Beyond the Blood

Chapter Twelve

Autumn awoke to the sound of the bedroom door slamming back on its hinges and a worried voice calling her name. The voice wasn't instantly familiar to her in the groggy nature of her first wakening seconds, but the she realised that Stefan was stood in the doorway.

"Yeah?" she murmured, noticing as she sat up slightly that Damon was no longer lying in the indent in the other side of the bed.

"Are you alright?" Stefan asked coming a little closer, his mouth was a firm hard line and Autumn could see that he was already jumping to conclusions. In a way she could see where he was coming from; why else would she be lying in Damon's bed?

"Yes, I'm fine," she said sliding out of the bed and standing up on the wooden floor, she saw a momentary look of relief pass over Stefan's features as he realised she was still wearing the clothes of last night. Autumn didn't quite know how to feel about Stefan, armed with the knowledge that she learned last night. Did he know that she knew?

"Where's Elena?" Autumn asked warily.

"At your house," said Stefan quietly, "She knows"

"She knows?" Autumn asked stupidly, somehow thinking she was the only one who would be armed with this knowledge for a while.

"Yes, after the attack last night," said Stefan, "She started to put the pieces together, much like I'm sure you did. Except you were more obviously exposed to it. I felt it would be imprudent for you to know and have your sister still be in the dark,"

"Rather," Autumn said quietly, "Why are you here now then, why are you not with her?"

"She kicked me out," said Stefan, "Said she never wanted to see me again. She's feeling a little hysterical this morning, she's going spare about you so I suggest you get back before she starts a search party herself,"

"That seems a little odd for Elena," said Autumn

"I'm surprised that you're so calm," said Stefan offhandedly.

"We had a long time to talk last night," said Damon, suddenly appearing in the doorway behind his brother.

"So I see," said Stefan without moving from his spot.

"Oh get over yourself little brother," said Damon, sipping a cup of coffee that he had brought in with him, he had also made one for Autumn, "Nothing happened, and even it had done, it would be approximately none of your business"

Stefan didn't seem to be in the mood to argue, "Whatever, just get her home soon, she seems like she's going to be the one to talk to Elena,"

"Did you girlfriend not take it well?" asked Damon

Stefan didn't say anything, his lips just formed a thin line that gave away his answer. Autumn took a sip of coffee and smiled, Damon had put a shot of caramel syrup in it; how had he known that that was what she liked? Her mind drifted back to the thought of mind control but then remembered that Damon had promised he would never do that to her and relaxed. Maybe he drank the same.

"Now if you don't mind Stefan," drawled Damon lazily, "I would quite like to get ready if I'm to take Autumn home before a mob arrives at our door with torches and pitchforks,"

"Pretty sure that's ogres Damon" said Autumn looking across at him. Damon grinned and then shrugged as Stefan left the room with a huff.

"Urgh, moody teenagers," said Damon after he'd left and Autumn couldn't help but giggle. She sat on the bed as Damon got ready, disappearing round a corner into the bathroom to get dressed. Well at least dressed somewhat, he appeared back in the bedroom without a shirt on and she couldn't help but stare at the sculpted view in front of her. He, of course, noticed and smirked in her direction. That was the problem with Damon; he was attractive and he damn well knew it.

He took his time getting dressed, so she finished her coffee and got together her few things from the night before which she had left in the room she had started the night in.

"Ready?" asked Damon about five minutes later when he'd finished.

"Yes," she said, "But when we get back you better drop me off at the end of the street, don't want Elena trying to run out and set you on fire"

"I'd like to see her try," scoffed Damon, but when Autumn raised her eyebrow at him, he shrugged and nodded in agreement.

"What are you going to say to her?" asked Damon when they passed out of the hallway, ignoring Stefan's accusatory glances as they left.

"I have no idea," Autumn said, "In reality I have no idea why I'm so calm, let alone what I'm going to say to her. Surely I should be more like her?"

"Well I wasn't," said Damon as they drove down the driveway.

"Weren't what? Scared?" asked Autumn; this was something new, they hadn't really touched on Damon's past last night. They had mostly talked about what being a vampire meant for them now. Autumn knew he was old, but he hadn't really spoken of anything more than that.

"Not really," he said, "I was more intrigued – as you seem to be,"

"Who was it that told you?" Autumn asked and then twisted the word slightly, "Turned you?"

"That's a very long story again," he said looking across at her, "And one I'm not sure I want to tell. At the moment."

Autumn huffed very slightly, she thought they'd got passed all the secrets bullcrap last night, but as she thought about it she realised this guy was a vampire. Everything about him was secret. He had opened the door to his life a tiny chink for her last night; there was so much more to know, from him and about him.

They arrived at the end of her street and she got out, wondering what sort of volcanic eruption would be waiting for her behind the door of her house. Then again, knowing Elena she would probably be railing quietly to herself, wondering whether to grab her torch and pitchfork, or whether to get swept away by it all.

"I'll speak to you later," said Damon as she got out. The look in his eyes told Autumn that he would be speaking to her about his safety; were he and his brother safe to remain in this town with Elena around?

"Also, be careful about who you invite in," he said with a small smile, "You remember what that guy looked like last night?"

Autumn nodded slowly as Damon spoke again, "Just be careful"

"I will be," she said and turned towards the house. It was so nice that Damon cared about her enough to warn her; she knew part of it was self-preservation. As far as she was aware, she was the only one in this town who knew his secret and was not entirely freaked out by the prospect of it.

Something inside her was keeping her calm. She felt goosebumps rise on her skin from the sudden chill wind as she unlocked the front door of the house and went in.

"Elena?" she asked softly, "Where are you?"

"Autumn?" came a whispered voice from upstairs, "In your room,"

Part of her wanted to ask why her sister was not in her room, but she let it fly and taking the stairs very lightly she entered the bedroom. Elena was sat on the floor amidst loads of sheaves of paper, each detailed various things about vampires that she had clearly pulled off the internet. Some were fairly normal looking, other totally gruesome.

"Are you okay?" asked Autumn looking down at the mess

"Yeah," said Elena numbly, "I just don't know what to feel. What about you? Are you okay? He didn't..?"

Autumn wondered what she was getting at for a minute before she laughed at the realization, "Bite me? Hell no!"

Elena bit her lip at her Autumn's apparent confidence in the situation.

"Damon swore not to hurt me," Autumn said

"And you believed him?!" Elena asked, her eyes bugging out slightly.

"Well, I'm standing here aren't I?" asked Autumn sitting down next to her twin, "Why should I not have believed him?"

"Well he's… he's…" Elena struggled to say the word.

"I know," said Autumn, "And the world is a very different place today than it was last night. And yet somehow it seems to make more sense. Did you not feel it? That something was missing in the gaps of stories we were always told?"

"I guess," said Elena, "Doesn't make it any less terrifying. When Stefan told me it was all I could not to scream,"

"I nearly did," said Autumn, "I tried to run, but Damon kept me in the house until sunrise due to the new vampire in town."

"Stefan did mention something about that before I forcibly kicked him out," said Elena, "I just couldn't believe it,"

Autumn sat quietly for a moment before shrugging, "It's so difficult to explain all that Damon told me last night. I can't explain it to you without missing bits out, probably frightening you more,"

"Why are you so calm?" asked Elena, her voice ever so slightly tearful.

"I don't know," said Autumn, and she truly didn't. She couldn't quite place her finger on why she was okay with this.

"I think you should talk to Stefan," said Autumn and she heard Elena gasp in shock slightly.

"What?" her sister asked

"He can explain it much better than I can," said Autumn gently.

"Yes," said Elena, "But he's one of them"

"One of them?" Autumn repeated, "What does that even mean? Have we drawn sides already?"

Elena faltered slightly, having realised what she just said, "I guess not,"

"I can't be an oracle on this, but I spoke to Damon last night and he was exactly the same," Autumn said, "If you're prepared to be calm with Stefan, I'm sure he can be… at least partially… honest with you,"

Elena nodded slowly, as to herself before speaking, "Thank you, I think I'll ask to meet him. But somewhere public. I don't care what you say Autumn, this is totally messed up and actually really terrifying. My head is an utter mess,"

Autumn agreed, "But I think we have to say one thing..."

"Don't breathe a word of it to Jeremy?" asked Elena

"You read my mind," said Autumn before getting to her feet, "I'm going to have a rest now. My head is aching something fierce and I was up most of the night. If you want anything though, just come by"

Elena smiled, "I think I'll be okay, we'll talk later,"

Autumn nodded and made to leave the room, she turned back at the doorway and nodded to her sister. She seemed more settled than when she had first walked in, she was looking at the paper in front of her, but she had begun to gather it up.

Autumn's head throbbed and she turned to leave to the cool and solitude of her own room. She was suddenly very tired and she couldn't wait for the sweet oblivion of sleep.

"More research?" came a slightly mocking voice from the other side of the room. Damon paid his little brother no attention as he gazed at the page of a very old book that he'd found on one his shelves.

"You really are interested in this girl aren't you?" Stefan persisted as he walked around his elder brother and looked down at him.

"Something happened last night," said Damon shortly, his eyes not moving from the page.

"Elaborate?" asked Stefan

"She touched iron and collapsed," Damon said, finally looking up at his brother.

"Iron?" asked Stefan his face confused, "How do you mean?"

"In the same way vervain fells us," Damon said, "Except not as long lasting, but just as devastating,"

"I've only ever heard of that in folk talkes before, relating to –

"-precisely," said Damon cutting him off, "Hence the book. I picked this up in New Orleans in the 40's, when I was really interested in finding out everything I could. Some old crone gave it to me in return for a vial of my blood; she said it contained mysteries that even I in my eternal life would never experience,"

"But she was wrong," breathed Stefan, his eyes wide at the momentous idea that had just been voiced.

"But I need to go see Bree," said Damon, "She'll know,"

"Are you going to take Autumn?" asked Stefan

"Yeah she needs to come too," said Damon, "I think she's just as perplexed as I am. Part of me excited by the prospect, part of me utterly terrified,"

"So you think it could be true?" asked Stefan

"I've got know other bright ideas," said Damon, "And last night, when I was telling her about us, her ultimate willingness to believe, to accept… I don't know. Maybe something in her is telling her that the extra-ordinary, the super natural, is okay"

Stefan nodded, his lips tight and his brow furrowed in thought.

"When will you go?" he asked. Damon shrugged and made to reply but was interrupted by the sound of a slamming door, and the sound of a speeding vampire. He stood up and he could feel every muscle in his body prepare itself for a fight, he didn't need to look across at his brother to know that he had done the same.

The sound sped across the upstairs hallway, and then down the stairs. He was trying to lay eyes on whoever it was that was running circles around them before a loud 'oof!' drew his attention to his side. His brother was flat on his back with a very attractive blonde lying on top of him.

"Lexi?" came Stefan's voice before he burst out laughing.

Damon relaxed, rolled his eyes and picked his book up off the floor. These two would be reminiscing for hours; he would go somewhere else to finish formulating his plan. He also needed to speak to Autumn about the Elena situation.