The Vampire Diaries: Natalie Gilbert

8. Natalie's Damon?*

Stefan's POV

Damon suddenly grabs Vicki back from me, holding her steady. "Stefan Salvatore did this to you." He compels, looking into Vicki's eyes as he holds her head in his hands. "Stefan Salvatore did this to me." Vicki repeats back to him in a monotone voice. "He's a vampire. A vicious, murderous vampire." Damon smirks.

"Please, Damon. Please don't do this." I beg desperately. "If you couldn't fix it before, I don't know what you can do now." Damon replies as something rips and Vicki suddenly screams in agony. "Ahhh!" She yells in pain. "Ugh." Damon spat in clear disgust. "Your choice of lifestyle has made you weak. A couple of vampire parlour tricks are nothing compared to the power you could have, which you now need. But you can change that. Human blood gives you that."

I frown at him, shaking my head in disagreement before he starts talking again. "You have two choices...you can feed and make her forget. Or you can let her run screaming, 'vampire!' Through the town square." Damon suggests. "That's what this is about? You want to expose me?" I ask in annoyance.

"No! I want you to remember who you are!" He exclaims. "Why? So what? So, I'll feed? So I'll kill? So I'll remember what it's like to be brothers again? So I'll lose my girl? You know what, let her go. Let her tell everyone that vampires have returned to Mystic Falls. Let them chain me up, and let them drive a stake through my heart because at least I'll be free of you." I rant.

I see Damon's lips tilt up, knowing he's getting to me before he turns his attention back to Vicki as I smell Natalie's perfume getting closer to the building. "Huh. Wow! Come here, sweetheart." He demands Vicki. "No!" She sobs, stepping backwards towards me. "It's okay." Damon nods and pulls Vicki towards him, gently stopping at her ear rather than her neck and whispers something.

He soon pushes her towards me as I catch her again before he speeds away. "What happened? Where am I?" Vicki asks suddenly, looking very confused. "Oh, I ripped my stitches open. Ugh..." she groans in annoyance. "You okay?" I cautiously ask and Vicki nods, looking around where she stood before stumbling over to the stairs.

"Stefan?" I hear Natalie call and I walk down the stairs behind Vicki. "You found her." Natalie utters in shock and I nod. "You okay, Vic?" Natalie asks, looking over the dazed girl. "What?" Vicki questions confused, stumbling into Natalie who catches her. "You went missing. Stefan just found you here." Natalie informs.

"Did he?" Vicki asks, looking around bewildered. "Thank you, I guess." She mutters lowly and I shake my head. "It's no problem." I reply as the three of us start walking back to the Grill at slow pace. "I think you're just being nice." Vicki suddenly says to Natalie who snorts. "I think you'll find that's very unlikely."

Vicki grins and leans closer to Natalie, obviously feeling weaker than ever. Natalie starts struggling with Vicki's weight so I swoop in and I hold up the girl. "Thank you." Natalie whispers and I nod. "You okay?" She asks me and I nod. Natalie frowns at me, seeing I'm not but she doesn't push me to answer.

"Matt!" Natalie calls as we enter the Grill. Matt looks up and his eyes widen before he quickly rushes up to Vicki, wrapping his arms around her. He grabs a first aid kit before sitting Vicki down as me and Natalie make our way to Bonnie and Caroline. The two of them are already seated on one side of the booth so I slide in first onto the bench seat before Natalie slides in, falling into me with a massive sigh.

"Well, I didn't think watching the sky would turn into an exhausting night." She comment, and I move her so she's sitting between my legs again as I wrap my arms around her waist. "Ugh! It's just so much drama. I never realised how much Vicki was such an attention seeking whore." Caroline exclaims making Natalie chuckle as her hand trails up and down on the side of my thigh.