Disclaimer: what is happening I don't know, the only thing I don't own is the actual TVD characters. Everything else, yeah, that's all me bb.

hisses oh my god A MONTH? A FUCKIN' MONTH?

Guys I AM SO SO SO SO SO SORRY. I AM SO SO SO SORRY!

I'm back in school! I'm doing nurse things and the homework is three hours a night plus studying! There was SO MUCH MORE that I wanted to add to this chapter but I honestly have NO IDEA when I'd be able to write more, so I'm giving you 10k words! I knoooow, I KNOOOOW. I'M SORRY. It feels like nothing is happening, but shit is gonna get real pretty soon. I know I keep saying that, but holy shit, REAL LIFE STUFF!

And drama!

SO MUCH DRAMA!

I REALLY WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU WHO GAVE ME ADVICE ABOUT MY EX. Never EVER apologize for saying how you feel about something, TELL ME ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING! His gf had like three people stalking my facebook that I had to block and now everything is set on private. I've been kinda staying away from online things because NO ThAnKS I DON'T DO DRAMA BYE. I know some of you want to exchange snapchats AND I AM SO DOWN FOR THAT, I haven't forgotten about you! I just have been so DISGUSTINGLY busy! With school, my new school friends and the drama that's circulating that I SHOULDN'T EVEN BE INVOLVED WITH! HOLY SHIt!

A BIG FUCKING THANK YOU TO THE BEST FUCKING REVIEWERS IN THE FUCKING WORLD: Lana Scott (shhh no marry me instead!), kvdsouza, SophStratt, actualBffStanaChanJackieOh, TheLoveOfMyLife1llu510n ("she's the hero that Omega needs and she must live forever." my insides are hurting from laughing), Kittywithfangs, tablekorner (if you want more Garth, I'll find a way to bring him back.), every-storm-runs-out-of-rain, padfootfaerie123 (I HAVEN'T FORGOTTEN ABOUT THE SNAPCHAT WE HAVE TO EXCHANGE SHH I'M SORRY!), TootahBb, vikki. dillard, White Ivy (so that's actually genius and to be honest, I hadn't even thought about it. Clarissa probably would've tried that.) ShellyC (I hope you punched him in the throat.), nightwatchers2, AngelicTimelord, Kitsunekit75 (we can throw rocks at boys together), candydivine (Yes! Right out of tumblr!), VampirePrincess11, The Things You Wish You Knew (THANKIE!), Ritz-chan, Miss Shannon, MotionlessHorror, alycenwonder, DaisukethePenguin (NEVER APOLOGIZE! I feel you on school, and I understand that not everyone has time to review. As long as you like the story, I'm happy! And you can always say anything about anything! I appreciate the advice!) Guest(s), momorocks101ful, jenee, Randomreader1320, MrsMusicAddict (I hope your bunnies are doing better, lovie!) nessafly (marry me), RealHuntress18, ToBeDawn1 (I'm screaming about our love from the rooftops!), ViennaCityGirl (thank you for the violent advice, darling!), swanqueen4, bebepantheon, ElysiumPhoenix, Dreams and Dust (I am 100% done with you, your reviews are my favorite, the shit you say kills me. DON'T TALK TO ME ABOUT KENZI RIGHT NOW.), NatalyaEnkou, mayfire21, jjaejjae, Apatu, Liv, Ivory Bane ("I'm not sure if because of that conversation that he can now see the ones within the boarding house, but if not, if Damon unplugged one that Stefan cant see and threw it at his head, would Stefan be able to see it?" I'm going to make this canon because it makes me laugh.)

It was going to be another two hours before they reached Mystic Falls and it was dead silent inside the Tahoe. In a tense, awkward, kind of way. Though, it wasn't for Nate, who either was oblivious or just didn't care about the awkwardness hovering thickly. He was happily sitting cross legged on the console between Alaric and Damon, knitting. (For his Fledgling, as it was a fatherly thing to do!) Clarissa was beyond dead to the world, passed out in Damon's arms, snoring like a beast. Damon didn't care that she was drooling all over his shirt, or that she smelled, or was heavy as hell. The moment she crashed, he had scooped her up and cradled her small body to him. At this point, he was fairly sure he'd snap and kill anyone who dared think they could part him from her. Damon was still feeling a little crazy, tense, on edge, though hearing her heart pattering steadily seemed to curve the frenzy he was dangling in.

Clarissa's head was resting right below the crook of his neck, angled so that Damon could keep his gaze on her sleeping face. Her legs were dangling over his knee, slightly bent, and he absolutely hated how small and vulnerable she appeared. There were many things that Clarissa was, and tiny was not one of them. She had materialized out of thin air, looking more like a raggedy doll than anything, with her blood smeared dress clinging to her small frame like rags and her matted, stringy, dark hair hanging like dead weight. In that instant, Damon never wanted to rip a part anyone as violently as he did Elijah. He was going to find that fuck and he was going to destroy him. And Damon was going to relish in it. He didn't care if Elijah was another vampire, Damon's fangs ached for the feel of tearing flesh, for the struggle, the rush of blood, he was going to delight in ripping Elijah apart, slowly.

Clarissa made a soft noise in her sleep instantly recapturing Damon's complete attention, his eyes drifting across her face. Carefully, as though she were something fragile and precious, Damon hesitantly brushed his knuckles down her cheek. It was keeping him partially sane, the contact, touching her, being close to her.

He had been so close to teetering off the edge.

And then she appeared and her eyes sought his, capturing him at once, effortlessly erasing every single damn thing from existence immediately. Clarissa brightly tore him from the darkness, lighting him up, jump starting his heart and he lingered just outside all that she was. It floored him how ecstatic she became upon seeing him, how she clung to him—how even now, her fingers curled around the front of his shirt, as though she were subconsciously reassuring herself that he was there. It sent every instinct inside Damon into a ballistic overdrive. She needed him. She needed him so loudly and happily that Damon lived for every damn second of it. Even in her half hysterical rage, she still looked at him like he was the whole damn world and Damon wasn't sure that was even possible. Since stupidly leaving her behind that stupid club, Damon felt like he could finally breathe again. The frantic madness and crushing desperation that had occupied his every waking thought was beginning to fade. Clarissa might've flat out rejected the idea of Damon refusing to leave her side, but that didn't really matter, because she clearly had no idea what was the best for her, and that was where he had to be. He couldn't trust anyone but himself to make sure she stayed absolutely safe.

Every now and then Alaric would glance across the seats, eyes lingering on Clarissa for three seconds, before retreating back to staring out the windshield. He'd then tap his fingers against the steering wheel a few times, obviously about to say something only to chicken out at the last second. Since finding Clarissa, neither of them spoke a single word to the other and the mounting tension was becoming suffocating and loud. In their frantic haste to find Clarissa, the two had thoughtlessly made a silent agreement to work together. But now that she was back...

"I still hate you." Damon stated suddenly, fed up with Alaric's obvious want to start a conversation.

He really didn't want to have a bonding experience, or a speech, and forcefully dragged his blue gaze from Clarissa's sleeping face to squint irritably at Alaric who released a long, relieved, sigh. All the awkward, loud, tension immediately dispersing and Damon, himself, found himself relaxing slightly.

"Thank God," Alaric muttered, his grip on the steering wheel loosening as his shoulders slumped. "I was worried that we were going to have to watch the game every Sunday or become drinking buddies." Damon scoffed quietly, so not to disturb Clarissa, and Alaric's gaze flickered towards her. "How is she?"

"My Fledgling is mentally exhausted," Nate butt in with a stupidly, knowing, voice, all bells and sweetness. It grated on Damon's nerves instantly. It was good to know that he could creatively kill the damn puffball, that'd be useful for later. Nate's obnoxious glowing hazel eyes tilted toward Clarissa thoughtfully, easily reading her in ways Damon never could. "And starving." He turned around, swatting Alaric in the face, who scowled. "Bring us to the McDonald's, my Fledgling needs to feed."

Alaric elbowed Nate in the gut in response, shoving the Fae from the console and into the backseat with an umph! Damon's lip twitched and the two shared a mutual amused glance, while mutually agreeing that they weren't getting along at all. Just being civil. Momentarily. Nate popped back up, scarcely bothered by his treatment. He fixed Alaric with a loaded look that might've held a bit of force behind it, eyes twinkling like waves during twilight.

"She won't heal properly, physically or mentally." Nate sang in a dangerously musical voice, easily knowing his words would have much more impact on the sleep deprived, protective, human. "It's like denying plants sunlight, vampires blood..."

If that was true and not some warped version of the truth Fae seemed to delight in talking in, then this was very new and slightly startling information, and Damon narrowed his eyes into slits, staring heatedly at Alaric who uneasily looked at Clarissa and then down at his leather seats, wincing. Clarissa always seemed to function the best with sugar in her system, and Damon decided he would always have it in bulk for his little hummingbird. Though, morbidly, he also made a mental note to hide all sugar from her and see how long she could go without, and what it would do to her. He'd imagine she'd act much like an addict, all fits of rage and a quick willingness to agree to anything for a small fix. Maybe that's how he could get himself off the hook, exchange sweets for her agreement to forgive him without him having to receive Nate's forgiveness...

"Fine," Alaric snapped, flicking his blinker on (even the click, click, click sounded angry) as he took the exit off the highway. "I'm only going to do this once, and it's only because she clearly needs it."

"There will always be a reason," Damon informed him with malicious glee, happy to tear Alaric down a few pegs. The human across from him glowered darkly but didn't say anything, so Damon decided to bait him more. "Soon your car will be a trash can for three teenagers, dad."

"I can't wait to influence Jenna and ground Clarissa from spending time with you." Alaric shot back, smirking, and Damon stared at him darkly. "Oooh, what are you going to do, Salvatore? Kill me?"

Nate burst into singing laughter and Damon angrily stared at the Fae furiously, not risking moving and waking Clarissa, who he couldn't believe was still asleep with the amount of noise Nate was making. Slight worry flared and Damon quickly shoved down all and any thoughts that surrounded the events of her disappearance. If he let himself think about it, he wasn't sure how much longer he'd be in control of himself. Instead, he amused himself with thinking about how Alaric had gone from being a guy looking for revenge for his wife's murder to the step-father of three teens and hanging out with the vampire who, not only killed him, but banged and turned his wife.

So ha.

Alaric slowly pulled up to the McDonald's drive-thru, rolling down his window, and staring at the choices in a sleep deprived kind of way. Damon opted to glaring at him while Nate bounced a little in excitement.

"Hi, what can I get for you today?" A youngish girl asked, her voice creaking out of the speaker.

"Uh, yeah, hi, can you hold on for a sec?" Alaric murmured, turning to look at Damon, who glowered back at him irritably.

"Of course, take your time."

"Do you want anything?" Alaric asked, almost as though it were out of habit, and Damon scowled while Nate brightened.

"I want a milkshake too!" The damnable puffball gushed childishly, eyes bright and filled with a sunny glee. "Milkshake! Milkshake! Milkshake!" Alaric blinked, looking a little dazed for a moment, before glancing back at Damon, who was resisting tearing Nate's throat out. He was being so damn noisy!

"Unless you're willing to pull a kid out of the window for my snack, no." Damon snapped sarcastically, his stomach churning, his veins on fire. He was beyond starving, he hadn't had anything to eat since Clarissa was kidnapped, he hadn't been able to stomach the thought of it before. Alaric raised his eyebrows but didn't say anything, promptly turning back to the speaker.

Prick.

"I'll have some, um, McFries," Alaric said loudly to the speaker and Damon groaned.

"You don't have to say Mc in front of anything," Damon said testily with a roll of his eyes. Jesus, had Alaric been living under a rock or something? Who even said shit like that?

"And a McBurger... with McCheese, and a McVanilla McShake, aaaaaannnd..." Alaric continued on, like he hadn't even heard Damon, who was seriously fed up.

"Stop saying Mc in front of everything!" Damon snarled, at his wits end, causing Nate to smirk darkly at him, eyes glowing with wicked intent. Someone was going to die again, Damon realized bitterly. And it was properly going to be Nate.

"I love McMeals!" Nate chimed happily.

"I'd also like a large McDr. McPepper," Alaric was grinning as well and Damon seriously contemplated snapping Alaric's neck. Clarissa was dead to the world, she's never know, and so couldn't get pissed at him for it. "Oh! And could you make those McFries a McLarge?"

"Ric," Damon hissed. "Shut the hell up!"

"Don't forget my McMilkshake!" Nate reminded in a sweet chiming voice. "I need some McSugar!" Clarissa stirred in Damon's arms, causing the vampire's entire attention to drastically shift onto her, his eyes snapping down to her sleeping face, suddenly hyperaware of every breath she took and every slight movement she made.

"I also need another McMilkshake, McVanilla, McLarge," Alaric was saying happily as Damon gently brushed a few strands of hair from Clarissa's face. "And do you guys have any McBlood by any chance? I have a seriously hungry vampire in the car with me... I mean, if not... Do you have any McEmployees there that you don't want? We'll just take him and go."

Alaric honestly had no idea why he was provoking an unstable, starving, vampire, but there was something honestly magical about Damon's fury over his usage of Mc. But Damon didn't hear a single word Alaric had been saying, focused entirely on Clarissa who was stirring back into awareness. She blinked blearily, groggily wiping the drool from her cheek with the back of her hand. A moment of exhausted anxiety flashed across her face, fingers tightening around Damon's shirt, and he drew her closer, instantly reassuring her she was safe.

"'Mon?" She stared up at him sleepily, almost as though she could hardly believe what she was seeing, adoring eyes peering up at him in an awestruck way. He smirked down at her, warmth flooding his entire body. His name was the first word out of her mouth, spoken with a breathless reverence, hope and relief cherishing every letter of his name, like he was heaven sent. Her gaze tilted away from him. "Sugar?"

...She would wake from a dead sleep at the fucking mention of sugar. Damon merely watched her as she sleepily rubbed her eye, seemingly forgetting he was even there as she pressed her hand flat against his chest, using him to help herself sit up more, looking at Nate and then to Alaric who was now at the drive-thru window, waiting for the food.

"Fledgling!" Nate sang adoringly, snapping Alaric's head around. He grinned at Clarissa, who was sleepily, confusedly, glancing around. Damon growled lowly in his throat, refusing to let Clarissa leave his lap, or Nate to come any closer. For once the stupid fairy didn't challenge him and happily stayed on the console, pulling the terribly made monstrosity he had been knitting out of thin air. "I've made you a hat!"

"Hey Trouble," Alaric greeted in a teasing coo, gently taking the McDonald's bag from the employee. "McHungry? I got your McCheese McBurger and your McFries."

Clarissa blinked groggily at Alaric, lowering her hand from rubbing the sleep from her eyes, staring at him oddly. Damon thought for sure she'd chew him out for all the damn Mcs, but instead her eyes slid towards the tray of drinks being offered. The very second Alaric took it, Clarissa launched forward, snatching one of the milkshakes from the drink tray and hurriedly devouring it, moaning. Alaric and Damon shared a look and Damon kind of hoped Clarissa would get a brain freeze so he could snuggle her close to him again, maybe get her to forgive him as he soothed and babied her. But she continued downing the milkshake like it was nothing.

"I didn't realize how... McAddicted you were," Alaric joked, breaking the awkward silence, shoving the bag of food into Damon before it fell onto his precious floor. Damon ripped it out of his hands, growling.

"It's a Mclifestyle." Nate announced gravely, sipping on his own milkshake delightedly, as he attempted to put the misshapen hat on Clarissa's head who seemed to be in a state of half asleep bliss, oblivious to the irritation surrounding her.

"I think it's a Mcchoice," Alaric disagreed as he got back onto the main highway.

"If you don't stop saying Mc in front of things, I'm going to kill both of you." Damon promised darkly, wiggling a fry in front of Clarissa's face. She sleepily snatched it from his hand and he watched her as she knocked the top off the milkshake (Alaric cringing) and dunking it into the milkshake. Damon wasn't even sure Clarissa was aware of what she was doing.

"Don't be such a McLoser," Nate sang happily, smirking, and Damon whipped a fry at him so quickly that it launched into Nate's open mouth, causing the Fae to choke violently, dropping the milkshake onto the floor. Alaric jerked his head around, staring aghast at the milkshake that was going everywhere.

"Damon's just mad," Clarissa mumbled sleepily, absentmindedly chewing on the straw as she dunked an entire handful of fries into her shake. "'Cause he's riding in a car filled with people he couldn't McKill."

Alaric thought that was the funniest fucking thing ever and laughed so hard he nearly crashed into the car in the lane next to them.

With Damon and Alaric flanking either side of me, I flung open the doors to the Lockwood's sitting room, strolling in as though I owned the damn place, humming Tik Tok to myself (the party don't start till I walk in...) The two of them were sort of forced into this as they were unwilling to let me prance in by myself (I'd sent Nate away because God knew he'd ruin my plans), and I had flat out ignored all their attempts at thinking they could tell me what I needed to do. Go home, Alaric had said. Sleep, Alaric had advised. Heal up, Alaric had pleaded. Change out of that disgusting bloody dress, Damon had insulted. I looked like a wreck, and I didn't care. I considered this to be my battle armor. I was a goddamn warrior.

"Clare?" Caroline's mom, Liz, gasped, alarmed, rising out of her seat as Mrs. Lockwood nearly spilled her tea (or maybe it was just booze in nice china, who knew) all over herself as she regarded me in a state of horrified shock. Sweet. "Where have you been?" Liz continued, voice demanding, edging around horror and concern. Her eyes flashed across my dress and then to Damon and Alaric. "What happened?"

"Is that blood?" Logan Jerkoff cried, rising out of his seat as well, gaping at me. "My God, are you okay—?"

Oh please. "It's not my blood, Logan, don't be so melodramatic," I murmured dismissively with a roll of my eyes, channeling my Everett.

I had demanded Damon to take away the compulsion, which he grudgingly agreed to, as I needed to be on my A Game and he was now my personal bitch. Lazily, I slanted my gaze around the adequately lit sitting room which could have been from another time, the room beautifully set up with antique chairs which were occupied by Mrs. and Mr. Lockwood, both Liz and Logan standing. So much for a full house. I was sure there were more members to this damn secret vampire hating club, but maybe not.

"I'm calling an ambulance," Mrs. Lockwood said, suddenly standing as well, while Mr. Lockwood furrowed his eyebrows, eyes narrowing slightly and he glanced between us. "My God!"

Liz was suddenly at my side, her arm curling around my shoulders as she pulled me closer to her protectively, Damon shifting with her, so he was standing closer, eyes narrowing distrustfully on Liz who didn't seem to notice. "Can you tell me what happened, sweetie?" Annoying.

"What do you mean it isn't your blood?" Mr. Lockwood wondered softly as his wife fumbled with her cellphone, and I was about ready to snap. I didn't need to be treated like a child! I gently brushed Liz away from me, who crinkled her brow in anxious, confused, concern.

"Jesus, Ric!" Logan cried, stepping closer, eyes fixed on Alaric. "Does Jenna even know she's here? Be the adult in this situation! She needs proper medical attention!"

"Put the phone down, Mrs. Lockwood." I said with the best charming smile I could muster, secretly giddy when the woman blinked, awkwardly doing as I requested. Fae yeah.

"Have you met Clarissa?" Alaric wondered sarcastically and I raised my arm, hardly surprised when it hit his chest, keeping him behind me. Oh yeah, I called your sleep deprived shit, Alaric. "You can't make her do anything she doesn't want to! Though if you did more than try to get into Jenna's pants, you'd know that!"

Logan flushed furiously as I subtly flashed Alaric a thumbs up. "You're not even suppose to be in here," Logan hissed. "This is a founding families only council meeting!"

"Boys," Liz growled, looking between them, completely unimpressed. Her eyes flashed down to me, her expression tight, lips purse, as she flickered between motherly concerned and woman of the law. "This is not the time! Clarissa has been missing and you drag her here? I understand, sweetie, if you don't want to go to the hospital, and I'll gladly take you home, but there's—"

"I'm not going anywhere." I slanted my chin upward, defiantly, my patients dwindling with the lack of sleep and urgency of regaining control of the situation. I was darkly pleased as the entire room fell silent, all eyes shifting towards me in surprise. "And neither is Alaric. Where I go, he is to go. Understood?"

Liz and Logan glanced at each other while Mrs. Lockwood made a strangled noise in the back of her throat, as though attempting to laugh off what I had said.

"Sweetheart, while I'm worried about you, and understand where you're coming from, Logan is right," Mrs. Lockwood said in a brisk manner, eyes flitting from me to Alaric. "Mr. Saltzman isn't a founding member, and you're much too young to be here—"

"Due to your incompetence, I'm sorry to inform you that you no longer make the rules, Mrs. Lockwood, as your little secret vampire hating council is now mine." I cut her off idly, delighting as Liz reeled back in shock and Mrs. Lockwood outright squawked at my tone.

"Incompetence?" Mr. Lockwood parroted heatedly, rising from his seat, barely acknowledging the threatening growl that spilled from Damon's throat. "How dare you-"

"You told her about this?" Mrs. Lockwood cried, cutting her husband off, and looking at Damon with something akin to accusing betrayal. Oh my God.

"I didn't tell her shit," Damon snapped and she drew back in surprise. "She put it together herself."

With the help of the CW, thank you very much.

"Is this what you do, Ric?" Logan wondered incredulously. "Worm your way into this poor kid's head? Just so you can, what? Have bragging rights that you're involved?"

"Me? What about you? Worming your way back into Jenna's life all because you want that... what was it? The vamp compass? That's low." Alaric shot back and I wondered how the hell he knew about it. Logan blanched, clearly thinking the same thing.

"She's just a child!" Mrs. Lockwood continued, hands on hips, staring Damon down, who laughed darkly back at her, and I briefly entertained the idea of him snapping and feeding on everyone in the room. "She doesn't need to be... be burdenedby these kinds of thoughts!"

"I might be a child, but I'm the only one here that has given your children vervain to protect themselves." I mean, seriously. You'd think that would be the first thing on their agenda. Shock was loud and tense, all eyes back on me again and I schooled my expression into one of boredom. "And I have educated them. They know not to verbally invite anyone inside—"

"You've told others?" Logan's voice dropped into a whisper, eyes wide, and I shot him an odd look. Duh. I'm a teenager. Like I'd keep that shit to myself. Seriously, Logan. Friggin' get with the times. I fucking tweet that shit. 'At vamp council LOL'. "Does... Does Jenna know?"

"There is a reason why this council is secret, Clarissa," Mr. Lockwood said quietly, obviously pissed to shit.

Oh please.

"Ignorance kills." Alaric said softly, coming to my defense. "Just because you don't know about something, doesn't mean it can't still hurt you."

"And what the hell would you know about any of this?" Logan exploded and I stared at him like he was all kinds of crazy. Shifting my gaze around the room, I realized they were all looking at Alaric with similar expressions. "This has been in our town-"

"Wait, wait, wait, back up." My thoughts started spinning as I tried to process what this friggin' meant. "Are you telling me... Are you seriously telling me you don't know?" The silence was my answer and I stared at the five adults in front of me. No. No, they couldn't be this stupid. "You don't know about Alaric or what happened to his wife? You guys..." My brain went blank and I swallowed the cold fury, releasing a shaky breath. I was half tempted to laugh. And never stop. Laugh until I passed the hell out and escaped this sheer stupidity. "You're telling me, after countless people have died because of vampires, that you just let anyone come into this town without a fucking background check? He could've been a vampire, you half-witted imbeciles! You're telling me you didn't do any fucking research on this man and you simply let him teach where your children are?"

He could've been a vampire! Elena could've been dead right now, all because this self-proclaimed vampire-obsessed council didn't know how to do their damn job!

"I will not stand here and be insulted in my own home!" Mr. Lockwood snapped and I laughed, uncaring if I sounded crazy. "Especially not by a clearly delusional child! Don't tell us how to run this council or how to go about our business!"

"I'll tell you whatever I want to tell you, and you will shut up and listen to me!" I burst out furiously, glad when nobody dared to speak up, glad when Mr. Lockwood's face twisted but he stayed obedient. "Alaric is a hunter, you ignorant shit! When it comes to Elena, I will do whatever I have to to ensure her safety, even if that means I have to take you out to take over your stupid, useless, council!"

"Elena?" Liz was looking more alert as Mr. Lockwood stared at me like he'd never seen me before. Mrs. Lockwood had a hand clamped over her mouth, horrified. "I know you must be worried about your sister, but this is a little extreme, Clarissa... There is no reason to think Elena is any kind of danger."

What the fuck.

"They don't know, oh my God!" I realized, bouncing on my heels, giggling, feeling crazy. "You guys have no idea what's going on! This is just hilarious!" I raised my hands to my temples, trying to process this, laughing hysterically to myself. I was fairly sure I was about to burst into tears with how ridiculously stupid this was. "You don't know why vampires are even here? Or why they were here in the 1800s? Or why more is coming? Oh my God, you guys are so pathetic! What is even the point of you?"

"All we have to go on by is journals passed on from the generations," Mr. Lockwood said in a flat, leveled, voice as his wife shakily sat in her seat.

"You know why all of this is happening...?" Mrs. Lockwood whispered, bewildered.

"This is why you're useless." I sneered coldly. "You sit around talking about it, and reading your little diaries from scared, paranoid, prejudice ancestors, who had no idea what the hell they're talking about, sitting around in your little cozy council, but none of you have actually killed or met a vampire—which, news flash, don't have a Nazi mindset, not all vampires are murdering psychopaths. It took me two months to figure it all out and all I had to do was use Google and track down a vampire who knew too much for his own stupid good."

"You took her to a vampire?" Alaric suddenly snapped, furiously turning to Damon, and I drew a breath. If they got into a fight before I could secure this council, I was going to kill both of them. "Are you insane?"

"I can protect her," Damon snarled back, a dark growl rumbling from his chest and I turned around, facing the two angrily. I didn't have time for their crap!

"Yeah, clearly! That's why she'd been missing for nearly two weeks!" Alaric threw back and I immediately slammed my hands on both of their chests, keeping them apart. The two were locked in an infuriated stare down and I didn't know how much longer Damon would be able to keep his cool.

"He had information about Elijah, about Katherine, that I needed." I hissed at Alaric, coming to Damon's defense, and my own. I was not going to be treated like something that needed to be protected when clearly nobody else knew how to get shit done! "And for the record, Slater was a pretty nice guy, he was obsessed with knowledge, he was hardly a threat!"

Alaric's eyes narrowed dangerously, dropping down to me. "You killed someone who might've been innocent? Vampire or not, Ris! You don't do that! Weren't you just talking about straying away from the Nazi mindset?"

I stared back at him incredulously, scoffing. "Are you kidding me?"

"Don't talk to her like that." Damon growled heatedly as I straightened, meeting Alaric's gaze straight on.

"I'll kill any damn thing that may pose a threat to Elena! I don't care if they're vampire, werewolf, human! I don't care if they're innocent or at the wrong place at the wrong time!" I told him firmly, a dark anger wrapping around my heart. "Slater knew too much, he knew Elena was KP's doppelganger!"

Alaric's gaze filled with disappointment, striking me in the chest, even after he lifted them back to Damon. "This is what you're turning her into," he said quietly. "A killing machine."

"Werewolves?" Logan's voice broke the dangerous glare Damon was shooting Alaric, his voice high pitched, and I turned to stare at him. "You're telling me there's werewolves?"

"Yes, Logan," I said mockingly, cruelly, sickly pleased at the blatant hurt on his face. "Werewolves. Which is what begins our little story and why vampires came to your town to begin with and why we are all in immediate danger. Three very dangerous vampires are coming, and one of them so happens to look exactly like Elena."

Damon snatched my arm, spinning me around so fast that I felt disoriented. His blue eyes blazed down into mine. "You're bringing Katherine here?" His fury rolled right over me and I stared back at him coldly.

"That hybrid doesn't know about Elena! Elijah wants his brother to be lured out! Klaus wants the moonstone and Katherine, so what the hell do you think I'm going to do? Let Elijah use Elena as bait... Or Katherine?" I slapped his hand and he sharply withdrew, blue eyes conflicted. "I didn't have much of a choice, I had only seconds!"

"How did you get in contact with her?" Damon said quietly, his expression going blank and I hated how hurt I felt over this whole stupid thing.

"That werewolf we killed, she's in with—with Mason," I fumbled, unsure if I should throw the Lockwoods under the bus or if I'd need them later on. Alaric released a sarcastic laugh, clearly unhappy with how nonchalantly I talked about wolf murder. "She had KP's number. After I texted you where I was, I ended up texting KP—"

"CLARISSA SUNNY GILBERT!"

I went shock still, all the color ripping from my cheeks at the sound of the scariest damn thing in all of history.

Jenna.

Oh shit. Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit!

The she witch herself exploded into the room, hair a mess, face red, eyes locked onto me. I stared back in utter horror. I drew in a sharp intake of air, and I found my eyes lifting toward Alaric, who was grinning.

In triumph.

My gaze fell down to the phone in his hands that he was wiggling smugly, my mouth falling open. Parental duties, he mouthed to me. No...

"You son of a—" I began in a whisper when Jenna shoved him to the side, getting into my face.

This was how I was going to die, I realized.

Damon irritably wondered why the hell it took Jenna so damn long to get here. Clarissa was spiraling and she was spiraling fast. He could taste her exhaustion and it took every ounce of his control not to sweep her up in his arms and take her far, far, away. Her eyes were dropping, body swaying, and her laughter sounded unhinged, hysterical, half-crazed. She was losing control, her fear and rage clouding her judgment. The more cornered she felt, the more dangerous and cut-throat she became, and while it was getting shit done (and also kind of a turn on, he loved it when she took charge like this), Clarissa needed proper sleep and to go about this in a different way.

And right now Clarissa's dangerous Everett persona had dropped and she looked like a child who was caught with their hand in the cookie jar, eyes wide. Jenna was going off at her, screaming on top of her lungs.

"-MISSING FOR WEEKS, CLARE! WEEKS! AND HERE YOU ARE, PLAYING VAMPIRE KILLER? WHEN YOU SHOULD BE HOME? I HAVE BEEN WORRIED! I CRIED EVERY NIGHT! ARE YOU TRYING TO GIVE ME A STROKE?" Jenna was gesturing wildly with her hands, a sure sign that all logic was now thrown out the door as pure rage had taken over.

Clarissa stared back at her, wide eyes filled with tears, a far cry from cold Everett she had been seconds ago. "But I... I was kidnapped!" Clarissa was a teenager suddenly, one who was desperately trying to defend herself. "This isn't my fault! Elijah—"

"IT'S ENTIRELY YOUR FAULT AND YOU'RE NOT GOING TO DO ANY MORE VAMPIRE RELATED ACTIVITIES! EVER!" Jenna exploded, having a fit, and Damon was a little more than amused when Clarissa slid closer to him, as though trying to hide. Jenna followed after her. "Your parents left me in charge! Me! And I will not fail them! I can't! I refuse! And I'm NOT going to just sit by and let you run around doing this crap!" Her eyes flashed to Alaric who jumped back, hands up in surrender. "New rules! No more vampire hunter bull! None! Not in my house! Which," Jenna rounded on Clarissa again who was now gripping Damon's arm. "You are not leaving the house until I state otherwise!"

Damon was going to support that. Fully.

"But... But Jenna!" Clarissa was losing it, her exhaustion an all time high, her sway dangerous. "You can't ground me!" Her hysterical voice was becoming slurred and Damon counted silently in his head, it was only seconds now. "I have important things to do! You... You can't do this to me! I need the council! I need to prepare the town! They're coming! Katherine is coming!"

"I don't care if Jesus is coming!" Jenna snapped, hands on her hips. "You're seventeen years old, Clarissa! The fate of the world doesn't rest on your shoulders!"

"Yes it does!" Clarissa exploded, nearly bursting into tears. "I have to protect Elena! Nobody else can! Everyone here is stupid! They won't do what has to be done! I—"

Damon easily caught her as she slumped, the exhaustion finally taking her out. It was way too much for her body to handle, and her nerves and extreme moods couldn't have been much help. Damon suspected she didn't have enough sugar, either, and cradled her small body in his arms, lifting her effortlessly. It seemed to snap Jenna out of her rage, who looked exhausted herself, worry and anxiety loud on her face.

"She's fine," Alaric murmured reassuringly, tilting protectively toward Jenna who was now shaking. "She's just exhausted."

"Can someone please explain what the hell is going on?" Liz cut in, voice shaking, and Damon glanced at the founding family members, each expression varying, but all looking disturbed. Jenna gave a dry snort.

"I have nothing to say." Jenna said in a clipped voice, throwing her hands up. "I am sick of vampires!" And with that she spun around and marched angrily from the sitting room, Alaric fast on her heels.

Damon slid his gaze towards them, Mrs. Lockwood and Liz staring at him imploringly, helplessly.

"Please Damon," Mrs. Lockwood said quietly. "Help us understand what's going on."

"You should be careful who you invite into your homes, the next vampire might not be so tame." Damon said simply, flashing them a very fanged grin, before turning back around and strolling out, savoring the horrified looks that flashed across their faces.

It was stupid.

It was impulsive.

But Damon couldn't find it in him to give a fuck. Worse came to worse, he could always drain them of vervain and compel them to forget. Or kill them and have them replaced with Fae. What a wonderful world he lived in.

Damon shouldn't have been so surprised when Clarissa stirred awake the very second Alaric pulled up to her house, and he couldn't help but be slightly disappointed. He had hoped she'd stay asleep, he knew once she went inside Elena would peel her from his arms and keep her awake. And Clarissa needed to calm down and fucking sleep. Groggy, confused, Clarissa squinted, staring hazily in the darkness as Damon gracefully exited the Tahoe, carrying her in his arms effortlessly. She hardly seemed to even notice they were moving.

"Whaaa...? What happened?" Clarissa demanded in a groggy slur, scrubbing her eyes with her palm.

"You fainted." Alaric informed her in a disgustingly cheerful voice as Jenna slammed her own car door shut, furiously marching past them, while Clarissa openly gaped at Alaric. Nobody paid Jenna any mind as she swore and muttered loudly to herself.

"I fainted?" Clarissa repeated incredulously, voice cracking and becoming high pitched in her disbelief. "But I...! But I was in the middle..." she let the sentence die on her lips, frustration passing across her sullen face.

Damon let Clarissa fall into her thoughts as he followed Jenna and Alaric, the porch light flickering on to greet them as they approached, half annoyed by the way Alaric was obviously distracted by Jenna and she by him. Damon irritably stood behind the two as they stared at one another, attempting to have some kind of awkward silent communication as Jenna stood frozen by the door, staring Alaric down, their gazes hot and heavy and fucking loaded with disgusting sexual tension. Were they really going to do this now? In front of Clarissa? It didn't matter if she was oblivious, stuck in her own thoughts!

"Get a room," Damon suddenly snapped, fed up, and Jenna flushed prettily, throwing him a look only for her eyes to dart back Alaric and then towards the door. Damon's stomach twisted at the blood rushing to her cheeks, his hunger painful and hot.

He wanted to rip Jenna's throat out, but he didn't think Clarissa would take too kindly to that right now.

"The least I could do... I mean, you were driving... There's left overs?" Jenna babbled and Alaric's cheeks warmed, a small smile moving across his lips and Damon impatiently shoved him forward. He was going to snap and eat them if they didn't hurry this up.

"S-Sounds great!" Alaric threw Damon a pointed look who sneered back at him.

"If you two don't stop blushing and tempting me," Damon began in a low, cold, voice causing both Jenna and Alaric to stare at him. Clarissa suddenly sprang back to reality, awkwardly untangling herself from Damon's arms, who was having trouble letting her leave him.

"Get inside, I have to talk to Damon," Clarissa murmured briskly, ushering the two adults into the house, immediately hurtling Damon into unease, his hunger forgotten. Nervousness brimmed under his skin and he drew a quick breath, the soft click of the closing door so much louder then it should've been, the way the warm inviting light had become blocked out from them feeling suddenly so... ominous.

She stayed turned away from him, facing the closed door, and Damon was struggling with squashing the nagging feeling that crept up his throat. He was being paranoid.

"Come on, Claryberry," he attempted to keep his voice light, teasing, soundlessly moving closer to her as his heart picked up in speed. "We can talk inside, it's cold out here, and you need to face Elena. And, God, a bath, because you..." Whatever he had been saying was instantly wiped from his mind because she turned around to face him, her hand on his chest.

And there was a slight pressure on the tips of her fingers.

Keeping him from her.

Dread burst through him, scattering, like little shards of wood digging into him and Damon continued to tell himself that everything was okay. Because it had to be. Because it was Clarissa. But her breathing was slightly ragged and Damon couldn't think clearly.

"Damon... I," she was chewing on her lip, and he stared down at her, tilting his head. Whatever it was, they could fix, together. Whatever was bothering her, whatever it was that was hurting her... "You... You can't come inside." Her voice was firm, yet barely a whisper, drenched with anxiety, regret and agony. It stabbed him hard, sending him reeling backwards, but her fingers curled in the material of his shirt, her pained eyes drowning him. Frantic dread and misery pierced his ribcage, sucking all the air from his lungs.

"Clarissa," her name was a plea, a beg, his fingers wrapping around her shaking hands. "Don't." He was drowning. Didn't she... didn't she understand? "I can't... Can't leave you, can't be away from you right now." He wouldn't survive it. He needed her right now.

"I... I love you, I do, I love you so much," Clarissa burst out helplessly and Damon stared at her in utter horror as the tears forming in her anguished gaze ripped him to shreds. "And I-I need you... I need you, but you... I-I can't—can't watch you kill someone who won't come back from the dead, I can't, Damon, please!" He was helpless, so helpless, watching wretchedly as her tears broke across her cheeks. He was inches from her within seconds, desperately trying to make it all better, cradling her wet, cold, face in his hands, needing to soothe away all her hurt. "I just can't! I just cant, I..." she was shaking, the tears falling faster, and Damon felt sick. "Don't be upset, don't be upset, oh God, Damon, I'm sorry, I love you, I love you, don't be upset at me," she begged him miserably, a sob in her voice. "You make all the bad go away, and I need you, and I need you, but... but I..."

"Shhh, it's okay," he lied softly, drawing her closer, gently pressing his forehead against hers, desperately trying to keep himself sane. Clarissa's shaky, icy, fingers clutched him tightly. His cheeks were wet with her tears.

Or maybe his own.

Damon captured her mouth with his, kissing her, gently, hesitantly, the taste of her tears mingling, as he fought to keep himself in check. His stomach churned at the thought of sinking his fangs into her, filling his mouth with her blood. He wouldn't have to worry about killing her, but Clarissa was half way to crazy town and Damon knew he'd leave a trail of bodies behind him before their connection wore off. He wouldn't be able to keep himself in line if Clarissa's frazzled self was swimming inside of him.

She fluttered, leaning into him, and he gently stroked her skin with the pad of his thumb, slowly brushing his mouth across the corner of her mouth. Clarissa, his Clarissa, was a wreck. Right now, she couldn't soothe him, fix all his hurts, reassure him, make this ache inside of him go away when she was drowning, when she couldn't see past her own terror and misery. She was severely emotionally and physically exhausted and she needed him to hold it together. For both of them. So he would. Even if it meant lying to her, even if it meant he had to pull away and allow her family bring her to a place of sanity. Because he'd have her forever. She wasn't going anywhere.

"It's okay, Clary," he promised in a soft murmur, planting slow, soft, adoring kisses everywhere he could. Her sobbing began to subside. "I'm not upset, I could never be upset. It's okay. You're safe. That's all I care about."

He forced himself to draw back, bitterly hating every second there was any kind of distance between them. But Clarissa's red-rimmed eyes tangled with his, brimming with absolute love and trust. And Damon melted at the very sight of it, a tiny, faint, smile twitching. She trusted him, and he swore to himself he'd never do anything to hurt her again. He couldn't. He wouldn't.

"Go inside," he urged, voice soft, compelling. "I'll be close by. The very second you need me, I'll be there."

Clarissa might've been a mess but she yanked him out of the darkest place as her swimming blue-gray eyes caressed him fondly, staring at him with such love it was nearly blinding. Even half ruined, Clarissa could still heal the deepest hurts inside of him, still wanted his happiness to come first. Damon couldn't breathe, but it wasn't out of agony. The relief on her face was tangible, and before he could even process it, she had lifted herself on the tips of her toes, pressing her sweet mouth to his, kissing him in a way that lit him up inside. He didn't know he could feel so broken and so okay all at once, she made him come alive so brightly. It was going to kill him to wait for her to allow him inside her home.

Gently, he pushed her back and forced himself to step back, and Damon swore the further he was from her, the colder and darker the world was. But if he let her kiss him that sweetly for much longer he didn't know if he'd be able to force himself to keep a distance. Clarissa's gaze became conflicted and it was all so fucking stupid. Because she needed him.

And then suddenly she looked so small and lost and every inch of Damon was screaming for him to draw her into his arms. Those damn tears were back with a vengeance and he wondered why she was doing this to him. "Tell me you love me, Damon! Tell me everything will be okay! Tell me I don't have to worry, tell me nobody will die!" Her terrified beg sent him hurtling into something he didn't know he could come back out of. Her voice fell into a whisper. "Tell me you won't leave me for Katherine."

Something inside of Damon snapped and he slammed her against the side of the house, kissing her soft and hard and gentle and rough, fingers twisting tightly in her stringy, matted, hair, something feral seizing him. She flung her arms around his neck, soft fingers digging into the nape of his neck, nearly clawing at him, and all self control Damon had been clinging to was ripped from him as she kissed him back with wretched desperation. A low, broken, moan escaped Damon's throat, and Clarissa pressed herself flush against him.

As if the distance physically hurt her like it did him.

He gripped her tightly, hoisting her up, her legs wrapping around his waist and he kissed her as though he only had seconds left with her. Nothing fucking existed outside of Clarissa.

"I'll never leave you." He growled between messy, rushed, kisses, almost furious with her for ever thinking that way. "Never."

"Damon," she made his name sound so good, and Damon wanted to show her how much she meant to him. "Make it all go away, make it so it's only you!"

Consequences be damned, Clarissa would get whatever the hell she wanted. He would make her forget everything but him, he would fix her even if it wrecked him in the process. His fangs slid out, aching, needing her, and he shifted her so she was pinned between his body and the house, pushing her dress further up her thighs, his fingers aching and burning for as much skin as he could possibly feel.

Damon sank his fangs into her neck, frankly not giving enough of a damn to cover her mouth with his hand, wanting everyone to hear her and what he was doing to her. Clarissa's cry of pleasure and pain was nearly drowned out by the blast of her blood bursting through him so brightly it was nearly blinding. He moaned into her neck, greedily enjoying the divine taste of her blood, his hunger so ravenous and Clarissa's very essence so rapturous that Damon utterly lost himself... Only to find himself somewhere else entirely. Clarissa's terror and agony slicing his insides up, her exhaustion heavy and dark. It was everywhere, inescapable, and terrible.

All at once a hundred different screams filled him and everything that had once been was torn from him violently. He spun, frantic, a constant thump, thump, thump pounding achingly in his chest, everything so heavy, exhaustion blanketing him so thickly that Damon was having trouble fighting through it. He was teetering on the brink of panic, a frantic urgency and terror hurtling his pulse faster and faster and faster and faster! This was all his fault! If only, if only, if only...

A dark anger creaked through him quietly, cold and righteous and consuming, filling every part of him so viciously he was sputtering, lost in it, afraid of it because it belonged to more than one voice, there were many, all screaming for a brutal justice that there was no more Damon anymore, just the single dark demand. Make Elijah pay. Destroy Katherine. Protect Elena and kill everything and anyone who might pose a threat, kill everything. Protect. Protect. Protect.

And then, at last, in a small alcove somewhere in his heart Damon found Clarissa, hidden behind the protective Fae rage. Her desperation, her agony at her own failure to save herself, her anxious hopelessness, the misery that swelled when she realized she wasn't going to be found...

A pained howl escaped Damon's throat, his thoughts ringing with: he failed her, he failed Clarissa, of all people he failed her, couldn't find her and she had desperately waited for him, counting the hours, and he hadn't come for her. It was then Damon realized he was clutching to Clarissa wretchedly, despairingly, his fingers biting into her skin, hurting her, his face buried into her shoulder, a sob building. No, no, no, this was all wrong, all of it was so wrong. She wasn't meant to feel this way, she was never supposed to feel this way. Her pain set his lungs on fire and he fought desperately to find himself through all that was Clarissa, realizing she was frazzled, too exhausted to fight the swarm of Fae inside of her. He focused furiously on every wonderful feeling she ever evoked in him, all his love for her, everything bright and beautiful that was Clarissa he thought of.

He would fix this, he would keep her sane until she was able to think clearly. He would be strong for the both of them. Lifting his brow from her shoulder, he found her gaze, her eyes glass and wide and frightened and exhausted, her expression flitting between concern for him, terror, exhaustion and something that resembled a cornered animal.

Damon tore into his wrist.

"When this is all over," his voice was hoarse and he gently brought his wrist to her mouth, ignoring the flare of no that filled him from her. He knew she didn't like the taste of blood and if this was any other time, it would've amused him. "When Elena is safe and everything is better, I'm taking you far away, and I will make you laugh every second of every day a thousand hundred times over, and this will all be a dark far off memory. I will never let you hurt like this again."

The desperate hopefulness that swelled in her heart tugged at him and he fought viciously to keep the warmth and love flowing between them, refusing to let her be swallowed by that darkness inside of her. Didn't Nate realize the Fae were overwhelming her? That she couldn't handle that connection right now? Focus on the good, don't get angry, don't be irritated, focus on the good. It was so... liberating, feeling warmth return to her, a sigh of relief whooshing through her and into him. Her eyes fluttered shut, her breath on his wrist making him feel oddly... giddy, as she drank from him like he, alone, was saving her. Damon loved feeling the way she loved the way he touched her, he loved feeling himself bring light back inside of her. The happier he became the more calm and clear and happy Clarissa became and he wanted to kiss her forever and never, ever, let her go.

So he snatched her chin, jerking her head upward, half-lidded blue-gray eyes burning into his and he slowly ran his thumb across her bottom lip, smearing the smidge of his own blood across her mouth, a shock of desire jolting through him as she shivered.

"Go inside, Clarissa," Damon commanded in a low, thick, voice, his hunger loud. He was starving. And he wanted her, in every way imaginable. He brought the pad of his thumb to his lips, swiping the blood off his skin and Clarissa's desire echoed through him. "Or I won't be able to let you go."

He lowered her slowly from being wrapped around him, delighting in the way Clarissa was dazed, liking the fact that he could do that to just by speaking in a certain tone of voice, loving how she visibly melted in front of him. Clarissa scoffed, digging her finger playfully in his chest and Damon was soaring. He made her okay. Damon made her okay just by being Damon and there was nothing, at all, better than that. A sunny smile burst across her face.

"Stop it," Clarissa demanded happily and Damon grinned cheekily at her, her good mood bouncing inside of him, brightening his. "Damon! I can't go inside all happy! I was just kidnapped!"

"Stef's explaining the situation," Damon didn't care, he wanted her to be happy forever. That was the only emotion the two of them were going to feel when all this shit was over. "It's why nobody came outside to interrupt us." Honestly, Damon could have done without Stefan's murmuring in the background. And the fact that his brother seemed to always be around to overhear them doing something intimately difficult to explain was getting annoying. "Now get your cute ass inside and sleep."

God, he just wanted her to sleep properly for a good eight hours, maybe more. Only then would Clarissa be truly okay. Sleep and endless sugar and Clarissa would be his Clarissa again. And even if she wasn't, he would linger around her, keeping them connected, serving as her anchor for as long as she needed it. Clarissa fluttered, her love for him filling the both of them and she smiled at him fondly. It was... killing him, feeling how badly she wanted him to stay with her and the fear of his destruction that lingered just below it.

"Just until you're okay too," Clarissa whispered with a helpless little shrug of her shoulders and Damon forced himself to keep himself still, watching as she wordlessly stumbled into her house. Her eyes tilted back to him, and he could feel her second guessing herself, so he smirked at her, predatory an dark, locking onto the sound of her heart as it sputtered out of control.

Feeling it inside of him.

Loving how he only had to smirk at her to send every cell in her body ablaze.

Damon stayed where he was, even after the door shut. His happiness that had swirled around her dimmed and Damon stayed still, taking comfort that he kept her mostly together even from outside even she was broke into tears on an already crying Elena, Clarissa's fear and guilt and desperation to keep her sister safe from the big bad vampires nearly drowning out everything else. But even still, even as the porch light flickered off, Damon stood where he was, concentrating on every happy thought, even when Clarissa's hurt tore at him.

Because she needed him.

And he would do everything and anything for her.

He focused on his love for her and the way she made him feel, listening to the sound of her heart pattering, feeling it inside of him. He knew if things got too bad after their connection wore off, if her distress overtook her, Damon would barge into her house whether she wanted him to or not.

Something snagged his attention and Damon tilted a fraction to the left, hardly surprised to find the damnable fairy sitting on the porch railing, watching him with a playful grin on his stupid face. Damon's blue eyes narrowed into mere slits and Nate's child like grin grew into a mischievous one, the sort that promised all sorts of terrible things.

"Hungry?" The fairy gushed in a sweet ringing voice, eyes gleaming with something wicked, and dark grin curled around Damon's lips, his fangs glinting in the odd lighting.

An understanding was loud between them. Damon was Clarissa's, which meant he was Nate's Courts, which meant his emotions were being fed into the Court's. Feed Damon live humans, Damon is more happy, which means Clarissa will become more happy.

Sometimes these damn fairies were useful.

Jeremy's sisters were a mess, Elena especially. She had hardly ate or slept since returning back to Mystic Falls, Bonnie and her Granny had thrown up some kind of witch barrier the first few days, preventing both Gilberts from physically leaving the house to find Clare. After that, neither of them seemed to want to look for their sister and Jeremy heavily suspected Stefan had compelled them.

Which was a dick move.

That was their sister, and they had every right to be involved in the search! Hell, Jeremy was sure the two of them would've had found her a week ago!

Jeremy didn't know what to expect, but the Clare that walked through the door wasn't it. He expected anger and maybe a crazy scheme. What he got... Was a scared, tearful, teenage girl that was almost unrecognizable. Like, he got it, he did, being kidnapped and sleep deprived would turn anyone into that but Clare wasn't anybody. She was Clare. Even when their parents had died, and she became a zombie, she was still her, she was still strong, she was just... Blank.

It made Jeremy feel... weak. Powerless. So disgustingly human in this so non-human world that it was almost unfair. He hated that he had been compelled to stay at home, he hated that he couldn't protect either of his sisters, he hated that Clare was a mess and he was literally powerless to help her. And where the hell was Damon? He had expected the vampire to be at her side, cracking sarcastic comments and keeping Clare somewhat okay. He could do what Jeremy and Elena couldn't and his sister needed that right now.

He was currently sitting outside of the bathroom, where Elena was helping Clare in a bath. After that, Jeremy planned on an Angel marathon with his two sisters. He wasn't going to leave either one of their sides until he knew they were both okay. Jeremy's phone vibrated in his pocket and he shifted, digging the phone out, seeing the text from Damon.

Feeding on innocent humans with the fairy was Damon's reply.

What a jackass. Ok if thres children in that famly dnt leav orphans Jeremy texted back, grimacing when he realized how... cold that sounded. But Jeremy knew what it was like to lose parents, and he rather Damon take them all out if he was on a killing spree to help himself feel better. Jeremy wondered when he became so okay with the thoughtless murder...

How's Clary, Damon texted instead of answering, and Jeremy felt it was better he didn't know the details. It annoyed him for some reason that Damon would ask. How the hell did he think she was?

Betr if u were here Jeremy texted back irritably. Seriously, Damon? Jeremy kind of felt everyone would feel better if he was here. Damon had a way about him and he knew how to take the edge off Clare, or at least serve as an escape goat for Elena who could focus on anger and blaming it on him then crying over Clare. Jeremy knew Damon would take it in style and keep Elena distracted by fueling her rage. He was good like that.

Can't. Claryberry forbids me in the house, unstable vampire means I might kill you.

Jeremy sat there, his back against the door, hearing both his sisters being a mess in the bathroom, knowing Jenna was crying on Alaric, Stefan somewhere in the house acting as a guard dog... And suddenly... Suddenly nothing was right. Suddenly, everything had become a mess, and it felt like they had all just gotten... better. Clare needed Damon and she couldn't have him because she was afraid he'd hurt Jeremy.

He couldn't do anything, could he? He was just the useless brother. He couldn't protect his sisters. He couldn't comfort his aunt. He was just human and weak and Clare, in the midst of all the things she was worried about, also worried about Jeremy being killed.

All at once, Jeremy knew what to do, and he scrolled through his contacts, finding the name he'd been looking for, fingers flying over the touchscreen keyboard without hesitance, so sure of himself and what he was planning to do. He texted a simple message: lets make a deal and hit send.

Jeremy knew what he needed to do to put the balance back into the Gilbert favor.

This is so not where I wanted to end it, but I'm guessing you guys are gonna figure out what I'm about to do. CACKLES. I had really wanted it to be added in and then leave you with it, but HOLY SHIT ITS BEEN A MONTH!

I SWEAR.

EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE BACK TO NORMAL WITH CLARISSA! I SWEAR! I hate this version of her but I'm obsessed with keeping things realistic as possible, and I always felt like Elena was way too accepting with her kidnapping. Uggghhh. I hate the fact that I have zero time to write and I FEEL REALLY GUILTY and I really want to put as much as I can in each chapter and I know it feels like its really slow and I AM SO FUCKING SORRY GUYS I AM I'M SO SORRY! Please hang in there with me! I haven't even read this chapter yet or editted so I AM SO SORRY but it's 2AM anD I DON'T KNOW WHEN I'LL BE ABLE TO WORK ON IT AGAIN OH MY GOD GUYS I'M SORRY!

Q: Enzo?
Season 4 isn't going to be canon. Like at all. And therefore, neither is season 5. Though to be honest... Damon and Enzo kinda make me like Damon's character again. For those who follow the story's tumblr, or my personal one, you know of my burning hate for Damon, but my God, Damon being like "IDEK I DO WHAT I WANT LOL KILLIN EVRYBODY" was pretty cool for like five seconds. I didn't see the episode after that, but I heard some crazy things.

So my question is: DO YOU GUYS WANT ENZO?

Q: Can't Fae take over dead bodies?
Canon Fae folklore or BoS Fae?
Because I straight up made up everything concerning Fae in this story except for the iron thing.
BoS Fae can't take over dead bodies. Clarissa E was able to go into Clarissa G's body because they're the same being and it was a matter of putting two souls together.

I LOVE YOU GUYS.

I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE ADVICE!

THANK YOU SO MUCH WHEN YOU TELL ME ABOUT YOUR LIVES, I LOVE HEARING ABOUT EVERYTHING! I hope you guys have been okay! Any great Valentine's Day stories to tell me?