"Grams?" Bonnie muttered dazedly into her pillow, the gentle morning sun bathing her blankets in comforting warmth. The aroma of fresh coffee drifted around her, drawing her back to memories of lazy summer vacations years ago at her Grams' house. The older witch would brew a pot every morning while she slept in.
She blinked her eyes to let in the daylight, and the spell was broken. Still, a part of her wished as she padded down the stairs that she would find her Grams in the kitchen, sipping her second cup of the morning with a quip ready on her lips about young things and spending the better half of the day asleep.
Instead the house was empty, and a post-it note was stuck to the tiles of the counter beside the hissing coffee machine.
Enjoy the coffee. Out hunting for a while. - S
A twinge of grief lingered in her chest, but she smiled as she poured herself a cup.
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Frail beams of sunlight dappled through the heavy foliage above, kissing the forest floor with the barest luminance. It was more than enough for his enhanced vision, even without the benefits of drinking human blood. He watched the doe silently, waiting for the opportune moment.
Just months ago he'd been in these woods with Elena, teaching her the same tricks he would use to catch his prey today. If only everything were so easy: want, pursue, prevail.
She had been so beautiful and lithe as she ran, like a caged creature freed for the first time. He barely shook his head, careful not to alert the doe to his presence. Transitioning hadn't freed her, it had trapped her in some perverted version of herself.
Elena had always been an innocent in his eyes, despite all of the pain and loss she'd endured in her short lifespan. She wasn't jaded or monstrous the way he and his brother had become. When Stefan was with her, he believed he could be that way again too. As if innocence was still there inside of him, buried just beneath the surface of his skin.
Transitioning should have amplified her compassion and goodness, and yet something changed. What changed? Maybe being a vampire precluded being truly innocent. Forsaken of the love that they'd had, he knew without doubt that this was the case for himself.
His mind swelled with shame to recall the last time he'd lost control, Bonnie's searing magic echoing even now in his brain. He remembered her quiet patience as she laid out the terms of the intervention before disappearing into her bedroom. The memory of her soft words weeks later clung to him, when she had pleaded in her own way for him to not give up and abandon her.
He had never heard the stoic witch so plaintive. She always either fought the bitter battles with her stubborn, contained fury, or retreated into herself when fighting failed. Though he had said nothing at the time, the naked fear in her appeal was branded into his memory.
Only then had it been clear just how much had been stripped from her. She had been betrayed and abandoned and rejected, just as he had. In fact, her mistreatment was even more pronounced than his because, unlike him, her intentions had always remained pure.
He didn't deserve her kindness. None of them did, he now realized. He had been the cause of too much of her hurt. Her motivations were clear, her heart was pure, and he knew that she knew of no other way to be. Still, the injustice of it tugged at him.
She deserved better than him, but he refused to be just another disappointment in her life. That resolution was the determining factor in those dark weeks. That resolution was why he was still standing there at all.
A smug chuckle rumbled nearby. Stefan snapped out of his thoughts as the forgotten doe sprinted away.
"Are you to eat the poor creature or simply stare at it?" Klaus stepped into the clearing where the doe had stood moments before.
Stefan climbed to his feet and turned to walk away.
The hybrid appeared before him in a flash.
"What's the rush, mate? I allowed you a nice little vacation. Time to get back to business, wouldn't you say?" Klaus smirked nonchalantly, but his eyes were firmly planted on the face of the younger vampire.
Stefan stared back defiantly. "I'm not interested."
"I began to believe you wouldn't return. I was even about to send some hybrids to track you down. Hate to waste my time of course, but with your idiot brother sniffing about… desperate times and all, you understand."
Stefan stepped out of the Original's reach, moving around him. Klaus didn't turn to follow him, instead continuing to speak. "That's not all your idiot brother's been sniffing about, from what I hear. You'd really walk away from the one thing that could save your precious Elena?"
Stefan continued to walk away, but he was torn. He knew the dangers of falling back into Klaus' games, and he knew that the wisest course of action would be to walk away from the whole situation. Yet, what if the cure could restore Elena's innocence along with her humanity?
A temptation gnawed at him, murmuring that a human Elena would be an Elena that loved him again. But even as the thought crept through his mind, he knew there was no going back to the naive love that they once knew. Not after hearing her lusty voice moaning his brother's name.
Still, he had loved her. Some part of him still loved her. If she was trapped in darkness, the right thing to do was to guide her back to light, regardless of what that meant for her love of him.
He stopped and turned around. "What do we have to do?" He stared at the hybrid, his decision made.
Klaus smiled, his back still turned to the younger vampire.
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Matt's knees knocked against the underside of the tiny breakfast table in his kitchen as he shifted uncomfortably. Bonnie's hands hovered to either side of his head, and he felt a buzzing heat permeating his whole body.
Her breathing was deep and slow, and he found his own matched the pace she set. Time seemed to stretch, and he lost track of how long they maintained the pose, how many breaths they shared.
And just as quickly as it had started, it was over. She took her hands down, and the simmering inside him faded away, leaving the slightest tingle in his fingertips.
She plopped down into the chair beside him. "All done. Not too bad, right?"
He flexed his fingers over the table experimentally. "Nope, not bad." He grinned at her. He figured he'd never quite get used to this supernatural stuff, but no matter how hard he tried to keep away, it seemed like he just got pulled deeper and deeper into it. At least tingly healing spells weren't so unpleasant.
"That should help your vitality some, and make you hardier for a while." Her gaze was strong, and he shifted again under the scrutiny.
She eyed his gaunt cheeks and pallid skin with a heavy sense of remorse. She should have been here for him, or at least checked in often enough to know something was wrong.
"Thanks Bon, you're a lifesaver. I was getting worried they'd take the scholarship back if my game got too bad."
She frowned. "Why would you risk it, Matty? That's your way out of this town, I know what that means to you."
He smiled slightly. He hadn't seen her in so long, but anytime he was with Bonnie their friendship just picked up like no time had passed at all. His smile faded however as he replied, "Elena's the only reason I'm alive."
"That doesn't mean - "
"It was my fault we were on that bridge in the first place."
Bonnie stared at her friend sadly. "None of this is your fault."
The blond shook his head, and Bonnie knew that she wouldn't change his mind. His guilt was a consequence of the honorable type of person he was. She hated to admit that she couldn't convince him, but she knew that she would have struggled with similar feelings, even knowing how wrong the line of thinking was.
"It's not that bad anyway, Bon. You don't have to worry about me." He smiled at her again, reassuringly.
Unfortunately, her fears were anything but soothed. "How can you say that? You're a newborn vampire's personal human blood bag. That's not just bad, that's an accident waiting to happen. Why aren't you more worried?"
Her eyes widened as she saw a familiar blankness overcome his features for a moment. He shrugged.
He was still compelled. Compelled to not be afraid.
She was furious. How could they do this to their friend? Even ignoring the hypocrisy of controlling his mind when Elena had always been so vocal about them not compelling people, they had to know that they were putting Matt in danger by not allowing his natural human instincts to play a part in Elena's feedings.
She shook her head to clear her thoughts and smiled as he looked at her in confusion. "Actually, I have to head out. I'll see you at the Grill tomorrow?"
He nodded and stood, wrapping his arms around her. "You're the best, Bon."
She returned his embrace. "Be safe, okay?"
She turned and let herself out through the side door. She had a baby vampire to confront.
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Stefan tried and failed to hide his surprise. His eyebrows lifted in disbelief as he stared at the unconscious young hunter chained to the wall before him.
"You kidnapped Jeremy?" he demanded.
Klaus sneered. "Wouldn't want our little friend to go rogue."
Stefan frowned, stepping towards the Gilbert boy.
"Ah, that's near enough, mate. He's quite a handful, I have found. Such a pity he won't be compelled." The hybrid was practically petulant as he complained, but Stefan noticed smears of dried blood at the boy's collar and seeping through his shirt that indicated Klaus had been up to much more than whining.
Straddle the line in discord and rhyme,
I'm on the hunt, I'm after you,
Mouth is alive with juices like wine,
And I'm hungry like the wolf.
"Duran Duran? Are you serious?" Stefan watched a smirking Klaus pat his pockets, clearly amused with himself while searching for his phone as it rang.
Finally fishing the device from his jacket, Klaus glanced at the screen. "Serious as a stake to the heart, mate." He held his index finger up to Stefan, signaling him to wait a moment as the Original hybrid walked out to take the call.
Stefan turned his attention back to Jeremy Gilbert, standing closer as he studied the chains binding him to the wall of the room. Even in this falsified repose, he was struck by how much Jeremy had changed in the short time since the Salvatore vampire had returned to Mystic Falls.
Gone was the moping druggie, burying the pain of losing his parents in pills and the fickle attentions of Vicki Donovan. Also gone was the sweet but naive boy who had once courted Bonnie only to betray her with the ghost of his ex-girlfriend. The boy who was suspended before him was barely a boy at all, the sinew and spirit of the hunter's curse having transformed him into something even more than a man.
Jeremy's eyes flew open as he drew his arms around Stefan's face, his chain bonds wrapping cruelly around the vampire's throat.
The fledgling hunter had caught him off guard, he realized in a haze as he struggled to extricate himself from Jeremy's hold. Aided by Stefan's vampire strength, their scuffle ripped the heavy shackles from the wall. Wood from the pallet Jeremy had rested against splintered and littered the floor. He finally managed to escape the hunter's grasp.
Stefan rushed forward to restrain him once more, but in a smooth swoop Jeremy managed to grab a piece of the shattered pallet and shove it cleanly into the vampire's gut.
Why did it always have to be his gut? He groaned, falling to his knees.
Jeremy sneered at him for a brief moment before disappearing out the door.
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Damon poured himself another scotch. It was five o'clock somewhere, after all. With his brother estranged and Connor dead, he was quickly running out of leads to pursue in their search for the cure. The littlest Gilbert was unsurprisingly useless, claiming to have no idea what was happening to him. Damon suspected otherwise, but he couldn't very well use his usual intelligence gathering techniques on his girlfriend's baby brother.
Being Damon Salvatore was never as easy as he'd have liked it to be.
He'd soon exhaust his options and have to go to Klaus for information. He snorted. Like that would ever happen. There was only one Salvatore who groveled before that overgrown vampire-mutt, and it wasn't him.
It was so much more fun to mock the absent vampire than it was to remember why he was absent in the first place. So that's exactly what he did.
Citrus, honey, sage... now there was an aroma Damon hadn't experienced in a while.
"Bonnie Bennett." He smirked into his tumbler, not bothering to turn and face her.
"Damon." Her voice was low, tightly wound. It was just as he remembered it being, around him anyway.
"Long time no see, Judgy." He spun around slowly, soaking in the sight before him with obvious pleasure. She was dressed in her usual blouse, cardigan and jeans, and he was doused by a wave of nostalgia. He masked the confusion he felt at this, lifting his gaze to take in the familiar sharpness of her emerald eyes and her curls pulled back into a soft, messy bun.
"Not nearly long enough." She hitched the strap of her satchel higher and more securely on her shoulder. "Where's Elena?"
"And here I was sure you'd dropped by to see your favorite Salvatore."
"I don't see Stefan anywhere, so I can't imagine what you mean."
He grinned. "Clever as ever, witchy. You know you missed me." He couldn't remember the last time he'd sincerely grinned.
"Not even a little. Don't flatter yourself, arrogance is such an unattractive quality in a man." She stared at him, unmoved.
"Don't worry, I have many attractive qualities that more than make up for it." He found himself grinning again.
His appreciation was quickly shattered as his brain burst in sensations of light and pain.
Bonnie was already angry, the hurt the vampire before her had caused Stefan not far from her thoughts. Damon Salvatore was unbelievable. How could he be so damn smug?
"That's for compelling Matt," she growled as she allowed the aneurysms to subside.
Against what might loosely be called his better judgment, Damon scoffed as he climbed back up from where he had fallen to his knees clutching his head moments before. "Matt is fine. It's all under control."
He immediately found himself on the floor again, writhing in an even more severe rush of pressure and pain that threatened to explode his skull.
"Have you even seen him lately? If that's what you call in control, you're completely delusional!" Her eyes widened, rage sweeping over her features.
His eyes were clenched shut in a grimace, but he managed to choke out, "Listen... witch. You can't... just suddenly... ride in on your - agh - high horse... with your big opinions - aaagh - when you were... missing while the decisions had to be... made."
She frowned, dropping her focus on the vessels in his brain. He slowly climbed back to his feet, rubbing his temples.
His words hit her harder than she ever would admit to him. She sighed. "Guess that'll teach me to put any trust in your competence."
He rolled his eyes but was soon distracted as he noticed his scotch soaking into the rug beneath his feet, the glass tumbler in pieces. He knelt to assess the damage, his mouth twisting unhappily. "You owe me a Persian rug!"
She snorted. Like that would happen.
"Bonnie?"
The doe-eyed vampire surveyed the parlor in confusion. "Bonnie!" Elena rushed forward and threw her arms around her friend.
Bonnie put her arms around Elena carefully. "Hey Elena."
Elena leaned back with her hands on the witch's shoulders and stared into her face. Bonnie gave her a small grin. "God, I'm so glad you're back!" Elena cried as she pulled her back into a tight embrace.
She's still the girl I grew up with. She's still Elena. Bonnie's anger dissolved as her mind chanted the words like a mantra. She wrapped her arms more tightly around her friend.
Bonnie carried shame with her for the way she had treated Caroline when she had turned, though part of her difficulty had stemmed from working through feelings of guilt for her part in the sequence of events. Still, she reminded herself that she needed to do better by her friends this time around.
"Elena, can we talk?" She glanced back at Damon, whose smug smile was firmly back in place. "Alone?"
Damon shrugged. "As much as I'd love to join in for girl talk, I have... better places to be."
He placed a quick kiss on Elena's nose and stalked out the door. Elena flopped down on the sofa and launched into a barrage of questions as Bonnie moved to join her. The witch found herself detailing her time in DC somewhat carelessly as her mind wandered.
During Bonnie's time away, Caroline had passed along all of the gossip about Damon and Elena's relationship, clearly disapproving of how little time had passed between Stefan leaving and his brother swooping in. Caroline had every reason in the world to think poorly of Damon, though.
The witch's skin prickled as a memory of Stefan invaded her mind, sitting listless and dull on the futon of their newly rented apartment in DC as she was sprawled out on the floor assembling the coffee table. It took her nearly 4 hours given the vague illustrated instructions, and he never moved. His focus was lost somewhere in the dark recesses of his mind, processing or grieving or dwelling on the end of his romance with Elena.
For her part, Bonnie had to wonder if the rush had been all Damon's doing, remembering the conversations she had had with her friend while Stefan was with Klaus. The brunette had vented often and at length about her confusing feelings for both of the Salvatore brothers.
Besides, Elena had always been the type to have a man on her arm and a few waiting in the wings. She'd never really considered it bad thing, it was just the way things always were. A testament to the allure of her best friend. Still, in her mind there was Stefan, staring into space mindlessly as the day slipped away.
The only time she could remember Elena being single was when she broke up with Matt after her parents died.
Matt.
"Elena, I'll tell you everything about the trip later, I promise. I need to talk to you about something." Bonnie nibbled on her lower lip.
"What's wrong?"
She inhaled, finding her resolve. "You can't keep feeding from Matt."
The vampire grimaced, every trace of her previous joy at seeing her friend demolished.
"He's looking really rough, this setup is hurting him even if he'll never admit it. You have to see that."
Elena stared at her hands as they rested in her lap. "I know," she whispered. Large tears escaped her glistening eyes, and Elena let out a sob. "I know it's not working, none of this is working!"
Bonnie placed a hand on her friend's shoulder as she continued.
"Caroline gave up on me already!" she lamented. "I just, I can't do this."
"Sure you can, Elena. You're the strongest person I know."
"No! I can't, I'm trying but I really can't! I can't be a vampire, I never wanted to be a vampire!"
Bonnie raised her eyebrows in alarm as Elena's sobs broke into short, uncontrollable breaths. Her brown eyes widened in panic. She was hyperventilating.
"Elena, calm down. You're a vampire. You don't need to breathe, you're fine. It's okay. It's going to be okay," Bonnie murmured soothingly, her palm rubbing reassuring circles against her friend's back.
Eventually Elena's breathing returned to a normal pace, her eyes closed as she focused on relaxing. Well that was weird.The witch mentally noted her friend's agitation, wanting to think on it later.
"Look, I was thinking." She gave Elena a tentative smile. "You could feed on me instead."
Elena's eyes widened again. "Oh no, Bonnie I couldn't!"
Bonnie shook her head. "It makes sense. And only until we figure out how to get you drinking from blood bags."
Elena still seemed unconvinced.
"I mean, I have my healing spells, so I can handle it. And I have ways to protect myself if there are any other... problems."
Tears brimmed Elena's eyelids and threatened to overflow once more. "Oh Bonnie, I don't know what I'd do without you." She began crying again in earnest as she pulled the witch into a tight hug.
Bonnie decided Stefan wasn't kidding when he talked about a person's usual emotions being magnified when they transitioned.
She gazed at Elena as they broke apart. "There's one more thing... Stefan is staying with me. I thought you should hear it from me instead of somebody else."
The vampire wiped tears from her cheeks as she seemed to consider her words. "He's... his own person, I mean, he can do what he wants, right?"
Bonnie nodded, her eyes drawn to the pattern of the fabric covering the sofa.
"How is he?"
Bonnie glanced back to her friend. "He's... alright, I think. It took a while, but I think he's doing better."
Elena nodded tensely and said nothing.
Bonnie sat with her friend for a while longer as conversation eventually drifted back to lighter topics. She silently wished that she could be close with Elena again, but part of her worried that they'd grown too far apart over the past year. Even now she found it hard to refuse her friend anything of course, but she longed for the days when things were carefree and easy between them. Those days now seemed too long ago to find again. Still, she wished.
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A cool breeze swept across the porch, heralding the autumn chill that would soon creep across the small Virginia town. The sky was beginning to darken, its fragile clouds whipped into blazen wisps to wreathe the languidly setting sun.
The door shut quietly behind him as he slipped into the house. His stomach pinched uncomfortably with the visceral memory of being impaled by splintered wood, though the wound had already healed.
He kicked off his boots and dropped them beside her ballet flats in the entryway before making his way into the living room. She was curled into the corner of the couch, wrapped in a soft blanket. A mug of hot chocolate balanced precariously on her knees, gingerly cupped in her hands.
He settled himself on the other side of the couch, slouching back into the worn cushions. For a moment neither of them spoke, each finding the silence both comfortable and comforting.
"I went to see Elena." Bonnie had turned her face to watch his reaction.
He gave none. "How did that go?"
Her nose wrinkled slightly. "As well as it could have. You were right about the amplified emotions. It's like she can't see past her own feelings almost."
"She'll learn to control it eventually." His voice was tired, and she regretted breaching the topic of Elena's feelings.
"They were still using Matt for his blood, you know?" She sipped her chocolate, the hot liquid nearly scalding her tongue.
He shook his head and stared at an empty coaster on the coffee table. "Yeah, I saw him at the Grill. He won't be able to handle much more, the human body isn't built for that."
"I know. I'm taking his place for a while."
His head whipped towards her. "You're what? Bonnie, you're serious? Why would you do that?" Anger and shock furrowed into his brow, and Bonnie was taken aback by his reaction.
"You of all people know why. It isn't sustainable, I have to fix things if I can." She ran her finger along the rim of her mug.
He laughed, and she raised an eyebrow.
"Do you find this amusing?" She stared at him, confused.
"Not even a little." His mirth disappeared, replaced by something much darker. He returned her stare and they regarded each other silently for a moment before he spoke again. "Isn't it strange that we've been back for less than a week and you're already completely entangled in the mess of Mystic Falls again? It's almost like we never left."
At that, her eyes dropped to her lap, gazing into her mug silently. She didn't have an answer for that.
Seeing her expression, he felt a little guilty for being so hard on her. After all, wasn't he doing the exact same thing by falling back into step with Klaus' vague plots? Her voice broke into his thoughts.
"It was really nice, wasn't it? Back in DC, everything was so easy. Doing things just because we wanted to do them shouldn't have been such a luxury, but now it feels like it was."
He listened to her quietly, watching her as her gaze clung desperately to the mug in her hands.
She tensed as he leaned towards her. His hands found hers, gently pulling the mug from her grip. He placed it on the coaster and took her hand in his own.
He stood, pulling her to her feet and leading her towards the door. His fingertips were cool but firm on her skin.
"Where are we going?" He noticed that her voice was laced with amusement, not worry.
He turned back to her. "There's no reason we can't still live for our own happiness. Mystic Falls doesn't get to take that away."
She smiled at him but didn't seem entirely convinced.
"Come on, I want to show you something." He tugged her towards the door once more.
She grabbed her jacket from its place on the credenza as she followed him, her hand still tucked against his.
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Bonnie struggled to keep up with Stefan as he led her through the woods. They delved through the trees and brush, and the sun dipped beneath the horizon, leaving the world awash in the dusky glow of twilight.
Her breath caught in her throat as the trees cleared and Stefan stopped short. She nearly bumped into his back, stunned by the scene laid out before them.
The face of a rocky cliff jutted skywards directly in front of them. Coursing water flowed over the craggy stone, splashing into a crystalline pool below. The flickering of fireflies reflected across the surface of the water as they bobbed lazily in their dance of late summer dusk.
It was beautiful.
The ache in her lungs reminded her that she needed to breathe and she gasped in slightly. Stefan smiled at her.
"The world is still a beautiful place, Bonnie. You and I can't forget to remember that."
She smiled back to him, and his gaze caught in her eyes as the scintillating light of the fireflies was mirrored in their emerald depths. A familiar wave of gratitude swept over her. She felt lucky to have someone to help her remember all she'd been so quick to forget. Lucky to have Stefan.
Her hand dropped to her side as he released it, walking towards the edge of the water. He slipped out of his shirt and she raised her eyebrows. "What are you…?"
"We're going to live a little if it kills us." He grinned back at her as he pulled his jeans and boots off, stepping into the water wearing his boxers.
She grinned back at him but couldn't help the flush that crept across her cheeks. His sculpted body slid into the water as he waded towards the falls.
"I know you didn't come all the way out here to just stare at it," he called back to her. She was staring at something, alright.
Luckily his face was turned away, for her privacy she imagined. She shook her head with an embarrassed smile, pulling off her clothes until she followed him into the chilly water wearing only her tank top and underwear.
Hearing the water disturbed behind him, he whirled around to face her. His hands dragged through the water, dousing her thoroughly.
"Stefan, seriously!" she found herself laughing as she shielded her face with her arm. She tried to splash him back, but he leapt aside with dizzying speed. It was his turn to laugh when she frowned at this.
He waded backwards, continuing to move towards the tumbling falls. With a sly grin, he motioned for her to follow.
She crossed her arms and stood in place with a playful scowl. "I don't know if I can trust you anymore, Mr. Salvatore."
He spread his arms wide, flashing her an accommodating smile. "Why, Miss Bennett. I will have you know, I'm the most trustworthy vampire you will ever meet. Just because I wouldn't let you splash me doesn't mean you can't put your faith in m - "
She gasped as his eyes widened and his torso and head dropped underwater. She rushed towards him but soon stopped short as he shot out of the water a few feet away.
"There's a... It dips there, a little," he explained sheepishly.
She laughed, taking advantage of the distraction to splash him completely. His already drenched hair stuck to his head comically.
"Why you little..." He rushed at her, tackling her playfully and trying to shove her under the water.
Their laughs and the sound of splashing water masked the buzzing of the phone in her jacket pocket, discarded on the sandy shore.
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Elena stood on the porch of the house she used to live in with her family. Was that really only two years ago?
The house now stood dark and empty behind her, and she frowned. Damon appeared beside her, rubbing her back comfortingly. He had hoped the joy that had filled her after seeing the witch would last. She'd been mired in her sorrow and worries for so long.
But standing on the Gilbert porch, that joy was nowhere to be found. Replacing it was heavy fear, etched into every line of her face. She dropped the hand that held her phone. "Bonnie isn't answering either."
They both turned to stare at the empty house, wondering the same thing. Where was Jeremy?
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Jeremy flipped his knife shut after putting the finishing touches on one more stake. He tossed it into the corner, adding it to a pile of identical weapons.
Lit by a pair of candles, the cavern was dank and uninviting, and pooling shadows seemed to creep along its walls. But something about it appealed to him now, beyond the fact that it was vampire-proof.
Something about the shadows spoke to him, enticing him with promises of not being powerless for once. Promises of being able to fix all the stuff that had ruined his life and the lives of the people he had loved.
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A/N: Couldn't help myself with the Duran Duran, sorry. I'm a dork, I know.
Thanks for all of your reviews and to everyone who followed and favorited! You guys are so amazing, I freak out every time I get an email notification haha.
I had waaay too much fun writing Damon in pain. Why is that so fun? (:
Anyway, really hope you liked this chapter, and happy holidays to everyone!