At first, Jordan thinks that Damon is joking about going on a roadtrip, so she casually replies with sure. When she realizes that Damon is actually serious her mouth falls open in shock.
"Like now? Like right now? In the present now?"
Damon rolls his eyes at the bewilderment written across her face, as if he would be joking about something like that. "In the future now. Yes, of course, in the present now, you do know the definition on now right?"
"Yes, yes, I'm not stupid," Jordan replies, "but with all that's been happening I thought it might be better if we stayed in Mystic Falls."
"Well, you thought wrong. So, are you coming willingly, or do I have to force you to accompany me?" His signature smirk sneakily slides upon his lips.
Jordan raises her eyebrow, "Oh, so I don't have a choice in this?" she asks amused.
Damon mutes his head no, and Jordan lets out an enchanted laugh that acts like music to Damon's ears. Jordan gives in easily–she secretly thinks she will enjoy the little trip away from Mystic Falls—and she follows Damon towards his striking turquoise 1969 Chevy Camaro.
When Jordan and Damon are comfortably seated in the car, Jordan decides to speak up, "So, do you know where we are going? Or is it a mystery?"
Damon smirks secretively, "It's a mystery to you."
Jordan rolls her eyes, but not before giving a small smile of content. She quickly texts her twin, saying that she's safe and staying with a friend for the day. Because knowing Elena, she is going to worry if she doesn't hear something from her.
Silence follows, and the air is laced with apologies and unasked question.
"Yes, I'm still pissed at you for murdering Lexi in cold blood, but I'm in progress of putting it behind me," Jordan breaks the silence.
Damon hums in response, but he is actually really glad that Jordan is such a forgiving human being. Jordan turns her head away from Damon, and instead presses her forehead against the window. They pass miles of trees, flower fields and just plain green, open fields. Damon never stops the car, and it makes Jordan wonder where they are going.
"We're on our way to Georgia," Damon days, making it look like he read Jordan's mind, "to do...business." The way Damon says business makes it seem like they're on a trip to murder an old acquaintance.
"Business, huh?" Jordan repeats, all the while not buying any of it. "If you say so." Jordan decides to not bother asking questions, because she knows that she will not receive straight answers anyway.
The car ride turns silent again, and Jordan is, once again, left with her thoughts. Unbeknownst to Jordan, the quirky smile that graces her lips so very often turns into a frown. Ever since her strange dream a few days ago she hasn't had any other dreams, and the main reason for that is because she stays up till the early hours trying to figure out its meaning. Jordan was never one to give such things much thought, and she usually waved them away with her hand. This dream, however, screamed importance, and Jordan figured it must somehow be connected to the gaping hole in her memories where she was supposedly spending her time in London.
Stefan told her he found nothing weird on dreams or something that even remotely connected to the one of Jordan. She, however, thinks Stefan is lying out of the kindness of his heart and that he did found something so disturbing he didn't want to scare Jordan. The previous phone call, where Jordan asked on any updates on her dream, he acted more vaguely then before as he tried to subtle dodge the subject. It obviously didn't work.
Other than leaving it alone, Jordan put all her free time into researching dreams and the supernatural. So far, every article she had read proved to be utter rubbish, and the supernatural section of the library seemed to be on vacation or something, because she could not find one helpful book.
Damon's eyes flicker between the road and Jordan, lingering a few milliseconds longer on her than should be necessary. Jordan, however, doesn't seem to take notice. Damon wonders what has gotten her panties in a triple knot, because in the few weeks they've known each other, Damon has never seen Jordan so incredible silent.
"Care to share whatever makes you awfully quiet today? Because even though you usually talk way too much, I don't particularly like to be ignored."
Damon's mouth turns into a cocky smirk as he sees the blush rising on Jordan's cheeks.
Caught off guard, Jordan stutters out a few incoherent mumbles before she regains herself, "Nothing much, just thinking about this dream I had."
Damon wiggles his eyebrows, "Was it about me? Because that explains the lack of conversation."
Jordan slaps Damon's arms, "No, you ass, and I hate to burst your bubble, but not everything evolves around you."
A tingling sensation creeps up Damon's arm, but he figures it must've come from the slap he received, "Doesn't it?"
Jordan answers him with the rolling of her eyes.
"You can roll your eyes all you want sweetheart, but you can't deny the fact, even though, not everything might evolve around me, a lot does." Damon's eyes scan Jordan's face for her reacting, and a warm feeling surges through him when a smile creeps its onto Jordan's lips.
"Eyes on the road, mister," Jordan says, and at the same time they pass the Welcome to Georgia sign.
Damon huffs, but he does take his eyes off of Jordan and he focuses on the road again.
As Damon stops the car in front of a bar named Bree's Bar, Jordan purses her lips, "A bar? We've been driving for God knows how long, and this is the final destination?"
Disbelief mixed with slight annoyance is painted across Jordan's face. She had hoped they were going to do something that is considered fun. To her, this bar looks anything but fun.
"Quit the brooding, it doesn't suit you," Damon comments. "And as I recall, you have nothing against bars or any of the sort."
Jordan's cheeks flare up, "Just because you saw me at the bar once doesn't mean I like to spend my Saturday night getting drunk, regretting decision I didn't even know I made the following morning."
Damon grins, "It sounds to me like you speak from experience."
"Sure," Jordan replies with some uncertainty.
While stepping out of the car, Jordan admires the scenery. Bree's Bar is located somewhere on the edge of the town, and although Jordan doesn't like the idea of going to a bar, she must admit to herself that it looks somewhat cosy. The bar itself doesn't look all that promising, but the surroundings do sure make up for it. In the distance you can see the city lights that look like tiny, sparkling stars. The sky is painted a pinkish colour and—
Damon tugs on her arm, and Jordan is snapped out of her daydream. To shake her confusion, Jordan blinks a few times with her eyes.
"Finally, if I'd leave you standing there for even a while longer, you would've turned into a statue."
"Shut up."
Jordan pushes a laughing Damon out of the way. She pushes the door open and in an instant her ears fill with chatter, and the smell of beer and fries fill her nostrils.
A woman—from the looks of it the owner—screams out, "No. No, it can't be. Damon. My honey pie."
The woman rushes past Jordan and she throws herself at Damon. Instead of a longtime-no-see-hug she kisses him forcefully on his mouth.
Jordan's eyes widen in surprise. the woman and Damon part, and Jordan can see emotion she hasn't seen before swirl in Damon's eyes.
Before Jordan can introduce herself to the woman—who she has figured is named Bree—the woman herself speaks, or rather shouts, "Listen up everybody! Here's to the man that broke my heart, crushed my soul, destroyed my life, and ruined any and all chances of happiness."
"Whoa Damon, you sure seem like a charmer," Jordan comments sarcastically as Bree pours everyone a glass.
Damon glares at Jordan, who sticks out her tongue in return.
"You have no idea, honey," Bree comments, "Now drink up, and tell me how you got roped in."
Jordan takes the drink in her hand, but she doesn't bring it to her lips right away, "I'm not roped in, we are sort of friends," Jordan says unsure, with a blush rising.
Bree giggles, "Honey, if you're not roped in you're whipped. Either way, just enjoy the ride."
I'll do my best.
Bree has taken place at the bar again, and Jordan and Damon take this as their cue to take place on the bar stools.
"So, how did you two meet?" Jordan asks genuinely curious.
Bree's eyes fill with flashbacks, "College," she says almost dreamily.
Shocked, Jordan turns towards Damon, "You went to college! Why didn't you tell me? What did you study?"
Damon smiles at Jordan's excitement, "I've been on a college campus, yes, but I'm not going to tell you what I studied."
Jordan pouts.
Bree continues with her story, "About twenty years ago, when I was a sweet, young freshman, I met this beautiful man, and I fell in love. And then he told me about his little secret, made me love him more. Because, you see, I had a little secret of my own that I was dying to share with somebody."
"Are you a witch?" Jordan asks.
Surprise flashes before Bree's eyes, but it's away as quickly as it came, so Jordan figures she must have imagined it.
"Yes, yes I am. Changed my world you know." The last part is directed at Damon.
He smirks, "I rocked your world."
"Egocentric," Jordan sing songs quietly so only Damon can hear. Jordan sips innocently from the glass of water she ordered.
"He is good in sack, isn't he? But mostly he is just a Walk-Away Joe," Bree finishes her story before coming down to business, "So, what is it that you want?"
Jordan's ears perk up in interest, this is what she has been waiting for the entire day. She wants to know the reason behind this roadtrip, because even though she and Damon are some sort of friends, he didn't drive here all the way to have a good time.
Damon, however, is in distress. The whole day he succeeded in avoiding the reason why they came here. He doesn't even know why he doesn't tell Jordan, it is not like she is going to judge him. Ever since Jordan came into his life, Katherine has been pushed to the back of his head, and he hates himself for it. He can't let some petty human get in the way of his plan.
Jordan isn't just any human. His mind tells him stubbornly.
The bar has gone eerie silent, and it looks like everybody is watching Damon, waiting for him to make a decision.
Fortunately for him, he has luck on his side today. Just before the silence can turn awkward, Jordan's phone rings, and her screen lights up.
Elena is calling.
Two sighs can be heard trough out the bar. One of annoyance, and one of relief.
Great timing Elena. Jordan thinks before answering the phone and walking outside.
"Before you're going to rant about how worried you are because I only sent you one text, I'll explain it now," Jordan says immediately after she picks up the phone. She isn't in the mood for Mum Elena.
"I'm on a roadtrip with Damon, and we're somewhere in Georgia. He asked me to accompany him, and I agreed. I suspect we are home somewhere in the evening, so you shouldn't need to worry."
"Okay, I trust your word," Elena says with difficulty from the end of line. There are a million things Elena wants to say and ask, and most of them resolve around Jordan and Damon, but she keeps her mouth shut. Elena will talk about it when she sees Jordan again.
Jordan smiles, "So, what happened with the whole Katherine and Stefan deal?"
"Stefan hasn't told me everything, because he said that he needs to discuss some things with the both of us, but what I do now is that Katherine and I are almost the same person. Our looks are identical to each other, and we're still trying to figure out how that is possible."
Jordan's eyebrows knit in confusion, "Do you mean that you look a lot alike, or that you both have the exact same features?"
"We're exactly the same, why do you ask?"
Jordan crack her brain, trying to remember something she read a few years ago, "You know when we were around twelve, and everyday after school I would go to the library?"
A laugh slips from Elena's lips, "How could I forget, you would sit there till closing time, but why are you telling me this?"
The memories bring a sad, but at the same time happy smile to Jordan's face. "Well because I basically lived in the library, I once stumbled across a few books that go way back. I didn't make any sense then, but now I remember. There was an old, almost spineless journal where they described the term doppelgänger. I don't remember everything of it, but I know that doppelgängers are two, or more people who are identical to one another and are somehow connected to the supernatural. I hope this helps a bit."
It is speechless for a few seconds, when suddenly Elena exclaims that Jordan is a genius, "Stefan and I will search for the book right away. Thank you, for both the information and the for not letting me run off when I found out about Katherine."
"No worries, talk to you later." Jordan ends the phone call.
♛
"So, what did I miss?"
Curiously enough, the stool where Jordan previously sat is still empty. She takes place next to Damon who looks up from his phone.
"Nothing much, you're just in time for diner," Damon shrugs his shoulders casually. He hopes that Jordan won't ask about what Damon and Bree talked about.
Luck continues to be on his side, because Jordan seems to have totally forgotten about it.
"Ooh! Fries!" she exclaims while digging in.
Damon chuckles. Jordan looks at him with her mouth full of fries, "Awen't chou fhukry?"
"Oh, yeah, totally," Damon sarcastically exclaims.
While quickly digesting all her fries, a mischievous glint sparkles in Jordan's eyes, "I said: 'Aren't you hungry?'. God, can't you hear? I though vampires where supposed to have such great ears, that gift must've passed you."
Damon's mouth opens in shock, "Take it back!"
For others Damon might look deadly serious, but Jordan knows he's only joking.
"Never," she says before poking out her tongue.
"Are you sure?" Damon threatens as he sneakily brushes his fingers across her sides.
A hysterical laugh escapes Jordan, "Fine! I'll take it back! Just stop tickling!" she stutters between fits of laughter.
Damon's fingers leave Jordan's sides. Her skins burns hotly where his fingers were just moments ago.
Neither one of them utter a word. Both are mesmerized by each other. Unknowingly they inch closer to one another until they are only millimeters apart.
Jordan's mind races at a million kilometers per hour, but nothing makes sense to her. It feels like the whole world is put on pause, but Damon and Jordan continue to play forward. Nothing matters except them. The focus is fixed on them, and the rest is a blur. Jordan wonders what runs through Damon's mind.
Jordan's ringtone cuts through the tension like a knife.
She stumbles back and she stutters some incoherent words before she disappears.
We were about to kiss. Oh my, I was about to kiss Damon.
Jordan answers her phone in a haze.
"Where are you!" Jenna screeches.
Jordan is ripped away from her blissful thoughts, "Oh my God, Jenna, I'm so sorry. I totally forgot to tell you that I was going to a friend for the day. I'm so incredible sorry!" Panic is laced in her voice.
Even though Jordan can't see Jenna, she smiles warmly, "It's okay, but send a message the next time you're out. I was worried something happened." Jenna can't stay mad at the blonde. Not when she sounds so sincere and panicked.
"Will do! I'll see you later Jenna." Jordan hangs up the phone.
Suddenly the atmosphere changes. Jordan visibly shivers, but she doesn't think it's because of the cold. Like the first victim in a stereotypical horror story, Jordan calls out: "Hello?"
Jordan reaches for the door, but a large hand is placed over her mouth. She kicks and bites vigorously, but her attacker is ten times as strong as she is.
I should really continue training, because I'm sick of ending in situations like these.