Maste*******

(A/N: Additional chapters@ patreon.com/TheGreatestHunter. Also, once again, leave a review, though now that I've had something to fill my abs with sustenance, there's no need to worry about catching these fists. I'm all types of content.)

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

"Hey Vicki, you busy?" He said into the phone that was definitely older than he was used to, but he was making it work.

"Jeremy," came the response, spoken more like a question, which answered one of his questions. They definitely left him in that forest. Meaning, he had no need nor want to be polite.

"Where are you right now?" He asked.

"Um..." He could hear her hesitating. Unsure of her response and with a tinge of guilt. "How are you doing? You were asleep when we left." She stated. Seemingly thinking that he was some kind of fool.

"Oh, you should've woken me up. Finding my way out of there was a real bitch. So, like I said, are you busy?"

"Um...no. But I have plans later." She stated, sounding a little less hesitant, skeptical, and more open.

"Good. I need a ride. And I'm not taking no for an answer, especially since you owe me for ditching my ass in the woods." He finished, making it sound like some light-hearted joke.

"Oh, haha," she laughed what sounded to be way too forced. "Yeah, that was pretty shitty. Um, okay, yeah. I guess I do owe you one. Where are you?"

"Down the street from my house, laying in the grass of somebody's yard. You'll see me. Just hurry up."

"Yea, okay. I'm on the way." She hung up. Her tone at the end both a little happy and relieved.

If he had to guess, it was likely that his "death" had been weighing on her mind and eating her up inside. If he had to guess, he would say that it was likely that she hadn't gone out since then, simply based on her character, and the next time she went out, which seemed to be tonight, she would have probably had one of the wildest, most destructive nights of her life.

After all, it's not the bloodlust that makes a ripper, which she clearly was, but the guilt and lack of acceptance of who you are.

It's like the most backwards coping mechanism.

You hate what you do, and that forces you to do it.

The vampire diaries had some pretty shitty logic...but also believable, in this circumstance.

Regardless, she left him to die, and that was not okay.

It took her about fifteen minutes to pull up to the side of the street and honk her horn.

Jeremy raised his head, looked, smirked, and then pulled himself up and got into the old, beat up truck that more than likely belonged to her long absent mother, as he greeted Vicki with a smile.

"Hey Vicki." He said, watching her, watch him with a varying degree of both guilt and relief. The bags under her eyes and chalky skin indicative of the fact that she had not slept in a while, which really took away from just how much of a smoke show the girl is.

"Hey, Jeremy. I'm glad you're okay." She started. Her eyes barely able to meet his as she gave a forced smile. "You wouldn't wake up before we left, so we decided to let you sleep it off." She said, sounding like she was trying to convince herself more than him.

"Is that so?" He stated. He could feel his eyes narrowing as he looked at her. His hand itching to reach out and take hold of her neck and force her eyes to stay on his.

However, they were in the middle of the road, in broad daylight.

Her punishment would have to wait.

"Well, luckily no animals came and decided I was to be their dinner while I "slept"." Just based on the way he said the last word, made her eyes snap to his. A look of horror on her face that seemed like one a person would give when they've seen a ghost.

He would have found it funny. If he wasn't seriously on the verge of doing something that most of polite society would view as very bad. Images of all the times people had their hearts ripped out playing through his mind.

However, just as fast as those feelings were producing those thoughts, he was actively crushing them and erasing them.

He knew they weren't really his own. Because while he did believe and had already decided that she would be punished for leaving him as she did. He definitely wasn't so incensed that he would be reacting in such a volatile way. And even if he was, he still wouldn't react in such a volatile way.

No, this was his body fucking with him again.

Making him lack impulse control as adrenaline coursed through his synapses and feelings of hurt and betrayal made themselves known.

Making him want to lash out, like most people tend to do in this world.

But that was not his way. Never his way.

Because while seeking revenge and exacting justice was fun for him...that's all it was.

It was never worth investing so so so much emotion into his mind. Especially if it was just him-centered revenge that didn't involve anyone he valued.

Then really, it was more so just like masturbation. Something to do to satisfy himself and set things right.

Not something that his mind and body would go crazy if he didn't do.

So, as he looked at Vicki who was currently biting her lip and looking everywhere but at him, he began to calm himself, and navigate the tricky rivers that were his mixed up emotions and find the path that he wanted to walk. Not the one that his body wanted him to.

"Well, no harm done, right?" He said, giving her one of his patented Gilbert reassuring smiles that show his shiny teeth that sparkle. "Let's go. I want to go to Zach Salvatore's place and you my dear, are my taxi." He finished with a wink.

"Really?" She said, giving a smirk that definitely fit her face, as he could see her visibly relaxing and going back to being her charming self. Which she was, because no matter how much of an absolute mess she was as a person, she was still a lot of fun to be around. "Aren't taxi's supposed to get paid."

"Vicki," he began, his eyes slowly narrowing and voice going lower as he spoke and leaned towards her in their seats. "If there ever comes a time when I need to pay for a ride. Believe me, you will be my first call and I'm certain you will be the one absolutely begging to pay me after we're through." He could see the moment she realized that she was dealing with one sexy sumbitch. And he loved it.

And it was only made all the sweeter as he realized just what her punishment would be.

Such a fun world.

"Now, let's go. I've got shit to do and this is only the first stop."