Hello, my lovely readers. As some of you who read the earlier version will see—this story is changing a bit but some things will stay the same—like the identity of The Originals who a little later than last time. On with the show…

Chapter 4: Bane of My Existence

Damon's Story:

Coming to, Damon felt groggy as his eyelids flittered open to take in the sight of Caroline on all fours, glaring back at him. "Good. You're awake. Time for damage control," Caroline snapped, her fingers digging into the collar of his jacket and hauling him to his feet. She didn't even give him time to think.

"Caroline, get off!" Damon snapped, shrugging off the remnants of his snapped-neck-induced nap. "What the hell are you up to this time?" he snarled, straightening his jacket and crossing his arms over his chest.

Caroline sighed heavily. Turning to him, she titled her head to the side with a look of boredom. "Get off the morally superior train, little brother, we all know it's not your best look." Pouting, Caroline slid her arms around his neck. "Think of how much fun we would have if you broke down and had just a teeny bit of human blood? Just a little taste," she whispered into his ear, her breath tickling his skin. "Think of what little Bekah Donavon must taste like."

Caroline leaned back, her hands moving down to his shoulders and applied pressure. "I need you, Damon. I need you to be your best self; help me. Please?" Batting her eyelashes at him, Caroline's smile slid into place and Damon remembered his big sister as a human, watching her dance around their home, her skirts flying around her, her giggles as he chased her. "Play with me, Damon," she coaxed. "It'll be like old times."

Old times usually left Damon with a trail of corpses behind him and years of remorse. Caroline would do anything to make him regret forcing the decision to become a vampire on her. But he couldn't live without her. She had always been there and—in his mind—always would be.

"I can't," Damon retorted, freeing himself from Caroline's grasp and walking away from her.

The sound of her footsteps trailed him into the hallway and down the stairs. "You mean you won't. Right? That's what you're really saying, Damon, you don't want to enjoy what Mystic Falls has to offer since you came back to town." Stepping in front of Damon, Caroline blocked his passage. "Why are you here, anyway?" She pinned him with a look.

Shaking his head, Damon edged his way past, his shoulder running into his sister's. "I've got unfinished business here, sis. What brings you home? Miss the Miss Mystic Parade?"

Caroline scoffed. "As if. No, I've got other, better, things to do here than to watch the people of this joke of a town make fools of themselves, yet again." Her fingers trailed over the bannister, her eyes glazing over and Damon knew there was something she wasn't telling him. He had his own secrets so it looked like neither of them would be left satisfied with his conversation.

Rolling his eyes, Damon headed for the door. "Where are you going, brother?" Caroline called, moving to follow him.

"To the Grill for a late night drink. You're not invited," he added, opening and attempting to close the door behind him.

Caroline's boot prevented him from closing the door. "When did that ever stop me?" she asked with a wide smile. She stepped out into the darkness and Damon stopped himself from cursing her. That would just lead to another battle. If she knocked him out again, she might leave and kill someone. It was better to stay with her; try to keep her calm.

"You know they ID at the Grill?" Caroline asked conversationally as Damon opened the door to his car.

Damon glared at Caroline. "Yup."

"You want me to buy you a drink?" Caroline asked with a mocking grin.

Shaking his head, Damon didn't bother to answer. Instead, he turned his key in the ignition, leaving Caroline little time to get in before he left her behind. "Seems like someone's sense of humor died," his sister continued to mock him.

Gritting his teeth, Damon pulled away from the house and headed in the general direction of town. "Damon," Caroline's voice called to him, her eyes burning into the side of his head. "Are you angry because I broke your neck?" she coaxed. She reached out and grabbed his chin so they were facing each other.

"Caroline, cut it out!" Damon snapped. "Just 'cause we're immortal doesn't mean I want to be in a flaming car wreck."

"Sounds exciting to me," Caroline retorted with a gleam in her eye. Grabbing the steering wheel, she spun it and the car went flying in a wide 180.

"Damn it, Caroline!" Damon yelled, correcting the course of the car and slamming on the breaks. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"You sent him away!" Caroline snarled, glaring back.

Damon blinked at her. For a second he didn't remember, then it came to him. "The boy: Klaus. You're pissed about the boy who looks like Thomas? You should be thanking me! All Thomas did was ruin your life!" Damon stared at Caroline who rolled her eyes, turning to stare out the window at the wooded area to their right.

"I wanted him and you sent him home," Caroline grumbled. "You didn't have a right to do that. It wasn't your party."

"And you're supposed to be an adult. Who in the hell do you think you're going to fool if you start stalking a teenage boy?" Damon argued, watching Caroline carefully.

Caroline's head turned so she was looking him in the eye. "I'm not trying to fool anyone. I don't even planning on sticking around here long enough for anyone to suspect a damned thing. I just want Klaus and then I'll be on my way." Turning her head again, Caroline went back to staring at the woods.

"Caroline, he has family and friends who will come looking for him. Think about it. Do you want them tracking us?" Damon snapped. His sister had lost her freakin' mind. Again. And all over a guy who wore her dead lover's face.

"Us? Does that mean you want to come with us?" Caroline asked, eyeing Damon with a smirk.

Damon rolled his eyes. "I didn't say I wanted to go anywhere. I want to stay here. This our home. I thought maybe we could stay here for awhile; try to start over."

"Ah, what a cute thought. And when they figure out what we are, do you think they'll offer you their first born daughters in marriage?" Caroline laughed hysterically and Damon glared at her. "Oh, I can just see it. The founding families, all in a row offering up a Fell, a Gilbert, a Forbes and a Lockwood. Woops. I forgot. Three of the four only have sons during this generation. Guess you'll have to check out what the Fells have to offer or settle with good old Becky."

Having had enough; Damon got out of the car. "Oh, come on, Damon!" Caroline shouted after him, following him down the road. "Don't be like that. I'm sure you'll make a beautiful bride!"

Damon turned around, glaring at Caroline and stomped up to her. He leaned over her, his face inches from hers. As usual, Caroline only smirked up at him. She never felt any fear of her little brother. Sometimes she should. Fangs dropping, Damon grabbed Caroline, sinking his teeth into her neck and holding on tight. She jerked in his grasp, trying to free herself but once the bloodlust took hold, Damon's strength made him stronger.

"You're right, Care, I did need to drink blood," Damon said, dropping her limp body to the ground. Wiping the back of his mouth with his hand, Damon cocked his head to the side. At least he'd get some peace on the ride to the Grill while Caroline recovered.

There was one thing left to do. Gathering Caroline in his arms, Damon headed back to the car. He almost got his pain-in-the-ass big sis into the passenger seat when some idiot pulled up beside them. "Hey, she need help, mister?" a man asked Damon who turned to smile back at him, disguising his desire to rip the man's heart out and eat it.

Damon shifted Caroline in his arms. "Oh, yeah. My sister sleep walks. Just found her out, wandering around and muttering about peanut butter sandwiches. I've got school tomorrow so I've got to get her home and get to bed." Hoping that would shut the guy up, Damon continued toward his car.

"You are new in town, can't recall seeing you before? Either of you," the man called to Damon.

Stopping in his tracks, Damon rolled his eyes and laid Caroline down on the pavement. It wasn't like she was going anywhere fast. He sped back to the idiot's car and jerked him out through the window. The man began to scream, thrashing in Damon's grip, trying to get away while Damon groaned.

"Would you cut it out?" Damon demanded, shoving the man against the side of his car. "Can it!" he ordered, meeting the man's eyes.

The man stopped screaming. "How in God's name did you do that?" he whimpered, his body becoming smaller as he pressed himself against the metal of his car.

Damon sighed. "I do not have time for this. You see, here's my problem—that," Damon pointed at Caroline, who still lay, prone, in the middle of the road, "—is my big sister. She's a truly hideous person once you get to know her. Right now, she probably looks like some hot, former high school cheerleader type that you'd try to pick up—if you thought she'd even look at you twice. But—here's the thing about sis—she's got this thing where she'd rather eat you than look at you. Really. She would suck you dry. So, just stop trying to be helpful, get in your car and forget you saw the pretty blonde with the mysterious but handsome stranger carrying her off."

The man nodded and Damon felt satisfied to get back to his plan. Turning to return to his Caroline, he found her missing. "Shit!" he groaned. "Car-o-line!" he called, spinning around on his heel, peering into the woods. "Oh, Car-o-line! Don't make me hunt you down!" he hissed. "I already took a bite, I swear I'll do it again!"

"Over here!" Caroline called and Damon stopped spinning to find Caroline with her hands around the man he'd just compelled. "Thanks for finding me a pick-me-up," she enthused before crunching down on the poor guy's throat.

"Damn it, Care," Damon snarled, speeding over but she'd already drained the man dry before she dropped his body beside his car. "You're going to get us caught."

"Not. My. Problem," Caroline said, licking her lips. "He tasted gross. I want something young and sexy. Where do the Gilberts live?"

"You're really beginning to piss me off," Damon muttered under his breath. He walked back to the man's car, jerked his keys out of the ignition and turned back to Caroline. "You killed him; you can help me clean it up."

Caroline examined her nails before rolling her eyes and picking up the man's feet. "The siblings who kill together," she began when Damon popped the trunk and glanced at her.

"I didn't kill him," Damon snapped.

"You stopped him. Same thing in my book," Caroline retorted with a wide smile.

Damon sneered at her. "I didn't stop him. He stopped me from taking you home and locking you in the basement 'til the year 3000." Grabbing the man by the shoulders, he helped Caroline place him in the trunk before slamming it shut. Damon tossed Caroline the car keys. "You can drive him back to our place. I'll follow, don't get any cute ideas."

Caroline gave Damon an innocent look before getting behind the wheel. She sped while Damon drove back home. She really was becoming a pain in his ass. They hid the car inside the garage before returning to the previous trip.

Other than the occasional insult being flung, the rest of the drive to the Grill had been uneventful. Caroline got out of the car first, walking slightly ahead of Damon as they entered the bar/restaurant/hangout for town's folk of all ages. They headed for the bar first.

"Can I get two beers?" Caroline called to the bartender who didn't even glance at Damon. His gaze was glued to Caroline and Caroline's low-cut top. Her smile was wide and Damon hoped that he wouldn't have to clean up blood bartender that evening off the great room coffee table.

"I heard you, Carol! Yes, I'll talk to him when I get home," a voice grumbled from Caroline's right. The voice belonged to a man wearing a suit and a frown as he hung up his phone and placed it on the bar top. "Can I get another?" he called, nodding at his empty glass.

"Sure thing, Mayor Lockwood," the kid behind the counter said, offering Caroline her beers but his attention was on the mayor.

Caroline's smile moved to the man in charge of their new/old home. "Mayor Lockwood?" she inquired with a giggle, lowering her eyelashes and tilting her head. This would not end well for the mayor.

Mayor Lockwood turned on his stool to take a long look at Caroline. Nope. This would not go well for him, at all. If he got lucky, he'd live through whatever Caroline had planned for him. If not… They'd need a new mayor. Soon. "Yes?" he grinned at Caroline.

"Caroline Salvatore," Caroline held out her hand.

The mayor took her hand and kissed the back of it. "Salvatore? I didn't know that Zach had a living female relation. When he gets back into town, remind me to give him hell for not introducing you sooner."

"Oh, Mr. Mayor," Caroline cried, slapping him on the shoulder. "You are a flirt. Is that how you got into office? Used that old Lockwood charm?" she asked, her hand still on his shoulder.

"That is exactly how I did it," Mayor Lockwood replied. "And who is this young man with you?"

"Oh, him," Caroline waved a hand at Damon. "Just my kid brother. He follows me around wherever I go," Caroline told the mayor, leaning closer to him like she was telling him a secret and he seemed eager to hear her better. "Damon, why don't you go sit somewhere and I'll find you when I'm done."

Damon shrugged, picking up his beer and walked off. He could still hear the two of them and wanted to puke. "You said kid brother? How old are you, Caroline?"

"I'm a lot older than I look, Mr. Mayor," Caroline replied, laughing.

"Call me Richard," the dishonorable mayor Lockwood replied.

Rolling his eyes, Damon took a seat in a booth. He saw a few guys who probably went to the high school playing pool but wasn't in the mood to join them. He took a sip of his beer. He'd prefer a glass of bourbon but was not in the mood to go back to the bar since Caroline had her hand on the mayor's knee and they looked pretty engrossed in their conversation. Yup. He'd be dead by sometime tomorrow and Damon did not have the will to fight the inevitable.

"Hey there, you look lonely," someone said and Damon looked up.

"I'm sorry?" Damon's eyebrows rose at the girl who stood over him with a huge grin and a pad of paper.

"I'm Vikki, I'll be your waitress and if there's anything not on the menu I can interest you in…" Vikki's smile widened and she leaned closer to him.

Gulping, Damon shook his head. "I'm good. Thanks," he said.

Vikki chuckled. "Do your parents know you're out, drinking, on a school night?" she asked him.

"My sister's right over there," Damon nodded at Caroline.

"Didn't she say her name was Salvatore?" Vikki asked, pointing her pencil in Caroline's direction but still staring at Damon. "You're not Damon Salvatore? The guy my sister's crushing on?" she started laughing as Damon leaned back in his seat, having no idea what in the hell she was talking about. "I'm Vikki Donavon. Bekah's sister. Man, you're totally out of her league. You know she's the football team's mascot, right?"

"No," Damon shook his head. "It's been great but I'm gonna go." Trying to get up, Damon moved to exit the booth when Vikki pushed him back down.

"Hey, I'm kidding. Bekah's a cute girl. She's a little inexperienced though…I'd think a boy like you'd want someone who'd seen a little more…done a little more…knew a little more." Vikki stared down at Damon and he felt the mounting desire to fling her on the table and drain her.

Vikki looked back at Caroline. "Your sister knows he's like fifty?" she asked, wrinkling her nose. "And married. And totally gross."

Caroline turned to Damon and winked with a huge smile as Damon looked back at Vikki. "Yeah. My sister tends to use people to get what she wants." Damon saw Caroline's smile drop and Vikki let out a startled laugh.

"O-kay. Did you want anything else?" Vikki asked.

"A bourbon would be nice," Damon replied.

"Sure." Vikki walked away and Damon saw Caroline pat the mayor on the arm and get up. She walked over to his booth.

"Good chat?" Damon inquired when Vikki came back with his bourbon and Caroline took it, drained it and handed the glass back to Vikki.

"Don't you know not to serve minors?" Caroline hissed, giving Vikki a look of annoyance.

Vikki's jaw dropped and she hurried away. "Totally worth it," Caroline said, grinning.

Damon nodded. "I'll take your word for it."

"Are you ready for your first day at Mystic Falls High?" Caroline asked, her eyes wide with glee.

Rolling his own eyes, Damon glanced out the window. "Over joyed. Try not to kill anyone while I'm at school."

"No promises." Caroline's reply made Damon stare back at her. She was not going to make his new life easy.

Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing.

ScarletRose: Yeah. There's something, seriously wrong with you. No, I'm kidding. I get it but we're not going there in this story. It is fun to write about Damon having a sister that he's close to—like Klaus is so close to Rebekah—that you find yourself going "uh…"

Peace,

Jessica