𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐃 𝐁𝐑𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐒
everything you know is wrong

ECHO walked into the living room and found Damon messing with the thing Pearl gave him.

Apparently, last night Anna and Pearl stopped by, giving him some weapon my ancestor John Gilbert made.

"Have you figured out what that is yet?" She asked as she plopped down beside him on the couch.

"Nope, whatever it is, it doesn't work," Damon said, looking at the weird contraption thing in his hands.

"Pearl didn't say anything else about it?" She questioned, laying her head on his lap, giving him a grin as he glanced down at her.

"She thought she was stealing his vampire compass, thought it was a pocket watch. That Jonathan Gilbert was a crazy scientist." She laughed a little and closed her eyes as he began running his fingers through her hair. "Have you spoken to your uncle lately?"

"Ugh, no. I never speak to him, if you haven't realized he's a total ass," she told him, smiling slightly as he played with her hair. It was so weird for her, to be friends with the very thing that she is suppose to kill. But, she couldn't help but trust Damon more than anyone else in this town. "Plus, lately, I've been crashing at your place the last few nights."

"So, you'll be here tonight again?" Damon almost groaned.

"Yup, hope it's not a problem." She smirked up at him.

"It is, you're a complete nuisance," Damon teased, his eyes twinkling.

"Whatever." She smiled, sitting up. "I'll see you later, I need to go back to my house and grab a few things."

Damon distractedly nodded and went back to looking at the device.

ECHO was doing research in her room when her phone rung which made her jump in her spot. She grabbed it and answered it. "What?"

"Do you want to make a trip to Grove-hill with me and Ric?" Damon asked as soon as she answered.

"Why?" She questioned slowly.

"Do you want to or not?" he repeated himself, not giving her any details.

"Fine, might as well." She admitted and then started to put away all her research.

"Good, we'll be there soon. Be ready," he said before hanging up the phone.

She sighed and set the phone down, and when she looked up, she gasped when seeing John standing in front of her. "Why are you in my room stalker?! You scared the hell out of me." She glared.

John stood there in shock for a second. The Echo who stood in front of him now wasn't the Echo he was used to.

"I thought we could talk, we haven't had a chance to catch up," he said walking into her room.

"I'm leaving so... no." She smirked and started to walk out the door but he grabbed me. She tried to pull away from him, but he had a tight grip on he arm. It kind of hurts.

"It won't take long," he said, releasing my arm.

She glared and rubbed her arm. "What is it that you want to talk about?"

"I know you know." And just like that, he picked up the photo of her parents. She reached for it and grabbed it out of his hand.

"That you're an ass, of course I know." She rolled her eyes.

"Stop pretending," he said harshly. "What do you think your Mother would say if she knew her daughters were in love with vampires?"

"Which mother," she seethed before turning around. and heading downstairs. She stormed down the stairs and out the door, slamming the door behind her harshly.

She looked down at her arm which John had grabbed, and saw the already showing bruise he had left. She poked it and then growled in anger at the thought of him. How dare he grab me like that!?

"Who did that?" A voice growled, causing her to look up at Damon who had his eyes narrowed.

She rolled her eyes. "John."

"I'm going to beat him," Damon snapped in anger, but Echo grabbed his arm, stopping him.

"It's fine," she told him.

"No it's not!" He snapped.

Echo turned him around to look at her. "He's not worth it. Plus, I'll get him back soon."

He looked at her for a few moments before sighing. "He's lucky but if he touches you again, I will kill him," he growled out, causing her to smile.

"Deal," Echo said with a smirk on her face as that approached the car.

She tried to hop in the front seat, but Damon beat her to it, and smirked. She put her hands on her hips and glared. "I'm older, I sit up front." He opened the door and quickly sat in the seat.

She narrowed her eyes, got in the back seat, and flicked him harshly on the back of his head. "Idjit."

"Ow!" He complained, turning around to glare at her. "And where do you get those ridiculous sayings?" She didn't say anything, but glared at him.

He grinned and reached for her, and patted her on the head. "Don't pout child." he teased. She slapped his hand away and tried to flick his head again, but he dodged her this time.

"You're both acting like children." Ric laughed, causing them both to glare at him.

"Are not," they said at the same time before looking at each other. "Shut up!" They both shouted at each other.

Ric continued on laughing while they both just pouted.

"THIS is the one here," Alaric said as the three of them walked towards the house. "The records show this was paid three months in advance."

As they stepped up to the door, Damon stopped. "This is where it gets tricky."

Echo scoffed. "Just for you."

Alaric turned to Damon. "Yeah, how does that work? You always have to be invited in?"

"Yep," Damon said before smirking. "By the owner or the person of entitlement. Short- term rentals and hotels are a bit of a grey area. You kind of gotta play it by the ear."

Damon walked over to the door, as Alaric spoke up, "Could we not kill anyone tonight, please?"

"I second that," Echo said as she walked over, and tried to use the door handle.

Damon turned to Alaric. "You mean, you just brought me along for my company?"

Alaric rolled his eyes, and then looked at Echo. "Door locked?"

Echo shook her head. "No it's not." She kicked the door harshly and it dented the frame which allowed her to push the door open easier.

Both her and Alaric stepped inside, and he said, "Doesn't look like anyone's home."

"Yeah. I'm good," Damon stated as he stepped inside. "No permanent residence, apparently."

The three of them walked through the house, and Damon opened the fridge only to see several blood bags.

"Uh, Ric, Echo, we have company."

Suddenly a vampire jumped at Ric, and Echo quickly tackled the vampire to the ground, and grabbed the stake Ric threw her before shoving it into the vampire's stomach. The vampire groaned in pain, and Echo pulled the vampire to his knees before throwing him to Damon's feet.

The vampire growled at Echo and tried to attack again, but Damon stepped in front of her, and pushed the vampire back to the ground.

"Okay, boys and girls, that' enough." Damon stepped closer to the vampire. "I know you."

The vampire looked at Damon and stood, smiling slightly. "Damon?"

"Your name is Henry. You were in the tomb."

Henry looked at Damon with raised eyebrows. "What are you doing here?"

"SO, how do you guys know John Gilbert?" Henry asked as he poured himself some blood.

Damon shrugged, and said, "Well, I've known him for years, he's a good friend. Echo here, known him her whole life."

Henry turned to Echo and smiled. "Really?"

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Yep, however I had no choice in the matter. So, how do you know the old man?"

"I met him right after I got out of the tomb. He's been helping me out."

"Helping you out how?" Alaric asked.

"Adapting. It's a whole new world — cars, computers. There's so much to learn. He helped me get this place."

"So, you live here alone, or is there someone else here." Damon interjected, glancing at Echo.

"That's my friend's very... passive-aggressive way of asking, uh, do you know a woman named Isobel?" Echo asked, getting straight to the point.

Henry shook his head. "Uh, no. No, I don't know an Isobel. I know John, he's my only real friend. He really showed me the ropes — how to use a microwave, separate my whites."

"So, what else do you do for dear old John?"

"I help keep an eye on things — you know, with the others."

"The others?" Damons asks confused.

"You know from the tomb. They're still pissed at the founding families for trying to burn them alive. I'm cool. I mean we all got off lucky compared to what they did to Mary and Emily. But those tomb boys, they want revenge."

"What does John want with them?" Alaric asked the vampire.

"He's just keeping an eye on them, you know? Trying to make sure they stay out of trouble."

Damon nodded. "Well, that's John. Heh. He's such a do-gooder. Isn't that right, sweetie?"

Echo glared at Damon momentarily before nodding. "Such a great guy. A real inspiration."

Suddenly the three of them turned to Henry as his phone started to ring "Heh. That's John now," he told them.

Damon stood from his seat and walked over. "Oh. Hey, let me talk to him."

"All right, yeah," Henry said, handing Damon the phone.

After a moment Damon still continued to let the phone ring, and Henry looked at him confused, asking, "Are you going to answer that?"

Damon looked over at Echo. "Am I gonna... answer that?"

"A world of no," Echo answered as Alaric shooks his head.

Henry started to panic. "What's going on?"

Damon turned to Echo and Alaric. "Do your thang."

Suddenly, Henry jumped at Echo, but she grabbed him, flipped him over her shoulder, and onto the table, and while she did that, Alaric staked him.

"Let's not kill anyone tonight," Damon said, looking at them. "Your words, just pointing that out."

ECHO and Damon walked back into the Salvatore house to see Elena writing in her diary as she sat in one of the chairs.

"Uh, you're still here?" Damon asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Were you expecting anything else?" Elena rhetorically asked.

Echo smiled, then crashed onto the couch putting her feet up. The moment she did that, Damon lifted up her feet, and placed them on his lap as he sat down.

"So how was the errand?" Elena asked, amused with them.

"Violent," Echo spoke the same time Damon said, "Futile. But we also witnessed the teacher having an existential crisis."

Echo looked at her sister. "Has Stefan eaten yet?"

"I think he's getting there. But he's got a lot of guilt that he has to deal with. And it doesn't help that Damon has spent the last 145 years punishing him for Katherine getting caught."

Damon raised an eyebrow and turned to Elena, saying, "This is my fault now."

"No, it's no one's fault, Damon. I'm just...I'm saying you're not exactly innocent."

Echo stopped them before either one could say anything else. "Damon, is it okay if I spend the night here?"

Damon frowned at her. "Why?"

She crossed her arms. "If I go home, I'm bound to put John in an early grave."

"You won't have to. I will," Damon said, smirking before nodding. "But, yeah. Stay. My place is your place, princess."

She glared at him. "Never call me that again."