Mystic Falls Loner Club - A Vampire Diaries Fic

Chapter 13: Revisiting the Past

KJ's POV

When I wake up, I can only see as far as my small mushroom light will allow. I rub my eyes and glance around my room, looking for any sign that Damon's still here. I see his boots next to my dresser and sigh, my shoulders slumping in relief. I yawn and check the time. '3:57 am'. At least it's a Saturday. I think to myself as I slide off the bed and make my way down the hall to the stairs.

I walk down to the kitchen and see Jeremy eating an apple, peeling it with a knife. "What brings you to the kitchen at this early hour, sir Gilbert?" I tease, sliding into the stool next to his. He turns to me and sets the apple on the table, cutting a piece before offering it to me. "Couldn't sleep. I guess you could say it's a guilty conscience." I take the piece he offers me and I take a small bite.

"Do you think you could keep a secret?" I ask, glancing up at him. "Yeah. Of course." I take a deep breath and focus on the apple in front of Jeremy. I mutter the Latin-ish words that regenerate food and the apple slowly becomes whole again. Jeremy's eyes look back and forth between me and the fruit until the spell is complete. "KJ, that's amazing. Wh-what are you, some kind of sorceress?" I laugh and get up from the island. "No, a witch."

Jeremy spins around in the chair as I take a bite. "For how long?" I shrug and say, "I've always had the power in me, I just needed to be 'awoken'. So since I was born, I guess." Jeremy nods and crosses his arms over his chest. "That's pretty dope." I smile and reply, "Thanks for not looking at me like I'm weird." He scoffs and answers, "Weird shit happens every day in Mystic Falls. Finding out my sister's best friend's cousin is a witch is the least of that." I laugh and make my way over to the counter, picking up the knife and cutting off the side I bit before handing it back to Jeremy.

"See you in the morning, Jer," I say before walking back up the stairs. When did Jeremy get low-key buff? I think. I make my way back to my room and finish eating the slice of apple I took. When I come back in, I see Damon sitting on the edge of my bed, still reading Everything, Everything. "Were you peeking around my room?" I ask, sitting behind him and peering over his shoulder. "No. Is there something you want me to find?" He asks, turning his face so we're almost eye to eye.

I sit back and tuck my legs under me. "Um, not that I can think of. Actually, there are things I don't want you to see in my room." He smirks and asks, "Like what? Your underwear?" I roll my eyes and throw a pillow at his face which he doesn't bother deflecting. "No dumb ass. Other things that are more personal. But putting away the topic of my undies, how are you feeling hunger-wise?" He presses his lips together and answers, "I don't think it would be wise for me to feed right now. I mean, you just recovered earlier today and I know Grams might've put some vervain in your system."

I nod and pull on the hem of my t-shirt. "You're probably right. She knows that I spend time with you too. I mean it's kinda obvious since Enzo came after me first then you... I don't think she knows that you're feeding on me... it's better to play it safe." Damon smiles and puts a bookmark in the binding of Everything, Everything before setting it on the edge of the bed. "KJ, there's something I haven't told you about me." I look up from his hands on my sheets and say, "What is it?" Damon looks toward the window and before I know it, he's off the bed and sitting in my window seat. "We met before you came to Mystic Falls."

I scrunch my eyebrows together and say, "I saw that you had a picture of me in your glove compartment. When you were fighting Enzo. I was looking for something to help me open the door, I think." Damon crosses his arms and looks out of the window. "You were never supposed to know. But Stefan said I either had to tell you or to stay out of your life." My breath hitches in my throat and I clutch the neck of my shirt. "KJ, I couldn't stay away from you. And I want you to know the full truth." Damon looks back to me and I lock my eyes with his icy blue ones.

"We first met back in Boston. I walked into a library, ready to bite into the woman at the front desk's neck. You asked me if there was a specific book I was looking for. We ended up sitting in a random aisle and talking until the library closed. I was in Boston because I was on a reckless feeding spree and as I'm about to kill someone, there you were. With those kind brown eyes and your willingness to help others. I wanted to just leave that day but I couldn't. I kept coming back to the library and you were there, doing work or reading a book or writing like I see you do now."

I slide off of the bed slowly and make my way to the window seat, sitting down softly across from Damon. His eyes followed me the whole way over here and I feel my face flush a little with the heat of his stare. "We weren't together. At least officially. It was more like casual dating. You were willing to do anything, go anywhere. You showed me around Boston and I saw your love for the city and for photography. You took so many pictures of us." He chuckles to himself and presses his knuckles to his mouth.

I scoot up on the cushion and place my hand on his arm. "So what? You had to leave so you compelled me to forget about you? Big deal, Damon. You could've done worse." I say, attempting to get him to look in my eyes. "KJ, you became dependent on us hanging out. Your parents got so concerned for you. They didn't know what was going on but they knew something was different about you. I didn't know how bad it was until I heard them yelling at you one night. And from then on, whenever they brought it up,  you defended me and protected me."

"You were giving up your time and effort. You stopped reading and studying and sleeping and writing because it took time away from being with me. You were coming home late and leaving early. It wasn't healthy for me to be with you. So I wiped your memory and left. It was so abrupt that your family didn't even get to meet me. All they knew was that you went back to what you were doing before me but you were doing it with no regard to yourself. You kept putting others before yourself..."

"And that's what led me to spiral. I blamed it on everyone around me because no one checked in on me but I started it. I stopped talking to people I knew when I became obsessed with you. All I wanted to do was just spend time with you and I made things worse for myself." I look out the window and run my tongue over my top teeth. "What did you do with the pictures I took of us?" Damon sighs before replying, "I burned all but one. It's in the-" "Glove compartment of your car." I cut in. "It's a picture that you took while we were in the library. And I was reading-" "Everything, Everything." He finishes for me. 

I get up from the window seat and walk over to my night table, picking up the book. "It was this exact copy I was reading when I met you and here you are, reading it like it was your first time." Damon gets up and is standing in front of me in an instant. "The reason I told you was because I realized how crazy this all is. In Boston, I never told you about being a vampire but I did tell you about the places I'd been to. It didn't feel right to sit here, lie to you, and have to eventually tell you the same story a second time. I just hope you can forgive me."

I feel my eyes water and I put the book down on the dresser. I curl my pointer finger over my top lip and the rest of my hand is a fist over my lips as I try to comprehend everything that Damon's told me. "I-I don't think I'm mad. I know you just told me everything but from what I'm getting. You tried to save me in Boston but even in my ignorance, I was stubborn and wouldn't listen. When I got here, you were automatically looking out and yes, you were lying to me but it's because you wanted to protect me." Damon doesn't move and I can feel his eyes on my face.

I move forward and wrap my arms around his midsection, resting my cheek on his t-shirt. "Thank you, Damon. And I'm not mad, I'm happy. If you were willing to erase my memory and leave Boston because you wanted me to go back to a "healthier" social life. And then come back into my life here in Mystic Falls and start over with me, it was worth all of those nights at the hospital if it meant I could come back to you." Damon's arms wrap around me and hug tight. I smile and shut my eyes, thinking about nothing other than being in the arms of someone who's truly wanted to be in my life since he met me.