chapter 10

What if I lose it all?
Oh sister, I will help you out
Oh, if the sky comes falling down
For you
There's nothing in this world I wouldn't do

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Jade ran.

The word ran is perhaps a slight understatement. She sprinted as much as she had strength in her legs, not worrying about the car since she was already in the woods anyway. After a quick and succinct conversation with Stefan, Jade threw in a quick goodbye to Katherine, to which she responded with a small 'good luck' and a few tricks in fighting werewolves. Aim for the heart, heh, had the situation been different, Jade would have even laughed. She couldn't count how many times she had heard that from Marcel during their training sessions. He taught her how to fight supernaturals and she had no idea. She was grateful, because if she was going to be useless now, she'd rather someone ripped her heart out right away.

Jade continued to run, every few moments sneaking glances at her phone with a pulsing point on the map, she was close, she should see Stefan somewhere soon. Stupid vampire and his stupid super speed. This was the umpteenth time Jade envied the supernatural.

Jade slowed down and took one last glance at the map on her phone. She was on the spot. She came to a complete stop and tucked her hair behind her ears. She strained her hearing, trying to pinpoint where the enemy base was. She heard a few voices, and the word 'vampire' rang in her ears a few times. Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder.

In reflex, she grabbed the attacker by the wrist and twisted in the opposite direction, quickly hooking him by the ankles, resulting in him falling to the ground, his twisted arm still in Jade's grasp.

"Jade, it's me!" A familiar voice resounded, slightly muffled by the grass. Jade contorted her face, leaning slightly toward the man. After recognizing his funny hair, she pushed his crooked arm away with an annoyed huff.

"Why the fuck would you sneak up on me like that? Have you met me?" Jade spat angrily, glaring at the vampire.

"Sorry. I forgot you're... well, um, you." Stefan breathed, lifting himself off the ground. Jade was about to roll her eyes, when she spotted another figure standing behind the vampire.

"Lockwood?" She croaked, her eyes narrowed into slits. Tyler formed his lips in a tight line. "Leverage?" She side-eyed Stefan, who gave her a look that answered her question. She nodded, staring straight into the young werewolf eyes.

"Listen, Lockwood." She hissed, slowly aproaching him. "They're so hellbent on keeping you alive." She said with a soft chuckle that lacked any humour, taking a halt when she was right before him. "Well, I'm not." She spat, and he snapped his gaze to her with raised eyebrows. "You're the one that crashed the car with Caroline in it. You're the one that almost killed her when you transitioned. I had to literally threaten her to drag her ass out of that cave of yours. And then she screamed at me, because she didn't want you to struggle alone. Because she still somehow wanted to be your friend. The saviour of the broken, my little sister." She said, piercing her blue eyes right through his dark ones. She inched a little closer to him, her voice low and full on threatning. "So I kindly advise you to make the right decision tonight." She stayed like that for a few seconds, letting the words sink in. After reading on his face that he understood, she backed off.

"So! Let's turn into animal control." She clasped her hands with a smile, ignoring the look Tyler gave her.

"We are not killing anyone, unless they provoke us." Stefan said firmly, to which Jade let out a huff. "Besides, are you sure you're up for this? I called you because I know you would kill me If I didn't. But are you abolutely sure you're up for this?" Stefan asked softly.

"I will show you how sure I am in a second. Hopefully with some dog fur under my nails." She said, getting slighly annoyed. "It's my sister, Salvatore."

"I know." He sighed. He took a quick glance at the Lockwood and back to Jade. "Have you killed before?" Stefan asked in a low voice.

Jade smirked, cocking her head to the direction of the voice she was hearing earlier. "Let's save the damsel." She said, already walking away. Stefan sighed and grabbed Tyler by his arm and followed her.

They walked like this for a short time, Jade watching Lockwood's every move, not trusting him. After a few minutes of silent walking, they heard a voice.

"I know you're out there!" A woman's voice echoed through the forest. Jade and Stefan exchanged glances and, after a quick, wordless conversation, made their presence known to the female werewolf.

"Where's Caroline, you bitch?" Jade tilted her head to the side, scanning the woman and her surroundings for any weapons. There were several metal pipes lying around, perfect for bashing heads. Few larger branches were mowing through the forest floor, and she had already picked her favorite one, right next to her left leg. It would be perfect for jamming into someone's heart. Oh, and let's not forget the dagger she had hidden in her combat boots. She was very grateful to have it that day, she started carrying it ever since she learned about the supernatural world. When she had boots, not stilettos, of course. When she had stilettos, she wore it in the elastic band of her bra. What? It had a cover, duh.

"Locked up tight." Jules answered, crossing her arms over her chest. Jade narrowed her eyes, fumes spitting out of them.

"Let her go and I'll release Tyler over here." Stefan chimed in, pointing his head towards the werewolf. "Doesn't have to get any messier than it already has. I'm not your enemy, Jules."

Jade gathered all her willpower to not roll her eyes. They just killed a member of their pack. What did they expect? She had all her information from Twilight and even she knew how much a werewolf pack depends on each other, treating each other even closer than family. They are literally their enemies. But sugarcoating was necessary in their current situation.

"It's a little late to be waving a white flag, don't you think?" Jules asked, one of her eyebrow twitching. Jade could agree to that. But taking Caroline as their hostage was a wrong move.

Stefan stared at her with such malicious expression on his face, that Jade was impressed. "You need to leave town. No one else have to get hurt."

"I'm not leaving without Tyler." Jules countered, and Jade look up at the night sky in evaporation.

"Oh, for the love of God." Jade muttered to herself. "Give us Caroline, and the mutt over here would be free to do whatever he pleases. Simple as that." She said, theatrically twisting her hands.

"Who the hell even are you?" Jules grimaced, raising her eyebrows.

"That's for me to know━"

"━And for you to dot, dot, dot." A familiar voice resounded behind her and she sighed, her eyes closed. What the hell was he doing here? When she felt his presence next to her, she opened her eyes slightly and scanned him with suspicious gaze. She lifted one of her eyebrows in a silent question.

"First step at making peace." Damon said in a low voice, smirking slightly at Jade. She locked her gaze with him for a quick second, and turned her head back to the woman, a small smile creeping on her lips.

Damon didn't notice her expression and turned to his brother. "My brother, the eternal peacemaker. Since he got here first, I'll try his way, before I resort to my━and I have a feeling Harley's too━way, which is a little bit bloodier." He said, cocking his head to the side and smirking down at the short blonde woman, to which she let out her own smirk. Oh, she would enjoy this, he had no idea. "So, give us Caroline." He finished, locking his gaze with Jules. Jade looked up at him with a slight surprise at his tone. He was actually meaning it. She was curious if it was all an act to get into her good graces, if the Gilbert girl urged him to do this, or was he actually sincere.

"Let go of Tyler."

"Give us Caroline. Without full moon it's not an even fight, and you know it. We will take you."

Damon gave Jade a weird look, which she didn't quite understand. Was he worried about her? He was so perplexing. But when she thought about it, she was an only human there, she should be more concerned for her safety. But she wasn't. If she was supposed to die in her sister's name, so be it.

"I'm not so sure about that, tough guy." She said knowingly, and began to whistle loudly, looking somewhere in the distance. Jade raised an eyebrow when she started to see a bunch of werewolves coming out of the shadows. Splendid.

"Is that a fucking flamethrower? I want a flamethrower." Jade mumbled, staring at one of the men with a whole ass gas cylinder in his hand.

"When's your birthday?" Damon muttered next to her, also eyeing the guy. Jade snorted in response.

"Let's try this again. Give us Tyler." Jules demanded, crossing her arms. There were at least twenty werewolves surrounding them, most of them armed. Jade exchanged a look with the vampires and then turned to the Lockwood boy. "You heard your master. Get over there." She muttered with a pointed look. Tyler hesitantly did as he was told, slowly walking over to the woman.

"Which one of you killed Mason?" One of the guys questioned, his gaze spoke nothing than murder.

After a few seconds of awkward silence, Jade decided to try something.

"What?!" She shrieked, her eyes widening and she covered her mouth with her hand. The vampires snapped their gazes to her, and she subtly gave them a look that she had a plan. There were too many of them. Time to put those manipulating skills to work.

"He━he's dead?" She breathed, her eyes filling with tears.

"What the hell are you talking about? Yes, he's dead." The guy grimaced in confusion.

"But that's not... I just talked to him a while ago... I thought he left to some tropical island, as he always did." She cried and collapsed to the floor, a quiet sob escaping her lips. C'mon tough guy, I know you wanna buy it. The vampires gave her an amused look, understanding what she was doing.

"Who the hell is this woman?" Jules asked bewildered Tyler. He blinked few times, his eyes not leaving the sobbing blonde. "That's Jade Forbes... She's Caroline's sister and... A childhood friend of Mason's." He spoke lowly. "Jade, you didn't know?" He asked, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Of course not! You think I would side with them if I did?!" She cried, her loud voice muffling the two vampires quietly pulling hearts of the nearest werewolves. "Oh, no... Masey..." She sobbed louder now, making them focus their attention on her. Masey? What's wrong with you, Forbes?

"Okay, no need to cry... It's gonna be okay. We will have our revenge on them." One of the werewolves next to her soothed. That was so easy, almost pathetic. She took a quick glance at her surroundings, locking her eyes with Damon's. He gave her a subtle nod. She sighed. "Yes, we will." She muttered and swiftly pulled a dagger from her boot, quickly spinning in place and thrusting it into his neck.

All hell broke loose after that.

The two vampires continued their murders, only less stealthily. With a few minutes of distraction from Jade, they got rid of a handful of werewolves, although there were still plenty left. Jade pulled the dagger from the man's neck and slit his throat in one firm motion. After that, she kicked him in the knees and, as he fell back, she slit his nape and ripped his head from his shoulders with all her strength.

Before she had time to enjoy the fact that she was capable of literally ripping someone's head off, she felt someone pulling her back by the hair. She turned around and grabbed the streched out arm, digging her nails into the werewolves skin, piercing it. The girl let out a pained hiss and her grip on her hair tightened and Jade felt like her scalp was about to break off. Despite her best efforts, the werewolf finally overpowered her, throwing her to the ground.

Just when the girl thought she had won, holding Jade tightly by the throat, Jade grabbed a branch lying next to her and rammed it into the werewolf's ribs. With a quick movement, she threw the unconscious body off her and scanned what was happening around her. Damon was busy ripping out hearts, and Stefan was dancing with the flamethrower guy. This was her moment to get into that damned trailer.

As she clutched the trailer door, someone grabbed her by her jacket and threw her against the side of the vehicle, slamming her face into the metal, resulting in a broken nose. "Oh, you motherfucker." She whispered to herself, wiping the flowing blood with her sleeve. She pushed herself off the metal wall, noticing a pipe laying next to it. The werewolf tilted his head, urging her to make the first move. She quickly bent down and picked up the pipe from under the trailer, and in one motion smashed his knee.

The werewolf threw himself at her, his hands reaching for her throat, and his snarling howl echoed through the forest. Jade reacted quickly, avoiding his grasp by leaning back. He whipped out a knife and lunged forward, slashing her stomach. She screamed in pain, but quickly regained her composure, her grip on the pipe tightening. She let out a fierce growl and swung the pipe, aiming for the werewolf's head, sending him to the ground.

She repeated the action a couple of times, and when she finished, only pieces were left of his skull, and Jade's entire body was covered with his blood, mixed with hers. "Take that, you fucker." She muttered and spat out blood that was filling her mouth.

She returned to her original task and ran into the trailer. However, someone preceded her, namely the young Lockwood. She heard her sister's screams, but couldn't see her, the werewolf blocked all her visibility.

"Tyler? Tyler, what are you waiting for? Get the fucking latch!" Caroline screamed, but the werewolf done nothing, having a visible battle within himself.

Jade waited few moments, waiting for his decision. When he stood in place, she flew into a rage, pushing Tyler aside with a strength she didn't know she possessed. She held him by the throat and practically snarled into his face. "I don't think we understood each other back there. This was your time for decision making. You failed." And with that said, she banged his head against the trailer's wall and threw him out with a kick into his chest.

"Jade? What━"

"Shut up. Where's that fucking latch?" Jade interrupted her and clutched the bars Caroline was behind. Her clothes were stained with blood, and she had bullet residue on her forehead. Jade felt like killing them all, leaving only one, probably that bitchy Jules, to know that it was all her fault, the death of each of her puppy friends.

Caroline pointed with huge eyes to the latch near the ground, her hand shaking from the experienced pain and fear that pierced her body. As Jade worked on the handle, Caroline did a quick scan of her sister, who looked like she had been lifted vividly from some horror movie, like Carrie White when they poured pig's blood on her during her crowning as prom queen. Her long, usually blonde, hair was now mostly red, the ends clumped together in pointy, sticky ends, blood dripping from it and soiling her shirt. Her belly was completely red, and Caroline wondered if it was someone else's blood, or hers. She won't even dwell on her face, her nose was visibly broken, crimson liquid was flowing from her nostrils to her mouth, her teeth filled with it.

"Okay, got it." Jade breathed and clutched the bars again, clasping her feet against the ground, and pulling the cage door up. Tensing her abdomen at this simple action, she felt the skin on it ripple. Clenching her jaw, she pushed off once more and opened the cage door. "Okay, get the fuck out, now!" She yelled, and Caroline quickly scrumbled into her feet, sliding on the floor through the small opening. Jade let go of the heavy door and wiped the still flowing blood on her face with her sleeve and clutched her stomach, quickly following her sister outside.

As she stepped outside the trailer door, she heard a loud gunshot, and turning to her right, she saw Jules holding a gun to Caroline's head. Yet before Jade could do anything, she felt someone grab her by the throat and press himself against her body, feeling some cold metal instead of a hand on her neck. A knife, awesome. Jade had already come up with at least five plans to get out of the situation, such as pulling her own knife out of her sleeve, but she looked at her sister again and thought that it was unlikely the bullets in Jules' gun were made of metal.

Jade locked her gaze with Lockwood, noting the guilt in his gaze, but she didn't care. He had a choice. He chose poorly. That moment showed more about his persona than it might have seemed. He was crossed out. Jade only hopes Caroline saw the same thing. He didn't deserve her, he didn't deserve any of her help and sympathy. He didn't deserve anything. He may be new to all of this, finding out that vampires killed your uncle would mess with anyone's head, but judging someone just because they are no longer human is not an excuse. Caroline has been by his side every step of the way in his taming of the supernatural, and he turned his back on her when she needed him most.

Jade began to feel the effects of her blood loss, exhaustion began to take its toll, and the fact that she was still standing straight was mainly because a werewolf was holding her tight. Her vision began to blur a bit, but she didn't let her eyes close. She felt the blood from her slashed stomach dripping down, sticking her pants to her legs. With each lick of her lips, she could taste her blood, mixed with that from that guy's brain. Ew.

After a few moments, each opponent began to emit painful groans, grabbing their heads and contorting their faces. Jade felt her tormentor leave her body and momentarily stumbled backward, resting her body weight on the trailer, refusing to let herself fall to the ground. That would be embarrassing.

"What's happening?" Caroline breathed, pushing herself off the trailer wall.

"Hangover, I suppose." Jade murmured, side-eying her sister with one of her eyebrows raised. But before Caroline could retort, Jade fixed her gaze at a man emerging from the shadows, expanding his hands, obviously being the one busting the werewolves' heads off. Oh, how she would want to be able to do that.

"Elijah made a promise to Elena. I'm here to see if it's upheld. You need to go." The darkskinned man said authoritatively. Jade exchanged glances with Caroline, noting that she was fine now, all her wounds had had time to heal. Another time to envy the supernaturals. She had the feeling that her liver was about to come out to greet the world.

A few moments passed and Damon and Stefan joined the sisters. When Damon looked at Jade, his eyes widened, noticing the condition the woman was in, seeing how much blood was on her body, and smelling how much was currently flowing out of her. Jade joined him with a weak look, bestowing him with a small smirk.

"Are you both okay?" Stefan asked the sisters, to which Caroline nodded slightly, but turned her concerned eyes to her sister next to her. Stefan approached Jade, his gaze filled with worry. She was only human, he shouldn't have taken her here.

"Peachy, Salvatore. In a mood to snack on some internal organs?" Jade said in a low voice, a bloody grin spreading on her face when she noticed the disapproving look he gave her in response. She saw Damon in the corner of her vision giving her a smirk.

"Get out of here, now." The witchy-man said, leaving no room to argue. Stefan approached Jade with the intention of helping her walk, but her gaze made him lower his hands.

"I'm fine." She said firmly, glaring at him. She pushed herself off the trailer wall and took a few, agonazing as hell, steps. The group walked like this for a while, Caroline all the while sneaking a glance at her sister, tears squeezed into her eyes at the sight of her. And it was all because of her, Jade had done it all for her, to save her.

Taking another pain-filled step, Jade's legs lost their strength and she bumped into a hard back, losing her balance and falling into the forest floor. "Oh, for fuck's sake." She groaned, turning on her back.

That hard back belonged to Damon, who quickly turned and bent down to the girl hissing in pain. "Okay, Harley, you can't be a badass forever." He murmured, looking at the spot on her shirt that was all red and wet. "What are you hiding there?" He said quietly to himself, grabbing the hem of her shirt and lifting it slightly up. She wanted to stop him, slap his hand away, tell him something snarky, but she didn't have the strength to do so at at moment. She just sighed.

When her cut stomach was on full display, Jade heard her sister gasping in shock and crouching beside her. "Jade, oh my God! Why aren't you saying anything?!" Caroline yelled lifting Jade's shirt more, to see the wound more clearly. Jade looked up to her deadly worried sister. "Battle scars, Bella." She chuckled weakly.

Damon immediately drove his fangs into his wrist and putted it inches away from Jade's lips. "Drink. Now." He said sternly, his eyes slightly maddened. Jade connected her gaze with his and narrowed her weak eyes at his expression. He didn't give her any time to ponder at the offer, he just drove it straight into her mouth. Jade scrunched her face at the taste, and slapped his hand away after few gulps. "Ew, I don't want your STD's." She said, twisting her face in disguist.

Caroline sighed in relief, connecting her gaze with worried Stefan. Damon smirked. "That's more like it." He murmured and began to help her stand up.

"Back off. I can walk on my own." She hissed, shrugging his arms off her. He just rolled his eyes, Caroline and Stefan exchanging small amused smiles in the background. They began to walk again, and Jade stumbled for a second time, this time the raven haired vampire catching her before she could meet the ground.

"Clearly." He spat, annoyed and one of his hands started to grab her by the legs.

"What the fuck are you doing?" She hissed and then he lifted her off the ground in one swift motion. "Are you fucked in the head? Put me down!" She yelped.

"You're slowing us down, Beatrix Kiddo. It'll be faster." He said, clearly amused by her reaction. She just gave him a glare, and he rolled his eyes. "No funny business, I promise." He said, cocking his head to the side, and Jade huffed in annoyance. "This time." He muttered with a smirk. She just gave him that one look that could kill everyone in ten mile proximinity. Caroline and Stefan just looked at Damon in bewildement. Caroline didn't like the way the older Salvatore was around her sister one bit.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Jade has never been so grateful for her mother's workaholism as she was in that moment. If she had been at home, she would have had a heart attack seeing the state of her daughters. Caroline looked a little better than Jade, if we're talking about physical appearance. Jade threw herself on the living room couch letting out the biggest breath she had ever taken in her life. She was so tired. But, she thought, losing half the blood in your body and a couple of murders in one evening does that to a person.

Jade turned her head on the couch and saw that Caroline was still talking to Stefan on the threshold of their front door. Stefan was quite all right, convincing her a little today. The way he was visibly worried about Caroline, looking at her every now and then to see if she was okay, if she was walking straight, if all her wounds were sure to heal certainly scored some points in Jade's chart. Well, and he's still making sure everything is definitely okay now. That was a friend, Jade won't even dwell on Tyler Lockwood, there was no point.

Damon? With that one, she had no idea what was even about at that point. One moment he's setting Caroline up for sharks, then he's apologizing, then he's acting like the biggest dick, then he's worried about her. What was his deal? Jade had no idea, and she didn't have the strength to try and decipher right now.

Jade heard the characteristic click of the door closing and the faint footsteps of her sister. She lifted her head from the couch and noticed Caroline standing in the threshold, not really knowing what to do with herself. Jade recognized that look on her face; she remembered seeing it in the mirror a couple and a dozen years ago, every time she had her sessions with her father. She never wanted to see that look in her younger sister's eyes. It was a look of uncertainty, of not being able to understand why, why her and what she had done that she deserved what happened to her. Jade sighed and rose to a sitting position, patting the seat next to her in silent invitation.

Caroline flapped on the indicated seat with the same release of air as her sister did a few minutes ago. She was so tired. Of that whole day, that whole situation. Of werewolves, of vampires, of that shitty magic rock. Why her? Why does she always get treated like trash? Was she really so worthless?

You are the only stupid thing here. And shallow. And useless.

God. Of course.

His voice. It always had to appear in situations like this. When her inscecurities reached its zenith, when she was sure that what he was saying was true. Ugh, she hated that voice. It had a hypnotic quality to it that she couldn't deny, despite her best efforts. It was this voice that always seemed to leave her feeling helpless and powerless. She wanted to run away from it, from him. But she couldn't, she was stuck in place, frozen by the sound of his voice. It was like he had cast a spell on her, one that she was powerless to break. Frozen, because he changed.

His humanity was off, Care. He's changed now.

Changed. Why didn't she see it, then? That miraculous change of heart?

Well, he was there tonight. But that doesn't mean anything. Probably just Elena's orders.

And there was Tyler, too. Tyler, whom she helped settle in with his lycan ancestry. Tyler, with whom she watched hours of footage of Mason's transformation. Tyler, with whom she sat and soothed when hundreds of his bones broke at the same moment, changing his form and tearing his skin.

Tyler, who stood by and watched as she sat locked in a cage, soaked in vervain with wood sticking out of her skin.

Caroline was curious to know what would have happened to her if Jade hadn't entered that trailer back then. Would Tyler have turned on his heel and let her torturers finish what they started? Or would he have finally grabbed that latch? The answer is unknown, that's not even what's important. What's important is that he had time, he could have done it. But he didn't. Was Damon's words really the truth? Didn't she even deserve such a humane act as saving her from torture? Was friendship with her really such an obligation? Was she really such a waste━

"Stop."

Caroline frowned her eyebrows and turned her head slightly toward Jade in a tired gesture. "What?"

Jade sighed and also turned her head toward her sister, connecting their gazes. "Wallowing. Self-blaming."

"I'm not doing that." Caroline shook her head gently. "I'm fine." She said weakly, mustering a small smile.

Jade arched an eyebrow, unimpressed. "Maybe Stefan bought into all that bullshit, but I'm not blind, Caroline. I told you I can always read right through you." She spoke quietly, but with a sharp tone. Caroline looked taken back, her lips formed in a tight line. She shifted uncomfortably under Jade's gaze. She opened her mouth to respond but the words seemed to catch in her throat. A few seconds of silence fell between them.

"You think it's was your fault." Jade's voice was firm yet gentle, her words like a hammer breaking through the quietness, cutting through Caroline's defenses.

Caroline shook her head, her hair falling into her already glossy eyes. "No..."

"You're wondering if you deserved to be rescued by Tyler." Jade continued, her voice soft but unyielding.

"No, that's not━"

"You're wondering if you deserved to be saved at all."

Silence fell between them after that, the only sound being the distant hum of the town outside. Caroline's eyes were downcast, her hands clenched together in her lap. Jade waited patiently, her gaze unwavering and her posture relaxed. Finally, Caroline looked up and met her gaze, her eyes bright with emotion.

Jade turned her body completely toward her tearful sister. "You and I both know I'm right. It's all over your face. But let me tell you something, Caroline." With that, she grabbed Caroline's shoulders and waited a few seconds, making sure she had her undivided attention. Caroline looked Jade straight in the eyes and her lip uncontrollably began to shake when she saw her determined look.

"You were worth it." Jade said quietly, piercing her sister's blue eyes with her own. Caroline twisted her face, and a silent sob left her lips.

When Jade made sure her previous statement locked itself within her sister's eyes, she continued. "You were, and what Lockwood did today does not determine that, that's for sure. Don't even think that. After everything you've done for him, he should single-handedly knock out anyone who had the fucking audacity to lay hands on you. And the fact that he stood by and did nothing only speaks volumes about him. Not you." Caroline's tears were flying uncontrollably, decorating her entire soiled face. Jade gave her a gentle smile, squeezing her more tightly by the shoulders.

"And you are worth even more than a simple rescue. You are fucking Caroline Forbes. Captain of the cheerleaders, head of a million committees that no normal person would even bother with, the only student in Mystic Falls High School with a perfect GPA..." Jade trailed off with a smirk, letting go of her sister's shoulders and resting her shoulder on the couch. Caroline let out a wet laugh, wiping her face with the back of her hand and copied her sister position.

Jade smiled, nudging her in the shoulder. "A fantastic, loyal friend that no one deserves, the perfect daughter..." She trailed off with a grin and Caroline barked a laugh and playfully rolled her eyes.

"And, of course..." Jade cocked her head to the side. "My precious little sister. Sometimes a real pain in the ass." She said with a grin, avoiding Caroline's punch in the shoulder.

Jade laughed, raising her palms in a defensive manner. "A lovely pain in the ass." She curtsied with her head, Caroline huffed a laugh, sniffing her nose.

Jade rested her head on the back of the couch and looked Caroline straight in the eyes. "You deserve everything." She whispered.

Caroline gave her a sad smile, new tears started begging to be shred. To avoid them, she rested her head on Jade's shoulder and sighed. Jade did too. The two sisters sat like that for a while, enjoying the comfortable silence, occasionally exchanging a few quiet words. The atmosphere in the room was peaceful and calming, and their troubles seemed to disappear for a few moments. Caroline's tears eventually stopped flowing.

"I look like a fucking butcher." Jade deadpanned after a while, finally noticing her clothes, that weren't red when she threw them on in the morning.

Caroline peeled away from her sister, casting an eye at her. "Oh, yeah." She said in a tone as if she hadn't noticed it before.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang and the sisters looked at each other, startled. Caroline looked at Jade with a twisted face, at which she merely pouted her lip and shrugged her shoulders. Caroline got up from the couch, wiping the last of her tears away, and Jade pointed her finger at her body and then at the ceiling with a knowing look. Caroline nodded and walked toward the front door.

Jade slowly turned on her heel and started to make her way upstairs. She felt the familiar sensation of her feet dragging on the carpet, as if her energy had been sucked away from her. She glanced at her reflection in the mirror as she passed the hallway, wincing at her disheveled look. When she reached her room, she almost had a heart attack.

"What the actual fuck. Are you doing here?" Jade shrieked, her eyes widening in shock at the sight before her. She clutched the doorhandle tighter as she stared in disbelief at the figure in her room.

"Oh, hi. I thought you would never come in here." Damon Salvatore said calmly, raising himself from his comfy position on Jade's bed. He brushed his hands off on his jeans and smirked, seeing her grimaced face.

Jade groaned and slammed the door shut, resting her hands on her hips. "I don't have the energy for this."

Damon smiled, cocking his head to the side. "Good. You will have less energy yelling at me."

Jade narrowed her eyes into tiny slits. "Speak. Fifteen words or less."

Damon pouted and tapped his chin few times. Jade rolled her eyes. "I just wanted you to know that my actions today were absolutely sincere. No bullshit."

Jade tilted her head in confusion. "Continue." She said sternly, her face scrunched.

"C'mon, no praise? That was actually fifteen words." He said, proud of himself. When he noticed her unamused look, he raised his palms up. "Okay, okay." He muttered nad took a few steps toward the bloody blonde. "I had some deep thinking, because of you." Jade opened her mouth to say something, but he was faster. "And before you say something, yes, I do think sometimes." He said, rolling his eyes. Jade snorted and crossed her arms in anticipation.

"I had some deep thinking, and I wanted to say thank you." Damon said, his tone serious.

Jade furrowed her brows, more confused than ever. "What? For what?"

Damon theatrically twisted his hands in the air, his head shaking. "The trembling of my conscience, I guess. Reminding me of my humanity."

Jade squinted her eyes as if fighting the blinding sun. "What the fuck are you talking about?

He smirked. "That's for me to know..." He trailed off knowingly, to which she gave him a dead glare.

Damon clicked his tongue against his teeth made his way towards one of her bedroom windows. When he touched its handle, he turned his head around. "Goodnight, Harley Quinn. Blood looks good on you." He said and gave her one last smirk. After that, he was gone.

Jade looked for a few moments at the spot where the dark-haired vampire had just stood.

"What the actual fuck..." She whispered to herself with wide eyes. Could vampires get high on crack?

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Caroline and Jade were in the living room, finally free from the stains of the blood that had been on their bodies. They were both exhausted from the night's events, but were glad to be finally safe in the comfort of their own home. Caroline sank into the sofa and Jade grabbed the remote, flipping on the TV. They enjoyed the quiet of the living room, the sound of some movie coming from the television.

Jade swung her legs up onto Caroline's lap, leaning back against the arm of the sofa as she watched the TV. Caroline shifted to accommodate her, wrapping her arm around her shoulders and pulling her closer. They stayed like that for a while, enjoying the peace and comfort of eachother presence. It felt nice, just as though they were little kids again, playing on the living room floor and watching cartoons together.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang again, and Jade groaned throwing her hands in the air, annoyed. She grumbled something about not being able to have a one peaceful moment before getting up to open the door. Caroline smiled to herself, shaking her head as she watched Jade walk away.

"What?!" Jade pretty much snarled, throwing the front door open. After seeing the younger Salvatore, she threw her head back in depletion. "If I see one more Salvatore tonight, I swear to God..." She whispered to herself, and Stefan gave her a puzzled look. "Nevermind." She mumbled, shaking her head.

She cleared her throat. "How may I help you, Mr. Salvatore? Money, a check, a car, my soul?" She said with a sweet smile, tilting her head to the side.

Stefan barked a laugh. "I have all of that, but thanks for the offer." He said, giving her a polite nod, to which she let out a small smile. "Is Caroline there?"

Jade furrowed her eyebrows. "Haven't you already checked on her?"

Stefan kissed his teeth. "Yeah, but..." He trailed off, pointing with his head at something on his side.

Jade gave him a puzzled look and stuck her head out of the threshold of the house. "Oh." She murmured after seeing Bonnie with Elena standing there awkwardly. "Sure, I'll get her." She nodded. "The more the merrier or whatever the fuck." Jade muttered to herself and twisted her head around, shouting. "Caroline!"

"What?"

"Get your ass up here."

"No, I'm comfy."

"Caroline."

"Coming, coming."

Jade pulled out a pack of her cigarettes from her jacket that was hanging on the rack beside the door and left the house, leaving the door open behind her. She walked by Bonnie and Elena, who were both still standing awkwardly at the bottom of the stairs. After catching eye contact, Jade tilted the cigarette pack toward the girls with a raised eyebrow. They merely shook their heads and walked to the door where Caroline appeared.

Jade fiddled around with a lighter, sparking it up and then taking a deep drag of the cigarette. She exhaled the smoke while sitting on the last step of their porch, looking out at the street with a blank expression.

After few puffs, she felt a presence sitting beside her and turned her head to see Stefan looking at her. "Hey." He said. "I thought I'd come and keep you company." He smiled and Jade nodded in response, offering him a cigarette. Stefan declined with a wave of hishand, and the two of them sat in comfortable silence, watching the street and the clouds drift by.

"You're a good friend, Salvatore. I approve of you." Jade said softly, looking ahead, her face expressing no emotion.

Stefan turned his head toward her, a small smile decorating his face. "Thank you. I try. She deserves it."

Jade smiled to herself with a small expulsion of air through her nose. She took a puff from her cigarette and turned her head toward him. "You don't even know how much."

Stefan maintained his smile for a few more moments, and then gently began to lower it, his face turning serious. "You okay?"

Jade angled her face, twisting her lips. "Yeah. No more guts flowing around."

"No, that's not what I mean."

Jade took another inhale of her cigarette and slowly joined her gaze with his, understanding immediately what he really meant by looking into his green eyes. "Oh, that." He nodded, his lips tight.

Jade sighed. "Yeah." She breathed. "I'm not like other girls." She said cheekily, nudging him with her knee knowingly. He just rolled his eyes and she barked a laugh.

"I know why you think I might not be okay. Not everyone kills three people in one day and not gives a shit. I know I should feel... guilt? Remorse? Sorrow?" She scrunched her face and looked ahead, waving the cigarette in her hand. "But... I don't. Nothing new, really." She whispered with a gentle shrug in her shoulders.

"You've killed before, haven't you?" Stefan asked quietly, catching eye contact with her.

Jade gave him a soft side smile. "Is it that obvious?" She asked, to which he huffed a laugh.

"Well, I can't really picture Elena bashing heads like that with a metal pipe." He deadpanned and Jade laughed, shaking her head. "Hmm, I guess that's fair." She mused with an amused smile.

"I killed one guy some time ago. In New Orleans. He couldn't keep his hands to himself, to put it mildly. I got pissed, he lost his teeth. He got pissed, he broke my jaw. I got even more pissed and he lost the ability to breathe." She said nonchalantly, shrugging her shoulders and putting her ciggarette into the nearby ashtray.

Stefan exhaled a big breath with a wide nod. "Well, he got what was coming to him. Glad you're okay." He said and Jade nodded gently.

"But you know what's funny?" She asked, side-eying the vampire. Why she was even talking to him, she didn't know. Jade guessed that he had such an aura. A good one. One that you can't help but open up to. So she continued as he looked at her with a questioning gaze.

"I liked it." She said with a smirk. "I liked it then and I liked it now, when I was killing those werewolves." She confessed, leaning back on the bannister.

She also remembered that that activity was somewhat... familiar.

Stefan leaned back on his elbows and gave her a calculating look. "You're such an enigma, Jade. Are you sure you're not adopted?" He asked with a small smile.

Jade couldn't help but throw her head back in laughter.

a/n: so??? what do yall think?? i hate that convo with stefan at the end, i can't seem grasp his stefaness right, help mEEE

also, was his reaction to her liking the killing okay?? or should he be more disturbed?? i'm having a whiplash

and i was having a smile on my face writing that caroline&jade scene, YES HUN YOU'RE FUCKING CAROLINE FORBES!!!

i can't wait for her to become a vamp, it'll be such a mess lmaoo

btw. any ideas how should she become one??

klaus where are you....... it's been 84 years......