Brave (Damon Salvatore x OC)

Family is complicated.

Ember wakes up and hears a strange noise. She slips out of bed and moves to the hallway. Just as she passes Elena's door it eases open, and her twin looks out with cautious eyes.

"Did you hear something?" Elena whispers and Ember nods.

"Hello? Jeremy? Hello?" Ember calls. When there's no answer the two move slowly towards the staircase.

Elena tries to turn on the living room light, but the bulb is blown.  The living room TV is on, and the news is playing.

"This is Logan Fell coming to you live from the streets of Mystic Falls with breaking news of another deadly animal attack. The wild animal terrorizing the citizens of Mystic Falls has claimed another victim, local high school student Elena Gilbert. Police are certain that forensic evidence will confirm that this is the same animal responsible for recent attacks."

Ember and Elena exchange confused looks. "You know what's coming next." says a voice out of the dark and they turn to the back door where Damon Salvatore is standing. They both run for the front door, Ember knows with everything in her that she has to get Elena to safety. 

El opens the front door, but Damon is standing in the doorway, and she slams it shut immediately.  Ember looks over her shoulder to where another Damon is standing in the dining room watching her. She moves a trembling Elena behind her and slowly walks towards the stairs dragging her behind and making sure she is between the two. She glances back to Elena who is shaking but when she glances back to Damon he is gone. "El, run!" She whispers and they turn to run up the stairs but suddenly Damon is there, he grabs Elena and there is something wrong with his eyes as he savagely bites her neck.

Ember jerks awake in her bed breathing like she has run a marathon. Half a second later Elena busts into her room. "Em! Are you ok?" She asks frantically. Ember bursts into tears and Elena wraps her in her arms shushing her while stroking her hair.

Across town at the Salvatore boarding house Stefan wakes up in his bedroom.

"Ahh! Bad dream?" Damon taunts from the desk. "Do you know how easy it was to get into your head just now? You really need some human blood. It might even the playing field." He chuckles to himself. "Football reference. Too soon?"

Stefan vamp speeds across the room and picks up a knife that he throws at Damon, hitting him in the stomach. Damon gives him a look and then stands up and pulls it out.

"All right, I deserved that." He admits. "But I just wanted to let you know, they caught the culprit." Stefan gives him a confused look. "The animal responsible for killing coach Tanner and all those people."

"What are you talking about?" Stefan demands.

"It was a mountain lion. Really big one. It attacked a hunter this morning. It's all over the news." He smirks. "Deadly beast captured. All's well in Mystic Falls."

"Why would you cover your tracks?" Stefan wonders.

Damon smiles mysteriously. "I've decided to stay a while. And I'm just having way too much fun here with you and Elena. And especially Ember."

"You can't touch her now." Stefan objects. Damon being pissed last night that he couldn't compel Ember because of the vervain bracelet had been what had set him off and prompted him to kill Tanner.

Damon shrugs. "Well, the vervain keeps me out of her head. Maybe that's not my target." He leers slightly. "Believe it or not, Stefan, some girls don't need my persuasion. Some girls just can't resist my good looks, my style and my charm and my unflinching ability to listen to Taylor Swift." As he talks, he walks towards Stefan and suddenly stabs him in the stomach. It clearly hurts Stefan more than it did Damon and Stefan falls to the floor.