Moving In (a Vampire Diaries fan-fiction)

Saviour

In the following days or weeks, there were a lot of meetings in the house; meetings and secret plotting. Since I was the one with the secret vampire bloodline-paper, I was now allowed to listen in on all the plotting that apparently had been going behind my back earlier.

They were talking about different ways to make white-oak saw-dust into a stake and how to keep Alaric in shackles.

"Bonnie tried to do a spell to find out more about the original family, but that was before Em' pulled this rabbit out of the hat," Damon revealed finally.

Bonnie was in the house at the moment. "Yes, I couldn't get a clear reading at all, but luckily Emilia saved us."

Saved them; was that what I had done? It felt strange; I hadn't done anything but snoop around in that old stuff.

"But I like Elijah, I don't want you to kill him!" Elena said in the middle of the meeting. "He did what he could to save me."

"Yeah, and then he double-crossed you and finally kidnapped you." Damon cut in. "Blood is thicker than water, we have no idea whether to trust him or not."

"And what about Rebekah, she's like two different persons," Alaric said.

We all turned and looked at him. "Well, it takes one to know one!"

The room went all silent after Damon's statement. We just turned around and stared at him; there were more than one in this room that had a split personality.

As if he realised it himself, he just shrugged. "Well, Klaus is the one we wanted revenge on, so..."

"So, how about the two of you go get a cup of Ric's herbal tea to keep the Mr. Hyde away," Stefan suggested and only got a glare back.

* * * * *

"So what are we getting Stefan for Christmas?" I asked one day when Damon came and picked me up at school.

Damon sighed. "Really; we're going all the way with this?"

I glared at him. "Of course we are!"

He sighed again. "What to get the ripper; a chew-toy perhaps," he suggested.

"Damon!" I scolded. "Could I get some holiday spirit please?"

"What?" He chuckled, but by then I was in a bad mood and sat quiet, looking out the window the whole ride home.

"Okay, okay; do you wanna go to the mall?" He sounded like he was about to gag at the word.

"Not with you, I don't," I muttered.

"Naaww, baby; don't be a sourpuss." He fluttered the lashes of those puppy-dog-eyes of his. I stuck my tongue out at him. "Can't we go somewhere else? I hate the mall..."

I kept glaring at him.

"I mean; all those people and I'm not allowed to eat any of them." He pouted I rolled my eyes at him. "I'll drive you to Richmond to one of their malls..."

I looked hard at him. "You don't want to be seen with me?"

He shrugged in an obvious answer. "I'm not a good guy; I'm an ass!"

"No, you're not! We're going to the mall or we're not going at all," I stated determent.

"Catchy; do you write slogans too," he muttered as he passed our driveway and kept going till he reached the parking lot outside the mall. When he stopped the car he turned his head and glared at me. "Happy now?"

"Ecstatic," I growled, got out of the car and marched up to the entrance. I could feel him sauntering a few steps behind me as I kept looking at the window displays of a few stores. Finely I got an idea and went to the bookstore where I got a new diary for him.

Damon looked a bit surprised at me. "That was actually a pretty good gift for him."

I looked at him. "So are you done pouting now?"

"Perhaps... How about you?"

"...Perhaps..."

We smiled at each other and then he took my hand. "Come, let's see what we can get Elena."

"Your ex girlfriend?" My tone was tart.

"She was never my girlfriend," he said, trying to mask the slightly sad tone of his voice with a hard cover-up. "She belongs with Stefan."

I wanted to just stop and study him right there in isle four, but that was not happening. "Good," I just said and dropped it. "Should we get Bonnie something?"

"Another grimoire," he suggested and we shared a smile.

"So... you're the saviour of Christmas after all?"

He put an arm around my shoulders. "You speak Italian, you know Salvatore means saviour."

I laughed a bit and shook my head. We ended up having a good time together at the mall, stopping at some coffeehouse and got espresso and cupcake; well Damon only had an espresso, he thought the cupcake gave him a little too sissy approach.

I smiled.

After the small refuelling we walked around hand in hand through a few clothes store. His favourite was the lingerie-sections where he gladly took me.

"Oh, come on..." He walked closer as he held some red two-piece-lace-thingy for me to see. "You'd be so hot in this," he whispered in my ear, making shivers run along my body. He chuckled as he could hear my heart pound hard.

"You're mean!" I pouted.

"You like me mean, princess," he whispered with his eyes glistening with mischief. I snapped the lingerie from him and walked to hang it back on the rack.

He just chuckled, took my hand and we walked to the next store. We were just about to look at a pair of new slacks for Damon when somebody called his name.

"Damon?"

He snapped his head around. "Liz!" He said and dropped my hand instantly.

"Are you out shopping for the Founders Christmas party?" the Liz-person said.

"Well...er... yes; I'm not sure we're going..."

I watched him carefully as he tried to squirm out of this party. This didn't look like the confident, cocky Damon I knew.

"And who is your friend?" she smiled to me.

"I'm Emilia; the girlfriend," I said confident and almost heard Damon sigh.

"I'm Liz, the sheriff."

"Oh, Caroline's mother?" I smiled and shook her hand. "She's been really nice to me, since I moved here."

"That's nice to hear. I won't keep you any longer; I'll see you at the Christmas party," she stated and then she left.

We stood silent for a while. "So, you didn't want to invite me? Are you ashamed of me?"

"Of course I'm not! I just thought that you perhaps didn't want to go with me." His cocky approach was long gone and there the vulnerable inner Damon showed again. We stood there watching each other intensely.

"Hello Damon..."

We both turned our heads and looked at a blond girl waving and giving Damon a flirty smile; making me grind my teeth. She just passed us, but her presence made a severe impression on my mood.

"What is it carina?" He took my hand and pulled me close to him. "She doesn't bother you, does she," he teased with an arm around me. "Never mind her; we're here to find a new outfit for Christmas, right?"

He dragged me along to the next store and found a red dress. It had a halterneck and quite a slim fit, with several flowing layers of thin voile. It was short in the front but a bit longer in the back. When I got it on I just knew I had to have it; it was perfect.

"See, I knew it would be perfect," he said glum.

I smiled. "So, now we have to find something red to put on you for Christmas."

"Oh no!" he sighed. "We are not going to be one of those couples that walks around in matching jumpsuits," he objected, making me laugh out loud.

Wouldn't that be a sight?