I Will Always Find You...

Moving on...

"They're glowing? What do you mean they're glowing?" Damon searched for a reflective surface or something in which he could see his reflection, settling for the screen of his phone..."oh...yes they are" whipping his head round towards Melissa he curiously asks "What does this mean?"

"Relax Damon, it's very temporary...it's just a side effect of what I did to help you"

"I need some fresh clothes...look at me! I look like I was just raised from the dead"...he pauses for a moment and then continues, "Oh... right, and Melissa... I have something to say to you" he starts to make his way closer to her and both Stefan and Tom manoeuvre to intercept. They look at each other momentarily recognizing the awkwardness and uncanny behaviour they seem to share and Damon slows his advance giving them both a look of 'What the hell?' and they realise their mistake. Stefan speaks up and states "we thought you were angry or under the influence of...well the eyes, or whatever is making them glow...he looks away from Damon for a moment and checks out the looks on everyone else's faces...as he scans from one to the next he slowly says ..."sorry". No one seems to know quite what the right response is under these circumstances and so they opt for silence.

"Hmmm...as I was saying Melissa, that's twice you've saved me now, a man might get the wrong idea". He half smiled his charming smirk that could melt hearts or spell the end of someone. Melissa stared blankly at him; they held their gaze upon one another for a few seconds until Damon finished with a heartfelt "thank you". Melissa's mouth gave the slightest hint of a smile as she nodded her head acknowledging his gesture.

"We need to move again soon, I'm very weak right now, and if we're attacked again I won't be able to help anyone".

"Let's just get going now" says Caroline "we're too exposed here, we need a safe house, somewhere we can defend and somewhere that gives us time to rest".

"Ok then", said Damon, "Where shall we go? Home? I'd like to go home".

They all just turned and started to make their way to the door as if accepting Damon's suggestion as an order, no discussion, no debate, just obedience and compliance. Caroline and Stefan were the first to leave followed by Melissa and then Tom, Damon looked over at Blake, who hadn't moved from the spot at which she had re-entered their world. Her eyes were wide, her mouth closed and her breathing a little rapid, she remained quite still, frozen in place, only moving her head to follow Damon's movements. "You must be the delightful Blake", Damon said smiling and taking her hand, "You're gonna wanna come with us... I'm sure you have questions and they will all be answered when we get home".

Understandably, Blake was reluctant to move or go anywhere and Damon didn't have the time or energy to convince her so he resorted to the ever reliable persuasion of compulsion. Looking in her eyes and concentrating for a second he was a little surprised when she instantly complied with his wishes and followed the others out. For a moment Damon was the one left behind, standing there wondering what had just happened because he hadn't uttered a word, he had just thought about it. He took his phone from his pocket and looked at the screen again...'yep...still glowing' he thought to himself as he left the building and caught up with the others.

Once back at the house they made themselves comfortable, washed and changed as appropriate and everyone grabbed something to eat and drink. It was almost as if things were as they once were, simple, unencumbered and safe. "This is far more complicated than I first imagined it would be" said Melissa, engaging the group in a meeting about their next and subsequent moves. "This is far more than any of us were expecting I can assure you" replied Stefan in a semi sarcastic way. "What are we going to do? Everywhere we go, Silas' people turn up... we barely got away last time, and Damon almost died. Is he somehow still linked to one of us? How are we ever going to get the upper hand here, we're always two steps behind."

"Relax brother, I've got the mojo going on now" he slides down a pair of sunglasses he has been wearing to reveal his glowing eyes. Stefan's concerned look turns to one of disappointment as he looks at Damon and says "We don't have that either anymore, your eyes just went out". "What?!" Damon almost squealed as he raced to the mirror, "Damn" he sighed, I was starting to really rock that look. As he stood there admiring his reflection his eyes popped back to blue, "Hey, what do ya know? Huh...Stefan...look."

Stefan looked at Damon and then at Melissa... "What is going on with him?"

"For a short amount of time Damon has some influence over things much as a Chanul would, a diluted effect if you like as a result of the bond I formed to rid him of the wood poison that almost claimed his life. I honestly don't know how long its effect will last or to what extent. This is all new ground for me too."

"Damon", Stefan asks, "Do you feel ok?" "I feel great actually...re-charged" he responds flippantly.

"Well be cautious" Melissa warns, "It could all end quite suddenly, so don't take any unnecessary risks."

Damon pours himself a scotch and flops down on the couch next to Blake.

Melissa instructs everyone to remain inside the house and informs them that she is going to check the grounds. If it's all clear then she will shield the immediate area from anyone seeking to find them, giving the illusion of the property being abandoned even though they will be there, essentially making them invisible to outsiders in much the same way the Chanul stay undetected.

Caroline is extremely relieved to hear this, she hadn't realised the tension it was causing, but she realised she needed a break from it, some time to gather her thoughts and reflect on what had and is happening, some time to draw breath.

She happily made her way upstairs and fell onto the bed, letting out a big sigh as she did so. Stefan followed her, lying alongside, taking her in his arms and pulling her close. She eagerly gripped his arm and held it tight to her chest, her face resting gently on his hand. This is how Caroline liked to re-charge and Stefan took delight in offering her this comfort.

With Melissa now back in the house and the grounds secured everyone could take a moment to relax. Tom and Melissa were snuggling in a large armchair and Blake remained on the couch. No one had really noticed that there didn't seem to be a lot going on with her until Stefan and Caroline came back downstairs several hours later. Stefan asked Damon if Blake had eaten anything or had a drink but Damon was too busy checking out his reflection every few minutes to see if his eyes were glowing or not to really have noticed and he half-heartedly said "Uh....um...I don't know...I think so ...yeah. Ask her dude."

"She looks spaced out...Blake? Can you hear me? Is she compelled? Damon....did you compel her? What did you say to her?"

Holding his hands up he said "whoa...I didn't say anything to her...I swear." He can see Stefan's confusion and so decides to be a little more forthcoming, "I didn't have to say anything...I just thought it...and well...she complied, I didn't know it was going to last this long."

"Well un-think it Damon" "OK, I am unthinking it now"

Blake slowly came out of her dazed state and looked around at the others; she remembered most of what had happened immediately following her resurrection but not the mausoleum or who these people were. Melissa helped her understand what had happened and Caroline and Stefan remained in the background for now.

Tom suggested they come up with a plan, preferably one that involves more subtlety and defensive moves rather than offensive. Damon moved closer to Blake, feeling an unlikely attraction to her and sitting closer he smiled at her and was about to attempt some pleasant small talk when she looked him in the eye and said "There's something about you... something I don't like." Suddenly realising that what she said was quite rude and unpleasant, she apologised. "I'm so sorry; I don't know why I said that." Damon pursed his lips and nodding slowly he simply said "OK, don't worry about it" he then smiled awkwardly and continued "so... moving on...let's hear Tom's plan.