Salvation (TVD Fan Fiction)

Chapter 25

3rd POV

Alaric rolled his eyes. Damon had been driving for a total of fifteen minutes and he still gave no clues as to what he was up to. Ric silently cursed, wishing in part that he had kept his ass at his apartment and taken a much needed nap, but alas, Stefan had taken over. Stefan snored louder than any man or animal Ric had ever come across. In these past two days, Ric had barely managed to get any rest at all thanks to the youngest Salvatore.

Ric had been hoping to sneak over to the Boarding House and have himself a quick nap before the party began. Thinking he had slipped in unnoticed, Ric had just settled himself on the couch in the parlor when Rhi's musical voice interrupted his sleep, asking him for a favor.

To Ric, there was a very short list of things he would not do for Rhiannon. Hell, if it hadn't been for her, Klaus would still be a threat to all of them. Alaric held Rhi in the highest regard. He knew that she was selfless and brave, both were qualities that he also admired in Damon. But unlike Damon, Rhi had tact and manners.

Ric wondered about Damon's intentions and why he wanted to keep Rhiannon oblivious to them. His mind flickered to Katherine's warning about Rebekah, and found himself worrying about Damon's intentions. It was entirely plausible that Damon was seeking out Rebekah, which he would attempt to keep from Rhi, which would predictably cause her to be suspicious. Ric remembered Rhiannon's reaction to just hearing Rebekah's name when Katherine mentioned her two days ago, and winced. Surely Damon had more sense than that.

And though he knew the purpose of Rhiannon's request was a little pointless, Ric did not deny her favor.

Damon turned off the main road, and Ric stifled a snort. The thought of him keeping Damon out of trouble was damn hilarious. If Damon was looking for trouble, it was inevitable that he would soon find it. But as Ric studied his friend's profile across from him, he could find no tension in his jaw, and no darkness in his eyes. It certainly didn't seem like Damon was up to no good, but then again, this is Damon.

"You're seriously not gonna tell me what we're doing?" Ric asked, frustrated at being shrouded in secrecy for going on twenty minutes.

"We're not doing anything. My business is just that - my business. You, on the other hand, have been sent on a covert ops mission by the original black panther. I have no desire to clue you in on anything, Ric. Did you really think I was just gonna purge everything to you? Risk foiling my diabolical master plan? Yeah, no," Damon replied with an amused but snarky grin. Secretly, he wanted to confide in Alaric about what he was doing, but he decided it ultimately.

He'll know soon enough, Damon thought to himself.

"Whatever. Just hurry the hell up, will you? We only have about an hour left before we're supposed to meet at the Grill," Ric said, his voice laced with mild annoyance. He rested his head back on the seat and pretended to be completely disinterested in their surroundings. Ric surveyed their location carefully through squinted eyes, but drew a huge blank. What the hell was Damon doing in the middle of nowhere? There was nothing but forest for miles ahead of them. But even his curiosity was not enough to keep Ric awake. The warm breeze blowing in through the windows, the hum of the engine, and the rhythmic bouncing as the car traveled down the old dirt road eventually won out, and Alaric was fast asleep.

Damon breathed a small sigh of relief when he noticed his friend was out like a light. Ric was usually more of a day-drinker than a day-sleeper, but Damon guessed that Stefan had kept him awake with his incessant snoring. Damon thought briefly that he should've warned Ric ahead of time to find himself a good set of ear plugs, but quickly waved the thought away.