Cursed Blood and Bound Fates
Chapter 10
Renfri went home after their odd encounter with Trudie Peterson and the creepy lurker in the street. She was changing to go help Caroline run the ticket table for the bachelor fundraiser at the Grill that night. She donned a gray sweater dress with black leggings and knee high boots before adding a touch of makeup and heading downstairs with her phone and purse. She dropped food in Ash's bowl in the kitchen before going to search for Stefan and Elena, they were supposed to be carpooling together. She wandered up to Stefan's room in search of him but instead found Elena leaning away from a drunk looking (and shirtless) Damon.
"Wrecked, you looked wrecked," Elena was saying.
He shrugged his shoulders lazily, "No reason why. Do you know that I am one of Mystic Falls most eligible bachelors?" Elena just humphed while Renfri announced her presence.
"How'd you get roped into that? Did Carol Lockwood corner you?" she asked with a smirk.
"Actually, it was Liz, who was in turn hounded by Carol," he said, pointing a finger at her and she nodded.
"How are you doing?" Elena asked and, of course, was deflected.
"Never better, yup. What can I do for yah? I'm a barrel of favors today, someone who found purpose, how can I help people?" They watched him pull a button up shirt on and face a standing mirror.
"I'm just meeting Stefan, we're going to the fundraiser," Elena said easily.
"Same, they're my ride," Renri added as Damon struggled to get the first button through the opening.
"Ah, help a guy out would you? I can't get this," he said as he turned around, trying again. Elena sighed in exasperation but walked over to help, causing Renfri to raise an eyebrow at the both of them. She was surprised that Elena was falling for it, she hadn't seen Damon lose any of his dexterity even when he was drunk; a benefit of being a vampire. He was exaggerating how drunk he was and putting on a show to play with Elena, she guessed he was only a little tipsy in reality. She leaned against the doorframe with her arms crossed. As Elena buttoned the top button she smiled to herself and looked up at him.
"So, I found out who my birth mother is," she started, but her smile faded soon after.
"Ugh, who cares," she looked back up at him, her smile gone, but he elaborated, "she left you, she sucks." Renfri didn't quite agree but couldn't say he was entirely wrong. Isabel had abandoned Elena, but she was only sixteen at the time and probably couldn't take care of a baby. Nobody's ready to be a mother at that age. Elena had softened a bit, realizing it was a somewhat well-meaning comment, but Stefan stepped in from behind Ren.
She turned away from Damon and made her way over to him, "Stefan, there you are."
"Speaking of, why are you getting ready in his room?" Ren asked her older uncle, who just shrugged.
"Ugh, I need a new jacket," he groaned as he slipped on, then off, one of his leather jackets, "You know, the occasional sorority girl might, um, help fill you out a little bit." Then he walked out, buttoning his shirt easily, while Renfri watched him without surprise. Elena watched in shock and irritation.
"He's fine," she said, looking after him in astonishment, and even Stefan smiled in amusement.
"He's Damon."
"Maybe this heartache will be good for him, it'll remind him that he has one even if it doesn't beat," she said with annoyance.
Ren laughed as Stefan said, "I won't hold my breath."
Elena changed the subject, "So, I went to see Trudie Peterson…"
Stefan's face shifted to surprise and worry so she quickly added, "I know, I'm sorry, I didn't plan it."
"I went with her, we were already out for lunch so we stopped by," Ren added.
He crossed his arms, looking between the two girls, "How was it?"
"She had vervain," Elena told him.
"And she was careful not to invite us inside verbally, she definitely knew about vampires. She totally panicked when I called her out on it," the redhead added.
"It can't be a coincidence," Elena insisted while Stefan just nodded.
"It isn't," he said and pulled out a folded paper from his pocket. Renfri came up next to them, curious. "This is Alaric's wife," he said as he unfolded a picture that was clearly an older version of the dark haired cheerleader from the yearbook.
"This is her, this is Isabel," Elena said quickly, "He gave you this?"
"Everything he learned about vampires, he learned from her. He believes that she was killed by one."
"Oh my god," Elena mumbled in shock while Renfri's brows raised even higher on her forehead.
"Listen, Elena, there's a lot about Isabel that Alaric can tell you, but I need you to hold off for a little while before you talk to him."
She looked confused, "Why?"
Renfri spoke up, "I mean, I'm sure it's a lot for him to find out his wife had a kid he didn't know about, who is now his student, on top of her being killed by a vampire. He's probably traumatized as it is, probably good to give the man some space to process before you bombard him with questions, Elena."
"I know it's a lot to ask of you, but will you do that, for me?" Stefan asked, pulling out the puppy dog eyes. Elena hesitated but nodded reluctantly.
As Elena moved to head downstairs Renfri held out a hand to stop Stefan.
She waited until she heard Elena's shoes on the stairs before she whispered, "You think the vampire was Damon, don't you?" He nodded grimly so she continued, "And you're going to ask him about her?"
Another nod, "Yeah, I have to, Alaric's getting impatient."
She let out a breath, "Just be careful. Damon's already suspicious of him because of the surprise interrogation at the dance and the journal thing. If you push the issue with him, he'll get suspicious, and he seems like he's in the mood to fuck with people right now."
Stefan said nothing but pressed his lips together, his face serious as she turned around and left to follow Elena.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Renfri sat at the ticket table with Caroline as Carol announced over a microphone that tickets were now on sale and people began to wander over with cash out. Elena stood with them and Matt as Caroline bragged about her boyfriend being 'cougar-bait.' The blonde girl suddenly sat up straight and plastered a fake smile on her face.
"Hi, Ms. Donavon!"
A middle-aged woman in a short, dark dress that clung to her body approached them, completely ignoring Caroline and looked straight at Elena with a wide grin.
"Elena, honey!"
"Hi Kelly, long time no see, how are you doing?" Elena said while hugging her with a smile.
"Same old, oh, Matty tells me you broke his heart," the woman said with a pout, making Renfri cringe as the jock protested.
"Just kidding, calm down!" she assured, then said in a low (but far from subtle) tone, "He found his rebound girl," and glanced right at Caroline, making everyone sit in the tension she created. Kelly quickly handed Caroline some cash, "Here you go, sweetheart, however many that will get me. I just hope I don't get bachelor number three; I dated him in high school, not impressive…in any way." Renfri wrinkled her nose and decided that she couldn't hold back any longer.
"Wow, real classy. Aren't you a little old to be gossiping like a high school drama queen, Ms. Donavon?" the redhead quipped. The woman blinked in surprise, not expecting to be called out by a random teenager, but Renfri just sat there and stared right back. The three other teenagers were standing with their mouths gaping in shocked silence.
"Oh, you kids need to learn how to take a joke," the woman waved a hand, attempting to play it off lightly.
"Or you just need to grow up. What are you, fifty going on thirteen?" Renfri snapped, causing the older woman to frown openly now and Caroline slapped a hand over her mouth hastily.
"Okay, enjoy the raffle, Ms. Donavon," she said with a fixed smile, still holding a hand over Renfri's mouth as she tried to talk around it, though the sound only came out muffled as she glared at the catty woman. Kelly Donovan eyed the redhead nastily before turning around and strutting away in her ridiculously high heels.
Caroline let go of Renfri and whipped around to face her, "Where the hell did that come from!?"
Renfri huffed, "First of all, you're welcome. Second of all, I'm not going to apologize. If a grown ass woman is going to act like a fucking thirteen year old mean girl to my friend, I'm going to treat her like one." She glanced at Matt who stood there looking both stunned and mildly impressed, "No offense, Matt."
He shook his, "None taken, I know she's a lot. It's actually good to see someone put her in her place for once." He gave her an amused grin before turning away as he was called to continue bussing tables. Caroline beamed and hugged Renfri tightly while Elena offered her a small smile in support.
The brunette glanced around the room and noticed Alaric not too far away. However, when they made eye contact, he quickly looked away and moved in the opposite direction, making Elena wilt.
"Leave him be for now," Ren murmured to her as Caroline handled another customer, "Judging by that reaction, Jenna confirmed it with him. He's probably not ready to talk if he just found out, give him space." She looked unsatisfied but nodded nonetheless, moving on to find her aunt in the crowd.
As she helped Caroline sell tickets for the raffle, Ren looked around the room in boredom and noticed Damon flirting with the mayor's wife, unsurprisingly, only for him to be waved over by Sheriff Forbes with a manila folder. Ren furrowed her brows as she watched the interaction, seeing him move straight over to the woman as they opened the folder together while talking. Her eyes widened when Damon flipped to something in the folder in interest then turned around and quickly found someone in the crowd, staring with a devious look in his eyes.
She followed his gaze to…Alaric Saltzman.
She didn't get a chance to decide if she should tell someone, though she wasn't sure what to say. She assumed that he had the sheriff look into Alaric but she didn't know what he found or knew. The bachelor's were called to the stage before she could do more than contemplate the situation. She left the ticket table to go sit with Elena and Jenna to watch the introductions and raffle.
They introduced the third bachelor as a plumber and Renfri silently wished that he would go to Kelly Donovan, it would be a fitting act of karma. Next, they interviewed Alaric, who proved to be a little less sure of himself than normal, fumbling awkwardly a bit. Finally, they moved to Damon and admitted that they didn't have much info on him, so he proceeded to deflect tactfully: turning a supposedly interesting fact reveal into a chance to be a first-rate asshole.
"Oh, yeah, I love to travel; LA, New York. A couple years ago I was in North Carolina, near the Duke campus, actually. I think—" he turned toward the history teacher beside him, "I think Alaric went to school there, didn't you, Ric?" Renfri's face screwed up, wondering what he was doing. "Yeah, 'cause I know your wife did. I had a drink with her once." She felt Elena stiffen up next to her and slowly sit up straighter, losing her smile as Renfri's stomach dropped. "She was a great girl," he went on, smiling tauntingly at the teacher while Carol looked a little lost while holding out the microphone, "Did I ever tell you that? 'Cause she was just…delicious."
Jenna turned from the stage to Elena, unsure what was happening while Elena looked like she'd just been slapped.
"Shit," Renfri breathed, and slipped her hand over Elena's on the table and grasped it tightly.
Jenna leaned over and asked, "Are you okay?"
"I just need some air," Elena said quickly and scrambled out of her seat, heading for the side door. Renfri glared in the direction of the stage before jumping up to quickly follow her, Stefan right in step with her. They stepped outside just as Elena was wrapping her coat around her and taking deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself.
"Elena–"
"He killed her? Damon was the vampire that killed her?" she asked immediately, cutting Stefan off.
"I don't know what happened, Alaric said that they never found a body—"
"Oh my god, Stefan…"
"I know, I'm sorry, I wanted to tell you but I wanted to know more and be sure."
Elena turned to Renfri, "Did you know about this?"
Ren shook her head, "No, I only suspected it when we talked about it right before we left tonight, but I was waiting to see if Stefan could get anything out of Damon."
Elena just shook her head, becoming angry, "I was feeling sorry for him, hoping that this whole Katherine thing would change him, I'm so stupid."
Renfri quickly refuted her, "No, Elena, he's not trying to hurt you. I don't think he even knows about your connection to Isabel. I'm sure he's just figured out that Stefan was asking questions about her for Ric and decided to be a spiteful dick in public this time, especially since he was suspicious of him already."
Stefan added, "I already thought about confronting him, but he's so on edge lately–"
Elena had been shifting back and forth anxiously and snapped at this, "Why are you protecting him!?"
Stefan's conflicting emotions were plain on his face, "Because you're not the only one hoping that he might actually change."
Renfri nodded, agreeing with him, "I think he already started but having his trust betrayed stunted that, along with finding out Katherine wasn't ever in the tomb." She put a hand on Elena's arm, squeezing it, "He needed to break before he could change, and that doesn't mean it'll happen overnight; no one changes that fast." Elena didn't say anything and looked away, trying to deal with it when her gaze caught on something and her brows furrowed.
"That man…"
Renfri turned to look and grew concerned, "That's the creep who was staring at us outside of Trudie's house."
Stefan watched the man further down the busy sidewalk as he urged them to move, "Come on, let's go back inside."
They arrived back inside the Grill just as the winner of bachelor number three was being announced.
"That's me," an older woman called out, moving through the crowd, her face far from enthusiastic.
Carol smiled winningly, "Ah, Kelly Donovan, lovely. You and the plumber should have so much fun." Renfri could hear the elitist snobbery in her tone, which she would normally despise, but in this case she could appreciate it and couldn't help her lips from twitching up as she moved across the floor. Elena had gone to the bathroom to gather herself and freshen up, so Renfri moved to wait just outside for her, taking the chance to be away from others as well as she leaned against the wall facing the door. She was lost in thought and didn't notice the man approaching, so when Elena opened the door she couldn't warn her, causing the brunette to walk straight into them.
"Whoa, easy there, buy a ticket like everyone else," Damon said with a smirk. Elena immediately went from quietly fuming to pissed.
"Did you enjoy that? Rubbing it in to Alaric Saltzman?" she asked bitterly.
Damon looked at her in confusion, "What?" He glanced at Renfri, calmly holding up the wall, but she just raised an eyebrow at him accusingly.
"Just as I was starting to think that there was something redeemable about you," Elena continued. Stefan came up behind his brother and called her name quietly, but she ignored it. Renfri continued to watch the train wreck that was unfolding in front of her, knowing that there was no stopping Elena and Damon needed to know that he'd fucked up; maybe it would help push him out of his funk.
"Am I missing something here?" Damon asked, turning to look at his brother, only to turn back to the teenager currently chastising him.
"Did I forget to mention, earlier when we were talking, about my birth mother? The one that gave me up?" Elena said with false ease, her brown eyes accusing.
"Mhmm," the dark haired vampire responded with an easy smile on his lips.
Elena stared him dead in the eyes and said lowly, "Her name was Isabel." Damon's smile dropped immediately, his eyes darting back and forth between hers and brows pulling down. "Go ahead, reminisce about how you killed her," the girl finished with angry tears in her eyes then pushed past him to go outside again with Stefan following. Damon looked after her, looking shocked and unsure what to do. He turned back to his niece who just looked at him with disappointment in her eyes.
"I think that's a sign for you to get your shit together, Uncle Damon."
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Renfri walked into the boarding house with a tired sigh and crouched down to pet Ash and give him a quick hug, she needed a bit of comfort from her buddy after the night they'd just had. Stefan had texted her about the man from before confronting them outside the Grill, telling Elena to stop looking for Isabel, and confirming the theory that she was now a vampire since the man was compelled to then step into traffic once the message was delivered. She led her Dutch Shepherd into the side yard to do his business and she stood there, hands in her coat pocket and staring up at the stars. She let her breath out in a cloud of fog, wondering if her life would ever be normal again. They'd had a bit of a break during the winter holidays, disregarding her uncle's obnoxious and unsavory coping mechanisms, but now it seemed that this crap with Isabel was going to become an issue as well. She called out to Ash to come back and they headed inside again, locking the side door. She kicked off her shoes by the stairs, intending on taking them up with her after reheating some leftovers, when she heard a loud noise further into the house. Her head snapped up, listening carefully as she paused midway through taking her coat off. She heard two voices down the hall and, knowing that Stefan hadn't come home yet because he was still with Elena, she hurried in the direction they were coming from with soft steps. She approached the larger study that had the big desk and leather sofas around the roaring fireplace, hearing her older uncle's voice.
"She came to me, all pathetic, looking for vampires. But, there was something about her, something I liked, something special."
"You turned her because you liked her?" That was the voice of Alaric Saltzman, and Renfri hurried her pace, stepping around the corner and into the room as Damon retorted.
"No, I slept with her because I liked her. I turned her because she begged me to," he said with no mercy, staring the kneeling man down. Damon continued to taunt him, "But you knew that too, didn't you, hmm? I guess she wasn't happy at home, she wasn't happy in general, she wasn't happy with you—"
Alaric lurched to his feet just as Renfri moved through the doorway, the desperate teacher a few feet in front of her and Damon several feet further, leisurely moving towards the man with a mocking swagger.
They turned to her as she said loudly, "What the fuck is going on in here!?" Alaric's eyes flicked between her and Damon in a panic. He lunged at the girl, taking her by surprise as he grabbed her, arm across her throat to hold her against him and pressed the tip of a wooden stake against the center of her back. Damon straightened, no longer smiling as his eyes focused on his niece when she yelped. She grabbed at the man's arm and arched her spine away, but his grip was tight and unyielding in his desperation.
"What the hell are you doing?" the girl yelled, becoming furious despite the fear creeping into her mind. Damon shifted his weight forward, anger in his eyes, but Alaric pushed the sharp tip of the stake into her back and she felt the sting of it breaking her skin, making her gasp and stiffen.
"Stop," the teacher demanded, "if you make a move, I'll stake her right here!" The man was panting hard, the panic and fury clear in his voice, as the vampire still several feet away watched him with sharp eyes.
"Wait, stake me?!" Renfri exclaimed, confused.
"You're one of them, aren't you? I saw the three of you kill that vampire during the dance, you were with them," the man spit angrily in her ear.
"I'm not a fucking vampire, you idiot!" she screeched and thrashed her body, her fury overpowering her reason momentarily and accidentally pushed the tip of the wood into her back more, making herself bleed a bit. She sucked in a breath and stilled again, though still fuming.
Damon's chin lifted a bit, smelling the blood, and narrowed his eyes.
"She's human, let her go…or I'll remove your arms from your body, permanently," the vampire across from them threatened lowly. Alaric's eyes bounced back and forth from the two, unsure what to believe or what to do to get out of the situation he'd put himself in.
The next second, a deep growl rumbled from behind them.
A four legged figure emerged from the shadowed hallway, revealing silver brindle fur, its muzzle wrinkled back into a toothy snarl. Damon gave a harsh laugh.
"Or maybe Kujo over there will do that for me, he's quite protective of her," he said with a grin, though still poised to move at a moment's notice.
"Ash, warten," Renfri called, telling the dog to wait. He paused a couple feet away but continued to growl at the man holding his owner hostage.
"Alaric," she hissed, "I've got fuck all to do with your wife, and just because I'm related to vampires doesn't mean I am one or should be blamed for what they do. But if you decide to take your anger out on me, that dog will tear your throat out before you can do any major damage to me…and I won't tell him to stop. So it's your choice: let me go and walk out of here or excruciating death by canine. And if the dog doesn't finish it, Damon sure will." Her uncle grinned in acknowledgement as Alaric's eyes flicked to the vampire again.
The man behind her seemed to hesitate and measure his options as the two predators kept their eyes locked on him. His grip on her loosened marginally and the stake pulled back by a centimeter, lightening the pressure. He hesitated for a few seconds, trying to figure out what to do, and Renfri took that chance.
"Hol ihn," she hissed, and Ash lunged.
The sharp wood dug deeper into her skin as the man tried to push them forward and away from the attacking dog, making her bleed further and cringe. As the canine's teeth dug into the man's calf he shouted in pain and pulled the arm with the stake back to try and swing at the dog. Renfri quickly threw her elbow back into his gut just as Damon flashed over, ripping the man's arm away from her neck and pulling her behind him. The dog let go of the hunter's leg, startled by the vampire's sudden appearance, and in an instant, Damon grabbed the injured man by the throat and threw him across the room to land in a heap by the fireplace.
"Ash, fuss," Renfri ordered, telling Ash to come to her side. The dog continued to bare its teeth and growl at Alaric as it slunk over to its owner's side, standing guard. The man wheezed on the floor and groaned in pain, wincing when he put weight on the leg with deep gouges from the canine's teeth as he tried to stand, blood soaking through the fabric and sliding down his calf.
Damon faced the hunter as he attempted to catch his breath and scramble to his feet, leaning heavily to one side and propping himself up with the arm of the leather chair. The vampire circled around the sofa to approach the man, smiling threateningly.
"I warned you, fair is fair," he said easily, more calm now that Renfri was behind him and halfway across the room from the threat. His niece stood stiffly behind the sofas, several feet from the doorway, with her dog standing so close that his fur brushed against her legs. She watched wearily as her uncle stopped a few feet away from Alaric.
"Damon, maybe you should just compel him. That way he's not a problem anymore and we don't have to cover up another mysterious death," she suggested, but her uncle scoffed.
"Yeah, I don't think that's gonna work. I can smell the vervain on him, isn't that right, Alaric?" he replied mockingly. "Might as well die fighting and with your mind intact, right? Seeing as you have no one left who cares, certainly not your wife—"
At this, the hunter grunted and lunged at Damon with the stake, swinging for his heart. Damon simply grabbed his arm and forced his hand inward, forcing the man to shove the stake into his own chest. Alaric gasped in pain as the vampire moved to stand behind him, holding the stake in place while the hunter tried to pull it out, eyes wide with pain and panic.
Renfri watched uneasily but didn't protest, the man did try to take her hostage and might have killed her. She had liked him as a teacher, but he shouldn't have dragged her into his attempt at revenge on Damon.
"It's a shame," the dark haired young man said, "we're kindred spirits, abandoned by the women we love. Unrequited love sucks." Then he ripped the wood out of the teacher's chest, making him gasp for air only to make an odd, high wheezing sound instead.
"Sounds like I got a lung, which means I get to sit here and watch you die," the vampire finished and let the man drop to the floor on his back as he tried and failed to take a breath, clutching at his chest as he quietly suffocated in front of the flickering fire. Renfri felt bad that he wasn't dying very quickly, suffocating from a collapsed lung was not an easy way to go, she looked away as Damon grabbed a glass of bourbon from the table and took a sip. He stared into the flames as the man convulsed for a minute or so before finally going still. Then glanced at her when he felt her eyes on him, seeing her looking at him tiredly while soothing her agitated canine guardian.
"Thanks for the help, but, couldn't you have killed him faster? Making him suffocate was…a bit much," she said quietly. He just waved his glass at her lazily.
"He attacked both of us, he got what he deserved, especially since you didn't even do anything to him." She just shook her head, knowing it wasn't worth arguing at that point. She straightened up and grimaced when her shirt tugged the drying blood of the wound on her back.
Damon looked up and put the glass down, "He hurt you?"
She nodded, "Managed to dig the tip of the stake a little deeper into my back. I don't think it's too bad. Can you help me clean it up? I don't want it to get infected and I can't reach it." He got up and eyed the spot on her gray shirt that had a patch of red a few inches wide that had bled threw and nodded, disappearing and returning with a small first aid kit. She started to lift her shirt, grumbling when the shirt stuck to the already drying blood. Her uncle helped to pull the edge of the shirt the rest of the way up, nearly to her shoulders.
He was dabbing a cotton ball soaked in peroxide on the damaged skin, making her hiss, as the other Salvatore entered the room. He froze, looking at Renfri who was now getting ointment spread onto a gouge on her back by Damon, then to the body on the rug in front of the fireplace.
"What happened, what did you do?" he directed to his brother, moving to check the dead man.
Damon looked at him innocently, "Do what? He attacked me, then Red."
"Damon," he said exasperatedly.
Her older uncle shrugged as he laid a bandage over her treated wound, "All I did was tell him the truth. His wife didn't want him anymore, not my fault he couldn't handle it."
"Like you've been handling Katherine?" Stefan accused but only got an eye roll.
"I'm handling it fine." Renfri snorted and Damon gave a light slap to the newly bandaged wound, making her flinch and glare back at him as she pulled her shirt down.
She turned to face her other uncle, "Stefan, as soon as I walked in, Alaric took me hostage and threatened to stake me, thinking I was a vampire. So sue me for siccing Ash on the guy and letting Damon at him when I could have been seriously hurt or killed. He chose to walk in here prepared to attack Damon, knowing who he was, so it's his own fault."
Damon grabbed his glass and took another sip, "You know what, Isabel came to me, she found me. And if she's related to Elena, that means she's related to Katherine. Maybe Katherine sent her to me?" He speculated.
Renfri shook her head in disappointment as Stefan told him, "Stop it. You don't have to keep looking!"
Damon shook his head stubbornly, "It can't be a coincidence that Isabel sought me out, mm-mm, it can't."
Renfri spoke up, frustrated at his new train of thought, "Even if it was Katherine that sent her to you, which we don't know, that doesn't mean she cares. It just means that she used you." Damon frowned at her as she kneeled down to stroke Ash, comforting him and herself.
He gestured at the body and said to Stefan, "I assume you'll take care of this?" then walked out. Renfri just sighed and got to her feet then headed upstairs with her companion, eager to crawl into her bed.
She didn't hear the sputtered gasps of the previously dead man coming back to life a minute later.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Renfri was shocked to hear from Stefan the next morning that Alaric hadn't stayed dead and her jaw dropped when she walked into history class first period after seeing it for herself. The teacher looked at her warily before turning away and ignoring her for the entirety of the period. She went through the next few days praying that nothing else would happen, Stefan had said that Alaric wouldn't attack them again and would leave her alone, knowing that she's human now. She was still irritated at the man for hurting her and taking her hostage, but she let it slide mostly so she could get through their class together, though she chose not to engage with him if she could help it.
Caroline had informed her of the double date she had arranged between her, Matt, Stefan, and Elena. Ren couldn't help but laugh when she heard the idea, making the blonde pout. She wished them luck before heading off to her afternoon classes. She had a track meet after school that day and didn't get home until later that night. She smiled and waved as she saw Stefan and Elena standing outside one of the open garage doors.
"Hey, is the double date over already?" she called out teasingly as she approached with a smile.
The two laughed as Stefan shook his head, "Nah, we just gave Matt and Caroline a chance to bond a little, it's been a bit awkward so far. I let them take my Porsche for a drive since Matt got it running."
Renfri's eyes widened in surprise, "The 1963 Porsche that's been sitting in the garage forever? Zach told me it wasn't his or my dad's, so I should have guessed it was yours or Damon's. It is a beautiful car; you should actually drive it now that it's running again."
He nodded, smiling, "I plan on it."
The cherry red Porsche came back up the drive just then and Matt and Caroline got out of the vehicle smiling. They all decided to head inside to check out the boarding house since the blonde couple was curious, Renfri leading the way since she had to get cleaned up too. As they moved through the foyer, Renfri paused while passing the hallway, coming upon a repulsive sight.
"Oh, Christ, why'd it have to be that old bitch?" Renfri blurted out, then slapped her hand over her mouth as she glanced over her shoulder at Matt, who came up behind her. He looked at her oddly before he saw the two people making out heavily against the wall, peering at them in confusion then recognition.
"Mom?"
The woman glanced their way as the other three joined them, all staring in surprise.
"Damon?" Caroline said in disgust.
"Oh my god, oh my god," the older woman sputtered as she slid off the younger man that was leaning against the wall and grabbed her jacket, avoiding all eye contact as she moved past them to the door. Matt shook his head in embarrassment and went to take her home. The rest of the group turned to glare at Damon, who looked back and said nothing, just poured himself another drink.
"Now you're going for older women who look like coked up hookers? Jesus Christ, please get your shit together," Renfri said with contempt before turning to go upstairs to shower. She cleaned up quickly and immediately went back down, leaving Ash napping on his dog bed in her bedroom with the door closed, just as Stefan was coming back in from saying goodbye to Elena and Caroline. She followed him into the study, knowing he was about to lecture his brother, and anticipated watching the two bicker as well as including a word or two herself.
They found him lounging on a leather chair by the fire, nursing his drink. Stefan walked down the steps and approached him from behind the sofa and opposite chair, his head tilted to one side.
Damon made a face, "Don't look at me like that—"
"Are you crazy?" Stefan said right away.
"Your standards have dropped so far it's honestly pathetic," Renfri said with fake sympathy, leaning against the doorway with arms crossed.
"Save the lecture. Look—"
CRASH!
The tall window by Stefan exploded inward, bringing with it what looked like a small dead tree, roots and all, that knocked her younger uncle to the floor. Damon jumped to his feet as Renfri startled with a gasp. Some of the branches had stabbed into Stefan's skin, making him groan in pain as he pushed it away from himself. Damon sped to the window, looking out, then flashed outside to go after whoever had sent the tree through the glass. Renfri gave Stefan a hand up before he jumped through the window to support his brother in whatever fight he had gotten into, judging by the thuds and smacking sounds she was faintly hearing from outside. She ran over to the window and peeked out, knowing better than to step outside just yet if it was vampires that were attacking. She saw Damon trading blows with a man in dark clothes and dark, short hair and a beard. She also noticed Stefan fighting a woman with tan skin in a blazer and dress pants, looking like she just came back from a day at the office. Stefan had snapped a small branch off the dead tree on his way past and had swung it at the woman's chest after deflecting a punch, being stopped only inches away from his target. The stranger held his wrist still and grabbed his throat with her other hand and Stefan reflexively tried to pull it away. They were stuck in a stalemate for a few seconds, struggling to overpower each other, Renfri noticing Damon head butting his opponent from the corner of her eye, when Stefan spun them around, using the momentum to slam the woman into the brick side of the house, right by the window Renfri was standing at the edge of.
Renfri jumped with a yelp, and stumbled, tripping on the roots of the dead tree lying on the floor and hitting her shins on the base of the broken window, sending her face first outside and onto the grass. She panicked when she realized that she had gone outside the boundary of the house, now exposed to the two vampires fighting her uncles. The woman, still against the wall and not even a foot away from the girl, took full advantage and kicked her in the ribs savagely, sending her tumbling across the ground and knocking the air from her lungs.
"Ren!" Stefan shouted and Damon growled after seeing his niece get injured. She desperately gasped for air while lying on her back, every breath shooting pain through her body and head throbbing from its collision with the earth. She was sure a couple of ribs were cracked and she tried to take shallow breaths to avoid aggravating them, though it would be inevitable as she would have to get up as soon as possible. She glanced up towards Stefan again when she heard a sharp, piercing noise.
She heard the woman grunt in pain amongst the other dull sounds of fists hitting flesh. Renfri pushed herself to her elbows, keeping her weight off her abdomen, and saw the female vampire had collapsed against the bricks, a branch sticking out of her chest as she turned gray in death. Damon slapped the wrists of the male vampire he was fighting down from his neck then tossed him bodily across the stretch of lawn, close to the tree line. He jumped to his feet, the two brothers flashed over to stand between their niece and the man, but he took one look at the dead vampire and fled back into the dark woods. The only thing that could be heard then was their labored breathing and the distant, frantic barking coming from Renfri's bedroom upstairs.
Stefan's chest heaved, touching the wounds on it, "I remember them, from 1864. They were in the tomb."
"Are you fucking kidding me," Renfri groaned from at their feet, and Damon turned around to help her up, leaning over to brush her hair aside to check the scrapes on her face and gently touching her ribs on her left side, making her hiss sharply.
"Yeah, about that…the tomb spell failed and all the vampires got out."
"No shit," she grumbled, holding onto his shoulder as she steadied herself to avoid moving and shifting her ribs. "I think that bitch broke my ribs, it hurts to breath," she bit out.
Damon lifted his wrist that wasn't holding her, "Time for another vein tap?" She reluctantly nodded, knowing that healing ribs would take quite a while and was just painful, and she'd rather avoid that if possible. She requested a cup this time, not wanting to drink from her uncle, that was so awkward last time, and Stefan retrieved a glass for Damon to bleed into. As soon as she had thrown the red liquid back and swallowed before she could think about the taste, she sighed from the immediate sense of relief as her body began to fix itself. Renfri then turned towards Stefan, trying to see if his wounds were healing. Stefan silently nodded, reassuring her that he was okay. They made their way back inside as Damon continued talking.
"Pearl and Anna stopped by earlier to inform me that some of them are staying in a farmhouse at the edge of town and that we are to let them 'rebuild,'" he made quotation marks with his hands at this, "and fork over info on the founders council."
"And you just agreed?" Stefan asked accusingly.
Damon hesitated, "Unwillingly…"
Renfri looked at him quizzically, "What, did she rip out your spleen or something?"
"Close," he grumbled, "jammed her thumbs in my eyes."
Renfri cringed, sucking in a breath through her teeth, "Ah, so that's why today's female conquest was so substandard, you couldn't see properly." Stefan huffed out a reluctant laugh as Damon rolled his perfectly healed eyes at her.
"Yeah, well, Pearl needs to get a handle on her tomb vamps or we're fucked," he replied, shifting the conversation away from himself.
"I'm especially fucked. Human, remember? And they can go after me anytime I leave the house" Renfri said and pressed her lips together tightly. The two brothers glanced at each other in concern.
"I think most of them don't have daylight rings, so you should be okay as long as you get home during the day or with one of us, Stefan said.
She huffed, she was sick of getting injured and being either caught in the crossfire or in the way whenever shit hit the fan. She wanted to be able to defend herself; she couldn't rely on Ash to defend her against vampires. He would only piss them off and was likely to get killed. He wasn't just a pet, he was family, and she couldn't take another loss right then. Renfri wasn't sure how to go about making herself less useless but she wanted it to change, especially if the 'darkness' that Emily had mentioned made its appearance in the form of the tomb vampires seeking vengeance, as the girl had feared.
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**Please review, it's very appreciated!