Summary : The life of Damon Salvatore suddenly changes when a certain Hope Beauvais arrives in his life and declares to be pregnant with him. Accepting his role as a father isn't easy for him, let alone accepting Hope's presence in his life. Sometimes it takes a miracle to learn who we really are.
On the red anchor
"Look deep in my soul, you will fall lower than you already are."
Damon Salvatore
The story begins during the end of episode 2 of season 2 ...
1.
I looked for a moment at the big sign that showed:
Welcome to
MYSTIC FALLS
VIRGINIA
I was there at last and no relief came down on me because I knew that my problems weren't over yet. I left a painful past to meet a present and a future that held me many surprises.
The road was long and painful to get here and I would have liked never to set foot in this city but what choice did I really have? I was lost and rejected. I had no more family and I found myself in the street without money, without any prospect of future. Because of my condition and my situation, I was forced to go to a city that I would have liked to avoid during my entire life.
"We have arrived, my child. "
I smiled at the old woman who turned to me and I nodded, turning my eyes away from the Welcome panel.
"Yes," I whispered.
Her husband parked in front of a facility called the Mystic Grill and pulled off her seat belt to turn to me. He put his benevolent and warm look on me, taking my hand in his.
"We hope you find what you're looking for, kid," he says. "And if you ever needed help, our door will be wide open. "
"Thank you very much, Mr. Brown. "
"Charlie, kid. It's Charlie. "
"Thanks a lot, Charlie," I corrected myself with a smile.
Charlie laid a kiss on my forehead and for having had to make a long trip with the couple, my body did not stiffen anymore in contact with the old man. His wife, Betty, took me in his arms for the last time and I got out of the car, slamming the door behind me.
"Good luck !" They threw me before restarting and resuming their way.
I let out a sigh of weariness and looked down at the piece of paper he had put in my hand. An address. I put it in the back pocket of my jeans and adjusted my backpack on my shoulder. I shivered in the cold of the night and hid my hands in the pockets of my jeans.
Now that I was in Mystic Falls, I didn't know where to start my research and nothing was said that I would find him in this city because according to the information that I could glean left and right, the the person I was looking for might not be the one I had met more than three months ago. I shook my head, chasing the images of our last and only meeting. I didn't want to remember it, not now. I would face sooner or later but not immediately.
So I decided to resume my research and pushed open the door of the restaurant / bar / coffee. I went to the bar and stared around me, having the horrible feeling of being watched. A feeling that never left me. I nervously triturated my fingers and tried to calm my anxiety. I hated finding myself in this kind of place, in the middle of so many people.
"Hello !"
I jumped suddenly and felt my heart make a horrible leap in my chest. I put a hand near my heart and tried painfully to calm my heartbeat.
"Sorry, I didn't want to scare you."
I shook my head and looked up to see a young bartender who was about the same age as me. He was a tall young man with blond hair and blue eyes. His muscular physique made me think of a football player.
"It's nothing."
"To make me forgive, I offer you something to drink," he says. "So, what are you doing?"
I sat on one of the stools and put my backpack next to me.
"You don't have to do that, you know," I said. "Everything is fine."
"Don't worry," he reassured me with a smile. "So ?"
I sighed and finally gave in to his proposal. I asked him for a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice and turned to the room, which was almost packed. Most of the clients were teenagers. Some played billiards while others played with a game of poker. The atmosphere was rather festive, joyful and carefree. Far from my state of mind.
"And an orange juice for miss!" Exclaimed the bartender, filing in front of me my order.
"Thank you very much."
"It's a real pleasure," he says. "New in the area, isn't it?"
"Does it show so much?" I asked.
He nodded with a smile.
"Mystic Falls is a very small town so we immediately notice new faces," he replied. "By the way, I'm Matthew Donovan, but everyone calls me Matt."
"Hope Beauvais," I introduced myself.
"Native to Louisiana?" He questioned me.
"It's true that my family name is screaming right now Louisiana but I'm from Kansas."
"What could a Kansas girl look like in Mystic Falls?"
I looked down at my glass and stared at the orange liquid. It was an excellent question and I, myself, was no longer sure I could answer it. I did not even know why I had made such a long trip to find myself in this city. I was completely lost. And without realizing it, tears began to run down my cheeks.
"Hey Hope! What's wrong ?" Matt worried.
I heard him move and in a few seconds, he found himself on my side of the bar and put a hand on my shoulder. I tensed abruptly at the touch of his hand and immediately walked away from him. He took a step back to give me a little space and raised his hands to try to quell my fright.
"I don't want you any harm, promised. I just want to help you."
I shook my head, tears rolling on my face. Nobody could help me. I didn't know what had gone through my head to want to come here when I should have run away from this place. But what choice did I have? I couldn't go back now. It was too late for me now.
"I ... I ... am ..." I stammered in a sob.
I sat up and wiped my tears. I took a deep breath to calm myself down and met Matt's worried blue eyes.
"I'm looking for someone."
"Who ?"
"Damon Salvatore."
"Are you looking for Damon?" He questioned me, puzzled. "Are you really sure you're looking for this guy?"
"You know him ?"
"It's hard not to know a guy like that," he grumbled.
"Would you know where he lives by chance?" I asked, new hope deep inside me.
"Yeah," he mumbled. "I don't know what you're looking for with this guy but he's not a good guy, Hope."
I giggled bitterly and pinched my lower lip furiously.
"Believe me, I know it, and I do not delude myself as to the kind of person he might be, but I need him. "
"Maybe I could help. "
"No, you can't, but I appreciate all the same," I thanked him.
"I can surely accompany you to the Salvatore's house," he offered.
I looked at the many customers at the Mystic Grill and doubted he could be able to drive me with so many people to serve.
"No, I annoyed you enough," I said politely. "But if you could tell me where he lives, it would be really nice."
He nodded and gave me the address of Damon Salvatore's home.
"Thanks, Matt."
"If this asshole is a problem, you know where to find me," he says.
" Noted."
I emptied my glass of orange juice and left the Mystic Grill, promising Matt to see him again. It was dark in the street and the night had fallen for a few hours. I was exhausted by my journey but also by all the hardships I had to cross. I would sometimes stop everything and end my days but I never got there.
I let out another sigh and walked towards the Salvatore house. I admired the streets of the city and found the ancient architecture very impressive. Mystic Falls seemed to have a lot of stories in every building in the city.
I stared at the huge, old, dark house. I would never have known that he could live in a mansion. I hesitated to approach the building and wanted to turn back. I shouldn't be here again. I should run away while there was still time but my footsteps led me to the door of the mansion and I was ready to knock when the door opened on a boy my age. He had brown hair and brown eyes. He stared at me in surprise and then turned to the man who was slumped in a sumptuous leather sofa.
"Hi," he said before leaving.
"Uh ... hello," I said, watching him walk away.
I stood motionless on the porch of the Salvatore house, not knowing what to do. I was paralyzed by the fear that arose again in me. I screamed in horror as I saw it in front of me.
It was him. I could never forget. How could I erase from my memory the face of this dark brown with icy blue eyes? How could I forget a man or rather a wild and cruel monster who had used me months ago? How can I forget the bite? How could I erase the memory of his hands on my body, of his smell, and of the blood that invaded my senses? How could I forget what had happened that night and what had happened thereafter?
"What can I do for a beautiful lady like you?"
And it was stronger than me. My hand went so fast that he did not have time to react. The sound of the slap sounded all around the walls of the hall.
He put a hand to his cheek and looked at me with astonishment.
"Asshole!" I said angrily.
I was about to make a new crisis but it didn't matter to me to lose control of my emotions in front of him. He wasn't allowed to do that to me. Not after all that happened that night when I had the misfortune to meet him.
"Could I know what got me such a slap?" He asked, grinding his teeth.
I watched him late, suddenly armed with a courage I hadn't felt before.
"My misfortune, bastard!" I replied. "By your fault, I find myself on the street, without family or place to live. I have no money and no future. "
"Minute," he cut me off, lost. "What are you talking about ? And who are you?"
"Hope Beauvais, asshole! I guess you don't have to remember the many girls that you bite and that you use sexually! Oh yes, I forgot, we are only blood tanks for you! Certainly it's complicated to remember girls that you leave pregnant behind you!" I annoyed.
"What? "
"I don't know what you are or if you're really human but I don't care for now. For the moment, I just need some cooperation from you."
"What?" He asked again more and more confused.
"I'm pregnant, you bastard!"
I put my backpack on the floor and pulled off my sweater so he could see the rounded shape of my belly. He looked down at my abdomen and laughed. I blinked, confused. Why was he laughing? What was funny about my situation?
"Your actress game was really great. The clumsy girl who comes to ask for help from her child's father ... really excellent," he laughs.
"What?"
This time it was me who was completely lost. I had no idea what he was talking about.
"You better get your skit out of someone else and find your child's real father."
"But you are the father!"
He approached a threatening step towards me and gave me a look that made me cold in the back.
"It's a new game from Katherine, is not it? Do you work for her? "
"Katherine? Who is it ? What are you talking about ?" I asked, disoriented.
"Don't lie to me !" He growled. "I know that this whole pregnancy story is a lie. Vampires can not procreate! I can't be the father of your baby. "
"Vampire? " I said, suddenly alarmed. " Oh my God ! "
I put my hands on my lips, horrified. A vampire. How could I miss such an explanation? He was a vampire. Something inside me knew who he really was but I did not want to see him. I wanted to close my eyes to this horrible truth because he was the only person who could help me. I didn't want to face it, for fear of panicking a little more. But today, facing him, I couldn't hide my face anymore.
He filled the space between us and put his hand on my collarbone, forcing me to meet his blue eyes.
"You'll tell me right now the truth. Who are you ? And why do you want to make me endorse a paternity that is not mine?" He questioned me in a demanding tone.
"Let me go, bastard!" I pushed him violently.
He looked at me incredulously. He frowned and stared at me from head to foot.
"Do you take the vein of Venus?" He asked me.
" What is it ? "
He didn't answer my question, looking at me suspiciously. He was suspicious of me and acted as if I was landing from Kansas in order to rob him of all his belongings. First, I was far from imagining that he lived in such a palace. Besides, I hadn't done all this trip to scam it. I needed help and he was the only person I could think of to help me because it wasn't just my baby but it was his too.
"You better go if you don't want your life to end here," he threatened.
"You don't remember me, do you?" I sputtered, disgusted. "Of course not. Yet I remember you perfectly. You were the new guy who had just landed in Kansas and with whom all the girls in the city wanted to go out. In a few days, everyone had heard of Damon Salvatore and then I had the misfortune to meet you at a party organized by Daisy, a popular girl from my high school. I was on the way back when you took my arm and you drove me to a deserted parking lot. You ordered me to shut up, you whispered in my ear that everything will end quickly, that it will hurt a little and that I will forget everything at the end. I didn't forget the bite, much less the way you removed my virginity from a deserted parking lot, against a dirty wall. I didn't forget what happened that night but I tried to pretend you never existed. The next day, we heard more about you in the city and I was hoping to make a fresh start, forget that horrible night but a month later, I learned that I was pregnant. I didn't know what to do and I thought to go to abort but it was impossible for me to do without the agreement of my guardians since I am minor. I couldn't talk to anyone and the more time passed, the more I despaired of finding a solution. I tried to make a suicide attempt and it was after that that my guardians learned about my pregnancy. They threw me in the street and I found myself without a roof, without anyone to help me. I didn't go looking for you in the idea of robbing you or anything like that. I came to meet you since you are the father of this child because there was none other than you. I need you to support me in this story because alone, I'll never get there."
Damon frowned, puzzled. He took a sip of the whiskey he had in the other hand and glanced at me again.
"Very charming and intriguing your little story but I repeat blondie, I can't be the father. I am sterile."
"And I'm sure you're the father. "
"Good evening."
I turned quickly and faced a young man who looked strangely like Damon.
"Ah Stefan! Glad you're back, "Damon told the newcomer.
" What is happening here ? Who is it ? " Stefan asked.
Damon shrugged and headed to the bar of the manor for another drink.
"Blondie here presents that I would be the author of her pregnancy," he says.
" Pregnancy ?" Stefan said, surprised.
He turned to me and his eyes automatically went down to my belly. He looked at me in amazement then went to Damon.
"Can you explain to me ?"
"She resists hypnosis and apparently, the last time I was in Kansas, I would have indulged in some fun with her. I thought that hypnosis had worked but it isn't. She remembers our night and after that, she thinks I'm the father of her child, "he explained.
"A vampire can't procreate," says Stefan.
"I said it to her, but Miss Kansas doesn't seem to want to listen to what I'm saying then, you're going to talk to her nicely while I go to bed. "
"What?" Stefan exclaimed incredulously.
"A perfect opportunity for you to play the hero no?" Damon scoffed.
"Damon ..."
"It's your child. Vampire or not, he's yours, "I said.
Damon exchanged a look with Stefan and the youngest of the two men took out his mobile phone.
"I'm calling Bonnie. "
"To do what ?" Damon asked him.
"Maybe she could help us clarify the situation," Stefan answered before starting to talk on the phone.
He glanced at me from time to time as Damon flopped down on the couch, sipping his glass of alcohol. I remained motionless like an idiot on the threshold of their door and felt quickly, insignificant in their eyes. I was exhausted. I needed a good hot shower as well as a good rest. It had been a long time since I had allowed myself such luxury.
"Come in, please," Stefan invited me.
"Thank you."
He offered to sit in one of the chairs and I chose the one that was as far away from Damon as possible.
"Do you want something to drink?"
"No thanks. How nice."
He nodded and took a seat in another chair. He cast an uncertain look at Damon before turning his attention back to me.
"So, what's your name?"
"Hope Beauvais," I replied.
"I'm glad to meet you, Hope. Me, it's Stefan Salvatore "he introduced himself.
"Oh!" I said, surprised.
He must have been Damon's younger brother. He was about to ask me more questions when the manor door opened sharply on a dark-skinned young woman.
"What's wrong, Stefan?" She asked almost immediately.
"Thanks for coming so quickly, Bonnie."
"So ?" She was impatient.
"Why did you bring Sabrina here?" Damon questioned.
Bonnie glared at Damon. She was clearly irritated by the presence of the vampire in the room and seemed to refrain from not killing Damon.
"Bonnie, can you reveal the paternity of a person?" Stefan asked.
"What?" I cried at the same time as Bonnie. "What does all this mean? "
"And who is she? " Bonnie asked.
"A scammer trying to get me some money by trying to give me a fatherhood that's not mine," Damon replied dryly.
I got up, furious. I certainly did not come here to be insulted and belittled by this bastard. Finally, it was better that I manage on my own. It had been a mistake on my part to come here.
"What could I have imagined coming from someone like you?" I asked with an ironic smile.
"Hope," Stefan said, getting up to hold me back.
"I thank you for your hospitality but I think it's better that I go away."
"Finally a wise decision," Damon snapped.
"Damon!" Stefan snarled.
"What? Did you hear? She leaves. Problem solved. And it would be really nice of you if you could leave my home with the witch who is right next to you."
I decided to leave and was about to walk in the door when I was held by Stefan's hand.
"Don't leave, please."
"Why ? I have nothing to do here anyway."
"We need to understand what's going on, Hope, and you look exhausted. You can't leave like this. "
"I…"
"At least this night, please," he persuaded me.
I let out an angry sigh and nodded because in any case, I was a little stuck with them for now. I had nowhere to go and I didn't know anyone here in town except Matt who had been very kind to me but he was nothing but an acquaintance and not a friend.
Stefan lifted my backpack and we went back to the living room. Damon just rolled his eyes as Bonnie stared at me curiously.
"Are we finally going to explain the reason for my coming here?" She asked a little annoyed.
Stefan told him roughly what was going on between Damon and me, and then Bonnie changed her eyes to me, completely intrigued this time.
"Can you know who the father is?" Stefan asked him.
"No," she replied. "But I can surely know if Damon is or not."
She glanced at the vampire who seemed to ignore our lives and then asked Stefan to bring him three candles and water in a bowl and salt. She drew a circle on the floor, then she drew a pentagram and asked me to lie on the symbol.
"What's going on there? What's all this circus?" I flustered.
"Trust me, Hope. We will not hurt you."
"Do you trust?" I sneered with contempt. "How can you ask me to trust the relatives of a man who has used me?"
"I know I'm asking you a lot but I promise you that no one will hurt you here," he assured me.
"A vampire," I said. "And now? A witch, I suppose."
"You think so," Bonnie said. "And if that can reassure you, I hate this guy just as much as you. "
It didn't reassure me to know because it only confirmed my suspicions about the kind of person I was going to have a child with. I wish I was mistaken about his personality and discover someone other than the monster I had to meet because the monsters had no heart so they could not take care of a family.
I wanted to end this crazy night and settled inside the circle. I scrupulously followed Bonnie's instructions and closed my eyes, trying to relax as much as possible.
"I need your blood," she spat at Damon.
"All this is a waste of unnecessary time. Instead of listening to the stupidity of a kid in search of money, you'd better worry about the real problem we're having."
"Your blood!" Bonnie growled.
I heard it coming closer and stiffened suddenly when we raised my shirt and the next moment, I felt a hot liquid and thick run down my stomach. I heard barely understandable whispers, including a language that reminded me of Latin, and I shuddered when a slight breeze caressed my skin. The murmurs stopped and an uncomfortable silence took place in the room.
"What does that mean ?" Suddenly spat out Damon's voice.
"That you are the father," Bonnie answered in a stupefied voice.
"It's not possible ! I can't be the father since I'm a vampire! I'm sterile !" Damon exasperated.
"Damon ..."
"Do you hate me so much that you would be ready to make me take the paternity of another person?" Damon asked, turning to Bonnie.
"You can think what you want from me, but I will never hurt an innocent man especially by forcing him to have a father like you," Bonnie retorted dryly. "You're the father and if you don't believe me, a DNA test exists. I'm sure Meredith would be happy to help you. On that, good night!"
Then she left without another word, slamming the door loudly behind her.
"I don't believe it," said Damon. "We can't procreate ourselves. It's impossible. We are sterile!"
"We will understand all this together. For now, we'd better go to bed, "Stefan suggested.
"It was you who didn't want to get rid of it so that's your problem," said Damon before suddenly disappearing from the living room.
Stefan sighed tiredly and turned to me, exhausted.
"What if I showed you your room?"
"Maybe it would be better for me to go to a motel. "
"No, Hope. You're our guest."
"Damon doesn't look pleased with my visit" I said dubiously.
"He needs time to digest the news. He is going through a difficult time at the moment and most of all, learning that you are going to be a dad in his situation isn't easy to accept."
"Vampire?" I deduced.
"Yes," he confirmed. "Vampires aren't supposed to breed, and it's strange that a human can resist hypnosis. Unless he takes daily vein of Venus."
"I don't take your vein of Venus or anything that comes close to it anyway. I don't take drugs."
"It's not a drug," he laughs. "Go! Come ! The trip must have been exhausting for you."
Stefan showed me the room I was going to occupy temporarily and wished me good night before leaving me. I closed the door behind me and rushed to the bathroom where I vomited all I had to swallow these last hours then I slid on the cold tile and burst into tears.
Should I continue?
