Complications 1/1
Title: Complications
Characters: Chloe, Damon
Fandoms: Smallville, Vampire Diaries
Rating: R
Disclaimer: Don't own anything
Summary: “I’ll walk with you. It’s terribly unsafe here at night, you know, all sorts of things that go bump in the night.”
Notes: Sequel to Unusual.
"I don't care how good your game plan is, you are not going and that is final!"
"Don't you think for a second that you can control what I do or where I go, Queen," Chloe ground out, continuing to pack clothes into her travel bag. She could not believe the sheer arrogance of Oliver who really believed that he could order her about as if he were her father. Even Gabe didn't forbade her from seeking out stories. "Everything has already been arranged. I've already got all of the information I need to write the article. The only thing missing are some good quotes from eye witnesses and from the local Sheriff."
Running his hands through his hair in frustration, Oliver sighed heavily. Going up against Chloe Sullivan when she was determined was not an easy task and one rarely got out unscathed. After a ten minute argument, he already knew that this was another battle between the two that he was not going to win. "Can't you just do it over the phone? You don't have to travel all the way to the east coast for that."
She shot down his last, rather futile, attempt with a disbelieving stare. "Clark may be easily satisfied with over-the-phone interviews, but I have learned that there is much more to a story than what people 'say'. It's...," she struggled to find the right phrasing, waving a bra in the air as if conducting a symphony. "The way people react, the look in their eyes, body language and all that. There's more truth in that than words."
The puppy dog eyes Oliver was sending her way just made her huff indignantly, stuff the last of her underwear into the bag and zip it up. "I will be back before you know it, so don't start getting any ideas while I am gone."
Now it was his turn to look indignant. "Like what?"
"Like using the watchtower command centre as your own personal playing field. Last time, you got a football stuck in one of the air ducts, messing with my cooling system. It wreaked havoc on my hardware, you know."
Raised brows and a somewhat lewd grin was her only answer, so she just let it go without threatening to inflict any bodily harm. She absolutely did not want to know what kind of kinky innuendo he could turn it into. Hauling the now heavy travel bag out of her pseudo-bedroom in the Watchtower, she started towards the elevator.
"As much as I'd love to stay here to continue this game of yay nay, I've got a plane to catch."
"Why not take the jet?" Oliver looked genuinely puzzled.
"What? And miss the chance to cuddle up to some bearded, old lady that smells like catnip?" she snarked, then took pity on the obviously worried young man. Pressing the elevator button, she turned to face him with a somewhat tired smile. "I didn't place an order on the Queen jet because word would get back to you and you would have had more time to convince me not to leave."
He averted his eyes, sulkily almost, as he shoved his hands into his jeans pockets. "Like that would've made a difference."
"Well, I've always been a sucker for handsome, pleading men."
Both shared a warm smile, and glad that Chloe was leaving Oliver behind in a slightly more cheerful mood, she gave him a kiss on the cheek and stepped into the elevator. "See you in a few, Green Bean."
"You better, sidekick, or I'm coming to get you."
########
It took a whole of thirty minutes for Chloe to decide that she liked Virginia. Or rather, loved it.
The weather was about the same as in Kansas, but the rocky terrain and the lush nature made for a totally different world.
Leaning her head against the window of the cab she was in, she watched the magnificent scenery go by until a sign next to the road declared them to be entering the town of Mystic Falls. Not long after they were driving on its main road and despite being miles and miles away from her hometown, she couldn't help but be reminded of Smallville. Both towns were tiny and quaint, though this one was definitely more picturesque.
Because of the low number of inhabitants, the people here probably knew each and every face that lived here, as was the curse of such small towns. Despite how the blonde had worked hard to become a big city girl once more and make a way for herself in Metropolis, Smallville would always hold a special place in her heart.
Her gaze flew from left to right, trying to take as much in as possible. Some shops, a diner, funeral home, the local high school somewhat further up the road, and there was the Mystic Inn. With a wry look at the apparently deserted building, she paid the cab driver and hauled herself and her bag out of the car.
The Mystic Inn might at one point been a beautiful Victorian work of architectural art, with its soft blue exterior and elaborate pillars supporting the porch roof, but time had done quite a number on this baby. Flaking paint, rotten wood and a flickering porch light.
It was already nine in the evening and although she'd let the innkeeper know she'd be a late arrival, there didn't appear to be anybody present. Chloe slowly pushed open the front door and stepped into the foyer. Sure enough, some candles were burning, casting a soft glow along the walls. "Hello? Anybody here?" She'd only just arrived and she already felt like she was stuck in some cheesy horror flick.
Some ruckus was heard from a doorway at the end of the hallway before it opened and an elderly woman stood before her, smiling pleasantly. "Oh, dear, you're early!"
Chloe decided not to comment on that and simply smiled back, somewhat uncertainly.
"Please, do come in. Let me show you to your room," the old woman continued excitedly, wiping her hands on her apron and beginning her trek up the stairs, beckoning for the blonde to do the same. "It's so nice to have visitors. We don't have a lot, here in Mystic Falls. If anyone has business here, they are sure to have relatives that they can stay with. Oh, and what a lovely, young woman you are."
Nodding and smiling, Chloe followed, rolling her eyes inwardly. Great, she was hoping for an inconspicuous visit but now that it was revealed that the town wasn't used to visitors, she would most definitely call attention to herself just by breathing.
Great, just great.
#####
Vowing to get as much done the following day as possible, she'd set her alarm to eight in the morning and was showered and dressed by nine. The innkeeper, Mrs. Jackson, had already prepared a lovely breakfast for her, but she wasn't all that hungry.
To be polite, she accepted the bag filled with some waffles and a delicious looking blueberry muffin from the woman, whom insisted that she would need it to keep her strength up, then she excused herself and ventured into town.
Well, that had been a short experience. She wondered what the teenagers in this town did to keep themselves occupied, but then remembered that she and her friends used to have only one local hang out themselves. From what little she'd seen, the only social place aside from some diners and a quaint looking restaurant, the residents of Mystic Falls only had one place to go on evenings and weekend. The Mystic Grill.
Mourning the absence of a Starbucks or other such coffee shop, the blonde got an average tasting latte to go from one of the diners and made her way over to the Grill.
Despite it being so early, and a Saturday morning, there were quite a few people milling about. Some were seated and enjoying a nice, homely breakfast, while others were playing pool or otherwise entertaining themselves.
Cautiously approaching the bar, she flashed the good-looking bartender a smile. "Morning."
"Good morning to you too," he replied, hands busy drying glasses while he looked pointedly at the paper cup she was holding. "I see that you're already taken care of. What can I do for you?"
"Actually, I've got some questions for you, if you have time."
Toning down her smile some and batting her eyelashes a few times, she went for the demure but shy girl act. Most men were open to being interviewed when they felt like they could easily keep the upper hand in the conversation. And sure enough, after letting his gaze sweep down her body in what he probably thought was a subtle move, he grinned widely. "As long as you don't mind me cleaning while we talk, I don't mind at all."
Score.
####
Animal attacks, my ass.
After having talked to the bartender and two other locals, Chloe stuffed her voice recorder and notepad back into her bag with a frustrated sigh. It seemed that the entire town was under the impression that the long list of victims in and around the area were all the result of some over-aggressive bear or lost mountain lion. She certainly didn't miss the small-mindedness of such towns, that was for sure.
After having first come across the police reports some weeks ago of what was happening in this region, she had done her best to read between the lines. While the mortuary and police station both claimed that the wounds had been inflicted by some sort of animal, it was quite clear to Chloe that that theory didn't hold up. Unless a swarm of Dracula bats from the south had descended upon the town and were randomly feeding on humans, she could not explain how most of the victims had been entirely drained of blood.
Well, she did have an explanation, but none the authorities would accept.
No, it was clear that this town had a different problem all together, starting with some unwanted, nightly visitors. And to think that old Mrs. Jackson didn't think the town attracted any visitors.
It was already past noon when Chloe finally exited the Grill and after asking another pedestrian where she could find the police station, she made the five minute trek in that direction.
"Sheriff Forbes?"
A middle-aged blonde woman about her height was exiting the building just as Chloe got there, and she took a wild guess. Well, not really wild, because the woman was wearing a uniform, but still...
Startled, the woman turned to face her, taking in the unfamiliar face. "Yes, that'd be me."
Already, the woman was giving her quite a suspicious look, making Chloe decide to change tactics. She doubted that the sheriff would take kindly to a reporter questioning the police's official statement, so she subtly pocketed her press badge.
"Oh, thank god I got here in time or you would've already been gone," she gushed, feigning relief as she leaned into the other woman's personal space. "I'm so sorry to bother you but I really need to talk to someone and nobody around here seems to be able to help me."
It looked like sheriff Forbes was buying the act, because the suspicious glint in her eye had all but disappeared to make way for curiosity and some unease caused by the stranger's proximity. "I was actually on my way out, but-"
"Oh, thank you so much!" Taking the older woman by the arm, she ushered both of them back inside and into the sheriff's office, seeing as it was the only private office the small building afforded. "It's just awful to get bad news, especially when it involves the people you love. Well, just the other day I was on the phone with my aunt and she tells me that dear, sweet cousin Vicky has disappeared."
Plunking herself down into one of the chairs opposite the desk, Chloe covered her face with her hands for a split second as if in horror, face stricken. "Can you imagine? She was always such a sweet girl."
Overwhelmed by the talkative and pushy girl, it took Forbes a moment to figure out that she was somehow back in her office and that the girl's tale sounded quite familiar. "You mean Victoria Donovan?"
"Yes!" Willing her eyes as round as possible, Chloe inwardly prided herself on her acting skills. "You know her then?"
Forbes shrugged, still trying to digest the situation. "She worked in the Mystic Grill. Besides, I went to high school with her mother."
"With Kelly? What a coincidence. That's the benefit of small towns, you know everyone."
Boy, was she glad she'd done her homework on this particular case, or else she wouldn't have been able to pull this off. Now if she remembered correctly, Vicky's mother often abandoned her children and the police had to call her to let her know of her daughter's disappearance. She hoped that meant that the woman wasn't in town at that moment, either, or she'd be busted in just a few seconds.
"She called me to tell me what had happened, but seeing as she could not return to Mystic Falls right now, she asked me to come visit and help Matt. It's been so tough on the boy."
Forbes nodded, obviously surprised by this bit of info. "He's been through a lot, true. Good boy, that one."
Chloe beamed. "That's my Mattie."
"I'm glad that you're here," the sheriff continued, looking a bit ill at ease and obviously anxious to get where she was heading before the younger woman arrived. "What is it that you want from me?"
"Well, it's still a bit unclear what happened to Vicky and maybe you could tell me so that I might be better equipped to help..."
And now it was time to tone down the chatter, because where there was a silence, people were inclined to fill it. And she hoped that it would get the sheriff's tongue wagging.
The compassion in the other woman's eyes was unmistakable, but there was something else as well. "I'm afraid I can't really help you there. At first we thought that she was one of the burn victims found in the woods, because her purse was retrieved near the scene, but none were a match."
Not sharing important information counts as lying, sheriff, Chloe mused silently. Nodding, she asked as innocently as possible, "And nothing else of her was found? Like some piece of clothing or... blood, perhaps?"
Immediately, Forbes' head shot up and her eyes bore into hers. Bingo. Chloe had figured as much when she found out that the sheriff's office had sent four blood samples to the lab in a neighbouring city, while only three bodies were found.
"No," the sheriff lied, jaw tight. "I think we're done here. I can't help you further."
Chloe didn't mind - she'd gotten all of the information she needed. Letting herself be escorted out the front door, she watched as the sheriff stoically got into her truck and drove off.
It seemed that not everyone in the town was so gullible. After all, it seemed the sheriff had her own suspicions of what was really happening in Mystic Falls. Now all there was left to do for Chloe was to find out if they matched her own.
######
*ring**ring-ring**ring*
Seated in the diner that she'd visited that morning, Chloe pulled her hands off her laptop's keyboard to fumble around in her bag for her cell phone. Unfortunately, it was a rule for women to take no less than a minute before they were able to find any item in question in their handbag, so naturally, she missed the call.
Finally fishing out the offending object, she glanced at the screen which showed that none other than Clark had called. Great. He was probably just checking to see if she hadn't gotten herself kidnapped or killed. Oh, how she loved her overprotective, farm-raised, best friend.
Hitting the caller button, it took less than two rings for the man to answer. "Chloe? Are you alright?"
Chloe rolled her eyes. "Aside from home baked muffins sending me into sugar overload, I am perfectly fine."
A relieved sigh met her ears and some of the tension left his voice. "Thank god, I was worried about you."
"You're always worried about me, Clark. Look, I might look like strawberry shortcake, but I can take damn good care of myself."
"You're a real tough cookie, Chlo, but that doesn't keep you from getting into trouble on a weekly basis."
This time, it was she who had to concede. "Point taken."
After making some small talk and giving his the short version of her recent escapades, they hung up and she returned her attention to the computer screen. Aside from barely passable coffee, the diner thankfully had wifi access. Plugging her voice recorder into her laptop and letting it turn the verbal interviews she had held into one neat little word document, Chloe then began to add her written notes into the mix.
With all of the information she’d garnered before coming here, and now the sheriff’s strange behavior, it was time for the reporter to start putting two and two together. A small town with a rich history, a relatively low crime rate, and no unusual occurrences to speak off. Well, until about a few months ago, that was. In the short period of seven months, at least fifteen bodies had been found within a forty miles radius. Who knew how many others had not yet been discovered, considering that ninety three percent of that area consisted of nothing but dirt and trees.
All in all, it was safe to say that whatever was leaving behind blood drained corpses, it had taken a liking to Mystic Falls.
Taking a sip of her mocha latte, Chloe’s hand unconsciously rose to her neck, fingers ghosting over the smooth scar tissue there.
Oh, hell, she hated being right all the time.
######
The rest of the day, Chloe spent locked up at her room at the Inn, furiously working her computer. Her initial plan of coming to town and saving the day had gotten a whole lot more complicated.
It had taken her four hours and numerous hacking skills to surmise the following. One, the town was familiar with the undead, going back all the way to the civil war. Two, the authorities were most likely aware of this fact, seeing as they did their best to cover up any bloody tracks. Three, she was clearly in over her head.
Oliver, not to mention Clark, would never have let her go if they had seen what she’d packed in her bag. The wooden bullets now lay mocking her from the nightstand, taunting her to continue her mission and finish what she came here to do. Kill some vampires.
Unfortunately, she’d vastly underestimated the… infestation.
With the police probably working hard to cover up certain deaths, she could add all of the missing persons to the death toll, along with the bodies of out-of-towners who were simply disposed of by either the vampires or the authorities.
Jesus Christ, what were these people thinking?
Either they were in cahoots with the vampires, or they were, in their own way, trying to protect the people from whatever went bump in the night. But to arrange for such a large scale cover-up, it would only leave the residents unaware and unprotected.
Groaning, she closed her laptop and let herself fall back onto the bed. Why did she always choose to get mixed up in these sorts of things? She must have some suicidal tendencies or she wouldn’t be travelling the country to go looking for other of a certain homicidal persuasion. Chloe, you big douche, you’re going to get yourself killed one of these days and stay dead.
The last time she had a run in with a vampire, the odds hadn’t been in her favour. She had woken up in a morgue, but that fact wasn’t what had her freaking out. No, it was the knowledge that it had been a freaking vampire that had put her there that had titled her world on its axes. Ever since, she had made it her plight to seek them out in her city and annihilate them, because aside from the fact that it was her job to keep the people of Metropolis safe, she now also had a personal grudge against the creatures.
It had been a lot for the JLA members to take in as well. Real vampires existed, and they weren’t talking about the meteor rock variety, but the Dracula “I’m going to suck your blood” kind. Not that her attacker had been so cliché, but no matter how you twisted or turned it, he fit the bill. Gorgeous and thirsty.
Internet searches on vampires hadn’t come up with anything useful. She already knew that the stereotypical lore wasn’t correct in the way that the other girl killed in the Metropolis alley had been wearing a little cross around her neck, so that didn’t repel them. Also, a lot of the victims were killed during the day in broad daylight, so that kind of negated the whole ‘burn in sunlight’ thing.
Salem’s Lot? Load of crap. Anne Rice? Bigger load of crap. Buffy the Vampire Slayer? Fucking craptastica.
Now, what to do, what to do….
Slowly and somewhat uncertainly, Chloe picked her travel bag up off the floor and dug around in it until her fingers found what she was looking for. The side panel came loose as she gave it a good jerk and there it was. One of AC’s lethal masterpieces - a handgun that could pass through every security check imaginable and was small enough to fit into your back pocket.
Snatching up the wooden bullets next to her bed, she loaded up the magazine. Was she really going to do this? She hadn’t had any problem with the Metropolis vamps. Of course, she’d only taken on three in the span of a few months, and worked their surprise to her advantage. Here, she was a new face just drawing attention to herself.
Looking down at the lethal, little friend in her hands, Chloe already knew what the answer was. What the answer always was. Yes, she would do this, and not because she was brave but because she was unimaginably stupid and hoping that if anything went wrong, she’d just scare the mortuary staff of Mystic Falls into the loony bin.
Letting out a long and suffering sigh, Chloe looked out the window at the slowly darkening sky. “You stupid, stupid girl.”
#####
First night in town and already drinking herself into a stupor.
At least, that’s what it appeared to be to the other patrons of the Mystic Grill that find Saturday evening. She was seated at the bar, being tended by a different bartender than she one she'd interviewed that morning, and watching the crowd attentively. It was packed. People everywhere, bumping into each other, into her, and loud, rowdy music was blaring over the speakers.
Upon arrival, she’d requested her drink be served in a whiskey glass, and aside from giving her a funny look, the bartender had acquiesced. Catching his eyes, she asked, “Can I have another apple juice?”
“Sure, coming right up.”
So far, Chloe’s awesome plan of scouting out the locals and trying to see if she could detect any pasty-faced leeches in their midst, was not working out as well as she’d hoped. Most were bronzed youths that were simply hanging out with friends on the weekend, getting shitfaced.
Nobody that stood out, nobody that caught her eye, nobody that… wait a minute, had she seen that correctly? Either her mind was playing tricks on her or…
Frowning, she sniffed her drink to check if the bartender hadn’t snuck some vodka into her juice when she wasn’t looking, but came up empty. Well, gee, it looked like spending four hours sitting by her lonesome had finally paid off. Either the guy over by the pool table had reflexes that could put Bruce Lee to shame or it wasn’t just teens that wanted a night out. He just caught a glass that was knocked off a nearby table without spilling a drop.
Turning on the seat so that she was now leaning back against the bar, the blonde took a long sip of her drink. Pale skin, check. Low-key appearance, check. Working his magic on some unsuspecting girl, check. Excessively long incisors... wait until he smiles, wait for it… check.
Ladies and gentlemen, I think we’ve got out man, err… vamp.
Chloe was being as surreptitious as possible, watching him from underneath her lashes. He was good-looking, she had to admit, if you went for the brooding sort. The heavy eyebrows pulled into a frown cast a shadow over his eyes, making him look quite menacing at times, even as a smile adorned his chiselled face. What she could not understand, however, were the people surrounding him. Two girls, one dark-skinned and another that reminded her of Lana.
They looked like best buddies, laughing and drinking, not like people he was picking up at a bar to have a midnight snack afterwards. But who knew, maybe she was reading it wrong and he was just wetting his appetite before the kill. Sick bastard.
Shifting a bit, she was reassured by the feel of the gun pressing into her lower back, hidden underneath her blouse. Yeah, she thought while a nervous tremor ran up her spine, she was going to be busting some caps tonight.
#######
Eleven-thirty.
Still showing no signs of leaving and calling it a night. Dammit. She had switched from apple juice to bottled water about an hour ago, but seriously, she couldn’t handle another sip. With no smoking habit to keep her hands busy, or a drinking buddy to keep her mouth flapping, she had to entertain herself somehow, and that resulted in a lot of bathroom trips to empty her poor bladder. It was actually time for another trip, but she was afraid that when she came back, the vamp would be gone.
Casting a cranky look his way, she finally gave in and hopped off the stool, stomping her way to the back of the establishment. After only two minutes, she was back into the fray again, slithering through the crowd to get back to her spot at the bar, until she caught sight of the group in question. They hadn’t left, but one more person had been added to the mix.
Her heart skipped a beat as she laid eyes on him. Broad shoulders, messy black hair, leather jacket. Oh god. She couldn’t help herself, she panicked. Ducking her head, Chloe started pushing her way past the many people present, bypassing the bar and heading straight towards the exit. Oh god, oh god, oh god.
She was so preoccupied; she didn’t even notice a boy picking up several drinks from the bar and turning to carry them back to his friends. In one NFL worthy move, she had barged into him and almost knocked him to the ground. Unfortunately, the glasses weren’t as lucky as they smashed to pieces next to his feet.
“Hey,” the boy yelled over the music, gazing down at the broken glass before giving her an angry look. “Watch where you’re going, lady.”
Giving the teen an apologetic look, she unconsciously snuck another glance at the pool table and watched in horror as the group had taken notice of the incident and were looking over at the pair with interest. Without meaning to, her eyes met icy blue ones and this time, her heart simply stopped.
Holy shit!
Chloe pushed the angry kid out of her way and made a beeline for the exit, and she almost reached it too. The neon sign was glaring at her just ten feet away before she felt a hand close around her wrist. Her mind flashed back to that fateful night, to that exact same gesture and half expected to be whirled around and pressed up against the wall once more. Only, the dizzying move never came. The ice cold fingers holding her in a steel grip merely prevented her from leaving.
In that split second, she was aware of everything. The tension in her back, the strap of her purse digging into her shoulder, the trembling of her lower lip. But the biggest source of her sensation overload was focussed on her wrist. If she could've cut it off and run, she might’ve considered it, if only to avoid what was sure to follow.
“Let go of me,” she managed to grind out, still not moving to face him. Secretly, she was hoping that he might pass the recognition off as a fleeting bout of insanity and let her make her hasty exit.
Instead of letting go, though, she could feel his arm bending until he was standing right behind her. “What’s the rush?” he asked, voice light and filled with just the perfect amount of curiosity. “Have to get home before the clock strikes twelve?”
“I’m not wearing glass slippers, but I am in a rush, so please, just let go of me.”
Before he could reply, a shout was heard and the heavy browed vampire from before was coming towards them. “Damon! What are you doing?”
Damon. It was a fitting name, she supposed. Sounded like demon, or Damian, the antichrist. From behind her, she could hear him give a suffering groan. “I’m making new friends. I thought that was what you wanted me to do. Fit in, be normal, have buddies.” The latter came out mockingly, and from her vantage point she could see the other vamp frown in disapproval.
Eyes darting back towards the door, Chloe took a deep breath before giving her arm a good yank and trying to flee once more.
No such luck. His grip and the force of her move and just made her bounce back against his chest, and her panicked eyes met his.
In that instant, the smirk slid off his face and his eyes widened in shock. Apparently, he had not been expected her to actually be… well, her. It wasn’t everyday that one came across dead people in a bar.
Unless they were vampires, of course....
Immediately, his other hand shot out to take both of her hands in his, inspecting them, before turning one over and checking her wrist. He seemed dumbfounded, staring at her in puzzlement. “Is this a hallucination?” he whispered absentmindedly before turning to the other man. “Did you put something in my drink again, you sneaky bastard?”
The other guy appeared flabbergasted. “No, of course not! What are you…?”
Focussing his attention back on Chloe, Damon squared his jaw and without another word, pulled her with him out of the door. Once in the cool, evening breeze and with no people around, he let go of her. His eyes were still focussed on her, though, not straying once, as if not quite believing her to be there, standing right in front of him. “How?”
The single question was pronounced clearly and she understood the meaning of it as well, but wasn’t quite ready to get into that. She wasn’t ready for any of this. She’d come here to rid the town of a vampire, not confront the one who had killed her.
Rubbing her wrists, she watched him from underneath her lashes. “Took a flight out, then hailed a cab and-”
“Ha ha, very funny,” he growled, raising his hand to point an accusing finger at her. “I mean, how can you be alive? I killed you.”
“Did a great job at it, too, from the looks of it,” she shot back, feigning ignorance. The threatening step he took towards her made her gasp, though, and she quickly shut her mouth again.
“I killed you. Hell, even if you hadn’t been dead when I left, the blood loss would’ve taken care of it.” He puzzled, biting his lower lip as he continued to study her. “You’re human, that’s for sure. And no ring in sight, so how?”
Chloe pursed her lips. “I have no clue what you’re going on about, but I obviously didn’t die.”
“Obviously,” he mimicked, looking annoying. Taking a moment to fully appraise the young woman, she could practically see the wheels in his head turning. “Whatever. Doesn’t matter anyway.”
“Precisely,” the blonde smiled as brightly as possible, moving as if to leave, but he was suddenly by her side. It was like trying to avoid Bart when he was in one of his moods. Bart, however, wouldn’t rip her throat out if it fancied him, though.
“Tsk, tsk, where do you think you’re going?” he wagged his finger in her face and she suppressed the urge to bite it off. “I quite enjoyed our last rendezvous and here you are, back as an encore.”
His grin was nothing short of devilish, giving her a brief glimpse of his pearly-white, lethal incisors. “You bastard,” she snarled and was about to let loose a string of other expletives when the door behind them opened and the other vampire stepped out, followed closely by the Lana lookalike.
“Damon!” the girl cried out. “What are you doing?”
Rolling his eyes, Damon turned to face them. “Don’t you ever get tired of being this indignant all the time? ‘Oh, Damon, why are you so mean? Damon, why do you have to kill everyone? Why, why, why, Damon?’” his falsetto sounded ridiculous but the girl didn’t respond to his taunt and simply continued to look, well.. indignant.
“Damon,” the other vampire began, casting a worried glance in her direction. “I take it you two know each other?”
Winking at the blonde, he nodded. “Intimately.”
Chloe scoffed, shooting him a fierce glare. “As fun as this was, I really have to get going.” The girl seemed to already be aware of the men’s real natures, so if she chose to familiarize with them, it would be her own stupid fault if she got killed. The only one that needed saving that night was her.
Damon immediately stepped forward. “I’ll walk with you. It’s terribly unsafe here at night, you know, all sorts of things that go bump in the night.”
“Damon,” the other guy started again, but was effectively shut up.
“Stefan, I trust you don’t need to me to hold your hand, tough guy like you. I’m trying to be a gentleman, here, escort a lady home."
Stefan looked like he was ready to argue, but settled for an unconvinced nod instead. “Don’t forget. You promised.”
Overhearing, Chloe rolled her eyes. “Yeah, he’s real good at keeping promises, aren’t you, Damon?”
He pretended not to get the reference to the girl in the alleyway, instead taking the blonde by the arm and steering her onto the sidewalk. “Bye, guys, don’t wait up!”
Chloe shook her arm loose, but continued walking. After all, there wasn’t much else to do. She couldn’t run from him, or overpower him. If she managed to get inside the Inn before he tried anything, she’d be safe and sound. To her great annoyance, he started whistling a tune, hands stuffed into his pockets as he walked beside her. A glance at him proved that he was watching her closely, and he grinned charmingly when he caught her look.
Her fear of him had subsided somewhat, seeing as he had yet to hurt her, so she felt confident enough to snub him by pointedly looking ahead.
After about thirty seconds, the need to hear the sound of his own voice had apparently won out as he opened his mouth again. “Are you going to tell me that this is some sort of cosmic coincidence, or was it just unbearable for you to live without me?”
Ego much? “Like I lived with you?”
“Ouch,” he snickered, amused. “Touché. Guess I deserved that, huh?”
“I could tell you exactly what you deserve, but I don’t have all night.”
“Another direct hit! I’m beginning to think the lady isn’t such a lady.” He was enjoying himself far too much, but the rage burning beneath her skin was making it impossible not to rise up to the occasion and eagerly drank up every chance at insulting him.
“If you’re thinking of killing me, I drink three litres of holy water a day, not to mention the amount of garlic I put in every meal.” It was meant as a warning, but even she realized how lame it sounded when he let out a thundering laugh.
“Zesty with the promise of a bad aftertaste, now I know you’re teasing me,” he countered, grinning wickedly, leaning into her personal space. “Mind if I sample the goods first?”
Out of impulse, her arm shot up and pushed him away. “Get real, Dead Boy.”
“Okay, okay, but I have to say, you don’t know what you’re missing.”
She threw him an incredulous look. “Are you for real? You latched onto my neck like a meat grinder! Excuse me for not jumping up and down for a second go.”
Damon just shrugged. “Some people like it. Find it... erotic even.”
Without even having to look, she knew that he was giving her that dirty grin again. She could not imagine how anyone could ever enjoy such a painful experience. And who would willingly let themselves be used as a chew toy? Anyone with any sense of self-preservation and self-worth would bow out. Arrogant ass. “You know what, I highly doubt that.”
In the distance, she could already see the Inn. Only a few more minutes and she was in the clear. She would pack her bags, go home and let bygones be bygones. Goodbye Mystic Falls, goodbye Sheriff Forbes, goodbye vampires. She’d send the JLA in to clean up this unholy mess.
“Oh, believe me, sweetheart, I could make you enjoy it,” he practically purred, meeting her eyes. Was he still going on about that? And what was he doing? Oh shit.
With a smirk that promised nothing good (or all kinds of, depending on how you looked at it), he stepped in front of her, nearly making her run into him. Before she could manoeuvre past him, he had put his hand on her hips to keep her in place and face right in front of hers. It was the first time she took notice of the unnatural colour of his eyes, an icy blue framed by wonderfully thick, dark lashes. The contrast made for a striking look, the intensity in them almost scaring her.
Like it did quite a lot as of late, her hand rose up to cover her neck, or rather, the scar there. If she closed her eyes, she could still feel his fangs buried in her skin, the tingling of her shoulder and upper arm as her blood was forcefully pulled from her veins. Even the thought of it made shivers run up and down her spine and Chloe, again trapped, looked up at the predator with trepidation.
It was hard to remember that she couldn’t really die when her heart was beating so rapidly; it threatened to burst from her chest. Hmm, she wondered if she could recover from that...
“Shhh,” Damon soothed, rubbing his fingers lightly along her hip in a gesture best reserved for the romantically inclined. “I’m not going to hurt you. Unless you want me to, of course.”
She shook her head fiercely, eyes wide, holding her breath.
“I just want to show you,” he whispered, leaning down until he reached her neck and nudging her hand away with his chin, “how enjoyable,” lips hovering over her scar, “a vampire’s attentions,” cold breath ghosting over her warm skin, “can be.”
This was not happening, it couldn’t, it mustn’t. She had never been so scared in her entire life, and that included being buried alive. Her entire body was trembling, lips quivering, tears gathering at the corners of her eyes.
Chloe Sullivan didn’t plead, but the thought of him killing her, it was even worse the second time around. She wasn’t sacrificing herself that night, there wasn’t a damsel in distress to save. It was just her and him and possibly for the first time in her life, she was pleading. "Please."
She felt him go still, his body pressed against her for what seemed like an eternity, before he let his forehead rest against her collarbone. A soft sigh rustled her hair and she felt his eyelashes tickle her skin.
She was unsure of how to act. The intimacy of the moment was not lost on her, but the swirling in the pit of her stomach was a mixture of fear and revulsion. It wasn’t anything more than that. Couldn’t be.
Raising his head, he dropped a fleeting kiss over her scar and gave her hips another squeeze before letting go. The look in his eyes was unreadable as they bore into hers, but she didn’t even try. Without pause, she stepped out of his arms and took quick strides down the sidewalk, focus entirely on evening out her breathing.
Within moments, she was standing in front of the Inn. As her hand was reaching to open the front door, she finally chanced a look behind her, but there was no one there. Even in the distance, he was nowhere to be seen. An overwhelming sense of relief washed over her mixed with something she couldn’t quite put into words.
That night, she slept fitfully, eyes on the shadows and the wind howling by her window. She wondered why she hadn’t thought of using her gun or why he hadn't compelled her. But morning would come soon, where she would pack her bag and call a taxi that would take her to the airport. The Queen private jet would be waiting for her there, along with a relieved Oliver that couldn’t help but scold her once more for going on such a foolish mission, and she would silently agree.
Despite what she had told herself, she would not send the team out to Mystic Falls, answering their questions with a lie - it was a false lead. And despite her best effort, she could not rid herself of the feeling of all-encompassing fear and his hands and lips and that frightening, sinful grin.
He was a killer. Her killer. And she just prayed for the day that she could forget all about him.
The end.