Damon finally decreed it safe enough to go vampire hunting. So, Lucy was wandering around the rundown area of town armed with stakes and the compass. Ordinarily she would have brought her guns that were equipped to fire vervain or wood bullets but as she didn't know who she might run into, she decided to leave them behind. The last thing they needed was for her to attract more attention from the sheriff or her deputies.

She had driven around following the pointing of the compass but had shifted to walking when it seemed she was getting closer to their vampire. It was the best way to pinpoint where they needed to go.

"Find anything yet?" Damon asked. They'd been talking over the phone while she searched.

"Don't you think I would have mentioned it, Salvatore? I'm looking. Be patient."

He snorted. "Have you met me? Patience is not in my repertoire."

"Yeah, I'm aware. Okay, I've walked around to doublecheck and I'm pretty sure it's pointing at this old warehouse. What do we do now?"

"Now, you go home and let me handle this." Damon's voice came from behind her making Lucy jump.

She spun around and gave him a little shove. "I hate it when you do that. And I'm not going anywhere. I don't accessorize with stakes for the hell of it."

Damon sighed and grasped her elbow to stop her when she tried to walk past him to the building. "Please, Lucy. Just go home. I need to know you're safe."

She frowned. "I'll compromise. You go in and I'll wait here for ten minutes. If you aren't back by then, I'm coming in after you."

"Fine. Ten minutes. But you don't come in no matter what you hear until the time is up." He pointed a finger in her face to make sure she was paying attention.

"Don't come in unless you scream for help. Got it."

"That's not what I said at all but I'll let it go because you have a point."

Lucy gasped and put a hand on her chest. "Did the great Damon Salvatore just admit that I'm right?"

"I never said that. I simply conceded that you had a point." He released his hold on her and took a step back.

"That's the same thing."

"No, it's not."

Lucy sighed and shook her head. "Whatever, Salvatore. Let's just get this over with."

Damon broke the handle on the door and disappeared inside. She checked the time then leaned against the lone car in the parking lot, stake in hand and arms crossed. Only a couple of minutes passed before three gunshots rang out.

Lucy straightened. Why the hell did a vampire have a gun? And why the hell didn't she have hers. Damn it. She chewed on the inside of her lip as she debated whether to go inside or not. Another minute or so passed before there was another shot. This time she heard Damon yell out.

"Okay, he didn't call for help, but close enough." She jogged around the building searching for another entrance. The gunshots had followed Damon's appearance way too soon for her to use the same door. Maybe a different entry point would give her better odds.

She found another door around the corner of the building. It was far enough from the one Damon had used that she felt better about her chances. Lucy pulled her lockpicking set from the pocket of her cargo pants and knelt before the door. It was another skill she'd picked up from her uncle. Well, not from him directly. He was far too proper for that, but he found someone to teach her. Just in case. He was big on making certain she was prepared for the just in cases.

Once she heard the click of the lock, Lucy put away her tools and took a deep breath. Gripping the stake in one hand, she used the other to ease open the door. Apparently, it was tucked away behind a wall of boxes which she profusely thanked the powers that be for as she quietly closed the door.

She stayed hidden by the boxes and listened, hoping she could pinpoint the location of the two vampires. Gods, she hoped it was only the two vampires. Wouldn't that suck to find a whole bunch more? Too late to back out now. Stupid Damon. This was his fault.

Quiet conversation drifted to her and she tilted her head as if that would help her hear better. She recognized Damon's voice but couldn't place the other male voice. Given the acoustics in the warehouse, it was difficult to pinpoint their location but she made the best guess she could and crept in that direction while doing her best to stay hidden.

As the voices grew louder, the boxes grew sparser. Through a gap, Lucy caught sight of Damon in conversation with another man. They were both sitting on the floor, but Damon's shirt looked wet. She had a sneaking suspicion it was blood. She clenched her teeth and worked a muscle in her jaw. A half-assed plan came to her which was better than no plan at all, she supposed.

Lucy retraced her steps until she returned to the area where the boxes were denser. Taking a deep breath, she braced her feet and shoved. Shit they were heavy. The stack weaved slightly and she pushed on it again. One more shove had the whole pile coming down. She scrambled away from the area as quickly and quietly as she could. This vampire better be too stupid to listen for her heartbeat or she was screwed.

Damon's companion jumped to his feet and turned while keeping the weapon pointed at her friend. He looked familiar but Lucy couldn't place him. "Who's there?" he called.

When she didn't respond, he glanced back at Damon. "Who is it? Your brother, maybe? No, he would have already tried something. Oh, I know. It's that bitch that's always panting over you."

"Watch yourself, Fell."

Fell? As in Logan Fell? She thought he was dead. Well, technically he was.

"Aww, isn't that sweet. He's defending your honor." Logan shot a round into Damon's leg and Lucy clenched her teeth together to keep from crying out. "Come out and maybe I won't shoot him again."

"Don't," Damon ordered as he dug at the wound on his leg. He found the bullet and tossed it aside.

"Now, Damon, it's not very nice warning her off. I thought we were getting along."

"You shot me."

Logan tilted his head from side to side. "True." And with that, he shot him again. In the stomach this time.

Okay, this shit had to stop. She stepped out from behind the boxes. "Enough."

The asshole laughed. "It is the pretty little bitch." His laughter stopped and his smile fell. "How stupid of you." He put three more rounds in Damon before turning the gun on her. "Drop the stake."

Damon groaned. "Don't, Lucy."

Her gaze moved between the two men. There was no way she was getting close to Logan before he put a bullet in her head. "I have to, Damon. I'm sorry."

She tossed her stake at Logan's feet.

He glanced at it with a smirk. "You really are a dumb bitch." His face changed and he charged, ready to make her a meal.

"No," Damon yelled in anguish just as Logan gasped in pain.

He looked down, his face twisted in confusion as Lucy let go of the stake she'd planted in his chest. He fell to the floor and she kicked the stake with the back of her heel to drive it a little deeper. Her target turned an unflattering shade of gray as he died. Permanently this time.

"Who's the bitch now?" Lucy asked as she turned to face her best friend.

Damon's mouth was open as he shifted his gaze between her and the body at her feet.

She shrugged. "Did you really think I'd go vampire hunting with nothing more than a single stake? You should know me better than that. I had one up each sleeve and a couple stashed in pockets. Have a little faith, Salvatore."

He grunted as he pulled out another bullet to toss it aside. "Forgive me, Williams. I should know better than to underestimate you."

***

The wee hours of the next morning arrived with Damon jumping on Lucy's bed to wake her. "Road Trip."

She groaned in annoyance. "What. The. Fuck. is wrong with you?"

"No need to be snippy, kitten." He leaned on one elbow to look at her while she glared at him.

"Have I wronged you in some manner? In a previous life maybe?"

He frowned. "Not that I'm aware of."

"Then why do you insist on waking me up all the time?" Her voice was just short of a yell.

Rather than being at all cowed, Damon smirked before hitting her in the face with her spare pillow. "Get moving. You can sleep in the car."

Lucy continued to complain but she tossed the covers aside. As she reached her closet, she glanced over her shoulder at the vampire. "Make yourself useful, Salvatore, and get me some coffee."

"You got it, kitten."

And he was gone before she could even complain.

Originally, Lucy had intended to stay awake and talk to Damon during the drive. Then she saw that it was three o'clock in the morning and opted to get some more sleep for both of their sanities.

It was after eight when she woke again. "Where are we?"

He glanced at her with a smile. "South Carolina."

She hummed in acknowledgement. "And where we going?"

"Georgia."

She thought for a moment before nodding her head. "Okay. Why?"

"I want a drink and thought we could use a change of scenery." His ever present smirk twisted his lips.

"I wouldn't put it past you, but seriously, why?" She leaned back in her seat and pressed her bare feet against the dash in front of her.

Damon smacked her feet. "Feet down, Williams."

Lucy left her feet where they were. "Why?"

"There's a witch I want to talk to, okay?"

She shrugged and glanced out the window.

Damon grumbled beside her and she looked over with an arched brow. "Problem, vampy?"

"Feet," he shouted.

She straightened and slid her feet back into her shoes, leaving them on the floor when she finished. "Calm down, Salvatore. All you had to do was ask."