(1) Emotional Shifting (D.Salvatore)

Chapter 3

August sighs as he arrives home. Caroline looks up at him with her sad eyes. "Why?" She whispers. August sends her a confused side glance "I can't hear it, your blood coursing through you veins." She looks up at him"Why?"August chuckles "Well long story short, I died at birth, my grandmothers, witches. Decided to bring me back to life. Guess that's a side effect." He whispers.

August knocks on the bathroom door. Caroline cracks the door open. "I got you some clothes from your house." Caroline perks up "Did my mom, asks about me?" She questions, hope glistening in her eyes. "Yes, but I told her you were sleeping over at Elena's, and that you asked me to grab a few of your things." He informs her.  Caroline chuckles.

She walks out the bathroom wearing a yellow dress. "I must say, yellow suits you." He compliments her "Same can be said about you." She shoots back. "Thing! Guide Caroline to the guest room." Thing crawls out from behind a wall, as Caroline shrieks in horror. "Oh my God! It's a disembodied hand." She looks down at Thing with curiosity "How is it alive?" She turns to August who shrugs "He." He corrects her.

The next day, August is awakened by the painful screams of Caroline.August smiles to himself. He groans soon finding himself on the ground. Thing drags him into the guest room. August groans as he gets up, dusting the invisible dust off his pants.

Caroline's skin sizzles in the sunlight. August tilts his head. "I would suggest you hide in the shade of the room." He advices as Caroline curls into a ball beside the window. August signals Thing towards the curtain. Thing closes the curtain as August conjures two rings. "Choose." He commands.

Caroline inspects the blue ring that August has supposedly enchanted. "It's supposed to stop the sun from burning me?" August nods. "It's how those Salvatores walk about in the sun." He signals Thing to the curtain again. Thing opens the curtain and Caroline shrieks shielding her eyes in fear. August chuckles "Doubting me Caroline?" She opens her eyes as the sunlight hits her, the way it did when she was human.

Stefan texts August asking him to accompanied Alaric, Damon and Elena to Duke. "Guess I'll be out of town for a while." He turns to Thing." Watch her." Thing makes a nodding gesture as August leaves. August arrives at the Duke University. "Took you guys long enough." He comments as the others pull up.

"How did you?" Damon starts "Stefan sent me. Told me to make sure Damon keeps his slimely hands off of Elena." August turns to Elena. "You're Elena I presume?" He deduces as Elena nods.

"So, Isobel was officially employed by the anthropology department given that most paranormal phenomenon is rooted in folklore." Alaric explains, as they get closer to Isobel's office.

A young woman sits behind a desk when they walk into the office. She is immediately alert and standing to greet them. "Hi. I'm Alaric Saltzman,I called earlier." He reminds her as she nods. "Yes, of course. I'm Vanessa Monroe, research assistant, comparative folklore." She introduces, her eyes remaining on Elena. "Uh, let me just grab Isobel's keys." Vanessa rummages around in her desk.

"These are my friend Elena,August and Damon." August waves. "I hope this isn't too much of an imposition." Alaric tells her.

"Oh please. Isobel's office is right through there. Isobel was one of my first professors." They follow Vanessa through a set of doors. "I'm a grad student. She was brilliant, and one of the reasons I went into folklore." She smiles. "Uh, I have to ask... has there been any news?" Alaric shakes his head "No, I'm afraid not."

"It's this way." Vanessa opens the office doors as they follow her and enter the room. "I'll grab the light, feel free to look around. It's fascinating isn't it?" She asks, already walking away from them. August secretly watches.

Everyone looks around a part of the room. "Where'd she go?" Damon asks as August smirks "She's coming this way as we speak, with a crossbow. She thinks Elena is Katherine." Vanessa comes from behind the doors with a crossbow. She shoots a bolt at Elena, but Damon rushes over and puts himself in front of Elena to protect her.

He receives the bolt in his back,grunts and falls to the floor. "Damon!' Elena screams in horror. She moves towards him as Alaric catches Vanessa, pushing her against the wall, retraining her. "How devious of you." August praises her.

Elena stands behind Damon, trying to remove the crossbow bolt. He groans and glances at her over his shoulder. "Just pull the damn thing out. It hurts." He complains. August rolls his eyes "move." He nudges Elena out of the way, he swiftly pulls the arrow out and inspects it. "It's made of wood. She was prepared to kill a vampire." August deduces. Damon gets up and shakes himself while grimacing.

"That bitch is dead." August hums. "You're not gonna kill her." Alaric argues. "Watch me" Damon pushes on. "Damon" Elena calls out stopping him. August snaps his neck in their direction. Questions run through his head. What was that? Was that love? That spark? Could it be? He narrows his eyes at the two.

August and Alaric stand around Vanessa who they sat in a chair. She looks like she instantly regrets her earlier actions, but August can see right through her. "You can drop the act now." He tells her as she rolls her eyes "Addams." She scoffs. August rolls his eyes "ofcourse, you know who I am"

"I'd do what he says, oh and be extra nice to me." Damon smiles.

Vanessa brings a box to Elena who is stood at Vanessa's desk. Vanessa sets the box down and Elena moves it, taking the lid off it. "This box checks Katherine's arrival to Mystic Falls in April 1864." August looks down into the box "Is this all there is about her?" He questions, not wanting to believe, one of the most cruelest woman a look a like at that has so little information known about her. "All that I'm aware of." Vanessa answers.

Vervain lays within the box. Elena glances at Damon and gives some of it to Vanessa. "Here, take this." Elena whispers to her. "Does vervain really work?" Vanessa asks also glancing at Damon.

"Nope, not at all." Damon answers.

"Can he hear us?" Vanessa whispers to Elena. "No, that would be creepy." Damon answers. "Can he read minds too?" Vanessa counters. "If you wanted to see me naked, all you have to do is ask." Damon teases as August rolls his eyes "He can't." August smirks "But I can." Elena turns to August "Wait can you really?" August nods.

"How else do I know you're thinking about the hot sex you and Stefan had the other night." August blurts out. Elena blushes and August smirks sensing some jealousy from Damon.