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Elena was silent next to Caroline as Jeremy delivered his bombshell. He was still in Mystic Falls even though Bonnie had put the veil back up. She was afraid to let herself believe that he was really back for good. Her initial reaction was joy, and she had already done the hugging and crying thing, but if this was real, she knew she would be okay. He was on the phone with Matt, who was on a road trip with Rebecca, which was way too weird. Caroline shook her from her thoughts by taking her hand; she’d been spending way too much time in her own head lately. Elena still had random guilt attacks whenever she looked at Caroline. She had been so close to killing her, thanks to Alaric’s training and her crazy, emotionless self. She could tell that she was about to say something to her when Jeremy ended his call with Matt and sat down in front of them. Elena’s eyes filled with tears again and not for the first time, she wished Damon was back from whatever it was he was doing. Caroline’s voice brought her back once more to herself.“Jeremy, not that I’m not happy you’re back, but where is Bonnie? Why didn’t she come back with you?” He glanced away, and Elena instantly knew something was wrong, she could always tell when he was keeping something from her. His voice was hesitant as well, so something was definitely up.“She’s spending time with her mother this summer, you know before college starts and all. Okay, so…is it alright for me to stay here? Matt said I could stay at the Lockwood mansion with him, but…I don’t want to be that far away right now.” Elena couldn’t hold the tears back at that statement. She and her brother had had some problems of late before he died, but he’d turned out to be one of her best friends. She thought she was gonna go crazy before and now she had him back.“Jer, of course, you can stay here, I’d love it…if you think you can handle it.” Stefan rounded the corner with a big smile on his face, so unlike himself; he’d been acting so strange since they’d beat Silas. He clapped Jeremy on the arm and chuckled to himself.“Of course, just pick an empty room… the more, the merrier and all that.” Caroline shared a worried look with her, something was definitely wrong, they just didn’t know what. Jeremy raised an eyebrow but looked at Elena with a grin.“Is there any way we can go shopping? I still have to finish high school, though explaining that is gonna be fun, I have nothing. I need to get clothes and you know, stuff for showering.” Caroline quickly interjected; Elena suspected that she didn’t want her to freak out.“Don’t worry about school, Jeremy, my mom, can say you were kidnapped or something. As for the clothes, a definite must. I mean, let’s be honest…your old clothes were… well, you needed a makeover anyway.” They all laughed at her joke, but Elena still felt the sting. Jeremy saw it, however, and went to sit on the couch next to her.“Don’t feel bad about it, Elena, please. If the situation had been reversed, I’d probably have done the same thing. The idea of having to live alone, I mean it was bad enough watching you go through it. I’m just sorry that you had to feel that way at all and it’s thanks to Bonnie, neither one of us will have to be alone again.” She gave her best watery smile and tried to be happy that he was back for good. She just couldn’t shake the feeling that there would be a consequence.“I know Jeremy, and I’m so happy you’re here, but it just doesn’t seem real yet. Anyway, I’m all for the shopping, I just want to wait for Damon to get back first.” As if on cue, Damon sauntered into the living room and stopped short at the sight before him. “Well well well, this is certainly interesting; did Bonnie pull you back into the fray for good?” Jeremy nodded, but his eyes were shifting from Damon back to Elena.“Yeah, she thought that she would have to give it a try before she closed the veil. I’m not so sure it was a good idea though, she used a lot of power.” When his eyes darted away, Elena couldn’t hold it anymore.“Okay Jeremy, what the hell is going on with you? I can tell that you’re not telling us something so why don’t you just go ahead and say it.” One of the bad things of being a vampire for Elena was that she just couldn’t stop saying what she was thinking. The normal her would’ve let it go, but she knew something was wrong, and she couldn’t stand not knowing. Jeremy on the other hand really didn’t want to tell her, he was doing his best to avoid her eyes. Caroline’s sharp eyes were observing everything that he did as well. She took a step towards him but didn’t touch him.“You know Jeremy, she’s right about that. It’s so obvious that you’re hiding something, is there something wrong with Bonnie?” Once again Jeremy looked at the floor, but when he looked up this time; his eyes were filled with tears. Elena didn’t think she can handle any more pain. Yes having Jeremy back was amazing and she would be happy about that later, but right now she just wanted to get the bad news over with.“Oh no Jer, please tell me she’s okay.” Jeremy was unable to speak; he could only shake his head. Damon sighed heavily as he walked further into the room, Stefan steered clear of him, it was something they all noticed but didn’t comment on. Damon surprised everyone when he started speaking because he sounded genuinely sad.“I know what happened, she gave her life to bring you back, didn’t she?” Jeremy took a minute before speaking so that he could compose himself.“She didn’t want me to tell you because we were finally all okay, but she died before graduation. Apparently, when she put the veil back up, she was already gone. She had enough magic left to fix the veil, and I guess to bring me back too. She said she did it for Elena that she couldn’t stand the thought of me being dead and Elena being alone with no family.” Elena was so devastated at this news, they’d seem Bonnie, and she hadn’t told them! For the first second, Elena felt nothing but rage but was quickly masked by her anguish. They’d seen her, they’d hugged her, but she hadn’t wanted to spoil the moment for them.“Oh God this can’t be real, can you see her Jeremy?” Jeremy shook his head as tears fell down his face.“No, she really did want to give us the summer before I told you, but you know what I’m pissed off. I’m so happy that I’m alive again, but I sure as hell didn’t want her to give her life for me. It’s not the way this is supposed to work; for once everything was supposed to work out. Why is it that anytime we get a little happiness there has to be something awful that mutes it? It’s not fair, this was supposed be my happy ending too.” No one could say anything as they watched him cry; Caroline sat back down next to Elena and put her head in her hands. Soon all but Damon and Stefan were crying.*********** Buffy listened to what Willow was telling her with astonishment. According to her locator spell, this small town of Mystic Falls was covered with supernaturals. From what Willow was saying, there were at least five of them in one place. She’d known that she was gonna have her work cut out for her in this place, but it was just like being back in Sunnydale. She was thrilled that she brought a team with her instead of coming alone. She knew right away that she’d have needed backup, but her only regret right now was that Dawn was with her. She also wished that she hadn’t have brought Xander with her either. It was such a tiny little town, even smaller than Sunnydale if that was possible. She had no idea how to go about hunting the supernaturals because according to Willow, there weren’t just vampires. She couldn’t tell what the other two were only that there could be more than just these five. They parked their car next to a meter that was broken, and all got out. They’d driven for a very long time all the more cranky and in desperate need of food. Driving from California all the way to Virginia may not have been the best idea, but after flying from Rome to California, she was sick of airplanes. She brought a small army with her consisting of Willow, Dawn, Xander, Oz, herself, and one of her newbie slayers, Talia. Now more than ever, she wished she had brought Giles. After much stretching and grumbling, the large group made their way to the grill. For an early Friday afternoon, it was surprisingly bustling with activity. It reminded her of the Bronze back in Sunnydale because it was the only fun place in the town. They were quickly seated though, despite the crowd, they seemed to be well accustomed to large groups. After ordering a ridiculous amount of food, Buffy got down to business. There didn’t appear to be a hotel in town, so they had been forced to rent out a house. It was odd, but it would have to do, and it would probably be more comfortable. They still had two hours before they were to meet the owner of the house. Buffy didn’t want to be a buzz-kill, but they weren’t here on vacation. So once the waitress had brought their drinks and gone again, she started handing out assignments. She wanted her human friends to do as little as possible now that she knew the real danger they were all in.“Okay I don’t want any grief about this, but Dawn is strictly on research, don’t get mad at me, I just don’t want you in harm’s way. Xander, you’re also only on research, but I want you to question the hospital and maybe fish around the sheriff station. Oz, I know you want to go with, but you’ll be helping Xander because we're nowhere near the full moon. Willow, Talia, and I will do the legwork. I Want to find out what kind of creatures these are. It almost seems as if the town is in on it, and if that’s the case we're gonna have an even bigger problem on our hands.” Dawn, Xander, and Oz all groaned but knew better than to argue. Once the bill was paid, they filed out of the grill and headed for the address of their new temporary home. It was a quaint little house, with a beautiful view of the town square. A handsome, dark-haired stranger was standing on the porch. Buffy asked for them to stay in the car while she went to complete the purchase. Buffy instantly knew something was off when she approached the stranger. He gave her a cocky smirk as he held out the contract she was supposed to sign. He glanced over at their car but quickly glanced back to her trying not to be obvious that he was sizing her up. It was also evident that he wasn’t checking out her looks, but that he sensed something with her too. Buffy quickly glanced over the small contract, they’d agreed for a month-long stay. Hopefully, it wouldn’t take any longer than that to get rid of their little problem. She gave her best smile to the man who had yet to introduce himself.“Well everything looks in order; it seems like a steal though. How come you’re not just selling the house? I’m sorry, I don’t mean to pry, but it’s such a beautiful house in a beautiful town.” The guy knew she was fishing because his brow instantly furrowed. He commented on her statement but glanced back at her car. He smiled at her once more, and Buffy got chills by the tone of his voice.“I should have introduced myself right away, my apologies. Matt Donovan is actually traveling overseas right now, and he asked me to handle the transaction. He’ll be back before you leave so he will be collecting the payment then. My name is Damon Salvatore, and I will be your resident landlord if you need anything. I’m a good friend of Matt’s, so rest assured that you’re in good hands. Would you and the rest of your group like a tour of the house? It was originally only a two bedroom, but Matt recently renovated and made the attic a third room.” Buffy tried very hard to quell her concerns, so she smiled and waved to everybody else to come in.“That’s okay Mr. Salvatore; I looked at the virtual tour online. I’m just happy that the house was available being that the Inn is no longer open. I promise that we won’t be troublesome tenants, were just here to enjoy your small-town life. Am I supposed to sign the lease now? I’m sorry if I’m being rude, it’s just we’ve been on the road for three days, and we’ve driven all the way from California.” Damon held up his hands and shrugged, she could tell he was upset she wasn’t sure why. He unlocked the front door for her and held the key out.“No worries, you hold on to that contract, and I’ll pick it up from you tomorrow. You’re not wrong about the small-town life; you’ll definitely get that here in Mystic Falls. I hope you enjoy yourselves, just let me know if you need anything. You all have a good night now.” Buffy watched as Damon walked away, she knew instinctively that he was one of the markers on Willow’s map. The way he looked at her, it was almost as if he knew what she was. She didn’t let herself dwell on it right now, however; Willow was gonna have to get on feeling the house right away. She didn’t want any unwelcome guests while she was sleeping. Between all of them, it only took one trip to bring their things in. Dawn and Talia took the small room on the first floor because it had two beds in it. Buffy and Xander took the bedroom on the second floor, while Willow and Oz took the attic. Buffy noticed Dawn snicker as she held Xander’s hand. They had only recently told her that they had become a couple, a fact she mocked them about relentlessly. Once everybody got settled in the room, Buffy helped Willow seal the house. Willow confirmed to her that something was off about Damon, they just couldn’t figure out what. After all, it was still daylight, and he’d been in direct sunlight. The only vampires she knew could do that, well there wasn’t one. Angel had destroyed the ring of Amara, so it was impossible. Once it was done she settled back in her bed uneasily, and tried to forget everything for one night.
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Damon walked into his house and quickly took in the situation. Stefan was nowhere to be seen, Elena and Caroline had taken Jeremy shopping, so for the time being the house was his. Something had been off with Matt’s new tenants, and he didn’t feel like being caught by surprise again. He walked into his bedroom while unbuttoning his pants, only to stop short. Katherine was sprawled out on his bed in nothing but one of his shirts, a typical move of hers. She’d been doing her best to provoke them, but only when Elena wasn’t around. It brought him great amusement to watch Katherine flinch every time his girlfriend walked into the room. She sat up as he walked further into the room, and gave him one of her patented sexy smirks. She knew what she was doing, it used to drive him crazy when they’d first been courting, but they’d all made a pact that she was not gonna get her way this time. He stopped undressing and scowled out her, she didn’t seem fazed though when he started in on her.“See, now I have to burn that shirt, not to mention, completely get rid of that bed now. Get out of here Katherine or I won’t try and stop Elena the next time she wants to kill you.” Katherine pouted at him for a moment before rolling her eyes and standing up.“Damon, you should let me try and call Elijah. He can help me out of my current predicament and then I wouldn’t be a problem for you and Elena.” Damon had heard this argument several times before, but it was a stupid idea. Elijah had wholly washed his hands of her when he’d followed Klaus to New Orleans. He’d probably hand her over to Klaus so that he could turn that whole damn coven of vampires into his stupid little hybrids. After what happened the last time, he so wasn’t gonna let that happen again.“Katherine, we’ve been over this, and I’m not sure exactly what you’re missing here. Elijah and Klaus are currently in a power struggle with a whole mess of vampires. If you tell him that you’re human again, Elijah will just hand you over so that more of Klaus’s crony hybrids can be made. Yes, Klaus willingly saved me a few days ago, but that doesn’t mean I want tons of his hybrids running around again.” He watched her face distort and not for the first time, he thanked the powers that be that he no longer cared for her at all. She stalked to the door, her lips pursed in her anger. She paused over her shoulder to glare at him, unable to leave without the last retort.“Elijah saved me the first time Damon, I’m sure he would do it again. I know that I used you and you have no reason to think I’m telling the truth now, but I believe Elijah still loves me.” Before he could say anything, Elena was there with her hands around Katherine’s throat.“Now Katherine, what did I say about my bedroom and my boyfriend? I know you’re hoping that we will turn you back into a vampire, but believe me when I say that I will personally kill you myself before I let that happen. Now, if you know what’s good for you, go back to your little cave and don’t come out again until I give you permission to.” Katherine acted as if she wanted to say something, but thought better of it and stalked down the hall to her room. Damon smiled affectionately at Elena as she slowly walked into their room towards him. When the chaos had passed a few days ago, she’d asked him if they should leave so that it wouldn’t be torture for Stefan. Damon knew that it was being mean, but Mystic Falls was his home, and he was settled. Now that Jeremy was back from the dead again, they were definitely gonna stay. She slowly walked towards him with a smile on her face; Damon still couldn’t believe that she loved him. He was so happy all of the time, he knew it wouldn’t last and that something awful would probably happen, but right now he was basking. Yes, unfortunately, it was at the expense of his brother, but he’d never be able to walk away from Elena now that he knew how she felt. She stopped in front of him and looped her arms lazily around the back of his neck. They stood that way for several minutes before she leaned forward and kissed him passionately. She threw him a flirty smile before stepping away once more.“Did Matt’s new renters get settled in okay?” Damon groaned and flopped down onto the bed. He didn’t want to spoil the moment, but they all needed to be alert now.“Something was definitely off with them; I’m going to get our good sheriff to do some digging on them. She could tell that I wasn’t a normal person and she was…I don’t know, she just seemed very powerful.” Elena stared at him quizzically and waited for him to expand on his statement. He waved his hand and smiled gently at her before continuing, trying to lighten the moment.“So… Are you happy? I mean, Klaus is out of our hair for good, and you have Jeremy back.” Elena’s face crumpled at his question, and he was instantly there, pulling her into his arms. After several moments she finally looked up, and it was obvious that she was fighting for control of her emotions.“Of course I’m happy that Jeremy is back, Damon, but Bonnie died as a result. He was right, why couldn’t there just be a time when everything worked out for us? Why don’t we get to have complete happy endings?” Damon held her as she mourned the loss of her best friend; there was nothing he could say to make it better. He spoke into her hair as he rubbed her back.“You know, part of me wanted Bonnie to leave the veil down. Getting to see Ric again was…incredible. He’d been himself and not the crazy vampire that he’d ended up being. Stefan got to spend a last day with Lexie, and I mean aside from the hunters and the angry sacrifices, it would’ve been amazing to have my best friend back.” Elena looked up at him once more and couldn’t hold the smile back despite her tears.“I see what you’re doing there, but yes…it would’ve been amazing. Look, let’s go shower and get some sleep. You can bug Sheriff Forbes tomorrow about our mysterious visitors. Right now, I just want to pretend we’re the only two in the universe.” *********** Early the next morning, Xander and Oz left to do some sniffing around the town. Willow was doing a search on the local map to see exactly where the supernaturals were. Talia was helping Dawn do some slight decorating to make it homier. So far, Talia’s little talent was dormant, which Buffy took as a good sign all around. She was very talented as far as the slaying went, otherwise she wouldn’t dream of bringing a newbie along. Willow started her mojo and Buffy left her to it. She knew that Willow needed to concentrate and she did not want to distract her. Other than the infestation, Mystic Falls, Virginia was a beautiful place. It really made her nostalgic for home, but that was gone forever and would never come back. When the doorbell sounded, Buffy made herself useful by being the one to answer it. The last thing she needed was the town locals seeing Willow’s magic and freaking out. Two blonde women stood on her doorstep, both trying to hide how uncomfortable they were, one was younger and wearing a big smile. The other was older, probably her mother and was wearing a police uniform. The policewoman smiled slightly and held her hand out to Buffy; it was obvious that she didn’t want to be there.“Hi There, I’m Liz Forbes, the town sheriff. This is my daughter Caroline, and we just stopped by to welcome you to Mystic Falls.” Buffy couldn’t believe that the town sheriff made house calls to welcome newcomers; the crime rate must be meager here. She took the older woman’s hand and did her best to smile warmly and appear calm.“Thank you, it’s nice to meet you, I’m Buffy Summers.” The sheriff stepped back and ducked her head, obviously very embarrassed.“I apologize for the intrusion here; it’s just that we don’t get too many visitors to our small town.” Buffy was surprised that they were making the strong-armed approach so soon, but she kept her face calm regardless.“Well, we’ve been searching for a new home since ours isn’t there anymore.” The sheriff frowned, but her daughter quickly filled the gap with a surprised gasp. The concern on the younger girl’s face was genuine, and it slightly confused Buffy. Caroline took a step towards the threshold, her face full of sympathy.“Oh no, did you lose your house? I’m so sorry, that must’ve been awful, and I hope you enjoy your stay here.” The girl’s obvious care put Buffy more at ease with the situation. Buffy shrugged, trying to show that it wasn’t as big a deal as she was making it out to be.“Oh, well in a way we did, yes, we’re from Sunnydale California. So it wasn’t just us that lost our homes, but everyone.” Both Caroline and the sheriff were instantly contrite; it was clear on their faces. The younger girl was stumbling with an apology which gave Buffy a moment to acknowledge Talia’s frantic waving beside her. Talia was slightly younger than her, only twenty. She was short for her age, and she had a head full of curly red hair. They teased her and called her the raging leprechaun because of how busy she could be. Buffy watched as Talia anxiously looks towards the door and mouthed two words and it was enough for her to take it seriously. Buffy turned back to look at the two women and cut them off with a harsh laugh.“Okay, so it looks like the two of you know who I am because I’m sure the sheriff doesn’t make house calls for every passerby that crosses the town limits. What I am surprised about is that you’re helping them, Sheriff Forbes, and as for you Caroline, I don’t know why you’re here, but you can’t get in. I’ll figure out why you and your friends can walk in the sun and rest assured that I will take care of it. Now, unless you want me to stake you right here…I’d leave.” The look on Caroline’s face was priceless, but the sheriff looked pissed off as she stepped forward.“Listen, I don’t know who the hell you think you are, but I’m sick of you damn hunters. You barge into my town and try to kill people just because they’re vampires.” Buffy was about to reply when a blur surged forward only to slam into the threshold and go flying backward. Damon Salvatore stood up with a scowl and walked back to the door slower than before.“How did you seal this house when you don’t own it?” Buffy smiled darkly at the three people gathered on her new porch. Willow ambled to the door and joined Buffy with a smile on her face.“Why so this is a nice surprise, we usually have to hunt you guys down, so it’s so thoughtful of you to come here and save us the trouble,” Damon swore under his breath and sneered at them as he took several steps backward.“I’ve always hated witches; they only get in the way and mess things up. What do you guys want anyway? You’re not one of the five because we dispatched them easily enough, so will you tell me why you’re hunting us? Just because we’re vampires does not mean we’re evil, I mean that’s ridiculous. We still feel emotions, we love, have friends, and hurt just like you, so will you please explain to me why you people keep trying to kill my family and me?” Buffy raised an eyebrow as she surveyed all of them in front of her and suppressed the urge to laugh.“So you mean to tell me that you’ve all got your souls still? If that were the case, I wouldn’t have been called here in the first place. So many deaths have happened here, and the claims have said animal attack for the most part. Campers are going missing, there are burning and exploding buildings everywhere, now does that sound like a fluffy en-souled vampire to you? Look, I’m the slayer, and this is what I do. It’s nothing personal really; it’s just my duty to protect the innocent from monsters like you. The three of you definitely came knocking on the wrong door this morning. The humans who are helping you will be dealt with as well because that won’t be tolerated. Once I’m done with the town’s little infestation, I’m coming after you sheriff so you might want to start looking for a replacement.” Caroline hissed at her as her face began to transform. Buffy actually jumped slightly when she surged towards the door only to be held at bay by the barrier. Her eyes were bloodshot, and the veins on her face were bulging, it was like nothing she’d ever seen before. Damon placed a calming hand on her shoulder, but Caroline would not be silenced. She stood up straight out of her crouch and regarded Buffy with a cold stare as she addressed her.“Come out here and say that! How dare you come to my town and threaten my mother! You can’t take us all on, that’s why you’re cowering behind your barrier.” Buffy did her best to hide her shock at the sight of the girls face; she didn’t look like any vampire she’d ever seen before. However, she did not take being threatened lightly, so with a glance over her shoulder…she stepped outside.
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Buffy immediately reached for Caroline and threw her off the porch with little effort. So that she couldn’t interfere, Willow spelled the Sheriff into a bubble so that she wouldn’t get hurt. Buffy, Talia, and Willow flanked the two vampires as they stared each other down. Buffy was unsure of how to proceed because Caroline seemed genuinely scared of her. Damon was just giving her a hateful look, obviously pissed off. People were gathering behind them in the town square, and Buffy couldn’t let them see her abilities. Giles hadn’t warned them about any of this, which was unfortunate because she didn’t know where to go from here. She glanced to Willow, who sighed and muttered a few words under her breath. The sheriff flew down the steps and jumped in front of Buffy with an angry glare that would melt metal under any other circumstance. Buffy knew that she was afraid for her daughter, but she didn’t seem to care that she was a vampire. Liz Forbes stood her ground as she held Buffy’s gaze.“You get the hell out of my town right now or I’ll arrest you for assault. I assure you that the vampires are not a problem in this town or I’d kill them myself.” Buffy tilted her head and almost groaned out loud. She’d never seen a town that embraced demons the way this one did. Now Buffy understood a valiant vampire, but there was no way that all of them in this town had gotten their souls back. Buffy crossed her arms as she stared at the trio before her.“I’m not going anywhere and I’d like to see you try to cuff me, I’ll just break through them. Okay kids, in case you haven’t guessed it, I’m not your average vampire hunter. I’m the vampire slayer…look it up. Now I’d rather not have this little showdown in broad daylight and in full view of your entire town. So, I’m going to go back inside and get ready for tonight, because when the sun goes down is when the fun will start. Oh and sheriff, just in case you feel Froggy and tell your deputies to come after me, don’t…that is if you value your deputies.” Buffy turned her back on them to prove her confidence and headed back to the porch. She stayed on there until the three of them had disappeared around the corner. Literally two minutes later, Xander and Oz stepped around from the side of the house with wide eyes. Xander grabbed Buffy’s hand and steered her into the living room.“Wow so that was completely crazy, the Sheriff was trying to save them?” Buffy kissed him lightly before pulling her cell phone out. Seeing the differences in these vampires compared to the one she’d fought her entire life, shook her to her very core.“Did you see them, Xander that was insane. They can walk in the sun, and they still look mostly human when they vamp out. I have to talk to Giles because looking at that high school vampire crying in fear seriously freaked me out.” Willow pulled out of her laptop and motioned to Dawn to come towards her.“I’ll start researching with Dawn and Talia to see what we can find out. Oz can you call Angel and see if he’s heard of this before?” Oz pulled his cell phone out and started dialing almost immediately. Giles answered after the third ring, and now that she had him, she wasn’t sure where to start. Giles sounded concerned as he greeted her on the phone.“Buffy, you’ve only been there a day, is everything all right?” Buffy didn’t say anything at first because she was still reeling from the confrontation. When she did speak her confidence was low, and her voice shook in her uncertainty.“Giles, we have a major situation, and we’re at a loss for what to do. I think you need to bring some more girls and get here as quick as possible. I’d bring faith and leave either Vi or Kennedy in charge…bring the other with you too. Come straight to the address I gave you; don’t stop anywhere once you hit Mystic Falls. The vampires are here, and they’re different, I’ve never seen anything like it before. The town officials seem to be protecting them for some reason, it’s almost as if they’re afraid of them or they still think they’re the people they were before. The human Sheriff’s daughter is a vampire…I need you here.” Giles listened without interrupting her once, which was unusual for him. When she stopped speaking, he spoke decisively as if he was already making plans.“Very well, I’ll bring Kennedy if Willow is all right with that because I do not want her in charge of the girls. I’ll bring Rona, faith, and Daphne as well, will that be sufficient force?” Buffy breathed a sigh of relief that he wasn’t gonna argue with her for once.“Thanks, Giles that will be great, just bring lots of gear with you when you come. They knew we were here, they could sense it. Oz is speaking with Angel right now, so maybe he or Spike knows something about this.” After hanging up with Giles, Buffy turned to Oz as he was hanging up with Angel. He walked over to her, his eyes wide with shock from the news he’d just been delivered.“Angel, Spike, and Gunn are going to start heading this way. They’ve never heard of a different type of vampire, and they’re curious. Buffy, there’s something you and Willow should know that Angel just told me.” Willow stopped her magical Internet search at this and walked into the living room to stand next to him. When he was aware he had the floor, he started his story a little shell-shocked.“Apparently Los Angeles is now a war zone because Angel took on the senior partners…and lost. There have been several developments within his crew, and it’s slightly freaksome. Cordelia passed away in her sleep while she was in a coma, she never woke up. Gunn has been turned into a vampire because he was going to die otherwise. Willow, Angel, wants you to ensoul him because they’ve got him locked in a cage right now. Fred is dead; the demon Illyria took over her body and sufficiently snuffed out her life force. That’s not the worst one though; apparently, Wes is dead.”************** Damon and Caroline slammed back into his house, causing Jeremy to jerk awake on the sofa. He looked up as they both headed for the liquor bottles and wanted to groan. They never got a moments peace for anything. There was always something that kept them from enjoying themselves, something that always tried to kill them. Elena walked into the room, freshly showered, and walked straight for them. Stefan cautiously entered the room as well, but he didn’t seem eager to join in. Jeremy felt slightly sorry for the guy, he was madly in love with Elena and here she was with his brother. Something was up with Stefan anyway, and Jeremy wanted to know what. This went beyond the grief that Elena had chosen Damon over him, this was something else entirely. Since Jeremy had returned and moved in, Stefan had stayed completely away from them. It was strange because he and Stefan had been friends for the most part and now he wouldn’t even look at him. They all eventually walked over and sat down to begin the discussion. Elena sat down in Damon’s lap and looped her arms around his neck. It was strange seeing them together, but she was happier than he’d seen her in a long time and that was all that mattered. Caroline was pacing back and forth in the living room, completely distraught. She finally stopped long enough to address the entire room and the look on her face more than worried Jeremy.“She was so freaking strong, she was like Klaus strong, how is that possible? She said that she was the slayer, what the hell is that nonsense?” Damon scowled in disgust and balled his free hand into a fist. Jeremy must have missed something important because all of them were uptight. Damon shook his head and paused briefly before he answered her.“I’ve never heard of the slayer, the sound of it is ridiculous. What the hell did she mean by saying we didn’t have a soul? Caroline, I hate to suggest it, especially with Tyler on his way back, but you should call Klaus. Elena can call Elijah and see what he knows, and I’ll call Rebecca.” Jeremy sat forward with a frown; he was so not following the conversation.“What are you guys talking about exactly? I’m completely lost so, please fill me in.” They all looked at him in surprise; almost as if they’d forgotten he was there. Caroline was the one to finally sit down next to him on the couch and explain.“The people renting Matt’s house are vampire hunters. It was a girl, she like knew we weren’t human and said she was coming for us after nightfall. You should see if she has the hunters Mark, which would give us a starting point at least.” They all looked at him with renewed interest, and it almost made him laugh out loud.“I’m not sure I’d be able to see the mark anymore, after all, it disappeared when Bonnie opened the passageway to Silas. The mark on me is gone, and my head feels normal, so I’m assuming that stupid hunter’s nonsense is done.” Damon actually smiled at him, which proved how happy he truly was.“If your mark is completely gone then that’s definitely a good sign. Still, it can’t hurt to see if she has one and if you can see it. However, I fought Connor and Vaughn, but this was different completely. Yes, they were strong, but this girl actually picked Caroline up as if she weighed nothing and threw her. Her power was crazy, and I’m all for staying the hell away from her.” Jeremy nodded and glanced at Elena before making his suggestion.“If you think it’d help, I can try to befriend them and see if I can find anything out.” Elena sat up in Damon’s lap and gave him a worried frown, but she didn’t dismiss the idea. Jeremy could see the wheels spinning in her head as she mulled the idea over. Finally, she shrugged her shoulders and laid her head on Damon’s arm.“It should be okay, you’re human, so I don’t think she’d try to hurt you. If she’s that different than the other hunters, it couldn’t hurt to try. But Jeremy, I just got you back so please promise that you’ll be careful.” Jeremy stood up and shoved his hands in his pockets as he surveyed the four vampires.“I promise I’ll be okay, but I think, for the time being, I need to go stay in the Lockwood mansion. I don’t want to be that far away from you since I just got back, but if I’m gonna befriend them, I can’t live here. At least until I bring them over and make them realize you guys are safe.” Elena instantly popped up out of Damon’s embrace. She stood in front of her brother with a frown, tears once more threatening to spill.“I don’t know if I am okay with that, Jer, I mean you’ve only been back for three days. I understand why you want to do that, to keep us safe, but why do they need to know where you live?” Jeremy reached for Elena’s hands and started pulling her towards the front door.“Elena let’s go for a walk, we need to discuss a few things.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
That evening, Caroline, Stefan, and Damon went to the town square to keep this slayer away from the house. Jeremy had called Matt back, and he’d officially moved into the Lockwood mansion. Elena was alone, and it was difficult not to let herself think about recent events. Jeremy had taken her on a long walk away from the house to get some privacy. He told her that he had suspicions about Stefan, but he wouldn’t tell her what they were. It was almost as if she was human again as they kept pushing her to the side, trying to protect her. She didn’t want Jeremy coming back into the fray because he’d only been back a few days. There was never a time to celebrate life or be happy about anything. Making up her mind, knowing it would infuriate everyone, she decided to take a leap. She grabbed her jacket and headed for the door hoping for the best. She listened to make sure that no one was standing guard, but she was genuinely alone aside from Katherine in her room. She didn’t want to risk being noticed, so she ran to the house that she’d spent so much time as a kid. When she rounded the corner of Matt’s house, she could see Damon and Caroline sitting on a bench in the town square. Luckily for her, they were talking with each other, and their back was to her. She steeled her nerves and knocked as softly as possible and waited anxiously for someone to answer the door. She was surprised when a young brunette greeted her, she’d expected someone older. The girl standing in front of her couldn’t be much younger than she was. Elena glanced over her shoulder quickly to make sure she wasn’t being noticed, but when she turned back, the young girl was smiling at her.“Hi, I recognize you, you’re in a lot of the pictures in here. The owner must be your boyfriend, am I right? I’m Dawn Summers by the way; can I help you with something?” Elena smiled at the pleasant girl in front of her; she wasn’t at all the way Damon and Caroline painted her to be.“I’m Elena Gilbert, and no, Matt and I haven’t dated for ages, we’re just best friends.” Dawn nodded and stepped away from the door, Elena couldn’t believe her luck. The other girl held the door open wider and motioned for her to come in. Elena knew that this was a small test, but she was quick on her feet.“Are you sure it’s alright for me to come in? I don’t want to get you in trouble with your mom or anything.” Dawn visibly relaxed at her words and nodded which was sufficient for Elena to enter the house. When she shut the door, she smiled even wider as they walked down the familiar hallway. The younger girl chatted pleasantly while they went to the living room.“My mom passed away a couple of years ago, so it’s just me and my sister, Buffy.” Elena felt a rush of emotions at the girl’s words. Ever since she turned her humanity back on, it was as if she was a newbie vampire all over again. Everything was heightened to the point of being painful. Elena nodded her sympathy to the other girl; she knew exactly how hard it was to lose a parent.“Oh I’m so sorry; I lost my parents almost two years back as well, so I completely understand.” Dawn looked at her for a long time before she responded to her and then what she said utterly shocked her.“Yeah you’re a vampire, aren’t you?” Elena started in surprise at her words, how is it possible that she knew that?“How…wait if you knew what I was then why did you invite me in?” Dawn just shrugged her shoulders as she regarded her with caution, trying to appear nonchalant.“It was basically a combination of things, you look so nervous when I opened the door and then when you look behind you your eyes did that weird red thing. Don’t worry; Buffy’s not here, so it’s just the two of us. Why don’t you tell me why you’re so that we can get past this awkward stage we just stumbled upon?” Elena found herself warming to the other girl; she was easy-going which was very helpful. She nervously glanced towards the door and frowned. “Is this room spelled or something? I can’t hear anything that’s going on outside.” Dawn raised an eyebrow at her with a small smile on her face.“You’re very good; yes we spelled the whole house so that your friends can’t hear us. Now, back to the vampire in the room, okay that was cheesy. You came here for a purpose, and it’s lucky you got me tonight instead of anyone else in the house. I’m willing to listen to you but know, I can kill you if I have to. So would you like to sit down?” Elena had the urge to flee, but Dawn was right after all…she had come for a reason.“Yeah we can sit down; it might alleviate some of the awkwardness at least.” They moved to Matt’s couch, and Elena suddenly had tears in her eyes as she thought of how many times she’d sat there with Matt. Elena jumped right in because she didn’t want to linger on her thoughts any longer.“I’m sorry if I seem off, my emotions are a little all over the place right now. Look, Mystic Falls is different from other places. It’s Like a supernatural hub or something, and unfortunately, it’s resulted in a lot of deaths. Damon and Caroline are harmless; they’re only in the square because they didn’t want your sister coming to our house. Caroline hasn’t fed from a human since the first week she turned; she’s the epitome of self-control. Damon…well he feeds from people sometimes, but he doesn’t kill them anymore. I realize how bad that sounds but trust me when I say he’s not gonna harm anybody. We’re not bad people, and we don’t want to hurt anybody at all. We mostly feed on blood bags because it keeps us healthy. A lot of terrible things happened in the last several months, and I just came to plead my case.” Dawn frowned the whole time she spoke, almost as if she was unsure of what to believe. When Elena was finished talking Dawn shifted uncomfortably in her seat.“You seem different from the other vampires I’ve interacted with and believe me it’s been a few. You seem so sad, and I want to believe what you’re saying, but I just don’t know. We have a very powerful coven of witches in England who told us a terrible evil is brewing here. The way I figure it, it’s not you guys because you guys have been here a very long time. The question is though…what is it that has probably the most powerful people on the planet scared to death?” Elena was starting to like this girl; she was smart and not a pushover.“If you don’t think we are the people you’re looking for, why did your sister threaten my friends seconds after you got here? Caroline was genuinely just welcoming you guys here because she’s such a social butterfly. It’s who she was before she turned and it’s gonna be how she is now for the end of time.” Dawn ducked her head with a sheepish smile fighting laughter.“Well Buffy is really a ‘kill vampires first, ask questions second’ kind of person if you know what I mean.” Elena couldn’t help but smile in return before she responded. It was nice to have someone to talk to that wasn’t afraid of her.“Damon used to be that way about people who threatened us. It shows that he’s grown since he didn’t try to pick a fight with Buffy…or it shows that he’s scared of her.” They laughed together for a few seconds before dawn grew serious again.“Okay I have to ask because you seem so genuine, but how did you get wrangled into all of this?” Elena’s smile disappeared at the questions, and she looked at her hands trying to avoid eye contact.“It was an accumulation of problems, or I guess just really awful situations. Believe me, when I say that this was not my choice, I’d rather have died than to be this monster.” Before dawn can answer, a redhead descended the steps, followed by a short blonde girl. Elena popped up, ready to flee, but the blonde held up a hand to stop her.“Relax, I’m not gonna kill you, I just want some answers and eavesdropping was seriously annoying. So, you seem to be like a normal girl who still has her soul but how is that possible?” Elena didn’t understand what she meant about her soul. She was still hurt, so why wouldn’t she have her soul? She glanced between the three of them and wasn’t sure what they were looking for.“I don’t understand what you’re asking, why wouldn’t I have my soul?” The redhead smiled gently and raised her hand slightly as if asking a question in school.“I’m Willow by the way, usually when a person turns into a vampire, their soul goes into the ether, and a demon sets up shop in your body. I did a spell to check, and it said you definitely had your soul. Do you know a witch or something that gave it back to you?” Elena immediately thought of Bonnie and tears spilled over and down her cheeks. She quickly wiped them away as she answered the question, not wanting to show any more abilities to these people.“Sorry, like I told Dawn, my emotions are crazy right now. I did know a witch, she was my best friend. She…she died a few days ago during the craziness that had ensued. You know even though she was a witch, she didn’t give me my soul because that’s not how works for vampires. Maybe you were fighting something else, but we’re not like that.” Buffy huffed, obviously frustrated with what she was hearing.“No, I’ve been fighting vampires since I was fifteen years old, so why the hell are you guys different? I need you to tell me how you turned because none of this makes any sense at all.” Elena shifted in her seat, more than ever she wished that Damon was sitting next to her. She knew it was weird, but he brought her a sense of calm that she seriously needed at that moment.“Well, vampire blood heals humans of pretty much everything. However, if you die with vampire blood in your system, you’ll come back. You can either feed to finish the transition…or you just die for good.” The three of them stared at her for a full sixty seconds before dawn spoke softly in question.“So, you died and then came back? How long have you been a vampire?” Elena hadn’t expected the compassion that Dawn was showing. Damon and Caroline had made her think that these people were cold-blooded killers, but they were just regular people like her.“I only turned a couple of months ago, like I said earlier, it’s been a bad few months.” Willow looked as if she wanted to cry with her, they really surprised her with their reactions.“Oh wow that’s so awful, I’m so sorry. You do realize that we have about a million more questions though right? Do you care to stay for a while and talk with us some more?” ************** Damon had never been angrier with Elena than he was at that specific moment. Caroline had been talking his ear off about the conversation she’d had with Klaus, and he hadn’t heard Elena at the door right away. As much as he wanted to, he couldn’t blame Caroline for his mishap. He’d wanted to know what Klaus had said, and he’d let his guard down. Elena had entered the house before he could stop her and frankly he was terrified. They’d been waiting for over two hours and she’d yet to leave the house. The witch must have spelled the house because they didn’t hear a thing going on inside. Damon had finally broken down and called Jeremy even though he knew how he’d react. Caroline was a nervous wreck thinking that Elena was as good as dead, which wasn’t helping his nerves either. After twenty minutes of waiting, Jeremy came stomping up to Damon and punched him right in the face. The strength took him by surprise, but he ignored it for the moment. He gave Jeremy an exasperated look as he stood back up on his feet and motioned towards the house.“Look, don’t waste time being pissed off at me, you’re human, so you can get in there…so go and be of use.”