Cursed Blood and Bound Fate

Chapter 6

The eldest Salvatore crouched in front of the passenger window and looked around the inside of the wrecked SUV, assessing the situation.

"Uncle Damon," Renfri breathed in relief.

He hummed, "You look stuck," then stood again.

"It's my seatbelt—" Elena managed tearfully.

"I–" Renfri blinked drowsily and took another breath as her hands dangled above her head, resting among the glass shards on the roof. She tried again, "I think they're jammed."

"I can't—get it off—ugh," Elena stuttered between hurried breaths, overwhelmed by the night's events.

There was a screech of metal being forced apart as Damon pried the passenger door open despite it having been crushed in some places. He dropped down again, shushing the crying brunette.

"I'm gonna get you guys out of here," he assured them. He paused and noticed that Elena was more alert than his niece, who was quiet with her unfocused eyes blinking slowly and fresh blood matting the hair on one side by her temple where there was a sizable cut. His lips turned down a bit but he didn't comment on it.

"Alright, Elena. Red, you with me?" he called. She managed to nod and hum in confirmation. "I need you both to put your hands on the roof, just like that," they both followed his direction shakily, "Little Red, I'll get you out first, okay?" She nodded again. He reached in and grabbed the base of her seat belt and said clearly, "Ready? One, two, three—"

He ripped the belt loose and she dropped onto the roof in a heap with a quiet groan. Her uncle had managed to lean on his elbow so that his hand was free to support her head as gravity brought her down again, trying to prevent further injury. She reached for him blindly as he got his arms under her knees and back then lifted her out of the wreck. He tried to help her stand but the blood rushed to her head and her knees buckled, so he set her down gently, sitting up against the vehicle.

Renfri closed her eyes and struggled to open them again, hearing the shuffle of glass and another light thud as her friend was released as well. She managed to pry her eyelids open again when she heard the eldest Salvatore call to her and she saw him in front of her with Elena struggling to stand as he held her up. Renfri couldn't stay awake any longer and her eyes shut again, sound muffling, as sleep took her.

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

Renfri awoke to a small jolt from underneath her and she wrinkled her nose in irritation. She inhaled slowly, the scent of leather hitting her nose and heard two voices going back and forth just in front of her. The redhead cracked her eyes open, squinting hard at the bright sunlight assaulting her pupils. She blinked a few times and groaned as she realized that she was laid out on her side in the back of Damon's Camaro, her cheek pressed to the leather upholstery and an arm hanging from the seat loosely.

"Good morning, Sunshine," her uncle called from the driver's seat, glancing at her through the rearview mirror. She noticed Elena startle and twist to look at her with wide but relieved eyes.

"Says who," she grumbled back and pushed up onto her elbows. She had to stop there because the effort alone made her dizzy and nausea pushed its way up her throat.

"Pull over, Damon, I mean it," she heard Elena demand. She couldn't help but silently agree, she was sure he would be upset if she threw up in his precious car.

"Ah, you were so much more fun when you were asleep," he complained, but slowed the car and pulled off to the side of the road. As they came to a stop, Elena climbed out, pausing to stretch her sore muscles and hiss at the bruises that had surely developed overnight. Damon flashed over to check she was okay, but his niece quickly got his attention.

She struggled to push herself up again so she was close to a sitting position, "Elena, get out of the way before I blow chunks and ruin my uncle's lovely vintage car."

Damon whipped around, "No, no, no, like hell you are." He quickly pushed the seat forward to pull her out, just as her stomach heaved and hot liquid burned up her esophagus and onto the asphalt. He sighed in relief that she'd managed to miss his pride and joy but wrinkled his nose at the smell, holding her hair back and letting her hand grasp his shoulder as she leaned against both him and the car for support.

Renfri felt disgusting but was also a bit relieved after expelling the contents of her stomach. She coughed and spit a few times in an attempt to get the taste out of her mouth, before a water bottle appeared in her vision, held out by Elena, along with a tissue. She gratefully accepted them, rinsing her mouth a few times and wiping her face. She felt marginally better, but the dizziness and a pounding migraine persisted, the sun's rays piercing her eyes like small blades. She stumbled back to sit sideways in the passenger seat, still feeling shaky on her feet, and pressed her cheek against the headrest before closing her eyes again. She could feel the weight of their eyes on her, but she ignored them in favor of trying to appreciate the cool breeze blowing past.

"You might have a concussion, or worse, since you hit your head pretty hard."

"We have to go back," Elena insisted again.

"Oh, come on, look, we've already come this far," the vampire whined.

"Why are you doing this? I can't be in Georgia!"

"Georgia?" Ren mumbled in confusion.

"Ren probably needs to go to a hospital and I wrecked my car, people need to know where I am. I'm not going to Georgia," Elena continued.

"Well, you're in Georgia," he retorted, "and without your little magic necklace, I might add." The brunette put a hand up to her abnormally empty collarbone. "I could very easily make you…agreeable," he smiled without it reaching his eyes.

"Damon," his niece admonished without opening her eyes.

Another sound paused the heated discussion. A ringtone sounded from the pocket of Damon's jacket, Elena looking at him accusingly.

"That's my phone…"

He rolled his eyes a bit and pulled it from his jacket, then held it out for her.

"It's your boyfriend," he sing-songed. She immediately turned away and shook her head, frowning, so he took the call.

"Elena's phone," he answered breezily, "Elena? Oh, she's right here and she's…fine," he taunted. He then held the phone out to her again, "He wants to talk to you…no?" He returned the phone to his ear and put on an overly concerned air, "Yeah, you know, I don't really think she wants to talk to you right now." There was another pause, "She was with Elena, I've got her." He held out the phone again, this time to Renfri, who had cracked open her eyes when she realized Stefan had asked about her.

She took it, "Hey, Uncle Stefan…I've been better. We got into an accident but Uncle Damon found us, now we're on a mandatory field trip. I'll tolerate it, I could take a day off anyway with all the shit that's happened…Hey, can you feed and let out Ash for me? Thanks. We'll probably be back sometime tomorrow morning given how long the drive is, see you then." She handed the phone back to Damon, whose lips had twitched at her use of 'mandatory field trip.'

"See, no need to worry, little brother. You have a good day now," he finished, clearly talking over anything else Stefan was trying to say, then hung up on him.

He turned back to his niece, "Now, you're not going to be in any shape to have fun and I'd rather not risk you having a brain bleed and dying on me, so how about some tasty blood?" He raised an eyebrow at her and put his hands on his knees, like he was speaking to a child. She looked at him warily, glancing at Elena, who just looked frustrated and shrugged her shoulders and mouthed 'your choice.'

Renfri sighed, "Fine, I don't want to risk it either, but…do you have anything you could put it in? I feel like it'd be weird to drink from you," she cringed at the idea.

"Afraid not. My car isn't exactly a well stocked convenience store, so you'll have to suck it up…literally," he joked.

She rolled her eyes, ignoring the throbbing pain behind them, and sat up a bit straighter. The two girls watched as he let his face change, fangs coming out, and ripped the skin on his wrist with one before changing it back. He put his arm on the roof of the car and leaned forward, holding his bloody wrist close to her face. Ren felt a little better that his back blocked any view that Elena might have, easing some of her queasiness at the situation. She grabbed his arm lightly, put her mouth over the wound and took three quick pulls before pulling back and swallowing quickly before she could choke it back up. She watched as the rip in his skin sealed over as he took a step back. She could feel the pounding in her head fade away and knew the gash on her head would be healing too, along with all the other bruises and cuts from the accident.

Damon gestured at her, "See? That's the way to not make it weird, a few quick sips and you're as good as new!"

Renfri wiped her mouth, the corners twitching up a bit, and murmured, "Thanks."

He nodded and turned to Elena, "And you?"

She quickly shook her head, "Uh-uh, no way. I'll heal from some bumps and scrapes." She sighed, "Damon, no one knows where I am, can we please just go back?"

"We're almost there—"

"Where is there!?"

"A little place outside of Atlanta," he told her. "Oh come on, Elena. You don't really want to go back right now, do you? What's the rush?" He made a 'T' with his hand along with a little sound effect, "Time out. Trust me, your problem's still gonna be there when you go home." She looked down, considering, and he continued, "Step away from your life for five minutes." She looked up at him again as he repeated, "Five minutes."

Renfri snorted, "Five minutes for you maybe. You've lived for over 160 years, we've only lived for 17." He rolled his eyes at her, not replying.

Elena took a breath and turned away, clasping her hands and bringing them up to her chin, clearly torn but starting to lean his way.

She turned back, "Am I going to be safe with you?"

"Yes."

"You promise not to do that mind control thing with me?"

"Yes."

"Can I trust you?" she finally asked, looking into his eyes.

He tilted his head to the Camaro and said, "Get in the car," like the answer was obviously yes. "Come on," he called as he turned and headed for the driver's seat. Renfri was offered the front seat by Elena since she was in it before. She gladly accepted, rolling the window down as the car took off down the road again.

Renfri decided to enjoy her day off and go along with whatever her uncle was up to. She wondered what had come of the meeting between Damon and Logan Fell, if he had been able to get a lead on a new way into the tomb and if that's what they were doing in Georgia. She glanced in the mirror at Elena, knowing she shouldn't bring it up just then, she had promised not to tell Elena and Stefan unless he let her. She'd just have to wait it out and help however she could, despite only being human.

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

They finally pulled up outside of a building on the side of the road outside of the city with not much else around but industrial buildings and structures. As they pulled up, she seriously questioned how this could be a lead to opening the tomb.

"You brought us to a bar?" Elena asked as they climbed out.

"Is it even open? It's only the afternoon," Ren added.

"We're not old enough, they're not gonna let us in."

"Sure, they will," he insisted and lead the way in.

Renfri sidled up beside him and asked, "Via compulsion or do you know someone that works here?"

He smirked, "I know the owner."

Renfri snorted, "Way to sound like every entitled 35 year old white woman trying to get a free meal." He gasped in mock offense, putting a hand to his chest as if offended, making her laugh. Elena rolled her eyes at the two's antics as the made their way into the mostly empty place and approached a tall, dark skinned woman with thick, curly brown hair at the bar. She was wiping the counter with a cloth near the only other people on the far end of the bar when she looked up at the approaching vampire, who was rubbing his hands together and swaggering forward with a grin.

"Damon?" she asked disbelievingly, then hopped onto the counter, threw her long legs over the other side, and dropped down.

"My honey pie," she declared before shocking the two teenagers by grabbing him by the face and pulling him into a more than friendly kiss. Renfri curled her lip and looked away, not wanting to watch her uncle make out with some random woman, gross. She took the opportunity to find the restroom and try to get some of the dried blood out of her hair, managing to succeed for the most part. Some locks were still stained a bit red, but it was hard to tell unless you really looked close, her auburn hair helping to make it less noticeable.

Once they'd settled on barstools at the counter, the woman, Bree, began pouring shots of whiskey and jokingly toasted her uncle for seemingly ruining her life? Damon just smiled and shrugged so Renfri went with it. When they were each given a shot, despite clearly being underage, she slid hers to the right, giving it to the elder Salvatore who threw it back quickly, then snagged Elena's as well when she hesitated.

Bree glanced at them in amusement and Renfri just shrugged, "I'm not a fan of shots. I prefer mixed drinks, like a nice mojito."

Bree laughed, "Coming right up." As she began making her drink, she looked between the girls sitting on either side of the vampire, "So, how'd he rope you in?"

Renfri barked out a laugh, and pointed her thumb at him then herself, "Definitely not, we're related." Bree looked mildly intrigued at this.

Elena was also quick to deny it, "I'm not roped, I'm actually dating his—"

Bree interrupted her cheerfully, "Honey, if you're not roped, you're whipped. Either way, just enjoy the ride."

"Okay," Elena relented, not bothering to correct her, "So, how did you two meet?"

Bree let out a chuckle, "College."

"You went to college?" Elena turned to Damon in disbelief.

"I've been on a college campus, yes," he responded slyly before downing another shot.

"That makes more sense. Stefan seems like the one who would actually go to college for the sake of learning rather than stalking sorority girls," Ren quipped, making him roll his eyes and Elena and Bree laugh.

"About twenty years ago," Bree continued, "when I was a sweet young freshman, I met this beautiful man and I fell in love. And then he told me about his little secret; made me love him even more, cause, you see, I had a little secret of my own that I was dying to share with somebody."

"She's a witch," Damon stage whispered to Elena, causing her to look surprised.

"Changed my world, you know," the tall woman said to him playfully.

"I rocked your world," he teased back.

She laughed and said to Elena, "He is good in the sack, isn't he?" making the girl look away awkwardly and Renfri wrinkled her nose in disgust. Bree continued, in a more accusatory tone, "But mostly, he's a Walkaway Joe," then took a shot of her own and placed the completed mojito in front of the redhead.

"So," the witch finally said, "what is it that you want?"

The woman smiled while staring down the vampire, who only looked back at her cheerfully.

Elena looked between the two, then got up and said "I'm gonna go give Jenna a call," before walking out to the parking lot in the fading afternoon light.

Renfri glanced at her uncle, then the witch, "We're here about the tomb, aren't we?"

"That old thing? Again" Bree questioned in surprise.

"Come on," Damon encouraged, "There's gotta be another way."

The bushy haired woman shook her head, "After all these years, it's still only Katherine?" The dark haired man shrugged his shoulders, and she asked, "How do you even know she's still alive?"

"Well, if you help me get into that tomb, then we'll find out."

"I already did, twenty years ago, remember?" she said in a hard tone as Damon looked away in annoyance, "Three easy steps: comet, crystal, spell—"

Damon interrupted, "There's a little problem with number two, I don't have the crystal."

Bree scoffed, "Then that's it, Damon, there's no other way; it's Emily's spell."

He sat up a little and proposed with a smirk, "What about a new spell and a new crystal that overrides Emily's spell?"

Renfri raised her eyebrows, speaking for the first time since they started discussing it, "Does witchcraft even work like that? Someone can just do a spell to disable another one?"

"No, it doesn't," Bree replied, glancing at her then back at Damon, "Emily's spell is absolute, you can't get into that tomb." At this, the expression on her uncle's face fell, leaving only disappointment and a deep sadness.

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

Renfri had shifted to sit at a table by the window to give her uncle a few minutes alone to digest the witch's verdict and watched as Elena hung up from her conversation with Jenna, only for her to pause then answer another call. She wasn't sure who she was talking to or what about, but she looked angry. She could probably make an educated guess.

She saw something in her peripheral vision and turned a bit to see Damon just behind her at the table, also looking at the girl standing by his Camaro in the parking lot.

She glanced up at him and said, "I'm assuming it's Stefan, judging by the pissed off look on her face."

He nodded, "Good old Stefan didn't tell her that she could be Katherine's twin, and now she's pissed."

His niece sighed, "Yeah, she said something along those lines before we wrecked the car. Rest assured, I'll rip him a new one later, especially since I already told him to spill the beans when Lexi visited and she showed me the photograph." Her uncle smirked a little at that.

She watched as Elena went to hang up the phone and Renfri felt a slight breeze. She looked over her shoulder to find Damon gone. She turned back to the window to find him in front of the brunette outside. Great, she hoped he wouldn't tease her about it, the girl was stressed enough as it was.

Renfri sipped her drink as she considered ordering dinner from the kitchen, as it was getting dark out and she didn't want to drink on an empty stomach. She tapped her nails against the table, lost in thought, as the bustle of the bar picked up around her: patrons laughing, the clack of billiards balls colliding, the clinking of ice in glasses, and the loud electronic whir of the empty blender at the bar.

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

Renfri had settled at the bar counter again and ordered a grilled sandwich with fries and before long, Elena and Damon joined her as well, ordering burgers and fries for themselves. As they munched on their dinner, Elena began to ask Damon questions.

"Let's just say that I'm descended from Katherine, does that make me part vampire?"

Ren furrowed her brow, "How would that work? If you have to die to become a vampire, how can you have kids if you're technically dead?"

Damon shook his head as he popped another fry into his mouth, "You can't. Vampires can't procreate, but we love to try."

Renfri rolled their eyes at his obvious innuendo while Elena just stared at him dryly, waiting for a serious answer, which he gave.

"No, if you were related, it means that Katherine must have had a child before she was turned."

"Did Stefan think he could use me to replace her?" Elena wondered aloud angrily.

"It's kind of creepy if you ask me," Damon replied.

Renfri glared at him, "Stop being a shit stirrer." Then she turned to her friend, "I don't think it's like that, Elena."

The girl looked at her a bit accusingly, "How long have you known?"

Ren shrugged, "Not long. I only found out when Lexi met you and she showed me the photo. I don't think he's lying when he says he doesn't know why you look exactly like her, and I seriously doubt it's about being a replacement. He's been serious about getting to know you, right?"

Elena reluctantly nodded, "Yeah, but it's been hard getting to know anything about him, and he hid this from me."

Renfri sighed, "Well, yeah, and he was trying to keep all the vampire crap under wraps. I already told him he needed to come clean. I was waiting for him to tell you, that's why I didn't say anything. It's not exactly my business and I didn't think I should be the one to drop a bomb like that on you," Ren grinned at her, "but I'll be happy to give him shit for it later since he fucked it up so badly."

Damon laughed at his younger brother's epxpense then reached over to grab a pickle slice from Elena's plate that the girl had placed aside, "Come on, you don't like pickles? What's wrong with you?" He popped it into his mouth while Ren quickly leaned over him to snatch the other two slices before he could, sticking her tongue out at him when he playfully glared at her.

"How can you even eat, if technically you're supposed to be…" Elena trailed off suggestively.

Damon looked around dramatically, "...Dead? It's not such a bad word. As long as I keep a healthy diet of blood in my system, my body functions pretty normally." He tossed a fry in his mouth and smirked as he chewed.

Elena smiled placatingly, "It's a nice act…is any of it real?"

He looked at her but said nothing as he was handed a beer from Bree. Elena saw and quickly said she'd have one too. He raised his eyebrows at her in question.

"Time out, remember? For five minutes?" she made a 'T' with her hands like he had earlier that day, "Yeah, well, that five minutes is gonna need a beer."

Renfri and Damon watched Elena pick up her own bottle, take a sip, and grimace.

The redhead laughed, "And that is why I don't drink beer unless it's the only option, it's disgusting."

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

It was completely dark out and the bar's crowd had increased. About ten people stood around the vampire and two teenagers at the bar counter, all holding a shot as Bree led them in a drinking contest. Renfri watched, sipping at a screwdriver this time, as Elena of all people beat the crowd. She slammed the glass on the counter, clapped her hands, jumped, and did a little shimmy, making the tipsy redhead snort.

"That's three!" the brunette declared as everyone around her laughed. She turned to Damon and frowned exaggeratedly, "Do you need a bib?"

He wiped his chin, "Sorry I can't unhinge my jaw like a snake to consume alcohol."

She only grinned and drummed her hands on the wood, "Hmmm, whatever. Alright, who's next? Another roouund, Bree?" Renfri couldn't help but smile at a drunk Elena, she was more fun than sober Elena as of late.

"Honey," an older woman slurred, pointing at the girl, "you should be on the floooor."

"I am not even drunk, my tolerance is like, way up here!" she replied while hopping to reach up and show how high her tolerance was, making Renfri laugh as she swayed a bit in her seat, leaning against her uncle as he grinned at both girl's drunken behavior. Renfri didn't think she was completely drunk, but was on her way. Those cocktails tasted good but the alcohol could really sneak up on you if you drank them too fast.

She and Elena made their way over to the pool tables while Damon stayed at the bar. They played a few games, doing surprisingly well, at least they thought so in their inebriated state. They were both fun drunks, as Renfri had discovered by going to some of the rowdier high school parties in the last two years. They could let loose and were able to dance and be happy with no insecurities or anxiety holding them back after too many drinks, as opposed to people who were angry or sad drunks.

Elena's phone began to ring, right as she did a little hop and threw her hands in the air to celebrate sinking a ball into a corner pocket. Renfri giggled as the teenager went to answer it.

"Hello?...Jennaaa! Hold on, it's–it's loud in here," she struggled to throw her light jacket on as she held the phone to her ear with her shoulder. Renfri giggled again and grabbed the phone that was about to fall, holding it to her ear as they both stumbled out the bar door side by side. Elena bumped into the railing of the handicap ramp leading to the side entrance, tripping Ren, and the phone slipped from the girl's fingers, clattering to the ground as they both grasped for the rail while groaning a bit. Elena scrambled for the phone and as soon as she brought it up to her ear again, she barely got a word out before it was ripped away from her and tossed to the ground. Renfri's vision blurred and she felt her world tilt as something wrapped around her waist and lifted her like a sack of potatoes, then moved far too quickly. Her stomach turned a bit at the sudden and violent movement, but she managed to settle it by breathing a bit once they'd stopped. All of a sudden, she was dropped to the pavement, groaning. As she managed to sit up, she saw that Elena was getting on her feet, cautiously facing a man with a very angry face.

Renfri hauled herself up, using a nearby chain link fence, sobering quickly as she took in the situation. They were standing in an open lot surrounded by fencing and what looked like warehouses and metal industrial structures. There was a lone lamp hanging over a closed garage door of a building and another in the distance glowing faintly. Renfri scowled at the man, no, vampire. What else could he be if he could grab both of them and move blindingly fast. She glanced around, trying to figure out what direction she should run in or even for anything to use as a weapon. Before she could do anything, the vampire appeared directly in front of her, grabbing her by the throat and shaking her hard, her face inches away from his own.

"Don't move."

Elena gasped as Renfri choked, one hand clawing at the vampire's hand around her throat. She looked at him through slitted eyes, filled with fear and fury, then suddenly slashed her other hand at his face, aiming for his eyes. Her nails dug in and dragged over his skin in a diagonal direction shortly, drawing blood, before her wrist was grabbed in a vice grip and yanked down. The man hissed and threw her to the ground, hard. Renfri tried to gasp for air as his hand left her throat, but it was completely knocked out of her as her body slammed into the ground, leaving her wheezing on the asphalt. She glanced up at him, tears in her eyes, and saw a few red lines cutting across his right eyebrow, over an eye, and under it, but they healed in seconds, leaving only smudges of blood.

The vampire glared at her then reached down and grabbed a fistful of her hair and yanked her up, forcing her to scramble to her feet while catching her breath and grunting angrily and in pain.

"You, over there," he barked at Elena, pointing to a metal ladder on the side of a structure made up of crisscrossing support framing. Renfri grabbed at the man's wrist, trying to take some of the force that was tugging at her scalp as he started dragging her in the same direction as Elena, but on the opposite side of the fence around the structure, leading into a gap between the fence and a smaller building that was completely dark. She panicked, not sure of what this vampire was going to do once she was taken down that dark stretch of asphalt.

She took a deep breath and screamed, "UNCLE DA—"

She was cut off with a sharp slap as the man released the red locks then backhanded her, sending her to the ground again, her ears ringing from the impact of his hand against her face and her elbows scraping raw on the rough surface. She lay there, dazed, and could hear the shallow, hurried breaths of Elena nearby. Renfri felt herself being hauled up in the grasp of the vampire and he placed her quietly on the shadowed ground before she could even think to fight back again, just as she saw her uncle speed into the near empty lot and stop to look around suspiciously. He spotted Elena just as she called out to warn him away.

"Damon, no!"

Renfri sat up slowly and swayed a bit, still dizzy but also pissed from getting her brain knocked around her skull. She looked up to see the vampire was no longer beside her but appeared behind Damon. There was a thud and crack as her uncle cried out in pain and collapsed when the vampire moved quickly to break his legs with an aluminum baseball bat. He swung savagely a few more times, ensuring Damon wouldn't be able to get up anytime soon, then disappeared and returned with a red metal jug, pouring a strong smelling liquid over her uncle, causing him to sputter.

Gasoline.

Elena started to run towards them, yelling "No!" but the vampire turned to her with his fangs and bloodshot eyes out, forcing her to freeze in fear of attack.

Damon spat to prevent the flammable liquid from getting in his mouth, "Who are you?"

"That's perfect," the stranger growled bitterly, "you have no idea."

"What are you talking about, what did he do?" Elena demanded.

The vampire turned to her and bit out, "He nearly killed my girlfriend." He turned back to Damon, pouring more gasoline on him, yelling, "What did she do to you, huh? What did she do to you!?"

The wounded man on the ground muttered, "Nothing," without a hint of remorse, angering the stranger further.

Renfri sighed, she had a hunch on who the man was referring to, so she reached into her pocket for her phone, typing a quick message and getting a reply within seconds, thankfully.

She pulled herself to her feet shakily, still a bit dizzy from the earlier blows, and slowly moved towards the group and out of the shadows, using the chain link fence to support her.

"I don't understand," Elena said.

"My girlfriend went to visit Stefan and Damon tried to kill her and almost succeeded," the man explained and turned to land a swift kick in the face to the man on the ground.

Elena finally made the connection, "Lexi? Lexi is your girlfriend? She told me about you, she said you were human."

He glanced at her and said, "I was," then pulled out a lighter, "if you want to be with someone forever, you have to live forever."

Renfri shuffled up beside Elena and leaned on her for support, letting the girl wrap her arms around her, "Although I definitely don't condone his actions, how can you justify your own, Lee?"

The man paused and turned to her, "How do you know my name?"

The redhead scoffed, "It took me a bit to figure out who you were, but Lexi and I do keep in touch. I think she'd have a bit of a problem with you bitch-slapping her friend into having a concussion for the second time in a day." She noticed Damon shift to glance up at her weak figure leaning on her friend, veins appearing under his darkening eyes in anger.

"I have to agree, sweetie." They all turned to see the topic of their conversation standing a few yards away, a hand on her hip.

Alexia Branson stood in black jeans and heeled boots with a tight grey shirt and admonished her love, "Lee, I told you to leave it alone. I already gave him a beating, as Ren can tell you." She walked a few steps closer to her partner still standing over Damon, "I am upset that you hurt her in your attempt to get at Damon; she is the one that saved me, you know." Lexi strode past the two men and over to her friend, lightly touching her bruising cheek, "I'm sorry, Ren, I should have kept a better eye on him; he's still a bit over-emotional as a newer vampire. I hope you can understand."

Renfri gave an exaggerated sigh, "Yeah, I guess I can, though I'm pissed he didn't leave us out of his revenge fantasy. Did he really not expect me to fight back if a vampire drags me off?"

Damon had tried to subtly lift himself into a sitting position, but Lee quickly kicked him in the face again, sending him to the ground, groaning.

Ren narrowed her eyes at the man as Elena took another step forward and called, "Please, you don't need to hurt him!"

"Lee, you've done more than enough, we're leaving," Lexi turned to him, her eyes sharp.

The man looked at her before reaching down and grabbing Damon by his shirt with both fists, holding him close to his face.

"If you try to hurt her again, I will kill you, as slowly and painfully as possible." Then he twisted and heaved the other vampire over his shoulder, launching him into the garage door across the lot, causing him to slam into the metal and drop onto the asphalt under the dull yellow lamplight, groaning.

Renfri let out a quiet breath of relief as Lee flashed away into the night. Elena quickly ran over to Damon and kneeled to check on him. Ren looked to Lexi who had turned back to her with a sad smile.

"You're looking a little rough, need a pick-me-up?" she asked, offering her wrist. Renfri hesitated then shrugged, nodding.

"Might as well, I already have vampire blood in my system from earlier today." Lexi raised an eyebrow at her questioningly as she used her nail to make a quick cut and let the teenager take a mouthful before pulling back. Ren wiped her mouth and huffed, "We got in a car wreck…Elena saw the Katherine photo after getting intimate with Stefan. She ran out of the boarding house a mess and I followed her." She neglected to tell her about the vampire, she wasn't sure how important they might be yet and didn't want to worry her; Damon had taken care of them, in his own way.

"Geez, I'm glad you two are alright now. I've got to go and make sure Lee doesn't do something else stupid. Keep in touch!" She gave Ren a quick hug and waved to Elena before disappearing to follow her partner.

The redhead looked over to her uncle and joined Elena at his side, feeling steadier now that she'd taken more vampire blood. He was sitting up now and she heard the sickening snaps and grunts as he pushed the bones in his legs back into place to heal correctly. She crouched in front of him and laid her arms over her knees as he finished up.

"Do you regret it yet?" she asked dryly.

He glared at her as he straightened his legs out and leaned back on his elbows, letting them heal properly for a bit before putting weight on them, "Shut it, Red."

She shrugged and stood again, offering her hands to pull him up. He ignored her and pushed himself to his feet on his own, "Let's go, we're heading back."

They headed back to the bar, which was only a few streets over from the little area they had been taken to. Elena and Ren went to wait by the car in the nearly empty lot, it looked like the bar was closing, as Damon went inside. As the brunette leaned against the car to wait, her friend realized something.

"Ah, shit, I left my hoodie in there. I'm gonna grab it," she told Elena and headed for the entrance, shivering a bit. She had gotten hot from all the drinking and bouncing around with her friend, so she had stripped it off, leaving her in a t-shirt and her leggings with her sneakers. As she opened the door and took a few steps into the empty barroom, she froze when she saw the oldest Salvatore standing in front of Bree, who was looking upset and wary.

"And you're telling me this, why?" Damon responded to something the woman had said.

When she responded with, "Lexi's my friend, how could I let you get away with trying to kill her?" She shook her head and turned to try to walk away, but Damon flashed in front of her, making her jump.

"Uncle Damon," Renfri called cautiously. He ignored her, anger in his eyes through his face was blank, and took another step closer to the tall woman.

"The tomb can be opened!" she said hurriedly.

He tilted his head and eyed her, "You're lying."

"Emily's grimoire, her spell book! If you know how she closed the tomb, the reversal process will be in her book; you can open that tomb!"

"And where is this book?" he asked lowly, another step closer. Ren slowly approached the two, breathing shallowly in her worry.

"I–I–" the woman stuttered.

"You have no idea," the vampire interrupted her, forcing her back against the counter as he got in close. Renfri chose to step in here, seeing the woman shaking with fear and a dark look in her uncle's eyes.

"Damon, let's go," she said quietly, and reached out to grab his sleeve, hoping it would feel less like she was trying to restrict him than if she had grabbed his actual arm, not wanting him to lash out in response to any attempt to control him.

He ignored her again, maintaining eye contact with the terrified witch.

She tried again, "If you kill her, Lexi won't let it go this time. She might actually kill you for killing her friend."

He finally responded, tilting his chin toward her a little but not breaking eye contact with Bree.

"But it's okay for her friend to call her boytoy to kill me? To hurt you?" At that, Bree glanced at the teenager nervously, awaiting her response that could determine whether she lived or died.

Renfri sighed, "Of course it's not okay. I'm not happy about it either," she tightened her grip on his sleeve and tugged a bit, "but retaliating will only make it worse. We already have problems waiting for us back home, we don't need to worry about another one sneaking up on us." His eyes finally flicked to hers when she alluded to not only the tomb but also the vampire that had caused them to roll the car. He glared at Bree for another few moments, then stepped back, his shoulders tight.

He turned away from the woman but tossed over his shoulder, "Try anything else and I'll rip out your heart, whether it's problematic for me or not." He grabbed his jacket from the back of a chair as he passed on his way to the door. Renfri watched him for a second before glancing at the witch.

"You're fucking welcome," she spat out, also admittedly angry after realizing she had called Lee in an attempt to kill her uncle, getting her and Elena caught in the crossfire as well. How did she think that made her any better than Damon? She snatched her hoodie from a barstool and pulled it on before hurrying after him. Outside the bar, they headed over to his car where Elena waited tiredly.

They got in, Ren wrinkling her nose and muttering, "You reek of gasoline."

"Again, shut it, Red," he retorted as she snorted. "I'm gonna have to get the interior cleaned," he grumbled and rolled down the windows as he drove down the highway.

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

As they arrived back at the boarding house several hours later in the mid-morning light, Elena and Renfri hauled themselves out of the blue Camaro and trudged inside tiredly. They'd only managed to nap for a few hours each, taking turns to stretch out on the backseat. Elena headed right upstairs, probably to Stefan to set things straight regarding being a Katherine look-alike. Damon disappeared upstairs to rid himself of the stench of gasoline clinging to him and discard his highly flammable clothes. Ash came bounding down the stairs past him and eagerly greeted Renfri as she knelt to hug and scratch him in kind. She headed upstairs to shower and change, returning downstairs to lounge on the couch with Ash, finish her homework, and hopefully catch up on some of the reading she'd missed due to her mandatory field trip.

Damon came down soon after and immediately went to pour himself a glass of bourbon before settling on the couch opposite his niece.

She glanced up at him, and asked quietly, mindful of the other vampire upstairs, "Hey, what happened the other night with our undead reporter? Did anything come of it?"

He looked up at her before glancing up, listening to make sure Stefan's attention was on his conversation with Elena, before saying, "No, I was on my way there when Liz called to thank me for staking him."

"What? When did you do that?"

He shook his head, "I didn't."

She furrowed her brow, "So who did? It can't have been anyone on the council, they would have taken credit and Liz would have known."

"I don't know, but we might have a vampire hunter in town, not to mention the vamp that went after you and Elena."

Renfri sighed, "Well, that's just great. Maybe they'll take each other out."

He chuckled and lifted his glass, "Here's hoping."

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

**Reviews are greatly appreciated!