A Time of Peace

Disclaimer: I don't own any of this.

I decided to continue with the story but it won't be a very long one. I hope you all enjoy and thanks for the reviews!

A summer shower of rain had sent everyone inside the Boarding House and the now light living room.

Bonnie sat in one of the arm chairs by the empty fire place, glancing around at the changed room. Stefan had extended the front porch so that it wrapped around the whole of the house and two double doors had been put into the walls instead of the dreary windows that vampires used to get thrown through on weekly bases. Marina had been sent upstairs after Bonnie had examined her and the girl was happy to play with her dolls while the adults discussed boring things in the living room.

Stefan was sitting on the couch, rubbing his hands together in worry. "Are you sure that you don't sense anything Bonnie?" he asked again.

Bonnie sighed and tried to explain in a clear way. "I don't know what I'm looking for Stefan. Whatever the vampires and werewolves are sensing, I can't see it. On the other hand..."

She looked over at Damon, who was leaning against the mantle place and then back at Stefan. "It is possible that whatever Marina has, it goes beyond anything I've ever encountered. Marina has been exposed to so many different kinds of magic and it's centring on one little girl. So whatever it is, it could be very dangerous. I actually think it's a good idea that we're all here to help."

Stefan stilled and cleared his throat. "Well now that you've mentioned help, I think it's time my wife told you something very important."

The whole group turned to the woman by his side, making Rebekah sigh.

"Alright, alright," she said, "Bonnie there's something I've been meaning to tell you for the past...decade."

Bonnie raised an eyebrow and the ex Original looked slightly guilty. "When we faced Silas, the cure wasn't the only thing that was in the cave with him. I found something after you and Damon killed him."

Bonnie and Damon looked at each other again, remembering that day. It had actually been easy to get rid of such a powerful creature. She had the cure and immediately wanted to use it on Silas. One look at Damon and he knew exactly what to do. They did their 'thing' and managed to pull it off. One spell from her and a quick neck snap and it was all over. Clearly it was a fluke; a chance of luck in their favour. But it had worked and that was good enough for them.

"What else was there?"

Rebakah looked over at Stefan who placed a comforting hand on her jean clad knee. "I found a stone with some markings on it. I didn't know what it was but when I picked it up, Jeremy came back to life."

Jeremy startled slightly and exclaimed, "I was really dead?! Again?!"

"But we thought he was still hanging in there!" Elena added, "And then Stefan gave him some blood."

Bonnie sighed and muttered, "That stone must have been how Silas brought people back to life. You activated it and it brought back the dead person nearest to you."

Rebekah nodded and Jeremy called over to her, "Thanks by the way."

Rebakah sent him a small smile but looked back Bonnie. "When I realised what I had in my hands...I brought them back. I brought my brothers back Bonnie."

"What?!" Everyone else in the room seemed to be horrified at the news; surprisingly Bonnie was the only one to remain calm.

"I was just thinking of Kol and Finn when we got back here after the island and then...there they were; alive. Even after you killed Klaus, he just came back!"

Damon hadn't moved from his post, he just asked the witch, "Did you hear anything about the Originals over the years Witchy?"

"No, and that's why I'm not freaking out right now. How have your brothers not run into me over these 10 years?"

"They came back as humans first. Finn and Elijah decided to stay as such but Klaus and Kol got turned back into vampires. They have made enough enemies over the years so at first they didn't want any stronger vampires coming after them. Then they got a witch to return them to their original strength. By then however, Bonnie here had firmly established herself as the leader of supernatural creatures and they didn't want to make her an enemy...again."

"We're saying 'again' a lot these days," Matt muttered to Tyler, who laughed slightly.

Elena walked over to the couch from where she had been standing and looked at Rebekah. "Where is the stone? Do you still have it?"

Rebekah shook her head and replied, "It turned to dust after Klaus came back; I never knew why."

Bonnie hummed slightly and said, "Probably after centuries of being unused; the stone brought four supernatural creatures back in a short amount of time. Its magic might not have been strong enough."

"But where are your brothers now?" Caroline asked, "Do they know about Marina?"

Stefan nodded and answered her. "We've taken her on vacation outside of Mystic Falls and they usually meet us wherever we go."

"I called them this morning and they are on their way here. But Bonnie I need you to let them in." Bonnie leaned back in her chair with a quiet sigh. Klaus and Kol were the most dangerous Originals but they had been behaving themselves for a decade.

"Are you crazy?" Elena exclaimed, "You can't let them in; Kol will take our heads off the second he sees us!"

"With good reason!" Rebekah shot back; Stefan trying to stop a fight before one started.

"I'm with Elena on this; we may have killed Kol but he was trying to rip my arms off the last time we saw him," Jeremy added.

"And have we forgotten that Klaus hates of all us?" Tyler put in.

"Yes, but he, like all my brothers, love Marina in their own way. They only want to protect her." Rebekah sent a pleading look to Bonnie as she spoke.

Bonnie looked over at Damon again, who shrugged and said, "We need all the help we can get; plus if they get out of hand, you can just bring them down."

He sent her a smirk, infuriating her and making her smile at the same time. He just expected her to beat an Original with a click of her fingers but the faith he had in her was always uplifting.

Bonnie looked back Rebekah and Stefan, the latter adding, "Do you honestly think I'd let them anywhere near Marina if they were dangerous to her?"

Not for a second, Bonnie realised. So she stood up and took a deep breath. Reaching out with her magic, she could feel the borders of the town, invisible but stronger than any gates. "I will allow Elijah, Finn, Klaus and Kol Mikaelson to enter Mystic Falls."

Nothing happened. Bonnie just sat back down and said, "They can enter the town now; but the minute one of them steps out of line, Rebekah-."

"I know," the blonde said, "But they love Marina as much as we do. They'll behave to help us."

As if on cue, the door was kicked open and Kol stormed into the Boarding House.

"Where is he?!" Kol yelled, "Where is the son of a bitch daring to hurt my niece?!"

Stefan sighed and let his head fall on the back of his couch. "Does he have to enter every house that way?"

Rebekah got up quickly to calm her brother but Marina came running down the stairs when she had heard the noise. Her face lit up and she exclaimed, "Uncle Kol!"

Kol turned around and his glare turned into a smile. "Hey darling, how's my favourite niece?" He picked up Marina and she hugged him tightly.

Stefan got up the same time as Bonnie and he muttered to her, "Kol Mikaelson: Marina's bi-polar uncle."

Klaus walked in a moment later and Kol put Marina down so she could greet him. She grinned at him and hugged Klaus as well. He simply patted her head and said, "Hello Marina. I've brought you some more paints for your art set."

Marina bounced up and down in excitement as Klaus gave her a bag of paints and number of new paintbrushes. Rebekah walked over to her brothers and shook her head at the gift. "The last time you gave her a present, she covered her bedroom walls in finger paint!"

Klaus shrugged and replied, "I am encouraging her artistic talent, sister. Plus I'm not the one cleaning up after her."

"Uncle Finn and Uncle Elijah too?!" Marina giggled as her last two uncles walked into the house.

She skipped over to Finn and hugged his legs. He smiled at her and asked, "How are you today, little one? We came to visit you this time." Marina turned to Elijah and he scooped her up into a hug. "What do you think Marina? All of your family under one roof for once."

Marina turned to Stefan and said, "They can stay here, right Daddy?"

The idea of the Originals and his friends, including Damon all living in the Boarding House was actually the last thing Stefan wanted but Marina was looking at with big green pleading eyes. Kol stood beside his niece and pointed to her puppy dog eyes.

"Resistance is futile, Stefan."

The Salvatore shook his head but answered, "Yes, of course you can all stay in the rooms."

Marina clapped her hands in delight and started chatting to Elijah about how they see her flowerbeds now.

Kol looked around the room and nodded to everyone in turn. "Sister, Sister's husband, Human, Ex-hybrid, Blonde Vampire, Creepy Blue Eyes." He grinned when he saw Bonnie and said smoothly, "Bonnie Bennett; it's an honour to see your beautiful face again."

Damon tensed and snapped out at the other vampire, "We all have names you know."

Kol dragged his eyes away from Bonnie and drawled, "Yes but I seriously can't be bothered to remember them all."

"At least he registered that you were actually in the room," Jeremy growled and Kol rounded on him.

"Actually I did know that you and your sister were in the room but Marina is present therefore I can't swear."

"Alright, alright," Caroline said, holding her hands out, "Can we get back to the problem at hand? You know, instead of biting each other's heads off?"

"Well how do we know they wouldn't stab us in the back when we let our guard down?" Matt argued.

Klaus chuckled and replied, "Lovely choice of words there."

Stefan rolled his eyes and turned to his daughter. "Alright Mar, why don't you go back upstairs and get your paints out and I'll be up in a minute to help you."

Marina nodded and Elijah placed her back on the ground so she could skip up the stairs. The eldest Mikaelson stood up straight and said smoothly, "I can assure you that our number one priority it Marina. As long as you all play fair so will we."

"How fair is fair?" Kol asked, only for Finn to elbow him in the ribs.

"They'll be on their best behaviour," Rebekah promised while Stefan just walked over to the door to check it for damage.

"In that case, the first item of business should be that the boundary line for the town runs far too close to this house," Klaus said, "For a human, it's only five minutes away but for a vampire, well, you saw how quickly we got here. And that was with dragging Elijah and Finn behind us."

"Well I'm afraid I can't move the town lines; but we can certainly keep an eye on them," Bonnie said, one hand on her hip. "If the vampires and werewolves can sense Marina then it's possible they can track her; they may come here."

Stefan shut the door with force and ran a hand through his hair. Damon stood straight and walked over to stand by Bonnie. "I followed the power trail here; I'm guessing so did Klaus and Kol. Others showing up are a big threat."

Bonnie looked at him and said, "I'll talk to my mom and ask her does she remember anything that could help us. My Grams' old books might also have something about Marina's power."

"Sounds like two very good plans," Matt commented and Damon smirked.

"Of course they are; they came from us."

Bonnie grinned at him before shaking her head.

-A few minutes later; Marina's room-

Marina was sat on her chair, her legs tucked underneath her as she leaned onto the small table in front of her. Paper, paints and other colours were spread all over the table and she was hard at work on her latest masterpiece. Stefan had managed to convince her to put on an art apron to save her clothes but her arms and hands were covered in paint. She hummed slightly as she dipped her paintbrush into some purple paint, not noticing Damon appear in her doorway.

The older Salvatore sighed slightly. She had Rebekah's blonde hair but Stefan's eyes and she looked a lot like her father when he was that age too. He had been avoiding Stefan and Mystic Falls for the past decade but Bonnie had told him when his brother has gotten married and when Marina was born. The butterfly charms in the window threw multicoloured light into the room and Damon remembered the first time he had seen them. They were a shop in Germany and Bonnie had been looking for a gift for Marina's birthday. Damon had picked them out but he refused to let Bonnie tell Stefan his part in the gift.

Marina looked up and smiled at him, one of her cheeks dotted with red paint. "Hi Damon!" she said, going back to her paper.

Damon smiled and walked over to her saying, "Hey, your Mom and Dad had to go out and check something so they asked me to see what you are up too."

Actually they had gone to see the town line by the back of the house with the Originals while Damon and Bonnie sorted through the magic books that she had left in the Mansion a few weeks ago. The others had gone back into town to tell the Mayor and Sheriff Forbes about Marina; just to give them the heads up.

Damon crouched down beside the table and raised his eyebrows slightly at the mess she had already made.

Marina grinned at him and said, "I'm drawing a family picture. Mommy, Daddy, Aunt Bonnie, Aunt Caroline, Aunt Elena and all my uncles, Matt, Jeremy, Tyler, Elijah, Finn, Klaus and Kol!"

Damon gave her a tight grin, trying to ignore the plain fact that he was absent. "Well you have a great family and that is a great picture! We should frame it for everyone to look at."

Marina smiled but bit her lip slightly. "There's a boy in my school that says I have a weird family."

Damon frowned and replied, "Really? Well that boy is just stupid; in fact all boys are stupid, you should just avoid them forever."

Marina giggled and added, "He said that they can't be my uncles and aunts because they're not my Mommy and Daddy's brothers and sisters. But can I still call them my family right?"

Damon nodded, in mock seriousness, and said, "Of course; plus some of uncles are your Mom's brothers."

Marina nodded and was silent for a moment, absentmindedly dragging the paintbrush across the page again. Finally she looked up at Damon and asked, "How come my Daddy doesn't have a brother or sister?"

Once again Damon felt that pang in his gut and he swallowed hard. He and Stefan had had their fights over the years but the fact that Stefan had pretty much erased his older brother stung. But it wasn't his place to tell Marina things her parents didn't want her to know. So Damon took a breath and just said, "Well, I guess he just doesn't. But that doesn't mean that he's lonely or upset. He has you and your mom and the others. Don't worry about your dad; he's really tough."

Marina nodded happily and exclaimed, "He's the toughest guy I know!"

She threw her arms out and knocked over the glass of water as well turning over two pots of paints. Both her and Damon jumped back at the same time and watched as the paint and water mixed together as it conveniently missed the drawings and splashed out over the floor.

Damon looked down at Marina who put both her hands over her mouth and mumbled through them, "Uh oh," while her green eyes grew as wide as a cartoon character.

Damon pointed at her face and said, "That. That right there is how you get away with so much."

He sighed and surveyed the scene in front of him before looking back down at Marina, who did not even reach his waist. "Alright, you go downstairs and tell Bonnie that painting time is over while I clean this up."

"Ok Damon; thank you." Marina hurried out of them room and Damon shook his head. He could help but think, as he put away her art things and whipped up the spill, that she was so like Stefan at that age. She was completely capable of mischief but one flash of those eyes had everyone forgetting what had happened in the first place. He himself had only been a child when Stefan had had that power but they had worked on him as well.

The table and the floor were clean so he headed to the bathroom with the paintbrushes to clean them. Turning on the tap, Damon tossed the brushes in sink and started to wash off the paint; multiple colours spinning around the sink before disappearing.

He was nearly finished when an all too familiar stab of pain shot through his brain. His legs nearly buckled, the breath was gone from his lungs. The pain was too much; he was leaning against the sink, the only thing holding him upright. The pain was worse than anything Bonnie had ever thrown at him and that was saying something.

And then, through the haze of mind numbing agony, he realised that Bonnie herself had appeared by his side. "Damon," he heard her say, "It's alright; wait for it to pass Damon."

She was right; it did past like all the times before. He was left breathless and weak, blinking because even the light in the bathroom was too bright after the attack. He sighed and stood up, looking over at a worried Bonnie. She was frowning but so very concerned for him.

He hated it when she saw the pain come.

One of her hands was on the back of his neck while the other was on his arm; soothing slightly. Damon gave her half a grin and placed a hand over hers. "Don't worry Bonnie; I'm fine. It's nothing I haven't handled before."

"But you shouldn't have to go through this!" she argued and he sensed their familiar fight coming.

"For the last time, it wasn't your fault. I made the choice and I don't regret it. And now I am paying for my actions; not just from ten years ago but for my entire life. What was it that you called it- "a blessing in disguise?" I'll be fine."

Bonnie huffed slightly, before replying, "You could at least let me ease the pain-."

"No; no this is my punishment and you have seen for yourself how much it's helped. I deserve this Bonnie."

"Deserve what?"

They both turned around to see Stefan standing in the doorway, his eyes darting between them both and their joined hands. "Ok, so obviously something is going and I would appreciate it if one of you would finally tell me what is going on?!"

Damon and Bonnie looked at each other again before Bonnie moved her hands from Damon. "You better tell him or I will," she promised before walking past Stefan and out the door.

Stefan folded his arms and stared Damon down, who could only turn fully around and lean against the counter. "What is going on Damon?" his brother asked quickly, "What punishment were you talking about and honestly? I really would like to know where you've been for the past ten years!"

Damon mirrored his brother's pose and replied, "I stayed away Stefan; isn't that what you wanted?"

Stefan frowned before arguing, "I was mad at you for everything you did; I was furious! But you were supposed to come back!"

There was heavy pause after her spoke and he swallowed thickly before continuing. "We fight and do terrible things to others and each other because that's how it's always been. You leaving wasn't a big deal Damon; but you were supposed to come back."

Damon blinked, in shock at Stefan's words. Stefan stared back at him and for a moment neither one of them spoke.

Finally Damon started to explain. "I stayed away because I had something big that I had to deal with; my punishment."

"Punishment for what?"

Damon closed his eyes and laughed slightly, as if Stefan had just given a simple answer to a very complicated question.

"Everything Stefan, everything."

He opened his eyes and sighed heavily. "You see, it turns out that there was catch to killing Silas. Go figure."