Damon thought it was a risk coming to The Grille that day with Ric, but, as Ric informed him, the only way his alter-ego could come out is if he was asleep or passed out. He couldn't remember a time when the alter-Ric came out while real Ric was awake.
"Comforting," Damon had said sarcastically, "seeing as you can't remember when your alter-ego comes out either way."
Still, Ric had won the argument, provided they have a few people on standby in case other Ric did decide to come. Therefore, Stefan was a few tables away from the bar, Bonnie was scanning the room, watching everything and everyone, and Elijah was at the door in case he should make a break for it.
"I know it's a risk," Ric assured Damon, "but I'm not going to spend the rest of my life in your vampire torture dungeons. I need to live a little. Besides, the herbs Bonnie's been making are working so far, and as long as I don't do anything like get too drunk, I should be fine."
"Aw, but getting way too drunk is half the fun!" a female voice said behind Damon, and he turned around, only to find the girl was sitting at the bar next to him. She was wearing a black shirt with a black leather jacket over it, and jeans. Her hair was strawberry blond and her eyes were blue, and Damon knew her—very well.
"Ari?" he asked, shocked to see her.
"The one and only," she affirmed, nodding.
"Are you sure?" Alaric joked. "I mean, I'm sure there are other girls named Ari out there." At the incredulous looks from Damon and Ari, however, Alaric shut up.
"I see you're still attached to that necklace," Damon noticed.
Ari's hand immediately reached her neck, where her twisted snake necklace hung. She never took it off unless doing something that required her to, like showering or other things. Damon knew this, firsthand. He smirked and winked at her.
"I am not attached to this necklace," Ari said, answering Damon. "It's a part of my past. It means something…to me."
"Does it mean you're a serpent-loving Parseltongued freak?" Damon asked.
"It has nothing to do with Harry Potter, you freak," Ari replied. "It sort of meant something to my past life. My human life. I've told you this!"
"I know. But whenever I can make a Harry Potter reference, I do," he replied.
"Yeah, hi," Alaric said, interrupting the two. "I'm still here, if you guys want to quit the flirting?"
"You're just jealous your girlfriend Meredith is out of town for a week," Damon said.
"So who's this?" Ari asked.
"This is Alaric," Damon answered. "Semi-retired vampire hunter, drinking buddy, and terrible joker. Oh, and crazy. Like, off the rails crazy."
"Only sometimes crazy," Alaric corrected his friend and sometimes drinking buddy.
"Yeah, but when you are crazy, you're off the rails," Damon defended himself.
"What do you mean?" Ari asked.
"It's all because of this," Alaric answered, holding out his hand with the ring on it. Ari's eyes widened.
"Is that…?" she began, but trailed off, because there's no way they could know the secrets the ring held.
"This ring brings a human back to life when he has been killed by supernatural means," Damon explained. "But a human can only die so many times before it tears apart his soul. Alaric is walking on the edge, between regular Alaric and evil Alaric, who is all the bad parts of him combined."
"I could've told you that," Ari replied.
"So we should probably be getting back to the house," Damon said.
"Yeah," Alaric said, "one problem. I think everyone is getting tired of looking after me. I'm tired of keeping you all from your lives. I don't want to have to do this anymore."
"Come on, Ric, you're starting to sound suicidal," Damon said.
"Maybe I am."
Damon's eyes widened and he leaned closer. "Listen, Ric, maybe now isn't the best place to talk about this. Let's go back to the boarding house and we'll talk there." He stood and nodded to Stefan and Elijah, who no doubt heard the exchange, and Elijah went to fill Bonnie in. Ric stood after Damon and followed him out. Ari followed too, out of her own curiosity.
"Alright, listen," Damon said when they had gotten back to the Salvatore's'. "This is a pointless argument. We're not just going to let you die because you don't feel this is worth it. We've gotten through much worse before—dare I remind you of Klaus?—and it was fine then."
"Yeah, because it was our enemy putting everyone in danger," Ric disagreed, "not me."
Elena and Caroline entered the room then. "What's going on?" Elena asked.
"Alaric wants us to kill him," Damon said. "At least, I think that's what he's getting at with this."
"Yeah, guys, listen. I'm just too much of a danger to everyone, and I think it's better that way. Then you won't have to worry about me."
"No, Ric, We're not going to kill you," Elena said. "None of us here would do that."
"I might," Ari said to no one in particular. "I mean I won't," she added at their glares, "but I might under different circumstances."
"Who is that?" Elena asked Damon.
"Friend of mine," he replied.
"And by friend you mean sex toy, don't you?"
"You know me a bit too well, Elena."
"Guys, can we forget the pointless and obvious conversation about Damon and his many girls?" Alaric interrupted. "It's my choice," he continued. "I don't want to live like this, I don't want to be a vampire, so if you can come up with a way to heal my soul, and quick, then by all means, do it. But if not, then there's only one thing to do." He picked up a wooden stake from one of Damon's hiding places.
"Whoa, whoa," Damon said. "Bonnie, is there any way of doing what he said?"
"Not that I know of. It would take lots of research for me to be able to find it, and I don't know how long it would take, or if it's even possible."
Damon sighed. He knew that he was losing his best friend, one way or another. "Are you sure there's no way of talking you into becoming a vampire?" he asked.
"No. There's not."
"Then there's just one thing to do," he said. "But not now. We should wait until 'Other Alaric' comes out. Then we kill him and actually have some piece of mind."
"Uh, I'm not sure that's the best idea—" Ari began, but Damon cut her off.
"Ari, listen. We know what we're doing—sort of. Point is, we know more than you about this, so why don't you let us handle it? If you want to take a shift watching him, though, be our guest, we could all use a break."
"Damon, that's not what I'm—you know what? Fine. I'll take watch. What time is it?"
"Three in the afternoon," Elena replied.
"Give me until 8."
"Deal." Damon looked at her suspiciously. "What do you have up your sleeve?" he asked.
"Nothing at all," she replied.
"Great," Damon replied, too lazy to argue. "I need a drink." He left, presumably to go to the bar.
"I should take Elena home," Stefan said, and took her hand and left.
"Bonnie and I are gonna…go," Caroline said, uncomfortable around the new vampire.
"I shall leave, as well," Elijah said, and ran out.
"No one likes you, Ric," Ari pointed out jokingly.
"They just don't want to be here when you have to kill me. you don't really know me, so I guess it makes it easier for you."
"Killing is never easy, Ric." She sat down on the couch. "Now, time for business. I need to know something. Would you rather I kill you now, and you spend the rest of your existence in paradise? Or later, when Other You shows up, and you spend the rest of your existence in Hell on earth?"
"What are you talking about?" Ric asked.
"I knew who you are, Alaric Saltzman, the first time I saw you. You're just like me—well, just like I was when I was human. That ring proved it. That ring always finds its way to people like us."
"What do you mean, people like us?" Ric asked, scared around the girl too.
"Angels."
AN: So I had a dream, and TADA! This story was thought up. Like? Hate? Weird? Let me know.