means you can't use the tampon thingies?" he asked hesitantly.
Jessica took a deep breath and nodded.
"To be honest, I've never found them comfortable or easy to use. In fact, ever since…you know…that situation back home, things can sometimes be easily aggravated down there, so it's best to avoid it altogether. The whole period experience is uncomfortable enough every few weeks, why make it more uncomfortable than it needs to be?" she confessed embarrassedly, cheeks turning red.
Damon nodded in understanding and just snuggled his daughter closer to him in an attempt to show her comfort and support in the awkward atmosphere. He gently kissed her forehead.
"I'm sorry" Jessica said again, as she leaned into her father's comfort.
Damon shook his head.
"No apology necessary. I'm just glad that there is a plausible explanation for your moodiness and blatant sass as of late" Damon chuckled, trying to lighten the air.
Jessica giggled back.
"Yeah, I'm probably going to be a massive bitch for the next few days. I apologise in advance. Just keep feeding me chocolate and all will be groovy" she stated.
Damon outright laughed at her.
"Business as usual then?" Damon smirked at her.
Jessica, momentarily shocked by his witty remark, took one of the scatter cushions and launched it at him.
Damon ducked, seeing it coming from a mile away, and looked at Jessica with a raised eyebrow at her antics.
They chuckled again.
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"What are you frowning about now?" Jessica asked Jeremy as they walked to class.
"Just thinking about Vicki" Jeremy stated.
Jessica sighed in sympathy; Stefan had told her all about the Vicki situation when she had been extremely pissed off at Damon. She hated lying to Jeremy but, unfortunately, she was a very good liar when she had to be. She also believed that keeping Jeremy in the dark was far more dangerous than letting him be aware of the supernatural situation he was already unknowingly in the middle of, but Elena was determined to keep him out of it all.
"I'm sorry Jeremy, I know what it's like to lose someone close to you. Especially someone who was young and full of life. Is there anything I can do to help?" she asked.
He shook his head.
"No, I'm just brooding" he tried to shrug it off.
"Ok, well, let me know if you do and I will be there to support you" Jessica said.
Jeremy nodded and smiled.
"Even after what I've put you through recently?! Thank you…I really appreciate it" Jeremy replied.
Jessica nodded.
"Come on, let's head to history then" Jessica said.
Jeremy grinned and started to walk enthusiastically towards their class.
Jessica was confused.
"What's got you so happy about history class?" Jessica asked.
"Oh! I forgot to mention, Mr Saltzman asked me to write a paper for extra credit and I got an 'A' on it" Jeremy smiled.
"Wow! Well done you! What was the paper about?" she asked.
"Vampires in Mystic Falls" Jeremy stated.
Jessica froze, she did not know how to respond to that.
Jeremy noticed she had stopped walking and turned to face her.
"You ok?" he asked.
Jessica snapped out of her shock and nodded.
"Yeah, the essay title caught me off guard for a moment. How old are you again? Vampires, really?! A bit Twilight don't you think?" Jessica joked trying to make light of the topic.
"Haha! Very funny Jessica!" Jeremy rolled his eyes at her.
"I'm just kidding! I'm proud of you for doing good work" she smiled at him.
"Yeah, Mr Saltzman was impressed as well. It got me into the whole family history of reading through my ancestor's journals from the mid 1800's" Jeremy said.
"Of course! That was the journal Elena wanted to show Stefan a few weeks ago" Jessica said, all the pieces finally slotting into place.
How had she not realised that before?
"Yeah, it seemed like everyone wanted to see the thing. Including Anna and Damon – which was all a bit weird. I guess founding family history stuff really got everyone interested" Jeremy replied.
"Yeah, I guess it did" Jessica murmured.
"Hey, would you like to come over after school today? There's that charity event thing tonight, I plan on ditching. Thought we could hang out and do something fun?" Jeremy asked.
"To be honest, I have a strong feeling that Damon is going to make me go to that thing tonight, as much as I really don't want to. But I can come over after school for a bit and then still get home in time to get ready for the evening?" Jessica suggested.
"Sounds great, thanks" Jeremy grinned.
The two of them entered their history class where Alaric grinned, mainly at Jeremy, as they entered.
"Seems like you have a new BFF, now you've got to keep the good work going" Jessica jested.
"I was amazed I pulled it off the first time, give me a chance!" Jeremy chuckled.
Jessica chuckled back and the two sat down to wait for Alaric to begin the class.
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After school, Jeremy and Jessica walked to the Gilbert house and were greeted warmly by Jenna. Jenna seemed slightly rattled though.
"Is everything ok Jenna?" Jeremy asked.
Jenna sighed.
"Just John. He's been breathing down my neck all day. 'Jeremy needs to be part of Founder's Day' and 'The Gilbert's have been part of the town for a hundred and fifty years, with it comes duty and obligation' blah, blah, blah" Jenna vented.
Jessica looked stunned at Jenna's words, it was unusual to see the woman this upset, and Jessica didn't like it.
"Whose John, if you don't mind me asking?" Jessica asked.
Jenna looked like she had momentarily forgotten that Jessica was there.
"Sorry Jessica, John is Jeremy and Elena's uncle. He's back in town but, he's an asshole and no one likes him" Jenna briefed.
Jessica nodded, not wanting to ask any further questions in fear of upsetting Jenna even more.
"Sorry, it's been a rough day for you Jenna. I'm going to grab some food; do you guys want anything?" Jeremy asked the girls.
They both shook their heads. Jeremy nodded and headed to the kitchen to grab something to eat.
Jessica turned back to Jenna and gave the woman a hug.
Jenna hugged back.
"He sounds like a dick, I will be sure to tell him if I ever meet him" Jessica said, trying to make Jenna feel better.
Jenna chuckled.
"Just be careful, he has the ability to make you feel like you're the size of an ant, right before he steps on you" Jenna warned.
"It's ok, I'm a tough gal" Jessica replied.
The two shared grins as Jeremy called out for Jessica to join him in his room.
"Keep the door open" Jenna warned.
Jessica laughed as she headed up to Jeremy's room.
In Jeremy's room, the two of them hung out. Jessica looked fascinatingly at Jeremy's drawings.
"You're really good you know" she said.
"Thanks" Jeremy replied.
Jeremy then put a movie on and the two sat and began watching it. Halfway through it, Jessica needed to pee and got up to use the bathroom. As she washed her hands, she could hear voices on the other side of the other door in the bathroom. She recognised one of the voices as Stefan's.
Curious, she moved to the other bathroom door and opened it slightly, she hadn't seen her uncle all day and she wanted to know how he was doing during his blood detox.
Jessica quickly wished that she hadn't decided to peek through the bathroom door which led to Elena's room. Jessica got an eyeful of Elena making out quite ferociously with Stefan as the two tried to tear each other's clothes off. Jessica was about to quickly look away when she noted, with worry, that Stefan was acting quite aggressively. Jessica felt dread as she watched him roll Elena over so that he was on top, and she became alarmed when Stefan suddenly stopped his overly passionate kissing.
Jessica could see well enough as her uncle's face began transforming and the bloodlust threatened to take over. She was about to throw the bathroom door and get ready to defend Elena, when Stefan suddenly threw himself backwards against the wall, smashing Elena's lamp in the process.
Without a word, Stefan quickly ran to Elena's window and jumped out of it, leaving a stunned Elena behind.
Deciding that Elena was safe for now, Jessica quietly closed the bathroom door and backed away from Elena's room. The situation was awkward enough and Jessica did not want to embarrass Elena further. Jessica silently went back to Jeremy's room, where they continued to watch the movie.
"Are you ok, I heard a crash?" Jeremy asked her when she re-joined him.
Jessica nodded.
"Sorry, I dropped the soap, and knocked the soap dish onto the floor" Jessica lied.
Jeremy nodded, believing her and turned his attention back to the movie.
Jessica let out a small sigh of relief.
A short while later, they left Jeremy's bedroom to go downstairs and get more snacks. They were sat at the kitchen table when they heard a knock at the door. Elena, who had been coming down the stairs, got to the front door first.
Jessica watched in surprise as Damon appeared in the hallway. She also noted Elena making a shushing gesture at him before indicating that they head upstairs. Elena must have called Damon after the Stefan incident in her bedroom.
"No Elena, I will not go to your bedroom with you" Damon stated loudly.
Jeremy rolled his eyes whilst Jessica laughed.
"No incestuous threesomes!" Jessica shouted back.
"Jessica! What are you doing here?" Damon asked, noticing that she was in the house for the first time.
"I came to hang with Jeremy" she stated.
"Well, get your stuff together. We will be going shortly; we need to get ready for the event tonight" Damon instructed as he disappeared upstairs with Elena.
"I'd better grab my stuff, is it cool if I go up to your room to grab it all?" Jessica asked.
Jeremy, who was still happily munching, nodded his head.
"Cheers" she said as she headed upstairs.
Instead of heading to Jeremy's room as she reached the top of the stairs, she headed for Elena's room.
"What happened right there?" Damon asked as Jessica entered Elena's room.
Of course, Damon would be leisurely lounging on Elena's bed like he owned the place.
"Uh…nothing" Elena replied, feeling uncomfortable.
"Bullshit" Jessica coughed.
Both Damon and Elena turned to face Jessica, who was still stood in the doorway.
"Elena and Stefan were getting it on…where you're currently laying, may I add…when Stefan started losing control and, in his attempt to quickly back away from Elena, he flew into the wall and smashed the lamp" Jessica explained.
Elena looked at her in horror.
"You saw that!?" she exclaimed.
Jessica nodded as she watched Damon quickly remove himself from Elena's bed.
"Gross!" Damon said, trying not to think about Elena and his brother going at it on those very bedsheets.
Jessica laughed at him; he glared back at her.
"Damon, I'm really worried about Stefan. How long before he goes back to normal? He's not himself" Elena asked, concern lacing her tone.
Damon, who had begun snooping through Elena's underwear drawer, paused before replying.
"A few days, give or take. He's spent so long not being himself that it may now become a problem. The Stefan you know is a Stefan on good behavior who will fight against his nature to an annoyingly obsessive level. You haven't been paying attention if you don't believe another part of him exists" Damon replied as he held up a very red lacy bra he'd found whilst snooping.
Elena snatched her bra from his grasp and shut her underwear drawer.
"Don't make me regret asking you for help Damon, Stefan is nothing like you…not even close" she warned him.
"He doesn't want to be me, that doesn't mean that he's not though" Damon quipped.
"I just don't know what to do" Elena admitted.
"Leave Stefan to me, worry about your teenage girl stuff Elena" Damon instructed.
"You're right, I need to sort Jeremy out right now. Apparently, he wrote an interesting paper on vampires in Mystic Falls" Elena confessed.
"That's not good" Damon stated.
"He doesn't think there's actually any depth to it, but it might be useful to be a bit more honest with him. Just in case he does find out the truth. It was a really convincing paper" Jessica advised.
Damon and Elena stared at Jessica.
"Then it's settled. Elena, go speak with your baby bro. Jessica, get your stuff, we have an event to attend. Both of you stop worrying, I will deal with my baby bro" Damon ordered.
Jessica and Elena nodded, they both hoped that Stefan would recover soon.
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"I really shouldn't be here" Stefan groaned.
Damon had spoken to Stefan earlier about his concerns and about the situation that they currently had, with a hormonal teenager being in the house. Damon warned Stefan that it was likely to be a tough week while Jessica was menstruating. Stefan had told Damon that he would be fine. However, having spoken with Elena and Jessica earlier, Damon did not believe him.
Damon and Jessica stared at the struggling vampire, he looked worse than he had since the whole ordeal started.
Damon glared at Stefan.
"Actually, I don't really want to be here either. Can we just go home and get pizza and cookie dough?" Jessica pleaded with Damon; her stomach cramps had finally decided to kick in and were now playing havoc with her insides.
"Don't you start as well! Why must I be stuck with the kids?" Damon stated to no one in particular.
Damon took a deep breath and pulled himself together.
"This event is for the founding families. We all carry a founding family name, and it would be rude for us not to attend. I'm here to get intel and to keep an eye on how things are running on the inside. Now, I expect both of you to be on your best behavior. Stefan, no eating anyone. Jessica, no sassing anyone. Am I clear?" Damon said with authority.
Stefan and Jessica stared at Damon like he had grown an extra head. Since when did he get so concerned about the business with founding families? Since when did he care about what Stefan and Jessica got up to?
Stefan and Jessica grumbled quietly but did not push the issue further. They both headed inside.
"Nice to know that you CAN take some responsibility" Alaric came up behind Damon as they watched the two younger Salvatore's sulkily enter the building.
"I have my moments, when they suit me" Damon replied.
The two men headed for the entrance of the building.
Jessica had gone in search of Tyler. She knew that he would at least bring some joy to her otherwise miserable evening.
Not being able to see Tyler inside, she headed out towards the garden. It was highly likely that Tyler would be with the druggies under a cloak of darkness at the back of the gardens.
As she neared the gardens, she saw him and waved. He was stood with some of the guy's smoking weed.
Tyler noticed her and waved back.
"Hi you! Haven't seen you for a few days" Tyler greeted as he hugged her.
She hugged him back.
"I've been a bit busy. However, I knew you would be at this thing tonight and I knew you most likely be out here. So, I'm all yours tonight" Tyler grinned.
"You can start by sharing some of that" Jessica indicated to his joint.
Tyler offered her the joint immediately and Jessica sighed as she started to relax.
At least the weed would numb some of the pain from her cramps…hopefully!
Tyler and Jessica enjoyed each other's company for a bit whilst they goofed around with Tyler's friends.
"Hey! What do you kids think you're doing over there?" a man yelled at them as he walked down the garden path.
Some of the boys made a run for it.
However, Tyler and Jessica just stood still in panic as the unknown man approached them.
"Did you know that you can smell that stuff all the way back up to the patio?" the man asked.
Now that the man was close, Jessica could see him clearly in the dark, but she did not recognise him. Tyler apparently did as he tensed up beside her.
"Mr Gilbert, I apologise for the behavior of my friends. It will not happen again sir" Tyler said.
The man just looked at the two youngsters, not believing Tyler for a second.
"Gilbert?" Jessica asked hesitantly.
Tyler realised that Jessica had no idea who this man was.
"Of course, sorry Jessica! Jessica let me introduce you to John Gilbert. He is Elena and Jeremy's uncle" Tyler introduced.
Jessica stuck out her hand to be polite, she now had a face to match the name of the person who had pissed Jenna off earlier. John took her offered hand.
Jessica could sense that there was something off about him. It wasn't that he was a vampire or anything supernatural however, she could tell that there was something magical about him or on him. She could feel it.
"Mr Gilbert, this is Jessica Salvatore" Tyler finished introducing them.
John frowned at the name.
"Salvatore?" he asked, slightly surprised by the name.
Jessica nodded.
"Are you related to the Salvatore brothers?" John questioned, he was trying to work out who the girl was and if she was a threat.
Jessica shrugged.
"Distant, I guess. I'm a distant relative of Zach's. My mother died and I was entrusted into his care" Jessica explained, trying to keep it cagey.
John assessed her for a few moments, long enough to make her feel uncomfortable.
"I didn't realize Zach had any family, particularly from England, besides his two nephews of course" John stated.
"I hadn't heard of Zach until I opened my mother's will" Jessica replied as she twisted the truth slightly.
John regarded her for another moment and then nodded.
"Well, welcome to town Jessica Salvatore. Now, get back inside before I inform the sheriff and the mayor that you're both out here and up to no good" John ordered as he turned away from the two teens and headed back towards the party.
"Dick!" Jessica stated once John was out of earshot.
Tyler chuckled.
"You've got that right! Ask anyone in this town about what they think of John Gilbert. I'm sure they will give you the exact same answer" Tyler stated as the two reluctantly walked back through the garden after John.
Once back inside, Jessica and Tyler separated. Tyler had been swept away by the mayor who wanted to introduce him to some potential benefactors.
Jessica used the opportunity to go in search of the bathroom, she was suddenly feeling tired, and a hot flush came over her. She walked down the corridors and explored some of the rooms. She liked looking at some of the artwork and antiques that were in the display cabinets in some of the rooms.
She caught sight of Damon, who was mingling with some of the councillors which included John Gilbert. Jessica noticed that Damon looked thoroughly bored, no matter how much he tried to hide it, Jessica giggled to herself.
Damon must have heard her because he looked up from across the room and glared slightly at her as if he was willing her to behave.
She stopped giggling and remembered her original goal of finding the toilet.
She walked further down the corridor and found the bathroom.
After she had used the toilet, changed her sanitary pad, and washed her hands, she exited the bathroom feeling a bit better.
"How are you doing?" Damon asked, making her jump as he leaned against the wall opposite the bathroom.
Jessica stared at him.
"Were you listening to me pee?" she asked, nose wrinkling in distaste.
Damon held his hands up.
"I have excellent hearing…I hear when everyone pees so, that's not my fault. However, you don't look so good" Damon stated as he noted the slight sheen of sweat adorning her forehead.
"I'm fine" Jessica said, despite how tired she was feeling as she came down from her earlier high.
Damon assessed her and also noticed that her complexion was extremely pale.
"You're really pale. I promise that it won't be much longer, then we can go home. They're about to do the speech of the evening and then we can wrap-up and get out of here, sound good?" he asked.
Jessica nodded appreciatively.
Damon smiled at her and placed his hand on her shoulder as he steered her back towards the main party room. However, before they could get there, something caught her attention.
She gasped and then grimaced as she noticed that Tyler was snogging Matt's mum up against a wall.
Damon heard her gasp and followed the direction of her gaze and also saw what Tyler was doing. He wondered if Jessica would be upset by this. He knew that Jessica was fond of Tyler and knew that they were…close. However, he was unaware of how exclusively close the two actually were and he would be damned if he would ask those awkward questions. No, he was waiting for her to open up to him instead.
Damon did not get to ponder on his thoughts any longer as he saw Matt, who had the worst timing, walk over towards Tyler and his mother.
"What the hell!" Matt seethed as he went to punch Tyler.
The two boys started fighting.
Jessica didn't hesitate as she sprinted towards the fighting boys and attempted to separate them. Damon was stumped when he found he had been too slow to pull her back.
"Matt! Tyler! Stop!" Jessica shouted.
However, the boys were too in their 'fight to the death' mode and, in the same moment, Tyler pulled his fist back sharply and accidentally caught Jessica on the cheek before throwing the powerful punch at Matt which would knock him and his mother to the ground.
Alaric, who was close enough, managed to hold Tyler to the wall in an attempt to calm him down. The mayor had come out to see the commotion and had taken things with Tyler from there.
Damon had reached Jessica at a passable human speed and knelt down beside where she had also been knocked to the floor. She held her cheek and claimed that she was fine despite the bruising mark that was already forming on her cheek.
As the mayor dragged Tyler away from the scene, Tyler noticed Jessica on the floor and looked shocked that he had caused her harm.
With a stammered sorry, his father dragged him out of sight.
Damon hauled Jessica to her feet and also removed her from the scene.
"What were you thinking!" Damon exclaimed as he glared at the bruising.
The Tyler punk would be lucky to leave this place tonight with his kneecaps in the right place.
"I don't like it when they fight" Jessica said.
Damon just looked at her in disbelief.
However, before he could comment any further, he noticed John Gilbert swagger into the room as the two men caught each other's stare.
Damon looked dumbfounded as John smiled mockingly at him.
"What's your beef with John Gilbert?" Jessica asked, noticing the men's invisible pissing contest.
Damon turned to Jessica in shock.
"You know John Gilbert?" he asked astounded.
"Tyler introduced us earlier" Jessica confirmed.
Damon nodded.
"Why? What's he done to you?" Jessica asked him.
Damon frowned.
"It's more like, what have I done to him?" Damon admitted.
Jessica looked at him waiting for him to elaborate.
"I may have snapped his neck and thrown him off the balcony earlier" Damon said.
Jessica looked at him.
"Does that mean he's a…" Jessica started.
However, Damon hastily covered her mouth before she could say the word 'vampire'.
"Do not, under any circumstances, say THAT word here, especially around these people. Not even if you think no one can hear your conversation" Damon said desperately.
Sensing Damon's serious tone, Jessica nodded.
"I'll explain later" Damon stated as John was introduced to give the speech of the evening.
Alaric stood with them, and they all watched John Gilbert deliver his speech.
"Do you see his ring?" Damon muttered.
"It looks like mine" Alaric stated as Jessica looked at the rings on both men's fingers.
"Can I see that a second?" Jessica asked Alaric, feeling drawn to it.
Both Damon and Alaric looked at her curiously before Alaric nodded and held out his hand.
Jessica slowly reached out to touch the ring that was on Alaric's finger. As she touched it, a clear spark shot from the ring and jolted Jessica's inspecting finger.
Both Jessica and Alaric hissed at the jolt of electric.
Fortunately, everyone was focussed of John to notice the magic exchange.
Jessica shook her finger and squeezed it with her other hand, it felt hot.
"It's infused with magic, but I can't tell what it's purpose is" Jessica whispered, as Alaric looked at her worriedly.
Damon watched the whole encounter with concern.
"Where the hell did you get that ring?" he asked Alaric.
"Isobel" Alaric answered.
Damon chuckled.
"Do you think John knew Isobel?" Alaric asked.
"I think John knows a lot of things" Damon stated ominously.
John had ended his speech, and everyone clapped.
"Time to go" Damon stated as he grabbed Jessica lightly by the shoulder and ushered her out the front door.
Alaric was hot on their heels.
However, the three of them didn't get far.
"Leaving so soon?" John asked from behind them.
Damon had enough.
"Where'd you get that ring?" he asked.
"Family heirloom. I inherited it from my ancestors, my brother inherited the other. However, I never would have given it to Isobel had I known she would have wasted it" John said.
"You knew Isobel?" Alaric asked.
John nodded.
"Who do you think sent her Damon's way when she became obsessed with vampires?" John asked.
"That was you?" Damon asked.
John nodded.
"Guilty! Why do you care? Do you think someone else sent her? Katherine Pierce, for example" John goaded.
Jessica grabbed Damon's wrist gently to discourage him from doing anything stupid.
Damon, looked down at the kid, and nodded. He was re-assuring her that he wasn't going to do anything stupid.
"Ah yes! Jessica Salvatore, wasn't it? Now, I must admit that I am intrigued by you. A 'distant relation of Zach's' you said. You look far too much like Damon to be just 'distant'. However, that accent also suggests that you're not local. Don't tell me that you're another long-lost Salvatore sibling or relative that will need to be 'taken care of'?" John stated, tone slightly threatening.
Damon growled.
"Don't you dare threaten me!" Jessica yelled at him.
"Has no one ever told you to respect your elders, kid? Do you even have good manners and know how to behave? Considering who your relatives are, it doesn't come as much of a surprise" John mocked.
Damon, Jessica, and Alaric were all glaring at him now.
"That doesn't mean that she has no boundaries" Damon snarled at him.
"Well, considering what she was smoking earlier, I would say she has no boundaries at all" John said.
That statement caught Damon's attention and he looked back down at Jessica.
"What is he talking about Jessica?" Damon stared at her.
"Oops, looks like my work for the night is done" John chuckled as he said his goodbye's and headed for his car.
Alaric glared at the retreating man and then turned his attention back to the vampire who was still glaring at Jessica.
"Er…Damon?" Alaric asked, trying to get the vampire's attention.
However, Damon did not move. Yes, he had picked up the scent of drugs whilst they had been inside but, with so many people packing the place out, it was almost impossible to differentiate the scent on individuals themselves. Damon also knew that Jessica hung out with Tyler and his friends, and they always smelled strongly of the stuff.
"Are you high?" he asked Jessica.
Jessica didn't dare speak.
Damon's eyes narrowed at her as Alaric stared at her in shock.
"Get your ass in the car" Damon ordered.
"Sorry Ric, I'll catch up with you later" he said through gritted teeth.
Alaric nodded and shook Damon's hand before giving Jessica a sympathetic look and heading to his own car.
"It has been a really bad night. Let's just get us home" Damon sighed, too worried to be angry at his high daughter.
.
.
.
At home Damon and Jessica sat on the sofa. Damon held a glass of bourbon to his head as he contemplated the evening. Half his mind was on the council which was back in vampire mode and all things John Gilbert. However, the other half of his mind was on his delinquent daughter.
"Why did you always feel the need to get high?" Damon asked.
"It helps to numb pain…that includes stomach cramps" Jessica stated honestly.
"That is not a valid reason" Damon stated.
Jessica shrugged.
"You made me go to that tonight and all I really wanted to do was curl up into a very tight ball and die" Jessica said.
"It's still not an excuse and I am going to have to add tonight to your list of punishments" Damon stated.
Jessica sighed, out of everyone, she thought he would understand her need to just feel completely numb. Guess she was wrong this time.
"Whatever…" she whispered, as she brought her knees up to her chest and tried not to cry.
The pain, exhaustion, and Damon's disapproval were making her suddenly very emotional. Damon had been right; it had been a very bad night.
Damon couldn't look at her, even though he knew that she was crying. He knew that if he saw her crying, he would probably cave.
Jessica sniffled and was about to excuse herself to her bedroom when Stefan suddenly staggered into the room.
He did not look well at all. In fact, Jessica felt really uncomfortable at the look that was in his eyes and the expression that was on his face.
"We have a problem brother, a global crisis" Damon stated, still looking ahead into the fire.
"Damon…" Jessica whispered as she moved even closer to her father.
Something about the tone of her voice, and her actions, caught his attention and he turned his head to look at Stefan.
"Well, you look like shit…what's wrong brother? Oh, I see! It's different this time, isn't it? The need is too strong" Damon stated.
Stefan said nothing as he tried to control his breathing and his sweating.
"It would be after all these years" Damon commented further.
Stefan groaned.
"I…I can't…" Stefan squeezed his eyes shut as he tried to grapple with his control.
Damon and Jessica stared at him.
"Damon! Get Jessica away from me…NOW!" Stefan shouted as he felt his veins and fangs starting to come out.
Damon did not hesitate. He threw his glass down hastily and bundled Jessica into his arms and sped through the house.
All Jessica saw was blurred surroundings as her father ran with her in his arms to her room in under five seconds.
Once in her room, Damon placed Jessica back on her feet and handed her a stake that he had seemingly materialised from thin air.
"Take this, and do not leave this room tonight. After I leave, lock your door, and do not unlock it for anything. The same with your windows. I will come and knock in the morning. You let me in, and me only. If anything makes you uncomfortable or nervous in the night, no matter how small or trivial you think it is…you scream at the top of your lungs. Do not hesitate to use the stake if the situation calls for it. Do you understand me?" Damon said as he lightly grabbed Jessica's shoulders, trying to emphasise the seriousness of the situation.
Jessica, who was still trying to comprehend the situation, just stood looking at Damon in utter shock.
"I am being deadly serious Jessica, do you understand?" he asked desperately.
Jessica nodded.
"Ok" she said, shaking slightly as she stared at the stake in her hand.
Damon examined her facial features and was satisfied that he had got the message through to her.
He nodded and let go of her shoulders.
He then gave her a featherlight kiss on her forehead and walked towards her bedroom door.
"Come and lock this now" Damon instructed.
Damon waited outside her bedroom door as she closed it behind him. He did not move from the other side of the door until he had heard the lock of the door click, securing his daughter behind solid sturdy oak for the night.