A/N: Hi guys, here is the next chapter. There might be a wait for the next chapter, we've had the devastating news that my sister in law has passed away this morning due to complications caused by Covid. My proof reading may also be sloppier than usual so please forgive any typos or mistakes
Hope you enjoy the chapter and Damon and Imogen fighting together. Also - Smut warning.
As usual I don't own anything TVD related, only my own OC's.
~°*°~
January 16th 2010, Mystic Falls, Virginia
Song: I'm Seeing Red; State of Mine
I'm seeing red
Do or die, alive or dead
Hear the voice inside my head
Telling me this is not the end
Imogen's POV
I wake the next morning with Damon's arms wrapped around me from behind. He has tight hold and I know he's holding on tighter than usual because Pearl threatened me and Scarlett yesterday. He even insisted Scarlett sleep in the crib in our room instead of in her own room last night after the visit from the two Vampires. I turn over to face him and wrap my arms around him before I rest my forehead against his and let out a contented sigh. I always feel the safest in his arms. I make a mental note to go see Grams today and practice some spells that can help in the fight against Vampires. I also need to finally pluck up the courage to ask about my parents.
I must have fallen back to sleep because I wake up to a lingering kiss being placed on my forehead. I open my eyes and meet Damon's blue ones.
"Morning" I mumble.
"Morning" he replies, then he nuzzles his head into my neck. I nuzzle my head into his, and we both lie there for several minutes just breathing in each others scent. We're eventually disturbed by the sound of Scarlett babbling from her crib. I climb out of bed and get her, changing her diaper and bringing her back to bed with us. She pulls at my tank top so I lift it up so she can feed. Once she's finished she sits in between us whilst we play with her a little.
A while later we're dressed and downstairs. Scarlett is playing with her toys on the rug and Damon is boarding up the broken window. Elena and Stefan walk in.
"What are we going to do about the tomb Vampires?" I ask.
"I say we go to Pearl's, bust down the door, and annihilate the idiot that attacked us last night." Damon says.
"Yeah. And then what? We turn to the rest of that house of vampires and say, 'Oops. Sorry?'" Stefan says.
"I can't believe you made a deal with her." Elena snarks.
"It was more like a helpful exchange of information. And it's not like I had a choice. She's...scary. Besides, she's gonna help me get Katherine back so I can kill her." Damon says.
"Of course she is. Damon gets what he wants, as usual. No matter who he hurts in the process." Elena says.
"Seriously?" I say, raising my eyebrow at her snarky tone.
"You don't have to be snarky about it." Damon tells her
"I woke up this morning to learn that all the vampires have been released from the tomb. I've earned snarky." she replies.
Damon sighs. "How long are you going to blame me for turning your birth mother into a vampire?"
"I'm not blaming you, Damon. I've accepted the fact that you're a self-serving psychopath with no redeeming qualities."
"Ouch." Damon says sarcastically.
"Get over yourself, Elena" I say. She scowls at me.
"This isn't being very productive. We're gonna figure out a way to deal with Pearl and the vampires. Yeah?" Stefan says, trying to break the tension.
Damon walks over to Scarlett, picks her up and heads into the kitchen. I give Elena a scowl of my own and follow him. He sits Scarlett in her high chair and gets her a snack.
A little while later I walk into the parlour with Scarlett, ready to go see Grams. Damon is fixing the clock on the wall.
"Look at you, Mr Domestic." I say with a laugh. He gives me a smirk.
Stefan walks in, ready to go out.
"Hunting party?" Damon asks.
"That guy did a number on me last night when he stabbed me. I gotta get my strength back up." Stefan replies.
"I've got two litres of soccer mom in the fridge. No?" I chuckle at Damon.
"We'll talk when I get back?" Stefan asks.
"All right. Give my regards to the squirrels." I chuckle again as Stefan leaves.
Damon finishes with the clock and closes the glass front. He climbs down and comes over to us. He kisses Scarlett on the head before giving me a lingering kiss on my lips.
"Be careful in this storm. I love you." He says.
"I will. I love you." I reply and head to Grams.
~°*°~
I arrive at Grams and she lets us in. I settle Scarlett on the floor playing with some toys.
"I need you to help me learn how to take down a Vampire. Two came to the house last night and threw a brick through the window. The only thing I could think of was 'motus' but obviously that doesn't stop them."
"You already know how to give them an aneurysm" she tells me.
"Of course" I reply with a facepalm.
"I can also teach you how to snap a neck, but obviously we can't practice."
"I'm sure I can practice on Stefan next time he annoys me" I chuckle.
She teaches me the spell and we work on a few others. I finally pluck up the courage to ask about my parents.
"So, errr, what do you know about my parents?" I ask.
"I knew your Mom, Sophia. The Jacobs and the Bennetts have been family friends for a long time. I was friends with Sophia's Mom, Sarah, and Abby, my daughter, was friendly with Sophia's older sister, Bethany. When Sophia fell pregnant at such a young age she kept it hidden as long as possible. She wanted to keep you but Sarah said it would ruin her life. Abby knew Miranda and Grayson were trying for a baby without success, so they agreed to adopt you."
"What about my father?" I ask.
"Sophia didn't say much. She said she got drunk at a high school party and had a one night stand. You were the result. She never told anyone who the boy was."
I feel sad that I may never know who my father was.
"What about the crash?" I ask.
"Sarah, Bethany and Sophia were heading back from Richmond one Saturday evening when a drunk driver went through a red light and smashed into the car head on. All 3 of them died instantly. You were only a few months old. The loss shook the whole town."
I start to cry at the thought that my whole family was killed because of one person's choice to drive whilst drunk. Grams gives me a hug.
"One thing I do know, is that all 3 of them would be extremely proud of the young woman you have become." I nod in response.
Just then my phone rings. I check the caller ID and see that it is Damon.
"Hey you" I say.
"Imz, are you and Scarlett okay? Stefan hasn't come back from hunting and he isn't answering his phone. I've checked with Elena and he's not there and not answering her call either."
"We're fine, we're with Grams at her house. Where do you think he is?"
"You're not going to like what I'm thinking."
"Tomb Vampires?"
"Yep."
"Need help?"
"Please, even if only to stop your sister doing something stupid."
"Text me the address, I'll meet you there."
"Will do. Love you."
"Love you" I reply and hang up.
I look at Grams and relay what Damon has just told me.
"I never thought I would care about what happens to a Vampire, but I can see Damon and Stefan are different. I will watch Scarlett whilst you go. Remember what we worked on earlier." she tells me.
"Thank you." I reply and head to the address that Damon sent me. I pull up behind his car and see his black figure coming towards us in the rain. I see Elena get out if Damon's car with an umbrella so I get out too. Damon takes hold of my hand as I reach him.
"What happened? Where is he?" Elena asks Damon.
"They have him. I can't get in." Damon replies.
"Why not?" Elena asks. She really can be stupid at times.
"Because he's not invited in." I say.
Damon nods. "The woman who owns the house is compelled to not let me in."
"I can get in." Elena says and starts towards the house.
Damon stops her with his free hand. "You're not going in there."
"I'm going!" she exclaims, struggling in Damon's grasp.
"You're not going in there Elena" I say. She stops struggling and looks at us.
"Why are they doing this? What do they want with him?"
"Revenge. They want revenge." Damon tells her.
"We gotta do something." she says.
"I know." Damon replies.
"We can't let them hurt him. We gotta get him out of there." Elena says.
"I know. Elena, I know. But I don't know how to get him out." Damon replies.
"I have an idea" I say.
~°*°~
We enter the high school and find Alaric walking down the corridor.
"Well, don't you look...alive?" Damon asks.
"You can't hurt me." Alaric replies.
"Oh, I can hurt you, all right. I just don't want to."
"Mr. Saltzman. We need your help." Elena says.
We move into Alaric's classroom and explain everything.
"Stefan's in the house. Damon's a vampire. He can't get in. We need you. I would go, but..." Elena says before she is interrupted by Damon.
"But you're human. You however have that nifty little ring."
"Stefan told me about your ring." Elena says. I'm guessing Stefan has been eavesdropping.
"What about it?" Alaric asks.
"Let me recap...You tried to kill me. Imogen stopped you. She noticed the ring on your finger which is the same as her Dad used to wear. A ring which will bring you back to life if you die at the hands of a supernatural being. Am I leaving anything out?"
"Yeah. The part where I try and kill you again. Only this time, I don't get stopped."
"Mr. Saltzman. Please. It's Stefan." Elena begs.
"I'm sorry, Elena. But it's not my problem." he retorts.
"That's a shame. Because the woman in charge of the crowd can help you find your wife." Damon says.
'Damon, is this a good idea?'
'He's a hunter, I need his help'
"You're lying." Alaric says.
"Am I? Why don't you ask her for yourself? Coward. Come on, Imz, Elena"
We start to leave when Alaric speaks.
"All right! Wait. I'll go."
We turn back into the classroom. Alaric brings out an assortment of weapons that he has hidden in his storage closet.
"Teacher by day, vampire hunter by night." Damon says.
"I've you to thank for that." he snarks to Damon.
"What are these?" I ask, pointing at some dart type objects.
"Those are tranquiliser darts filled with vervain." Alaric tells me.
"Just get me in. I'll get Stefan out." Damon says.
"That's your plan? You're just gonna take them all on yourself?" I ask incredulously.
"Well, I'll be a little stealthier than that, hopefully." he replies.
We see Elena take one of the vervain darts.
"Whoa. What are you doing?" Alaric asks.
"I'm going with you guys." Elena says.
"No. No. No. No. No way." Damon says. I raise an eyebrow.
"You need me. I'll get in. You could distract them, and then I'll get Stefan out." she tells us.
"You'll get yourself killed. You're not going in there." I say.
"Neither are you" Damon tells me.
"I'm going." Elena says.
"You're not, but I am." I say.
Damon ignores us both and speaks to Alaric. "So, when you get me in, get out as quickly as you can. I know how to sneak around where they can't hear me. You'll basically just be in the way."
"Damon, now is not the time to be the lone ranger." I say.
"Fine. Elena, you can drive the getaway car. You're not going in the house. Imogen, can you cloak me from outside?"
I shake my head. "I don't think so. I've only cloaked you one time, and I was next to you."
"You can't stop me. It's Stefan we're talking about here. You don't understand." Elena says.
"Oh, I understand. I understand. He's the reason you live. His love lifts you up where you belong. I get it." Damon says sarcastically to Elena.
"Can you just not joke around for 2 seconds?" She snarks back at him.
"We can't protect you, Elena. We don't know how many vampires there are in there." He snaps his fingers. "That's how long it takes you to get your head ripped off. We have to be able to get in and get out. We can't be distracted with your safety. Or this will end up a bloodbath that none of us walk away from...Including Stefan. I know. I get it. I understand. If it was Imogen in there I would feel the same."
She nods in response.
Damon looks at me. "I don't want you in there Imz. I don't know what I would do if anything happened to you."
"I can't cloak you from outside Damon. Next to you I can do, but not from a distance." He nods in response and sighs.
"Drink my blood. At least that way I know you'll come back to me." I nod.
"We'll be outside" Alaric says, not wanting to see us share blood. He leaves with Elena.
Damon rests his forehead against mine and his hands rest on my hips.
"I love you. Please don't get hurt in there. I need you, and Scarlett needs her Mommy."
"I love you. I've been practising some spells with Grams. I'll be fine, and if I'm not, I'll come back to you and Scarlett. I will always come back to you." I say, cupping his face in my hands.
"I can't say it wouldn't ease my mind if you were a little more...durable." he says with a smirk, before letting his Vampire face take over and biting my neck. He takes a few mouthfuls and then bites into his wrist. He holds it out to me and I take a few mouthfuls. I see his pupils are blown with lust and I know mine are too. I let go of his wrist and fight the urge to pounce on him.
"Come on, let's go rescue your brother." I say and grab his hand, leading him out to where Elena and Alaric are waiting.
~°*°~
We pull up to the house, Damon, Elena and I in Damon's car, and Alaric in his own car behind us.
We leave Elena in the car and head towards the house. Alaric heads towards the front door to ask to use the phone, faking his car breaking down. I cloak Damon and I and we head towards the back door, where Alaric will meet us with the owner of the house. I know she is compelled to not invite Damon in which means he's going to have to kill her to get in.
We wait by the back door until we hear Alaric turn the faucet and blender on and stake a Vampire.
"What's happening?" We hear a female voice ask.
"I'm really sorry. But you're gonna need to invite a friend of mine inside." Alaric says as he opens the door. I uncloak us.
"Oh, I'm sorry. He's not allowed in the house." Miss Gibbons says to Alaric.
"I know that. But you've gotta make an exception." Alaric tells her.
"Get her out of the house. Now! Miss Gibbons, tell me the truth. Are you married?" Damon compels her.
"No." she replies.
"Parents, children, anyone else who lives on this property?" Damon asks.
"No. It's just me." Miss Gibbons replies.
"No? Good." Damon says and snaps her neck. He takes my hand and leads me into the kitchen.
"You were supposed to compel her." Alaric exclaims.
"It doesn't work that way..." I say sadly.
"She is human." Alaric says.
"And I'm not! So, I don't care. Now, get out of here. And get rid of the body!" Damon tells Alaric. I know he does care, but right now he will do anything to save his brother.
I cloak us again and we hide in the pantry. We hear a Vampire come into the kitchen. Damon jumps out and stakes him.
I cloak us again and we head down some stairs to the cellar. We come across another Vampire and Damon stakes him as I see Elena. I drop the spell.
"Are you insane?!" I hiss at her.
We walk through a door into a room where Stefan is hung from the ceiling with ropes and another Vampire, Harper, is tied to a chair.
"Elena...You shouldn't be here..." Stefan rasps.
"She was supposed to stay in the car." Damon says, tossing a stake in the air. He's about to use it on Harper when Stefan stops him.
"Uhh! No. No. No. Not him."
"Whatever. Let's get you down." Damon says.
"There's vervain on the ropes." Stefan rasps.
"Elena, pull that." he says. Elena pulls the rope and Damon catches Stefan as he groans.
"All right, let's go. Clothes on." Damon says. We head towards the door.
"Wait." Stefan says, as he pulls one of the stakes from Harper's legs.
"What? Guys, come on. We have to get out of here." I say.
"Come on, we gotta go." Damon says.
"The other one." Stefan grunts to Elena.
She pulls the other stake out and they eventually follow us.
"Can you get him in the car?" Damon asks Elena.
"Yeah." she replies.
"All right, go." Damon tells her.
"What about you two?" she asks.
"You rescue, we'll distract. Go." Damon tells her.
Elena and Stefan head out the basement door whilst Damon and I head back up the stairs. I cloak us again as we go.
We find a pool room with a bunch of Vampires in, including Frederick who attacked us the night before. Damon stakes the female Vampire who is in the doorway.
We head into the dining room as the Vampires in the pool room leave to look for us. Damon stakes another Vampire, leaving them on the table.
Frederick comes in and Damon attacks him, taking him by surprise. Another 2 Vampires come in and startle me so I drop the cloaking spell on Damon. They pull him off Frederick and Frederick takes the opportunity to run.
The two Vampires start fighting Damon. I snap their necks just as one comes up behind him. I see Alaric about to shoot at one with a dart, but he lowers his gun once I snap their necks.
"Nice work" he nods at me.
"I'm going after Frederick" Damon says and leaves the room in the direction Frederick went.
A Vampire goes to attack Alaric as he's reloading his dart gun. I snap his neck before he can reach him.
"Thanks" he says to me.
Damon comes back. "Frederick's gone." he says, taking my hand.
"Let's get out of here." I say.
"I'm gonna kill him." Damon replies.
We head to the front door and go to leave. As we open the door and step onto the porch we see more Vampires approaching.
"How many of those vervain darts do you have left?" Damon asks.
"One." Alaric replies.
"Not gonna be enough." I say. "And I can't snap necks that quickly."
We step back in and close the door.
"So, what you said to get me to do this, about my wife. It was a lie, wasn't it?" Alaric asks Damon.
"Yep." Damon replies.
"We needed your help." I tell him.
We hear Pearl's voice outside.
"Stop. What's going on here?" She says to the Vampires outside. She opens the door and sees the 3 of us standing there and the bodies on the floor.
"What did you do?" She asks Damon.
"Me? Your merry little band of vampires spent the day torturing my brother." replies.
"Trust me. The parties responsible for this will be dealt with." She tells us.
"Our little arrangement doesn't work unless you learn to control them." Damon says, glaring.
"This wasn't supposed to happen." she tells us.
"Well, it did. If I had a good side...Not a way to get on it." Damon says and leads me past them to the car.
We thank Alaric for his help and get in the car. We learn that Frederick had gone after Stefan and Elena fed him her blood so he was strong enough to fight him, and that Stefan killed Frederick. Damon is not happy at his car window being smashed. We head back to the boarding house via the school so I can collect my car. Damon and I leave in my car to go get Scarlett from Grams, then we head to the Grill for food and a much needed drink.
I head to a table whilst Damon goes to the bar to speak to Alaric. I see Alaric punch Damon, and then Damon joins me.
"I guess I deserved that" he says. I chuckle at him.
We get food and then head home. As we head up the stairs Damon tells me he's going to check on Stefan. I put Scarlett to bed then head into our room where Damon is sitting on the bed with a serious look on his face.
"What's up?" I ask him.
"I found Stefan in his room surrounded by a bunch of empty blood bags." he tells me.
"Shit, that's not good." I reply.
"We're going to have to keep a close eye on him." I nod, understanding his meaning. He pulls me down onto the bed so I'm straddling him whilst he leans his back against the headboard.
"You did good today my little witch." he tells me.
"I told you I would be fine." I tell him.
"We make a good team." He replies with a smile.
"We certainly do." I reply, with a smile of my own.
"Let's celebrate." He says with a wink before kissing me passionately. I know he was scared today, both for his brother and me because I went in the house with him, and he needs to connect with me to help him deal with his emotions.
Our kissing gets more heated and I grind my core on the bulge in his jeans, trying to find the friction I'm searching for. I feel his hands move to the hem of my top and he lifts it up. We break our kiss so he can lift my top over my head. I grab his top and lift it over his head too. Once we're both topless our lips reconnect and I run my hands over his chest and back. He runs his hands over my stomach to my sides then up my back. He unhooks my bra and I free my arms and throw it across the room. His hands move to my breasts and he pinches my nipples causing them to pebble beneath his touch.
I run my hands down his stomach and unfasten his belt and jeans. He unfastens my jeans and I stand to remove them whilst he removes his. I straddle him again, just my panties separating us. We continue kissing each other, our hands roaming over each others bodies.
"These need to go" he growls, then he rips my panties off me. Once they're gone I shift position then sink down on his length, moaning as he fills me. I start moving as we continue kissing, my hands fisting his hair making him groan.
Damon moves to kiss down my jaw to my neck. He nibbles and licks the spot where he always bites me. I know what he's silently asking so I tilt my head to give him better access. I feel his fangs pierce my skin and we both moan with pleasure as he drinks. I move faster as I feel my orgasm start to build. Damon reaches his hand down between us and rubs circles on my clit. I moan louder and he stops drinking from me. He bites his wrist and holds it to my mouth. I drink from him, my brown orbs meeting his icy blue ones. Our movements become frenzied as we both near our climaxes. I let go of his wrist and wrap my arms around his neck as his go to my hips. We rest our foreheads against each others and hold eye contact as I reach my climax, screaming his name, my walls clenching around his length bringing him to release. I feel him filling me with his seed as he shouts my name.
I stay in his lap straddling him as he kisses me slowly. We're both panting and he is still inside me, neither of us wanting to break the connection yet.
"You need to stop ripping my underwear to bits" I tell him breathlessly. "I'm running out of panties."
He chuckles at me. "I'll take you shopping for more."
We carry on kissing. The kisses are slow and languid, but they are full of the love we have for each other.
"I needed that." he tells me.
"I know. I did too."
"I love you, soon-to-be Mrs Salvatore."
"I love you too, Mr Salvatore."
Damon shuffles down the bed so his is laid down with me top of him. I pull the blankets over us and nuzzle my head into his neck, and we both fall asleep