Brave (Damon Salvatore x OC)

Down

Damon revives tied up to a tree with ropes soaked in vervain around his neck, waist, and feet. His attacker crouches over a campfire roasting something over a spit while Damon struggles against the ropes with a hiss of pain.

"Something botherin' you?" The hunter asks.

"Would you believe me if I said mosquitoes?" Damon snarks.

"Aye, I would." He takes a bite of his food. "How does it feel when a relentless eating machine is draining the blood from your veins?"

"Itchy." Damon rolls his eyes.?

"Your friends from Mystic Falls think you're funny, Damon?" The hunter wonders.

Damon considers him, "You obviously know who I am and where I'm from. Have you been spying on me?"

"Aye, I have." He gets up. "You and Stefan, your sweet little healer Ember. Elena, your witch friend Bonnie. Do you need her to cast the spell written on your pal, Jeremy's hunter's mark?" He sits down closer. "The tattoo that looks exactly like this?"

Damon looks at Vaughn's tattoo. "You wanna know something, just ask."

"I've been killing vampires my entire life. Still, this thing refused to reveal itself to me. That was, until three days ago and it just magically completed for no apparent reason." He pulls back his sleeve to show more of the tattoo.

"Come on, man. Do I look like I know anything about tattoos? Look at my skin. It's flawless." Damon mocks.

"Ah! You're not taking me seriously." He stands up and walks closer to Damon rotating a pointy skewer from the fire. "I don't blame ya. You don't know me." He puts the stick to Damon's neck. "So let me introduce myself." He stabs Damon's neck with it. "My name is Galen Vaughn, and I've watched enough to know the witch feels everything you do, so you'd better start talkin'."

..............................

Shane, Bonnie, Ember, Jeremy, and Massak are walking towards the cave entrance, Shane leading the way. Inside, they reach the hole they have to climb down into. Ember looks pale and clammy from the echoes of Damon's pain and Bonnie is having to help support her weight.

"This is as far as I go." Massak insists.

"We're on the brink of a monumental event in human history. We're going to raise the most powerful immortal creature that ever was. Come on, our work's not done yet." Shane cajoles.

"Mine is. You said get the kid and the witches. I did. I wanna get paid now." Massak argues.

Shane opens his bag and pulls out the tombstone. He walks over and hands it to Massak. Massak looks over at Bonnie, Ember and Jeremy. "I'll say a prayer for your souls."

Bonnie turns to Shane. "That's what the tombstone was for? To pay off a mercenary?" She demands angrily.

Shane shrugs. "The core of that tombstone is made up of Qetsiyah's calcified blood. In some witch circles, that stone's more valuable than the Hope Diamond. So...so who wants to go down first?"

...................................

On the beach of the island, Rebekah is raising her cellphone in the air but still can't get a signal and gives up. Elena and Stefan are sitting and talking.

"Caroline and Tyler found the sword and are trying to translate it now that we don't have Jeremy or Shane to lead us to the cure." Elena explains her conversation with Caroline who she had just spoken to.

Stefan nods. "We just have to hope they can find something."

Elena sighs sadly. "And once again, everyone's life is in danger looking for this cure because poor Elena can't deal with being a vampire."