All I Need

Chapter 1

Mystic Falls, Virginia.

It looked like such a small quiet town. Why her sister would ever come here was beyond her, but then again, big sister always did like places like these. It was so beautiful, the colorful trees gave the town life, nature at its finest. Violet arrived in the town square and looked to the side, seeing a small establishment with people lurking.

Perhaps they would know where she could find her sister?

It was worth a shot as Violet pulled into one of the parking spaces and cut the ignition, sitting there for a few minutes to recollect her thoughts. She looked in the rearview mirror, having long loosely curled auburn hair with glowing hazel eyes, which were currently outlined in black liner. Applying some clear gloss to her lips, Violet stepped out of the car and headed inside to get some answers.

Wearing short black shorts, it went two inches above the knee with a wine colored top that was one sleeved and stretched across her chest. The material was chiffon and flowed down past her hips in a cut design. Her hair was currently piled up on top of her head, a few tendrils framing her angelic face.

Violet pulled open the door to the building and stepped inside, the small fireplace instantly catching her eye. It was a very cozy and Violet didn’t smell any danger in the air, which was a good thing because that’s the last thing she wanted. Heading straight to the bar, Violet sat down on one of the stools and crossed one leg over the other, ordering a strawberry daiquiri from the bartender.

“Wow, who is that?” Matt Donovan commented, sitting at the table with his friends, all of them nursing beers.

Tyler Lockwood smirked, shrugging. “Not sure, never seen her before around here.” He took a long swig of his longneck, turning away from the stranger, already smelling something different about her. “Look I gotta get going.”

“Another late night rendezvous with Date?” Matt teased, nudging his friend and finished off his own longneck, throwing both glass bottles in the trash.

“Something like that.” Tyler tried not to smile and failed miserably. “Shut up, man. I can’t help that I like hanging out with her.”

“You need to make your move and get it over with already.” Matt stated, shaking his head. “Dathan is obviously into you or she wouldn’t want to hang out with you.”

Sighing, Tyler knew Matt was right, but it wasn’t simple either. Granted, he knew Dathan felt something for him, but she made it perfectly clear she just wanted to be friends. Dathan recently got out of a three year relationship with what would’ve been her high school sweetheart, Murray, so she needed time to readjust. As hard as it was, Tyler was patient enough to wait until she was ready to get back on the dating trail again.

“She needs time and I’m giving it to her.” Tyler said simply, pulling his jacket on and straightened the collar. “Tell Caroline I said hi.”

Matt smiled, nodding. “Will do, man.” They shook hands and Tyler exited the bar, leaving Matt standing there looking at the stranger again.

Violet twirled the straw in her drink thoughtfully while listening in to the different conversations that surrounded her. So far, nothing stood out regarding her sister and Violet was starting to think maybe this was a waste of time. She downed half of her drink, ready to leave, when she felt a presence come up behind her.

“Can I get you anything else?” Matt asked politely, holding a tub full of dishes that he’d just cleared from a table nearby.

Slowly turning her head, Violet smiled sweetly as hazel locked on baby blue, considering the boy. “Actually, yes you can.” Turning to fully face him now, Violet suddenly had him in a trance, compelling him. “I’m looking for my sister, Rose.” Whipping out a picture from her wallet, Violet waved it at the blonde. “Have you seen her anywhere?”

Matt was about to say something someone stepped in front of him, severing the compulsion. “There’s no reason to do that to my boyfriend, lady.” A pretty curly blonde with deep blue eyes stated heatedly, folding her arms in front of her chest in a huff.

Just by her scent alone, Violet could tell this was a local vampire and slowly stood up from the stool, nodding. “Very well, shall we talk outside then?” She asked kindly, already walking past her toward the exit, not giving the blonde much of a choice.

Caroline frowned, wondering who this new vampire in town was and looked back at Matt, seeing he was still somewhat dazed from the compulsion. “Stay here.” She ordered, following the woman outside.

“I’m looking for someone.” Violet cut right to the chase, still holding her sister’s picture and raised an eyebrow when the blonde hesitantly came toward her. “You’re very wise to be cautious.”

Caroline shoved her hands in the back pockets of her blue jeans, nodding. “Who are you looking for?” She asked, deciding this stranger didn’t pose a threat, yet.

“Fantastic, you’re going to be cooperative.” Turning the photo over, Violet held it up and showed the blonde, not showing any emotion. “Have you ever seen this woman?”

Caroline’s eyes widened at the sight of the picture, her mouth slightly hanging open. “Yes, yes I have.” She didn’t really know the woman in the photo, but knew she’d stayed with the Salvatore brothers for a little while.

Snatching the photo out of the blonde’s hand, Violet stepped toward her, squaring her shoulders. “Where is she?” She demanded, hazel eyes flashing, ready to kill whoever concealed her sister.

There was no way Caroline was putting her neck on the line for this, even though she already knew the answer. “Try the Salvatore house. It’s deep in the woods; I can give you the directions.” She offered, hoping this vampire just went quietly and remained peaceful. “As long as you stay away from my boyfriend, Matt.”

“The blonde?” When Caroline nodded, Violet smiled almost sweetly, though it didn’t reach her eyes. “Deal, where is this place located?”

Caroline gave her directions to the Salvatore house and watched as the woman got in her car, driving away from Mystic Grill. She didn’t appreciate her boyfriend being compelled and was tempted to rip the woman’s head off, but something told Caroline that would’ve been a mistake. She smelled…different, older even and Caroline knew better than to try killing a vampire that walked the earth before her.

“Everything okay?” Matt asked, stepping out of the grill to check on Caroline.

“Yeah, it’s fine. Are you almost done with your shift?” Caroline asked, walking up to Matt and kissed his lips softly.

“Yeah, just clocked out actually.” Matt wrapped his arms around her waist, pressing his forehead against hers. “So, what’s going on tonight?”

It was Friday night and Caroline loved the night because of the nature of who she was. “We’re going into the woods for a bonfire with everyone.” She stated, looping her arm through his and guided him to his truck. “Just follow me.”

Violet pulled up to the Salvatore house about fifteen minutes later, doing the speed limit since she didn’t know how tight authority was around Mystic Falls. “Hmm cozy.” She commented softly, cutting the ignition and stepped out, heading to the front door.

While Stefan was out gallivanting with his girlfriend, Elena, Damon Salvatore remained at home alone, staring into the fire. He swallowed down more bourbon, having the bottle right beside him, trying to drink his pain away. Just because he was a vampire didn’t mean he didn’t feel emotions like a human did. The only way not to feel pain was to give up his humanity completely, which wasn’t happening.

A knock on the front door made his eyes snap open, his head slowly turning and could sense a new presence he wasn’t familiar with. Standing, Damon walked out of the living room/parlor and up the few stairs, heading for the door. It was late at night so, chances were, this wasn’t a human he was about to greet, wondering if he should even bother opening the door.

Damon was glad he decided to answer it at the sight of a small petite girl standing before him, leaning against the doorframe. “Can I help you with something?” He somewhat demanded, her scent mouthwatering.

“Is Rose here?”

His face instantly turned darker and Damon instantly had his guard up, electric blue eyes instantly narrowing. “Depends, what do you want with her?” He figured a little white lie wouldn’t hurt in order to gain some information about this woman.

Violet wasn’t screwing around and suddenly had the man by the throat, shoving him full force away from her and watched impassively as he skidded to the floor. “I don’t play games.” She stated, stepping inside the house and kicked the door shut behind her, her eyes never leaving him. “I’m only going to ask you this one more time and then things are going to turn really ugly for you. Where is Rose?”

Damon was on his feet instantly, not believing this small thing had so much power and he could feel it radiating from her. “You’re in MY house, show some respect.” He shot back derisively, squaring his shoulders.

“Hmm no I don’t think I will.” Without warning, Violet pulled a gun out from behind her back, having it tucked in her back pocket and aimed it at him. “These are wooden bullets and I will lodge every single one of them into you if you don’t tell me where she is.” It wasn’t a threat, it was a promise.

Damon had definitely overestimated this girl and held his hands up, deciding to reason with her instead of using violence. “There’s no reason for that. Put it away and I’ll tell you.” He stated, raising a thick black eyebrow. “Come sit down and have a drink. I’ll tell you everything.” He really didn’t want to be shot with wooden bullets, not tonight.

Violet eyed him skeptically; wondering if this was a trick and slowly lowered the gun. “Lead the way.” She wasn’t walking ahead of him, Violet wasn’t that stupid.

Damon led her to the parlor, noticing the gun was still in her hands and could tell this girl didn’t trust anyone easily. That probably meant she’d been around for quite a long time, especially if she was searching for Rose. The more Damon looked at her, the more drawn he felt and couldn’t understand why.

“Would you like a drink?” He asked cordially, pouring himself another tumbler, this time choosing Jack Daniels.

“No thank you.” Violet didn’t trust he wouldn’t try spiking her drink with vervain or something else that would immobilize her, hazel eyes narrowing slightly. “So where is Rose?”

“Before I answer that, I want to know what you want with her.” Damon said, a little more calmly this time around, no hint of sarcasm in his tone.

“You’re very brave considering I’m the one holding a gun with wooden bullets.” Violet pointed out evenly, deciding to place it on the table in front of them as a sign of good faith. “It’s just very important that I find her.”

“Are you working for Elijah?” Damon demanded, downing half of his tumbler, not taking his eyes from her.

“Heavens no!” Violet shook her head, fear filling her eyes almost instantaneously. “Elijah has hunted her down for centuries along with Klaus. I would never think to betray her that way. Now where is she?”

This intrigued Damon immensely, though he tried to not show it. “You know about Elijah and Klaus?”

“Of course I do, boy.” Violet stood up with her drink, downing all of it and slammed it on the table, picking her gun up again. “I know all about the Originals.”

“Boy?” Damon snorted, wondering who the hell this little girl thought she was calling him something so bleak. “Let’s get one thing straight, GIRL; I’m far from a boy.”

Violet smirked, knowing she struck a nerve with him. “When you prove to me you’re an actual man, maybe I’ll consider calling you something else. Until then, BOY, it’s time to start talking before I decide to become vicious again.”

Damon could tell she wasn’t kidding, the look in her eyes deadly and the sound of the gun clicking back telling him he was running out of options. “Tell me more about the Originals first.” He cried out in pain when she shot him seconds later, right in the tibia, blood gushing out. “WHAT THE HELL, LADY?”

“That’s strike one.” Violet clicked the gun back again, debris flying out. “You have two left before I kill you.”

“Noted.” Damon grunted out painfully, pulling the wooden bullet out of his shin and breathed in and out sharply. “I-I’ll tell you…”

“Wise decision.” Violet sat back down, crossing one leg over the other and leaned back, the gun resting comfortably on her lap. “Now answer my question or I will tear you limb from limb.”

Damon knew he didn’t have a choice, feeling the hole in his chin slowly start healing, but didn’t get to his feet, leaning his elbow against his knee. “Rose is dead.” He admitted finally and groaned when the petite thing suddenly had him on his back with her hand wrapped around his throat, choking him.

“YOU’RE LYING!” Violet roared, holding the gun right to his temple, ready to pull the trigger. “TELL ME THE TRUTH!!”

“I AM!!” Damon growled out, not believing how much strength she had because he couldn’t fight her off, especially not wounded. “I’m telling you the truth because I staked her MYSELF!!”

Violet was trembling by now, pressing the gun harder into his temple, wanting to blow his brains out with the wooden bullet as tears filled her eyes. “Why?” She demanded through gritted teeth, squeezing his throat a little more. “WHY?”

“To put her…out of her…misery…” Damon grunted out in between breaths, aquamarine flashing dangerously at him.

Releasing his throat, Violet flew several feet away from him, still having the gun in her hand in case he tried attacking her. Rose was…dead? It couldn’t be! It wasn’t true! Violet swallowed hard and had to sit down, blinking as a few tears slipped down her cheeks while the owner of the house slowly got to his feet.

“I should kill you right here and now.” Violet growled, wiping her tears away angrily and stood up, shoving Damon right back down before he could get up, her steel toed boot pressed against his throat. “But I won’t.” She lifted her boot, letting him breathe again and tucked the gun away. “Thank you for telling me the truth.”

Turning, Violet flew to the front door and left, slamming it behind her as the tears really started to fall. It wouldn’t be long before the vampire healed and came after her, so Violet had to get as far away as possible. Tossing the gun in the passenger seat, Violet started the car and drove away, crying her heart out.

Chapter 2

When Stefan got home, after dropping Elena off, he was surprised to see splatters of blood on the carpet, raising a brow. “What did you do now, Damon?” He groaned, watching as his brother downed the rest of his current drink.

“Had a visitor earlier tonight.” Damon replied sarcastically, leaning back against the couch, completely healed. “How was YOUR night?”

“Who was it?” Stefan ignored his brother’s question for the moment, eyes narrowed. “Somebody to do with the Originals?”

“Not exactly.” Damon stood up to refill his tumbler, wondering if it was even worth bringing this up to Stefan. “It’s no big deal. I’ll handle it.”

Stefan flew over to stand in front of his big brother, refusing to let anything slide right now with the Originals breathing down their necks. “Damon, if this is about the Originals, you need to tell me.” He stated evenly, not wanting any secrets between them. “Now isn’t the time not to trust me.”

“It has nothing to do with the Originals.” Damon stated, walking around Stefan to go sit down on the couch, already planning on tracking down the violent bitch and ripping her throat out for attacking him. “It was about Rose since you want to know so badly.”

“Rose?” Now Stefan was intrigued, folding his arms in front of his chest. “What about her?”

“That’s what I plan on finding out as soon I find her.” Damon informed him, finishing off his last tumbler of the night and decided to head to bed. “Don’t worry about it, just focus on getting information about the Originals and protecting Elena.”

Not liking the sound of that, Stefan sighed resignedly and knew Damon could take care of himself, though this visitor did have him captivated. “Fine, deal with it and try not to kill whoever it is.” Clapping his brother on the back, Stefan walked out of the parlor and upstairs to his bedroom, tired from the bonfire.

Damon wasn’t going to kill the vicious girl, but he was going to torture her until she told him the reason she attacked him. He had no choice; he had to kill Rose and made it as painless for her as possible. Never admitting it to anyone, killing Rose nearly destroyed Damon because he didn’t want to do it. Closing his eyes at the memory of what he had to do, it would take time before Damon healed from it, missing Rose more than he ever thought he would.

Walking into his room, Damon stripped out of his clothes and tossed them aside, slipping into his soft comfortable bed. He turned the lights out and stared up at the ceiling for a long while, the girl suddenly entering his mind. Her auburn tresses looked soft to the touch and those deadly hazel eyes definitely turned him on.

Something about her was drawing him in, probably her connection to Rose, but Damon couldn’t quite put his finger on it. She was definitely strong, an older vampire, her looks very deceiving and it took a lot to trick Damon. Yawning, Damon closed his eyes and fell asleep within seconds, the girl never leaving his mind.

~!~

Compelling the real estate agent wasn’t difficult to do. Violet signed on the dotted line, paying for the small house in full she acquired. She hadn’t gotten much sleep, but it was amazing what a vampire could accomplish in twelve hours. The house was on a block full of kids and humans, she would blend right in.

Contrary to popular belief, not all vampires killed humans in order to survive. Violet killed only one human in her entire existence and that was when she turned back in the fifteen hundreds. For centuries, she survived on mostly animal blood, raiding hospitals and any kind of foundation that had human blood to hone her strength.

A few bags of human blood lasted her for months because all she took were a couple drops a day, just enough so she could defend herself if need-be. Violet currently had a salad on her lap, pouring ranch dressing on it with the windows fully open. Nobody would think she was a vampire because Violet could do something very few vampires could. Walk in the sun, thanks to her daylight ring that a witch friend of hers made years ago.

After finishing her lunch, Violet cleaned the house from top to bottom, thankful it already came with furniture, but she was still missing a few things. That meant she would have to go out and reminiscence with the wonderful people of Mystic Falls. Rinsing her plate in the sink, Violet walked down the hallway to change, not about to walk around town in a skimpy nightgown.

Tapping her chin in thought, Violet decided on a red tank top with skinny light blue jeans, a quick and simple outfit. She grabbed some socks, pulling them on along with her blue and white tennis shoes, nodding. Violet was going to put her hair up, but decided to just leave it down, wanting to get back as quickly as possible. Grabbing her keys, cell phone and purse, Violet walked out of the house, locking it behind her.

Once inside her car, Violet turned the radio on a station she could handle and pulled out of the driveway, heading to one of the local stores. The house definitely needed a supply of liquor, which helped stem her craving for blood, along with regular food. Alcohol had a more profound effect though, possibly because of how strong it was. A few minutes later, she arrived at the store and put the car in park, heading inside.

The first thing she did was fill the cart with all kinds of alcohol: Rum, tequila, brandy, gin, vodka, whiskey, beer, wine, champagne, margarita and daiquiri mix. That took a little over half of her cart. Violet picked up a few books, magazines, chocolate and other junk food that she enjoyed indulging on, finally heading to the checkout counter.

“I’ll need to see your ID…” The cashier asked, blinking at all the alcohol this customer was buying.

“Of course.”

Violet smiled, reaching into her back pocket and handed it over. The cashier checked it over and nodded, handing it back to her before starting to ring everything up. The total didn’t faze her in slightest when the cashier finished up, swiping her credit card without hesitation.

“D-Do you need some assistance bringing everything outside, ma’am?” The cashier asked pleasantly, thankful the transaction had gone through without any problems.

“No thank you, but you could tell your supervisor that I was very impressed with how quick and efficient you were.” Violet stated, starting to roll her cart of booze and snacks out to the car, only for the cashier to stop her.

“Oh well, all you have to do is sign this then. It’s a customer compliment slip that customers fill out if they’re happy with everything.” The cashier quickly explained, handing over the piece of paper and pen.

“Certainly.” Violet scrawled her signature on it with ease and handed it back over. “Have a nice day.” Turning, she left the store and headed to her car, the bright sun feeling wonderful against her pale skin.

So she could walk in the sun just like him and Stefan. That was interesting…and a little weird at the same time. Damon had followed her from the small house she acquired overnight to the store, watching her every move. He did not need another vampire problem in Mystic Falls. Killing Lexi and Rose was bad enough, but if Damon had to do it to protect the Salvatore’s identities, he would without blinking.

His electric blue eyes watched as she lifted the bags one by one, a smirk tilting his lips. She was trying to blend in, very smart. Damon couldn’t help admiring the way those blue jeans hugged every curve of her body, especially her ass. It looked very squeezable…damn, it’d been awhile since he had sex. Damon had to get his head in the game, reminding himself of what this girl did to him.

Feeling someone watching her, Violet turned her head to stare out in the open, eyebrows furrowing when she didn’t see anyone there. That didn’t mean there wasn’t someone though. Of course the man she had attacked would be out for revenge and Violet was ready for him, a smirk curving her lips.

“If you can hear me, bring it on.” Violet said softly and closed her trunk, knowing whoever watching her wasn’t human and would hear every word she said.

Damon heard it loud and clear, watching as her car drove out of the parking lot and was on the move again in his Camaro. Clearly that had been an invitation and who was Damon to turn down a summons from a beautiful girl? He already knew where she lived, deciding he wouldn’t pay her a visit until he was good and ready.

~!~

Dathan sighed as she walked out of the locker room, having just finished her final class of the day and was ready to go home. She knew she’d failed her math test, her science quiz bombed and in gym she broke a fingernail. Dathan wanted to go home, jump in a nice hot bubble bath and try to forget this day ever existed.

“Dathan.”

“Go away, Murray.” Dathan was not in the mood to deal with her ex-boyfriend at the moment.

“Hey come on, don’t be like that.” Murray grabbed her arm, forcing her to turn to face him. “I want to talk to you, Dath.”

Yanking her arm out of his grip, Dathan turned deadly pale green eyes on him, gritting her teeth. “Don’t touch me again.”

“Then talk to me.”

“There’s nothing to talk about.” Dathan argued promptly, folding her arms in front of her chest. “You made it clear you don’t want me anymore, now leave me alone.”

“I made a mistake…”

“A mistake?” Dathan laughed, no humor in her tone. “No, what was a mistake was the fact I wasted three years and most of my high school life on you. I’m truly pathetic for thinking we’d be together forever. Thank you for being a complete asshole and reminding me of the trash that I’ll have out of my life.”

Murray growled, not appreciating her attitude and slammed her back against the lockers. “Say that again, I dare you.”

“Or what?” Dathan shot back, gasping when his hand suddenly wrapped around her throat, squeezing. “M-Murray…”

“I’ll snap this beautiful neck of yours right in half.”

“Get away from her.”

Tyler had walked down the hallway with his bag slung over his shoulder, heading to football practice, when he heard commotion. Raising a brow, he focused in on the sound a little more and had followed his instincts. Dark eyes narrowed at the sight of Murray Brown having his ex-girlfriend and Tyler’s friend, Dathan Wolfe, against the lockers by the throat.

Murray didn’t listen, snorting as he rolled his eyes at Tyler. “Go away kid, we’re busy here.”

“T-Tyler…”

Grabbing Murray by the back of his shirt, Tyler yanked him away from Dathan and shoved him a good five feet away from her, glaring. “I said get away from her.” He repeated, standing in front of a coughing Dathan. “Before you end up hurt.”

Murray openly laughed, wondering if Tyler was serious and decided not to mess with the mayor’s baby boy. “See you around, Dath.” He stormed away, heading to his car.

“T-Thank you…” Dathan breathed out, leaning against the lockers and tried catching her breath.

Tyler placed a hand on her shoulder, concern in his eyes. “Are you okay?” He knew it was a stupid question, but had to make sure, frowning. “Your throat is already bruising.”

“I know.” She whispered, knowing she would also have a raspy voice come morning from how tight Murray squeeze. “I’m okay though. Thank you for scaring him off.”

“No problem.” Tyler didn’t want to leave her alone because it looked like she might keel over at any second. “Whoa.” His suspicions were confirmed and Tyler caught her before she hit the floor, lifting her up with ease in his arms. “I got you, Date.”

Dathan leaned her head against his shoulder and felt him cart her off, grabbing her belongings too. Tyler set her in his car and took off from the school, heading straight for her house. He pulled something out of his bag and tossed it at her, making her look at him in question.

“It’s a salve I use when I get hurt on the field.” He explained, shrugging as she took the top off, the smell of sandalwood filling the car. “Put some of that on your neck, it’ll make the bruising fade faster.”

Nodding, Dathan did as he said and dabbed a little on her neck, rubbing it in carefully since she was still incredibly sore. “Thanks.” She put the cap back on and set it in the middle counsel, looking out the window.

“Look, I know Murray hurt you really bad and I’m not trying to push you into anything, but I want to take you out.” Tyler said, once he pulled into her driveway and put the car in park, turning to face her.

Dathan looked over at him, hesitation in her pale green eyes. “You do?” When Tyler nodded, she lowered her eyes from his, chewing her bottom lip thoughtfully. “Tyler, I do like you and have for a while…”

“Forget it.” Tyler looked straight ahead again, staring out of the windshield. “Go take care of those bruises before your parents see them.” That was the last thing this town needed on top of everything else going on was a high school jockstrap beating on his ex-girlfriend.

“Tyler…”

“No, I’m done asking Dathan. You’re obviously not over Murray and I get it. It’s fine. When you are ready though, just remember I might not be available.” Tyler wasn’t exactly bad looking and could probably have any woman in town he wanted. “I have things to do.”

Tears swelled in her eyes as Dathan nodded, sniffling. “Right.” She went to get out, but Tyler stopped her, grabbing her wrist gently but firmly, their eyes meeting.

“Damn it.”

Tyler couldn’t stop what he was going to do and suddenly cupped her face in his warm hands, their lips meeting. No matter how hard she tried, Dathan couldn’t pull away from the kiss, a soft moan escaping her, her hands gripping his wrists. It was soft and sweet, but also passionate, three things Dathan hadn’t felt in a long time.

When the kiss broke, all Dathan could do was stare into his beautiful dark eyes and sucked her bottom lip in, nodding. “Yes.”

“Yes what?” Tyler asked breathlessly, not releasing her face.

“I’ll go out with you, Tyler.” Dathan smiled when his eyes widened and kissed him again, this time a little deeper. “You have my number, call me with a time and place.”

Tyler grinned, slowly releasing her face. “I will.” He watched her step out of his car and walk to the front door, touching his lips. “Rock on.” Revving the engine, Tyler beeped the horn and pulled out of the driveway, happy with these sudden turn of events.

Chapter 3

“So where are you headed tonight?”

“That’s for me to know and you to find out.”

Damon fixed the collar of his black striped long sleeved buttoned up shirt. Rolling the sleeves up, he left the top few buttons undone and had a pair of skintight black jeans on with black shoes. He turned away from the mirror and looked at Elena, smirking as he ran his fingers through his hair, smoothing it back a little.

“Right.” Elena rolled her eyes, not expecting Damon to tell her much these days. “Stefan told me you had a visitor that had to deal with Rose.”

“Little brother doesn’t know what he’s talking about.” Damon said dismissively, deciding to keep his plan to go confront Rose’s little friend away from everyone.

Sighing, Elena shook her head and walked out of Damon’s bedroom. For once, Elena walking out didn’t bother him, his mind focused on confronting Rose’s friend. Pouring one final shot of whiskey, Damon downed it while contemplating how best to handle the situation. She knew he was coming, so the element of surprise was gone.

Pulling his black leather jacket on, Damon set the glass on the table and headed out, his keys already in hand. He could hear Elena in the parlor with Stefan, not feeling the jealousy that normally stirred up inside of him. Damon was tempted to go harass his brother during ‘Elena’ time, but decided against it, not wanting to keep his date for the evening waiting.

Elena looked up at the front door closed and frowned, looking back at Stefan worriedly. “I really hope he doesn’t do something crazy.” She murmured quietly, snuggling against him.

“You know how Damon is.” Stefan simply replied, kissing the top of her head. “I know you worry about him, but he can handle himself. We need to focus on your current problem.”

Smiling, Elena sat up on the couch and wrapped her arms around his neck. “And what might that be?”

Stefan growled when Elena’s phone suddenly went off and pulled away to give her privacy, going to pour a drink. He listened to the excited voice of Dathan as she told Elena about her date with Tyler Lockwood. Dathan and Elena were good friends, practically growing up together along with Caroline and Bonnie. The four were definitely an unstoppable force when they were together.

“I’m worried Elena, what if Tyler finds out what I am?” Dathan asked, chewing her bottom lip and tried deciding what to wear. “I don’t know if he’d be able to handle it.”

“Tyler won’t care, he’s had a crush on you since you moved to Mystic Falls freshman year.”

“But I’m not exactly…”

“None of us are, Date.” Elena assured her, looking over at Stefan, who had this confused look on his face. “Listen, I have to go, but you got this. You can do this. Text me the details later.”

“Will do, thanks again Elle.” Dathan hung up the phone and looked in the mirror, taking a deep breath.

“What was that about?” Stefan wondered, walking back over to sit beside his girlfriend, feeling her hesitation. “Elena, if there’s something going on with Dathan, I need to know about it.”

Sighing, Elena knew she would have to come clean to Stefan. “You have to promise me you won’t tell Damon.” There was no way Damon could find out about this because he would no doubt use what Dathan could do to his advantage the way he used Bonnie for her witchcraft. “Do you promise?”

Stefan nodded, running a finger down her cheek. “You can trust me. I won’t tell anyone, including my brother.”

Elena knew she could trust Stefan and clasped her hands in her lap, extremely nervous, beginning the explanation about Dathan’s special ability.

~!~

Violet had a feeling she would be having company later and decided not to disappoint, pulling into her driveway a few minutes later. She unloaded the car with ease, set her small bar up and had a shot of tequila before going to get ready. No doubt Mr. Macho would be greeting her at any time, so Violet wanted to look at least a little decent.

Pulling out a white baby doll top with black leggings, Violet changed within seconds, fluffing her hair out for style. She slipped on a pair of black and white polka dot flats that matched well, placing a matching hairband on top of her head. She placed a black choker around her neck, diamond studs in her ears and did her makeup in black eyeliner with clear gloss.

She could kick ass and look pretty doing it, chuckling at her inside joke. Walking out of the bedroom, Violet closed the door and headed to the kitchen, trying to decide on what to cook. Tapping her nails on the counter, Violet opened her freezer and decided to make steaks, pulling them out and popped them in the microwave to defrost.

Within five minutes, she had the potatoes peeled, cut and boiling on the stove along with the cheesy vegetables. Flying over to the bar, Violet poured half a glass of rum and then decided a few more drops of blood wouldn’t hurt. She had a feeling this vampire was going to be out to stake her, so Violet wasn’t taking any chances.

Halfway through making the steaks, the doorbell rang and Violet raised an eyebrow, not expecting him to actually be cordial about this. Shrugging, Violet slipped the steaks back in the oven, having just finished putting a second seasoning on them. She wiped her hands off on the nearby towel before walking out of the kitchen to answer the front door.

“I was wondering if you’d show up.” Violet said by way of greeting, not bothering to shut the man out and stepped aside, letting him walk right in. “Can I get you a drink?”

Damon raised a brow, wondering what this woman was up to and followed her into the kitchen. “Sure, bourbon if you’ve got it.” He replied, looking around the small house, used to bigger rooms.

Violet smiled, pouring a tumbler of bourbon and handed it to him, already having her tequila on the counter. “I hope you don’t mind, but I made dinner.”

“Not at all.” Damon walked over and sat on one of the stools of the kitchen island, watching as she stirred something that smelled delicious on the stove. “What are you making?”

“Steak with a few sidings.” Violet answered promptly, downing the rest of her tequila and turned away from the stove, hazel eyes locking with electric blue. “You know, you really should practice your stalking methods better.” She commented, the smile never leaving her face. “I sensed you a mile away today.”

Smirking, Damon downed half the bourbon, swallowing slowly. “Just had to make sure you weren’t here to terrorize MY town.” If anyone was going to threaten Mystic Falls, Damon would be the one to do so, refusing to let another vampire encroach on his territory.

“Well, if it makes you feel any better, I don’t kill people.” Violet didn’t mind letting that information slip to him, hoping it let his guard down.

“Is that right?” This was going to be easy as Damon slowly stood up, a second later standing in front of her. “You do realize I could snap you like a twig then if you don’t drink human blood.”

Smiling, hazel eyes flashed as Violet suddenly tackled Damon to the kitchen floor, her hand wrapped firmly around his throat, squeezing as hard as she could. “Just because I don’t kill people doesn’t mean I don’t drink human blood, BOY.”

This woman was deadly and lit his blood on fire. “Noted.” He grunted out, suddenly turning the tables and had her on her back with his hand gripping her throat, though he didn’t squeeze yet. “Now that’s more like it.”

No fear shined in her eyes, just sheer amusement, as Violet stared up at him almost wickedly. “So you like to dominate.” She commented, once more having Damon on his back seconds later, this time, straddling him. “But I’m a dominatrix.”

Could this woman get any hotter? Damon growled, starting to flip her again, but she stopped him, feeling her strength. “What’s your name?” He demanded, feeling her hand caressing his throat almost affectionately.

“What’s yours?” Violet retorted and reluctantly released him, standing on her feet again. “You tell me yours and I’ll tell you mine.”

“I asked you first.” Damon retorted, standing up as well, both of them locking eyes on.

Violet sighed just as the oven beeped, telling her the steaks were finished and slipped an oven mitten on to retrieve them. “Well then, it seems as though we’re at a standstill.” She said thoughtfully, moving the sizzling steaks from the pan to the plate, making sure they were on the rare side. “If you want to eat, there’s plenty.”

Damon was tired of this game she was playing and waited until she set the pan down before rushing over to her in a flash, grabbing her by the upper arms. “You attacked me and I want to know why.” He ordered in a low voice, pressing her back against the counter. “How do you know Rose?”

“It’s not polite to manhandle someone who just made you a terrific dinner. How very rude.” Violet snorted and shoved him away, watching him slam back against the small kitchen and table, thankfully not breaking the window. “Learn some manners. This is my house and you’re a guest, so either answer my question or leave.”

Damon growled as his eyes flashed dangerously, wanting to maim this bitch in the worst way. “Damon.” He gritted out, getting to his feet again and wondered how someone who didn’t kill people could be so strong. “Now, since I’m a guest in your house, it would be rude of YOU not to answers the guest’s questions.”

“Violet.” She slowly turned to face him, smiling warmly and carried the steaks into the dining room right past him.

Following, Damon was surprised she actually revealed her name and filed it away in his head for later. “How do you know Rose?” He asked, watching her set the table for two with wine glasses and the works, folding his arms in front of his chest.

Violet shut her eyes briefly, trying to push the pain away and wished she could flip the switch to turn her emotions off. “Let’s eat first and then I’ll tell you.” She didn’t want to ruin her appetite, going back into the kitchen to put the sidings in serving dishes, carrying them both out.

Damon couldn’t help wondering if this was some kind of set up, remembering what Rose was running from. Granted, one of the Originals Elijah pardoned her and she ended up dying in a tragic accident that was meant for him, but Damon didn’t trust any of the Originals. Something told him they were still after Rose. If Violet was here to try carrying out their plans, he would rip her heart out and shove it down her throat.

“Fine.” Damon sat down and watched as Violet did the same, both of them starting to load their plates.

Dinner was eaten in silence, the scrapping forks and knives against the plates the only sound flooding throughout the room. Violet finished first, dabbing her mouth and pushed her plate away, patiently waiting for Damon to finish. Once he did, she cleared the table, put the leftovers away so they didn’t spoil and grabbed two bottles of liquor, tequila and bourbon, guiding Damon into the living room.

“Have a seat.” She said, walking over to turn the small fireplace on and poured an entire tumbler full of tequila, needing it for the conversation she was about to have. “Rose was my sister, Damon.” Violet admitted while staring into the flames, the fire soothing her.

Damon’s head shot up when he heard that, eyes widening. “Did you just say sister?” He suddenly needed a drink as big as hers, filling his own tumbler of bourbon. “Rose was your sister?”

“Yes, my big sister.”

Damon finally understood why she’d gotten so violent towards him, she was trying to find her family. “Rose never told me she had siblings, only some guy named Trevor.”

“Who is now dead.” Violet had heard about what happened to Trevor and how Elijah had knocked his head literally off his shoulders. “Trevor was like a brother to both of us.” Standing, Violet walked back over to the couch and sat beside Damon, sipping her drink.

“Yeah she told me.” Damon felt really out of place and didn’t know what to think of this sudden turn of events. Looking at her, he noticed the resemblance finally. “Rose was in a lot of pain over Trevor and a good friend of mine.” He missed her and always would.

“Will you tell me what happened to her?” Violet asked, slowly looking away from the fire and into his aquamarine eyes, tears filling her own. “I really need to know, Damon.”

Swallowing down some more bourbon, Damon nodded and raked a hand through his thick short black hair. “She was bitten by a werewolf,” He began softly, leaning back against the couch and drained his glass. “That was meant for me.”

Violet’s eyebrows furrowed, turning to fully face him . “How did he wind up getting bitten then?” She somewhat demanded, the hurt clear in her voice.

“She pushed me out of the way when the wolf went to attack me. I stabbed it, but…not in time.” Damon still felt guilty what Rose had gone through because it was supposed to be him, not her, that died. “I pissed a werewolf off. I piss a lot of people off, it’s my calling.”

“Rose…” She sighed, shaking her head and swallowed more tequila. “Always the savior.” A single tear slipped down Violet’s cheek and she instantly wiped it away, clearing her throat. “She saved me from Klaus’s wrath. She sent me far away as soon as Katherine killed herself in our home. Trevor was in love with her apparently and had tried protecting her, but that meant he also crossed Klaus. Rose changed me into a vampire and sent me on my way to fend for myself, even after I begged her not to. She didn’t want me running for my life the way she and Trevor did.”

“So Klaus has no idea who you are or that you exist?” Damon asked, finding that hard to believe.

“Nobody knows about my relation to Rose, we kept the lid on it pretty tight, especially from the Originals.” Violet poured more liquor in her glass, curling up on the couch and rested her head against her hand, her elbow pressed against the cushions. “I would appreciate it if you kept that secret for me. It’s the least you can do considering my sister sacrificed her life for you.”

Damon normally would’ve gotten pissed off at that comment, but all he could do was nod, still not believing he was sitting before Rose’s secretive little sister. “No problem, I’ll take it to the grave.” He held his drink up, both of them tapping their glasses together and drained the glasses, each too deep in their thoughts to really say much else.

Chapter 4

“So, she’s Rose’s little sister?” Stefan blinked, not believing what his big brother just said and had to sit down. “The Originals have no idea about her?”

“Nope, not a clue.” Damon knew Stefan wouldn’t say anything about Violet’s secret, the man was too honorable. “Rose never mentioned her…”

Stefan nodded, lowering her head at the mention of Rose. Even though Damon wouldn’t admit it, he knew her death really hurt his big brother and there was nothing he could do to fix it. Now her little sister was in Mystic Falls, who didn’t kill people to feed, so Stefan assumed she had her own stash of blood bags.

“I think we should go over and talk to her. She sounds about as old as Rose was, which means she might know something on the Originals.” Just because Rose had sent Violet away didn’t mean she hadn’t scoped out Klaus and possibly knew some inside information nobody else did. “She could help us out.”

The last thing Damon wanted to do was go talk to Rose’s little sister, even though she was extremely attractive and had the same fire Rose did. “Do we really have to bark up THAT tree?” He demanded evenly, tossing back a shot of whiskey. “What makes you think she’ll tell us anything? Rose died because of a werewolf that was aimed for me, brother.”

“Good point, but Violet also sounds like she doesn’t want any trouble either. If the Originals are involved, that means trouble for everyone in Mystic Falls, including her.” Stefan alleged, setting his glass on the table and leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. “It’s worth a shot. We’ll bring Elena with us just to show her who we’re trying to save.”

Damon didn’t like the sound of that, running the pad of his thumb around the rim of the glass thoughtfully. “Elena can play the pity game pretty well.” He commented, ignoring Stefan’s glare and finally threw his hands up in the air. “Alright, I’ll drive.”

“We have to stop by and get Elena first, fill her in on what’s going on.” Stefan stated, watching Damon grab his keys, both of them heading out the door. “I just hope Violet can tell us something about what Klaus is planning.”

“You and me both.” Damon agreed, slipping behind the wheel and pulled away from the house, heading to Elena’s. “She already talked to Katherine and the bitch told her about the sacrificial ceremony Klaus wants to do. You think she might know a loophole to it?”

“That’s what I’m hoping for.” Stefan said, looking out the window and could tell a storm was rolling in, raindrops starting to fall.

“Does Elena even know we’re coming to grab her?” Damon asked, not knowing if Stefan already called her. “I think she’s getting tired of both of us showing up at her door unannounced.”

“No, she’s getting tired of YOU showing up at her door unannounced.” Stefan corrected with a smirk, ignoring Damon’s sarcastic scoff.

Damon shrugged nonchalantly, not bothered by what his brother said. “She’ll get over it.”

Typical Damon response, Stefan thought, just as they pulled up in front of Elena’s house. “Wait here, I’ll go get her.” Stefan ordered, stepping out and rushed up to the front door.

Damon saluted and turned the radio on, trying to distract himself.

Elena answered it a few seconds later, smiling at the sight of her boyfriend. “Hi.” She kissed him softly. “What are you doing here?”

“Damon and I want to take you to see someone who might have information about the Originals.” Stefan said, running a finger down her cheek. “I know this is all your life has been revolved around lately, but we have to take every opportunity we can.”

“O-Of course.” Elena stammered out, agreeing and hugged Stefan. “So who are we going to see then?”

“Her name is Violet and she knew Rose.” Stefan promised Damon he wouldn’t say anything about her being Rose’s little sister, which included keeping a secret from Elena as well. “She could be the key to everything, Elena.”

“Alright fine, but we’re not the only ones going.” Elena stepped away from him and whistled, watching as Dathan came down the stairs.

“What’s going on, Elle?” Dathan asked, raising a brow at the sight of Stefan. “This can’t be good…”

“It’s nothing bad.” Stefan assured her, actually thinking his girlfriend is brilliant at the moment. “Just going to talk to a woman Damon encountered recently.”

Dathan had a feeling Stefan was leaving something out, but decided not to question him. “Okay...”

“I want you to come with us.” Something told Elena her friend’s ability would come in handy with this, a hopeful smile on her face. “Please?”

Dathan smiled back, leaning against the stair banister with her arms folded in front of her chest. “Since Tyler had to bail on me because of a last minute gig with his parents, I suppose I could.” She teased, walking over to grab her coat off the hanger. “Lead the way, Steffy.”

Stefan chuckled, shaking his head and wrapped an arm around her waist, guiding both women out the door. Dathan was telepathic, an ability to read minds and that included vampires, which came quite in handy a lot of times living in Mystic Falls. She was born with the ability and had no idea where it came from, her family history was pretty bleak because she was adopted.

That wasn’t all Dathan could do, she was also telekinetic, which was an ability to move things with her mind. It was all about the mind with her and different from what Bonnie could do with her witchcraft. Of course, Dathan hated using her gifts, thinking of them as curses more than anything. When the situation called for it, however, Dathan used them, still honing her gifts since she recently discovered them just a few short months ago.

“Wait a minute, what the hell is SHE coming with us for?” Damon demanded, directing that at Dathan when all three arrived at his car. “Stefan…”

“Don’t be a dick, Damon.”

“Her skills could come in good use.” Elena stated, lips pursed together tightly. “She either comes or I don’t go.”

Groaning, Damon rolled his eyes and lifted his seat, letting Dathan slip into the back with Elena while Stefan once again occupied the passenger seat. He drove down the street and headed to Violet’s, hoping she was ready for an impromptu chat. After the dinner confrontation a few nights ago, Damon hadn’t seen her since and wondered if she was still in town, now that he thought about it.

Violet was busy outside watering her flowers that she recently planted, making a small flower garden in the front of her house. Even as a vampire, Violet loved nature and it reminded her of her deceased sister, feeling connected to Rose this way. She wore a simple pair of blue jean shorts and a pink halter top, her hair piled up on top of her head since it was warm outside, feet bare.

The purring of a familiar engine suddenly sounded in Violet’s ear, eyes narrowing slightly. She knew who it was. Damon Salvatore was coming to pay her another visit supposedly. Violet didn’t stop her work even as the beautiful blue Camaro pulled into the driveway, though her interest heightened when she heard other voices mixing with Damon’s.

So he hadn’t come alone this time.

Elena and Dathan stepped out after the Salvatore brothers, both of them looking at each other before staring at the auburn beauty before them. Stefan could already see the resemblance of Rose in Violet, a friendly smile on his face and wrapped an arm around Elena’s waist. Dathan refused to let go of Elena’s hand, both of them incredibly nervous and watched as Damon started approaching the auburn beauty without hesitation.

“Hello Damon.” Violet greeted before he came too close, finishing wrapping the hose up after turning it off. “How may I help you and your friends?”

Damon smirked, folding his arms in front of his muscular chest. “We need to talk to you about a few things, Violet.” He wasn’t giving her a choice, taking a step forward. “It’s important.”

Violet slowly turned around to face him, having a smile of her own on her clear glossed lips. “Hmm interesting…” Her hazel eyes moved from Damon to stare at the other three people with him, landing on the only other man with them. “Is this true?”

Stefan stepped forward with Elena, nodding and extended his free hand. “Hi, I’m Stefan Salvatore, Damon’s younger brother and this is my girlfriend, Elena Gilbert. This is her friend, Dathan Mathewson. We were hoping we could speak with you about a few things, if you have the time, please.” Unlike Damon, Stefan was more polite and quite the smooth talker.

“See now THAT’S more like it.” Violet stated, turning to look over her shoulder at Damon, snorting. “It’s amazing what that one little word can do.” Turning back to face Stefan and the girls, Violet contemplated if she wanted to talk to them. “Get your brother to say that word and POLITELY ask me for an audience, I’ll have no problem talking to you about whatever you want.”

Dathan liked this woman already, looking over at Damon along with Stefan and Elena, all three waiting for him to do as she asked. “Come on Damon, it’s not that hard to say the P word. If you don’t do it, she won’t talk to us.”

Damon did not like this woman at all and wanted to tear her to shreds, not believing she was embarrassing him like this in front of his little brother. “I don’t say the P word.” He snorted derisively, eyebrows furrowed. “We could easily make you talk, you know.”

“You could try; I’ve been around a LONG time, BOY. Unlike you, I know what it means to have MANNERS.” Violet couldn’t believe he was actually threatening her again, wondering how many times she had to knock him on his ass to get the point across that she was stronger than him. “I’m sorry that you traveled all this way, but I’m not in a chatty mood today. You can leave now.” Violet walked past Damon and headed to her front door, desperately needing a shower.

“She just called him a boy.” Dathan was giggling uncontrollably, trying not hide it, but it wasn’t happening.

“Yes she did.” Stefan found this very amusing and looked down at Elena, who was laughing so hard she had to lean against him for support. “Still, we really do need to talk to her.”

“I’ll handle it.” Elena broke away from Stefan and walked over to a rather bewildered Damon, standing beside him. “You know, if you want her to talk to us about the Originals, we really need you to swallow your pride.”

“I’m not the polite type.” Damon shot back, staring daggers at the house, wondering how best to enter and force Violet to talk to them. “I suppose we could torture the information out of her.”

Elena whacked him on the arm, causing Damon to jump slightly. “That is NOT going to happen.” She stated, scowling angrily. “Just get up there, knock on the door and ask her nicely if we can talk to her. It’s not that hard. Come on, Damon; be the better man.”

Growling, Damon hated it when Elena tried reasoning with him because she somehow always got past his ice barrier. “Damn it.” He grunted, bawling his fists up at his sides and knew what he had to do. “Fine, come on.” Grabbing Elena’s arm somewhat roughly, Damon dragged her to the front door, knowing he would need her help with this.

“What are you…?”

“If I’m doing this, you’re going to help me.” Damon stated, knocking on the door and tried not to brood at the sight of Violet.

Violet folded her arms in front of her chest, looking completely innocent. “How may I help you?” She asked, hazel eyes sparkling with delight.

Damon cleared his throat, holding onto Elena’s arm. “We really need to talk to you, Violet.”

“Yes I’m aware of that, Damon, but you know what my stipulation was.” Violet reminded him smoothly, not moving her eyes away from him. “So you can either grow some manners or go away. Your choice.”

“Why are you being like this?” Damon groaned, almost to the point of wanting to stomp his feet in frustration. “Will you talk to us?”

Violet knew he was trying to get around saying the one word she wanted to hear, holding her ear out. “I’m sorry, what was that? I couldn’t quite hear you.”

This was ridiculous. Damon was sorely tempted to snap her neck and possibly drive a stake through her heart. “Will you talk to us…” He trailed off, really hating himself for what he was about to say. “Please?”

Violet grinned from ear to ear, opening her door all the way without preamble. “Yes I can, please come on in everyone.” Turning, she walked away from the door and headed for the living room, hearing all of them filing in behind her. “Can I interest anyone in a drink?”

“Bourbon.” Damon ordered in a grumble, plopping down on the couch and groaned when Violet raised an eyebrow at him. “Are you kidding me?”

“No.” Violet already had a glass of wine poured, sipping it almost thoughtfully. “Say it or you can go without a drink, Damon.”

“Fine, great.” Damon threw his hands up in the air, having a feeling this was going to be a big waste of time.

“I’d like a glass of whiskey, please.” Stefan said politely, smirking when Violet handed him one instantly. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Her eyes fell on the two girls, having a feeling they were underage, but she honestly didn’t care considering she was stuck in an eighteen year old body, but was over five hundred years old. “Would you two like something?”

“No thank you.” Elena and Dathan answered at the same time, sitting beside each other with Stefan on Dathan’s other side and Damon on Elena’s. “If you have water, that would be great.”

Violet eyed them and set her drink down, nodding. “I have something better and its non-alcoholic.” She exited the room for a minute, grabbing two glasses and a pitcher out of the fridge, walking back into the living room. “How about some lemonade?”

“Hell yeah!” Dathan beamed, loving lemonade. “This girl is awesome.”

Violet couldn’t help laughing as she handed Dathan a glass of it along with Elena, finally taking her seat in a chair opposite of them. “Now then, just so I have this right, you are Dathan and you are Elena, correct?” When both girls nodded, Violet smiled, completely ignoring Damon, who had remained silent. “And this handsome man is Stefan Salvatore, Damon’s brother.”

“Yes ma’am.” Stefan answered, sipping his glass of whiskey slowly.

“Good, now that the introductions are out of the way, what would you like to discuss?” Violet asked promptly, crossing one leg over the other and let her hair down, the auburn locks pooling down her back and over her shoulders in golden red waves.

“We were wondering if you had any information regarding some vampires known as the Originals.”

Chapter 5

“Which Original exactly? There is Elijah, Rebekah, Kol, Finn, Klaus…” Violet trailed off while counting the names on her fingertips, the name Klaus making everyone tense. “Klaus it is then. It depends on what information you wanted to know because I don’t know every single thing about the Mikaelson Family.”

“Are you working for them?” Damon bluntly asked, standing up from the couch, only for Elena to pull him right back down by the arm. “Is that why you’re here?”

“You foolish boy.” Violet murmured quietly, softly, lowering her eyes to her drink before downing the rest of it. “I would rather drive a stake through my own heart than to ever work for the Originals, any of them. They are the reason Rose was on the run and merely existed in this world instead of actually lived it.”

Elena wanted to smack Damon upside the head for that idiotic question, shaking her head sadly. “How did you know Rose?” She asked delicately, having a feeling this was a very sore subject for her.

So Damon hadn’t told them about her relation to Rose after all. “She was my sister, Elena.” Violet answered, standing up to go refill her glass. “We were turned in the fifteen hundreds. I had just turned the age of eighteen and had an arranged marriage to a man named Frederick. I will just say he wasn’t every woman’s fantasy and leave it at that. My sister was changed and then changed me shortly after, both of us wanting to flee our home because our parents refused to let us make our own choices. Back then, it was treason to even hope to make your own decisions. Today’s world is everything we wanted it to be back then, but unfortunately, it wasn’t. Do you know the story of Katherine Pierce or Katrina Petrova?”

“Yes.”

“Then you are well aware that Katherine killed herself in our small cabin, which was on the grounds of the Mikaelson Family. She fled from them for some reason my sister didn’t tell me. All I was told was Klaus wanted Katherine as a human sacrifice of some sort and we were all going to die at his hand because it would be considered treason to help a fugitive.” Violet snorted, walking back over to sit down with a bigger glass of tequila this time, desperately needing it.

“That’s terrible…” Elena couldn’t help letting her heart go out to Violet for the tragedy she experienced at such a young age. “So what happened next?”

“Rose told me to flee, forced me out of our home and basically left me to fend for myself. I kept myself out of the way of the Mikaelson Family and off the radar so to speak. Klaus knew about my sister and Trevor living in the cabin, but they never mentioned me in case something like this happened. So the Originals have no idea that I exist or who my family was.” Violet explained, taking a long swig of her tequila and swirled the liquid around in the glass thoughtfully.

“This is all very sentimental and everything, but when are we going to get to the point of why we’re here?” Damon snapped, not in the mood to rehash any type of family history regarding Rose, her death still very fresh.

Violet turned confused hazel eyes on Damon, tilting her head slightly. “Why exactly did you four come here then if you didn’t want to know my family history?” She asked, not a mind reader by any means.

“We wanted to know if you knew of a way to kill an Original.” Stefan said, wrapping an arm around Elena’s shoulders, their fingers lacing together. “Klaus to be exact.”

Then Violet suddenly remembered what Katherine looked like and felt her eyes widen, mouth dropping open slightly. “Oh my god, you’re the doppelganger aren’t you?” When Elena nodded meekly, Violet couldn’t believe who she was staring at. “I thought Katherine’s entire family lineage had died with her changing into a vampire. You must’ve been kept a secret.”

Elena nodded, lowering her brown eyes. “I was adopted.”

“That explains it then.” Violet sighed and stood up, setting her glass on the table. “Luckily for you, this isn’t my first time in Mystic Falls.”

Damon blinked, not expecting to hear that. “It’s not?” When Violet shook her head, he suddenly stood up and walked over to her, turning her around to face him. “When were you back here?”

“There is a tree called the great white oak and I’ve heard legends say that if an Original is staked with it, they will die.” Violet ignored Damon’s question for the moment, shoving him away from her. “Fortunately, I didn’t know if an Original would come after me even after Rose sent me away, so I spent decades searching for a weapon against them.” Pulling out a wooden stake that was pure white, Violet turned around to face all four of them. “The Salvatore family found a small sapling and ended up planting it years after the Originals fled from Mystic Falls. They burned the tree to the ground, but didn’t destroy the roots. I came here and carved three stakes out of it before the tree was torn down to form what is now known as the Wickery Bridge.”

Elena gaped and stood up from the couch, slowly walking toward Violet with her eyes locked on the white stake. “Wickery Bridge is a weapon against the Originals?” She had a hard time breathing suddenly and Stefan flew to her side, leaning against him. “My god…”

“To answer your question, Damon, I lived in Mystic Falls a few years before Katherine laid her eyes on both of the Salvatore brothers, you and Stefan.” Violet said softly, walking past him to go sit back down with the white stake still in her hand. “I knew you and Stefan personally for years, but my name back then was not Violet.”

Both brothers turned to stare at Violet, their eyes slowly widening as the memories suddenly swept over them like two huge tsunami waves. Visions of the boys talking with a nearby neighbor woman that lived alone flashed through their minds. Her soft auburn hair and kind hazel eyes, though her hair was a lot longer than what it was now and a little lighter.

“Your name was Whitney.” Stefan said, remembering how their parents would leave them in her care whenever they went into town, before the Salvatore’s came into some money. “We thought you died…”

Violet nodded, folding her arms in front of her chest and kicked her feet up on the table. “That’s what I wanted you to think. Once word got around that vampires invaded the area, I knew it was time to leave. I wanted to say goodbye to you both, but at that time, you were so infatuated with Katherine, I couldn’t. I didn’t like her and I knew what she was doing to both of you.” Her eyes landed on Damon, chewing her bottom lip. “Then again, it was partially my fault that you don’t remember me because I compelled you both to forget I existed. I couldn’t take the chance of someone saying my name, even though it was false.”

“You compelled us to forget what exactly?” Damon demanded, his voice a little hoarse because he was also remembering a few more things he knew his brother wouldn’t.

Smiling apologetically, Violet downed half of her glass and ran fingers through her hair. “Stefan, I compelled you to forget about me because we were friends. I taught you a few things about women, you were such a shy thing. Damon, on the other hand, had to be compelled for reasons I’m not going to discuss right now.”

Stefan, Elena and Dathan knew the meaning behind those words, the girls flushing while Damon’s eyes grew wider as the seconds ticked by. “Right, of course.” Stefan cleared his throat, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

“Getting back on topic, what exactly did Katherine say to you, Elena?”

“I talked to Katherine and she told me everything that happened. There’s some kind of curse with this thing called the moonstone that can supposedly lift the curse of the moon. For whatever reason, Klaus wants to do this and needs me to perform the ritual.” Elena explained, hoping she got it down right and chewed her bottom lip nervously. “Violet, is there any way we can maybe get one of those stakes from you?”

Sighing, Violet knew what she was about to say next was not going to be an easy thing to hear. “If you kill Klaus with this stake, you will also kill all the vampires he created, his entire bloodline.” She said, turning her eyes to Stefan and then up to Damon, trying not to let the tears sting her eyes. “Mary Porter made Rose and me. Klaus made Mary.”

“Wait, so you’re saying if any of the Originals were killed forever, their bloodline dies with them?” Dathan gaped, having already read Violet’s mind to make sure she wasn’t lying to them about anything she said. “Oh my god…”

“Yes.” Violet stood up from the couch and walked back over, placing the stake back in the drawer. “Elena, if I were you, if you don’t want Stefan and Damon to die along with all the other vampires Klaus created, you’ll do what Katherine did.”

“That means…”

Violet turned to face her, locking hazel eyes on her. “Turn into a vampire, yes.”

“And there’s no other way?”

“The only other possibility I see is having a witch perform a spell that desiccated Mikael, which is the father of the Originals. I don’t know the full story with him, but I do know he’s currently in a tomb chained heavily. I do know he was a vampire hunter and only fed on vampire blood, refusing to slaughter the innocent. If you could somehow desiccate Klaus without having to use the great white oak tree, their lives would be spared and you wouldn’t have to turn into a vampire.”

“Wait, Papa Original was a vampire hunter?” Damon had a hard time believing that, looking down hardening at Violet.

“Yes. According to what I’ve read over the centuries, Mikael was made to track down each of his children and kill them, which would wipe out all the vampires.” Violet explained, not moving from standing beside Damon. “A Bennett witch ended up stopping him with a spell for some reason I still to this day haven’t figured out.”

This was definitely a sudden turn of events that Elena had not expected. “But who made him that way?”

“That I do not know.” Violet sighed, wishing she had more information for Elena, but unfortunately she was out.

“So you would die also if we killed Klaus forever.” Elena said softly, tears already stinging her eyes, not wanting to lose Stefan or Damon. “We can’t use the stake then.”

Violet nodded, actually letting out a sigh of relief. “You have a big kind heart, Elena. I know you’ll figure something else out. If you change your mind, just let me know and I’ll hand over the stake.”

“You’re willing to die to protect me?” Elena asked, not understanding why this woman would sacrifice her own existence.

“Yes because it’s what Rose would want.” Violet actually smiled, no fear in her eyes. “Darling, I’ve lived for over five hundred years and if it has to come to an end, at least I know my sister is on the other side waiting for me.”

“I won’t do it and it’s not only because of Stefan, it’s because I don’t want to kill good vampires like you.” Elena walked over and hugged Violet tightly around the neck, thankful for all the information she gave them.

Violet blinked, not expecting that and hugged her back awkwardly, pulling out of the embrace. “She’s a lot better than Katherine, Stefan.” She complimented, gently tapping Elena’s shoulder with a smile. “Much better.”

“I know she is, believe me.” Stefan agreed, pulling Elena back against him and kissed the top of her head. “Thank you for everything you told us, Violet.”

“No problem and yes, that is my real name.” She chuckled, walking over to grab the rest of her drink, swallowing it down.

“I figured as much.” Stefan remembered how smitten Damon had been with ‘Whitney’ back in their human days and could only imagine what was going through his mind now. “Damon, we should get going.”

Tossing the keys at Stefan, Damon’s eyes locked on Violet, refusing to leave without getting some answers from Violet. “Take the car. We have unfinished business.” He stated evenly, not showing any emotion, though his electric blue eyes swam with it.

“We do?” Violet questioned, raising an eyebrow and shrugged when Damon nodded emphatically. “I’ll be fine, Stefan. I can handle your brother.”

Stefan chuckled, not doubting that and nodded. “It was great seeing you again, Violet.”

“You too and, if you need any help bringing down Klaus, I’ll do what I can.” Violet offered, refusing to run and only exist like her sister had.

Elena beamed along with Dathan, who had kept to herself mostly throughout the conversation. “We’ll definitely take you up on that offer.” Elena promised, grabbing Stefan’s hand and pulled him out of the house, knowing what Damon wanted to talk to Violet about.

Once the door closed, Violet walked into the kitchen to figure out what she was having for dinner and felt Damon right behind her. “I know what you’re going to say, so say it.”

Damon growled, whipping her around and pushed her into the refrigerator, his eyes boring into hers. “Why did you compel me to forget you?” There was so much Damon had been compelled from with Katherine that, once he turned into a vampire, ‘Whitney’ had been completely forgotten until now.

“I already told you, I couldn’t chance someone pointing me out. I compelled everyone who knew me in Mystic Falls before leaving.” Violet said, not pushing him away because honestly it felt wonderful having Damon Salvatore this close again.

“Uh huh and why did you act like you didn’t know who I was when you decided to attack me in my OWN house?” Damon demanded, a hand on either side of her face, pressed firmly against the refrigerator.

“There was no reason to bring up the past, Damon.” Violet said simply, reaching up to gently caress his handsome face with the back of her hand. “It was wrong for us to do what we did back then too. You were far too young for me to take your innocence.” Though she hadn’t regretted that night, not for a second. “I did often think about you though after I left, if it’s any consolation.”

Damon remembered that night vividly now that she’d brought it back up again, his eyes slowly traveling down her body, her scent still intoxicating. “I knew there was something more about you than just you looking for Rose. I couldn’t put my damn finger on it though, but now I remember. And I’m the one who came to you that night. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Yes you did.” Violet couldn’t argue that point, lowering her eyes from his. “I still shouldn’t have given into my desires though. You were very young…”

“Going on twenty three.” Damon pointed out with a grunt, lifting her chin up until their eyes met again. “I wish you wouldn’t have compelled me to forget you. You were definitely supposed to be unforgettable.”

“You too.” Violet whispered, feeling the pad of his thumb run across her full red lips and all those old feelings started flooding back to her. “Damon…”

He couldn’t resist any longer and buried his hand in her hair, their lips crashing together in a passionate kiss.

Chapter 6

The moment his lips touched hers, Violet’s body lit completely on fire and suddenly she was back in 1864. Only now he was no longer the shy boy asking her for pleasure, he was a man with an animalistic side. Violet moaned softly as his tongue swiped across her lips, instantly opening her mouth to give him full access. She sighed, burying her fingers in his hair and felt his arm wrap around her waist to press her against him tighter.

Damon was the first to end the kiss, his lips traveling down the side of her mouth to her jaw, taking his time to thoroughly torment her. This was the woman who changed his life forever with one night of passion back in his human days. As angry as Damon was at her for compelling him to forget all about it, he was feeling to nostalgic to stop this from happening.

Violet moaned, ready to turn the tables on Damon, but honestly, this assault felt too good to stop. His lips moved from her jaw to her neck, suckling somewhat roughly on her flesh. Gripping his hair tighter when he hit one of her sweet spots, which was just below her ear, Violet physically shivered against him, letting out another deep moan.

“Damon…”

“How about we remove some of these clothes, hmm?” He suggested in a husky voice, his mouth right by her ear and nipped the lobe, his hands running down her sides.

Dinner could definitely wait. Violet was starved for attention, not remembering the last sexual encounter she had. Vampire or not, Violet was a firm believer in falling in love and only having sex with people she cared about, loved or both. She definitely wasn’t a normal vampire and never gave up her humanity, refusing to live like a bloodthirsty savage like most vampires in the world.

“Not in my kitchen.” Violet ordered breathlessly.

Pulling away, Violet grabbed the front of his shirt, backtracking both of them into the living room where her comfortable couch was. Damon smirked and yanked her forcefully back into his arms, capturing her lips again as they both fell back on the couch. While they devoured each other’s lips, Violet began unbuttoning Damon’s shirt while he reached behind her neck to undo her halter top, both of them feverish.

“Tear it off, go ahead.” Damon growled, grinding against her on the couch and Violet shook her head, finishing the last button.

“No, there’s no need to destroy clothing.” She chastised playfully against his mouth, pushing the shirt from his shoulders and down his arms, her eyes consuming him.

“No fun.” He groaned, bunching the material of her halter top in his strong hands and pushed it up over her head, tossing the material to the side. “No bra, so delicious…”

“Mmm I could say the same thing about you.” Violet moaned softly, running her hands and fingernails down his rock hard chest, the muscles rippling beneath her touch.

Reaching down between them, Violet unsnapped his tight dark blue jeans and shoved them down his muscular legs with her feet, pleased he went commando. Violet wrapped her hand around his throbbing shaft, feeling the length of it and was thrilled at how big and thick he was. Her hazy hazel eyes locked with smoldering blue as she decided to test this out, stroking up and down slowly at first.

Damon hissed and groaned, closing his eyes as he buried his face in the crook of her neck. She didn’t stop, wanting to drive him right to the edge and brink of insanity before finally ending the torment. He grew harder instantly if that was possible, her small hand barely able to wrap fully around it and increased the stroking, loving the sound of his deep growls. They sent shivers down her spine and made her want him that much more, every part of her craving for him to be inside of her.

Temped to just tear the rest of her clothes off, Damon knew that would only anger Violet and didn’t want to ruin this. He flicked his wrist and unsnapped her blue jean shorts, reluctantly pulling back and breaking the connection of her hand on his throbbing cock. Damon quickly removed her shorts and panties before hovering over her again, their lips meeting in another explosive kiss.

Violet flipped Damon over a second later, her hardened nipples brushing against his bare chest and decided to torture him a little. “My turn.” She murmured against his lips, running them down his chin to his strong jaw.

Damon didn’t mind her taking control for the moment, not wanting to rush this and had a feeling she didn’t want to either. His hands caressed her back and hips, gripping her luscious ass to test how firm it was. Her body was exactly the same as it was back in 1864, sexy and mouthwatering with curves that most women would kill to have. She had definitely been changed at the right time in her life because Violet could literally get away with murder with a body like this.

Nipping and suckling on his pale skin, Violet raked her nails down his sides while moving her mouth to his ear, running the tip of her tongue along the outside. She smirked when he shivered against her and brushed her soft lips across his throat to his other ear, giving it the same treatment as the other one. Violet thoroughly enjoyed the affect she was having on him and began nibbling his Adam’s apple, loving the feeling of his fingers running through her auburn tresses.

“Damn it, Violet…” Damon groaned out, really not wanting to stop her assault, but his erection was in dire need of attention. “You’re driving me crazy…”

“I know.” Violet purred, her mouth traveling further down his chest and stopped at his beautiful muscular toned abs. “And I’m only getting started.”

Damon leaned his head back, looking down at what she was doing. Violet was busy pressing open mouth kisses all over his abs, not leaving one spot of his gorgeous body untouched. Her nails ran down his thighs, feeling them tremble slightly and continued kissing along his waist. She couldn’t resist running her tongue up the dips in his hips either, the small patch of hair running in a straight line below is belly button making him even more desirable.

Violet was suddenly on her feet looking down at him, grabbing his hand and yanked him into a sitting position, straddling him instantly before he could blink. The beauty of being a vampire was the speed; she did all of that within seconds, their lips meeting once again. Damon didn’t care what position she wanted him in as long as they both enjoyed this encounter, moans and groans filling the air.

“I want you, Damon.”

Violet felt him cup her face in his strong hands, their eyes locking, making it seem as though time completely stopped. Then, time started again as Violet felt Damon grip her hips and slowly guided his pulsating shaft inside of her, both of them gasping at the contact. She pressed her forehead to his and wasn’t waiting to adjust to him, crying out as he filled her completely.

So much for taking this slow, Damon definitely wasn’t complaining and began thrusting his hips up, driving his cock inside of her deeper. Violet leaned back and rolled her hips to meet every one of his thrusts, gripping his broad shoulders. His hands reach up to mold her perfectly shaped breasts, tweaking her nipples gently before smoothing them with his tongue. His thrusts became harder and faster, penetrating her to the point where Violet thought he’d never find his way back out of her again.

The harder his thrusts came, the louder she cried out and the closer Violet came to shattering around him. Every nerve-ending felt like it was on fire, which would normally be bad for a vampire, but in this case it was a good fire. The kind she desperately needed quenched and Damon was doing exactly that, only not as fast as she would’ve liked.

“New position…” She hissed out, gritting her teeth at how wonderful Damon felt.

“With pleasure.” Damon growled, nipping her neck.

Seconds later, Violet was on her knees on the thin carpeted floor, slamming back inside of her with a force that was nearly groundbreaking. Violet whipped her head back, auburn locks flying and felt Damon’s hand bury in them. Her back flew up and smashed against his chest, the thrusting not stopping, both of them completely lost in the ecstasy of it all.

Violet turned her head as Damon’s lips crashed against hers, his hand wrapped around her throat. With his free hand, Damon slid it down her flat stomach to rub her swollen bud, sending convulsions throughout her body. The sounds of flesh smacking flesh echoed off the walls and Violet didn’t care who heard them.

Reaching her arms up to wrap around Damon’s neck, Violet gripped his hair while he powered in and out of her. “Damon…”

His name sounded beautiful coming from her sweet mouth and Damon knew this had been dragged out long enough. “So close, Violet…” He grunted in her ear, loving a woman that could hold her own when it came to sex and nearly outlasted him.

A few more thrusts later and Violet shattered against him, her walls wrapping around his thick shaft in a vise grip, triggering his own release. They both screamed out as their agony came to an end, both exploding against each other. Violet milked Damon for everything he was worth before simply sagging against him, resting her head on his shoulder while his arms wrapped tightly around her waist.

The rug burns on her knees were already healing and Violet had never felt this satisfied in a very long time. She wondered what was currently going through Damon’s mind, considering they hadn’t seen each other in nearly a century and a half. Both remained silent while they came down from their intense sexual high, Damon pressing soft kisses against her neck and Violet enjoying every second of attention from him.

“That was amazing.” Damon broke the silence, burying his nose in her hair. “You still smell the same.”

Violet chuckled softly, running her nails up and down his arms in a gentle caress, sighing. “So do you.” Smiling, Violet reluctantly extracted herself from his arms and stood up with him, turning around to stare up into those stunning blue eyes. “Time for a much needed shower.”

“Couldn’t agree more.” Damon began lifting her up in his arms, but Violet stepped back, raising a slow black eyebrow. “What’s wrong?”

Why did Violet have to sleep with him? This was very awkward and already full of complications, two things she really didn’t need or want in her life. If only she could tell him the truth…Violet immediately pushed that out of her mind, needing to focus on pushing him out the door before anything else transpired.

“This has been fun, Damon, but now it’s over.” Violet hated the words that were coming out of her mouth, picking her clothes up from the living room carpet. “I didn’t even mean for this to happen actually…”

Damon narrowed his eyes, not liking where this conversation was heading. “So you regret it.” That wasn’t something he hadn’t heard before, but for some reason coming from Violet, it hurt. “Right.” Snatching his jeans up, Damon pulled them on, suddenly wishing he hadn’t stayed behind and let Stefan take his car.

“No, it’s not like that…”

“Really? Because what it sounds like to me is this was just a spare of the moment thing. This was a mistake in other words.” Damon shot back angrily, zipping and buttoning his jeans, snatching his shirt from the floor next.

“No, that’s not what I mean!” Violet couldn’t believe how upset he was, but maybe it was for the best. “If you only knew…”

“If I only knew WHAT?” Damon demanded, glaring back at the woman who had first compelled him to forget all about her and was now ripping his heart out of his chest. “You said it yourself, Violet. It’s been fun, a real blast, but now it’s over. Thanks for using me. You’re just like every other bitch out there.”

Violet couldn’t contain her own temper and slapped him across the face, having pulled her panties and halter top back on, snarling. “You have no idea what you’re talking about! I didn’t use you! You used ME!!” She shoved Damon so hard, he ended up flying back and crashing into the wall.

Damon was on his feet in a heartbeat and flew over to Violet, grabbing her by the throat, slamming her back against the wall as hard as he could. “I didn’t use you! What makes you think I would use a lying slut like you anyway?” He squeezed harder when Violet started fighting him, blue eyes flashing dangerously.

“Let go of me!” Violet growled, closing her eyes when Damon rammed her back against the wall again, but it didn’t faze her nearly as much as it should’ve. “Damon, I’m not going to ask you again.”

“Or what?” Damon challenged, hissing when she actually bit his hand to the point of drawing blood, her fangs out. “Damn it, Violet!!”

“Told you to let go of me.” Violet stated simply, watching him shake his hand and walked over to pull her jean shorts back on. “If you must know the reason why I won’t take this further, I will gladly tell you.”

Damon snorted, turning to face her with his arms folded in front of his chest, the shirt completely unbuttoned. “This oughta be good.” He muttered, walking over to grab his shoes. “Go ahead then, tell me. Blow my mind since you can’t compel it anymore.”

Violet ignored that little jab for now, deciding she would let her emotions out once he left. “You’re in love with Elena.” She watched as his eyes narrowed, daring him to deny it. “I saw the way you looked at her while she was here, Damon. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure it out, and I refuse to be your backup.” There, he wanted the truth and she gave it to him. “Now please leave.”

“That’s not true, Violet.” Damon tried arguing, but it wouldn’t do any good. “Your mind’s made up and you don’t even know what you’re talking about.”

“I don’t?” Violet tested, raising a brow when Damon nodded, eyeing him skeptically. “Fine, then prove it to me. Prove to me you’re not in love with her and then we can talk about what happens from this.”

“How the hell am I supposed to do that?” Damon demanded, standing up from slipping his shoes on, shooting icicles at her. “You don’t believe me, so I don’t get how I’m supposed to ‘prove’ it to you.”

Violet simply smiled, walking over to open her front door now that’s she was decent. “You’ll find a way if you truly want me.”

Pissed beyond belief, Damon didn’t bother commenting and stormed out, running as fast as he could home. Violet slowly closed the front door and slid down until she hit the floor, tears pouring down her face. The truth was Violet had been in love with Damon ever since the first time they slept together when he was human.

She planned on changing him into a vampire so they could be together forever, but Katherine Pierce ruined their chance. Wiping her tears away, Violet stood up and headed into the bathroom for a much needed shower, smelling Damon’s scent all over her. The faster she got it off, the faster she could move on from this and Damon would hopefully prove to her he wasn’t in love with another woman.

Only time would tell.

Chapter 7

A week passed since Violet saw Damon and she just kept to herself, trying to live a ‘normal human’ life, something Rose never could do. Violet had other plans in mind, but in order to carry those out, she needed information from Damon. Ever since Violet found out what happened to her sister, all she could think about was getting revenge for her death.

That meant there were werewolves in the area.

Rose would’ve never let anyone get away with killing Violet, so she wasn’t about to just sweep Rose’s death under the rug, metaphorically speaking. No, she would get revenge for her family’s death, dying to just sink her fangs into the thick fur of the one who bit her sister. Damon hadn’t gone into a lot of detail regarding Rose’s death, which was something Violet had to know.

Pulling a jar out of her nightstand drawer, Violet looked at the small herb within the glass, a vicious smirk curving her lips. She did a little research on werewolves and found out that their number one weakness was this little herb called aconitum. Most of the research simply called it wolfsbane. Violet planned on getting more, the herb was very hard to come by, but by the next full moon she would have enough to take down an entire pack.

They were going to pay for taking her sister’s life. Violet knew Rose probably wouldn’t be happy with her trying to get revenge, but Violet didn’t have a choice. She went from hoping for a happy tearful reunion with her big sister after all this time to finding out she was dead at the hands of hairy beasts. They had to be stopped and Violet was going to the one to do it, in Mystic Falls at least.

Violet had scoped everyone out in town and so far came up empty. She was about to hit the jackpot though because a full moon was upon them. A full moon was the one thing a werewolf needed to transform from human to beast and Violet planned on being out in the woods when it happened.

Knowing what a big risk Violet was taking in going after werewolves, she was preparing herself as much as she could. Something told her the Salvatore brothers could help her even more, but Violet wasn’t sure if Damon even wanted to see her. It wasn’t her fault she called him out on being in love with Elena, after sleeping with her, which Violet still couldn’t believe happened.

“It’s worth a shot.” Violet muttered, pacing back and forth in front of her vanity mirror, trying to decide how to go about doing this.

Pulling on a pair of faded blue jeans and a yellow baby doll short sleeved top, Violet brushed her hair back in a high ponytail, letting a few tendrils frame her face. She pulled on socks and black steel toed boots, just in case she had to defend herself. Seeing it was starting to storm outside, Violet pulled on her black long sweater and grabbed her keys, cell phone and purse before exiting the house.

All she could hope was that Damon felt up to having a little chat about werewolves.

~!~

“Elena, do you have a second to talk?”

“Sure.” Elena closed her locker and saw the concerned look on Dathan’s face, frowning. “Should we go outside to do this?”

Dathan nodded, not wanting anyone to overhear their conversation and walked outside with Elena, thankful school was over with. They went to their usual talk spot, which was under the bleachers, where Dathan used to secretly watch Tyler train for football. Now they were actually dating, which Elena thought was adorable because they were the perfect couple.

“What’s on your mind, Date?” She asked in an apprehensive voice, not liking the nervous expression on her friend’s face. “Is everything alright?”

Sighing, Dathan nodded and sat down in the grass, dropping her bag beside her. “Yeah, I just had to talk to you about Tyler.” Her cheeks instantly reddened at the mere mention of her boyfriend.

Elena smirked, taking a seat beside Dathan and drew her knees up to press against her chest. “Okay spill it. What happened with you and Tyler?” She demanded, the reddening of Dathan’s cheeks pretty much telling the story, or so Elena thought.

“We didn’t sleep together.” Dathan automatically put that assumption to rest, though she knew it would inevitably happen. “There’s something going on with him and I can’t figure it out.”

Elena immediately wiped the smirk from her face, anxiety instantly taking over. “What do you mean?” She already knew what Tyler’s secret was, but wasn’t about to divulge that information to Dathan since he hadn’t.

“He’s been acting really weird this week and spending a lot of time on his family’s property in the woods. I don’t know what he’s doing, but I wish he could be honest with me about it. He’s also been really moody and even snapped at me a few times. You know me, I have a pretty thick skin, but I put up with three years of verbal abuse from Murray and I’ll be damned if it happens again.” Dathan ranted, taking a few deep breaths and leaned back against the pole, closing her eyes. “I really like Tyler, but if he’s not going to be honest with me about what’s going on, then I don’t see us working out.”

Dathan had a point and Elena felt terrible that she couldn’t just come out and tell her friend about Tyler. “Look, I’m sure whatever is going on, he has a good excuse for it.” She grabbed Dathan’s hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Want me to talk to him about it?” Elena was planning on doing it anyway.

“I don’t know…” Dathan sighed heavily, turning to look out at the field and could see Tyler was nowhere to be found. “This is what I’m talking about. Tyler has NEVER missed a football practice, to my knowledge anyway. So where is he?”

Elena had a good idea where Tyler was, but of course she couldn’t say anything and sat there frowning. “Good point, I have no idea.” She lied, chewing her bottom lip. “Let me talk to him about what’s going on before you jump to any conclusions. Tyler isn’t like Murray, I know that for a fact.”

Nodding, Dathan hoped Elena could get through to Tyler before it was too late, not wanting to lose him.

~!~

Pulling up to the Salvatore house, Violet simply looked up at it and slowly cut the ignition, wondering if anyone was here. It seemed pretty quiet; Violet closed the car door and headed up to the front door, bringing her hand up to knock. The door suddenly swung open before her hand connected, staring into the friendly green eyes of Stefan.

“Hello Violet.” Stefan greeted civilly, stepping aside to let her in, closing the door behind her. “What brings you here?”

“I wanted to talk to you and your brother about a few things.” Violet answered, walking with Stefan down the hall past the living room/parlor, where her first confrontation with Damon happened. “Is he here?”

Stefan nodded, already knowing Damon wasn’t going to be pleased seeing Violet, but he would have to get over it. “Hey brother, we have company.” He announced, walking into the study, smiling widely when Damon’s eyes instantly narrowed.

“Some company.” Damon muttered, turning right back to staring into the fire with his glass of bourbon in his hand, downing it. “What do you want, Violet?”

Violet didn’t let his attitude bother her, walking down to the couch with Stefan and sat down, crossing her ankles. “Who is the wolf that attacked Rose?” She was cutting straight to the chase, refusing to get into idle conversation. “What is their name?”

Damon definitely didn’t expect to be asked that, realizing he didn’t actually give Violet the rundown on what happened with Rose’s death. “I really don’t want to talk about this right now.” He started standing up when Violet grabbed him rather hard by the arm, forcing him back down again.

“You will tell me who killed her or I’ll have to beat the truth out of you, Damon.” Violet threatened in a deadly voice, hazel eyes promising a world of pain. “And don’t think I can’t do it. I have roughly three hundred years on you, remember that.”

Stefan was saying out of this one, leaning back against the chair he occupied and watched in amusement.

Damon rolled his eyes at her idle threat and poured more bourbon in his glass while stemming his own temper. “Why do you want to know?” He asked, raising a brow at Violet, wishing she was here to talk about what happened between them.

He wasn’t going to tell her and that just pissed Violet off to the point where she really wanted to drive a stake through his heart. “I’m not playing the twenty questions game with you, Damon. It was a mistake coming here. I just figured since I helped your little friend out by giving vital information about the Originals that you would return the favor. My mistake.” Standing, Violet began walking out of the study, already having a plan B in mind to find out who killed her sister.

Groaning, Damon shot up and stopped her, wrapping his hand around her arm. “Violet…” A second later, he was flipped right onto his back with her hand gripping his throat, both of them hissing at each other.

“Don’t touch me.” She ordered, releasing him reluctantly and stepped back to fold her arms in front of her chest, eyes narrowed.

“Violent much?” Damon growled, back on his feet instantly, both of them at a standoff.

“When the situation calls for it, yes.” Violet started leaving again, but Damon flew to stand in her way, their eyes locking again. “What?”

“I’ll tell you what happened.” Damon didn’t feel up to rehashing this, but Violet had helped them find out information they didn’t know about the Originals. “Sit down and I’ll tell you everything.”

Violet eyed him skeptically, wondering if she should trust him and finally turned around to walk toward the couch. “Glad you see things my way.” Taking a seat, Violet accepted a glass of bourbon Damon handed her, knowing it was his way of making a peace offering.

“I killed a werewolf named Mason Lockwood.” Damon said, deciding to start from the beginning since Violet was so hell bent on knowing everything. “He came into town and was working for Katherine. Both of them wanted the moonstone.”

“The moonstone?” Violet had heard of its legend, but never thought it actually existed. “I’ve heard of it. It supposedly holds the curse of both the sun and moon for vampires and werewolves.”

“Right.” Damon nodded, downing more of his tumbler. “Well it turns out that Klaus needs it for this ritual he’s planning on doing with Elena.”

Suddenly, Violet had a flashback of Katherine rushing into their house, a cut on her left cheek. She looked absolutely terrified and had been holding something in her hand, something she stole from Klaus. Violet shook her head as the vision ended with Rose shoving Katherine in the bedroom, locking her in. Rose had been planning on taking Katherine right back to Klaus and begging his forgiveness along with the clear hockey puck sized rock.

“Do you have the moonstone now?” She asked, watching as Damon pulled something out of his pocket and tossed it at her. “My god, this is it. This is what Katherine stole from Klaus the day she escaped! Rose and I had no idea what it was, but now it makes perfect sense.” Violet tossed it back at Damon, looking over at Stefan. “Why not just destroy the stone and be done with it?”

Stefan sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair. “If we cross Klaus, he’ll kill Elena’s entire family, just like he did to Katherine’s when she killed herself to become a vampire. He obliterated her entire family, that’s why Rose and Trevor were on the run from him for over five hundred years because Klaus thought they aided Katherine in her escape, which technically they did.”

Violet nodded, not really concerned about what they were going to do about Klaus because she had her own problem to deal with. “Getting back on track, I’m assuming Katherine was planning something with the moonstone or else she wouldn’t have been with a werewolf.” Both brothers nodded. “Continue with the story, Damon.”

“Mason tried outing us to the sheriff about what we were and nearly had us killed. So, we captured him with Elena’s witch friend, brought him back here and I tortured him to find out what they wanted with the moonstone. Katherine lied to him and said she wanted to break the curse of the moon so that way Mason would never have to turn into a werewolf again. That was a lie. I ended up ripping his heart out of his chest. He was a threat.” Damon stopped explaining for a moment to finish off his tumbler, going for a refill. “Right after that happened, your sister and Trevor kidnapped Elena. They were going to hand her over to Elijah in exchange for their freedom because they were tired of running. Elijah agreed and ended up knocking Trevor’s head from his shoulders, killing him.”

Trevor was dead too? Violet lowered her head as tears filled her eyes, not believing her entire family was gone. Of course Rose would resort to such desperate acts in order to stop running from the Originals. Using Elena like that wasn’t a smart way to go, especially since both Salvatore brothers were obviously in love with her.

“Go on.” Violet whispered, blinking the tears away, refusing to cry.

Damon suddenly felt remorse from how cruel he’d been talking about Violet’s family’s death, taking a few moments to let her recollect herself. “After Elijah killed Trevor and pardoned Rose, she came to us wanting to help stop Klaus from carrying out his plans. She stayed here because she had nowhere else to go.” Damon refused to reveal what else happened between him and Rose to her little sister, deciding to take those moments to the grave. “Another werewolf and her buddies came into Mystic Falls looking for Mason. I was trying to see if she was a werewolf, so my friend Alaric bought her a drink and poured some wolfsbane in it. She caught it and marked me for death. Later that night, she broke into our house and went to attack me, but Rose ended up coming between us. The wolf bit her on the shoulder and I ended up stabbing the wolf, but didn’t injure her enough.”

“What was her name?” Violet whispered, gritting her teeth as she stared straight into the fire.

“Jules.” Stefan answered solemnly, feeling terrible for Violet to have to hear how her sister was killed. “Violet…”

“I have to go.” Violet got the information she needed and now it was time to track this bitch down for touching Rose. “Thank you for your information, gentlemen.”

Damon could only watch as she walked out of the study and looked down at Stefan, both of them suddenly flying after her before she could leave.

Chapter 8

Violet blinked when Damon stopped her from walking out the front door, blocking it and Stefan was behind her. “I have to leave.” If she had to physically move Damon, she would.

“No.” Damon took a step toward her, electric blue eyes full of intensity. “There’s a reason you came here wanting to know who killed Rose.”

“Damon, get out of my way.”

He wasn’t budging an inch, glancing at his little brother, both of them reading each other’s expressions. “What are you planning, Violet?” Damon demanded, folding his arms in front of his chest.

“Nothing.” Violet lied, not about to divulge that information to him. “You two have enough on your plate with Klaus coming after Elena. Don’t worry about what I’m planning.”

“Violet,” Stefan’s gentle voice sounded behind her, watching her turn to face him. “Whatever you’re planning, it’s not worth getting killed. Rose wouldn’t want that for you.”

“I appreciate your concern, but I’m not planning anything.” She lied once again, turning back to face Damon with narrowed hazel eyes. “Now get out of my way so I can leave.”

Damon knew she was lying. “Not until you tell me the truth.” She wanted him to prove he wanted her, that’s what Damon was trying to do. “Why did you want to know who killed Rose?” He asked again, eyebrows gathering together.

“I’m her sister, I have the right to know who killed her.” Violet said simply, needing to get home so she could start prepping for the full moon.

“Stefan, she’s lying.” Damon hoped his little brother didn’t buy these lame lies, deciding to bait Violet until she spilled the truth. “You know, I just realized there’s a full moon coming up next week. Thursday I think it is.”

Violet tensed upon hearing that, glaring angrily at Damon. “What’s your point?” She snapped, placing her hands on her hips.

“No point, just figured I’d mention that because we ALL know what happens when a full moon comes.” Damon said nonchalantly, slowly beginning to circle Violet. “I think we should have a small dinner party that night, Stefan.”

Stefan didn’t know what his brother planned on accomplishing with this, though it would definitely get Elena’s mind off of what was happening. “Sounds good to me, though Tyler won’t be able to attend and I think Dathan is going to be with him.”

“Stupid girl.” Damon snorted, draping an arm around Violet’s shoulders. “Wanna be my date then?”

“No.” Violet shoved his arm away roughly, flying to the door, only for Damon to block it. “I’m busy that night.”

“Doing what?” Damon knew he would really have to push her buttons in order to make the truth come out. “Or who?”

That did it. Violet hauled off and slapped the taste out of his mouth, making his head whip to the side of almost snapping his neck. She couldn’t believe Damon actually said something like that to her, gritting her teeth as the tears began forming again. Even Stefan cringed from the lethal blow, watching as his brother popped his neck back into place, the sound echoing off the walls.

“How DARE you talk to me like that, you egotistical PRICK!” Violet shouted, consumed with rage by now and had a feeling that’s what Damon was trying to do. “It was definitely a mistake coming here and an even BIGGER mistake having sex with a man who is in love with his brother’s girl!”

Now fury burned in Damon’s eyes and he couldn’t help wondering if this woman had a death wish. “I will rip your heart out if you say that again, Violet.” He promised darkly, staring down at her with squared shoulders. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Oh I don’t?” Violet snorted, wondering if Damon really thought she was that daft and blind. “I saw the way you looked at her, Damon, so try denying it all you want. You stay out of my business and I’ll gladly stay out of yours. Now for the last time, get the hell out of my way.”

“You wanted me to prove that I wasn’t and this is me doing that!” Damon growled, gripping her shoulders and shook her so hard, her teeth slightly rattled. “I know what you’re planning to do and you’re going to end up dead like Rose!”

A few tears slipped down Violet’s cheeks as she gripped the front of Damon’s short sleeved black shirt, shaking slightly. “Then so be it.” She whispered, having lived on this earth for over five hundred years and wasn’t afraid of perishing.

Damon heard that and knew he couldn’t let Violet go on this suicide mission. He owed Rose that much to keep her only relative alive. Not saying a word, Damon wrapped his arms tightly around her body, hugging her close to him while her tears soaked into his shirt. He looked over at Stefan, both of them nodding simultaneously and Stefan rushed upstairs for a few minutes while Damon stalled Violet.

“I have to go…” She sniffled, trying to pull away from Damon, but all he did was increase pressure of the embrace, hugging her tighter. “Damon…”

“Don’t run away from me, Violet.” Damon murmured, his mouth right by her ear, before pulling back to stare down into her beautiful hazel eyes. “Don’t cry.”

Violet reached up to wipe her tears away, wishing this heartache over her family’s death would go away, wishing she could just turn all of her emotions off. “I have to do this, Damon.” She said, reaching up to caress his face lovingly with the back of her hand. “I owe Rose that much for saving my life.”

Sighing heavily, Damon nodded and placed his hand over hers on his face, their fingers lacing together. “I know.”

He dipped his head and suddenly captured her lips in a passionate kiss, wrapping his free arm around her waist. Violet couldn’t help reciprocating the kiss, their linked hands moving to the back of his neck. She suddenly pulled her hand out of his to bury both of them in his black hair, pushing him back against the wall, their mouths moving in perfect rhythm against each other.

Just as the kiss became more heated, Violet suddenly felt something burning in her lower back and felt Damon’s lips leave hers, not understanding what was happening. It felt as if she couldn’t breathe as Violet slumped to the floor, gasping for air. Stefan held the now empty needle in his hand, having injected Violet with vervain to immobilize her temporarily.

“I can’t let you get yourself killed, Violet.” Damon said, brushing strands of auburn away from her face and lifted her up in his arms. “Thanks brother.”

Stefan nodded solemnly, really hating they had to go to these drastic measures to protect Violet. “Cellar?”

Damon nodded, knowing they didn’t have any other rooms in the house that could contain her. “Go grab some blankets for her.” He requested, carrying a limp Violet to the cellar door, heading down the stairs with her. “I’m not one to apologize for my actions and I’m not going to start now. Hate me all you want, but this is for the best, Violet.”

Once the full moon passed, Damon would release her and figure out a way to stop her from wanting revenge for Rose’s death. Opening the thick wooden door, Damon walked in and gently set Violet on the small bedding that was under some dim lights. She would be out for a couple of hours at least because of how much vervain Stefan injected and Damon decided to just her rest.

When she got up, Violet was not going to be happy at what the Salvatore brothers did to her.

~!~

Walking inside the grill, Elena headed to a nearby table, waiting for Tyler to arrive so they could talk. She promised Dathan she would do it and, with the full moon coming up soon, there was no time like the present. She looked down when her cell phone began vibrating and smiled at the sight of Stefan’s name flashing on the caller ID, answering it.

“Hello?”

“Hey, where are you?” Stefan asked, standing in the study while Damon dealt with Violet.

Elena’s smile instantly disappeared. “I’m at the grill waiting for Tyler, why? What’s wrong?” She demanded, knowing the tone of Stefan’s voice. “What happened, Stefan?”

Sometimes Stefan hated that Elena could read him so well, even over the phone, sighing. “Violet paid us a visit today. Look, I don’t want to go into detail, but we ended up injecting her with vervain and locking her up. She was going to go on a suicide mission and get herself killed because she wants to kill Jules.”

“Oh my god.” Elena whispered, covering her mouth with her hand, brown eyes wide. “Is she okay? Damon didn’t…hurt her, did he?”

“No, she’s fine. She’s in the cellar right now and we’re not letting her leave until the full moon passes, which is next Thursday…” Stefan really hated telling Elena this because she’d been through enough lately with Klaus wanting her for a sacrifice. “I’m calling to tell you because I don’t want you going down to the cellar for any reason. She’s not going to be happy and she’s a lot older than us, which makes her very strong. Violet could hurt you, Elena.”

Elena completely understood, though she couldn’t help feeling awful about Violet having to be locked up. “I won’t, Stefan.” She promised, trusting Stefan’s judgment. “Listen, I have to go. Tyler just walked in and I really need to talk to him.”

“One more thing.” Stefan looked over his shoulder, feeling Damon’s presence and accepted the glass of bourbon his brother handed him. “Damon wants to have a dinner party next Thursday.”

Confusion entered her eyes as Elena frowned thoughtfully. “Why would he want to do that?”

“To keep everyone inside and out of the woods.” Stefan answered, sitting down on the couch in front of the fireplace, having grabbed a book to read. “So, do you want to be my date?”

Elena giggled softly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Of course.” Then suddenly, Elena realized the real reason Damon wanted to have this dinner party on the night of the full moon. “Is Violet going to be there?”

“She won’t have a choice.” Stefan stated evenly, hoping Elena didn’t think he was being cocky or arrogant. “We’re doing what’s best for her, Elena.”

“I know, I’m not judging you, Stefan.” Elena assured him softly, sipping her water that Matt brought over. “I really have to go now.”

“Alright, I love you.”

“Love you too.” Elena hung up and put her cell phone away, not wanting anyone disturbing them. “Hey Tyler!” She called out, waving him over with a smile, hoping he wouldn’t get angry for what they were going to talk about.

“Hey Elena.” Tyler greeted, sitting down across from her and they both placed their orders with Matt. “So, what did you want to talk about? You said it was urgent.”

Elena nodded, sipping her soda thoughtfully. “I know this is none of my business, but I’m sticking my nose in it anyway. The way you’ve been treating Dathan lately really has her wondering if she should be with you. Murray treated her like garbage for three years, which you already know.” She leaned forward, dropping her voice a little more. “I know the full moon is coming up and you can’t help feeling angry about it, but take my advice: If you don’t want to lose Dathan, you need to come clean about what you are.”

Normally Tyler would’ve lashed out, but this was Elena he was talking too and he knew she was doing this for Dathan. “I know I’ve been distancing myself from her lately, but I feel like if I don’t, I’m going to hurt her.” That’s the last thing he wanted to do because he actually cared about Dathan, possibly even loved her. “I just have no idea how to come out and say I morph into a fur ball on every full moon.”

Elena couldn’t help laughing, smiling when Matt brought them their food and popped a fry in her mouth. “Did it ever occur to you that maybe Dathan has a dark secret of her own?” Since Dathan wanted to know everything about Tyler, she figured Tyler deserved the same.

“What do you mean?” Tyler demanded, popping a fried mushroom in his mouth, chewing somewhat loudly. “What dark secret?”

“I’m going to let Dathan tell you that. It’s not my place, but the sooner you come clean about your secret, the sooner you’ll find out hers.” Elena made it sound so simple, even though she knew it wasn’t. “I love Dathan like a sister and I don’t want to see her get hurt, Tyler. She wants to help you, but she doesn’t know how to do it. Let her help you and stop being stubborn.”

Tyler sighed heavily, nodding. “I got it, Elena. We have a date tomorrow night, I’ll tell her then.”

“You’re doing the right thing and she’ll understand.” Elena assured him, knowing Tyler would find a way to tell Dathan about his curse.

Elena didn’t bother telling Tyler about the dinner party because he would be too busy locking himself up with thick chains in his family’s cellar. She hoped Dathan was with him when it happened too because this would be Tyler’s second transformation. Caroline had helped him through his first transformation and they tried being together, but it never worked out. They were enemies by nature and it started tearing them apart, so they both decided to just be friends.

They finished eating and Elena decided to head to home first to check in with her Aunt Jenna and her brother Jeremy. She loved her family, even though a lot had happened recently with the Originals. Elena really hoped Violet was still going to help with that problem after she was released once the full moon passed. It just proved the lengths Damon would go to protect the ones he loved and cared about most, even if his actions were sometimes compromising and sabotaging.

Deep down, Elena knew Damon’s feelings for her were null and void because of Violet, which she was perfectly fine with. They were good for each other. Violet set Damon straight and Damon challenged her. Violet reminded Elena so much of Rose, but she also had this fire about her that couldn’t be missed or ignored. Even in the short amount of time Elena knew Violet, she was very observant and could tell she had feelings for Damon from how she talked about the past.

Now all Damon had to do was admit how he felt about Violet.

Chapter 9

Hazel eyes slowly fluttered later that night and Violet felt like a truck had ran her over repeatedly, hissing out. Violet slowly rolled over and groaned when she ended up falling off the small bedding she was sleeping on, hitting the hard cold concrete ground. Dust flew up her nose, causing Violet to cough as she remained on her knees for a few minutes, trying to stop the dizziness.

“What the hell happened to me?” She whispered, slowly pushing herself up to sit back on her haunches, breathing in and out slowly.

“You were injected with vervain.”

Violet’s eyes flew open, her head instantly turning to stare up at Damon through the bars and could feel the anger welling up inside of her. “What?” She suddenly flew at the door, crashing against it as hard as she could. “Let me out of here right now.”

Even with vervain still in her system, Violet was incredibly strong and could easily rip him to shreds. Damon wasn’t letting her out of there until she agreed not to kill him. He knew the huge risk he was taking by using vervain, but even Stefan agreed with him that she couldn’t go off on a suicide mission against the werewolves. One bite is all it would take and she would be dead.

“I can’t.” Damon said softly, leaning back against the wall while her hands gripped the metal bars tightly.

“Y-You have no right doing this to me.” Violet knew she was exerting a lot of energy by simply standing, the vervain not completely out of her system yet. “No right.” Stumbling, Violet dropped to her knees, raking her nails down the door and left small scratch marks in it, tears filling her eyes. “Why are you doing this?”

“I think you know the answer to that question, Violet.” Damon said, pushing away the regret because all he was trying to do was save her life. “I couldn’t let you do it.”

Gritting her teeth, Violet knew exactly what Damon was referring to and closed her eyes, pressing her forehead against the door. “Damn it Damon, I knew what I was doing. That’s no reason for you to inject me with vervain and lock me up.” Her voice remained calm and soft, which was definitely a sign at how angry she was.

“I can’t take that chance.” Damon pushed away from the wall and sat on the opposite side, his face right by the door. “I care about you too much to let you just go and get yourself killed.”

“Damon…” Violet started crying, not able to stop the tears from streaming down her face and hit the door several times. “Don’t you understand? If it was your brother or someone you really cared about, maybe even loved…” Then she decided to really hit him where she knew it would hurt. “If it was ELENA, wouldn’t you do everything you could to get revenge for her death?”

Damon closed his eyes tightly shut, not believing she actually brought Elena into the conversation. “Low blow, Violet.” He muttered, loud enough for her to hear.

That reaction told her everything she needed to know. “Then you should understand my motivation to want to kill the bitch that took my sister’s life.” Violet stated in a stronger voice, wiping her tears away and sat back on her haunches. “I want revenge, Damon, but don’t think for a second I would purposefully get myself killed. I came here to find out what happened to Rose and you blew it completely out of proportion.”

“No, I know what you were planning to do. The full moon is less than a week away; do you really think I’m that stupid?” Damon demanded, leaning his head back against the wall and stretched his legs out in front of him. “Even my little brother agreed with me.”

“You and your brother are wrong then. I wasn’t going to go after the wolf until I knew she was at her most vulnerable. It was going to be the DAY of the full moon because that’s when a werewolf is at their most vulnerable. They feel pain and aches throughout their body because it’s preparing for the transformation. There’s no way I would go against a full blown wolf, that would definitely mean death for me.” Violet coughed a little, her throat feeling like she swallowed a thousand razor blades, her thirst for blood increased because of the vervain.

Damon wanted to believe her, but Violet had seemed so hell bent on finding out who the wolf was that killed Rose. “How do I know you’re telling the truth?” He finally asked, running his fingers along the dirty flooring and hated that Violet was crying.

“I have no reason to lie to you, Damon.” Violet replied quietly, meaning every word that came out of her mouth. “One thing I’ve never done, even as a vampire, is lie. I don’t condone or respect it. Anyone who lies is pathetic and should have their tongues cut out. Believe what you want though; keep me locked up like an animal until after the full moon. But sooner or later, I will go after that bitch that took Rose’s life and rip her heart out.”

Sighing heavily, Damon was battling with himself to believe her or not. Violet made several valid points that he couldn’t ignore. She didn’t have any reason to lie to him. What if she had been planning on going after Jules before the full moon? They would’ve pissed her off and injected her with vervain for nothing. He slowly stood up from the ground and began pacing back and forth, contemplating what to do.

“If I let you out of there, I have three conditions.” Damon decided to compromise and make a deal or else he was going to leave her in there until after the full moon passed.

“What are they?” Violet asked, now lying back on the hardened ground staring up at the ceiling.

“One: You don’t kill me or my brother because we were trying to help you. Two: You stay here until after the full moon passes. And three: When you go after the wolf bitch, I want to go with you.” Damon named off the stipulations, looking through the bars and down at her, seeing she wasn’t moving an inch. “You agree to all of that and I’ll let you out of here right now.”

Violet didn’t say anything for a few minutes and contemplated the stipulations, deciding they were fair enough. “Fine, agreed.” She whispered, hearing the lock click and the door swung open, Damon stepping inside.

Taking a chance, Damon walked over and extended his hand to her, his electric blue eyes trusting her and hoped he didn’t regret it. “Come on, there’s a nice hot shower or bath with your name on it.” He murmured softly, watching as those hazel eyes locked with his.

Reaching up, Violet clasped his hand tightly in her own and felt Damon pull her to her feet. “Thanks.” She whispered, releasing his hand and slowly made her way out of the cellar toward the stairs. “Give me a minute.” She requested, gripping the railings and began pushing herself up every single step, her body aching because of the vervain.

Damon watched her struggle for about two minutes before finally taking matters into his own hands, lifting her up in his arms. “This’ll be much faster.” He said with a smirk, feeling Violet lean her head against his chest and headed up the rest of the stairs, taking her straight to his bedroom.

Violet felt Damon lay her down gently on a very soft surface a few seconds later, knowing instantly it was a bed. It felt like heaven on her back, the cot she’d slept on not comfortable at all. She felt Damon remove her socks and shoes, his hands sliding up her legs and thighs to the button of her jeans, their eyes locking again.

Honestly, Violet wasn’t angry with Damon because all he had been trying to do was protect her and didn’t realize what her whole plan entailed. The fact he wanted to help her get revenge for Rose’s death just made her love him even more, wishing he felt the same way about her. Stefan had thought the same thing and for the brothers to agree on something was very rare.

Lifting up after he unsnapped her jeans, Violet felt her legs suddenly exposed and didn’t flinch when he pressed a soft kiss to each of her knees. She felt him grab her hands and pulled her up gently in a sitting position. Violet lifted her arms at his request and soon she was in just her yellow lace bra and panties before him, which contrasted beautifully against her pale skin.

“Shower or bath?” Damon asked, reaching back to pull his shirt off over his head, tossing the material to the side. “Because you’re not bathing alone.”

There was no point arguing with him and Violet honestly didn’t mind, considering they already slept together. “Bath.” She whispered, slowly standing up from the bed to follow him into the bathroom.

There was a small fireplace going already, the warmth washing over her while Damon ran the water, pouring some vanilla scented bubble bath in it. She simply stood there while Damon removed his jeans before turning to face her, pulling her into his arms by the hand. Violet knew this wasn’t a smart thing to do, but she couldn’t help what she wanted and who she wanted.

Damon unclasped her bra and moved to stand behind her, pulling the material down her shoulders and arms, tossing it over his shoulder. He then hooked his thumbs in the waistband of her panties, pressing soft kisses to the back of her shoulder blades and neck. Letting out a soft sigh, Violet stepped out of them and felt Damon’s arm encircle her waist, feeling him move her hair to the side as he continued raining kisses all over her.

“I forgive you, Damon.” She murmured, melting against him and didn’t even have the desire to hurt him for what he did to her.

“I know.” He chuckled, slowly turning her around until their eyes met again. “Ready to get clean?”

When she nodded, Damon lifted her up in his arms again and deposited her in the soothing hot bubbly water, the smell of vanilla completely surrounding them. Violet instantly turned into mush at the feeling and leaned back against the tub, running water over her arms along with bubbles. Damon slipped in on the other side, both of them facing each other and had two glasses in his hand with a bottle of wine, already popping it open.

“Thank you.” She accepted the glass he handed her and slowly sipped it, the burning in her throat instantly diminishing drastically.

“I brought you this too.” Damon reached over the garden tub and picked up the bag of blood, handing it over to her.

Violet didn’t take it at first, just simply stared at it and knew she couldn’t drink it all. “Damon…” She looked away from him, tears filling her eyes once again and downed the rest of her wine, taking a very deep breath.

“What is it?” Damon pulled her closer to him, lifting her chin to meet his eyes again, concern swirling through his. “What’s wrong, Violet?”

“I can’t drink the whole bag.” She whispered, seeing the confusion cross his face and knew she would probably regret saying this, but Damon would end up forcing the truth out of her in the end. “I only take a few drops of blood a day to keep my strength, but I…I don’t hunt humans. I killed one human when I was changed and haven’t taken another innocent life since.”

Damon blinked, his mouth actually forming an O because Violet had been around a lot longer than him. “Really?” When she nodded, Damon released her and leaned back against the tub, needing a minute to process that. “You’ve survived on just a few drops of blood every day. Where do you get the blood from?”

“Hospitals, blood banks, but never from a living breathing human.” Violet wasn’t ashamed of what she was, but that didn’t give her a right to spill innocent blood and take lives for her survival. “One bag like that lasts me a few months.”

First Stefan had his animal strict diet and now the woman he could potentially love didn’t enjoy the hunt? What the hell was this world coming to? They were vampires! It was in their nature to hunt down humans and feed on their blood for survival! How the hell Violet had actually resisted and trained her body to function on just a few drops of human blood a day was astounding to Damon.

“I know what you’re thinking and I’m going to tell you the same thing I’ve told every other vampire I’ve come across in the past. Just because I’m a vampire doesn’t mean I have to slaughter the innocent when there are more humane ways to survive.” Violet took the bottle of wine from Damon and poured herself another glass, next taking the blood bag. “You’ll have to finish this off for me.”

Damon just waved her off and watched as she ripped open the blood bag only enough to let drops of blood fall out. All he could do was stare while Violet took exactly three drops of blood on her tongue before handing the bag to him, a deep frown marring his handsome face. She had been injected with vervain, Violet would need a lot more blood to heal from it and regain her strength.

“You need more.” Damon insisted, pushing the blood bag back in her hands, and could instantly see she wasn’t going to do it. “Violet, you NEED it to regain your strength.”

“I’ll be fine.” Violet insisted, pushing it back into his hands and didn’t let go until he took it from her, a small smile on her lips. “Trust me Damon; I’ve trained my body over five hundred years. If I were to drink anymore, my body wouldn’t function properly and then I would have even more problems on my hands.”

As much as Damon loathed hearing that, he knew it made perfect sense because Stefan had done the same thing with his body. Granted, he had fell off the wagon once a few months back when he had to drink Elena’s blood to heal from an attack. He ended up becoming a blood junky and Damon had to lock him up, with the help of Elena, which lead to Stefan nearly letting himself burn in the sun.

Elena saved him from his demise though and Stefan had gone back to his animal diet. That was until they were attacked again by the sheriff of Mystic Falls, Liz, thanks to the now dead werewolf, Mason. Stefan took a while to heal from that attack because they’d been shot multiple times. Liz ended up being locked up at the Salvatore house until the vervain she ingested was out of her system so Damon could compel her, but it was Caroline who ended up compelling her own mother until forgetting everything.

After that, Stefan knew he had to start drinking human blood because it gave him a lot more strength, which he needed to not only protect her, but himself as well. Elena agreed he could do it on one condition and, ever since then, Stefan had taken a few drops of her blood each day. It was the only way for Stefan to learn control and not turn into a raging ripper like he had in the past or a blood junky.

Breaking out of his thoughts, Damon just poured the blood bag in his huge wine glass and tossed the empty bag in the nearby trashcan, sipping it. “You remind me a lot of my brother.” He commented thoughtfully, watching as Violet smiled softly and held his glass up to her. “Just so you know, injecting you with vervain was one of my ways of proving to you that I want you and not Elena.”

Violet simply nodded, tapping her glass gently against his. “I know.”

Chapter 10

To say Tyler was nervous about this date with Dathan was an understatement.

He wore a tan short sleeved shirt that looked ready to bust off of his biceps with a black long sleeved dress shirt over it, leaving the top few buttons undone. Tyler slipped on a pair of black dress pants and shiny black shoes, his hair spiked up with styling gel. Fixing the collar for the umpteenth time, Tyler took a deep breath and squared his shoulders, trying to get his head on straight.

“You can do this. She wants you. Just do what Elena said.” He said to his reflection, plastering on a smile and looked at the clock, knowing it was time to go pick Dathan up.

“Tyler, are you here?” His mother, Carol, called up the stairs.

“Yeah coming, Mom!” Tyler called back, spraying himself with some more cologne, before heading out of his room and downstairs. “What’s up?”

Carol smiled widely at how handsome her son was and knew he had a date tonight. “Dathan, I presume?” She smirked when he nodded and fixed his collar, smoothing his shirt down a little. “You should wear a tie.”

“Mom.” Tyler groaned, refusing to look like a moron on their first date. “We’re just going out to dinner and a movie.”

“Your father wore a tie all the time.”

“Dad was also the mayor, so it was somewhat required.” Tyler argued, pulling away from his mother’s fussing and grabbed his keys from the table, already having his wallet. “I won’t be back till late.”

Carol nodded with a soft sigh. “Just be careful, Tyler.” She cautioned, watching her only son walk out the door and went to have a much needed drink.

Tyler arrived at Dathan’s fifteen minutes later, thankful he was right on time and stepped out of the car, walking to the front door. He’d never met Dathan’s parents before, though Carol was good friends with them since her father was on the council. Clearing his throat, Tyler took another deep breath before knocking on the door, feeling as though he was standing on pins and needles.

The door opened and Tyler had to learn how to breathe at the sight of Dathan. She was absolutely gorgeous in a dark red strapless dress that went two inches above the knee, a matching sheer shawl over her shoulders. Her blonde hair was piled up on top of her head with a few spiral tendrils framing her face. Her nails had red tips, a simple diamond necklace with matching stud earrings and her heels were black. Everything from the top of her head to the tips of her toes, which were freshly pedicured with red tips, painted the most stunning picture Tyler ever saw.

“Wow.” Tyler finally exhaled, watching as her cheeks flushed a deep red and extended his hand, his dark eyes never leaving pale green. “You look…Wow…”

Dathan had devoured Tyler with her eyes as well, not believing how handsome he looked and felt butterflies erupt through her stomach. “I could say the same about you.” She slipped her hand into his, feeling Tyler pull her gently into his arms, kissing her softly. “Isn’t it a little early for you to be kissing me?”

“Hell no.” Tyler rumbled against her lips, causing her to laugh softly. “Come on, we have dinner reservations.” It wasn’t going to be a normal dinner either as Tyler guided her down the steps toward his car. “Parents not home tonight I take it?”

“Nope, they’re on their own date.” Dathan said, smiling when Tyler opened the door for her and slipped inside the passenger seat.

Tyler was thankful for that because he really didn’t feel up to the awkward meeting parents ordeal, not tonight at least. Slipping behind the wheel, Tyler fired up the engine and drove off toward the destination of where their date was going to be. He hoped Dathan was prepared for what he was about to tell her, his palms becoming sweaty at the thought.

Two things would happen. Either Dathan would scream bloody murder and try to get as far away from him as possible or she would accept his secret. Tyler really hoped she accepted him because he honestly wanted this to work with her. He started heading into the woods, looking over at Dathan and grabbed her hand in his, their fingers entwining together.

Elena had called and told Dathan about her talk with Tyler, so she had a feeling he was coming clean about whatever had been bothering him lately. Dathan was prepared for absolutely anything, having thought over several possibilities. Deciding since Tyler was perchance coming clean to her tonight with his secret, she would divulge her own. She just hoped Tyler still wanted her once tonight was all said and done, feeling her own nerves start to surface.

Tyler pulled into a secluded area a few minutes later and cut the ignition, staring straight ahead with his hands still on the wheel. The tension was so thick in the car it couldn’t be cut with the sharpest knife, both of them clearly on edge. Elena told Dathan to have an open mind about what Tyler was going to tell her and she promised she would, no matter the subject.

“Come on.” Tyler slid out of the car and walked over to open Dathan’s, extending his hand to her. “I need to show you something.”

“In the woods?” Dathan really wished she wouldn’t have dressed up so much, though Tyler had and she immediately discarded that thought.

Tyler nodded, a clear flat path starting from where he parked and went deep into the woods, where he would show her everything. They walked in silence, the moon being their only light, and Tyler moved branches out of the way so they didn’t smack Dathan in the face. Dathan could only walk with Tyler, squeezing his hand reassuringly because she could feel him slightly shaking.

Soon, they were standing in front of a small platform with stairs and it looked extremely old. “Date, there’s something I need to tell you, but in order for me to do that, I need to show you everything.” He knew that didn’t make sense, slowly turning to face her, his dark eyes reflecting in the moonlight. “Are you sure you want to know? Because once you take this step with me, there’s no going back. You have to be sure and you have to be open-minded.”

Dathan could see how serious he was and grabbed his other hand, pressing them against her chest with a soft smile. “Whatever it is, Ty, I’m ready.” She assured him, reaching one hand up to caress his face and suddenly leaned up to brush her lips against his. “Show me.”

Nodding, Tyler carefully guided her down the stairs to part of the old Lockwood Estate property and arrived at a wooden door with a heavy latch. Squeezing Dathan’s hand, he pulled the latch back and opened the door, descending a few more stairs until they arrived at a thick old iron gate. Dathan couldn’t help feeling a little creepy because of how old this place looked, but refused to turn back now; watching as Tyler slowly pushed open the gate.

Pale green eyes widened at the sight of the small circular room they now stood in, a dim light coming from a small crack in the ceiling that gave enough light to see everything. The walls had bolts in them with hoops, thick steel chains attached to each of them. There had to be at least six, though Dathan wasn’t really paying attention. She walked in further and saw there was a very small room with another gate, her eyebrows furrowing together.

“Is this some kind of torture chamber?” Dathan half-joked, feeling a little uneasy as she kept walking around and wrapped the shawl a little tighter around her shoulders. “Somewhere to take me so nobody can hear my screams?”

Tyler wasn’t laughing though, his eyes slowly running over the thick chains and physically shivered, clearing his throat. “This is part of the ruins of my family’s old estate. This is what I use to…to transform.” He suddenly felt a huge lump form in his throat, forcing him to stop talking.

“Transform?” Dathan blinked, not understanding what he was talking about. “Tyler, what are you talking about?”

“I’m a werewolf, Dathan.”

Instantly, Dathan felt her stomach tighten and she could only stare at Tyler with an open mouth, pale green eyes shot open to the size of saucers. Did she just hear him right? Did Tyler Lockwood actually just tell her he morphed into a WOLF? This had to be some kind of joke, what the hell was going on? Dathan suddenly heard Elena’s voice in her head, telling her to have an open-mind about what Tyler’s secret was, tears filling her eyes.

“Oh my god…” She whispered, covering her mouth with her hand and watched as Tyler nodded as tears filled his own eyes. “Tyler…”

“The Lockwood’s have a curse, Dathan. We have the werewolf gene in our bloodline, but the only way to trigger it is if…if…” Tyler suddenly hit the wall as hard as he could, putting a small dent in it and felt his hand instantly start healing. “Damn it!!”

Dathan knew this was extremely hard for Tyler and walked over to him, touching his arm, only for him to shrug her off. “Tyler, look at me.” She ordered, suddenly grabbing his face and forcing him to do it, their eyes locking. “I’m right here. I’m not running and screaming. I’m listening to everything you’re saying. Now tell me everything.”

“You have to kill someone, Date.” He whispered solemnly, placing his hands over hers and felt a tear slide down his cheek. “I…I killed someone, but it was an accident…”

“Sarah.”

Dathan remembered the masquerade party Carol Lockwood threw in memory of her husband because it’d been his idea. She had been in the room with Tyler, Matt, Sarah and Murray. Murray had stepped away to get them something to drink when Matt started antagonizing Tyler, spouting off at the mouth about his father. Caroline ended up walking in at that moment just as Tyler and Matt were about to fight, thankfully breaking it up.

Later, they found out Matt had been compelled by a vampire to do it and apparently so had Sarah. She still remembered how Sarah had suddenly gone in a trance and grabbed a letter opener off the desk in the room they were in, stabbing Tyler in the shoulder. Tyler had pushed her away with a lot of force and Sarah ended up hitting her head on the edge of the desk, killing her instantly.

Tyler had completely freaked out and Caroline shoved everyone out of the room, including her, which Dathan hadn’t minded at the time. Now she understood why Tyler had lost it and Dathan suddenly remembered how his eyes instantly glowed a deep amber gold. At the time, she thought she’d been hallucinating because they had been drinking, but now she knew for a fact it was real.

“It didn’t matter if it was an accident or not, she died by my hand. The curse triggered after that and…I had to prepare for the transformation. That’s why I come here. These chains,” Tyler paused, yanking on them as they clunked together, echoing off the walls. “Are supposed to keep me from getting loose, so I don’t go killing anyone. When I’m in transformation, I don’t know what I’m doing or what’s happening. I’m a killer, Dathan.”

Dathan couldn’t imagine the amount of pain and agony Tyler had to go through transforming into a deadly beast. “No you’re not.” Dathan forced his eyes to meet hers again, cupping his face tightly so he couldn’t look away from her. “You are still the same Tyler you always were. You’re just a little different now.”

“How can you be so calm and rational about this?” Tyler demanded, shoving away from her and raked his hands through his hair, growling. “You should be screaming and running as far away from me as you can, Dathan. I’M A WEREWOLF; did you not hear me the first time? I KILL PEOPLE!!”

Dathan wasn’t letting his temper scare her away and simply stood there, folding her arms in front of her chest, patiently waiting for him to stop. “Are you done?” She asked calmly, watching his shoulders slowly sag and walked over to him, wrapping an arm around his waist, hugging him close. “I don’t care what you are, Tyler Lockwood. I still want to be with you and I’ll help you in any way I can.”

Tyler swallowed hard and pulled her tighter against him, watching his strength because he didn’t want to hear her. ‘She’s the most amazing woman I’ve ever met in my life.’ He thought, kissing the top of her head and never wanted to let go.

“I know.” She whispered, snuggling against him.

Tyler pulled back, looking down into her pale green eyes. “You know what?” He asked, sounding amused and ran a finger down her cheek.

“I know I’m the most amazing woman you’ve ever met in your life.”

Tyler raised a slow eyebrow, blinking. “Did I say that outloud?” He groaned, feeling very embarrassed and didn’t even realize he’d done it.

“No.”

“Then how did you…” Tyler’s question trailed off, confusion entering his dark eyes instantly. “If I didn’t say it out loud…”

“I heard it.” Dathan grabbed his hands, feeling more than confident by now, especially after hearing Tyler’s secret. “There’s something I need to tell you now, Tyler.”

“Okay…”

Dathan smiled, knowing she could trust him with her secret and took a deep breath. “I’m a telepath and a telekinetic.” She revealed in a soft voice, watching as his dark eyes slightly narrowed at her.

Tyler couldn’t believe what he was hearing, staring at his girlfriend like she’d grown a second head. “What?” He felt Dathan release his hands and watched as she removed the black shawl from her shoulders. “I don’t understand…”

“Watch.” Dathan ordered, letting it float to the ground, waiting for it to be completely still.

Suddenly, with a wave of her hand, the shawl began lifting from the ground on its own and flew through the air, brushing against the chains and walls. Tyler could only watch in awe, his mouth dropped open in shock, and followed the shawl with his eyes before it landed right over Dathan’s shoulders again. She had a supernatural gift too? This woman was absolutely perfect for him in every way and Tyler felt the biggest smile cross his face, glad she trusted him enough to tell him.

“That’s incredible! So that’s telekinesis?” He asked, excitement shining in his eyes and watched her nod. “Do it again.”

Dathan lifted several rocks in the air and twirled them around, her pale green eyes glowing slightly while doing this. “Now I want you to think of something random and I’ll tell what you’re thinking.” She requested, watching as Tyler slowly raised a brow. “Trust me, just think of the most random thing you can.”

“Okay…” Tyler closed his eyes, having a thought in his head, a smirk spreading on his lips.

Dathan was instantly flushing and had to cup her cheeks from the vision she got from Tyler, shaking her head. “You are very cruel.” She muttered good-naturedly, watching as his eyes shot open, making her giggle. “Very evil too.”

“Oh and I plan on making it a reality soon enough, Date.” Tyler promised in a husky voice, pulling her into his arms and passionately kissed her, lifting her feet from the ground. “Very soon.”

“Why not tonight?” Dathan challenged, running her fingernails lightly down the side of his face, pale green eyes darkening slightly. “I’m sick of waiting, Tyler. I want you.”

His response was to simply kiss her.

Chapter 11

As promised, Violet stayed at the Salvatore house and she had to admit it was like being on a small vacation. The house was absolutely gorgeous, every part of it having an old style feeling and she especially loved the huge stone fireplaces. Stefan had been kind enough to go to her house and retrieved some of her things: clothes, shoes, books, undergarments, toiletries and a few other things that would keep her occupied so she didn’t die from boredom.

Violet spent the better part of the first few days just exploring the house, spending the majority of her time in the study. She loved reading and being on her laptop, keeping mostly to herself. Damon wasn’t scarce though and would pull her away from her laptop just to bug her, though Violet secretly didn’t mind the attention. Considering they shared a bed for the time being, Violet figured she would just enjoy Damon until he got tired of her.

Damon watched her from the doorway of the study, a glass of bourbon in his hand, slowly sipping it thoughtfully. He could hear her fingers tap the keys gently as she typed; not believing that sound of all things turned him on. Her scent wafted in the air, infiltrating all of his senses and slowly driving him into madness. All he really wanted to do was walk over there, toss the laptop to the side and kiss her senseless.

Ever since Violet had come into town, Elena had been the last thing on Damon’s mind, which confused him to no end. How could he just shift his feelings for Elena to Violet in the blink of an eye? He thought for sure he’d been in love with Elena and had vied for her affection with Stefan for months, but now that was the last thing he wanted to do. Maybe it was her deep hazel eyes or the way she mouthed off to him, Damon honestly didn’t know.

“Do you ever get off that thing?” Damon asked from behind, finishing off his drink and set the glass down at the bar, before heading toward the black leather couch.

“Considering I’m stuck here until the full moon is gone and there’s nothing else to do…” Violet trailed off, letting his mind drift with that and clicked her mouse to go to another website.

“I could think of several things you could do…” Damon rumbled with a smirk, sitting down beside her and just watched as she continued staring at the screen.

“I’m sure you can.” Violet simply replied, sighing resignedly when Damon reached over to close the lid of her laptop, taking it away from her. “Damon, I was in the middle of something...”

He set it on the ground out of the way and lifted Violet to straddle his lap, his hands planted on her hips. “Now you’re doing something different.” Bringing her lips down to his, Damon kissed her the way he wanted to, following through with his mindset.

What was Violet doing to him?

Normally, Violet would’ve thoroughly enjoyed this interruption, but right now all she felt was aggravation, breaking the kiss. “No.” She shoved away from him, flying over to the other side of the room, needing to put space between them.

Damon flew over to where she was, blocking her in the corner so she couldn’t move away again. “Why not?” He demanded, those eyes once again devouring her whole.

“Stop doing that.” She ordered weakly, hating how powerless she felt against him and whimpered when Damon once again captured her lips, cupping her face tenderly. “Damon…” Violet inhaled and pressed her hands against his chest as hard as she could, sending him flying through the air, landing on the carpet with a loud thud. “I told you no and I meant it.”

Damon was on his feet in a second, glaring back at her. “Why the hell not?” He growled, not amused that she actually popped his shoulder out of place, a cracking sound making it known he just set it right. “Damn it Violet, I want you and you want me. So what the hell is the damn problem?”

“The problem is you’re still in love with Elena!” Violet shouted, not caring who heard them anymore, even though she knew Stefan wasn’t home. It was just her and Damon alone. “I’m not getting into this with you again. I am not going to be with someone who doesn’t want me completely. I’m not your toy you can play with whenever the time is convenient for you. I may be trapped here for another several days, but I won’t be your distraction either. Find someone else.”

Damon couldn’t believe the things that were coming out of her mouth, his temper skyrocketing to dangerous levels. “So that’s it huh? You won’t be with me because you think I’m in love with Elena?” He started laughing dryly, shaking his head and went over to the bar to pour himself a drink. “You really don’t grasp the concept of being a vampire, do you?”

“I’m not a regular vampire.” Violet reminded him softly, folding her arms in front of her chest. “I already told you that. Just because I’m a vampire doesn’t mean I have to slaughter the innocent and act like a brute. I never flipped the switch, unlike you and your brother. I’ve always maintained my humanity because I never wanted this. I never wanted to be a vampire, but I did because I was in danger from Frederick, which I already touched base on. For over five hundred years I’ve survived and lived, but I’ve done it as humanly as possible.”

Snorting derisively, Damon swallowed a shot of bourbon and knew everything Violet said about them was the truth. When Katherine died, Damon had tried holding onto his humanity because he knew she was locked away safely in a tomb, thanks to Emily Bennett. However, while waiting to open that tomb, Damon had slowly let his humanity slip from him and soon he was shedding blood all over the world.

He was nothing like Stefan though, The Ripper as most referred him as. Stefan would tear apart his prey just for fun, for the rush, and then end up putting his victims back together because the guilt would consume him. Stefan had gotten to the point where he had to write down every single name of his victim and had a list etched in the wall of his loft in Chicago that he never got rid of.

Damon had promised an eternity of misery on his brother because Stefan had been the one to force him to feed on a human. Thinking Katherine was dead when he was in transition, Damon wanted to die and Stefan had too, until he went to pay their father a visit. Giuseppe ended up trying to kill Stefan, but Stefan had pushed him away and ended up driving the stake right through his chest. The blood had been too strong for Stefan to pull away from and he ended up drinking every drop of blood from their father, completing the transition.

“You’re right about Elena.” He finally admitted, breaking out of his deep thoughts and downed another shot. “I did love her at one point.”

“Did or do?” Violet didn’t know why she asked and regretted the question as soon as it came out of her mouth.

“Did.” Damon turned to look at her with intense mystic blue eyes, half-smiling. “I really thought I was in love with her, but she made it clear she didn’t want me. She wants Stefan, just like Katherine did. And now the one woman I actually reconcile with doesn’t want me because she thinks I’m in love with a human girl.” The irony was too much as Damon poured himself another drink; deciding drowning his pain in liquor was the only way to handle this.

Violet really wished she could believe what he was saying, but she’d been around a long time and knew when she saw love. The way Damon looked at Elena and how protective he was of her, that was all it took to really connect the dots. Now he was standing here actually trying to make her believe he was no longer in love with the human girl. How dense did he think she was honestly?

“What suddenly changed your mind, Damon?” She walked over to him and grabbed a glass, filling it with some tequila. “You said you did love her, so when did that suddenly change?”

Damon sighed heavily, leaning against the wooden ledge that separated the top layer from the bottom of the study, staring into the fire. “I don’t know, but if I had to guess, I would say when you came back into my life.” That was the honest truth.

Contemplating that, Violet moved to stand beside him, sipping her tequila a little more slowly than him. “Damon, are you sure you’re not just trying to channel your feelings for Elena to me? You want to know what I think.” When Damon didn’t say anything, Violet went on, letting the glass of liquor dangle from her fingers. “I think Elena made her decision to be with Stefan and you can’t handle it, so you’re trying to find that same type of love with someone that they have.”

It made sense.

Damon and Stefan had both loved Katherine to the point where they would die to try saving her. Neither brothers knew this, but Violet had been there the night Katherine had been captured and taken to the church. She watched with a broken heart, even though it didn’t beat, as both Salvatore brothers were shot in the chest by their own father’s hand.

Katherine was released by the guard after the town’s council members fled the scene, who was obsessed with her and had a carriage waiting to take her away. She hadn’t bothered with checking on Damon, her eyes were only for Stefan. Violet had watched as she kissed Stefan on the lips, said she loved him and she’d see him again before rushing off to make her escape.

Now Katherine’s doppelganger had both brothers in a duel for her affection and heart, but Violet could already tell there was a huge difference between Elena and Katherine. Elena had a kind sweet soul and never wanted to hurt anyone while Katherine would hurt and kill anyone who got in her way. She was vindictive, manipulative and had no heart unlike Elena. Something told Violet that Damon wasn’t really in love with Elena’s heart, only her looks, and that definitely wasn’t a healthy love to have for anyone.

“That’s not true.” Damon whispered gruffly, swallowing the rest of his liquor and suddenly walked closer to the fire, gripping the glass tightly in his hand. “I’m sick and tired of wanting women who don’t want me, who use me like a toy.”

Violet jumped when Damon suddenly launched the glass into the flames, knowing she had touched several nerves with her statement. Sometimes the truth hurt though and Damon had to hear it from a different source, someone who was on the outside looking in. Walking down to where he stood, Violet placed a hand on his arm, sighing when he instantly shrugged her off.

“Damon…”

“Don’t.” He ordered, every part of his body tensed. “I don’t want to hear anymore.”

“But you need to.” Violet set her drink down on the table and forced him to look at her, grabbing his face somewhat roughly in her hands, hazel eyes boring into his. “You DO have a woman who wants you completely, who doesn’t want to use you like a toy. You always have and you always will.”

Damon looked down at her in confusion, not understanding what she was saying. “Violet, I really don’t need any riddles right now.” He grumbled, wishing she would let him go blow off some steam because he didn’t want to hurt her.

“Open your eyes to the truth, Damon. Think about it. You do have everything you’re looking for right in front of you and you can’t see it.” Violet couldn’t have said it clearer even if her life depended on it and suddenly released his face, tears shining in her eyes. “When you finally get over Katherine and her doppelganger, when you are finally ready to have someone who wants you completely for all eternity, let me know.”

Watching Violet exit the study, all Damon could do was stand there and watched her walk away, eyebrows drawing together. Violet wanted him, even after all this time, and that just pissed Damon off to the point where he felt like destroying something. She was the one who compelled him to forget all about her!

Before Katherine came into the picture, Damon remembered Violet was the only one he wanted, though her name was ‘Whitney’ back then. Just because her name hadn’t been truthful didn’t mean what he felt for her wasn’t. He remembered the last night he saw her, their only night together before she fled Mystic Falls and compelled him to forget everything.

It was late at night and Damon had snuck out of the house, something telling him he had to see her. He remembered knocking on the door and her answering, the bagged luggage strewn all over the small house she had. Damon now knew the story of her deceased husband had been a lie, a cover-up, so people wouldn’t suspect her to be a vampire. He knew though and didn’t care, begging her several times to turn him into one so they could be together.

“You do not know what you’re asking for, Damon.” ‘Whitney’ had said with such sadness in her hazel eyes that it nearly destroyed him. “This is not the life you want.”

“Yes it is, Whitney.” Damon remembered grabbing her hand, placing it over his beating heart. “I know what I want in this life and it is you.”

His lips had captured hers and Damon had made love to a woman for the first time, giving everything to her. He remembered every touch, every kiss, every feeling and it all came rushing back to him as soon as Violet reminded him of what happened. What she forced him to forget. Those memories were stolen from him for over a hundred years and now he couldn’t stop them from invading every single thought.

Before Katherine, there was ‘Whitney and now she was back in his life. Damon couldn’t let her slip through his fingers again, but didn’t know how to prove to her he wanted her. Elena didn’t even exist to him anymore, though he still cared about her because she was a part of Katherine. Maybe that was the problem. Maybe he had to stop caring altogether as a way to prove how he felt for Violet.

Is that what she wanted?

Did Violet want him to completely sever his relationship with Elena and let Stefan handle her from now on?

“Damon.”

His eyes closed at the sound of Elena’s voice behind him, heaving a sigh and stood up, turning to face her. “What?” His eyes widened because Elena wasn’t alone, instantly squaring his shoulders. “Elijah.”

Chapter 12

“Didn’t I kill you already?”

“Damon, be nice. He’s here to help.” Elena reprimanded, walking inside the study with Elijah, smiling somewhat hesitantly. “We’ve made a deal.”

“Oh really?” Damon snorted, pouring himself another drink. “Enlighten me then.”

“It’s really quite simple, Damon.” Elijah said in his old worldly voice, running his fingertips over the counter of the mini bar. “I shall protect all of Elena’s loved ones, which unfortunately includes you and, in exchange, you will help me bring down my brother, Klaus.”

Before Rose and Damon became close, she had kidnapped Elena with the help of Trevor. They were going to use her as an exchange to be pardoned of their crimes against the Originals. The whole Katherine fiasco. Damon and Stefan had gone after them and Damon ended up driving a broken wooden coat hanger right through Elijah’s heart, pinning him to the front door of the house Elena had been held in.

Damon raised a slow eyebrow, the realization dawning on him at what Elijah just said. “Wait, you’re Klaus’s BROTHER? You’re an Original?” No wonder he couldn’t be killed! “Elena, does Stefan know what you’ve done?”

“Yes and I support her on it.” Stefan’s voice came from the doorway, staring back at his big brother. “We’re hoping you will too.”

Did Stefan realize that bringing in Elijah to take down Klaus meant they were putting Violet at risk? “Yeah sure.” He didn’t sound convincing and ignored the disapproving look Elena shot him. “I said yes. I just hope you all know what you’re doing. He’s an Original, you sure he can be trusted?”

“I find it amusing that you’re talking as if I’m not standing here.” Elijah said, hoping Damon Salvatore realized he could easily be snapped like a twig.

“So what about this so-called sacrifice?” Damon demanded in a low voice, wondering where Violet was and had a feeling she knew Elijah was in the house. “Is she still going to have to go through with it?”

“No, we’ve come up with a plan.” Elena said with a smile, walking over to stand beside Stefan. “Dathan is going to help us trap Klaus and Bonnie is going to do a desiccation spell. And we’ll do it before he can kill me or anyone else he plans on sacrificing.”

“Did she run it by her wolf boy?” Damon retorted, looking up a Stefan and wondered why his little brother was going to let Elena’s life rest in the hands of Elijah.

“Of course I did.” Dathan next stepped into the room, along with Tyler, their hands clasped together. “And of course I’ll do anything to help save Elena. With my special abilities, I can immobilize Klaus and give Bonnie enough time to do the desiccation spell. I can also read his mind, which means I’ll know what his next move is and we’ll be prepared.”

Damon already knew about Dathan’s special abilities and they were actually very powerful, but still this was Klaus they were dealing with. The deadliest vampire known in the world. He knew Bonnie was strong and so was Dathan, but it was going to take every single pair of arms to hold down Klaus long enough for the spell to work. Not to mention, if Klaus and Elijah were truly brothers, that was definitely going to be a trust issue in itself.

“You do realize we’ll all be signing our lives away if this doesn’t pan out, right?” Damon stated, looking up at Elijah finally and narrowed his eyes. “If you’re going to help us, then answer me one question.”

“Ask it and I shall to the best of my ability.” Elijah said honorably, his voice sending a few shivers down Dathan’s spine.

“Why the hell does Klaus want to break the sun and moon curse for? He’s a vampire. Surely he can get a witch to make him a daylight piece of jewelry so he can walk in the sun.” Damon had thought this through thoroughly and came to the conclusion that there was definitely a piece of the puzzle missing.

Elena lowered her eyes, already knowing this answer and looked up at Elijah, wondering if he wanted her to be the one to tell Damon what he told her. “I can if you want.” She offered softly.

Elijah shook his head, cracking a small smile back down at Elena. “No, he asked me and I shall answer.” He turned his eyes back to Damon. “Klaus isn’t just a vampire.”

“What?” Stefan didn’t know this, stepping forward. “What do you mean?”

Elena held his arm tightly, shaking her head. “Let him finish, Stefan.”

“What I mean is Niklaus is only half vampire. My mother had an affair with another man and conceived Niklaus. When my father found out, he was devastated.” Elijah explained, walking over to stare down into the fireplace thoughtfully.

“How did he find out?” Stefan couldn’t help asking, ignoring Elena’s warning glare, eyes narrowed along with Damon’s. “What exactly is Klaus if he’s not just a vampire?”

“When we were transformed into vampires by our mother and Niklaus killed his first human, it triggered his wolf gene that he was born with. None of us knew mother had an affair with a different species until then and that’s how our father found out about my mother’s infidelity. You have to kill someone to trigger the curse and Niklaus did. Because the balance of nature was compromised, our mother put a curse on Niklaus, which forced his werewolf side to lie dormant and abandon him. The moonstone is what binds Niklaus’s curse and to break it would mean he would transform into the ultimate Hybrid.” Elijah explained, finishing the story and slowly looked over at both Salvatore brothers with a sad smile.

Damon had to sit down after hearing all of that, digesting it and suddenly drained his glass of bourbon. “So you’re telling me that the sun and moon curse isn't real.” When Elijah nodded, Damon started laughing as he lowered his head, burying his face in his hands. “Everything that has happened is because of this curse that your mother put on Klaus because he’s a vampire and a werewolf?” If that wasn’t a kick in the proverbial nut sack, nothing was. “And I’m guessing that Klaus needs Elena’s blood because she’s the doppelganger…Just like he needed Katherine’s blood back in 1492 before she was changed into a vampire.”

Elijah nodded, remembering how terrified Katherine had been to find out she was going to be part of a sacrifice. “Dear Katrina ran off before I could explain to her that I found a way to save her life though.” He sighed almost wistfully, shoving one hand in the pocket of his dress pants, looking sharp in one of his many suits. “Niklaus will stop at nothing and kill every last one of you to get to Elena. So the way I see it, you have no choice except to trust me.”

“How the hell did you plan on saving her?” Damon demanded, his curiosity getting the better of him and watched as Elijah walked over to take something Elena had been holding for him, which looked to be a small chest of some sort.

“With this special elixir.” Elijah answered, carrying it over to the table and set it down beside Damon, opening it. “It has magical elements that can resurrect someone from the dead after the curse is broken. But since the sacrifice will not happen, there’s no reason to use it now.”

“Exactly.” Dathan grinned, walking over to wrap an arm around Elena’s shoulders. “Don’t worry, we’re all gonna make sure that asshole doesn’t lay a finger on you. I trust Elijah.”

“You just met him though!” Damon crowed, completely flabbergasted.

“And your point is?” Dathan shot back, raising a brow at Damon. “Calm down before you keel…oh wait, you’re already dead! My bad. I read his mind, you idiot.” Elena instantly stepped in front of Dathan when Damon flew up to her, those brown eyes warning him not to do anything he would regret.

“You’re lucky you have your bodyguard, Dathan. Otherwise, you’d be across the room right now.” Damon threatened, completely serious and not amused. “Mind your mouth or get out of my house.”

“It’s OUR house and she’s more than welcome here.” Stefan stated, stepping up and shoved Damon back a few feet. “And you are an idiot.”

Damon was about to deck his brother right in the mouth, scowling. “Watch it, brother.” He warned, wondering if little brother forgot what he was capable of. “So when is this all going down?”

“Niklaus will not appear until either day of the full moon or possibly even the night.” Elijah answered without hesitation, no doubt in his mind because he knew his brother better than anyone in that room. “He’ll come for Elena after capturing the other…ingredients…”

“A vampire and werewolf.” Elena said thoughtfully, remembering what Katherine told her and felt chills rush down her spine. “So I’ll have to be put out front and center then.”

“Correct and, as soon as he’s within arm’s reach of you, that’s where your friends will come along to start the desiccating.” Elijah said, making it sound so simple, his eyes suddenly landing on Damon. “We only have one chance at getting Niklaus, so please do try to stay out of this and let everything go as planned.”

“We don’t need anything sabotaged, Damon.” Elena added earnestly, leaning against Stefan as his arm wrapped around her waist. “We’re doing this my way and everything will be fine.”

“How very optimistic of you.” Damon snorted, rolling his eyes and had other things on his mind besides Klaus coming to either be desiccated or to kill everyone in sight. “I won’t sabotage anything, Elena.”

“Promise.” She ordered, not believing Damon wouldn’t try doing things his way and end up ruining everything.

Damon mockingly crossed his heart with a finger, downing the rest of his bourbon. “I promise.” He walked out of the room, leaving everyone staring after him and went to make sure Violet hadn’t left the house.

“Do you think he meant it?” Elena asked, looking up at Stefan with worried brown eyes. “This has to go exactly as planned or it will all fall apart.”

“For once, I think Damon does.” Stefan answered honestly, wondering what had gotten under his brother’s skin and fought back a smirk. “I’ll talk to him just to make sure.”

“Wise choice.” Elijah remarked, grabbing the small chest. “I will be back in a few days to finalize plans with Niklaus. In the meantime, please ask your friends to practice how they are going to bring my brother down.”

Elena nodded, smiling up at him. “Thank you again, Elijah. You really are an honorable man.” She extended her hand, surprised when he took it, both of them having an understanding.

“You’re welcome, Elena.” He exited the study and was out of the house in mere seconds, heading to his car.

Dathan waited for the front door to close before turning to face both Elena and Stefan. “That dude is scary.” She commented, walking over to the bar for a much needed drink. “You do realize if Tyler finds out about this, he’ll probably string me up by my toes, right?”

Elena chuckled, nodding. “Don’t worry, we’re doing this the day of the full moon and he already told you he doesn’t want you involved during his transformation. Not that I can’t blame him. He could end up really hurting you.” Tyler had enough sense to force Dathan to stay away. “Not to mention, that’s the night Damon is having the dinner party, remember?”

“That’ll be perfect then.” Stefan had forgotten about that until now, kissing the top of Elena’s head. “Klaus won’t suspect anything because it’s a simple dinner party.” They would have to fill Elijah in on that fact.

“Have you gotten a hold of Bonnie yet?” Dathan asked, all of them heading out of the study now that the impromptu meeting was over with. “Is she willing to do this?”

Elena nodded with a sigh. “If it means bringing down possibly the most powerful vampire in the world, she’s willing to do just about anything to protect me. Her words, not mine.”

Dathan laughed softly, loving how magnanimous Elena was. “Right. Well just let me know when the final meeting will be and, in the meantime, I’ll work with Bonnie to get the plan down perfectly. I really gotta go because Tyler doesn’t know I’m over here.”

“Keeping secrets from your wolf boy already?” Damon clucked his tongue from behind, having heard the entire conversation. “Not a good start to a relationship, Dathan.”

“Say that to my face, Salvatore.” She dared, pale green eyes flashing angrily.

“Okay that’s enough both of you. Go on before Tyler starts getting worried and call me later.” Elena shoved Dathan out the front door, closing it behind her and giggled because she could still hear her friend cursing Damon to hell and back.

“WHAT THE HELL?” Damon roared when his glass of bourbon suddenly splashed all over his chest, ruining one of his favorite shirts, eyes narrowing. “Oh that little bitch…”

“You deserved that.” Elena remarked with a smirk, loving what a spitfire she had for a friend. “So is Violet still here?”

Damon nodded, not really wanting to discuss her at the moment and peeled his shirt off, groaning. “She’s lucky I don’t rip her throat out.” He growled, tossing it aside and went to pour another drink.

Stefan shook his head, slowly guided Elena upstairs to his room, but she stopped him, chewing her bottom lip thoughtfully. “What is it?” He asked softly, running a finger down her cheek.

“I need to talk to him alone for a minute.” Elena said, hoping Stefan understood and read between the lines, eyes pleading with him.

Stefan simply smiled and nodded, kissing her lips. “I’ll be upstairs if you need me.”

Elena watched him walk upstairs to the bedroom before heading into the parlor where Damon was, leaning against the doorway. “We overheard your conversation with Violet.” She said, watching as he instantly tensed and slowly descended the few stairs, facing him.

“Quite the eavesdropper you are.” Damon grumbled, downing another shot and didn’t look at Elena because he never meant for her to hear what she did.

“Is it true?” Elena asked, seeing he was avoiding eye contact with her.

“Is what true?” Damon walked over and sat on the couch, leaning his head back with a sigh.

Elena followed his lead, turning her head to stare at him again. “You know what I’m talking about, so there’s no reason to play dumb, Damon.” She placed a hand on his forearm gently.

Before Violet came in the picture, one touch from Elena would send Damon’s senses skyrocketing. He enjoyed feeling her soft touch and would get the desirable urge to kiss her breathless. However, at that moment, Damon felt absolutely nothing when Elena touched him, which was shocking. He had braced himself for the sparks that flew through his body, for his blood to light on fire, but there was absolutely nothing.

“I’ll be damned,” He chuckled, pausing and brought her hand up to kiss the back of it. “I guess I did.”

Elena grinned, hugging him tightly around the neck and kissed his cheek. “Good night, Damon.” She stood up and walked out of the room, heading upstairs to be with Stefan.

Damon touched his cheek and couldn’t help letting the biggest smile cross his face, knowing he was once and for all free of Katherine and Elena because of Violet.

Chapter 13

The next day, Violet was sitting in one of the six bedrooms the house had, refusing to share a room with Damon. Things were just too complicated to add sex to the equation right now and Violet needed space to clear her head. Whenever she was around Damon, her mind became incredibly cloudy and she had a hard time gaining a single straight thought.

Damon hadn’t said a word to her since their last conversation, though she’d heard every single word regarding their plan with Elijah. If her name was mentioned once, Violet would be out of Mystic Falls faster than the speed of light. She did not need an Original finding out about her, enjoying her solitude too much to give it up.

Violet hadn’t gotten a lot of sleep, wishing she could stop thinking about Damon for just a minute. Was that really so much to ask? Just one minute where she wasn’t thinking about him would do wonders for her current mental state. Hell, Violet had even tried thinking about her plan to kill the wolf bitch that took her sister’s life and Damon STILL invaded her mind somehow.

Lightning flashed across the sky outside and Violet instantly smiled, slipping from the bed to walk over to stare out into the woods. The rain tapped against the window as it began pouring in gallons outside; the first sign that fall was on the horizon. She sat on the ledge and drew her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them and pressed her forehead against the cool glass, closing her eyes.

Damon watched her from the doorway and enjoyed the serenity of this sight, almost feeling regret that he would be ruining it. “Hey.” He greeted softly, tapping the door with his knuckle when she didn’t acknowledge his presence.

“What do you want, Damon?” She asked resignedly, not turning her eyes away from the window, not believing he was actually going to ruin this moment for her.

“Can I come in?” He sarcastically asked, already heading toward where she sat and stood behind her, his arms folded in front of his chest. “You need to get dressed.”

Currently, Violet wore just a pair of cotton black shorts with a matching spaghetti strapped top, her beautiful auburn locks hanging down her back in waves. “Why?” She finally turned away from the window to look up at him, furrowing her eyebrows.

Damon smirked, reaching down to tap her nose gently with his finger. “We’re going somewhere today. Now get dressed and meet me at the front door in ten minutes.” He ordered, turning and walking out of the room.

Violet blinked, wondering what Damon Salvatore was up to and stood up from the window ledge, doing what he said. At least she would be able to get out for a little while because, on days like these, she loved walking in the rain. It was one of her favorite things to do, always had been. Whatever Damon had planned, Violet would just have to endure and hoped he wasn’t trying to get in her panties by doing this because it wasn’t going to work.

Pulling out a pair of black jeans with a long sleeved grey sweater, Violet quickly changed, deciding to leave her hair down. It wasn’t really windy out so she wasn’t worried about her hair getting knotted up. Pulling on a pair of black socks and steel toed boots, Violet stood up from the bed, grabbing her leather jacket since it was cold outside, slipping it on. Heading out to greet Damon at the front door as requested, Violet stopped at the sight of Elena and Stefan standing alongside him, confusion entering her eyes.

“What’s going on?” She asked, shoving her hands in the front pockets of her jacket.

Elena had a sad smile on her face and looked up at Stefan, both of them holding candles, not saying a word. Stefan wasn’t speaking either, looking over at his brother, who approached Violet with a bouquet of beautiful lilies, handing them to her silently. Tears instantly filled her eyes as the realization crashed over Violet on what was happening and what they represented.

“These were her favorite.” She whispered, taking the lilies from him and looked up into Damon’s beautiful blue eyes. “How did you know?”

“She told me.” He murmured, reaching out to wipe tears away from her cheek. “I realized last night that you never got to say a proper goodbye to Rose and wanted to take you to her gravesite.” Damon hadn’t just tossed away Rose’s body like yesterday’s garbage. “It’s up to you though.”

Violet couldn’t stop herself from setting the flowers down on the nearby hallway table and tossed her arms around Damon’s neck, hugging him tightly. “Thank you.” She whispered, looking over at Elena, mouthing the same thing to her.

Elena just nodded with a brighter smile, leaning against Stefan.

“You’re welcome.” Damon murmured, running his hand up and down her back soothingly, knowing this meant a lot to her. “Come on.”

“What about them?” She asked, grabbing the lilies that she would place on Rose’s grave, referring to Elena and Stefan.

“They’re staying here. This is just for us.” Damon said, extending his arm and felt Violet take it as they both exited the house, heading toward the woods.

“You buried her on your property?” Violet asked somewhat in shock, but then it made perfect sense because of the town’s council. “That was very nice of you, Damon.”

He nodded, guiding her through the woods while the rain poured down on both of them, not minding getting soaked. “She was a special woman and deserved to be properly buried.” He simply said, trying to reign his own emotions in because he missed Rose a lot.

They walked for a good twenty minutes, going deeper into the woods and didn’t use their super speed, both of them content with making the walk through the rain. The trees blocked most of the downpour, but they still had soaked hair before arriving at Rose’s gravesite. Damon stopped when they arrived at the location and turned to look at Violet, grabbing her hand as he showed her exactly where he’d buried Rose.

“She was in a lot of pain that night and all I wanted to do was take it away. I gave her a dream of when she was human and the scenery was on a beautiful hilltop with the sun beating down on both of us. There were horses too.” Damon recounted softly, stopping to stand just under a beautiful willow tree that had been there since before he was born. “She told me how much she missed being human, so I wanted to give her that. When death finally came, she wasn’t afraid anymore.”

“Home.” Violet closed her eyes as the tears began pouring down her face, mixing with the raindrops and pressed a knuckle to her lips, sniffling. “That hill was on our land. We would always roll down it while the sun shined on both of us. The horses were ours as well.” She didn’t bother wiping the tears away, wrapping her arms around herself.

Damon nodded, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulled her a little further under the tree. “I picked this spot because when the sun rises and sets, it shines right here. Nothing blocks it. So even in death, she’s enjoying the sunlight.” He released Violet to bend down, running his fingertips over the wet soggy grass, trying to keep his tears at bay.

Violet placed her hand on his shoulder, slowly lowering herself to the ground and didn’t mind the soggy grass soaking her knees, placing the lilies right against the tree. “The last time I saw Rose was that night she sent me away before Klaus came. Of course, her and Trevor were long gone, but the fact that I actually obeyed her and left…I realize I have no right to mourn her death. She was my sister though and I missed her so much. I hated that she was always on the run with Trevor, both of them just trying not to lose their lives. And in the end, Elijah ended up taking his life anyway and Rose lost hers because of a wolf.” Violet finally let the pain spill out of her and hit the ground with her balled up fists, beginning to sob. “I should’ve been there for them. I should’ve been HERE!”

Pulling her into his arms, Damon cradled her head against his shoulder, feeling her grip his leather jacket tightly while her tears soaked into his neck. All Damon could do was sit there and let her sob her dead heart out, letting a few tears of his own fall, both of them needing this release. He never did really mourn Rose’s death, instead turning off his emotions, flipping the switch so to speak. That’s how Damon was though, he could turn it on and off in the blink of an eye.

“It’s not your fault, Violet.” He whispered, holding her tighter when she began fighting against him more, nodding. “That’s it, get it all out of your system. We have all day, take as much time as you need.”

“I want her to die, Damon.” Violet sobbed out, trembling from head to toe and wished she could flip the switch at this moment. “I want to rip her ears off and put them on Rose’s grave.”

He couldn’t help chuckling, running his fingers through her hair. “We’ll do it together.” He promised in a dark voice, eyes narrowed at the thought of that bitch Jules. Her days were numbered. “Let’s get through this plan with Elijah first, which I still don’t trust, but nobody will listen to me.”

“I don’t blame you.” Violet pulled away to stare in his eyes, a lot of love shining through hers. “Elijah can’t be trusted, Damon. He’ll turn on Elena the first chance he gets if things don’t go his way. That’s how the Originals are. If you think for one SECOND Elijah would actually allow a witch to desiccate his own brother, you’re sadly mistaken. Elena and Stefan are being foolish to think Elijah will help them.”

Damon wholeheartedly agreed with her, loving how her mind worked and cupped her face in his hands, kissing her lips softly. “Thank you for being on my side, Violet. I just wish the rest of them would think the way you do.”

“Believe me, after what those Originals put Rose through, I don’t trust any of them.” Violet hadn’t minded him kissing her and felt his forehead press against hers, the rain falling harder, making it look like a curtain of water that surrounded them. “I’ll help you protect Elena. I know how much you care about her.”

“Not as much as you.” He stated, pressing a finger to her lips when she went to argue with him. “No, don’t try to fight me on this. I need to tell you something and that’s one of the reasons I got you out of the house and brought you here. Because on your sister’s resting place, I can’t lie to you.”

“Damon…”

“Didn’t I just say not to fight me on this and to listen?” He demanded softly, those hazel eyes boring into him, devouring him whole. “Before you came back here, everything was about Elena. All of my feelings, my emotions, everything was about her…until you found me again. When she touched me, I used to feel the sparks and wanted her for my own. But now when she touches me, I don’t feel anything toward her because now those sparks are because of you. I always thought Katherine was my first love, the only woman I would ever want, and that’s because you forced me to forget all about you. You forced my memories of you to vanish, so of course I fell for Katherine. Even when I was with her, I felt like there was this gaping hole inside of me and I thought it was because secretly I knew she was seeing me and my brother at the same time. So she wasn’t giving me her full attention, affection and love. But now I get why I’ve been feeling that gaping hole after all these years and…it was you. It’s always been you, Violet. It doesn’t matter that you used a false name back then, what I felt for you was the truest and purest love. Why do you think I wanted you to change me? I wanted to go through eternity with you and I know you feel the same way about me. Elena means nothing to me anymore because of you and she would’ve never would’ve picked me anyway.”

“What if she did?” Violet took a step back from him, his words too good to be true as more tears filled her eyes.

“What?”

“What if she did, Damon? What if she decided she wanted you instead of Stefan? What if I was STILL here and she came to you today wanting you instead of him? Would you feel the same way about me no matter what? Would you want me instead of her?” Violet fired the questions off left and right at him, refusing to back down.

The frustration was building up inside of her because, after loving a man for over five hundred years, he was finally telling her what she wanted to hear. Violet wanted to believe him, make the leap with him and live in happiness for all eternity. In the back of her mind though, she couldn’t help wondering why the sudden change of heart.

Granted, she had compelled him to forget her, but once Damon was changed into a vampire, all of those memories she had wiped away should’ve came rushing back to him. He was so infatuated and in love with Katherine that it completely blinded him from those memories until Violet had to point them out to him. Damon didn’t even remember her when she attacked him in his own home, nothing had registered in his eyes.

Damon couldn’t believe what she was demanding of him, feeling his eyes narrow. “Elena would never choose me, Violet.”

“But what if she did?” This definitely wasn’t going the way Damon hoped and Violet knew it, seeing the rage starting to build in his eyes. “If you love me so much and you want to spend the rest of eternity together, then your answer to all of those questions should be one simple two lettered word.”

Before Violet could walk away from him, Damon grabbed her arm and whipped her around to face him, heartbroken hazel eyes taking him by surprise. “Violet…” Damon sighed, not knowing how to answer those questions because, honestly, he never thought about the possibility of Elena choosing him over Stefan.

“I can’t do this anymore.” She broke away from him, more tears spilling down her cheeks. “Now I know what you felt like when Katherine told you she wanted Stefan instead of you. I get it. You don’t have to say anything more, Damon. When the full moon is gone, I’m leaving Mystic Falls and I’m going to try to forget you ever existed.” Sniffling, Violet ran away from him through the woods as fast as she could, heading back to the house.

Damon could only stand there and ran his hands down his face in complete frustration, finally slamming his fist into the tree nearest to him. “DAMN IT!!” He roared, going in the opposite direction, needing time to mull over what just happened with Violet.

Chapter 14

Storming into the house, Violet went straight to her room and slammed the door behind her harshly, making the walls slightly tremble. She was irrationally angry and couldn’t stop it from consuming her. Damon had just poured his heart out to her, but couldn’t answer the one question she needed answered. Instead of feeling hurt and pain, Violet was channeling it all into rage, now more determined than ever to hunt the wolf down.

Peeling her soaked sweater off, Violet tossed it to the side along with her socks and shoes, running fingers through her soaked auburn hair. She had to get out of this house. Being around Damon was making her crazy and not in a good way either, distracting her from what she had to do for her family’s honor. Violet was just about to unsnap her jeans when she felt a presence behind her, gritting her teeth.

“Go away Damon.” She ordered evenly, not in the mood to discuss anything with him.

“I am not Damon.”

Violet tensed and felt her hazel eyes widen at the sound of that voice, suddenly feeling as though her throat was tightened. She slowly turned around, wearing just her bra and jeans, staring into the eyes of Elijah. Immediately crossing her arms over her chest, Violet knew she had to play this cool, calm and collected or else she would meet her death before she had the chance to avenge Rose’s.

“My apologies, I thought you were someone else.”

“Damon. Yes I caught that.” Elijah smiled, looking around the guest room with one hand shoved in the front pocket of his dress pants, the other fingering his collar. “I was not aware the Salvatore’s had a guest in their home.”

Violet had to say her words carefully or else he would become suspicious, deciding lying would be the smart thing to do. “I’m actually Damon’s guest, an old friend. He should be here momentarily if you were looking for him.” She said softly, turning to head in her personal bathroom, when she felt Elijah grab her upper arm, whipping her back around to face him.

Elijah instantly had her in a compelled state, holding her completely still. “What is your name?” He demanded squarely.

“Violet.”

“Why are you staying with the Salvatore’s?”

“I’m an old friend of Damon’s.” She answered in a zombified voice, not blinking.

“Is everything you’re telling me the truth?”

“Yes.”

Elijah broke the contact instantly and released her, patting her gently on the shoulder. “Enjoy the rest of your day, Violet. It was a pleasure meeting you.” He walked out of the room and down the hallway, the door closing behind him.

Violet hit the floor, her legs giving out and just sat there on her knees for a few minutes, trying to regain her composure. She was fully aware of an Originals’ ability to compel vampires and was immune to it because of vervain. Little by little, Violet forced herself to ingest small amounts of vervain every single day, making her immune to it. So Elijah hadn’t really compelled her, Violet just made him think he had.

Once Violet felt she could stand up, she headed into the bathroom and peeled her jeans off, still shaking slightly. She ran the water in the sink and splashed some on her face, gripping the counter and knew she had to get out of there. All it would take was one slip up on her part in front of Elijah and he would automatically know she hadn’t been compelled. He couldn’t find out who she was or else Violet might as well drive a stake through her own heart to save him the trouble of doing it.

Turning the water off, Violet slowly looked up and nearly jumped out of her skin at the sight of Damon in the doorway, not realizing she was crying. “Damon…”

“What happened?” Damon demanded, closing the door behind him and started the shower sprays to drown their conversation out, instantly cupping Violet’s face in his hands.

“Elijah was here…and thinks he compelled me.” Violet whispered, thankful she had started the shower and felt Damon wipe her tears away. “He scared the hell out of me.”

Damon released her face to wrap his arms around her body, pressing her against his chest with his cheek resting on top of her head. “What did you do?” He asked, running his fingers through her slightly damp hair, the scent of rain enveloping him.

“I pretended to be compelled, of course. What was I supposed to do?” Violet shot back, enjoying the feeling of Damon’s arms around her and closed her eyes to relish it in. “I’m okay, just a little shook up.”

Damon didn’t blame her for the way she felt because of everything the Originals had put Rose through. For over five hundred years, Rose’s life had been turned upside down from running. She hadn’t done anything wrong except aid the man who had helped Katherine escape from Klaus. If she didn’t know Trevor, Rose’s life would’ve been completely different, but because of her love for him, she paid the ultimate price by losing her freedom.

“Let’s talk more in the shower.” Damon pressed a finger to her lips when she went to protest, reaching around to unsnap her bra. “Nobody will be able to overhear us under the sprays.”

“So this isn’t some excuse just to get me in the shower naked?” Violet retorted, already pushing his black leather coat from his shoulders and arms.

“Of course not.” Damon smirked, the situation in the woods temporarily forgotten because he was too worried about what happened with Elijah. “But I think you’re the one who’s trying to get me naked.”

“No I’m not, I promise.”

Violet finished unbuttoning his shirt and pushed it off of him, letting the material float to the bathroom floor, before starting on his jeans. Damon grabbed her wrist, stopping her from going further and pressed her hand against his chest right over where his heart used to beat. Her nipples hardened instantly when they brushed against his bare skin and Violet tried pulling away from him, but Damon’s hold on her wrist tightened.

“We never finished talking today.” He stated, intense blue eyes clearly telling her the conversation wasn’t over with, not by a long shot.

“Yes we did.” Violet shoved him with her free hand, trying to break his grip, but Damon retaliated by yanking her back against him.

“No we didn’t and we’re not leaving this bathroom until we finish it.” Damon ordered, daring her to try running away because he had her in this house until after the full moon.

Both of them tried to fight against each other, which ended up in a flash waltz of some sort, and ended with Damon slamming Violet against the bathroom wall. His hands quickly grabbed both of her wrists, one muscular leg planted between her thighs, rendering her helpless. The only way she was getting out of his was if she staked him and Damon knew Violet wouldn’t do that because of how she felt.

“What you said today was completely out of line when all I was trying to do was tell you how I really felt. And you turned it around on me, made it all about Elena. What is your obsession with her anyway? I wasn’t aware you swung that way, Violet.”

Violet glared up at him through narrowed slit hazel eyes, twisting her wrists in his grasp and hissed out when Damon just tightened his grip. “No I don’t, now let go of me.” She ordered, closing her eyes when his head dipped to brush his lips right against the spot below her ear, sending shivers down her spine. “Please don’t…”

“Why not?” He murmured against her ear, continuing raining kisses down the side of her neck. “Why stop something that feels so damn good?”

Since he had both of her wrists in one hand above her head, Damon reached his free one down until it cupped her panty covered sex. Bunching the material of her panties in his hand, the sound of the material ripping echoed off the bathroom walls, giving under Damon’s strength. Violet was having a hard time breathing suddenly, doing everything in her own power not to give into him, but her body was betraying her.

Violet lost all rational thought when Damon covered his mouth with hers, kissing her breathlessly. Their heads moved from side to side, tongues dueling in a dance of seduction and all she wanted to do was touch him, but Damon wasn’t releasing her wrists. Unsnapping his jeans, Damon shoved them down with his free hand, stepping out of them with ease and kicked them to the side, never breaking the kiss.

A second later, Violet felt Damon place both of her arms around his neck, reluctantly releasing her wrists and guided both of them into the shower. The warm sprays instantly enveloped both of them, washing away the chill from the cold rain they had stood in while visiting Rose. Violet was thoroughly enjoying this right up until Damon’s lips left hers and began traveling down her neck, trying to pull away from him.

“As good as this feels, it’s wrong. I won’t sleep with someone who’s in love with another woman.” Violet watched as Damon pulled away from her neck, staring into his eyes once again.

“If I wanted Elena, I wouldn’t be here with you, Violet.” Damon said in a soft husky voice, running a finger down her cheek and saw the doubt swimming in her eyes. “What can I do to prove to you I’m telling the truth, that I meant everything I said today at Rose’s grave?”

“Answer the one question we both know you can’t.” Violet shot back steadily, her chest rising and falling rapidly because of the different emotions crossing his face. “See? You can’t and-”

“You.” Damon whispered, this time cutting her off and there was absolutely no hesitation in his voice. “I would choose you over her, Violet.”

Violet eyed him skeptically, not sure if he was telling the truth and just saying what she wanted to hear. “How can you just switch your feelings from one woman to the next, Damon?” She whispered, tears filling her hazel orbs, eyebrows furrowing. “No matter what you say, you still have feelings for Elena. I can see it whenever her name is mentioned.”

“Look, I care about her.” Damon admitted openly, his hands running up and down her back. “But everything I’ve told you is the truth, whether you believe it or not. You know what I think. I think you’re using Elena as an excuse not to be with me. I think you’re terrified of something real happening between us.”

“So what if I am?” Violet shot back, turning around in his arms to let the water run down her back, thoroughly loving the showerheads in this house. “I’d be a fool not to be terrified, Damon.”

“So it’s true then.”

Damon grabbed the loofah sponge from the shower ledge, pouring some vanilla scented body wash in it and began running it across her shoulders. One arm snaked around her waist, pressing her back against his chest and Violet could feel just how aroused he was against her ass. She couldn’t help melting at the feeling of Damon washing her body, not bothering to fight him off because this felt too wonderful to stop.

“I’m not using Elena as an excuse because your feelings for her are very real and deep.” Violet argued, feeling the loofah sponge move from her back to her front, her nipples once again hardening as Damon’s fingers brushed against them. “I don’t want to talk about feelings anymore. We have a more pressing matter to discuss.”

“Hmm which is?” Damon rumbled, washing her from head to toe, not missing a single each of her body while they talked.

“Elijah. We have to do something before Elena ends up dead.”

Damon turned her back around to face him, fingering her chin gently but firmly. “He’s not going to find out who you are.” He promised, knowing that’s what Violet was really worried about.

“What if he does, Damon?” The fear suddenly came back into her voice at the mere thought of Elijah finding out about her connection to Rose. “I was there the night Katherine was forced to take my sister’s blood. Rose tried saving her life and Trevor was an idiot for believing Katherine had any kind of feelings for him. She used him to escape, I know she did and then she ended up killing herself in our home. If Elijah finds out…”

Damon pressed his finger to Violet’s lips, silencing her. “He won’t.” He sounded so confident that Violet almost believed him, resting his forehead against hers. “And if he does by some off chance, I will kill him.”

“You can’t kill him without ending his entire bloodline.” Violet argued promptly, feeling his hands grab hers and pressed them against his chest.

“We’ll figure it out.” Damon assured her, releasing her hands to hand over the loofah sponge, smirking. “Your turn to wash me.”

Violet sighed resignedly, having how vague that sounded and wished they could come up with some kind of plan just in case Elijah found out the truth. “I suppose I do owe you…” She trailed off teasingly, hearing him growl and lathered the loofah with more body wash before starting to run it down each of his arms.

“Yes you do.” He kept her close to him in case she decided to try running off on him again, watching as she slowly washed his chest and knew she was enjoying this as much as him, if not more. “I’m curious, what exactly did you tell Elijah when he asked why you were here?”

Biting her bottom lip, Violet didn’t answer him at first, starting to bend down to wash his lower extremities, but Damon stopped her. He gently grabbed her chin and raised her right back up, forcing her eyes to meet his again. Damon wasn’t going to let her continue until he answered her question, but Violet really didn’t want to tell him because at the time she had panicked.

“I told him I was an old friend of yours.” She said finally, smacking him lightly on the shoulder when he smirked and went back to washing him. “What else was I supposed to say?”

Damon couldn’t stop chuckling even if he wanted to, which he didn’t, finding her answer amusing. “And he bought that?”

“Yes, even after trying to compel me into telling him the truth.” Violet said, turning him around to run the loofah sponge down his muscular back, feeling them ripple beneath her touch.

“How do you stop an Original from compelling you?” Damon’s curiosity was getting the best of him, turning his head to stare down at her with raised eyebrows.

“Vervain.”

Damon turned around fully now, wondering if he heard her correctly. “What do you mean?” He demanded, taking the loofah sponge from her and grabbed the shampoo. “Vervain is supposed to harm you…”

“Not if you take a little bit with your beverage every day for five hundred years.” Violet stated punctually, folding her arms in front of her chest and sighed when he turned her back around to start washing her hair.

“You’re telling me you’re immune to vervain?”

“Not fully.” Violet closed her eyes as his fingers began weaving their way through her hair, washing every strand. “When Stefan injected me with vervain, it was too much at once and that’s why it affected me. I only take a few drops a day, but that’s enough to stop any kind of compulsion. I never knew if I was going to run into an Original and wanted to be prepared, so that’s why I started doing it.”

Damon understood, admiring her bravery to be able to ingest the one herb that weakened their kind. “I want you to stay in my room until you leave.” He stated, finishing lathering her hair and pulled her under the sprays, smiling when she instinctively tilted her head back. “I don’t know what Elijah is capable of.”

“No sex.” Violet stipulated, taking over washing out the shampoo while Damon began washing his own hair, reaching for the conditioner.

Damon rolled his eyes, shrugging. “Suit yourself. Your loss sweetheart.”

Violet snorted, finishing the shower with him and reluctantly moved her things to his room, knowing deep down she would be safer there.

Chapter 15

“So, are you going to be my date or what?”

Violet blinked, looking up from her laptop and stared at Damon in confusion. “Your date for what exactly?” She asked, slowly closing the lid and set it aside as he approached her.

Damon plopped down on the bed beside her, folding his arms beneath his head and smirked at her. “For this little dinner thing I’m throwing on Thursday.” The night of the full moon. “You’re gonna be there, I’m gonna be there and neither of us have a date.”

“You’re actually going through with that idea?” Violet shook her head, leaning back against the headboard and didn’t pull away when Damon took her hand in his, lacing their fingers together.

“Of course I am and I want you to accompany me.”

“Why?” Violet couldn’t help asking, watching as he leaned up a little more to be eye level with her.

“Do I need a reason for everything?”

Violet eyed him cynically, folding her arms in front of her chest. “Touché. I’ll think about it.”

It’d been three days since Violet had that shower conversation with Damon and moved her things back to his room. Elijah seemed to have bought the fact she’d been compelled and hadn’t bothered her since, which was a good thing. Violet wasn’t going to be completely satisfied until he was gone from Mystic Falls forever though.

She also kept her word about not having sex with Damon, though it was incredibly hard sleeping in the same bed as him. Every night he held her against him, sometimes spooning and sometimes with her head on his chest. He had spent a lot of time with her over the past three days and even kept her entertained, which Violet appreciated so she didn’t go stark raving mad being cooped up in the house.

“Well you better make a decision soon since its tomorrow.” Damon reminded her, sitting up abruptly and went to stand, only for Violet to grab his arm. “What?”

“Where are you going?” Violet had no idea why she stopped him from leaving and instantly released his arm, clearing her throat. “Never mind, sorry I didn’t mean to do that. It’s none of my business what you do.”

Damon found this amusing and couldn’t stop a smirk from curving his lips. “I was just going to get a drink. Do you want one?” He asked innocently, dodging a kick in his direction and laughed. “You are extremely worked up, you know that?”

“I can’t help it.” Violet shot back, standing from the bed and raked a hand through her hair. “I’ve been cooped up in this house and I’m not used to that. I’m used to being able to do whatever I want, when I want and how I want.”

Plucking the top off the liquor bottle, Damon poured himself a glass of whiskey, snorting. “You’re the one who was gonna go on a suicide mission and get yourself killed. I couldn’t let that happen, not to you.”

“Why not?” Violet turned around to face him, tossing her hands up in the air. “What makes my life so damn valuable to you, Damon?”

“I already told you how I felt. It’s not my problem that you don’t believe me.” He simply replied, downing the shot of whiskey and poured another, shrugging.

“And it’s not my problem that I don’t believe you.” Were they really about to have this argument for the umpteenth time? “You know what; I’m done with this conversation. It needs to be laid to rest. I don’t want it brought up again.”

Damon just nodded, swallowing another shot down and then poured himself some bourbon before going back to sit on the bed. “I’ve told you that I care about Elena, but I don’t love her anymore.” How many more times was he going to have to say this before just finally giving up? “Your problem is you don’t trust anyone and you don’t think anyone is capable of loving you.”

“You’re one to talk. You pined for a woman for a hundred and forty five years, thinking she actually loved you back and it turns out she wanted your brother all along. Then you decide to go after her doppelganger, who also wants your brother instead of you. If anyone thinks that they’re not capable of being loved, it’s you, Damon.” Violet didn’t back away when he suddenly flew from the bed and stood in front of her, lips pursed tightly together. “Tell me I’m wrong, go ahead. I DARE you. Because I know I’m not and I’m not naïve either. I deserve better than pining for a man who clearly wants and loves someone else.”

“But I DO want you!” Damon growled, grabbing her upper arms and shook her a little, gritting his teeth. “I haven’t even SEEN Elena in the past three days because I’ve been with YOU! Doesn’t that count for ANYTHING? Doesn’t that give you enough prove that I want YOU and nobody else?! Why are you so goddamn scared of something real happening between us?”

“You’ve been here because you’re making sure I don’t break the deal we have.” Violet contended, trying to break his grip, but Damon had been drinking a lot more human blood lately to gear up for the night of the full moon. “I meant what I said at Rose’s grave. When this is over, I’m leaving Mystic Falls.”

“That’s a load if I’ve ever heard one!!” Damon shouted, releasing her before he sent her flying through the window, frustrated beyond belief. “I already told you I would choose you over her. I DO CHOOSE YOU OVER HER!! WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT FROM ME?”

Tears filled Violet’s eyes as she looked away from him, walking over to sit on the window ledge and leaned her head back against the window, staring outside. “If you feel that way truly, why couldn’t you say it when we were visiting Rose?” She demanded softly, wiping a few stray tears away from her cheeks. “Why did you hesitate if I’m all you really want?”

“Because you sprung it on me and I didn’t know how to react or what to say!” Damon shouted, downing his bourbon and threw the glass into the fireplace that was in his room, the flames exploding briefly from the impact. “Nothing can ever be easy with you, can it? IT’S YOUR FAULT I FELL FOR KATHERINE IN THE FIRST PLACE!!”

Now Violet was pissed as she stood up from the ledge, glaring daggers at him. “Don’t you DARE try blaming me for your mistakes, Damon!! I didn’t force you to fall in love with a mad woman who ended up taking your human life!!”

“YES YOU DID!! I BEGGED and PLEADED with you to change me into one and what did you do? You COMPELLED me to forget all about you!! So when Katherine came along, I had no one else on my mind because of YOUR SELFISH ACT!!” Damon couldn’t help letting his temper flare, grabbing the bottle of bourbon and started pouring it down his throat.

Violet scoffed, wondering if Damon was serious and wanted to slap the hell out of him for the things he was saying to her. “I wasn’t selfish, Damon. I did what I thought was best and I didn’t want you pining for me. I wanted you to live a happy, healthy, NORMAL human life without any complications and distractions. And what did you do? You fell for ANOTHER vampire who didn’t care about you or your brother. She USED and PLAYED with both of you like toys and ended up getting both of you killed by your father’s own gun while she escaped freely without a scratch on her.”

Damon suddenly stopped drinking, his eyes widening in shock. “You were there?” He croaked out, breathing a little heavier. “You saw us get murdered?”

“I never left you, Damon. I couldn’t until I knew you were happy and safe. I watched every single moment you had with Katherine, heard everything she was doing to you and it destroyed me. I had to watch the man I loved with another vampire all because I refused to take his human life away from him the way mine was taken from me.” Violet turned away from him, wrapping her arms around herself and let a few more tears fall. “It wasn’t supposed to happen like that. You were supposed to meet a beautiful woman, have a ton of babies that would keep the Salvatore bloodline alive and die an old man that had a very happy, long life. It wasn’t supposed to be like this…”

“Obviously it was because here I am standing right in front of you.” Damon shot back hoarsely, his emotions starting to overwhelm him. “Why didn’t you – How could you just stand there and let us be killed, Violet?”

“Because I knew all about Katherine’s plan and, if she saw me in any way, shape or form, she would’ve come after me.” Violet sat down in front of the small fireplace, not even wiping the tears away anymore. “It tore me apart to watch you die. I was helpless and couldn’t do anything to stop it from happening. You have no idea how much I wanted to destroy Katherine limb by limb and rip her black heart out of her chest for what she did to you. I loved you so much that I couldn’t be selfish and turn you into a monster.”

Damon couldn’t believe what he was hearing, all these confessions making his head spin and could only sit down on the bed away from her, shoulders slumped. “You could’ve tried warning us or something…” Then he thought about that and closed his eyes, immediately regretting saying that. “No you couldn’t because you compelled us to forget you.”

“Yes.” Violet sniffled, drawing her knees up and wrapped her arms around them, resting her chin on top of them. “I loved you so much, Damon, but I didn’t want this life for you. Being forced to watch all of your loved ones die before your eyes, never growing old and never bearing children, which I could never give you. I left to give you a chance at true happiness and Katherine stole it away all because she could. Do you have any idea how heartbreaking it is to watch human women walk down the street with babies? When Rose changed me, it was a spare of the moment deal because she was too selfish to just let me live my life as human. I missed out on everything. Getting married, having a family, bearing children, Rose took all of that away from me without thinking about the consequences of what immortality brings.”

For the first time, Damon finally realized just how much Violet did love him and was willing to sacrifice anything to see him happy. He had met Katherine and was instantly entranced by her beauty and wit, everything about her he fell in love with. Violet’s sacrifice had been for nothing because he had drank Katherine’s blood willingly, wanting more than anything to be a vampire, wanting to live forever.

He was starting to wonder if maybe deep down inside, even if Violet compelled him, that he wanted the change for her and not Katherine. Once Katherine was taken away and Damon thought she died, he wanted to die with her, but still something told him to complete the transition. For decades, he blamed Stefan for it, but in the end it was his decision to complete the transition, to become a bloodsucking monster, the one thing Violet had tried to stop him from becoming.

Walking over to where Violet sat crying, Damon lowered himself to the floor and set the bottle of bourbon to the side, staring at her. “If I would’ve known you truly wanted to be a vampire, I would’ve changed you myself, Damon. I was just trying to protect you the only way I knew how from this and it did absolutely no good.” She felt him lift her chin, their eyes meeting and felt a rush of fresh tears slide down her cheeks. “This is my fault, you’re right…”

“No it’s not.” Damon shook his head, pulling her arms from around her knees and lifted her to straddle his lap with ease, wiping her tears away with the pad of his thumbs. “Don’t blame yourself for my decisions, Violet.”

“But if I would’ve…”

“No.” Damon cut her off, pressing a finger to her lips. “I take back what I said earlier, you’re not selfish. You’re the most unselfish person I’ve ever met after everything you just said. And I’m only going to say this one last time because I really hate repeating myself.” He cupped her face in his strong hands, watching as the fire reflected off her watery hazel eyes, not even blinking. “I want you, Violet. I don’t want Elena anymore. I haven’t even thought about her in days because you’re the only one I want. I loved you back when I was human and that hasn’t died, even with your compulsion, because I still love you now.”

“Damon…”

Violet knew he was telling her the truth and couldn’t believe she’d found her way back to him after a hundred and forty five years. Gazing into his eyes, Violet ran her fingertips down the sides of his face and back up to run through his thick soft short black hair, pressing her forehead to his. Her love for him never died, Damon was always in the back of her mind, but Violet thought her chances with him were over after what she did to him. She was very mistaken and Violet vowed to never push him away again, to just accept what they had for as long as Damon wanted her.

“I love you too.” She whispered, pressing her lips to his, not holding anything back this time.

Every feeling and emotion was poured into this kiss and Violet felt Damon slowly lean himself back to lie on the floor, the kiss never breaking. Her hands ran up his arms until their fingers laced together, holding them above his head, the kiss turning explosive within seconds. Violet giggled when Damon suddenly flipped them to where he hovered over her, deepening the kiss to the point where they both were close to bursting into flames.

“You’re mine.” He growled against her lips, reluctantly pulling away to attack her neck, his favorite spot because he knew it got Violet going the fastest. “Do you understand me, Violet?”

She nodded, moans spilling out of her mouth and ached to touch him the way he was currently touching her. “Damon…”

“Say it.” He ordered, his mouth right by her ear. “I need to hear you say it.”

“S-Say what?” She stammered out breathlessly, licking her swollen lips.

“Say you’re mine.”

Violet smiled, not having a problem doing that. “I’m yours, Damon, forever.”

“Damn straight you are.” He kissed her again and lifted her from the floor, planning on spending the rest of the night making love to her in every way possible, making up for lost time.

Chapter 16

Staring in the full length mirror, Violet smoothed down the beautiful dress she wore, sighing softly. The dress was wine colored and made of chiffon material that had a gold beaded empire waist. The bodice cinched at waist with intricate beading, flowed down to her feet and was strapless.

Her hair was left down in tons of loose banana curls that flowed down her back and over her shoulders, two gold clips on either side of her hair giving it style. The makeup was very simple black eyeliner, just enough eye shadow to make them shimmer gold and clear gloss. To finish her look off, Violet had on two inch open toed gold shimmery heels that strapped around her ankle.

After she finally gave into Damon, Violet told him she would accompany him to the dinner party, but pointed out she didn’t have a dress. Violet was shocked that he actually let her go home to grab one for the occasion, proving he trusted her wholeheartedly. It was a step in the right direction for their new relationship, but Violet was about to do something that would probably destroy it.

If Damon only knew what she was planning to do.

A light knock at the door broke Violet out of her thoughts, plastering on a smile at the sight of Damon stepping into the room. She had to learn how to breathe at the sight of him, hazel eyes devouring him from head to toe. He had on a handsome black suit, no tie, the top two buttons undone on his dress shirt. His black hair was the same messy style, which looked perfect on him.

Damon was doing the same thing she was, only he took his time to thorough look over every inch of her, drinking her in. Violet looked incredible, the dress fitting and showing off every curve of her body flawlessly. He was definitely going to have the most beautiful woman on his arm tonight and slowly walked over to her, his hands clasped behind his back.

“I don’t have the words to describe how you look.” He said honestly, taking her hand and slowly twirled her around in a circle, doing a closer once over, whistling. “Stunning.”

“I can definitely say the same about you too.” Violet replied, cupping his handsome face in her soft hand, eyes sparkling. “Is everything prepared?”

“Just about, but I had one final thing to do.” Damon said, pulling something out from behind his back and handed it to her.

Violet looked at the black box he held and slowly raised an eyebrow, wondering what it was. “For me?” She watched him nod, urging her to take it.

“It’s not going to bite you, I promise.” Damon half-joked, chuckling at how uncertain she looked. “Just open the damn thing already.”

Doing as he asked, Violet lifted the lid and covered her mouth with her hand, her jaw dropping. “Damon…” She breathed, looking up at him with bewildered hazel eyes. “This is…”

“For you.” Damon finished, taking the box from her and pulled out the beautiful citrine stoned necklace that glittered under the dim lights. “Turn around.”

Violet slowly did and watched in the mirror as Damon slowly fastened the gorgeous jewelry around her neck, instantly running her fingertips over it. “It’s exquisite.” She murmured softly, looking down when he next fastened a matching bracelet around her right wrist. “This is too much…”

“No it’s not.” Damon whispered, moving her hair to drape over her left shoulder and kissed the right side of her neck, inhaling her incredible scent. “Nothing is too much for you, Violet. Don’t ever forget that.”

“I won’t.”

“We’re not done yet.” Damon pulled out the small matching citrine studs, putting them on carefully for her, before spreading her hair back over both shoulders again. “Now you’re ready.”

Turning around, Violet was nearly eye level with him because of her two inch heels and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him softly. “I love you.” She whispered, not caring if she had to reapply her gloss or not.

“I love you too.” Damon murmured, pressing his forehead to hers and knew they had to join the others soon enough. “Do you remember what happens tonight during the plan?”

They had gone over it several times with Elijah, who insisted Violet was in on the conversation since she was staying with Damon. Violet didn’t mind and kept her mouth shut, pretending to just be there because of Damon, nothing more. It was a big charade and Elijah seemingly fell for it, but they couldn’t be a hundred percent sure.

“Yes, I know what to do.” Violet nodded, kissing him quickly and grabbed his hand, guiding him toward the door. “Come on, we can’t keep avoiding everyone.” Violet could only hope he didn’t catch on that she had plans of her own that had nothing to do with bringing down Klaus.

“Fine, lead the way.” Damon mock sighed, letting Violet pull him out of the bedroom and down the hallway to the parlor, where the party was starting with cocktails and dancing.

Dinner consisted of a huge smoked honey spiral ham with baked beans, mashed potatoes, corn, salad and homemade dinner rolls. Dessert was an assortment of small cheesecakes, cakes, cream-filled éclairs and a few different flavors of pie. Damon went all out for this, hiring a nearby chef that lived in Mystic Falls for the night, who was supposed to be the best in town. So far, judging by the mouthwatering scent filtering the air, nobody was going to be disappointed.

“We were wondering if you two would ever come out!” Caroline crowed with a smile, dancing with Matt to the music that was playing, laughing as Matt twirled her around in a circle.

Damon smirked, glancing over at Violet. “Should we show them how it’s really done?”

Violet decided to let her actions speak louder than words, pulling him by the hand to the main floor and felt him twirl her right into his arms, laughing. In the back of her mind, all Violet could think about was the repercussions of what she was going to do tonight. Damon was going to be livid with her, but Violet had to do what she was thought was right, following her instincts like she always did.

Elena and Stefan were also dancing along with Elena’s brother, Jeremy, and Bonnie, who was his girlfriend. Elena wore a simple black ball gown that sparkled and was spaghetti strapped, her hair piled up on top of her head and Stefan wore all black as well, only he had a tie on. Bonnie was in a sweetheart neckline purple mermaid dress that was strapless and had black stones on it that sparkled.

Jeremy had a matching purple shirt with black dress pants and a black tie, looking very sharp. Caroline was in a short pink dress that was strapless and it shimmered. Matt flat out refused to wear a pink shirt and decided to stick with all black with a tie, at Caroline’s request.

Dathan had on a beautiful silver gown that flowed to her feet, made of chiffon material and it had a halter for the top, wrapping around her neck. Her ash blonde hair was left down, curled at the ends for style, not going all out for it. The only reason she was even here to in the first place was because of Elena and the desiccation of Klaus, which would happen tonight.

They were all dancing in a group with Dathan because Tyler wasn’t there due to be being currently chained up. Dathan had a worried expression on her face, trying not to think about the pain Tyler was currently going through and wished she could be there for him. All she really wanted to do was go find Tyler and be with him, even if he was a wolf, missing him like crazy.

Elijah was there as well in the company of a beautiful blonde he met in town a few days prior, though he wasn’t dancing. Everyone was on pins and needles waiting for Klaus to arrive to try taking Elena away for the sacrifice. Bonnie and Dathan were ready, having went over the plan several times together, even showing the group what was going to happen.

While the desiccation would be taking place, that’s when Violet would make her escape since she couldn’t be in the room while Klaus was there. Damon would be distracted and it would give her ample time to leave the house to do what needed to be done. She already had her gear to change into and everything else in a bag in Damon’s room, one of the main reasons she chose the dress she did.

It was easy to change in and out of.

“What’s on your mind?” Damon asked once a slow song came on, both of them swaying to it, his hand clasped with hers against his chest. “Everything is going to work out, you know that right?”

“Of course.” Violet murmured, believing him unequivocally as far as the plan with Klaus went, a small smile crossing her face.

Damon could tell something else was on her mind, feeling her fingers massaging the back of his neck and tightened his arm around her. “Then what else is going on?” He pressed, frowning when she just pulled her hand out of his and wrapped both arms around his neck, leaning the side of her face against his.

“Nothing you need to worry about.” She assured him softly, wishing he would focus on the plan with Klaus instead of her.

“Violet…”

“Dinner is served.” The chef announced, stopping everyone from dancing and that was the distraction Violet needed.

“About time, I’m starving.” Matt grunted playfully, wrapping an arm around Caroline’s waist and guided her into the dining room.

Everyone followed suit, Damon and Violet entering last, everyone taking their seats at once to start the meal. Wine and champagne were poured while the food was served for each of them, small chatter made. Violet looked over at Elena, their eyes locking and raised a glass to her when nobody was watching, both of them having an understanding.

Violet had to tell someone about her plan and chose Elena, simply because the girl had accidentally walked in on her packing the secret bag of items she had brought from home. She sat Elena down and explained what she was going to do, making her promise not to say anything to anyone, including Stefan. Because Elena understood what it meant to sometimes have to do something against the Salvatore’s wishes, she agreed, especially after hearing Violet’s reasoning for the plan she had in mind.

Tapping her glass, the chatter around the table quieted as Violet stood up, holding her champagne. “I would just like to say that I’m very fortunate to have met all of you and I hope, after tonight, we can all live long, healthy, prosperous lives with no more troubles. Here’s to Elena for being one of the bravest women I’ve ever met and for understanding that, sometimes, you have to sacrifice everything and take a chance for the people you love.”

Elena beamed, holding her glass up a little higher than everyone else, appreciating that special toast. “It’s great meeting you too, Violet.” She hoped their friendship continued after tonight, trying not to look worried, but couldn’t help it.

Within the next hour, all hell was going to break loose.

“Let’s dig in!”

Violet took her seat next to Damon, feeling him kiss her cheek and winked in return before placing a napkin on her lap. “What was that all about?” He whispered, black eyebrows drawing together and started getting this sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, frowning. “Talk to me, Violet.”

“Later.”

She squeezed his hand briefly before taking a bite of ham, having slipped a few extra drops of blood in her system right before Damon had presented her with the beautiful jewelry she current wore. Violet would need all the strength she could get, tempted to drink an entire blood bag just to be the safe side, but knew everything would work in her favor. Nobody else spoke due to how wonderful the food was, everyone engrossed in their meal, even Elijah.

“So Violet, tell us a little more about yourself.” Elijah requested, his curiosity not diminishing when it came to Damon’s friend. “Where are you from originally?”

“England, old world.” She answered softly, taking a bite of the delicious mashed potatoes.

“Very interesting, where about?”

“St. Austell.” Violet knew this was Elijah’s way of fishing for details regarding her past and decided to be as vague as possible.

“Beautiful country.” Elijah commented thoughtfully, stroking his chin in thought as he stared at her. “You know, I knew a few other people from that area.”

‘Rose.’ She automatically thought, pretending to look pleasantly surprised. “That’s interesting.”

Elijah chuckled softly, folding his hands on top of the table. “You are really going to play this game aren’t you?” He sounded amused, dabbing his mouth with the napkin.

Everyone instantly tensed around the table, including Violet, her eyes slowly moving to meet his and swallowed hard. “I…”

“She did nothing wrong.” Damon instantly stood up, wrapping a protective arm around Violet’s waist, blue fire spitting out of his eyes.

“I did not say she did, Damon.” Elijah said somewhat soothingly, also standing as he straightened his collar. “Though, she did lie to me.”

“What are you talking about?” Did he really know who she was? Violet was very tempted to run out of the house, but had a feeling Elijah would catch her in the blink of an eye.

“Come now…Whitney.”

Violet shut her eyes as soon as that name flowed from his mouth, lowering her head, knowing she had been caught and should’ve figured fooling an Original was impossible to do. “How did you find out?” Her eyes opened to stare back at Elijah, hoping she wasn’t speaking her last words.

“I must admit you did put on quite the show for me, Violet.” Elijah complimented, placing a hand on his date’s shoulder when she began standing up, the tension so thick in the air it couldn’t be cut with a knife. “I could smell the vervain coming from you. Very clever I must say, it stops the compulsion.”

“Are you going to kill me?” She asked, swallowing hard and could feel Damon trembling against her, barely containing his temper.

“On the contrary, I’ve known you for quite some time, but never came after you. Now why is that? The answer is quite simple really. Because you were innocent in everything that happened. Trevor was the one who betrayed us and Rose aided him, not you. You really had nothing to worry about regarding me, I never mentioned you to Klaus, Violet, and I don’t intend too.” Elijah said pleasantly with a smile, holding his hands up as his eyes moved to Damon. “There’s no need to try killing me, Damon. I meant what I said, you can trust me. I’m not the enemy here.”

“I’m deeply sorry for lying to you, Elijah.” Violet apologized, meaning it and watched as he simply waved her off dismissively.

“Let’s not make a habit of doing it and move on.” Elijah went to sit down and froze when he felt a presence, watching as Caroline, Damon and Violet felt the same thing. “He’s here.”

“Who?” Matt asked dumbly, too engrossed in the scene that just happened between Violet and Elijah.

“Klaus.”

Chapter 17

“Violet, exit the room.” Elijah ordered very quietly, already walking around to guide her away from Damon.

Violet pulled away from Elijah and cupped Damon’s face, kissing him passionately. She pulled away, eyes locking with his, realizing this could be the final time she saw him. No words had to be exchanged except three little words that meant the world to both of them, her hands slowly releasing his face as Elijah urged her to leave.

“I love you.”

Damon nodded, his eyes clearly saying it back and watched as Violet fled the room to go to his bedroom, where he would be safe. His eyes turned to Elena, immediately flying over to stand at her side, Stefan on the other. Bonnie and Dathan were in another room that was hidden from sight, knowing if Klaus spotted either of them when he walked in, the plan wouldn’t work.

“You ready for this?” Damon murmured loud enough for Elena to hear, leaning over.

Elena nodded, taking a deep breath and watched as Elijah also made his exit, which left just Elena, Stefan, Damon, Elijah’s date that was posing as Damon’s for the plan, Matt and Caroline. Everyone else was hidden from sight. They heard the front door open and closed, waiting with bated breath and all Elena could think about was Violet, hoping she was doing the right thing.

“Well isn’t this cozy.”

Klaus had arrived.

~!~

Violet didn’t waste a second and immediately stepped out of her dress, tossing it on the bed, removing the jewelry as well, but left the studs in her ears. She didn’t want anything being destroyed, trying to push the guilt away from her thoughts for the time being. Pulling on a pair of stretch black pants, Violet sat on the bed to clip a black bra on, slipping a black long sleeved shirt over her head. She pulled on black socks and steel toed boots, tying them quickly, before pulling her curly hair up in a ponytail, needing it out of her face.

Once she was fully dressed, Violet quickly washed her face, not needing her makeup shimmering in the moonlight. That would be a dead giveaway and she wouldn’t make it back here alive. Turning the water off, Violet patted her face to dry it before flying back in the bedroom, pulling a bag out from under the bed next. She opened it, nodding at all the different weapons she was bringing with her and chewed her bottom lip, making sure she had everything.

Taking a piece of paper out of the bag, Violet set it neatly on top of the bed along with her dress and jewelry, Damon’s name splayed on the front in bold black font. Slipping her cell phone in her back pocket, after making sure it was on silent, Violet silently opened the door to the bedroom and walked out of it. She kept her back pressed against the wall, knowing she would have to go out the side door since the windows didn’t open unless they were busted.

She could hear Klaus’s voice and Violet closed her eyes, gritting her teeth, blaming him ultimately for everything Rose had gone through. Damon and everyone were dealing with him, so that satisfied Violet, but there was still another matter to handle. She stayed put, blending in with the darkness of the hallway and listened in, eyes narrowing.

“I’ve come here to collect my doppelganger.” Klaus announced when nobody made a sound for a good five minutes, everyone simply staring at him in fear and extended his hand to Elena. “It’s time.”

Elena looked up at Stefan and then Damon, feeling their hands tightening in hers. “I need a minute.” She whispered softly, refusing to look at the man who wanted to drain her dry for his own greedy needs.

“Time isn’t on our side tonight, precious.” Klaus stated, refusing her even the slightest moment of hesitation because then things would turn bloody quickly. “Come with me now.”

“You don’t want something to eat?” Caroline offered, stepping up with clasped hands in front of her, smiling hesitantly as soon as Klaus’s eyes landed on her.

Klaus had never seen such a gorgeous creature in all of his life as soon as his eyes landed on the blonde, tilting his head slightly. “I don’t believe we’ve been properly introduced.” He said, walking toward her and extended his hand, surprised when she took it without hesitation. “My name is Niklaus.”

“Caroline.” The blonde replied softly, chewing her bottom lip when he kissed the back of her hand, acting like a complete gentleman.

They couldn’t believe the trance Caroline had on Klaus, Damon noticing it first and shared a look with his brother. Stefan nodded once, looking down at Elena and knew Elijah was probably witnessing this somewhere in the house. Nobody had counted on this happening, especially Caroline, but she wasn’t about to question it, keeping him distracted.

“There’s plenty to eat.” Caroline offered, guiding Klaus into the dining room where the huge table was covered with delicious food.

As soon as Bonnie and Dathan saw Klaus step a foot into the dining room table, Bonnie began chanting while Dathan raised her hand, locking Klaus’s arms at his sides. “What is the meaning of this?” Klaus instantly demanded, trying to move and couldn’t, glaring at the smirking blonde.

“You really made it too easy.” Caroline giggled, stepping away from him and went right back into Matt’s arms, winking over at Elena.

Violet watched as everyone was solely focused on Klaus, which is what she’d been counting on. Though Elena had looked over her shoulder in time to watch Violet disappear out the side door. As much as she wanted to stay and witness Klaus’s desiccation, she had a vow to keep, running as far from the house as possible. With her speed, it wouldn’t take long for Violet to reach her destination, not looking back as tears slid down her cheeks.

Bonnie didn’t stop chanting, slowly stepping into the dining room with Dathan following, Jeremy behind them. Dathan’s pale green eyes glowed with how much power she was using and twisted her wrist, hearing Klaus cry out in pain. She had just snapped both of his wrists completely in half.

The flames from all the candles in the dining room suddenly blew up as Bonnie generated her powers from them. The lights began flickering as Jeremy suddenly dropped before her and Dathan, his heart completely stopping. That was part of the spell, Bonnie had to stop a human heart in order to complete it and had done just that, her voice reaching a crescendo, raising her arms in the air.

At that moment, Elijah came into the room and locked eyes with his brother, smiling almost kindly. “Hello Niklaus.” He greeted coldly, pressing his fingers right into Klaus’s chest and heard his brother roar in agony.

When his hand came in contact with Klaus’s heart, the desiccation instantly began, both Damon and Stefan rushing forward to grab Klaus in case Dathan couldn’t keep him still. Dathan knew Bonnie needed help and clasped their free hands together, the power instantly filling both of them. Elijah watched as his brother’s skin slowly began changing from light pale skin to a veined, greenish gray, the breath slowly leaving his body as he shriveled up.

“Goodbye brother.” Elijah whispered, lowering Klaus’s body and snapped his head up when he heard unwelcomed company enter the house. “You two,” He pointed at Stefan and Damon. “Come with me now.”

“I’ll be okay.” Elena assured them, walking over to stand on Dathan’s other side, knowing she would be the safest with her.

“I got her.” Dathan assured them, watching as all three vampires left the room while Matt and Jeremy went to retrieve the coffin Klaus would be put in.

“Where’s Klaus?” An African American woman demanded, standing in the doorway with narrowed eyes.

“Gone. Dead. Lights out.” Damon said with a smile on his face, folding his arms in front of his chest. “Looks like you’ll have to find another master to follow.”

The woman’s eyes widened, disbelief flashing through them. “Klaus can’t die…”

“On the contrary, yes he can and he did.” Elijah assured her, stepping forward while adjusting the cuffs of his dress shirt. “And the same thing is about to happen to you.”

Damon and Stefan instantly dropped as the blood vessels in their heads instantly started exploding, holding their heads tightly. The woman was obviously a witch and currently gave them brain aneurysms to defend herself, but it didn’t bother Elijah nearly as badly. A few seconds later, Elijah buried his hand right into the woman’s chest and ripped her heart out, watching as she crumpled to the floor in a heap.

“That was…effective.” Damon grunted, slowly getting back to his feet and walked away to get a much needed drink. “Clean this up, I have to go check on Violet.”

Stefan nodded, going to grab a body bag while Elijah went to take care of Klaus’s body. He spread the bag and lifted the dead body, zipping it up within seconds. He looked behind him and saw Bonnie’s expression, his eyes moving back to the body bag. It didn’t matter what Bonnie or anyone else thought, they had to kill her because she was a loyal follower of Klaus.

“It had to be done.” He said, standing up and lifted the body over his shoulder, carting it downstairs for the moment until they figured out a way to dispose of it.

“Am I done here?” Bonnie demanded, turning to face Dathan and Elena, wanting to get as far away from the Salvatore’s as possible.

Elena nodded, hugging Bonnie tightly. “Thank you for what you did.” She whispered, sighing when her friend merely broke away and walked out the front door, slamming it behind her.

“Don’t worry, she just doesn’t like it when human blood is spilled.” Dathan said, wrapping an arm around Elena’s shoulders and guided her back into the dining room.

Meanwhile, Damon had walked into his bedroom to check on Violet, knowing that conversation with Elijah hadn’t been planned. What he hadn’t expected was to find Violet completely gone, her beautiful dress, jewelry lying on the bed and a note with his name on it. Damon didn’t like this at all, picking the note up and sat on the bed, unfolding it.

~Damon,

I’m sorry I have to do this, but you left me no choice. I’m not telling you where I’m going or what I’m doing. Just know that, no matter what happens to me, I love you. Please don’t be angry with me. I’m just doing what I feel is best and what I know needs to be done.

I’ll see you soon.

All my love,

Violet~

Crushing the note in his hand, Damon stood up from the bed and suddenly threw his glass of bourbon against the wall, watching callously as it smashed into a million pieces. He knew exactly where she went and was going to ring her neck when he caught up with her again. Growling, Damon stormed out of his bedroom and into the parlor, blue eyes lit on fire.

“What’s wrong?” Elena asked, walking over to him and watched as Damon held up the note she knew Violet had left him. “Oh.”

“Oh?” Damon raised a slow eyebrow, scowling down at her. “What do you mean ‘oh’? Do you know about this?”

The guilty look that crossed Elena’s face told Damon everything he needed to know, making him growl louder. “You KNEW she was going on a suicide mission and KEPT IT FROM ME?!”

“I-I’m sorry Damon, but she confided in me! What was I supposed to do, break her trust?” Elena shot back, her voice stammering a little, not remembering the last time she saw Damon this angry. “She made me promise not to tell you…”

“And you did it. So much for being friends, Elena.” Damon snorted, walking past her just as Stefan walked into the parlor, tossing the balled up note right at his brother. “Did you know about this? Because if you did, let me remind you that you helped me vervain her to stop her from doing this, DICK!”

“Whoa calm down, what the hell are you talking about?” Stefan grabbed his brother’s shoulders and looked over at Elena, raising an eyebrow. “What happened?”

“Stefan, I’m sorry…”

“Your girlfriend decided to keep the fact that Violet went off on her own to face Jules, a WEREWOLF ON A FULL MOON!!” Damon couldn’t contain his anger and shoved Stefan away from him, raking a hand through his hair. “I’m going after her.”

Elena’s eyes widened. “No! Damon, you can’t!” She rushed over to him, brown eyes full of worry. “It’s too dangerous!”

“I don’t care, Elena! This is the woman I love and I’m not gonna lose her now because of some stupid need for revenge!” Damon shouted, shooting her one of the coldest glares ever, wanting to rip her throat out for keeping this from him. “You should’ve told me.”

“She made me promise…”

“Right, of course. Well, I hope that promise was worth keeping because she could very well be dead right now.” Damon stated coldly before storming out of the parlor to change out of his dress clothes, not wasting any time.

Dathan couldn’t believe what she heard and walked over to a tearful Elena, folding her arms in front of her chest. “Why would you do that, Elena?” She asked in disbelief, shaking her head. “There are times when you should break promises and this was definitely one of them.”

Lowering her head, Elena walked over to sit on the couch, putting her head in her hands while Stefan went after Damon to try calming him down. “I know, but…how she described it just made me be on her side. I can’t explain it. I just felt like I should do this for her.” She mumbled, feeling terrible because she could’ve possibly lost Damon’s friendship forever, which is something she never wanted. “I screwed up.”

“Yes you did.” Dathan agreed, holding Elena’s hand and closed her eyes when the pained howl of a wolf cut through the quiet house. “Tyler…”

“How do you know that’s him?”

Dathan sighed heavily, standing up to walk over to stare out the window, placing a hand against the glass window. “I just feel it in my heart. I know it’s him.”

Elena looked up when Damon and Stefan came walking back in, carrying two bags. “What’s going on?” She demanded, rushing over to them.

“We’re going after Violet before she ends up dead.” Damon grunted, trying not to let his temper flare at the request of his little brother. “We’ll be back.”

“But…”

“Elena, we’ll be careful.” Stefan said softly, cupping her face in his hands and kissed her softly. “But we can’t let her do this alone. All it takes his one bite and there’s no cure. She’ll die if we don’t help her.”

Elena swallowed hard and nodded, knowing she had to let them go do this. “Damon, I’m so sorry…”

“Save it.” Damon walked out the door, refusing to hear anything Elena had to say right now, too focused on making it to Violet before she ended up dead.

A few seconds later, Stefan joined him and they ran off into the night toward the only pack they knew of that was around Mystic Falls.

Chapter 18

The moon was completely full and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky, the cold wind cutting right through her as Violet started trekking up the small mountain. Jules was stupid and hadn’t left the area, having her entire band of mongrels just on the outskirts of town. She pulled the bag from her shoulder and unzipped it, taking out a wolfsbane bomb, hearing howls in the distance.

Violet was so close, she could practically taste it, the hunger for revenge completely consuming her. Scaling one of the highest trees in the area with ease, Violet remained completely still and quiet, knowing she couldn’t attack while Jules was in full transformation. She had a great view of the werewolves’ campsite, pulling out binoculars to get a better look.

Thanks to her enhanced hearing ability, Violet could hear everything they were saying, hearing the screams of pain echoing throughout the night. She zeroed in on a particular curly dark blonde woman, eyes narrowing when someone called her Jules. So that was her. Violet felt her jaw tighten to the point where she might crack a tooth, fighting back trembles and was tempted to just go after her right then and there.

Patience was definitely a virtue though as Violet pulled something out while leaning against the huge tree trunk, the bag of blood almost mesmerizing her. For the past five hundred years, Violet had survived on drops of human blood, but tonight she would need as much strength as possible. This wouldn’t feel good come morning, but Violet was only concerned about having enough strength to take down Jules and rip her to shreds.

The moon hadn’t reached its apex yet, but Violet wasn’t taking any chances, deciding to let Jules do her turn and strike when she changed back into a human. It didn’t last for more than a couple of hours and Violet had all the time in the world to wait. She looked up at the stars in the sky, knowing Rose was up there somewhere and hoped she understood why her little sister was doing this.

Because she smelled of vervain and had traveled for a while, Violet wouldn’t be detected easily, especially up in the tree. Even if she was, Violet could just jump down and kill the wolf that would discover her before scaling the tree again. Speed and agility were the key to get through this unharmed, but Violet was counting on coming back, not with how many wolves there were. As long as she took down Jules, that’s all that mattered, her love for Damon not as powerful as craving vengeance for her family.

‘I’m sorry Damon.’ She thought sadly, knowing he would probably hate her for going back on her word, but Violet knew he would never do this.

No matter what Damon said, he was never going after Jules and wouldn’t let Violet do it willingly. She broke the deal to get out of that cellar and bided her time, gaining his trust so he would turn his eye off of her for just a second. She did mean everything she said about loving him and always would, but her family would forever come first before anything or anyone else. That’s just who she was and Violet didn’t care who she hurt in the process as long as it meant spilling the blood of her sister’s killer.

If anyone would understand her reasoning for this, it should’ve been Damon.

~!~

“How do you know where she’s going?” Stefan asked while walking through the woods with his brother, moving branches out of the way.

“Because I know where Jules is.” Damon replied evenly, blue eyes flashing through the darkness as they continued trekking. “She’s just on the outskirts of town, I found out from Tyler. Jules didn’t want to leave him to fend for himself and stuck around.”

Stefan shook his head, thinking that Jules was a very foolish woman for sticking around Mystic Falls. “How do you think Violet found out where they were?” He asked, trying to keep the conversation going.

“Please Stefan, this is Violet we’re talking about. Hell, she probably already had her information about where the werewolves were located before even coming to us to find out the name of Rose’s killer.” Damon snorted, rolling his eyes and clenched his fists tightly while snapping tree limbs off, dropping them to the ground. “She’s going to pay for this.”

“For what? Trying to get revenge for her sister?”

“For betraying ME.” Damon growled, his rage building with each step they took, coming closer to the campsite of the werewolves.

Both brothers stopped at the sound of howls through the woods, knowing they definitely had to be on guard. Why the hell would Violet pick a full moon of all nights to go after a werewolf who could end her with just one nibble? Damon was going to slap Violet silly when they finally caught up with her, if it wasn’t too late already. She was walking into her own death like a fool instead of waiting until the wolves were at a disadvantage without a full moon.

“Damon, I don’t think she betrayed you. I think she was tired of being cooped up in the house and ordered around by us.” Stefan reasoned, understanding Violet’s motives for going after Jules. “If it was you that died, I’d be doing the same thing she is.”

“Well I wouldn’t.” Damon shot back, snorting. “You may be my brother and my family, but I wouldn’t risk my neck for revenge on a full moon against a werewolf. I would wait until AFTER the full moon to rip their heart out.”

Stefan couldn’t help agreeing with Damon, no matter how much he tried rationalizing this for Violet. Maybe she wanted to die. Maybe she couldn’t live with the fact she hadn’t been there for Rose to try stopping Jules from biting her. Maybe she would’ve taken the bite instead and died. He wasn’t saying of that aloud, knowing his big brother was on edge enough as it was and didn’t need to stir him up further.

“How much longer do you think?” Stefan asked, knowing they had been walking for several miles, not using their speed in case there were already wolves in the area.

“We’re almost there, get ready.”

Stefan poised himself, both of them on alert when another howl echoed through the night.

~!~

For the first two hours, all Violet did was watch as one by one the people of Jules little pack morphed into balls of fur, hating them with each passing second. Surprisingly enough, when the wolves raced past the tree she sat in, they didn’t stop, causing her to simply shake her head. Wolves had no sense whatsoever, they were savages that ripped apart anything and anyone they could get their filthy paws on.

Finally, after waiting three straight hours, Jules transformation finally happened and Violet watched, enjoying every breaking bone she suffered through it. Hazel eyes glittered wickedly in the night and Violet could already feel the urge to end this right now since she wasn’t a full blown wolf. Gripping the tree trunk, Violet battled with her inner demons, already having the wolfsbane bomb in her hand in case one of the wolves did detect her.

Jules fur coat was light brown with specks of white throughout it and Violet never took her eyes off of her the entire time. Even when Jules ran into the woods out of sight, Violet could hear her growling and snarling, ready to sink her teeth into the first thing she found. Violet stayed perfectly still when Jules ran right past her, glaring hatefully, a sick smirk on her lips. She suddenly pulled the string that was beside her, using all of her strength and watched as the iron net flew up with Jules in it, her yelps music to Violet’s ears.

Violet had set this trap days ago, before she went to gain information from the Salvatore’s, and was thankful nobody had messed with it. She watched as deadly yellow eyes locked on her and did the cut throat motion, her own eyes promising a painful brutal death. Not even wanting to think about the kind of pain and agony Rose went through because of this bitch, Violet tied the string on one of the branches and deciding to start the torture early. Pulling the string from the wolfsbane bomb, throwing it right over the iron net, Violet took pleasure in hearing the wolf screech in pain as it rained down all over.

“Time to go, bitch.” Violet threw the bag over her shoulder and grabbed the string, jumping down from the tree as the iron net went with her.

Rushing over, Violet tied it tightly and was glad the wolfsbane had severely weakened Jules because she was having a hard time fighting. Once Violet knew the rope was tight enough to where there was no chance for her to get out, she pulled a needle out of her bag and injected the wolf, hearing the weak yelps. Instantly, the wolf began losing consciousness before collapsing in the iron net, which is exactly what Violet wanted. It was a tranquilizer that could bring down an elephant, so Violet knew it would work on Jules very effectively.

“We’re going to have a little heart to heart, Jules.”

Violet patted the wolf mockingly before dragging in the opposite direction of the woods, heading to where the torture would commence.

~!~

Damon and Stefan froze at the sound of screeching in the near distance, looking at each other with semi-worried expressions. “What the hell was that?” Stefan demanded, looking all around them. “Damon…”

“I have no idea, but it didn’t sound good.” It also sounded like an animal had been severely wounded along with some kind of explosion. “We’re close.”

They walked another mile or two, both stopping at the sight of the ground pressed down by a huge tree. Damon bent down and ran his fingertips over the spot, along with the scuff marks, his eyes trailing to the small path. Someone or something had been dragged forcefully in that direction and Damon could only hope it wasn’t Violet meeting her death.

“We should go this way.” He finally said, standing up and began going back into the woods.

“How can you be sure?”

Damon sighed and pointed at the marks on the ground, their vision much clearer than a regular human’s. To the untrained eye and a human, it wouldn’t have been detected. Damon had been around a long time though and knew exactly what those marks meant, watching as the realization dawned on Stefan’s face.

“Tired of questioning me, brother?” Damon demanded, turning to keep going in the direction he had a feeling Violet had either gone or was dragged.

“Nope, lead the way.”

~!~

Violet sat in a chair right in front of the woman, the tranquilizer apparently forcing her to turn back into a human and already had all of her torture weapons ready. Jules was currently hanging from thick steel chain cuffs, one on each of her wrists and ankles, spread eagle. There was also a bigger one around her neck, preventing her from moving because they were extremely tight.

Violet had found this small wooden shack in the middle of the woods, far away from her little pack pals so they wouldn’t hear her screams. It was a good hour away from the campsite and nobody knew where it was, which was a beautiful thing. She had come here and set it up before Damon decided to try playing savior. No matter, she had gotten away and now stood in front of the blonde bitch that was going to be tortured before killed.

Standing up, Violet took a piece of wolfsbane and began running it down the side of Jules’ face, smirking when the woman began screaming out in pain. “It’s about time you woke up.” Violet stated, continuing to run it all the way down her jaw, chin and neck. “I was wondering how much longer I would have to sit watching you sleep.”

Jules couldn’t even speak, the searing pain in her face, chin and neck making her head pound, trying to move her arms and legs, not able to. “W-What’s going on?” She coughed out, the tranquilizer still somewhat in her system.

“That is a very good question.” Violet finished the other side of her face before pulling away, gripping the woman’s chin tightly in her hand. “What’s going on is you’re about to be tortured before I rip your heart from your chest and eat it.”

Jules instantly knew this was a vampire, the stench overwhelming and growled, her eyes turning yellow. “Let me go!” She snarled, yanking on the chains and yelped because it felt as though her biceps were splitting in two. “I-I don’t even know you!!”

“True you don’t.” Violet amended, running the wolfsbane right under Jules’ nose, smirking when she tried backing away from it. “Scream again and I’ll make you eat this.” Then Violet thought about it and smashed the herb right in Jules face, forcing it down her throat violently. “On second thought, you looked hungry since I interrupted your hunt.”

Instantly, Jules began spitting it out as it burned her mouth and lips, bubbling blisters forming as the herb ran down her chin, spewing vile green right on the floor. “SCREW YOU!!” She croaked, some of the wolfsbane actually going down her throat so it was preventing her from full out screaming.

“As I was saying before you rudely interrupted me, you don’t know me, but I know you. I know all about you and how you ENJOY biting vampires.” If that didn’t give this bitch a clue, nothing would as Violet took more wolfsbane, beginning to burn off her nipples with it, smirking when she screeched out hoarsely. “You bit my sister and BRAGGED about it.”

Vampires had the abilities to get in each other’s heads to find out truths, unless they were skilled at blocking. When Damon’s guard was completely down and kissing her, Violet delved into his mind, hearing what Jules said about her sister. It’s also how she found out from Tyler where the pack resided the same night she’d walked into Mystic Grill looking for her sister.

Jules’ eyes shot open because she finally noticed the resemblance from the vampire she had bit, which was aimed for Damon Salvatore. “I-I didn’t mean…” She couldn’t speak because more screams flowed from her mouth when the wolfsbane came in contact with her stomach, sliding right down the middle of it.

“Don’t bother lying to me, Jules. It won’t get you anywhere except more torture.” Violet promised in a vile tone of voice, running the herb next down each of Jules arms, taking pleasure in causing her this much pain. “You can’t imagine what it must’ve been like for my sister to go through the dementia, the physical raw pain that your bite caused her. But you are now. Of course, I’m going to have to end this torture session early before someone finds us. Can’t have your buddies stopping me after all.”

“P-Please…” Jules begged, but it was on deaf ears.

“You should have thought about that before marking Damon and not hitting your target correctly.” Violet growled, eyes flashing and suddenly jammed her fist full force right into Jules’ chest, wrapping her hand around the beating heart, their eyes locking. “This is for you, Rose.” She whispered before yanking it out as hard as she could and did what she said she was going to do.

Damon and Stefan rushed inside the small shack just as Violet took a huge bite right out of Jules’ heart. Dark blood running down her chin, Violet suddenly sank her fangs into the gaping hole to suck it completely dry. This was the second life Violet had taken and it was more than deserved, dropping the shriveled hard on the floor at her feet, tears streaming down her face.

“Violet…”

Slowly, Violet turned around and came face to face with the Salvatore brothers, wiping the blood from her mouth with the back of her hand.

Chapter 19

Pouring the small can of gasoline Violet brought with her all over Jules’ body and the shack, she walked out of it with the brothers standing there, neither knowing what to say. Violet didn’t say a word to either of them and flicked three matches at once, tossing them inside, starting the fire. Instantly, the place was engulfed in a matter of minutes, the smoke filtering up in the night sky.

Dawn was quickly approaching and Violet could only stand there, watching the shack burn brightly, Jules’ blood on her hands and clothes. She didn’t care, nothing else mattered except watching her burn to the ground and become nothing except a pile of ashes. Damon stood beside her, but Violet honestly wished he wasn’t because this was supposed to be something she did alone.

Stefan decided to head back home, having a feeling Damon needed some alone time with Violet. He still couldn’t believe what he witnessed when they walked into the shack, not able to get the image out of his head. The heart of Jules’ in her hand while she sucked it completely dry, the blood on her hands. They didn’t know Violet that well, but Stefan never thought she could be so vicious and sadistic, wondering if Damon felt the same way he did.

Violet grabbed a flask full of whiskey out of her bag and opened it, taking a long swig before handing it over to Damon silently. Tears slowly slid down her cheeks as Violet lowered herself to the grass, sitting Indian style and took the flask back. Because of how small and brittle the shack was, it didn’t take long to burn down, but that’s not what Violet wanted.

Damon didn’t say a word and just watched the fire with her, not sure what he could say. He knew this had to be extremely hard for Violet because she wasn’t a natural killer, even though she was a vampire. Tonight, he saw that killer instinct and Damon would be lying if he said it didn’t throw him for several loops, actually somewhat concerning him.

Within an hour, the shack and Jules were nothing but a pile of ashes before them, little sparks of fire still burning, which easily snuffed out. Violet had finished off the entire flask with Damon, passing it back and forth, and stood up from the grass. Tossing the empty flask in her bag, Violet pulled a small square container out and walked right through the debris, spotting the ashes of Jules. Pulling on a fireproof glove, Violet began scooping up the ashes and put them in the container, the tears never stopping.

All Damon could do was stand back and watch her do what she needed, refusing to leave her side and was thankful she had survived. The chains were pure black and had slowly began to melt, lying around the pile of ashes that Violet collected. He didn’t know the reason and, honestly, Damon didn’t care, watching as she slowly turned around to face him with exhausted hazel eyes.

“We can leave now.” She murmured tiredly, walking past him and placed the sealed container of Jules’ ashes in her bag, hoisting it over her shoulder.

“Do you need me to carry that?” Damon offered softly, the concern never leaving his electric blue eyes, worried about Violet’s current mindset.

“I got it, thank you though.”

Together, they walked away from the huge pile of black ashes, heading back toward Damon’s house. There were so many things Damon wanted to say and possibly yell, but he didn’t know if that was the smartest idea. The sun was rising over the horizon and began shining on both of them, the warmth definitely feeling wonderful against their pale skin.

“You know I’m pissed at you, right?” Damon finally stated, breaking the silence between them while they walked.

“Yes.”

“And you could care less.”

Violet didn’t stop walking, shrugging. “I did what I had to do.” She sighed when Damon suddenly stopped her, forcing her to face him. “What?”

“You broke our deal, Violet.” Damon reminded her coldly, his hand wrapped tightly around her upper arm. “You snuck out and didn’t even trust me enough to tell me about your plan. You made Elena promise not to tell me either, compromising our friendship. What the hell were you thinking? I told you when the full moon passed, we could go after Jules TOGETHER, but apparently that wasn’t good enough for you or else you would’ve waited.”

“What do you want me to say, Damon? That I’m sorry for going after Jules by myself and killing her? That I’m sorry I snuck out of your house so I wasn’t under your twenty four hour radar?” Violet ripped her arm out of his grasp, hazel eyes narrowing. “Because I’m not sorry for any of it and I won’t apologize for doing what I had to do.”

“Saying something like that would be nice, yes.” Damon snorted, folding his arms in front of his chest, eyebrows furrowing irascibly. “You were stupid and foolish to come out here on a FULL MOON of all nights to get revenge. You could’ve DIED and then what?”

Closing her eyes, Violet clasped her hands together and pointed them at Damon, pursing her lips tightly together. “I need you to understand something and I’m only saying it once, so please pay attention. I am not afraid of dying. I’ve been on this earth for over five hundred years and have lived. If my time does finally come, I welcome death with open arms. Going on a full moon was the right time, in my opinion, and guess what? My opinion is the only thing that matters when it comes to MY life.” That probably sounded a bit harsh, but Violet wasn’t about to feel guilty for avenging her family’s death, feeling very satisfied with what she’d done to Jules.

Damon couldn’t believe how insensitive and selfish Violet sounded, feeling his jaw tightening to the point where it might actually break from pressure. “You inconsiderate BITCH! Did it ever occur to you that you had a man, who prefers you ALIVE instead of DEAD? Who also loves you I might add?” He shot back crossly, stopping her from walking away from him. “Don’t you dare try that with me, Violet.”

“Honestly, no I didn’t think about that.” Violet said justly, wiping away a few stray tears from her cheeks, sniffling. “I had one goal in mind and that was torturing and killing that wolf bitch for what she did to Rose. Nothing else mattered to me, not even my love for you.”

“Did it also ever occur to you that maybe I wanted a piece of that revenge pie you had to devour yourself?” Damon growled, shoving her gently, not wanting to hurt her, but she was pissing him off at a rapid rate. “I wanted to go with you for a REASON, Violet. Rose was my friend too or did you forget that? Or maybe you just didn’t give a damn!”

Violet sighed, pulling the tie out of her hair and put it around her wrist, letting the sun reflect off her curly auburn locks. “I honestly didn’t believe you would go after her, Damon, because of Tyler.” She said truthfully, realizing she’d been wrong, but there was no sense in dwelling on what couldn’t be changed.

Damon scoffed, raising a brow. “What made you think that? I told you we’d go after her together, didn’t I? Unlike some people, I actually stick to my word when I say I’m going to do something, Violet.” He stated heatedly, gritting his teeth when she just looked away from him.

“What’s done is done, it can’t be changed.” She said indifferently, beginning to walk again with Damon hot on her trail.

“Did you mean anything you said to me?” Damon suddenly asked out of the blue, watching as Violet froze in her tracks, simply standing there brooding. “Or was it all a hoax to gain my trust so you could make your grand escape?”

Tears swelled in her hazel eyes as Violet merely stared at him, disbelief crossing her face. “How can you even ask me a question like that? Of course I meant it! I would never say I love you unless I meant it, Damon!” Now she was hurt and it showed, blinking as a few tears slipped down her cheeks. “You actually thought I used you like Katherine did?”

“I don’t know what to believe anymore, Violet.” Damon said bluntly, scrubbing a hand down his own tired face. “I’ve been burned a lot lately and I never know who I can and can’t trust these days.”

“Not even Elena?” Violet shot back scathingly, her name leaving a bad taste in Violet’s mouth. “Or is she the only one you do trust?”

“I don’t trust ANYONE.” Damon made it clear, emphasizing that last word, scowling. “There you go again bringing up Elena. Is that ever going to stop or should we just end this now?”

Violet couldn’t believe he just said that, feeling her body exploding with pain and felt more tears fall from her eyes. “Since you don’t trust me, I don’t see how a relationship can work between us, Damon.” She said frankly, already prepared for this to happen and had braced herself as much as she could.

“Really?” Damon took a step toward her, squaring his shoulders. “That’s what you want? You want to end things?”

“If that’s how you really feel, then yes. I’ve been on this earth far too long to be with someone who refuses to trust and love me completely.” Violet was only being honest with him. “I do love you, Damon. I’ve loved you for over a hundred years, but I refuse to be with someone who doesn’t trust me.”

“You have a funny way of showing it.” Damon retorted, walking past her and suddenly stopped, turning his head back to glance at her. “Trust works both ways and you obviously don’t trust me either, Violet. Think about that.”

Violet watched him run off through the woods and instantly wrapped her arms around herself, continue to slowly trek toward her next destination. She would grab her things from the Salvatore house, but first there was one more place she had to go. The entire walk, all Violet could think about was Damon and knew she had to leave Mystic Falls.

She couldn’t stick around, deciding it was time to move on and continue roaming the world alone. Maybe she would go to Italy for a few years or Australia, somewhere far away from the United States and especially Mystic Falls. Her heart had been broken twice in this same town and she had nobody to blame except herself.

Stopping at the sight of the beautiful willow tree that her sister lay to rest beneath, Violet stepped through the hanging vines and dropped to her knees, fresh tears falling. She just sat there for a good hour, finally having a proper mourning for her sister, her forehead pressed against the cold ground. Violet thought killing Jules would make her feel better about Rose’s death, but if anything it just made everything worse.

Reaching behind her to grab the bag, Violet pulled out the container of ashes and shakily took the lid off, beginning to spread them on Rose’s grave. “I hope this will give you some kind of peace wherever you are, Rosie.” She whispered, emptying the container completely and felt the breeze pick up, closing her eyes as the tears dried on her cheeks.

Violet could feel a presence surrounding her and relished in it, knowing it was Rose. She knew it deep down inside, not questioning it and knew Rose was happy with what she had done to Jules. Pressing two fingers to her lips, Violet held them up to the sky while staring into the sun, the tears glistening on her cheeks and felt a smile slowly cross her face as the ashes flew from Rose’s grave right into the air.

“I’m leaving Mystic Falls, Rose. I can’t stay here anymore. Too much has happened and there’s a lot of history between me and Damon. I thought we were meant to be and we’d eventually find our way back to each other, but I’m starting to doubt that. I’m not good for him, I never was and that’s why I left him the first time. That’s why I’m going to leave him again and let him get on with his life because all I do is create problems for him that he doesn’t need. I was thinking of going to Italy or maybe even Australia, but something tells me I’ll end up somewhere else. Wherever I go though, I’ll never forget you and you’ll always be with me. I love you, my sister. I hope you’re enjoying the solitude wherever you are. Goodbye.” Violet finished her small conversation with Rose and walked away from the tree, hoping it stood there for at least another couple hundred years.

Heading back to the Salvatore house, Violet wasn’t surprised to find all of her things were on the front porch waiting for her. Damon really wanted her to leave. She didn’t know why, but a fresh batch of tears began falling down her cheeks as Violet lifted her luggage, swallowing past the lump that just formed in her throat.

“Goodbye Damon.” She whispered, turning to glance back at the house one final time before heading to her car.

Slipping behind the wheel, Violet sat there for a good ten minutes to try getting her tears under control and started the ignition, pulling away. She could fall apart later, right now Violet had to focus on going home and packing up to get as far away from Mystic Falls as possible. She found her sister, avenged her death and lost the love of her life all within the span of a few weeks.

Pulling into her driveway about ten minutes later, Violet cut the ignition and immediately starting making calls to her real estate agent, banks, utility companies and finally booked the first flight to Los Angeles. Violet had a small loft there that she could stay in for a few days until she figured out what her next move was going to be and where she wanted to go. Once those phone calls were made, she showered and then got started packing up her bare essentials, already having everything at the loft as far as furniture went.

It took most of the day before Violet finally finished, asking the real estate agent to simply sell the house with the furniture in it. There was no way she would be returning to Mystic Falls anytime soon and didn’t want the house to be vacant. With no sign of Damon, Violet locked up the house and took one final look around the neighborhood before getting in her car, heading straight for the airport.

Ice blue eyes watched as the car pulled out of the driveway, speeding down the road and Violet never saw the single tear that slid down the man’s cheek, who had watched every move she made all day.

Chapter 20

“Come on Damon, you have to be at least a little excited about this.”

“Excitement doesn’t suit me.”

Elena sighed and shrugged, stepping back after straightening the collar of his shirt. “Fine whatever, but don’t say I didn’t try.”

Damon saluted her sarcastically, walking over to the mini bar for a glass of bourbon. “What does excite me is this.” He held up the bottle, pressing a kiss to it. “My only sanctuary.”

Shaking her head, Elena walked out of the parlor and upstairs to see if Stefan getting ready. Damon walked over to the couch and sat down, staring into the fire while sipping his bourbon thoughtfully. Today was his birthday, a day Damon really didn’t feel up to celebrating, but Elena, Caroline and Dathan convinced him that a party wouldn’t hurt to have. They promised no balloons and no birthday cake, which satisfied Damon and he reluctantly agreed.

There was nothing about the past year he wanted to celebrate, especially after letting the love of his life move away. Violet. Damon closed his eyes as her beautiful face popped into his head, squeezing the glass slightly. He often thought about her and wondered how she was doing, where she was, if he would ever see her again. Ever since her departure, Damon had gone back to his old ways of drinking, partying and having his ways with any woman he could compel within Mystic Falls.

It was his way of releasing pain and dealing with his loss, which thankfully Stefan understood. Elena didn’t condone his ways, but Damon honestly didn’t give a damn what she thought. After Violet left, he thought all his old feelings for Elena would resurface, but alas, they didn’t. If anything, all he saw Elena as was his brother’s girlfriend and nothing more, nothing less.

Stefan made sure Elena kept her distance from Damon the first six months after Violet left, not trusting his brother. Damon had countless one night stands, though surprisingly enough he only killed a few women he brought home. Sometimes he just needed to drain his victims dry, he was a vampire after all and it was just natural to do it. That wasn’t nearly as bad as Stefan ripping his victims apart when he was The Ripper back in the old days.

Damon had calmed down considerably after the first six months, bored with the same scenario and just slipped into a quiet state. A lot of alcohol consumption mixed with spending most of his time at the house helped Damon cope. Random women just didn’t do it for him anymore, Damon was starting to wonder what he was supposed to do now that their lives were worry and carefree.

Just for tonight, Damon agreed to behave since the girls had gone through a lot of trouble planning this party for him. Swallowing down the rest of his liquor, Damon stood up from the couch and started walking toward the stairs, when the doorbell rang. Guests were arriving early apparently. Damon headed toward the door and, just as he reached for the door, Elena came FLYING down the stairs like her ass was on fire, stopping him.

“I GOT IT!!” She shouted, slamming against the door with wide brown eyes and watched as Damon actually stumbled back. “Sorry, but...you need to go somewhere else for a minute. STEFAN!!”

“What the hell is going on, Elena?” Now Damon was suspicious, his black eyebrows furrowing and looked up as his little brother came down the stairs next, buttoning the rest of his shirt up.

“What’s wrong?”

“Get him out of here.” Elena ordered, pointing at Damon, looking like a deer caught in the headlights.

Stefan nodded, already in on what Elena had planned for Damon and started guiding him away from the front door. “Let’s go outside for a minute.” He suggested, not giving Damon much of a choice and winked over his shoulder at Elena.

“Who the hell is at the door?” Damon wasn’t going without a fight, grunting when Stefan grabbed his upper arm and nearly tossed him through the backdoor. “Stefan, if I have to beat the truth out of you, I will.”

“Don’t worry about it right now. It’s Elena’s surprise to you, just let it be for now.” Stefan stated, leaning over huge stone ledge as the rays of sunshine beat down on him.

Damon groaned, suddenly wishing he’d grabbed a bottle of liquor on his way out here. “I hate surprises.” He grunted, walking over to stand beside his brother, shoulders hunched. “Why is she doing all of this for me anyway?”

“That’s just who she is.”

Damon let his mind travel back to that door, wondering who Elena had brought for his surprise. Then again, it could’ve been an item of some sort, even though Damon had pretty much everything he wanted. Still, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something big was happening and hated being left in the dark. Stefan knew and possibly everyone else, but not him…That did not set well with Damon at all.

“So, can we go back in yet? I need a refill.” Damon grumbled ten minutes later, looking over at Stefan.

Stefan didn’t answer him at first, apparently texting Elena to ask if it was alright and finally looked up, nodding. “Sure, don’t go upstairs though.” He ordered, waving the phone with a grin. “Elena’s orders.”

“Sure thing.” Damon saluted mockingly and walked past Stefan back into the house, heading straight for the bar.

“Hello Damon.”

Damon froze in mid-pour of his drink, not quite sure if he was hearing or maybe even imagining things and slowly turned his head, blue eyes widening. Was this really happening? Gently setting the bottle down on the bar, Damon didn’t take his eyes off the individual on his couch and downed the half shot he poured, suddenly feeling as though he couldn’t breathe.

“Violet.” He never thought that name would leave his lips again and could only stand there staring at her like a regular fish out of water.

What the hell was she doing here?

Stefan had already left the room to go find Elena, though he had spotted Damon’s surprise on the couch and could only hope this didn’t blow up in their faces. Even though Violet had left Mystic Falls, she kept in contact with Elena and Dathan through email and text messaging, the girls hating to actually speak on the phone. Elena had been the one to ask Violet if she would come back to Mystic Falls for Damon’s birthday. Violet was hesitant at first, having vowed to never step foot in the town again, but in the end she decided to take a chance and see Damon again.

Slowly standing up from the couch, Violet wore a simple white short dress that came two inches above the knee and had a body-hugging silhouette with a cross-front, plunging V-neck. Her auburn hair was still the same length and curled, hanging down her back and shoulders, looking exactly the same. She had two inch white heels on with the jewelry Damon had given her the night she killed Jules and Klaus had been desiccated.

Damon couldn’t help giving her a once over, trying not to show any emotions, his guard completely up. Damn if she wasn’t still the most beautiful woman he ever laid eyes on though. Elena had a lot of explaining to do and Damon watched as she slowly walked toward him, turning to face her. He was tempted to reach his hand out to touch her, still believing this was a mirage, but refrained for several obvious reasons.

Violet extended a small black box to him, having pulled it from behind her back, hazel eyes incredibly hesitant. “Happy Birthday.” She murmured quietly, sucking her lips in when he didn’t take it at first.

All Damon could do was stare at the small black box and wondered what she got him, if he even cared to know. “What are you doing here, Violet?” He finally asked, the shock slowly wearing off and turned his back to pour another drink.

That was a good question and Violet didn’t even know the answer. “I have no idea. Elena told me it was your birthday and asked if I would attend.” What she really wanted to say was that she missed him and couldn’t stay away any longer, but of course Violet didn’t.

Damon scoffed, downing half his glass and slammed it on the bar, trying to contain his anger. “You kept in contact with her.” Why hadn’t Elena told him? What else had been hidden from him throughout the past year? “That’s just wonderful.”

“Damon, she’s my friend, of course I did.” Violet said reasonably, setting the black box on the couch and knew it was mistake coming here. “I can tell you don’t want me here, so I’m just going to leave your gift and head out.” This had to be worse than having a stake driven through her heart, the physical and emotional pain exuding from every part of her body.

Damon didn’t say anything, just staring down at his glass and tried pushing away the urge to stop her from leaving. He didn’t do it the last time and Damon regretted it, beating himself up mentally for months after she left. Watching her drive away had been the hardest thing Damon had to do and now here she was again, shredding whatever was left of his heart.

Growling, Damon suddenly flashed forward, standing right in front of Violet with blue eyes full of intensity, want, love, anger, hurt, pain, every emotion he currently felt was pouring out of them. Violet was overwhelmed by everything she saw in them and blinked as huge tears slid down her face, not bothering to hide them. She just wanted to jump into his arms and never let go, already knowing he felt the same, so what was stopping them?

So much had happened, could they actually get past it all?

“I never said I didn’t want you here.” Damon stated, once he trusted his voice wouldn’t crack and suddenly grabbed her face in his hands, their foreheads meeting. “I watched you run out of my life twice, it’s not happening a third time.”

“Damon…” She whispered, feeling him wipe her tears away, only for more to flow over his fingers and felt very vulnerable.

He didn’t give her time to say anything else and captured her lips with his in a passionate soul-searing kiss, his fingers burying in her hair, before sliding down her curvy body to press her closer to him. Violet instantly kissed him back, her fingers gripping his hair and felt a fire spread throughout both of their bodies that was so intense, it couldn’t be contained. Damon lifted her up to where her legs wrapped around his waist and carried her out of the parlor, lifting the small black box in the process, taking her to his bedroom.

Pressing against the door, Violet suddenly ripped his shirt completely open, buttons flying while their mouths got reacquainted with each other. Damon suddenly let her slide down the door and pulled her away, slamming it shut by pressing his body against hers, her hands splayed against it. He growled, burying his face in her neck and ripped her dress right down the middle, not bothering to use the zipper.

Violet moaned uncontrollably as he slipped the straps of the dress down her arms, the material pooling at her feet. His hands instantly ran up and down her outer and inner thighs, feeling his teeth nip her neck before whipping her around, his lips once again capturing hers. Violet stood there in a strapless white lace bra and matching panties, reaching down to rip open Damon’s pants, neither of them caring about clothing.

Damon smirked, lifting Violet up once more and deposited her on the bed, her bra and panties flying to the floor moments later. Every touch and kiss was filled with fire and need, each of them exploding with passion for the other. The party didn’t matter to Damon, he had all he wanted for his birthday right in his bed and was never letting her go again. He had almost let her walk out that door and knew, if he had, he would’ve never seen her again.

Several hours later, both lay in bed just staring up at the ceiling, Violet’s head resting against Damon’s chest with his arm wrapped around her. Her leg was draped over his, her hand running up and down his muscular chest, completely content. Damon had his chin resting on top of her head, his fingertips gliding up and down her back, making sure to lock his bedroom door so nobody could barge in.

“Something tells me there was never a party planned.” Damon said thoughtfully, making a mental note to thank Elena for this at a later date and kissed the top of Violet’s head. “What are you thinking about?”

“Just how much I missed you and I can’t believe we’re here.” Violet answered honestly, slowly looking up at him and suddenly sat up, straddling his waist, kissing him softly. “And I want you to open your birthday gift I got you.”

“Where is it?” Damon asked in a chuckle, watching as she got off his lap to retrieve it from the floor. “Still intact eh?”

Violet giggled and straddled his waist again, setting the box on his chest. “Of course, it’s not easy to break.” She assured him, slowly pushing it up to his chin, hazel eyes glittering. “Open it.”

Damon eyeballed the box skeptically, acting playful for the first time in over a year and reluctantly lifted it. “You didn’t have to get me anything, you know.” He said indignantly, chuckling when she slapped him lightly.

“Just open the damn thing and stop being stubborn.”

“Stubborn is my middle name.” He retorted with a snort, lifting the lid and slowly moved his electric blue eyes back up to her. “This is…”

Violet kissed him, a little deeper this time, and broke it before pulling out the small glass vile. “I kept some of her ashes for you do with whatever you want.” After she left, Violet often thought about what she’d done and knew she was wrong to kill Jules without him. “I’m sorry for not trusting you, Damon. I shouldn’t have left. I should’ve stayed and fought for us, but I was selfish and didn’t think about anyone except myself and what I wanted.”

Fingering the vile between his thumb and forefinger, Damon finally looked past it up at Violet, setting it aside and rolled them to where he hovered over her. “Apology accepted.” He rumbled, willing to let the past go and start fresh with Violet, rubbing his nose gently against hers. “I want you to know something.”

“What?”

“This past year has been HELL on me without you, Violet.” He stated, running his fingers down her face, brushing his lips tenderly against her. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Damon.” Violet whispered, hazel mixing with ice blue. “You’re all I need for the rest of eternity, just the way it was supposed to be from the start.”

Damon couldn’t agree more, feeling whole for the first time in a year and planned on showing Violet how much he wanted and loved her until their end finally did come.

The End.