Not About You

Chapter Sixteen

A couple of weeks later, Lucy laid on the couch with her legs draped over Stefan's lap while she flipped through a magazine. Damon was at a council meeting and Lucy was enjoying hanging out with the other Salvatore. "Did I tell you that Elena's dating Matt Donovan again?" Stefan asked as he flipped through the channels on the TV.

She folded down her magazine to look at him. "Poor kid."

He hummed in agreement. "But it makes things easier for us. The quarterback is nice and boring."

"Good. The less trouble the better."

"We have a problem," Damon announced as he walked in the front door.

Lucy tossed her magazine onto the coffee table. "Did you hover outside and wait for the perfect cue to enter?"

He frowned. "What? No. Listen, John Gilbert's in town."

She sat up and glanced at Stefan who shrugged. "And who is John Gilbert?"

"Elena's uncle and town council member. He managed to convince the rest of the council that their vampire problem isn't over."

"Is he right?" she asked.

Damon sighed as he dropped into one of the chairs. "I don't know. They found out about the blood bank robberies. That's me so no worries there but he mentioned several missing people. That is not me and it certainly wasn't Stefan."

"Damn it." Stefan slumped back in the sofa. "What are we going to do?"

"We're going to start with going to the Founder's Day kickoff party tonight. I want to talk to John Gilbert again. There's something about him I just don't like," Damon answered.

"Stupid Gilberts. Guess I better find a dress."

***

Lucy opted for her simple little black dress while the brothers wore matching black suits with black shirts. She walked between the two of them, her arms looped in theirs. The party was at the Founder's Hall which was a public building so no invitation was needed for the boys to enter. They stopped just inside the door to look around.

"I'm going to go find Caroline," Stefan said before quickly disappearing in the crowd.

Before Lucy could even think of following his example, Damon shifted them so he now held her hand. "You're not going anywhere. I need you to protect me from clingy teenagers."

She smirked but didn't say anything. Instead, she simply squeezed his hand in response. Who would have thought the big bad vampire would be afraid of the teenagers. "Lead the way then, Mr. Salvatore."

His smirk mirrored hers as he directed her to the bar to get them both a drink. Damon leaned in. "I see Liz. Let's go say hello."

She didn't fight him but pressed against his side and turned her head so she wouldn't be overheard. "Would that be Liz Forbes that questioned me about Vicki Donovan?"

"You shouldn't hold that against her. She's good people."

Lucy snorted a laugh. "Yeah, except for the part where she'd kill you if she knew the real you."

Damon shot her a look as they stepped into the room where the Sheriff stood alone. He released Lucy's hand and shuffled sideways to put more distance between them. Liz looked awkward and uncomfortable. "I usually prefer a woman in uniform, but I must say I love this look on you. You look smashing," Damon flirted.

Lucy did her best to swallow her annoyance and keep a blank face. He didn't belong to her. Not really.

"Thank you, Damon. That's sweet of you." She turned her attention to Lucy. "It's Lucy, right?"