The Daughter of Damon Salvatore
Chapter Twenty-two
Jessica woke the following morning and got up and dressed for school. Damon had called the school the previous day and claimed that Jessica was 'sick'.
She sighed as she headed down to the living room. She walked into the room and found Stefan seated in one of the chairs.
"Morning Jessica" Stefan greeted.
"Morning Stefan, how are you feeling?" Jessica asked as she tied her hair up in a messy bun.
"I'm doing much better thank you, sorry I've not been around much recently…I hope I haven't missed out on too much" Stefan said, hoping that she would open up to him as much as she had done Damon.
Jessica shook her head.
"Not much, but I did miss school yesterday so…I really should be heading that way now" Jessica said.
"I could drive you?" Stefan offered.
Jessica was about to decline when Damon suddenly appeared.
"You are not going anywhere young lady" Damon stated as both Jessica and Stefan looked at him in confusion.
"What have I done?" Jessica asked, genuinely clueless.
Damon stared at her.
"Breakfast is on the table" he stated as he indicated his head towards the kitchen.
Jessica opened her mouth to argue…
"Now!" Damon ordered, leaving no room for discussion.
Jessica sighed and went to walk past him and into the kitchen however, he lightly gripped her arm.
"What is that?" Damon said through gritted teeth.
"What is what?" Jessica asked.
"That thing on the patch of skin behind your ear" Damon stated.
Stefan walked over to them to see what all the fuss was about.
"Oh! You mean my tattoo?" Jessica replied as she lightly traced the marked skin.
"Tattoo?!" Stefan gasped as he looked at where Damon's eyes were trying to glare a hole through the skin.
"When the hell did you get this done?" Damon asked furiously.
"Relax, it was mother approved" Jessica said.
"Bullshit! You really expect me to believe that your mother agreed this?" Damon asked incredulously.
Jessica frowned at his tone and nodded.
"It covers a birthmark. Apparently, the birthmark is a dead giveaway regarding my ancestry. My mother practically dragged me to that dodgy backstreet tattoo studio the second she saw it. It became noticeable once I experienced my first bout of magic…so I hope you're not going to remain too mad about this one" Jessica explained.
Damon relaxed and nodded; he remembered Jo's tattoo well enough.
"Ok then…" Jessica said as she headed for the kitchen.
Stefan just stood and stared at Damon.
"What?" Damon asked him.
"I'm just waiting" Stefan said.
"For what?" Damon asked in confusion.
"For it to click" Stefan stated.
Damon looked at Stefan questioningly for a few more seconds before his eyes widened once more.
"Jessica! What did you mean by being 'mad about this one'?" Damon said as he ran to the kitchen.
Jessica was eating her breakfast and rolled her eyes.
"It's not the only tattoo I have" Jessica shrugged like it was no big deal.
Stefan and Damon looked at her.
"How many more do you have? Where are they?" Stefan asked.
"I have two others and they are in places that, as a father and uncle, you two should definitely not be looking at" Jessica explained as she munched the last bite of her toast.
Damon and Stefan watched in stunned silence as Jessica washed her plate and put it back in the cupboard.
"I think I should be heading to school now so…see you both later?" Jessica said awkwardly.
"I'll drive you" Stefan stated.
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At school, Jessica got to work helping on the Founder's Day float. It seemed like Matt was, rightly so, still pissed off at Tyler. Jeremy was still avoiding everybody, and Bonnie looked awkward and tense around Elena. Bonnie was currently spending more time with Caroline who was trying to get information out of Bonnie.
Bonnie noticed Jessica watching her and smiled lightly as she offered a small wave. Jessica smiled and waved back.
"You and Bonnie seem friendly" Alaric said nonchalantly as he came up to her.
Jessica shrugged.
"What do you want?" she asked him, immediately suspicious of how casual he was being.
"Alright, have you seen Stefan or Elena?" Alaric sighed, instantly dropping the casual façade.
"Not since Stefan dropped me off this morning. I can text them though…why, what's up?" Jessica asked.
"Text them, and Damon, and come with me" Alaric said.
Jessica could tell he was being serious and immediately followed Alaric to his classroom. She texted Stefan and Elena as she walked.
Within a few minutes, they were all in the classroom.
"She's here?" Elena whispered as she listened in disbelief to Alaric's story from the night before.
Alaric nodded.
"Why? What did she say? What did she want? What did you say to her?" Jessica asked.
"I don't know, I didn't ask her anything" Alaric replied.
"What? Did all the words ever invented fall out of your head or something?" Jessica asked, annoyed.
"Well, I was slightly preoccupied by the sight of my dead vampire wife" Alaric stated in equal frustration.
"Well, you are clearly useful" Jessica stated sarcastically.
"Enough Jessica!" Stefan ordered.
Stefan rubbed Elena's shoulders comfortingly as Jessica calmed down.
"Do you have to meet her?" Jessica asked.
"I don't want to…not after everything she has done" Elena admitted.
"I don't think that's a good idea…" Alaric said.
"Why? What part of the story did you leave out?" Stefan asked, eyebrows furrowed.
"If I failed to set up a meeting between Elena and Isobel, Isobel is going to start eating my students" Alaric stated.
Jessica winced whilst Elena looked like she was about to throw up.
"Have you called Damon?" Stefan asked Jessica.
"He's on his way. I told him to meet us here urgently" Jessica confirmed.
Stefan nodded.
A few minutes later, Damon walked into the classroom.
"The dog ate my…never mind" Damon joked.
Jessica sniggered at his poor joke.
Damon grinned at her but then immediately noticed all the other concerned faces.
"What's going on?" he asked.
"Isobel's in town" Alaric stated.
Damon's eyes widened in surprise.
"Did she say what she wanted?" Damon asked.
Alaric shook his head but glanced at Elena.
"Are her and John working together?" Damon asked noting the exchanged glance.
Alaric shrugged.
Damon was growing impatient.
"Does she know about the invention or the tomb vamps?"
"I don't know!" Alaric exclaimed.
"Oh so, words completely escaped you then" Damon shouted.
"I WAS DISTRACTED BY MY dead vampire wife" Alaric yelled but quietened for the last part.
"Useful, well done!" Damon stated sarcastically.
Jessica grinned as the others stared back and forth between her and Damon.
"What now?" Damon asked.
"That's exactly what Jessica said before you arrived" Stefan replied.
Damon shrugged.
"Yeah? She's a smart kid" Damon said.
Jessica nodded at Damon as a show of appreciation for the compliment.
"Look…what does Isobel want?" Damon asked.
"She wants to see me" Elena finally spoke.
"You know you don't have to see her if you don't want to" Damon said.
"She's threatened to go on a killing spree if I don't" Elena replied.
"I can kick her arse and fry her brain if you want?" Jessica offered.
Elena smiled in thanks but shook her head.
She thought deeply for a few silent moments before making her final decision.
"Ok…I'll do it, I'll meet her" Elena finally said determinedly.
"Cool, Ric set it all up and text me the details" Damon said.
Alaric nodded.
"Ok, the rest of you should get to class" Alaric instructed the others.
Jessica went over to a stressed Elena and linked arms with her as she pulled Elena out of her seat.
"Come on, we have a float to paint" Jessica said as she and Elena headed back towards the float.
Stefan frowned.
"When did they get so friendly?" Stefan asked.
"When you were playing dungeon boy" Damon stated.
Stefan glared whilst Alaric grinned at Damon's humour.
"Oh, by the way, maybe I'm not the Salvatore you should be worrying about trying to steal your girl" Damon smirked.
Stefan looked confused clearly waiting for further explanation.
Damon just wiggled his eyebrows at Stefan to piss him off and left the classroom.
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"Hey Tyler" Jessica said as she stood next to the float.
"Hey Jess" he grinned as he hugged her.
"How are you?" Tyler asked her.
Jessica shrugged.
"I'm good thanks. Do you fancy going to The Grille after school and getting some food?" Jessica asked.
Tyler looked surprised.
"Sure" he said.
Jessica grinned.
"Ok…I will meet you by your car after school" Jessica said.
"Ok" Tyler smiled at her.
As Jessica walked away, she saw Jeremy on the other side of the hall. Jessica decided to try and approach him. He looked up and noticed her as she made it right up next to him.
"What do you want?" Jeremy gritted.
"Firstly, don't talk to me like that. Secondly, don't be a dick when you haven't given someone the chance to explain…again!" Jessica stated.
Jeremy glared at her.
"Fine, want me to talk to you? Sure! Where's Anna?" Jeremy asked.
Jessica looked at him in confusion.
"I haven't seen Anna since the Miss Mystic competition. The only time I've ever actually spoken to her…may I add" Jessica replied.
"Are you lying? I've called her, texted her, and she won't respond. Have you done something to her?" Jeremy asked.
Jessica looked shocked.
"No Jeremy, like I said, I haven't seen her since Miss Mystic. Why would I have done something to her anyway, I kind of like her" Jessica replied.
"It's just weird. She does one day at this school and then disappears" Jeremy said.
"She's officially a student here now? Well, that's fantastic" Jessica said enthusiastically.
Jeremy eyed her to see if he could tell if she was lying.
Jessica shrugged in response.
"Whatever, I'll find her without your help" Jeremy walked off in a mood.
"Fucking boys" Jessica muttered as she watched him walk away.
Jessica caught Stefan's curious eyes from across the hall and just shook her head and rolled her eyes as she headed for her next class.
Before she reached the corridor, a hand grabbed her arm.
Jessica turned around to look at the owner and was surprised to be facing Bonnie.
"Hey Bonnie, is everything ok?" Jessica asked.
"Have you got five minutes? There's something you should know" Bonnie said ominously as she pulled Jessica into a disused classroom.
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"What do you want to eat?" Tyler asked as he and Jessica sat in one of the booths in The Grille.
Jessica thought about it.
"Actually, I think I'll just have a lemonade" Jessica said.
Tyler just stared at her.
She was about to ask why he was staring but instead, her phone buzzed. She quickly pulled her phone to read her text.
'Get the chicken burger and fries'
Jessica stared at her phone perplexed and then looked around The Grille, how on earth did Damon…
"Errr…Jessica?" Tyler asked breaking her thoughts.
"Sorry Tyler, a text to my phone threw me off for a moment there. Um, maybe I'll have the chicken burger and chips…sorry fries…please" she asked.
"Sure, I'll go and order" Tyler said as he left the table.
"Ok, where are you and how did you do that?" Jessica said out loud.
Her phone buzzed again. She quickly read the message.
I'm outside The Grille. Watch your back, Elena and Stefan will be coming in soon to meet Isobel.
"Great" Jessica muttered as Tyler returned with their drinks.
"Are you sure you're ok? You seem a little distracted" Tyler asked.
Jessica smiled at him.
"Sorry, it's been a weird few days" Jessica admitted.
"Thank God, I thought it was because we'd had sex" Tyler sighed in relief.
Jessica cringed knowing that Damon, and most likely Stefan, were hearing this conversation somewhere.
"No however, now that you brought that up, I want to try and say something but don't want to offend you" Jessica hesitated.
"You can talk to me about anything" Tyler encouraged.
"Ok, how was it for you?" Jessica asked.
Tyler's eyebrows rose.
"How was the sex?" he asked, shocked at her forwardness.
Jessica nodded.
Tyler coughed awkwardly.
"Well…" he hesitated.
"Did it feel a little…odd…to you?" Jessica asked.
Tyler nodded.
"But not in a bad way…just like…" Tyler trailed off.
"Like there should've been more of a connection?" Jessica asked.
Tyler's eyes lit up.
"YES! That's exactly…wait…was that what it was like for you as well?" he asked.
Jessica paused as the waitress came over with their food and placed in on the table. The two started eating.
"Yeah, but again not in a negative way. For example, I find this right here and now more comfortable" she tried to explain.
"I agree" Tyler admitted.
"So…mates?" Jessica asked.
Tyler grinned and nodded.
"Absolutely…wow! Tyler Lockwood actually is going to be 'just friends' with a girl. Does that mean I'm maturing and growing up?" Tyler joked.
"God no!" Jessica replied as she threw one of her chips at him.
"You're such a goofball" she said.
It was Tyler's turn to laugh.
"You have actually mentioned that to me before" Tyler said.
"I know" Jessica replied.
The two lapsed into a comfortable silence as they ate their food.
Jessica was so immersed in her conversation with Tyler, that she had not even noticed the Isobel situation that was happening on the other side of the restaurant.
After they ate, Tyler and Jessica said their goodbyes. Tyler stayed in The Grille as he was meeting some of his other buddies there.
Jessica left out of the side exit and immediately went to pull out her phone to check in on the whole Isobel meeting however, before she could look at her phone, her world went black.
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Jessica opened her eyes and found herself in the backseat of a moving car.
"What the hell?" Jessica groaned as she rubbed her head.
"Hope I didn't hit you too hard" the woman who was driving said.
"Oh God, please don't tell me…you're Isobel, right?" Jessica asked.
"Hmmm, you're good" Isobel replied.
"Ok…let's just clear this up now. What do you want with me? Why have you kidnapped me?" Jessica asked.
"That's the thing, I don't actually want anything from you…you're irrelevant. John however…" Isobel said.
"What's John got against me?" Jessica winced as she sat up.
"You run with the Salvatore's, you're just another vampire that he wants to take down" Isobel replied.
"That's his funeral then" Jessica sighed.
Isobel looked at Jessica in the mirror.
"We are curious about you. No one seems to know exactly who you are or where you've come from" Isobel stated.
"Not my fault. I'm related to Zach Salvatore but, Damon killed him and so my care fell to Damon and Stefan instead of Zach" Jessica shrugged.
"I almost feel sorry for you" Isobel deadpanned.
"I don't believe you. There is something more to you and I know you were in that restaurant earlier, what did you hear?" Isobel asked.
Jessica looked confused.
"Actually, I was genuinely there to see and get food with a friend. I didn't know you were going to be there until I was already there eating" Jessica said.
Isobel assessed the teen girl, trying to see if she was lying or not.
The two were silent.
"Why are you working with John anyway? He's a dick" Jessica stated.
Isobel chuckled.
"You're right but, he and I have known each other since we were teenagers, and we have a mutual interest and we both want the Gilbert device" Isobel stated.
Jessica tried to play dumb.
"Ok…can you tell me what the deal is with that thing? It seems to have sent everyone in a tizzy and no one seems to know what it is or does" Jessica asked.
"It's not important" Isobel stated.
"You wouldn't care so much about it if it wasn't important" Jessica retorted.
Isobel just smiled.
"I kind of like you, not many people can throw Katherine off like you have" Isobel said.
"You know Katherine?" Jessica asked surprised.
Isobel said nothing.
"So…you and John? It seems funny that you knew him as a teenager, then got pregnant, then ended up at John's brother's doctor's office to have Elena" Jessica stated.
"You're smarter than you look" Isobel said, slightly surprised.
"It has been known" Jessica replied.
The two were silent.
"So, where are we going?" Jessica asked.
"Back to where I'm currently staying. Like I said, I don't actually want anything to do with you however, you're important to Damon and I need the device from Damon. I just want to make them all sweat a little" Isobel said.
"I can almost guarantee that they have no idea that you have me or that I'm even missing. I tend to fly under the radar" Jessica replied.
Isobel frowned.
"Well, when we get back to my house, I can always provoke a reaction from Damon" Isobel replied.
Jessica sighed as she relaxed into the backseat and watched the scenery pass by her as Isobel drove.
When they finally reached Isobel's house, Isobel got out the car and dragged Jessica up the front steps and through the front door.
Both Isobel and Jessica were surprised to find Damon in the living room, playing a game of what looked like strip poker with a woman who was wearing some amazing underwear.
"Uh oh…you won again, let's hope I'm wearing underwear" Damon said as he stood and unzipped his trousers and began to pull them down.
"Well, it's just one blast from the past after another" Isobel announced her and Jessica's entrance.
Damon grinned as he looked up at Isobel but instantly looked blindsided when he saw Jessica stood next to her, rolling her eyes at him.
"Really?" Jessica stated, indicating to his unzipped jeans and the woman in underwear.
"No, please, carry on" Isobel grinned as she pulled Jessica into the room with her and dismissed the other woman.
Isobel sat on the sofa and both she and Jessica watched as Damon zipped his trousers up and grabbed his shirt.
Once he was suitably dressed, he looked at Jessica.
Before either woman could blink, Damon ran at Isobel and grabbed her by the throat and slammed her to the ground.
After threatening the woman about going after Elena and Jessica and telling Isobel that killing the messenger sends a message, he stood up and turned to Jessica.
"What are you doing with Isobel?" he asked suspiciously.
Jessica raised her eyebrows. She hesitantly looked down at Isobel who was recovering from Damon's sudden wrath. Jessica turned back to Damon, angry at his insinuation.
"Don't you dare suggest anything! I left The Grille after grabbing some food with Tyler when suddenly, Harley Quinn here knocked me out and kidnapped me as I was leaving. I woke up like twenty minutes ago in the back of her car. I know about as much as you do" Jessica replied.
Isobel watched the two of them carefully.
Jessica turned to Isobel.
"I told you they hadn't noticed I was even missing" Jessica shrugged.
"Wow! How does it feel to be so unloved that your guardians would rather run about at the beck and call of a girl they hardly know over their own 'family'? I mean, you were knocked out in the back of my car at my mercy whilst Damon here was getting ready to fuck my best girl" Isobel provoked.
Jessica could see Damon look down at the floor in regret. Jessica would not let Isobel get a rise out of either of them despite how hard the words hit home.
"I'm a last resort. Always have been…it's nothing new. How about you? You could've easily killed me, and I would've been collateral and, as you said, they would have missed me for like two seconds before going back to protecting Elena. So, why didn't you kill me?" Jessica asked.
Isobel again looked surprised at the girl's response. She had expected the teen to at least cry but instead, she watched as Jessica accepted what Isobel had suggested…like she already believed it to be true.
Isobel smiled slightly before replying with complete honesty.
"I look at you and, I actually see a little bit of my younger self in you. Getting involved with more than she can handle but enjoying the ride anyway. Feeling numb and emotionless as a human only intensifies once you turn. But you? You have a darkness surrounding you, darker than I have ever seen around anyone I've ever met. No wonder you have no emotion. John believes you're a vampire, I don't think you are. However, I don't think it matters either way when you're already dead inside" Isobel observed.
Jessica just stared at the woman, refusing to allow any reaction to show.
"Are we free to go now?" Jessica asked.
Isobel nodded.
"Cool, Katherine knows where we are when she's ready. Give her our best" Jessica smiled as she walked out of the room.
She kept herself together as she walked out the front door and back down the steps. She saw Damon's car parked in the drive and went over to it to wait for him.
Damon reached the car at the same time she did, and the pair got in.
Damon was silent as they drove back to Mystic Falls.
"I'm sorry Jessica…" Damon eventually murmured.
"Don't worry about it. You all knew I was at The Grille with Tyler earlier, why would any of you think I'd gone anywhere else? I meant what I said…I don't blame you for not realising, how could you have?" Jessica tried to soothe the sad vampire.
"Why are you such a saint?" Damon asked.
Jessica outright laughed at him.
"You think I'm a saint? You must be joking! However, in a town full of supernatural stuff…I guess I'm not too bad" Jessica replied.
"I'm going to make it up to you" Damon promised.
Jessica reached over and squeezed his hand.
"I'm honestly fine, I only said half that stuff so Isobel wouldn't get a rise out of us" Jessica explained, not sounding as convincing as she tried to feel.
"She only did it because she wants the Gilbert device" Damon stated.
"If only we knew what the hell it was" Damon muttered.
Thinking back to her conversation with Bonnie earlier that morning, Jessica took a deep breath.
"I know what it does" Jessica replied.
Damon's head snapped towards her, his eyes wide and alert.
"Tell me" Damon said.
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Back at the boarding house, Stefan and Elena were confused to see Jessica entering the house with Damon.
"Weren't you out with Tyler?" Stefan asked.
"Nah, I went for a drive with Isobel instead" Jessica replied.
Stefan and Elena shot to their feet.
"What?!" Stefan asked in shock.
Stefan looked at Damon for confirmation. Damon nodded.
"Long story for another time baby bro" Damon said to Stefan.
"What's wrong with you?" Jessica asked, noting Elena's pale face.
"It's been a long day. Bonnie and I kind of made up and Jeremy is still ignoring me" Elena replied.
"Well, would it make you feel better if I told you that I know what the Gilbert device is" Jessica said.
After Jessica explained the Gilbert device to them all, they all discussed why Isobel would want such a device.
"She wants it for John and John probably wants it to wipe out every single vampire on this earth" Jessica stated.
Damon nodded in agreement.
"Well…decision made; she's not getting it. Not that she would've anyway" Damon stated.
"Do you think she will resort to other methods if she doesn't get what she wants though?" Stefan asked.
"I don't give a damn Stefan, she is not going to get her hands on something that she is going to hand over to John, who is going to try and kill us" Damon stated.
Whilst the boys argued, Jessica turned to Elena and shrugged.
"So…it has been a long day. I'm exhausted, and I have a headache from the knock to the head I took earlier, I'm going to go shower and then I'm going to turn in for the night" Jessica stated as she headed towards the stairs.
Both Damon and Stefan watched as she went. Stefan was confused by her deflated persona and Damon was beyond concerned after what she had said about herself to Isobel.
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"Can we pull over here?" Jessica asked as her and Damon drove by a diner.
Damon frowned but nodded and did as she asked.
That morning, Jessica had found herself in Damon's car, they were driving back out to Grove Hill for Jessica's doctor's appointment.
Jessica was jittery and her nervous energy was coming off of her in waves.
"Nervous?" Damon asked gently, snapping Jessica out of her own mind.
She nodded weakly at him.
Damon parked outside the diner.
"Don't be. We just need to make sure that everything is ok with you physically. It is nothing to be scared of. Did you want something to eat?" Damon asked, curious as to why she had got them to stop.
Jessica shook her head.
"No, when I'm nervous, I constantly need to pee" Jessica replied.
"Oh" Damon stated.
Jessica shrugged.
"Take your time" Damon said as she jumped out of the car.
When Jessica returned, they drove the rest of the way to Grove Hill in contemplative silence.
Damon pulled up outside of the hospital and the two of them got out. They headed to the reception desk and checked in before being indicated to take a seat in the waiting area.
Jessica took some deep breaths. The last time Jessica had stepped foot into a hospital, her mother had been diagnosed.
Damon grabbed her hand.
"You're going to be ok Sweetie" Damon reassured her.
Jessica nodded but that didn't stop her legs from shaking.
"Why did you want to see a different doctor?" Damon asked, trying to keep her distracted.
"I figured if I was going to see that other woman again for sessions, I wouldn't want to be sat there thinking the whole time 'wow…this woman has seen up my vag-…'" she was quickly cut off.
"Ok! I get it!" Damon grimaced at her blunt words.
Jessica looked at him sadly.
"Sorry, I'm scared for this appointment" she whispered as she buried her head into his shoulder.
Damon felt pity for her and stroked her back. He then lightly kissed her forehead.
"You're going to be fine" Damon promised.
Jessica nodded but still felt nervous.
"Oh god" she finally said as she stood up.
Damon frowned.
"What now?" Damon asked.
"I need to pee again" she said as she headed for the toilets.
"Jessica!" Damon exclaimed in concern as she walked away.
"Is that Jessica Beesley?" a woman asked from beside him.
Damon looked at the woman who was dressed in her scrubs and nodded.
"She keeps needing to go to the bathroom, she's extremely nervous" Damon admitted.
"I don't blame her. Appointments like this scare grown women who have been having them for years. It's extremely invasive and uncomfortable…she has every right to be nervous. Is there anything that we can do today that you think might help?" the doctor asked.
"Honestly? No, she has been through so much already and at this point, I think she just accepts it all. That's not right but, I don't know what to do to help her. Is there something I should be doing to support her? I assume that Dr. Hayes sent you over some of her notes" Damon replied.
The doctor sat down next to him.
"Dr. Hayes did send me over her notes, and I think it would be best to get the exam over with first so that we know what we're looking at going forward" the doctor suggested.
Damon nodded and watched as Jessica came out of the bathroom and approached them.
"Hello Jessica, I'm Nurse Kathy, I will be completing your appointment today" the doctor introduced.
Jessica went white as a sheet.
"Ok" she whispered.
"Well…follow me and we will slowly go through the appointment and procedure. It should take approximately an hour, ok?" the doctor explained.
The doctor began to walk away but Jessica remained frozen to the spot.
"I can't go in there. I can't do this" she murmured.
The nurse turned and noticed that Jessica hadn't moved. She noticed how Damon moved to comfort the teen.
"Why don't you both come in?" the doctor suggested.
With Damon's encouragement, Jessica nodded, and they both walked into the consulting room.
"Jessica, would you feel more supported if Damon stayed in here for the appointment? I can just draw the curtain around the bed whilst I conduct the physical exam" the doctor suggested.
"Will it hurt?" Jessica whispered nervously.
Damon's heart broke for her as they waited for the doctor's response.
"It varies from woman to woman. Some women state that it does not hurt at all, other women say that it does. I will say that you should definitely expect some discomfort but if at any point you are in any pain, you must tell me immediately so I can stop. The aim is for this to not be painful" she replied.
"Ok" Jessica said, feeling a tiny bit more relaxed.
"Damon, if you can remain seated here, I will take Jessica over to the bed and close the curtain. There is a gown that I need you to change into Jessica, and then we will begin. I will give you a couple of minutes" the doctor said.
Jessica nodded and slowly walked over to the bed, she winced at the sound of the curtain zinging closed behind her.
She let out a deep breath and changed into the gown and then sat on the bed and waited. The doctor came in and got her to lay down. The doctor then conducted the examination.
As the examination proceeded, the doctor told Jessica exactly what she was doing as she was doing it so that Jessica knew what to expect every step of the way. The doctor even took an internal tissue sample and checked for injuries as suggested in Jessica's notes.
Jessica was hesitant about the whole ordeal but, due to the doctor keeping her informed the whole way through, it allowed Jessica to process each step and actually kept her calm. Jessica felt some discomfort and awkward pressure down below, but never any pain.
After the examination was over, the doctor told her that she could get dressed again. Jessica did as the doctor instructed.
"Here, you might want to use this for the rest of the day. I've aggravated you down there and there is some bleeding, as expected. However, the bleeding should not persist longer than ten-to-twelve hours at the very most. If it does, you are to seek medical attention immediately" the doctor explained as she handed Jessica a pad.
Jessica nodded and applied the pad before finishing getting dressed.
The doctor then opened the curtain and instructed Jessica to sit back down next to Damon.
As she sat, Damon looked at her and smiled softly in reassurance.
"Ok, I will send the tissue sample off today, you should expect a call to let you know the results in about a week. However, there are other things that I would like to go through with you. It's going to be extremely personal so, I understand if you want to kick Damon out of the room. Just let me know as we go along" the doctor stated.
Jessica and Damon nodded.
"You definitely have some scarring which shows that the area has experienced some trauma in the past. It seems that the scarring is healed, so there is nothing much we can do about it however, it is noticeable that the scarring is aggravated. From your notes, I can see that you were not having sex here as much as you were back home in the UK. Which suggests that because you are not as sexually active as you have been in the past, the scarring is more likely to become aggravated and inflamed as a result" the doctor explained.
Jessica nodded in understanding.
"Now, please don't worry. The scarring is what it is, and I believe it doesn't cause you any noticeable pain or discomfort…is that correct?" she asked.
Jessica nodded.
"I never knew" Jessica whispered.
"I thought you might say that" the doctor replied sympathetically.
Damon just stared, he hated this.
"Now for the more personal questions…Jessica, do you have any issues achieving orgasm?" the doctor questioned.
Damon shifted awkwardly.
Jessica looked confused.
"I'm not sure" Jessica answered honestly.
"Can you try to explain that to me a bit more?" the doctor asked.
Jessica nodded.
"During the sexual assault, and especially after it, sex was more of an escape. It was what I did to feel like I had some sort of control back in my life and over my own body" Jessica explained.
The nurse nodded in understanding.
"So, the pleasure side of it was never really a factor you strived to achieve" the doctor said.
Jessica nodded in agreement.
"Have you ever had an orgasm?" the doctor asked.
Jessica flushed and looked down, that was a level of personal that she didn't know how to talk about.
Damon sensed her embarrassment and cleared his throat awkwardly, gaining the attention of the two females in the room.
"Jessica, why don't I wait outside for this part? Would that be more comfortable?" Damon asked.
Jessica hesitated. It would be less awkward, but she felt more anxious and scared when he wasn't around.
She eventually nodded.
Damon smiled softly again and stood up. He patted her shoulder in encouragement and nodded at her as he left the room.
The doctor looked at Jessica expectantly.
"Yes, I have had an orgasm before" Jessica replied.
"You have the ability to achieve orgasm if you want? Well, that's reassuring! The reason I asked is because some of the scarring has extended to your clitoral hood, which is where the pleasure and the build-up of the orgasm typically occurs. It's good to know that despite the scarring, you can still have pleasurable sex" the doctor explained.
Jessica nodded.
"Have you ever masturbated?" the doctor asked.
Jessica nodded.
"Do you masturbate regularly?" the doctor asked.
"No" Jessica replied.
The doctor nodded and thought for a moment.
"Ok, here is what I think based on what I have seen and obviously, this does not include the findings of the samples that I will send off to be tested today. Yes, you have scarring and obvious signs of previous trauma, which does become aggravated or inflamed when you have sex. However, as you do not experience pain or discomfort, I am satisfied that we do not need to look at further surgery" the doctor explained.
Jessica nodded.
"You mentioned that you engage in sex as a way of control. That needs to stop, which is something Dr. Hayes will help you overcome with time. Instead, I recommend you masturbate at least once a week. This is healthy for a teenager, and it will help you reconcile with your body. Take the time to explore it, understand it, fall in love with it, and accept it. Exploring your own body will help you figure out the boundaries of what you find comfortable and uncomfortable and, you will help yourself in discovering how your body likes to be pleasured and what you do not like. This can make your sexual experiences a lot less nerve-wracking in the future and, may even help you feel like you have more control over your body in a healthy way…in a healthier way" the doctor suggested.
Jessica nodded again.
"Finally, I have been asked to give this to you. It is no secret that you are extremely underweight, and we need you to put on some healthy weight through some good nutritious meals. So, here it is" the doctor explained as she handed the diet plan to her.
"Have you got any questions for me?" the doctor asked.
Jessica shook her head.
"Ok. Well then, I will send off these samples and contact you next week with the results. Other than what we have discussed today, I have no overall concerns about your physical health. However, your mental health, well…your sessions with Dr. Hayes will be extremely beneficial to you" the doctor said.
"Thank you" Jessica whispered.
"It's not a problem dear. If you do have any concerns or any questions, please get in touch. But, for now, we will call that the end of your appointment and I will take you back to your guardian" the doctor said.
Jessica thanked the doctor once more and collected her jacket and bag and the doctor showed Jessica out of the room.
They quickly found Damon, who was sat back in the waiting area in a seat almost opposite the office door and Damon thanked the doctor once more, and Damon and Jessica left the building.
The drive home was awkward.
Damon didn't know how to talk to her about such a personal, invasive, exam and about how she felt about it. It was also an unspoken rule that they would not discuss the latter part of the appointment in which he had stepped outside. Both of them knew that he had heard every word anyway, and both knew that it would be on Jessica's terms only that they talk about it.
"How're you doing kiddo?" Damon asked halfway home.
"I don't know anymore" Jessica replied sadly.
Damon nodded but remained concerned, and the rest of the journey home was driven in pensive silence.
.
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Three days later, Jessica decided that she needed to distract herself again and so, she volunteered to go to the school and work on decorating one of the banners for the Founder's Day event. She felt exhausted having not slept much the last few nights. With the therapist and doctor's appointments, general uncertainty, and all things Isobel going on. Jessica didn't want to admit it but, Isobel's words from the other day kept churning in Jessica's mind and would not stop. Of course, Jessica knew that she shouldn't be paying attention to anything that Isobel said but, the truth was, that Jessica did see similarities between her and Isobel – and it had frightened her.
Isobel's cold, numb, unfeeling, emotionless character reminded Jessica of who she had been prior to arriving in America. The fact that decisions and mistakes could lead you down such dark paths and thoughts, frightened Jessica.
"Hello again Jessica" Jessica froze at the voice, speak of the devil.
"What are you doing here Isobel? Please tread carefully, I have had a long week already" Jessica stated.
Isobel shrugged.
"Just here to get what I want" she replied.
"The device?" Jessica asked.
"Uh huh, Damon will give it to me" Isobel grinned.
Jessica laughed.
"I don't think so" Jessica replied.
"I think he will. You see, at first, I thought going for you would be good leverage to get Damon to do what I wanted but, after I kidnapped you, it was obvious that I was wrong. However, Damon loves Elena, and so I think it will be her pain that convinces him rather than yours. How tragic?" Isobel said sarcastically.
"Leave her alone" another voice boomed.
Isobel and Jessica turned to see Alaric listening in on their conversation.
"Sure" Isobel stated as she turned to walk away.
Before she left completely, she turned to Jessica once more.
"Kidnapping you got me nowhere; I wonder if kidnapping someone more important will get Elena to push Damon more than being a threat to you ever could" Isobel said as she disappeared into the crowd of students.
Jessica continued to paint the banner as Alaric watched her in concern.
"She's full of bullshit, you know that right?" Alaric said.
Jessica nodded.
"I know. But she is right. She kidnapped me a few days ago and she could well have killed me…and no one would have even noticed. Now, she's obviously about to pull something else, and it will no doubt prompt Damon to give her what she wants without hesitation" Jessica said.
Alaric looked at her.
"I'm sure that is not going to happen" Alaric stated.
"Want to bet on it?" Jessica replied.
Alaric sighed knowing that she wasn't going to convince her otherwise and instead, picked up a paintbrush to help her paint the banner.
A few minutes later, both Alaric and Jessica's attention was drawn to the chaos happening over by the float.
"Jeremy? Jeremy!" Elena was shouting as she spun around searching for her brother.
Jessica and Alaric headed over to her just as Caroline and Tyler were helping Matt into a car.
"What happened?" Alaric asked.
Elena, in near tears, couldn't speak. Stefan was comforting her.
"Isobel happened" Stefan stated.
Alaric and Jessica stared at him., waiting for him to continue.
"She distracted me by causing Matt's arm to get crushed under the axel of the float. Whilst I was helping to lift the thing, we think she snatched Jeremy" Stefan explained.
Damon joined them in amongst the chaos.
"What happened?" Damon asked.
"She's going to kill him. Oh god! Isobel's going to kill Jeremy if we don't give her the device Damon" Elena cried.
"She's not getting it" Damon said determinedly.
"Damon!" Stefan growled.
Damon refused to budge.
"No way in hell is that psycho getting a device that could kill us all. Elena, I promise, we will rescue Jeremy another way" Damon vowed as he headed for his car.
Jessica, Stefan, and Alaric were left standing with a hysterical Elena.
.
.
.
After the drama of the day, Jessica decided to wander around by herself for a bit. When it got dark, she decided to walk home. As she crossed the town square, she noticed Isobel and Elena talking and Damon and Stefan standing firmly behind them.
"For god sakes call home" Isobel rolled her eyes.
Elena fumbled with her phone and made a phone call.
"Jeremy, are you ok?" Jessica heard Elena ask.
"You were never going to hurt him" Elena stated as she hung up the call to Jeremy.
"No, I was going to kill him" Isobel stated.
"Don't look for any redeeming qualities Elena" Isobel said.
Jessica was relieved to hear that Jeremy was ok.
"Well…you took a risk with Damon; how did you know that he would give me the device?" Elena asked.
Jessica's heart sunk in her chest. She knew he would do it for Elena. In an instant, the stress and tension of such an awful week blurred into one thing: pure anger.
"Because he loves you" Isobel grinned at the awkward tension.
Jessica watched as Isobel left and Damon started to walk in her direction away from the hugging Stefan and Elena.
Damon froze as he passed the bench Jessica was hiding on.
"What are you doing here?" Damon asked.
Jessica shrugged.
"I've not been home this afternoon and was just on my way" Jessica stated dryly.
Damon nodded a little wary of her tone.
"Come on, I'll drive you home" Damon sighed as he walked them back to his car.
The drive home was quiet and a little awkward.
"So…you've been avoiding me the last few days. Is there something you want to talk to me about? Anything I can help with?" Damon asked.
"I just wanted a bit of space to think" Jessica remarked flippantly.
Damon frowned again at her tone.
"Well, that's never a good thing. I know this week has been extremely pressing on you and that the questions the doctor asked you were borderline-…" Damon was cut off.
"You gave Elena the device to give to Isobel" Jessica suddenly snapped.
"Yeah, I did…" Damon said hesitantly, wondering where her thoughts were heading.
Jessica sighed and shook her head, she crossed her arms and looked out the window trying to contain her ire.
"No, don't do that. Talk to me" Damon demanded.
"Ok. The other day, you didn't even know that Isobel had me and wouldn't have even known if Isobel had killed me. Today, Isobel kidnapped Jeremy and threatened to kill him. Elena was upset and you agree to hand over the device straightaway" Jessica snipped.
Damon frowned.
"Isobel was right about you and your feelings towards Elena…wasn't she?" Jessica asked rhetorically.
Damon remained silent but his knuckles whitened as he gripped the steering wheel tightly.
Jessica nodded.
"You handed over the device when Elena needed you to do it…would you have done it for me?" Jessica whispered, trying not to let on just how vulnerable she felt.
Damon froze, the reasons for Jessica's current disposition were now crystal clear.
"Jessica…firstly, I want you to know that I would have never forgiven myself if anything had happened to you that day. The situation with Elena is irrelevant, YOU are my priority. Also, had you come home after being at school today, you would have witnessed Bonnie de-spelling the device in our library to render it useless. That is the ONLY reason that I ended up handing it over to Isobel" Damon explained.
"Oh" Jessica whispered as she instantly felt stupid for her moodiness.
"Yeah" Damon replied.
The two fell silence once more as they arrived at the boarding house. As they were heading inside, Jessica frowned in thought.
"What now?" Damon asked as he noticed her frown.
"You said that Bonnie de-spelled the device, are you sure? It doesn't seem likely that she would de-spell a device which would aid someone in protecting them against vampires" Jessica stated.
Damon sighed.
"Elena said that we could trust her, that Bonnie was willing to do it for her" Damon stated.
"And you fell for that?" Jessica asked, shocked.
Damon glared at Jessica; she was starting to annoy him now about this and with her mood and tone. After what had happened today, he was close to angry breaking point himself.
"Look Jessica, I trust Elena and-…" Jessica cut Damon off.
"…and that will be your downfall" Jessica scoffed.
"Now, wait one-minute young lady…" Damon began.
"No! You are an idiot if you think that Bonnie has de-spelled that device, regardless of what Elena has promised you. How can you, of all people, be this stupid about it?" Jessica shouted furiously.
Damon looked at her in shock, he had never seen this side of her, and he was not appreciating her attitude.
"I made the decision and, as the adult here, I dare say that I know more about this than you do. How dare you question my actions?" Damon shouted back.
"Why do you trust every woman who bats their big doe eyes at you? Didn't you learn from your mistakes the first time?" Jessica spat in sheer seething rage.
Damon's patience finally snapped and, without thinking twice about it, Damon smacked Jessica hard across the face.
Jessica gasped in shock as her head was forced harshly to one side and the force of Damon's smack caused her to lose balance and topple ungracefully to the ground. She didn't even need to check to see if her face was bruised and bleeding. What Jessica couldn't understand was why he was suddenly so against her. When things were difficult, she and Damon always talked things through and she was only trying to give her thoughts and views about a very serious situation, she was trying to make sure that no harm would come to the people that she had grown to love. Granted, the cheap shots at Elena were probably uncalled for but, it was now clear that Damon was blind when it came to her, and Jessica was scared for her family.
Damon was seeing red, blinded by anger, as he stared down at the teenagers crumpled form on the floor.
The smack had really hurt but Jessica refused to cry about it. She had been smacked like this before and she knew that she had really upset Damon but, did she truly deserve this?
She allowed her body to relax for a moment and braced herself as she pulled herself together and stood up off the floor.
Now that his blind anger had subsided, Damon was internally panicking. He had completely lost his temper with her, and he replayed the last five minutes over again in his mind helplessly as the force of his smack resounded in his ears. As he came back to himself, he gulped as he took in the sight of his daughter shakily getting back up on her feet. His hand was shaking as he couldn't believe what he had just done. The argument between them had been fine until she mentioned Elena, that was when he got truly angry.
What was even more worrying, was that Jessica hadn't made a sound the entire time. She didn't cry in fact; her face and posture were completely devoid of any emotion at all. Damon didn't know how to react but, he knew he had definitely taken things too far. Particularly after the emotional rollercoaster the teen had endured the last few days.
Jessica stood up silently and Damon stared at her as he saw her wince slightly as she caught her reflection in the mirror of her bruised and bleeding face. Damon gulped in disgust at himself, he had become the thing he feared the most…his father.
After another beat of awful silence, Jessica spoke quietly.
"Hit me, break my bones one by one, abandon me, torture me, punish me, hurt me, and harm me. You've signed your own death sentence today, no matter what you think. As Grace Murray Hopper once suggested; it's better to ask for forgiveness than permission. Meaning, it's easier to act and then apologise and beg for forgiveness later on, than to ask for permission to do it in the first place" Jessica said, voice holding no emotion whatsoever.
Damon stared after her.
"There is no way Bonnie de-spelled that device, but she knows that Elena will forgive her for it anyway. As I said, you've just signed your own death sentence. Goodnight" Jessica stated as she headed to her room.
Damon wanted to call out to her, apologise for his abuse, comfort her, and tell her how much of an awful man he had been to even consider striking her. However, his throat felt so dry, more than it ever had before, that when he opened his mouth…no words came out. What was even worse, was that deep down in the pit of his stomach, he knew that Jessica was right after all.