A Gift for the Damned

Hello again! I'm calling these first 3 my 'test' chapters for this story to see if there's any interest.

This is a continuation of The Parting Gift, featuring all your favorite characters, but centered mostly around 16 year old Grayson Salvatore. 12 years ago, Damon and Elena fled Mystic Falls to save themselves and their son from the constant barrage of supernatural enemies. Now they've decided to come home and nothing will ever be the same.

I can't begin to tell you how anxious I am for your feedback on this. It's taken me quite some time to put the ideas into an actual story and Grayson is my first original character. I hope you enjoy it and, as ever, thank you so much for reading this story!

~xoxo, P

Chapter 1

The creak in the floor was barely audible but since it was the only sound in the unusually quiet house, Grayson heard it. He turned away from the full-length mirror to find his father leaning against the door-frame of his room. Their matching blue eyes met and his dad looked at an invisible watch on his wrist.

"School doesn't start for another three hours, kiddo"

"I couldn't sleep" Grayson confessed.

"Nervous?"

Grayson shrugged and went back to appraising his lanky reflection. His dad kept assuring him he would grow into his long frame but right now, he felt gangly and awkward.

"Maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe I'm not cut out for public school either"

After his last day of Freshman year at St. John's private school, he had finally worked up the nerve to talk to his parents about switching to a public school. He hated his classmates. He'd hated them since 6th grade and the idea of spending three more years with them was depressing. They were all a bunch of stuck up, rich, jerks. Grayson didn't have anything in common with them aside from the fact that his parents had a lot of money, and that had never really mattered to him. His mom readily agreed and after a little cajoling, his dad got on board too. Not that he was surprised, it wasn't like his parents were blind. They knew he didn't have any real friends. Grayson had never had a sleepover and his birthdays were celebrated with his strange assortment of relatives. A mere two weeks after he'd first mentioned it, they had fully moved into the Boarding House and he was enrolled at Mystic Falls High.

"Gray, you haven't even set foot in the school yet" Dad commented with an arched brow.

"What if they think I'm a loser like everyone at St. John's did?"

"They will if you wear that."

He looked down at his dark blue slacks with dress shoes and a black button down shirt. Except for the blazer and tie that St. John's had required, it was the same thing he'd been wearing to school every day for the last four years.

"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?"

"You look like a lawyer."

"Thanks, Dad" he said sardonically.

Before Grayson could blink, his dad was standing in front of him and his hand was strategically tousling the inky black hair that Grayson had carefully smoothed to one side.

"Dad!" he cried with a scowl.

"There, less lawyer-like already" his dad said before he started digging through his dresser.

He produced the pair of expensive dark wash jeans he'd purchased for him earlier that week.

"Put these on, ditch the shoes for your boots, and change into a t-shirt"

In his world, jeans and t-shirts were weekend clothes. He'd never worn them on a Monday.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. You change and I'm going to make you some breakfast."

"I'm not…" he was about to say 'not hungry' but he shut his mouth at the look on his father's face.

Grayson knew better than to argue with his dad when he looked like that.

"Bacon?" he asked instead.

"You got it"

Dad disappeared down the stairs and Grayson changed into the suggested outfit. When he turned to look at himself in the mirror again, he was pleasantly surprised. He looked like one of the 'normal' kids he had always been so envious of. Satisfied with his appearance, he headed down to the kitchen.

"Much better" Dad commented when he saw him.

He was standing at the stove making bacon and his Uncle Stefan was sitting at the table with a cup of coffee in front of him.

"You're missing something" Stefan told him as he looked him up and down.

Grayson didn't get a chance to ask what before Stefan disappeared and returned with a worn, black leather jacket. It belonged to his uncle and he'd been wearing it for as long as Grayson could remember.

"Here, it might be a little big but you'll grow into it"

"But…this is yours."

"I have other jackets" his uncle said with a smile and pushed it toward him.

He accepted it with reverence and slid his arms into the sleeves. It was a tiny bit too big but the leather was soft and the fit was comfortable.

"Thanks, Uncle Stefan" he said as he ran his hand over the material.

"You're welcome, buddy."

"Now you look like a Salvatore" his dad said with a grin as he set a plate of bacon on the table.

The comment had Grayson beaming. Being in a room with his uncle and father had always made him feel like a little kid. He knew they were vampires and they had never lied to him about their past but they were his heroes nonetheless. When he was little, they had been tireless playmates. Games of hide-and-go-seek and tag had lasted all day. Much to his mother's chagrin, they taught him to shoot a gun at the age of thirteen. Last summer they had started repairing a broken down '69 Mustang together with the promise that it would be his when he turned 16 in a few weeks.

"Pssst" he hissed quietly at his dad from across the table.

Dad looked up from the Mystic Falls Gazette and Grayson pointed at the cup of coffee in front of his uncle. Mom didn't want him drinking coffee yet. She thought he was too young but Dad and Uncle Stefan snuck him a cup or two in the morning when she wasn't awake yet. His dad didn't say anything for a moment as he listened to see if Mom was up, then nodded and held up his index finger indicating Grayson could have one cup.

"Ready for your first day as a Timberwolf, Gray?" his uncle asked.

Grayson shrugged.

"He's nervous" his dad said.

"I am not!"

Dad shrugged and gave him a 'whatever you say' look.

"You're a straight A student. What do you have to be nervous about?" Stefan asked.

"I'm not nervous!" he insisted.

"He's not worried about his grades. He's worried about fitting in."

Grayson narrowed his eyes at his father behind his back.

"If you don't stop glaring at me, you'll get no coffee for the rest of the year" Dad said mildly.

Knowing that his dad didn't make empty threats, Grayson sighed and dumped a splash of creamer in his coffee. The downside of having a 190-year-old vampire for a father was never, ever being able to get away with anything.

"Take it from the guy who's been through high school three times, you're going to be fine. You'll be the cool, mysterious new guy" his uncle promised him before polishing off his coffee and getting up from the table.

"The school needs your dad to fill out some paperwork this morning so he's taking you today but I'll pick you up at 3:00."

The garage that his uncle worked at back in New York was a few blocks from his school so he'd always been the one to drop him off and pick him up. Not that Grayson minded being driven to school by his dad but it would be weird not to have his uncle there to see him off.

"Ok, see you later."

"Have a good first day, kid" Stefan said and ruffled his hair before leaving.

"He's right about your classmates, you know. They're going to be more curious about you than anything else" Dad told him.

The idea of being a curiosity didn't make him feel any better but he nodded and sipped his coffee. Dad handed him the comic section of the paper and they read in silence for a while before the Calvin & Hobbs strip reminded him of something he'd been meaning to ask.

"Should I call Uncle Ric Mr. Saltzman?" he asked

"Yeah probably" Dad said without looking up from his paper.

That'll take some getting used to he thought. Aunt Jenna and Uncle Ric were the closest thing he was ever going to have to grandparents. They spoiled him at every opportunity and if Aunt Jenna didn't hear from him at least twice a month, she would send him on the mother of all guilt trips. They had been beyond thrilled when they got the news that the Salvatore's were going to make Mystic Falls their permanent residence. Grayson had shared their enthusiasm; he loved spending summers here. It always felt like coming home. His parents, along with Uncle Stefan, had moved to upstate New York when he was four, shortly after his mom had been killed and turned into a vampire. Mom had grown up here and they were afraid people would start to notice that she and her husband weren't aging. Now, after 12 years, they finally felt like it was safe enough to come home.

"Mom's up" his dad said before quickly snatching away the coffee cup and dumping the remainder in the sink.

Damon sat down and picked the paper back up seconds before Elena walked into the kitchen.

"Morning, beautiful" he said sweetly.

"Morning, mom"

"Good morning" she replied and kissed them both on the on the cheek before going to pour herself a cup of coffee.

"Gray, you were up early this morning" Elena commented.

"I couldn't sleep"

Their son had always been something of an insomniac. He was seven years old before he finally slept more than four hours a night. There were no nightmares, he wasn't afraid of the dark, or monsters under the bed, the kid just couldn't get to sleep. Damon disliked the idea of magical intervention but the boy had to get some rest so they eventually asked Bonnie for help. Now there was a sachet of herbs that lived under Grayson's pillow and, for the most part, it seemed to do the trick.

"Do you need a new pouch from Aunt Bonnie?" she asked.

"No, I'm fine" he assured her.

"Ok. Did you eat breakfast?"

"Yeah"

"And you have everything you need for your first day?"

"Yeah"

"Did you see his new jacket?" Damon interjected, hoping to prevent his wife from peppering Grayson with more questions.

Elena was an amazing mother but she was such a worrywart sometimes.

"No, let me see. Stand up" she said with a bright smile.

Grayson obligingly stood and allowed his mother to dote on him.

"Look at you! Isn't it nice not to put on the same old boring uniform?"

"Yeah I guess"

"You look more like your dad every day" she said as she tugged at his lapels and brushed the hair out of his face.

It was true. Apart from the slight olive tone to his skin, their son was his spitting image. Especially today with his tousled black locks and leather jacket. His face was losing its youthful roundness and, in the last year, Damon saw his own sharp jawline start to appear. Grayson's blue eyes lacked the hardness that more than 100 years as a vampire had added to Damon's but the color was identical. It was probably spiteful of him but he was secretly glad there wasn't even a trace of Giuseppe in his son. Not in his looks or his temperament.

"Alright, stop fussing. We have to go" Damon said and stood up.

Elena huffed out a breath.

"I really wish I could be there today" she said sadly.

"It's cool, Mom. Janet's head will explode if you don't get her those chapters today"

Janet was Elena's editor and she'd been waiting on the final chapters of what was sure to be, yet another, best seller. The deadline had passed two weeks ago and Janet was having a meltdown.

"Her head is going to explode anyway when she reads the ending"

"I'm sorry I'm going to miss that" Damon muttered.

When Elena started writing her first book, he had taken it upon himself to do all her research. It was something he was surprisingly good at and even enjoyed doing so he'd become her official researcher. The only downside was dealing with Elena's chatterbox of an editor. The woman talked non-stop and he had fantasied more than once about compelling her into silence.

"Can I read the last chapter when I get home?" Grayson asked.

He was his mom's biggest fan.

"Of course! Now get out of here before you're late" she said and pecked him on the cheek.

As Grayson headed for the front door, Damon swept Elena into his arms and kissed her thoroughly.

"What was that for?" she gasped when he let her go.

He shrugged.

"You're beautiful and amazing and I love you"

"I love you, too" she said, grinning from ear-to-ear.

Grayson was quiet on the drive to the school. He stared contemplatively out the window until they rolled up to the pale brick building and parked the car.

"Ready?" Damon asked.

"As I'll ever be"

He hoped Grayson was oblivious to the dozens of pairs of eyes that followed them as they made their way to the principal's office. Given that he had been a rebellious, free spirited youth, Damon had expected to have a hellion for a child. What he got was a shy young man, with a big heart, who often seemed more grown up than most adults that he knew.

"Grayson!" Alaric boomed when he came out of his office to greet them.

"Hey Uncle…er…Mr. Saltzman"

"Yeah that's going to be weird" the tall, sandy haired man said with a frown.

Ric had taken up the principal position several years ago when Weber finally retired and he seemed to really love it. The school loved him back; test scores had gone up considerably and the graduation rate was at an all-time high. His position as principal had factored into Damon and Elena's decision to allow Grayson to attend Mystic Falls High.

"That's what I said" Grayson responded.

"Let's only go with Mr. Saltzman when there are other students around" he told the boy with a wink.

"Ok"

"Alright, kid let's get you your class schedule and your dad can take care of all the super-fun paperwork"

"Oh goody" Damon said dryly.

He would have liked to walk Grayson to his first class but no 16-year-old wanted their dad to drop them off at class so he let Ric do the honors while he waited in his office. He was dealing directly with Ric instead of his secretary since some of the documents were forged. Damon had been born before the age of social security numbers and, according to the government, he had been dead for a century and a half.

"So, are you glad to be home?" Ric asked as Damon signed his name for the billionth time.

"No but my kid was miserable and my wife wanted to be closer to you people, so here I am"

"It'll be fine. The town has been quiet for years now and you three are the only vampires in Mystic Falls"

"Caroline will be here in a week" he pointed out.

"Ok, so four vampires"

"You know how much supernatural activity there was in Ithaca? Zero."

Ric sighed and pushed another sheet of paper across the desk. Unlike the rest of his family, Damon had been less than excited about coming back to Mystic Falls. Decades could go by with nothing remarkable happening to him but the moment he set foot in this town, it all seemed to go to hell.

"Just keep an eye on him" Damon told him as he signed the last document.

"I will" Ric promised him.

Grayson sat in homeroom and watched the minutes' tick by. Most of the kids were chatting about their summers or discussing who was hooking up with whom. He was doodling on the inside cover of his notebook.

"You're Grayson, right?" a friendly female voice said, startling him.

He looked up to find a beautiful girl with a cherubic face, bouncy blonde curls, and hazel eyes, smiling down at him.

"Yeah" he said shyly.

"I'm Tori Donovan. Actually, it's Victoria but everyone calls me Tori. Welcome to Mystic Falls"

"Oh, um it's nice to meet you…and thanks"

"Did you know my dad and your mom used to date?" she asked as she took the seat in front of him and turned to face him.

"Uh, no" he said and eyed her skeptically.

The only time a girl this attractive had been nice to him was for a joke. It had been a humiliating experience and he was in no hurry to repeat it.

"Yep. My dad is the sheriff so I thought I'd introduce myself since…you know…I know"

"You know?"

"Yeah…you know…about your parents?" she said.

Grayson froze and stared at her. She had to be talking about something else. No one outside his family knew that his parents were vampires. They'd told him the truth when he was twelve and drilled into him that it was crucial to their survival that he never, ever tell anyone their secret.

"What about my parents?" he asked, trying to keep his voice even.

"Right. Sorry. Look, why don't we go to the grill after school? We can play pool or something" she suggested brightly.

"Um…" he tried to think of an excuse.

"Please? My dad told me you were coming here and up until now I was the only kid who knew how freaky this town really is"

"Erm…well…I'll have to ask my parents" he said, stunned.

"Great! I'll meet you out front after school"

The bell rang and she sprang from her seat, turning to wave at him before leaving the classroom. He spent the rest of the day on edge in nervous excitement. It had to be a good sign that someone was nice to him in the first hour of his day here. Not just someone; a girl. A pretty girl. He started to write a text to his dad and realized that he had never had to ask permission to do go anywhere on a school night. It took him a moment decide what to say.

A girl asked if I could play pool at the grill after school. Can I go?

After an hour with no response, Grayson started to worry his dad was going to say no. When his phone buzzed at lunch he practically ripped it out of his pocket.

Yes, you can go. Stefan will pick you up at 5.

Grayson breathed a sigh of relief and wondered what his problem was. He didn't even know Tori. Maybe she was annoying or stupid or both. Nevertheless, when the final bell rang, he found himself hurrying to meet her in front of the school. She was waiting for him just outside the door and they started the short walk to the grill.

"So, how was your first day?" she asked.

"It was ok I guess. It's a lot different from private school"

"You were in private school?"

"Yeah, in New York"

"You're from New York?"

"I grew up there but I was born here"

"Do you miss it?"

"Not even a little bit" he confessed.

"Why did you move?"

"I hated my school and my mom missed my aunt"

"What about your dad?"

"I think he'd rather be in New York but he'll do anything to make my mom happy"

"That's sweet" she said with a smile.

"What about you? You said your dad is the sheriff?"

"Ugh, yes" she said and heaved a sigh.

"Why 'ugh'?"

"Full disclosure? I don't really have any friends here. No one wants to party with the sheriff's daughter and it sucks being the only one who knows about the…weirdness"

The look on her face was heartbreaking. Tori was biting her lip and eyeing him like she was afraid he might call her a loser and ditch her.

"I know exactly what you mean" he said with a reassuring smile.

He was half overjoyed and half bewildered to have found a kindred spirit.

"Really? I would have thought you'd be Mr. Popular" she said skeptically.

"Me? Are you serious?" he asked with a laugh

Tori stopped and he realized they'd arrived at The Mystic Grill. Grayson held the door open for her and followed her to an empty booth near the back of the restaurant. A waitress who knew Tori by name stopped at the table to take their drink orders.

"They know you here?" he asked.

"My dad used to work here and so did my aunt"

He nodded and tried to think of something interesting to say.

"So, how old is your dad? Really, I mean" she asked quietly.

Grayson swallowed and said nothing.

"It's ok. I know what they are" she tried to assure him.

"I'm sure you're a nice person and all but my parents are really private people" he said sternly.

It occurred to him that his parents might be the only reason she was talking to him. Maybe she was one of those girls who was obsessed with vampires.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry. It's just…well…like I said, I'm the only kid who knows about the vampires and I was looking forward to having someone to talk to about it"

"How do you know about them?" he asked cautiously.

"My aunt was killed by one and I found the file in my dad's stuff a couple of years ago. I made him tell me the truth about what happened to her"

"You made him?"

"It's just the two of us and he always says that if we aren't honest, it won't work so I threw that in his face"

"Nice" Grayson said impressed.

"When did your parents tell you? If that's ok to ask…"

He hesitated but he supposed that was ok to answer. It left the door open for plausible deniability. He could have been talking about anything.

"I was twelve" he said simply.

"Wow, that's young"

"It's kinda hard to keep secret when you live with them" he said, feeling like he was treading into dangerous territory.

"What about your mom?" he asked, trying to steer the conversation away from his parents.

"She left when I was a baby. I don't even remember her"

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry about your aunt too. I should have said that before" Grayson said, feeling sheepish for not being more sympathetic.

"It's ok" Tori said and stared at her hands.

"So…pool?" he asked, trying to lighten the mood.

Tori smiled and nodded. They played pool and chatted about nothing for an hour before Uncle Stefan called to say he was out front.

"Do you want a ride home?" he asked.

"No, my dad will be here in a few minutes. Thanks, though and thank you for tonight. I had a lot of fun"

"Me too" he said with a smile and ducked out of the restaurant.

Grayson hopped into his uncle's little red Porsche feeling lighthearted and unable to wipe the grin off his face.

"Good night?" Stefan asked with a sly grin.

"It was really good."

"Who's the girl?"

"Her name is Tori Donovan and she's the sheriff's daughter"

"Matt Donovan's girl?" his uncle asked, in a strange tone.

"Uh-huh"

Uncle Stefan made a 'hmm' noise and stared at the road.

"What?" Grayson asked suspiciously.

"She probably knows about us" his uncle answered pointedly.

"I know. She told me. But I didn't tell her anything, I promise"

"Just be careful, ok?"

"I will"

"And tell your mom before you tell your dad. In fact, tell your mom and then let her tell your dad"

"Why?"

"Your mom used to date Matt Donovan"

"So?"

"So…just trust me"

Grayson rolled his eyes and said ok.