So I initially marked this as complete because I was fine ending it where I did. I brought Anna back, I was happy and the stars were right again. However, boredom is a terrible thing and reviews are a great thing. While I still lack faith in my story/characters/plot, some of my reviewers seemed to enjoy the first chapter enough to push me to keep going.
I think I've figured out what I'll be doing in this fic, and I've got my conclusion sorted out for the most part. I have no idea how long it's going to take to get to the end, but I'm going to try and update at least once a week.
Anyway, here's chapter 2. I hope you enjoy it :)
The following morning, the ripples of chaos that spread during the Founder's Day celebration had slowly begun to dissipate. At Elena's home, Jenna's shaken nerves were settled somewhat by one Alaric Saltzman. By the time Elena and the Salvatore brothers had returned to the Gilbert home, Rick was already there, doing what he could to comfort her while she dealt with the droves of uniforms that were in and out of their once peaceful home. Luckily, Jonathan's body was the first thing they removed from the scene.
"How much longer is this going to take?" Jenna quietly asked, huddled closely with the rest of the group. While she struggled to avoid making direct eye contact, her eyes couldn't help but wander back and forth between Elena and Damon. For all she knew, they had been in the grips of a most passionate kiss the last time she saw them, yet here she was, wrapped in Stefan's arms like nothing happened. Still in shock, she looked to Elena and finally spoke her mind eloquently, "How can you do this?"
Completely confused by her comment, Elena asked, "Do what?"
She knew how wrong it was to be butting in like this, but she couldn't help herself, "Just a few hours ago I see you kissing him…" she turned to Damon, then back to Elena and Stefan, "…and now here you are like nothing happened."
"What?" Elena barked back in shock.
Damon walked away from the group as he continued to look around the room intently. "Katherine," he spoke just loud enough for Stefan to hear. "Cover it up."
Quickly Stefan offered an explanation. Unfortunately, it came out sounding every bit as contrived as it was, though that it came from Elena's boyfriend lent all the believability Jenna needed, "That was rehearsal…for…a school production."
Jenna shook her head slightly while behind her, Alaric simply lowered his forehead to his palm. "That's it?" Jenna asked.
"Yep," Stefan replied with a slight smile. "I really fought for the role of Romeo, but Damon-"
"So wait, you're in a play?" Jenna interrupted with her eyes on Elena.
She fell in line with little drama, "Uh…yeah. All three of us are."
"So, if Damon is Romeo…" she turned to Stefan and asked, "…who are-?"
Damon nonchalantly rejoined the group as he interrupted, answering for his brother, "Tybalt; constant thorn in Romeo's side." He passed behind Stefan and again spoke just loud enough for his brother to hear, "Jon Gilbert's ring is gone."
The last of the uniforms approached the group and addressed them, "We're all done here. We'll be in touch over the next few days if we find anything."
"Thank you so much," Elena replied. For a moment she thought how funny it might have been to lay out the details of what had happened for the detective. How a centuries old vampire with a grudge -who just so happened to look exactly like the girl he was speaking with- was invited into the home without a second thought and ran Jonathan through with a smile on her face.
The detective offered the group a nod and spoke one last time before heading to the door, "I'm sorry for your loss."
"Thank you," Elena and Jenna replied somberly.
As the door closed behind him, their home was silent once again. Rick wrapped his arms around Jenna and she quietly asked, "Is it wrong that I'm not crying?"
Luckily for her, Elena had called her father 'uncle' for years; now it came out easy, "Uncle Jon did everything he could to make himself unlikable. Still…" she calmed herself as she spoke, "…he was family."
Jenna nodded and in an instant, snapped back to reality, "Oh my god, Jeremy…"
"His girlfriend is with him at the hospital," Stefan reassured. "When he wakes up, she'll be the first thing he sees."
"Do they let you into the ER if you're not family?" Jenna asked.
"Oh I think they'll let her in," Damon replied with a knowing smile.
In the Emergency Room, Anna hadn't moved once throughout the night. She hadn't fallen asleep, nor had she taken her eyes off him as he slept. Her vigil constant and unwavering for the man she cared so deeply for. As Stefan had mentioned earlier across town, Jeremy's eyes slowly opened and immediately he took Anna's smiling face into view. He could have gotten lost in her eyes for days; then she spoke, "Good morning sleepy head."
"Hey," Jeremy replied with a slight smile.
She leaned forward in her seat and asked, "How're you feeling?"
"A little tired, but…" he listened to the low and steady chime of the heart monitor, "…it sounds like I'm alive."
Anna frowned slightly and replied, "I'm sorry, Jer. You were unconscious and-"
He smiled weakly as he interrupted her, "Hey it's no big deal, every teenager should have their stomach pumped once; it's a life experience right?"
"I just didn't know if you really wanted to turn or if it was just because…"
A silence filled the room for a moment and Jeremy answered her, "A part of me is dying to know what it's like to have your gifts, to be able to turn the world off."
"And the other part?" Anna asked.
"The other part of me is afraid that this won't be as special if I'm like you. I'm not saying I'll never want to turn, but right now…" he reached down and took her hand into his, "…I just want to be you and me, the way we've always been."
Anna's smile eventually won out. She was just grateful to be alive, to be able to sit at his side and have this conversation. She stood up and leaned over him to give him a kiss; his free hand weakly came around the base of her neck, just so he might hold her once again. As she pulled away, she quietly spoke, "Deal."
From the doorway to Jeremy's room, Damon wasted no time being himself, "Awe, now isn't that sweet?"
Anna's eyes closed and her forehead lightly crashed onto Jeremy's, "Good morning, Damon."
As Anna once again took her seat, Jeremy calmly asked, "What are you doing here?"
Damon slowly approached them and replied, his tone that rare non-dick, "I need to borrow your girlfriend."
"What for?" Jeremy asked.
"Because last night, I watched your late uncle…" there was the dick we know and love, "…put a stake through her heart, cover her with gasoline and set her on fire." Jeremy shifted uncomfortably in his bed at mention of Anna's would-be murder, and Damon finished his thought, "Forgive me but I'm just a little curious as to how she's walking and talking."
"I said I would go with you and I will, but I'm not just leaving him here by himself," Anna replied.
"That's okay…" Damon replied, when perfectly on cue, Stefan and Elena walked through the door, "…I brought reinforcements."
At the sight of Elena, Jeremy instantly remembered the volumes of lies and betrayal his sister had left in her wake. However, as he lay in that bed, connected to countless machines, he knew he would not have been alive had it not been for her. She wouldn't earn his absolution overnight, but he was ready to let the process begin. At the mere sight of a smile on his face -a smile directed at her- Elena knew things were going to get better between her and her brother.
"Are you going to be alright?" Anna asked.
"He'll be home in just a few hours," Doctor Mathias replied as he entered the room behind Stefan.
Elena turned to the doctor and asked, no in the slightest bit unhappy but caught off guard, "He will?"
The doctor proceeded past Anna to check a few of the readouts on the monitor beside Jeremy and replied, "Judging by these statistics, possibly even sooner." He turned back to the group and proceeded towards the door wearing a slight smile, "I'll leave you folks alone."
As soon as the doctor was gone, Damon turned back to Anna and barked with a snap of his fingers, "Anna."
She turned to Jeremy and said her goodbyes, "I'll be by later."
He smiled as his eyes once again met hers, "K."
She leaned down and gave him one last kiss before leaving. She pulled away, their hands remaining together as long as they could before finally separating. As Anna approached the group, Stefan offered his concern for what they were doing, "You know she's not exactly fond of our kind."
Damon nodded and smiled sarcastically, "Yeah, ought to be a lot of fun asking her for help."
Putting the pieces together from what he had read in Elena's journal, Jeremy asked, "Anna's not going to be in any danger, is she?"
"She's not really fond of vampires in general but she only hates us," Damon replied. "In her book, Anna's neutral. She'll be fine, scout's honor."
"Still, please try and be careful?" Stefan replied, the memory of the witch's warning from just a few hours ago, constantly replaying in his mind.
At the sight of Stefan's most serious look, Damon simply nodded. It was these rare moments when he failed to smile like a jerk that one could tell that Damon both understood and acknowledged whatever was asked of him.
Anna and Damon walked out of the room, then the hospital, while a concerned Elena turned to Stefan who smiled before placing a reassuring arm around her; If only he had told her just how nervous he was about this little meeting.
Damon and Anna walked along the path to Bonnie's front door and Anna asked, "Why were Stefan and Jeremy so concerned about this?"
"That bit of magic that got your mother out of the church?" Damon replied, the mere mention of her mother shutting Anna off like a light. "That was thanks to her and her grandmother…" Damon knocked at the door and finished his thought, "…the latter didn't make it."
A few seconds later, several latches could be heard being undone on the opposite side of the door and finally, the door swung open revealing Bonnie. Looking most unsurprised, Bonnie greeted him with about as much kindness as she could muster, "Damon." Eyeing up Anna, she immediately knew what she was and asked, "Who's she?"
He wasn't lying when he said he was sorry for what happened to her grandmother. All of his trademark narcissism and sarcasm was nowhere to be scene as he replied, "I think the better question is 'What is she'? I was hoping you might be able to tell me."
Bonnie hesitated for a moment before her curiosity got the best of her. She tilted her head back, signaling Anna to approach the door. She did as she was silently instructed and Bonnie raised her hand, almost as to mime the barrier that kept unwelcome vampires out. Anna did the same, forcing her hand to immovable thin air. Bonnie's hand slowly approached Anna's and she closed her eyes as she struggled to divine what she could from the vampire. Without even contacting her physically, she had picked up everything she needed from Anna.
She quickly withdrew her hand and her eyes shattered open. Without a second thought, she locked eyes with Anna and spoke, "Come in."
Anna slowly stepped through the threshold and as Damon attempted to follow her, he found he was still unwelcome, "What about-"
Bonnie's face told of her sarcasm as she replied lightly, "Oh we're not quite there yet, but I'll let you know what happens in a few minutes."
"I promised to bring her back to someone alive," Damon replied.
"And I wouldn't have invited her in if I were worried for my life, Damon," Bonnie replied.
Just as she closed the door he called out once again, "Wait, Bonnie?" She opened the door slightly and Damon continued, "You said we're not there yet…" he made his best dashing eyes at her and finished his thought, "…does that mean we still have a chance, you and I?"
Bonnie rolled her eyes and slammed the door in his face.
"Well that wasn't nice," Damon replied as he turned and took a seat on the concrete porch.
"I just made tea, would you like some?" Bonnie asked her guest. She extended her hand towards the couch in the living area of her grandmother's home, and Anna obliged.
Confused and caught off guard, Anna replied, "Sure." As Bonnie stepped into the next room to pour the tea, Anna asked, "Why are you being nice to me? You obviously know what I am; aren't you afraid?"
"Of you, no," Bonnie replied nonchalantly. She proceeded back into the living area and placed a small cup of tea in front of the vampire as she replied, "Besides, I have enough vervein in my system to put you down for quite a long time. But, I don't imagine I have anything to fear from you."
"How can you know that?" Anna asked.
"Does the name 'Emily' mean anything to you?" Bonnie asked.
Anna's eyes widened and she smiled slightly, "You're a descendant of Emily's, aren't you?"
Bonnie didn't offer vocal response, just a nod. She placed her cup of tea on the coffee table between them and replied, "Turns out magic runs in our family. It's in my blood, just like it was in my grandmother's, and Emily's."
"Do you know why Damon brought me here?" Anna asked.
"I suspect it has something to do with the fact that you're walking and talking," Bonnie replied. "Who did it?"
Knowing full well what she was being asked, she quietly replied, "Jonathan Gilbert."
"Elena's father?" Bonnie asked.
"How'd you know?" Anna asked.
"I've known for weeks now. I can practically see it in their auras; same blood, same flesh. And Damon thinks I hate your kind."
"Don't you?" Anna asked, just slightly harsh.
"Two vampires cost me the life of my grandmother. You might imagine I'm not keen on forgiving and forgetting," Bonnie replied.
"Then why help me? Invite me in?" Anna asked.
"Because I believe you weren't lying when you told Jeremy you just wanted to live your life," Bonnie replied. Her face told of her sincerity as she finished her thought, "Sorry about your mom."
"Thanks," Anna replied, just unsettled by how much the witch had gleaned from her in such a short time. She fought back tears for a moment and asked, "How did I survive last night? There aren't a lot of ways to kill a vampire and Jon Gilbert did most of them to me."
Bonnie smiled slightly as she retrieved her mug from the table. She brought it to her lips and before taking a sip, quietly spoke, "That's a beautiful necklace."
Anna immediately looked down to the simple rope and trinket that graced her neck. For a moment, she was lost in amazement that it had actually held together all these years. She pulled the charm from beneath her shirt and held it just in front of her as she explained, "My mother gave it to me for my birthday over a century and a half ago."
Bonnie placed the mug back on the table and extended her hand as she asked, "May I see it?"
Immediately Anna knew she had to be asking for a reason. Being one of the few remaining memories of her mother, she was cautious about handing it to anyone, let alone someone she knew held a hatred for vampires, "What for?"
"Because I've read enough to know Emily's handiwork when I see it," Bonnie replied. Anna again looked down to her necklace as Bonnie reassured her, "If we had anything to fear from one another, I would never have let you in."
Anna took a deep breath. She hesitantly reached behind her to undo the knot that held the necklace in place, and as her fingers touched the rope, she addressed Bonnie, "I'm trusting you, please don't make me regret it."
"You have my word; you'll walk out of this house, with the necklace, exactly as you are now, as soon as we're done," Bonnie replied.
Anna carefully undid the knot and delicately dropped the necklace into Bonnie's open palm. As it contacted her skin, Bonnie's eyes fluttered closed and a wide smile formed on her lips. She slowly opened her eyes to take in the necklace. Regardless of her reaction, it was just a rope with a crude talisman, made up of nothing more than a gem encrusted piece of metal.
"Wow," Bonnie quietly exclaimed as she looked it over.
"What is it?" Anna asked calmly.
Bonnie looked to Anna, then back to the necklace as she spoke, "Sorry, it's just…" again her smile grew wider as she continued to explain, "…it's overflowing with energy. I'm still pretty new to all this, but I've never felt anything like this before." She looked up to Anna and asked, "You don't feel any different having taken it off?"
"No," Anna replied with a slight shake of her head.
Again Bonnie smiled as she gently rubbed the stone at its center, "Your mother must have had Emily bind it to you."
"What does that mean?"
"It means that its spell is bound to you and you alone. If someone were to take it from you, it would be powerless," Bonnie replied.
Anna smiled as she replied, "That's great and all, but what does it do?"
Bonnie closed her eyes as she held the charm, focusing on discerning the spell Emily cast over it. As it came to her, she quietly spoke it, "So long as you shall wear this charm, death will never fall on you." Her eyes slowly opened, and again a slight smile formed on her lips.
"That's it?" Anna asked receiving a simple nod from Bonnie. The witch handed the necklace back to Anna, who promptly slipped back around her neck. Done retying the knot, Anna asked, "So what, aside from being a vampire, as long as I wear this, I'm-"
"Unkillable?" Bonnie finished for her. She sighed lightly as she finished her thought, "It would appear so." As Anna examined the charm for a moment, Bonnie took notice of her troubled gaze. "What's wrong?" she asked.
"I wish I could thank her," Anna replied with a thin sheet of tears in her eyes.
"Wherever she is, I'm sure she knows," Bonnie replied with a warm smile. Anna smiled slightly as she dropped the charm back down her shirt. While she harbored a genuine distaste for vampires, Bonnie felt somewhat of a kindred soul in Anna. She wasn't an aimless bloodsucker, she was a girl and all she wanted was to live. Their eyes met and Bonnie ended their little meeting, "He's waiting for you."
Anna stood from the couch and replied, somewhat agitated by the Salvatore that waited on the opposite side of the door, "Damon."
"Not him," Bonnie replied as she stood.
Again, they shared a brief smile and as she reached the door, Anna offered Bonnie a kindness, "Thanks for trusting me."
Even though she truly felt pity for her, Bonnie unfortunately couldn't let it be that simple; she had seen more of Anna's life than she let on. She gave a disarming smile before offering her fair warning, "Anna, I am sorry for what happened to you and your mother; I really do believe that all you want is to make a life for yourself here. But if you so much as take a single sip from an innocent, and it comes back to me, that charm won't save your life." Anna's eyes told of her understanding, though Bonnie felt it necessary to ask aloud, "Understand?"
Anna simply nodded and headed through the door without another word.
At the sound of the door opening and closing, Damon got to his feet and asked, "Well?"
Anna reached to her necklace and replied, "My mother gave this to me on my 18th birthday."
Observing the rather inelegant charm, Damon asked, "Good for you, what is it?"
She slipped it back beneath her shirt, and headed towards the sidewalk, towards Elena and Jeremy's home. As they walked, she replied, "My mother had Emily put a spell on it."
"Like she did with the rings," Damon added.
"Right. You said Jon Gilbert had a ring that made him pretty much unkillable, right?" Anna asked.
"Yeah, so does the teacher," Damon replied. "Is that what the necklace does; keeps a vampire from being permanently killed?"
"No, it keeps me from getting permanently killed," Anna replied. Damon's confusion appeared on his face and Anna explained, "Emily bound the spell to me like a lock and key; it only works on me." While he understood, his silence was rather unusual, bringing Anna to ask, "What?"
"It just seems a bit easy, don't you think?" Damon replied flatly.
"Haven't you ever heard, that when life is good it's better to not ask questions?" Anna replied. Damon reached a hand out and grabbed a hold of Anna's arm, turning her to face him. "What?" she asked.
Damon's eyes told of the nature of what was coming. It wouldn't be sarcastic, it wouldn't be snide or rude; it would simply be him. "With Pearl gone, Katherine back in town, and you being unkillable, I need to know what side you're on."
"I'm on my side, Damon," Anna replied. "I just want to get on with my life. Just like Stefan and Elena…" mere mention of that unfortunate pairing brought him to flinch slightly while Anna continued, "…Jeremy and I have something good between us. I just want to see what tomorrow brings me."
Having flipped the 'Elena and Stefan switch', Damon was immediately more himself, "I'm glad the two of you are keeping each other cozy, but if Katherine decides to raise hell here, you're going to have to choose a side."
Knowing she wasn't getting out of this without a clear-cut answer, she replied, "She was my mother's best friend. That doesn't change the fact that Katherine's out of her mind, and given the chance she'd kill every last person here, Jeremy and Elena included. I know you don't want Elena dead-"
"Is it really that obvious?" Damon interjected.
"…And I'll die before I let anything happen to Jeremy, so yeah; I'm on your side, Damon," Anna finished.
"Glad to hear it," Damon replied. They came to a fork in the road and Damon stopped in his tracks, bringing Anna to turn and ask, "What're you doing?"
"Stefan's is this way," he replied. Cold as he was, Damon was changing by the second. No longer just an emotionless killing machine, but a man with the most simple of goals in the book; win over the girl of his dreams. With a serious, yet calm expression on his face, he offered her before leaving, "Be careful, alright?"
She nodded and replied, "You too."
The walk back to Stefan's was just long enough for Damon to dwell on the events that had unfolded these past few weeks. The lies, the deceit that seemed to surround her completely; he was done with Katherine. There was a time where he would have done anything to have her back, and now all he could think of was Elena; her perfect likeness, with none of the psychopathy. She had won him over completely, made him want to be a better man. The warmth he'd felt these past few days at merely offering the occasional kind word was most satisfying to say the least.
He knew things were going to get difficult before they ever got better, especially with Katherine in town. But for the first time in years, he felt confident. Confident that whatever fell on their little circle, they'd make it through.
As he crossed into Stefan's home, he found Stefan and Elena standing with their backs to him in the hall, motionless and silent. On alert at seeing them as they were, he asked as he approached, just loud enough for Stefan to hear, "What's going on?"
"Come now, Damon; don't be shy," Katherine spoke from the living room.
And that's all for this entry. If you made it this far I hope you enjoyed it :)
Like I said, I'm going to try and update at least once a week, so long as my life and my muse allow for it ;)
Thanks a bunch to my reviewers :) Hopefully this chapter wasn't a let down.
-jm
