A/N: I don't own TVD.
Thanks again for the alerts and reviews. I really appreciate it. I hope this chapter makes sense. In my mind it did but I don't know if it comes across on paper the way I wanted it to. Hopefully it makes sense and you all like it. Please review. Thanks
Chapter 7
Caroline looks to Damon and his expression is unreadable. The blonde moves cautiously, trying not to spook Damon into a fit of rage. Surprisingly he lets Caroline remove the glass shards from his hand before his skin heals around them. Damon and Caroline haven't had the best relationship in the world but they have a certain level of respect and affection for each other that comes over time. Her concern is genuine as Damon keeps his eyes locked on the raven haired witch.
"I assume you're here to explain to us exactly what's going on here." Stefan is the first to regain his bearings as he watches Emily make her way into the center of the library. She's followed closely by Memphis and his red haired friend.
"Wait…so you're not Emma Banks the new drama teacher." Alaric is still in shock and seems to be a little slow on the uptake.
"I'm Emily Bennett, Bonnie and Lucy's grandmother." Emily's small smile is sweet and her voice is just as raspy and soft as Damon remembers. Damon is still staring at her and he can hardly believe she is right there in front of him. Her scent of rose water is permeating the air and she's so close all he has to do is reach out and run his fingertips along her smooth caramel skin. It takes all his self-control not to do that.
Emily turns her chocolate eyes to Damon and takes in the man before her. He had been a sweet boy when they first met but that boy is nowhere to be seen now. Damon's face is all hard angles and brooding icy blue eyes. Gone is the sweetness that once shone in his soft eyes and curved his lips into a gentle smile.
"I have the answers you seek." Memphis' deep voice rumbles through the tension filled room. For the first time since they showed up Damon takes his eye off of Emily and glares at Memphis.
"What do you want with Bonnie and Jeremy?" Caroline is never one to be patient. She wants answers and she wants them now.
Memphis looks to Odele and the copper haired female nods her consent. Memphis takes a deep breath and measures his words carefully. He doesn't want to give away too much but he knows that he needs their help.
"Your Jeremy is actually one of us. What we want is what he wants." Memphis watches carefully as the slender brunette with large chocolate eyes frowns deeply at his words.
"What exactly are you?" Alaric at this point in his life is surprised by very little. With a vampire ex-wife, doppelgänger step-daughter and half witch baby on the way his life ceased being normal years ago.
"Sēmideus… half mortal and as you humans say half god. Are fathers are ethereal beings that have existed since the beginning of time. They go by many names and are worshiped in many ways all over the world." Memphis scans the room as his words sink in.
"Your Jeremy is really Nicanor son of the keeper of the underworld. His father goes by many names. Hades, Pluto, Anubis are just a few of them." Odele's voice is light and girlish sounding. It's hard to take her seriously when her voice is so childlike. She looks like a fairy princess with her waist lenght curls and flowy charchol dress.
"My true name is Tarquin. My father is Eros or Cupid as he is known in ancient history. Odele's father is known as Morpheus to some, the dream maker." Memphis feels as if a weight has been lifted from his shoulders. He has never been able to talk to anyone other than Odele and Nicanor about what their true nature is.
"How is that possible? Jeremy is human. My mother gave birth to him. I've watched him grow up. He's my brother." Elena's tears run down her smooth cheeks. Stefan takes her hand and squeezes it tightly trying to pass as much strength and comfort to her as he can.
"Every time our lives are cut short we are reborn again. It's not until we reach full maturity do we remember are past lives and who we really are. After that we come into our powers. We are stronger than humans and live longer but we can be killed. We are not immortal like our fathers but we do inherit their gifts." Memphis runs a large hand over his dark cropped curls.
"How many lives have you had?" Stefan is curious as to exactly how old Memphis and the others are.
"There are too many to count. I, Odele and Nicanor have passed four millennia together. No matter where we are born again we always manage to find each other. It is our destiny to be cursed with reincarnation until the prophecy is fulfilled." It is the first time in such a long time that Memphis has even thought about the reason for their suffering.
"What does any of this have to do with Bonnie?" It's the first words Damon has spoken since the invasion of his home. Damon is on the defensive. He'll do anything to protect one of his own.
"Necromancers like the Bennett witches have been around for as longs as the ethereal beings have existed. Cynna, a powerful necromancer predicted a war between the gods and the Sēmideus." Odele looks to Memphis for support. Odele is not one to easily bare her secrets.
"The sēmideus are flesh and blood and the gods are not. These ethereal beings are ruled by pure emotions like lust, anger, hatred, desire and have no conscience. Only once every hundred years are they able to walk in this realm as a mortal. Cynna prophesied that one day the gods would grow weary of waiting for their one day of freedom from the spiritual realm and would want to discover a way to pass through to the mortal realm whenever they please." Memphis watches as understanding passes through Damon's icy eyes.
"They need a witch, a powerful witch like a Bennett." The words leave a bitter taste in Damon's mouth.
"Bonnie has already proven that she can unseal and reseal the passage way between your world and the underworld." Memphis notices the look that passes between Damon and Emily. It is in essence their child that is the key to keeping the gods from overtaking the mortal realm.
"They're coming for her aren't they?" Elena feels the panic rising in her body. It seems Bonnie is always the one that has to sacrifice so much for others.
Memphis nods solemnly. "Six weeks from now during the winter solstice the gods will be able to walk the earth in the guise of man. For twenty four hours they can do as they please. That is how many of us sēmideus were created. It will also be the time when they will come for Bonnie and try to take her back to the spiritual realm."
Stefan runs a hand through his unruly brown hair and mulls over the information given to him. "How many of your kind are there?"
"Hundreds…maybe even thousands, it's hard to say for sure an exact number. There are only a handful of etheral beings that can transverse between the realms but they are powerful." Odele seems weary and drawn. She is not a very trusting being. She would rather work alone but is forced by circumstances to be a part of this group. She has no loyalty to anyone but Memphis and their lost brother Nicanor.
"Nicanor, Odele, and I are the only ones cursed with reincarnation. It is our duty to ensure that Bonnie is protected. We have waited a long time for her. She is our salvation. She is the only one that can prevent the gods from starting a war with our kind." Memphis is passionate about his cause. He has spent his whole existence waiting for this moment.
"Are you really ok with this? Letting them use our granddaughter for some mythical war?" Damon is outraged and is lashing out at Emily. He knows this isn't her idea but he can't help but to blame her for something. If only to lessen the pain her presence is causing.
Emily stares at Damon with sorrowful brown eyes. "I have no choice Damon. It is her destiny and I was only brought back to help prepare her for her duty. I have no power of my own. I'm just a human now." Emily's eyes are full with tears as the weight of Bonnie's futures presses down on her.
Damon stalks over to Emily and easily dwarfs her small frame. His eyes are dangerously dark and menacing. "Her destiny…just like how yours was to die on me and leave me broken." Damon leaves the library in a flash slamming his bedroom door hard enough to almost take it off its hinges. He hates feeling exposed and raw in front of others.
Emily wipes the stray tears from her cheeks and smiles weakly to everyone in the room. This was not how she wanted her reunion with Damon to go. Stefan turns to go after his brother but Emily stops him.
"It's time Damon and I say what needs to be said." Stefan nods and watches Emily ascend the stairs towards Damon's room. He only hopes that Damon won't do anything he'll regret.
Mystic Grille...
Bonnie laughs loudly as Matt recounts a funny story from their childhood. Through all this supernatural stuff he's been a good friend. Matt is trying his hardest to keep Bonnie ocuppied while keeping an eye on Jeremy. Stefan asked him to keep them away from the boarding house and he's doing his best but he's never been good under supernatural pressure.
Matt watches as Bonnie keeps stealing glances at Jeremy. He's playing pool alone and looks as though the weight of the world is pressing down on him. "What's up with Jeremy? He looks like he hasn't slept in weeks." Even after the whole Anna dibolcal Bonnie still cares deeply for Jeremy.
"I dunno...maybe we should go and talk to him." Matt grabs his soda and nudges Bonnie towards the pool table.
Jeremy looks at Bonnie and he can't help the feeling of regret that washes over him. He misses the tiny witch but things are still awkward between them. They never really talked about the end of their relationship so they've been reduced to strained smiles and stiff head nods.
Matt warmly pats Jeremy on the back and eases the tension between him and Bonnie. Bonnie notices the dark circles around Jeremy's chocolate eyes. He seems so weary and tired.
Matt sees that these two need a moment to talk so he leaves them to chat with a group of people he knew from high school.
"So...how ya been" Bonnie feels stupid for asking him that because it's obvious that something is going on with him.
"Been better. What about you?" Jeremy resists the urge to brush a stray curl from her soft face.
"Good." Bonnie feels like its middle school all over again and she's waiting to find out if her crush will circle yes or no on a handwritten note.
The two stare at each other and Bonnie sighs heavily. "How are you really doing Jer? You look so tired." Bonnie wants to reach out to him in some way but is so unsure of where they stand. Add in Memphis and things are so confusing for the pretty brunette.
Jeremy runs a hand through his dark brown hair and lets out a low chuckle. "Would you think less of me if I told you I was having bad dreams like a three year old?" Jeremy feels like a little kid after watching a scary movie. He can't help it. Lately his dreams have been so intense and so vivid. It's like a movie playing over in his mind of far off places and different time periods.
He swore he was once a grecian warrior, then a old west cowboy and even a 1950's James Dean clone. Each dream ended the same way with his untimely demise. His life being cut short right before his eyes time and time again.
Bonnie steps closer to him and places a gentle hand on his bare forearm. "Jer...your burning up. Are you feeling sick?" Bonnie places the back of her tiny hand on his forehead and frowns at the heat radiating off of him. He's unnatrually warm.
"I'm fine Bonnie. I just...I just. I really just need to get some sleep." Jeremy's knees buckle and Bonnie yelps in surprise. Matt rushes over to his two friends and helps Jeremy into a seat.
Bonnie and Matt exchange worried glances. "Hey...Jer are you going to be ok?" Matt's not quite sure what is going but he's pretty sure it has to be something supernatural.
Jeremy grabs the sides of his head and screams loudly. He's never been in so much pain in his life. Matt swiftly helps up a groaning Jeremy and quickly takes him outside. Bonnie follows closely. "We have to get him to the boarding house." Bonnie's trying not to panic.
"No...uhh we...we can't" Matt doesn't want to lie to Bonnie but he's not sure if he can stand up to the tiny powerful witch.
"Why not?" Bonnie gives Matt a hard look and the blond former football player is pretty sure she just might set his ass on fire.
Matt looks from Jeremy to Bonnie and he knows that no matter how hard he tries to keep out of the supernatural world it somehow always seems to drag him back in.
"Bonnie...we can't. Stefan told me to keep you and Jeremy away from the boarding house. I don't know whats going on." Matt knows its pointless to argue but he has to at least try to keep his promise to Stefan before he caves.
"Give me the keys. I'm driving." Bonnie leaves no room for negotiations. Matt hands over the keys and helps a sem-concious Jeremy to the car.
Boarding House...
Emily stands in front of Damon's bedroom door. She nervously smooths out the non-existent wrinkles on her simple chic black dress. She gently opens the door and finds Damon standing facing the window with his back to her. He's pensive and brooding, a state more suited for Stefan than him.
Damon is wiping the dried blood from his hand with a black hand towel. He tosses the towel on the mahogany side table next to his bed. Damon runs a hand through his dark hair and lets out a breath he didn't even realize he was holding.
"Why did you come back? And don't give me some bullshit about preparing Bonnie. She's done a fucking good job of doing things on her own." Damon's back is still to Emily but he knows she's there. He can smell her scent of rose water as it fills the room.
"A part of me wanted to help Bonnie. That's true but a part of me, a much bigger part of me wanted to see you. Even if it was just for a moment." Emily steps closer to Damon and she reaches out a small hand and hesitates to touch him.
Damon whirls around quickly and grabs her delicate wrist in his much larger hand. He pulls her closer till they are eye to eye. "What makes you think I would want to see you?" Damon regrets the words the moment they pass his lips.
The hurt that flashes through Emily's dark eyes cuts deeper than any knife could. Damon could never stand seeing her so sad. He pulls her closer and wraps his long arms around her small body. She still fits like a missing puzzle piece. For the first time in a long time Damon feels whole.
"I…I didn't want to die Damon. I just couldn't run. Katherine would have found us and killed us all." Emily pulls away slightly to look Damon in the eyes. The darkness swirling around behind his clear blue eyes saddens the witch. Her Damon had been so sweet and kind and a little selfish but never so malevolent.
"You knew she wasn't in the tomb." Damon drops his arms from around Emily and clenches his jaw. How many secrets will it take for him to finally break?
"I didn't know for sure if she had escaped. I didn't know if George kept his word but I couldn't take any chances. I knew if she was still out there and if I had run off with you she would have tracked us down and killed us, even our infant son." Emily wipes away her tears gently from her face. The thought of Solace and her girls growing up without her breaks her heart.
"At least now I know were Bonnie gets her self-sacrificing personality from cause she sure as hell didn't get it from me." Damon watches as Emily smiles softly at his words.
"She's a lot more like you than you realize. I've watched her from time to time and she has your stubbornness, your passion for the ones that you love and most of all she has your kind heart." Emily walks closer to Damon and places her small palm on his chest right above his heart.
It's been a long time since anyone has thought that Damon Salvatore has a kind heart. But Emily knew him before he became the monster he is today. She knew him when he was just a young man trying to find his way in the world. She knew him when all he ever wanted was his father's approval and the love of a beautiful girl.
Damon traces her smooth cheek with his thumb and it's like the past one hundred and fifty years never happened. It's as if time has stopped and they are in that small bedroom off the kitchen with its tiny bed and small window. Where Emily is just a woman and he's just a man.
Damon does the one thing he has longed to do for over a hundred years. Just as timidly as the first time Damon presses his lips gently to Emily's soft ones. It's almost as if he's afraid she'll disappear if he kisses her too roughly. He wants to enjoy her for as long as he can.
Emily smiles into the kiss and slowly wraps her tiny arms around Damon's neck and pulls him closer to deepen the kiss. After what seems like hours Damon pulls away and rests his forehead against Emily's. His eyes are still closed as he savors this moment.
"I…I just…I couldn't breathe without you. I couldn't live without you. All this time I've been half a man in this world without you. I…I don't know how to be good anymore." Damon opens his tear filled eyes and looks at the woman he has truly loved for all of his existence.
Emily places her fingertips softly against his lips. "Shh…I'm here now and for however long that may be I'm yours. We will survive this and so will Bonnie. She's the best of both of us." Emily sighs contentedly as Damon embraces her tightly. This is where she is meant to be. Right in the arms of the only man she has truly loved.
Memphis smiles brightly and Caroline flashes him a confused look. "Their bond has strengthened." Memphis points to the ceiling indicating where Emily and Damon are.
"How do you know that? What does that even mean?" Caroline is still not a hundred percent sure that Memphis isn't the enemy. She eyes him with suspicion.
"My father is Eros…I inherited his abilities to manipulate feelings of love, lust and desire but most importantly I can see the bonds that beings form with one another. Emily and Damon's love is a rare one. It's so pure and true that even death could not sever their ties." Memphis slowly looks from her to Tyler who has been quietly sitting behind the bar of the library.
Memphis leans over to Caroline and in the softest of whispers he tells her "Your bond with the hybrid is still intact. Even without my ability I can see that he still loves you as you do him."
Caroline's eyes widen at his comment. She runs her fingertip along the charm bracelet that adorns her delicate wrist. Other than her lapis lazuli ring it's the only piece of jewelry she never takes off. Caroline looks at Tyler and he gives her small grin then turns his attention back to Stefan and Elena.
"Too much has happened. We can't go back to what we had before." Caroline watches as Memphis rolls his honey colored eyes. It's the most human thing he has done in her presence.
"You can't fool me. Love is still between the two of you. You just have to be willing to fight for it, otherwise you'll have an eternity full of regret." Memphis stands and leaves Caroline to her thoughts. He flashes Odele a mischievous grin. He also inherited his father's affinity for love games.
A/N: Please Review. Sēmideus is the latin word for demi-god. I just like the way sēmideus sounded so I decided to use it. Next up Jeremy remembers his past lives and Bonnie is thrust into the middle of a mythical war.
