I hadn't found Damon but I had found a Stefan who was quite possibly related, not that they looked it.
He would be my key to finding Damon.
Now I just needed to find where he lived.

Asking for an address book, a fair skinned girl sent me to a cute little café in the middle of town. The 'Mystic Grill' greeted me, followed by the intense aroma of coffee. At the back of the bustling little cafe was an address book that looked older than me. It was dated early 2000's but its musty, yellowed pages were creased from overuse.

Scrolling to the S section, there was only one name under Salvatore and that was a Zach.
Even at my age, I was no match for three Salvatore vampires. He lived at The Salvatore Boarding House, which was of no help to me so I asked a lovely, elderly man for directions. His directions lead me to a secluded estate in the woods. I half expected the weather to turn bad as I approached the gates, passing the marble and brass plaque.

Coming to a stop on the gravel, I dismounted my bike. The driveway twisted in a loop around a beautifully maintained garden.
A very familiar Camaro was parked near the front entrance, its paintwork shining.
He was definitely here.
I walked across the path towards the behemoth wooden door, my shoes sinking in as the gravel stones moved under my feet.
Stepping onto the front porch, the awning let me escape the afternoon sun. I lifted my arm, ready to rap the smooth surface with my knuckles when it moved away from my hand.

"Valerie Winter." His blue eyes were glowing with enjoyment, making it very tempting to slash his tyres when it came time to leave.

"Damon Saviour." An old joke; he was anything but. He nodded in gratitude before inviting me in. I'm sure nothing pleased him more than me saying that.

Sure, the outside of the house was nice, but the inside was just as beautiful. He would never know this though, but I was impressed. The magnificent arches reached up to meet the ceilings with shelving just as high, housing leather bound books as old as time. The stained wooden floors stretched around the corner to a hall that didn't seem to end. Stairs rose to the second floor to my right. It was as if I had taken a step back in time.
Damon walked ahead of me, leading me straight to Stefan who stood in the parlour of the house. His arms were folded tightly, making me consider the threat of an ambush. A small ottoman stood between me and him.

"I would introduce you two, but you did that all by yourselves," Damon said smugly. He picked up a pitcher of what smelled like Bourbon and poured two glasses. Once filled, he gestured one to me.
I politely refused the offer, making his face contort as he remembered,

"That's right! You don't drink alcohol."

He would just drink it once he finished his so I didn't feel rude in declining.

"Damon, do you know her?" Stefan coldly interrupted his brother's drinking.

"Before I came back to Mystic Falls, I ran into her at a coffee club." He shrugged his shoulders and took another swig of the bourbon. It agitated me that he stopped there. It made me sound like a lovestruck stalker.

"How about you tell Stefan the other part, Damon," I asked, teeth clenched.

"Are there any other parts?" He responded, tilting his head with a devilish grin.
Stefan's hazel eyes darted from Damon to me.

"Several." I didn't want to play his games anymore.

Stefan groaned, "What did Damon do?" He stared at Damon, obviously annoyed with his brother.
"He damaged my ring and kept what he broke."
"I saw you wearing it at school." Stefan had seen it then. Yet another blunder on my part. The years of isolation had made me rusty. Bonnie hadn't known any better, but Stefan figured me out because of my mistake. My third might very well be my last.

"It's the part of my ring he didn't break. I don't know what he did with the rest."

"I melted it down." I didn't know whether it was a ploy to keep it to himself but he had me fuming, his cheeky grin becoming the icing on the cake.

"You did what?" I asked calmly, holding in the anger.

"I needed the metal."

"Go find your own metal then. This ring is a gift from my brother!"

He chuffed,
"Well, it's a bit late," he said, swigging his bourbon. The non- caring bravado act was the final straw. I clenched my jaw.
I no longer wanting to fight the anger. I wanted to embrace it.

Before he knew what hit him, I was there, his throat clasped in my hand. I tensed my fingers, tightening the grip.
"Just kidding," he wheezed, "no need to get rough."
I wasn't going to let go just because he was 'just kidding.' He was going to have to think a little harder than that. I felt the pulsing in my head, the ache in my eyes as the beast emerged, fangs bared in rage, ready to play.

"I might look like an innocent school girl, but I can still rip you apart."

"Valerie," Stefan commanded.

"Yeah, Valerie," Damon added.

I hissed my response before squeezing my fingers tighter, feeling his pulse thump against them. His breath gargled in his throat, his face turning a nice shade of red.

"Valerie, please. I will deal with him." I groaned, dropping him.
Damon fell to the floor gasping. My features relaxed as they reverted to normal, my fangs sinking back into my gums.
At this point, had it been my brother, I know I would have been trying to help him but Stefan just stood there.

"Why is the ring so important?" He asked, still watching Damon.

"Family heirloom. It also helps me walk in the day." Damon jumped back up, scowling at me intensely.

"That hurt," he said, a nerve in his neck twitching, cold blue eyes intently on mine.
Stefan interrupted our glaring contest,

"You said it was your brother's. Where is he?"

"He gave it to me before they got him."

He narrowed his eyes, "Who got him?"

"The humans."

                                                                                           ∞

"Okay, let me get this straight. The humans got your brother back in..."

"1932," I answered.

"And you are desperately searching for his body?" Damon asked.

"He's not dead."
He scoffed, tempting me to grab him again.

"How do you know?" Stefan asked.

"17 people were massacred in cold blood. They locked him in a crypt that has remained hidden since."

"He sounds like bit of a ripper." Damon said under his breath, glancing at Stefan.

"He didn't kill them. He was wrongly accused."

"Fine! We'll help you." Damon suddenly said aloud. It caught me off guard, mostly because I wasn't asking for it. I started to shake my head.

"And," he said loudly, "we'll let you stay here because I know you probably don't have anywhere." He cocked an eyebrow.

"So you can stake me? No, thank you. I'll get a motel."

"I wouldn't do that if i were you. More people are aware of vampires than you realise," he retorted. I wondered whose fault that was.

There had been a spike of 'animal attacks' happening in Mystic Falls recently. They were whispering it in Lynchburg; how the beasts of the night had returned. I figured the vampire could lead me to Damon. Now it was seeming that Damon was the vampire.

"Regardless of your choice, you're welcome to stay, and we won't stake you," Stefan finally said.

"Promise?"

"We promise," Stefan assured. Damon had nothing to say on the matter. He was about as trustworthy as a snake after all.

I thought long and hard before accepting their offer. I wasn't sure how long I could last in the same house as Damon anyway, but I figured there were worse options. The fact I didn't actually have anywhere to stay would be my undoing. Lynchburg had a hidden society of vampire hunters, and they checked newcomers first. If Mystic Falls had a similar society, they wouldn't take too kindly to me living in one of their motel suites.
Besides, I knew I could handle Damon as long as he didn't poison me.

As the sun fell below the tree line, Stefan ushered me to a room upstairs.
That room was just as splendid as the rest of the house. Way better than any motel rooms Mystic Falls would ever grace me with.
The burgundy coloured carpet stretched along the floor to the large bed in the middle of the room. It gloated its antiquity as it's four posts reached up to the high ceiling, silk sheets cascading back to the ground. The stained wood held intricate patterns which were etched into it's smooth surface. A red duvet rested upon the mattress, holding back a wave of pillows. It was flanked by matching bedside tables; the perfect set.

"You can stay in this room," Stefan said, shutting the curtains on the large, arched window. A beautiful mirror hung adjacent to me; the glass delicately protected by a golden border.

"It used to be Zach's but he's no longer here." I didn't bother to ask for details. He hadn't come to greet me back in the parlour so I presumed he had met an ill fate. Living for as long as I had, I knew how much of a bitch time was.

"So are you continuing with the school charade?"

"Might as well. Just until Damon gives me what I want."

He turned to leave.

"I meant what I said, Stefan. I just want to find my brother then leave."