A/N
Hey guys! Here's another chapter! Yes, I realize the title is a rip on a Supernatural episode. It plays with some similar themes. Did anyone see the newest Vampire Diaries episode? Wasn't it good? Well ignore everything that happens, because I wrote this over the hiatus, so it's going in a completely new direction. I might draw on what they're doing to Bonnie's character though. Thanks so much for the great reviews, (no, this isn't going to be Stiles/Kai, sorry) make sure to check out my other stories, and enjoy!
Ch. 4
The Things We Left Behind
Liv was gone. Damon heard her car start up and peel out of the driveway, and probably out of town. Unfortunately, the spell was still up, and probably would be until whatever lunar event Liv was channeling would pass. He surmised as much to his new 'friends,' much to their distaste.
"So we're stuck here?" Liam repeated for the umpteenth time, with a look Damon wanted to slap off his face.
"Well, not all of us." the Sheriff said from the other side of the doorway. He and Lydia had crossed the barrier at ease, while Parish, Scott, Liam, Malia, Derek, Kira, and Damon were left behind.
"I still don't understand how you get to leave." Malia said to Lydia. "Aren't you a banshee?"
"I have no healing abilities." Lydia responded methodically. "I'm basically human. Mountain ash doesn't work on me, either."
"True." Malia grumbled.
Scott groaned. "So we're stuck here. For how long?"
"Too long." Damon muttered. "For all we know, Stiles could be dead. Luckily, these magic bubbles don't interfere with cell reception." He pulled out his cell phone and waved it triumphantly. "Let me make some calls."
Stiles woke up with his wrists tied together, like... pretty much always. He opened his eyes and shook his head a few times to clear it, and once that was done, began to take in his surroundings. He was sitting against a wall, and Kai was kneeling in front of him. Behind Kai was a room that looked strangely like an apothecary, with mysterious flasks, tubes, and burners spread out around several tables. Behind one of these tables, Kol and Davina were looking at Stiles cautiously, Kol still nursing his broken nose.
"Is this really necessary?" Stiles asked, holding up his tied wrists.
Kai smirked. "Call it insurance." He pulled out a little silver knife-Stiles' knife- from his pocket and swiftly cut through the ropes. Stiles made to stand up, but Kai stopped him. Stiles glowered.
"You know," Kai said, twirling the knife in his fingers. "What you did back there was so unprecedented. I mean-" he laughed, "it almost seemed like you were possessed."
Stiles swallowed the retort he was about to fire as cool fear washed over him. How the hell could Kai know about that? "That was your idea." he ground out.
"The kidnapping, yes, no offense Kol." Kai said breezily. "But the first degree assault? That was all you." There was something in Kai's eyes as he peered at Stiles. A kind of untempered joy associated with success.
"You knew this would happen." Stiles stated. "It's why you wanted me to come with you."
"Well, I obviously didn't know about Isaac." Kai said patronizingly. "Or, Kol. Sorry. I'm just glad it helped everything move along."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Stiles asked through gritted teeth.
"I said I was going to New Orleans to build an army. I never said the army was in New Orleans." Kai leaned in closer, and Stiles edged sideways in disgust. "I have a theory. About possession. You and I both know that it isn't as easy as some black smoke flying out of your mouth. Stuff sticks. Things get left behind."
"What are you saying?" Stiles asked nervously, even though he knew exactly what Kai was saying. Davina looked confused, but Kol looked worried.
"I'm saying that you can't be possessed by the darkest spirit in history and walk away mentally sound, Stiles. I'm saying there's part of it left behind, sticking to your brain like tar. I'm saying that you're a dormant psychopath."
Stiles balked. But that was just shock at the bluntness of Kai's words. Deep down, he had suspected something similar. All those books he read on possession. None of them said what happened afterwards. Looking in the mirror and expecting contortions of the same smile that you don't recognize. Flinching every time he saw Scott, or, when he was still in town, Ethan. Then there were the moods. His tongue, sharper than usual. Manipulating teachers without even trying. That one time he was so angry at Liam, he had wanted to strangle him-
"You're insane." But that was his fear talking. His rational was thinking at a mile a minute.
Kai grinned. "We're all insane here."
"And what, huh?" Stiles shot back. "What, you think you can wake that up?"
Kai grinned again and it was terrifying.
"Who's to say I haven't already?"
"Lydia!" John panted as he struggled to keep up with the redhead. "Lydia, this is crazy!"
"I don't care." Lydia said steely as she marched over to her shiny blue car.
"You don't even know where you're going!" The sheriff pleaded.
"New Orleans." Lydia said cooly. "Don't worry, sheriff, I'll pick up some stuff when I swing by my house."
"At least let me come with you! He's my son!"
"Sheriff," Lydia said sternly, whirling on him, "I may be human enough to walk out that door, but I'm still a banshee. Something's wrong. I won't be getting to New Orleans for a few days, but I still need to leave right now. It- It's- I-" her voice dropped to a whisper. "I hear the buzzing again." The sheriff balked, and looked more concerned than ever. "I need you to stay," Lydia begged. "Tell them all where I've gone. Have them follow, if they want. But don't tell them about this."
"I'm sure the vampire already heard everything." The sheriff grumbled.
"Damon doesn't know what this means." Lydia replied. "So he'd better keep his damn mouth shut." Then, without another word, Lydia climbed into her car and sped away.
"Damon!" Elena exclaimed over the phone. "Hey!"
"Hey Elena." Damon said sweetly. He glared at his current company, daring them to listen in on his conversation.
"You left right after Sheriff Forbes' funeral." Elena said accusingly.
"Yeah," Damon said with a sigh, "yeah, I kind of needed to get away."
"That's fine," Elena said, "I get it, but Damon-"
"Elena, I have something-"
"-I need to tell you." They finished simultaneously.
Damon sighed. "You first."
"Bonnie's back."
Damon jolted up in shock, happiness pouring through him. "What?"
"Bonnie's back!" Elena repeated, and now Damon could hear her almost crying with happiness. "She showed up right after I found out you were gone, and she was making pancakes, and she's looking for you, she has something to show you-"
"Let me talk to her." Damon said urgently.
"Okay." Elena said. "Okay. I need to go check on Caroline anyway. Damon, come home soon, okay?"
"Okay, Elena." he whispered, and it hurt him that he couldn't, not yet. There was some static as the phone changed hands, and soon Damon heard the voice he had been dying to hear for two months.
"Damon?"
"Bonnie!" Damon exclaimed joyfully. "You made it back!" Around him he could see the wolves teetering with confusion, so he made a gesture indicating he'd explain later.
"Yeah!" Bonnie said happily. "Where are you? I made pancakes!"
"Ah, see, that's the thing, Bonnie." Damon said remorsefully. "I'm-I'm in Beacon Hills, California."
"Beacon Hills?" Bonnie said confusedly. "Wait a minute- isn't that where Stiles lives?"
"Yeah," Damon said. "Yeah, there's something I need to tell you about Stiles."
"What is it?" Bonnie asked, worried.
"Well, firstly, did Elena fill you in on Kai?"
"What that he merged with Luke and is in the wind? Yeah, she told me." Bonnie said, growing more worried. "Damon, what's wrong? What does Kai have to do with any of this?"
Damon sighed. "Well, he kind of... kidnapped Stiles."
There was a pause. "I'm coming over there." Bonnie said sternly.
"What? Bonnie? No! Look, Liv already showed and trapped us- and, and no way! You just got back, I am not letting him hurt you!"
"Damon!" Bonnie lectured. "I'm coming. I know a spell to transport myself. I can reverse whatever Liv did. We'll rescue Stiles. I know you weren't very close with him when he dealt with Katherine, but I was. He told me I was a witch. I owe him this much. I'll see you soon, Damon."
The line went dead.
"What happened?" Scott asked with puppy-dog eyes.
Damon was about to reply, but a conversation taking place outside caught his attention. He looked at the wolves but they noticed nothing. It was outside their hearing range. He listened to the whole argument between the Sheriff and Lydia.
"Well Damon better keep his damn mouth shut."
"The hell I will." Damon muttered. Buzzing? What the hell?
"What is it?" Malia growled. "What did you hear?"
"Lydia's taken off." Damon said. "I'm sure the sheriff will be at the door any minute now to explain." He was about to mention the buzzing, when a different idea struck his mind. Another promise he had inadvertently made. "I have another call to make."
Damon grimaced as he dialed the phone. Ring...ring...ring...
"Hello?"
"Bonnie's back." Damon ground out. "Now let me talk to him."
"Can't do that, Damon. He's a little busy processing some very difficult information."
"Well, then let me paraphrase myself." Damon said through gritted teeth. "Bonnie's back, and we're coming to stop you."
Kai hung up.
"Good news!" Kai said gleefully, dragging Stiles to his feet. "Bonnie's alive!"
"What?" Kol asked, astounded. "How? She was dead!"
Everyone turned to look at him.
"She died months ago." Kol insisted. "Bringing Jeremy back to life. I was there."
"It's complicated." Kai said. "From what I know they brought her back as the anchor for the other side, the other side collapsed, she and Damon were sent to my prison world, Damon escaped, I escaped, and now, she did."
"Damon Salvatore." Kol said. "Oh, I'd love to skin him alive."
"You might get your chance." Kai replied happily. "He and Bonnie are coming down here to rescue Stiles!" He waved Stiles's hand in the air excitedly.
Stiles slapped away his grip. "Seriously, Kai?"
"I must say," Kol admitted, "you're taking the whole I-might-turn-evil thing surprisingly well. I remember the nogitsune. I know what it did to you."
"You're assuming I believe him." Stiles said. "Personally, I'm in favor of ignoring a problem until it eventually goes away."
"It won't!" Kai said.
"I don't care." Stiles retorted. "Just build your damn army so my friends stay alive."
"Well, Kai, I hate to break it to you, but you aren't going to make any friends in New Orleans with Klaus locked away in a crypt." Davina said. "Everyone's too scared to defy him, and once the spell fades, he'll kill you."
Kai grinned. "He can try. There's more than one repressed killer in this room."
Strangely enough, Kai was looking at Kol.
Lydia drove down the highway at 80 miles per hour, glancing in her rearview mirror for any cops, or one of the friends she left behind.
Bonnie came up to the loft with the sheriff, who was confused as to how she could magically appear. "It's a simple spell my grams taught me." she said.
More powerful than Liv, Bonnie disintegrated the spell with some quick chanting, and then her serious composure broke and she ran to Damon with a smile on her face.
"I'm never leaving you again." Damon murmured into her shoulder as he hugged his friend.
"I'm not a murderer." Kol said, arms raised. "I ditched that, along with my bloodlust."
Kai laughed. "It's like I said to Stiles, Kol. Things get left behind."
