A/N: Since you waited so long for the last update, I thought I'd treat you to an early one this time around. It's a rather long (and jumpy) chapter so feel free to have a break in the middle - I know I did!
Disclaimer: The only thing that belongs to me is the lovely Scarlett Williams.
Scarlett gave up on getting any sleep that night when she saw that her clock read five in the morning. Slipping out of bed, she slowly ambled down the stairs to the front parlour; there was only one thing she wanted to do at that moment. She moved towards the piano in the corner and perched on the edge of the stool, her fingers running gently over the slightly dusty keys.
Taking a deep breath, Scarlett closed her eyes and started to play, her long fingers instinctively finding the right keys. Scarlett lost herself in the music, slowly letting down the barriers around her mind completely. It seemed like forever since she'd had this much freedom. After the shock and heartache of Lexie's death, all she wanted was a few minutes to herself, to try and find some balance.
Somehow, while she was playing, Scarlett's thoughts drifted towards a certain dark haired vampire. It seemed to be inevitable these days that whenever she had a few moments to herself, thoughts of Damon would infiltrate her mind. It was time that she finally admitted something to herself; she had feelings for Damon, and those feelings did not include hatred. She should hate him. After all of the pain he'd caused her in just a few short weeks, she should want to stake him while he slept, but even after everything he'd done, Scarlett simply couldn't hate him. As the final notes echoed through the room, she let out a heavy sigh.
"What have you gotten yourself into this time, Scarlett," she said to herself, her voice barely breaking the silence.
"I didn't know you played." Scarlett let out a shocked gasp as she quickly spun around to face the subject of her thoughts. Damon was leaning casually against the door frame, his arms crossed over his chest - his very naked chest. Scarlett's eyes widened and her pulse increased as she gazed at his pale muscles.
"I thought you were sleeping," she said quickly. Damon smirked slightly as he pushed away from the door and strolled towards the liquor cabinet. Scarlett raised one eyebrow. "Isn't it a bit early for that?" Damon quickly poured himself a glass of bourbon before making his way towards the redhead and taking a seat next to her on the piano stool.
"It's never too early," he murmured as he took a sip of the amber liquid. "You're good," he said, gesturing towards the piano with his glass. Scarlett's eyes narrowed and she turned to look at him, her dark eyes catching his.
"Why are you being nice to me?" she asked, her voice full of scepticism. Damon tilted his head slightly as his gaze trailed over her face before stopping on her full, pink lips.
"Do I need a reason to be nice to you?" he asked softly, his breath warm against Scarlett's skin. She glanced down, suddenly nervous in his presence.
"You're only nice to me when you want something," Scarlett replied quietly before catching her bottom lip between her teeth. Damon raised a hand and gently cupped Scarlett's cheek, causing a faint blush to rise in her skin. This close, it took all his self-control not to lean forward and have a taste of the blood running through her veins. He imagined it would taste like heaven.
"I wanted to apologise to you," he murmured. Scarlett's eyes widened as they shot to his, and he gave her a small half smile. "Shocking, I know."
"What for?" she asked. Damon hesitated before he replied; what did he want to apologise for? Better question, why was he apologising in the first place. He had never apologised to anyone before, certainly not since he was turned, so what was it about this girl that made him want to say sorry?
"For last night," he finally answered. Scarlett's eyes hardened and she turned her face away from him, forcing Damon to drop his hand – it felt surprisingly cold.
"Which part?"
"You ask a lot of questions, don't you?" he teased. Instead of smiling, Scarlett turned a frosty glare on him.
"I think that one is merited." Damon took a deep breath before responding.
"For hurting you," he said quietly. Scarlett's sea blue eyes softened slightly as he explained. "If I'd known that you would have felt everything –"
"Are you saying you wouldn't have killed Lexie?" Damon hesitated again.
"No." Scarlett nodded slowly, her eyes searching his and finding the truth of his statement in their pale blue depths.
"Thank you for your honesty," she said quietly. Damon reached up to brush a lock of her curling auburn hair over her shoulder before resting his hand against her neck; he could feel her pulse beating steadily against the palm of his hand. He looked at her face and saw that she was once again biting her bottom lip. Her mouth was curved in a soft smile and her eyes were full of warmth and honesty. Seeing her like that, bathed in the warm glow from the morning sun, Damon wanted nothing more than to kiss her. He knew he shouldn't; he had a plan and he should stick to it. But Scarlett intoxicated him, and even if it was just once, he wanted to know what it would feel like to kiss her.
He slowly leant forward, his own eyes closing and touched his lips to hers. Scarlett couldn't breathe as her eyelids fluttered shut; her heart was pounding madly in her chest as she felt Damon's soft lips against her own. There was nothing rushed or demanding about it, and yet she knew that this one simple action would change everything. Cautiously, Scarlett kissed him back, her lips parting when she felt his tongue seeking entrance to her mouth. Damon slowly explored Scarlett's mouth, one hand resting against her jaw while the other ran up her arm, pulling her closer to him and sending shivers down her spine.
All too soon Scarlett pulled away and took a long, shuddering breath before opening her eyes to meet Damon's gaze. He was staring at her, searching her eyes for any sign that she regretted what had just happened. One corner of Scarlett's mouth raised in a half smile as she pulled away from the dark haired vampire, and Damon let his arms drop limply to his sides.
"I have to get ready for school," she said into the silence. Damon didn't say a word; he stayed frozen in place as Scarlett stood up and turned to walk away. On impulse, she turned back and placed a gentle kiss on Damon's cheek before hurrying from the room without looking back. Damon downed his bourbon and ran a hand through his dark, messy hair wondering whether or not he had just made a huge mistake.
By the time Scarlett had showered, dressed in jeans and a purple button down blouse and driven in to town, she was running quite late for school. She quickly parked her black 4x4, grabbed her bag from the passenger seat and jogged towards her first class – history. There were still a few students hanging around, so Scarlett slowed her pace as she approached the classroom. When she arrived, she glanced around the room before slipping into the empty seat next to Elena. The brunette gave her friend a smile as she leaned across the aisle.
"Where's Stefan?" she asked quietly. Scarlett shook her head in response.
"No idea, I haven't seen him this morning," she replied just as quietly. They both looked up as Bonnie hurried into the room, and Scarlett frowned when she saw the tense look on her friend's face. She didn't have a chance to question the witch however, as just at that moment a tall, sandy haired man strolled into the classroom and walked towards the teacher's desk.
"Good morning everyone," he said brightly, before turning to the blackboard. Scarlett turned in her seat to look at Bonnie.
"Are you okay?" she mouthed when the witch glanced in her direction. The only response she received was a quick shrug. Scarlett looked back to the front of the classroom just as the new teacher turned to face them. Their eyes met, and Scarlett watched as the man's eyes widened in shock. Scarlett shifted nervously in her seat as he continued to stare at her for a few moments, before shaking his head and smiling at the rest of the class.
"Alaric Saltzman. It's a mouthful, I know; doesn't exactly roll of the tongue," he said self-deprecatingly. "Saltzman is of German origins. My family emigrated here in seventeen fifty five to Texas. I however was born and raised in Boston." His eyes flickered towards Scarlett, causing her to frown. Why on earth did he seem so interested in her? "Now the name Alaric belongs to a very dead great grandfather I'll never be able to thank enough. You'll probably wanna pronounce it Al-aric, but it's A-laric, okay? So you can call me Ric. I'm you're new history teacher."
"Rise and shine!" Damon said brightly as he strolled into Stefan's room. He had to get his mind off of Scarlett and the kiss they had shared, and Damon knew that annoying his little brother was a sure way to do that, if only for a few minutes. He watched as Stefan shot up in bed and smirked to himself; this was going to be too easy. "You'll be late for school – Scar's already left." So much for getting her off his mind…
"What are you doing?" Stefan asked, his brows pulling into his usual frown. Damon held out one of the mugs of coffee he was holding.
"Peace offering." Stefan climbed out of bed and moved to leave the room, but Damon sped towards him and blocked his way with an arm. "Come on you need it for blood circulation. Does dead flesh good." Stefan didn't say a word, just stared ambivalently at his brother. Damon sighed and lowered the mug. "Alright, I'm sorry."
"Step aside, please," Stefan asked as he finally managed to walk past Damon and into his bathroom.
"I got the town off our back, it was for the greater good, but I'm sorry," Damon said loudly, making sure that his brother could still hear him. He walked further into the room and placed the mug of coffee on a table. "And to prove it, I'm not gonna feed on a human… for at least a… week." Damon's nose turned up in disgust at the thought and he took a quick sip of his own coffee. "I'll adopt a Stefan diet, only nothing with feathers. Maybe Scarlett can get me some little bunny rabbits…" Stefan walked slowly back into the room.
"Cos I realise that killing you closest and oldest friend and making your goddaughter cry herself to sleep is beyond evil and yet, somehow, it's worthy or humour," Stefan said sarcastically before slipping on a shirt. Damon frowned at his brother's comment, internally cringing at the idea of Scarlett crying.
"Are you mimicking me?" he asked. Stefan turned to face him as he started to do up the buttons on his shirt.
"Yes Stefan, now that the secret society of vampire haters is off our back I can go back to my routine of, 'How can I destroy Stefan's life this week?'" he said as he walked towards his brother.
"And I can go back to sulking and Elena longing and Scarlett worrying and forehead brooding," Damon replied as he turned to lean against a table, playing Stefan at his own game. He smiled as he glanced at his brother. "This is fun, I like this."
"And I will finally reveal the motive behind my evil and diabolical return to Mystic Falls," Stefan said as he turned to Damon and fixed him with a penetrating stare. The eldest Salvatore looked away as though he were considering Stefan's proposal before standing straight.
"Yeah, I'm done," he said as he walked away. He took a few steps before turning back and lowering his voice in a poor imitation of his brother. "That's just like you, Damon. Always have to have the last word," he said as he backed out of the room thinking that is was probably a good thing Stefan didn't know about the kiss. Damon didn't particularly want another stake in the stomach – he was running out of good shirts.
For once the class was interesting. Mr Saltzman seemed far more interested in the subject he was teaching than Mr Tanner ever had, and in no time at all the bell was ringing signalling the end of class. Scarlett started to pack away her books, intending to walk to the cafeteria with Elena when someone called her name.
"Miss Williams, can I see you for a minute?" Scarlett looked up to see Mr Saltzman smiling at her, and she nodded slightly and hung back as the rest of the class left the room. Elena was the last to leave, and she glanced at Scarlett with concern.
"I'll be right behind you," Scarlett assured her friend, and the brunette nodded before leaving her and Mr Saltzman alone, closing the door behind her. Scarlett approached the desk, her fingers idly playing with the hem of her purple blouse. "You wanted to see me, Mr Saltzman?" Mr Saltzman nodded and gestured for Scarlett to take a seat before leaning back against his desk. He seemed unsure of how to proceed, and he ran a hand through his short hair in an almost nervous manner.
"Yeah, I did. This may sound crazy, but you look exactly like someone I used to know… Are you by any chance related to a woman called Tara?" Scarlett's eyes widened at the sound of her mother's name, and her stomach started to churn anxiously.
"She was my mother," the redhead said quietly, her eyes never leaving Mr Saltzman's.
"Was?"
"She died… Two years ago." Mr Saltzman gasped quietly, and Scarlett felt a wave of sadness wash over her. Scarlett couldn't stop staring at his eyes; they seemed so familiar to her, but she had no idea why.
"I'm sorry… So, you live with your father now?" he asked, his voice gravelly, almost as if he was holding back tears. Scarlett's brows came together in a frown and she tilted her head slightly to one side.
"I never knew my father. My grandparents kicked my mum out when they found out she was pregnant, and she came back here." Mr Saltzman's eyes closed and he breathed deeply.
"You're seventeen," he said softly. It wasn't a question; just a statement of fact, so Scarlett remained silent. "I never knew…" Scarlett's heart began to pound in her chest, and she could hear the blood rushing in her ears. Her vision started to cloud over and she gasped as his words finally registered. She rushed to get out of her seat, knocking into a desk as she stumbled towards the door. "Scarlett, wait!" But Scarlett didn't listen. She had to get out of there, had to get away from that room. She ran down the corridor, her hair streaming wildly behind her. As she turned a corner, she knocked into someone.
"Scarlett? Oh my god, what's wrong?" Elena's arms wrapped around her and Scarlett held on to her as though she were a lifeline. Sobs wracked her body as her mind tried to compute this new information. Elena stood quietly, gently rubbing her friend's back in reassurance. "Everything's okay, Scarlett," she said quietly. After a few more minutes, Scarlett pulled back, rubbing furiously at her eyes with the heels of her hands. "Tell me what happened," Elena said, her dark eyes gazing at Scarlett's tear stained face.
"Mr Saltzman, he knew my mum and he kept asking questions about my dad and how old I was and I think… I think he might be my father," the redhead said in a rush, not even pausing to take a breath. "And I think I'm gonna pass out." Elena wrapped an arm around Scarlett's waist and quickly led her outside. As she opened a door, she and Scarlett saw Stefan sitting on a bench. The vampire immediately stood up and rushed to his goddaughter.
"What's wrong? Are you okay?" he asked quickly as he cupped Scarlett's face in his hands, searching her eyes for any sign of what was wrong.
"I just need to sit down," the redhead said and Stefan and Elena quickly led her to the bench, both holding onto her arms as she walked. Scarlett sad down and rested her head against the cool wood of the bench. "I'll be fine in a little while; feel free to talk amongst yourselves." Stefan turned to Elena, his eyes full of questions.
"The new history teacher held her back at the end of class," the brunette explained. "Scarlett thinks he might be her father. Stefan's eyes widened in shock and Elena nodded. "Why weren't you in class?" she asked. "I was worried."
"Yeah, I got your messages," Stefan replied quietly as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket. "I'm sorry I didn't get back to you, but… What I wanna say shouldn't be said over the phone." Scarlett was half listening to the conversation; her mind was running a mile a minute, trying to process the new information she had received. She was trying to remember if her mum had ever said anything about her father, other than he was from Boston and she hadn't seen him since she was seventeen. Sitting up, she tried to pay more attention to Stefan and Elena.
"I simple 'I didn't kill my brother,' text would have sufficed," the brunette said teasingly, causing Stefan to give her a half smile.
"I didn't kill my brother, as much as he deserved it - he has you to thank for that." Scarlett's face heated at the mention of Damon's name. With all of the drama in history, she hadn't thought about him or their kiss since she arrived at school.
"So what did you want to tell me?" Elena asked as she smiled nervously up at Stefan.
"I won't be coming to school anymore. I'm gonna back off and keep my distance. It's the right thing to do." Scarlett's gaze flew to her godfather, and she watched as Elena took a half step back from him.
"Away from school… or from me?" she asked quietly. Stefan didn't reply. He didn't really need to. Elena nodded slightly and pulled her bag firmly onto her shoulder.
"Thank you for telling me," she said, and Scarlett could hear in her voice that Elena was trying her hardest to be strong.
"It's better this way."
"Yep, I got it," the brunette said tightly. Scarlett's gaze flicked between the pair, her faintness forgotten. Stefan nodded his head slightly, seemingly approving of Elena's reaction.
"You're angry. That's good. It'll be easier if you hate me." He turned to glance at Scarlett who was staring up at him with wide, shocked eyes. "You coming?" The redhead slowly shook her head and Stefan walked away without turning back. Scarlett stood up and pulled Elena in for a hug, which the brunette returned willingly. Stepping back, Scarlett saw the barely leashed tears in Elena's dark eyes.
"Let's go and find Bonnie. I'll text Caroline, and we can have a girl's night. I think we could all use one," Scarlett said with a smile. Elena nodded and the pair walked arm in arm towards the parking lot, Scarlett texting their blonde friend with one hand. When she looked up, Scarlett saw Bonnie standing next to her car with none other than Damon Salvatore, and it didn't look like the witch was enjoying the conversation. "Damon." Scarlett didn't raise her voice, she didn't have to – she knew that he would hear. The dark haired vampire turned and caught her gaze, before giving her a mocking bow. He turned to say something else to Bonnie and then started to make his way towards Scarlett and Elena.
"What does he want with Bonnie?" Elena asked quietly. Scarlett turned to her friend and lowered her voice slightly.
"Take Bonnie back to your place, I'll meet you there." The brunette frowned slightly.
"Are you sure you're feeling well enough to drive? You're still really pale…" Scarlett smiled brightly and gently pushed Elena towards Bonnie's car.
"I'll be fine, I'll see you later." Elena nodded and hurried towards Bonnie's car. Damon stopped in front of Scarlett and smirked down at her, but his smirk faltered slightly when he caught sight of her bloodshot eyes and the still visible tear tracks on her cheeks.
"What's wrong with you?" he asked, the question sounding more heartless than he had intended. Scarlett raised a single eyebrow and crossed her arms across her chest defensively.
"Nothing for you to worry about," she replied sharply. "Why were you talking to Bonnie?" Scarlett asked, determined to steer the conversation away from herself. Damon smiled mysteriously and leant forward so that his breath fanned across her face.
"That's for me to know and you to dot dot dot." Scarlett scowled at his evasiveness.
"That doesn't work on me Damon, now what do you want with Bonnie?" The vampire straightened and slid his hands into the pockets of his jacket.
"She has something that belongs to me; something that I need." Scarlett rolled her eyes before digging a hand into her bag to find her car keys.
"Well threatening her isn't going to help your cause," she said as she started to walk towards her 4x4. Damon fell into step beside her, his arm brushing against Scarlett's as they walked.
"How about you get it for me, then?" Scarlett stopped in her tracks and stared up at him incredulously. "We're friends; friends do each other favours." The redhead let out a short burst of laughter.
"We're not friends, Damon." Quashing the stabbing pain her words had caused, Damon gave Scarlett his most seductive smile.
"I'd say you were more than friendly this morning, Scar," he whispered. He watched as a rosy blush rose in her cheeks, and the predator within him growled in satisfaction.
"You kissed me," Scarlett said quickly, well aware that she was turning bright red. Damon stepped closer until there was only an inch of air between them, and Scarlett had to tilt her head back to look him in the eyes.
"You kissed me back," he whispered. Scarlett was completely hypnotised by Damon's eyes, and felt herself leaning forward as she rose slightly onto the balls of her feet. Damon raised his hand to gently stroke her arm. If he didn't know better he'd say he was being compelled, because he wanted to touch her all the time. Trying to get her out of his mind was hopeless; she was all he could think about day and night.
Just as their lips were about to touch, a car horn blared and Scarlett stumbled back, blinking rapidly to clear the fog in her mind. Glancing at Damon, she found him looking just as dazed as she felt. She backed away from him, her fingers clutching tightly to her car keys.
"Stay away from Bonnie," she said firmly, her voice much steadier than she thought it would be. Damon didn't acknowledge that he had heard her, so Scarlett turned and hurried to her car, getting in and throwing it into gear before driving out of the parking lot and making her way to Elena's house. Damon watched until Scarlett's car was out of sight before letting out the breath he had been holding. He seriously needed to get his act together. The comet had passed. All he needed was the crystal, and then his plan could be put into action. But first he needed to clear his mind of a certain redheaded empath.
Scarlett pulled up in front of Elena's house just as Stefan was descending the porch steps. She quickly got out of her car and met him halfway up the path.
"Everything okay, Stefan?" she asked quietly, well aware that Elena was watching them from the porch. Her godfather inclined his head slightly.
"Elena told me you saw Damon?" he asked. Scarlett felt her heart skip a beat and watched as Stefan frowned slightly at her – apparently he'd heard it too.
"Yeah, he wanted me to try and get something from Bonnie," she said hurriedly, trying to divert his attention. "I told him to stay away from her, but I don't think he listened."
"He never does," Stefan murmured.
"What is it that he wants?" the redhead asked.
"A crystal that belonged to Katherine." Scarlett frowned in confusion.
"But Katherine's dead – why would he want her crystal?"
"That's what I plan to find out," Stefan said calmly, his voice brimming with determination. "Make sure Bonnie stays here tonight." Scarlett nodded and watched as her godfather disappeared into the night before walking up the path to the porch where Elena was waiting.
"Did you sort things out with Damon?" the brunette asked as her friend climbed up the steps. Scarlett shrugged one shoulder.
"Who knows? Let's just try and have a relaxing, vampire free evening." Elena grinned at Scarlett's words and the two of them swiftly made their way inside.
Damon was in his favourite seat at the bar of the Mystic Grill, nursing his fifth glass of bourbon. He had a theory that if he drank enough alcohol, Scarlett Williams would be erased from his memory. As yet, it hadn't worked. He lifted his glass to his mouth, but before he could take so much as a sip, his brother appeared at his shoulder and started talking.
"So Stefan, you know, I've been thinking we should start over. Give this brother thing another chance – we used to do it oh so well once upon a time." Damon had to smile at Stefan's attempt's to mimic him yet again. He was doing something strange with his eyebrows – Damon was pretty sure he'd never pulled a face like that in his existence, but he thought he'd play along for a little while.
"I don't… Damon. I can't trust you to be a nice guy. You kill everybody, and you're not good enough for Scarlett, and you're so mean and… you're so mean…" Damon trailed off, trying to think of something else to say and coming up blank. "You're really hard to imitate, and then I have to go to that lesser place…" Stefan gave his brother a half smile.
"At least you realise that Scarlett is too good for you," he said before turning to the bartender and ordering a coffee. Damon frowned at Stefan's comment. Of course he knew that Scarlett was too good for him; she was practically an angel compared to him, but what right did Stefan have to say that to him? Oh yeah, he was her godfather… "So what's with the bottle?" Stefan asked, gesturing towards the half empty bottle of bourbon by Damon's side. Damon let out a long sigh.
"I'm on edge. Crash diet, you know I'm trying to keep a low profile." Stefan murmured in agreement.
"You could always just leave, find a new town to turn into your own personal Gas'N'Sip."
"I'll manage," Damon replied with a smirk. "I'm sure Scar wouldn't mind letting me tap a vein once in a while," he said lightly, watching as Stefan barely managed to keep a check on his rage at the mention of his goddaughter's name. Instead he took a long sip from his newly arrived coffee cup while Damon poured himself another drink. "You know, you don't have to keep an eye on me."
"I'm not here to keep an eye on you," Stefan told him.
"So why are you here?"
"Why not?" Stefan asked as he nabbed the bottle of bourbon and strolled towards the darts board. Damon smirked as he followed his little brother. Tonight could prove to be interesting.
Caroline had finally arrived with the food and she, Scarlett and Elena were stood in the Gilbert's kitchen setting out plates and cutlery. Scarlett glanced up as Bonnie entered the room and was immediately engulfed by a wave of hostility radiating from Caroline. Reaching up to massage her temple, Scarlett threw the blonde a look, urging her to say something to Bonnie. Caroline tried to ignore her, instead focusing on getting the food out of the take-out bag. Scarlett cleared her throat slightly, and when Caroline glanced at her, she tilted her head in Bonnie's direction.
"Say something," she mouthed. Finally, Caroline took a deep breath and straightened her shoulders before turning to the witch.
"I'm sorry. There, I said it." Elena and Scarlett exchanged amused glances at Caroline's outburst. "If you want the ugly ass necklace, keep it. It's yours." Scarlett rolled her eyes at that before continuing to pour drinks for the four of them. Her emotions were completely out of control, meaning her powers were as well, so she was finding it impossible to block out the feelings of everyone in the room. Focusing on one thing at a time seemed to be helping. Bonnie hesitated before responding.
"Would you hate me if I told you I threw it away?" she asked.
"You threw it away?" Caroline exclaimed disbelievingly.
"I know it sounds crazy but, the necklace was giving me nightmares. I had to get rid of it," Bonnie explained hurriedly.
"You could have just given it back to me," Caroline told her.
"Why, so you could give it back to Damon?" Elena asked, her voice laced with scepticism. Caroline glanced at Scarlett, who simply raised her eyebrow, before the blonde let out a troubled sigh.
"Screw Damon," she murmured. "Are we doing manicures or what? Who has their kit."
"Not me," Scarlett replied.
"Mine's in my bag," Bonnie said, and Caroline smiled before walking over the retrieve Bonnie's manicure kit.
"So Elena, how long do you think this fight with Stefan's gonna last?" the blonde asked aloud. "Is it like, a permanent thing?" Elena picked up a French fry and took a bite before responding.
"I don't know Caroline," she said, sounding more than slightly exasperated as she shared an annoyed look with Bonnie. Scarlett frowned as she felt a renewed surge of anger from Caroline, and glanced towards her just as the blonde turned around.
"Why are you such a little liar, Bonnie?" Bonnie and Elena both made sounds of protest at Caroline's exclamation, but Scarlett was too busy staring at the amber crystal hanging from Caroline's hand.
"Didn't you say you threw that away?" Scarlett asked slowly. Bonnie turned to look at the redhead, fear evident in her eyes as she nodded once. "Well then… how did it get back?" Caroline stormed back into the kitchen and dropped the crystal on the centre island.
"I can't believe you lied to me about this," she hissed.
"I'm not lying to you Caroline, I swear," Bonnie replied calmly.
"It's true; I watched her throw it into a field," Elena confirmed. Scarlett couldn't take her eyes off the crystal. She kept getting the strangest feeling from it… almost as if it was actually alive.
"Well then explain it," Caroline said shrilly. Bonnie glanced up at Scarlett – she had always been more interested in the supernatural. It was one of the reasons why she got on so well with Bonnie's Grams and she had a sneaking suspicion that Scarlett already knew that she was a witch.
"Emily?" she asked. The redhead raised a shoulder in a half-hearted shrug.
"It's possible. Your Grams always said she was pretty powerful."
"Wait, who's Emily?" Caroline sounded confused.
"The ghost," Bonnie said, her eyes never leaving Scarlett's face.
"The ghost has a name now?" Caroline asked sarcastically. Scarlett sent her a quick glare, whilst Elena raised a hand to silence her as she too turned to Scarlett.
"I wonder why she won't leave me alone," Bonnie wondered angrily. Caroline finally snapped.
"Okay, what is going on? Why am I not a part of this conversation? You three do this to me all the time."
"That's not true," Elena said, but Bonnie quickly interrupted her.
"Yes it is," the witch said before turning to Caroline. "I can't talk to you, and nor can Scarlett. You don't listen."
"Leave me out of this…" Scarlett mumbled, but she was drowned out by Caroline's shrill retort.
"That's not true!" Bonnie took a deep breath before responding.
"I'm a witch."
"And don't we all know it?" Caroline said scathingly. Scarlett frowned at the blonde's comment, sharing a disappointed look with Elena.
"See?! That's what I'm talking about. I'm trying to tell you something, you won't even hear it," she said, before storming out of the room. Caroline turned to watch her leave and then turned back to Scarlett and Elena.
"I listen!" she exclaimed. "When do I not listen?"
"You may listen, Caroline, but you don't always hear what we're telling you," Scarlett said calmly.
"What's the difference?" Scarlett walked to Caroline's side and placed a hand on her arm. She took a deep breath and looked deep into Caroline's grey eyes, letting her own tranquillity and understanding flow into her friend. Elena watched with wide eyes as Caroline visibly relaxed, a small smile curling her lips.
"This thing that is happening to Bonnie is really scaring her," Scarlett explained softly as she soothingly rubbed Caroline's arm. "She doesn't understand it, and what she really needs is for her friends to just accept it and support her in any way we can, okay?" Caroline nodded in response, before turning and following Bonnie into the living room. Once she had left, Scarlett stumbled slightly and grabbed onto the counter top. Elena rushed around the centre island and helped Scarlett sit on one of the barstools.
"What did you do?" she asked quietly. Scarlett closed her eyes and massaged her temples – her head was pounding.
"I guess you could call is emotional transference; I made Caroline feel what I was feeling. I thought it was worth a shot." Elena nodded slowly as she tried to understand what Scarlett was saying.
"You should be careful, Scarlett. It's obviously taking a lot out of you…" Scarlett smiled slightly and looked up at her friend's concerned gaze.
"Practice makes perfect, right?" Elena smiled in return as the pair snuck to the doorway and eavesdropped on Bonnie and Caroline's conversation.
Meanwhile at the Grill, Stefan was thrashing Damon at darts. The eldest Salvatore scowled as his little brother got yet another bull's-eye.
"Lucky shot," Damon complained as he moved towards the board to grab the darts. Stefan smirked at his brother's reaction.
"More like a carefully honed skill over many decades," he explained as Damon wrote the score on the chalkboard.
"You're beating me." Stefan's smirk only widened.
"Well, yeah, because I'm better than you." Damon walked back to his brother's side, a smirk of his own stretching his lips as he examined Stefan.
"I'm on to you; reverse psychology. I mean, it's a little transparent, but I admire the effort."
"You prefer the brooding forehead?" Stefan asked, drawing his eyebrows together in a frown. Damon smiled at his brother's lame attempt at humour.
"Seriously, what game do you think you're playing?" he asked.
"That's a funny question, considering the fact that I have been asking you that for months." Damon shook his head and turned away as Stefan let out a snort of laughter. "It's frustrating, isn't it?"
"Touché," Damon replied sarcastically. Stefan turned and made his way over to the bar to get another drink, leaving Damon alone by the dart board. Pulling his phone from his pocket, the dark haired vampire typed a quick message before hitting send.
"Who're you texting?" Stefan asked from his side; Damon hadn't heard him approach. He quickly slipped his phone away and smirked tauntingly at his brother.
"No one important."
Scarlett and Elena were stood in the kitchen of the Gilbert House, listening closely to the conversation between Caroline and Bonnie in the other room. The redhead couldn't help but smile when she heard Caroline's speech.
"Look, it's just not me. Okay, I don't believe in the… woo woo…" Scarlett let out a giggle which was quickly muffled by Elena's hand over her mouth. "But if you do then, okay. I'm in. That's all it takes for me to jump on board because I consider you to be my best friend. And I'm saying this knowing that Scarlett and Elena are in the kitchen listening to my every word." There was the sound of footsteps and shuffling before Caroline continued. "Look, I didn't know how real this was for you, but I'm listening now… Okay?"
"Okay," Bonnie murmured quietly.
"Scarlett, Elena, you can come in now – we're done!" Caroline called, and the two girls poked their heads around the corner, smiling when they saw the happy looks on Caroline and Bonnie's faces. They both took seats on the same sofa as Caroline and Bonnie, and Scarlett winked at the blonde making her laugh.
"Well there is just way too much drama in this room," Caroline exclaimed. "So what do you guys wanna do?" Scarlett was about to reply when she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket.
Damon:- Stefan is trying to bond. It's embarrassing. Hope you're having a better night than I am.
The redhead smiled slightly as she read the message before glancing up at Caroline who was looking at her expectantly.
"Oh, I don't mind. Whatever you guys decide is fine with me." The blond frowned slightly before a wide grin lit up her face and she jumped up.
"I have an idea; why don't we have a séance?" Scarlett and Bonnie exchanged worried looks.
"I don't think that's a good idea…" the witch said hesitantly, and Elena nodded in agreement with her. Caroline stood up, bouncing on her toes excitedly.
"Come on, let's summon some spirits. This Emily chick has some serious explaining to do," she said firmly.
"I don't even know how to do a séance," Bonnie said, her eyes once again travelling to Scarlett. The redhead sighed in defeat before turning to meet Elena's troubled gaze.
"Have you got any white candles?" she asked quietly. The brunette nodded and they all moved up to Elena's bedroom, the brunette grabbing some candles on the way up. Once they were in the room, Scarlett placed the candles on the floor and lit them with some matches Elena handed her. "Okay Elena, turn out the lights. Everyone sit in a circle and hold hands." The girls quickly complied, and soon they were all sat in complete silence. Scarlett closed her eyes and breathed deeply, using the quiet as an excuse to re-build the barriers around her mind.
"What are we doing?" Bonnie asked after a few moments.
"I don't know," Elena replied sceptically. Scarlett opened her eyes and smiled ruefully at the two girls as Caroline took charge.
"Shh! Be quiet and concentrate. Okay, close your eyes." The three girls did as they were told. "Now take a deep breath… Bonnie, call to her."
"Emily – you there?" Scarlett couldn't stop the laughter that erupted from her mouth. Caroline's eyes flashed as they opened, and she glared first at the redhead and then at Bonnie.
"Really? 'Emily, you there?' That's all you've got? Come on!"
"Fine, geez…" Bonnie said quickly, and the four once again closed their eyes and breathed deeply. "Emily, I call on you. I know you have a message… I'm here to listen." Scarlett shivered as she felt a presence move behind her. Opening her eyes, she turned to see nothing but Elena's room. Suddenly, the candle flames flickered brightly before returning to normal, causing her to gasp.
"Did that just…" Elena asked, but Caroline quickly cut her off.
"Yeah that just happened," the blonde said, her voice wavering slightly. Scarlett's wide blue eyes rose to meet Bonnie's – this was a huge mistake. Caroline gasped. The temperature had dropped.
"It's just the air conditioning," Bonnie said firmly, trying to justify the sudden iciness of the room. The candle flames flickered again, almost as though they were protesting Bonnie's words, but this time they did not return to normal.
"Ask her to show you a sign," Caroline said to Bonnie.
"That's a really bad idea," Scarlett murmured, her gaze fixed over Bonnie's shoulder – she could've sworn she saw someone there. Bonnie shook her head, refusing to do what Caroline said.
"Ask her!" the blonde insisted. When Bonnie once again refused, Caroline spoke up. "Emily, if you're among us; show us another sign." Nothing happened. Elena reached out to touch Scarlett's arm, causing the redhead to glance at her friend. Just as she did, Scarlett felt something pass through her and shuddered violently.
"Scarlett, what is it?" Elena asked anxiously. Scarlett closed her eyes against the feelings swirling in her head, her fingertips digging into the carpet.
"I'm not sure," she whispered.
"It didn't work," Bonnie said slowly, her voice wavering with uncertainty. A moment passed, then Elena's bedroom windows burst open. Only there was no wind… The four girls scrambled away from the window in shock. "No! I can't – I'm done!" Bonnie exclaimed, rising quickly to her feet and tearing the crystal from its place at her neck before throwing it to the floor. The candles extinguished of their own accord, plunging the room into complete darkness. "Get the lights! Please get the lights!" Bonnie yelled.
Scarlett quickly pushed herself onto her feet and stumbled towards the bedroom door where she knew the light switch was. Her fingers found the wall and she blindly searched it until she found the switch. She flipped it on. The lights came on and Bonnie sighed with relief before glancing down at the floor.
"You guys… The necklace. It's gone." Scarlett stepped forward, her own eyes casting around on the floor for any sign of the amber crystal, but it was nowhere to be seen.
After well and truly beating Damon at darts, Stefan suggested they play a little football. It had always been something they enjoyed doing as humans, and he wanted to try and get into his brother's head. As they walked onto the high school football pitch, Damon checked his phone and saw a new text message.
Scarlett:- Depends if your idea of a good night includes having a really creepy séance. Damon's eyebrows drew together in a frown; why would Scarlett have a séance? Then he remembered who she was with and it all made sense.
"What are you smiling about?" Stefan asked as he tossed a football to Damon who caught it in one hand as he slipped his phone back into his pocket.
"Nothing," he said quickly as he tossed the ball back to his brother. Stefan passed Damon the bottle of bourbon they'd brought with them from the Grill before jogging backwards onto the pitch. "What are we doing here?" Damon asked indifferently as he watched Stefan.
"Bonding," Stefan replied simply. "Catch." Once again he threw the ball to Damon, who caught it and scooped it into his chest, smirking slightly as he walked forward and returned the ball to Stefan.
"Go long," Stefan said as Damon approached, passing the ball back to his brother. "Give it a try." Damon put the bourbon down beside him and smiled at his brother.
"Don't forget who taught you to play this game," he said before throwing the ball as far as he could down the pitch and running to catch it at vampire speed. Just as the ball touched his hands, Damon felt himself being knocked backwards by Stefan and the pair landed in a pile on the ground. Damon groaned in pain, completely winded. "Ow! Oh that hurts…" he murmured. Stefan chuckled slightly at his comment.
"Downside of my diet; getting hit actually hurts a little bit," he said. Damon groaned again before sighing as he finally managed to catch his breath.
"I'm impressed, Stefan. Fun with booze and darts, sentimental with football and now… a starry night." Damon quickly sat up and turned to face his brother. "What do you want, Stefan?" he asked bluntly. After a moment Stefan sat up as well, his face adopting a serious expression.
"It wasn't real, Damon," he said calmly. Damon gazed at the younger vampire curiously, signalling for him to continue. "Our love for Katherine." Damon chuckled at this, turning away and shaking his head. "She compelled us; we didn't have a choice." Damon let out a heavy sigh, gazing up at the night sky. Took me years to sort that out, to truly understand what she did to us."
"Oh no, Stefan," Damon said, cutting him off before he could say any more. "We are not taking that on tonight." Damon quickly stood up and started to walk away.
"Okay, let's try something else; what are you doing with Scarlett?" Damon stopped in his tracks and turned back to face Stefan, a smirk twisting his lips.
"I don't know what you're talking about," he said sarcastically.
"I'm not blind or stupid, Damon. What do you want with her?" Damon's smirk widened at the protective tone he heard in his brother's voice. He shrugged lightly.
"She's not boring, unlike the rest of this miserable town. I might as well keep myself entertained while I'm here."
"She's a human being with feelings, Damon. If you hurt her, I swear to God –"
"You'll what?" Damon asked challengingly, his shoulders tensing slightly, preparing himself in case Stefan got any stupid ideas about attacking him. "She's not a kid, Stefan. Besides, Scar is more than capable of looking after herself, or have you not been paying attention to the fact that her abilities are developing?"
"I haven't been on the receiving end of them, so I wouldn't know." Thinking the conversation was over, Damon started to turn away from his brother. "One more question."
"God, you've got a lot of those tonight, haven't you?" Damon asked as he rolled his eyes, his voice right with exasperation.
"Last one – what do you want with Katherine's crystal?" Damon hid his shock at Stefan's question with a smirk.
"How do you know about that?" he asked calmly.
"Come on – you knew Elena and Scarlett would tell me," Stefan replied as he lifted himself from the ground and stood straight, his eyes never leaving Damon's face.
"How did you know it was Katherine's?" the blue eyed vampire asked curiously. "Emily gave it to her on her last night. I was with her and you… weren't." Stefan hesitated before he replied.
"I was the last one to see her, Damon." Damon's gaze hardened as he saw the truth of Stefan's words in his eyes. "Now what do you want with Katherine's crystal?" Damon tilted his head to one side and smirked at his brother.
"She didn't tell you?" he asked tauntingly.
"We had other things on our mind." In less than a second, Damon was standing in front of his brother, staring straight into his eyes.
"I could rip your heart out and not think twice about it," he said threateningly. Stefan didn't back down.
"Yeah… I've heard that before," he replied softly. Damon smirked before clapping his brother on the shoulder.
"I have a bigger surprise, Stefan." He turned and walked away, getting about five paces before he faced his brother again. "I'm gonna bring her back." Damon waited for his comment to register on Stefan's face before smirking once more and striding away.
Scarlett was beginning to worry. The girls had quite literally ripped Elena's room apart, but there was still no sign of the crystal. The redhead replaced the window-seat cushion just as Elena turned to Caroline.
"Okay, fun's over Caroline. You made a point, and I get it. Now give it back." The blonde's mouth dropped open in shock.
"What? I didn't take it!" Something moved in the hallway, catching Scarlett's attention and she hurried to the bedroom door. "What? What happened?" Caroline asked, following Scarlett's gaze. The redhead shook her head slightly.
"I don't know; nothing." She turned to Elena. "Is Jeremy home?" Elena quickly moved passed her friend and looked out onto the landing, calling out to her brother. There was no reply. Scarlett's gaze flew to Bonnie as she started to walk towards Elena's bathroom.
"Um, guys…" Her voice trailed off as she stepped into the bathroom. Scarlett moved forward until she could see Bonnie again, and her eyes widened when she saw the witch pick up the crystal from its place on the bathroom floor. Unexpectedly, the door slammed shut, blocking Bonnie from sight. The witch let out a piercing scream. Scarlett ran to the door and tried to force it open, but it wouldn't move.
"Bonnie!" Elena cried as Caroline beat her hands against the door.
"Bonnie, calm down, you're going to be fine," Scarlett called, trying to keep her voice calm. "Elena, check the other door." Elena nodded and ran from the room. Bonnie screamed again and Scarlett and Caroline renewed their efforts to try and open the door.
"Bonnie, unlock the door!" Caroline yelled, her voice laced with frustration. All of the lights suddenly flickered and Scarlett felt a surge of energy pulse through her. Her legs trembled and she collapsed against the door. "Elena, something's wrong with Scarlett!" Caroline shrieked as she knelt in front of her friend, taking in the redhead's unfocused eyes and the drop of blood trickling from her nose.
All of the lights started to flicker on and off and Bonnie let out another ear-piercing scream. Elena re-entered her bedroom just as Caroline stood back up and started beating at the bathroom door. The brunette took in Scarlett, who was still crumpled on the floor, her back leaning against the wall as she stared blankly into the distance. The lights stopped flickering. The screaming ceased, and the door to the bathroom opened as if it had never been locked in the first place. Bonnie was standing in the middle of the room, her hands covering her face.
Scarlett gasped as she bolted upright, struggling to get enough air into her oxygen deprived lungs. She attempted to stand up and Elena quickly assisted her, curling an arm around her friend's waist to support her. The brunette tried to question the empath to see if she was alright, but Scarlett shook her head and gestured towards Bonnie who was still immobile in the bathroom. Elena took a step forward, pulling Scarlett with her.
"What happened? Are you okay?" she asked Bonnie, her voice filled with worry. Bonnie made no attempt to reply. She just kept standing in the middle of the bathroom, her hands blocking her face from view. After a pregnant pause, she finally raised her head, her eyes meeting Scarlett's. The redhead frowned at the look on her friend's face; something wasn't right about the expression.
"I'm fine," the witch finally said, her voice calm. Too calm.
"Unbelievable. You were totally faking it," Caroline said as she stared disbelievingly at Bonnie.
"Caroline, come on," Elena said, trying to calm the blonde down but it didn't work.
"No, you scared the hell out of me!" Caroline exclaimed, and she turned and stormed out of the room. Bonnie's gaze had yet to leave Scarlett's, and the redhead was beginning to feel unnerved by the witch's constant staring. Reaching out with her mind, Scarlett tried to read Bonnie's emotions, but for some reason she couldn't feel anything.
"Bonnie?" Elena said cautiously, finally getting Bonnie to look at her.
"I'm fine," she said simply. "Everything's fine." Without saying another word, she swiftly exited the bathroom following in the direction Caroline had gone. Elena's troubled brown gaze met Scarlett's.
"What as that?" the brunette mouthed to her friend, but Scarlett could only shrug in response. She had no idea what had just happened, but whatever it was, it wasn't good.
Damon strolled purposefully away from the football pitch, knowing instinctively that his brother was going to follow him. He was angry and frustrated – not a good mix, and for some reason all he wanted to do was race over to Elena's house and see Scarlett. He knew that if anyone could calm him down, it would be her. But he couldn't see Scarlett. He was here for one thing; to get Katherine back. And nothing and no one was going to stop him from doing exactly that.
"How can you bring Katherine back?" Stefan's voice came from a few feet behind him. Damon slowed down slightly, kicking a stone that was in his way.
"Before Katherine and the others were killed in the church, do you remember what it was like in this town?" he asked as he turned to face his brother with a smug smile.
"Yeah, I remember the fear and the hysteria," Stefan replied as he came to a stop in front of Damon.
"Townspeople were killing vampires one by one. When they came for Katherine, I went straight to Emily; said I'll do anything, name your price. Just protect her… She did." Stefan shook his head in confusion, still not grasping what Damon was telling him.
"How?"
"She did some kind of spell with the crystal; and while the church was burning and we thought Katherine was burning in it, she wasn't," Damon explained.
"But I… I saw her go inside…" Damon smirked at his brother.
"There's a tomb underneath the church. The spell sealed Katherine in that tomb, protecting her."
"Are you telling me that Katherine's alive?" Stefan asked incredulously. Damon shrugged in response.
"Well, if that's what you wanna call it. She's been trapped in a mystical holding cell for the last century and a half. But, you're an expert on starving a vampire so… how do you think she's doing, Stef?" Stefan stared at Damon. His brother had a maniacal glint in his eye unlike anything he'd ever seen before. "Did you know that witches can use celestial events to draw energy into their magic? Pfft, me either! But in order to give the crystal its power, Emily used the comet that was passing overhead… And in order for that crystal to work again…" Damon trailed off, waiting for his brother to figure out what he was saying.
"The comet had to return…" Stefan said slowly, his brows pulled together in a stern frown.
"Downside – long time in between comets and a couple of... hiccups along the way with the crystal, but the comet passed and I got the crystal," Damon said with a smile, which quickly turned into a small frown. "Then Caroline got the crystal, and now Bonnie has the crystal… and here we are." Stefan was still confused.
"Why would Emily, why would she do this for you?" he asked. Damon shrugged as though it were obvious.
"Because she knew they were gonna come for her too." Realisation dawned on Stefan's face as Damon continued to explain. "And she made me promise that her lineage would survive."
"I remember, you saved her children…"
"Yeah, it's the only thing keeping me from ripping that little Bonnie girl's throat out to get my crystal back. Oh well, deal's a deal," Damon finished with a sigh. He smirked as he saw the disbelieving look on Stefan's face. "So… are gonna go throw some more?" he asked sarcastically.
"I can't believe I fell for it," Caroline said in frustration as the four girls made their way out of Elena's bedroom, Bonnie in the lead. Scarlett was still a bit shaky on her feet, so she leaned against the railing as she watched Bonnie stride forward, her hands clasped demurely in front of her. It was very un-Bonnie-like.
"I must go," the witch said calmly, her voice somewhat deeper than usual. Scarlett's delicate brows drew together in a frown as she watched her friend. Everything about her seemed different, as though she wasn't the same person… The redhead's eyes widened as comprehension dawned.
"If she's leaving, I'm leaving," Caroline said, but Scarlett barely heard her.
"You guys can't leave," Elena exclaimed as Bonnie, or at least the person who looked like Bonnie, started to make her way down the stairs.
"Oh I can. I've had enough freaky fake witch stuff for one night," the blonde told Elena. A few steps down, Bonnie turned to Elena.
"Thank you for having me. I'll take it from here." With that, she continued to walk down the stairs without so much as a glance behind her.
"Where are you going?" Elena asked, her voice filled with confusion.
"Back to where it all began," Bonnie said simply. Elena called out to her friend but she didn't get a response. Scarlett hurried as fast as her weakened state would allow her and joined Elena at the top of the stairs. She took a deep breath before saying one, single word.
"Emily." The witch turned at the bottom of the stairs, her gaze locking with Scarlett's and the redhead heard Elena gasp beside her.
"I won't let him have it," Emily said with Bonnie's mouth, her eyes narrowing as she stared up at Scarlett. "It must be destroyed." That said, Emily turned and ran from the house, slamming the front door closed behind her. Scarlett stumbled down the stairs, Elena and Caroline hot on her heels.
"Why does he even want it?" she called after the witch, knowing that Emily would understand who she was talking about. Reaching the door, Scarlett attempted to pull it open but it wouldn't budge.
"Scarlett, what's happening?" Elena asked as she reached the redhead's side.
"The door won't open – we have to get to Bonnie, now," Scarlett explained as she continued to pull at the door. Suddenly the door burst open and Scarlett stumbled back as a tall, dark figure lunged towards her.
"What the hell?" Jeremy asked as Caroline and Elena screamed loudly. Looking more than slightly confused, Jeremy walked past the three girls into the kitchen. Scarlett sprinted out of the front door towards her car, ignoring Elena's calls for her to wait. She needed to get to Bonnie, and she had a sneaking suspicion she knew exactly where she was going. Jumping into her car, Scarlett quickly put it into gear just as the passenger side door opened and Elena clambered inside.
"I called Stefan," she told the redhead, gasping for breath. Scarlett nodded before flooring the gas pedal and speeding down the road.
Damon watched from behind a moss covered tombstone as Emily, using Bonnie's body, walked determinedly towards the ruins of Fells Church. As she got nearer, he finally stepped out to confront her.
"Hello Emily," he said, catching her attention and causing her to stop and glance in his direction. "You look different."
"I won't let you do it," she told him. Damon barely managed to hold back a growl as he took a few steps further, gesturing between himself and the witch.
"We had a deal," he said harshly.
"Things are different now – I need to protect my family."
"I protected your family. You owe me!" Damon insisted. Emily's face softened for a moment as she gazed at him.
"I know… I'm sorry," she replied softly. Damon's eyes darkened with rage.
"You're about to be a lot more than that," he threatened as he rushed at the witch, but she was ready for his attack and quickly thrust him away with her powers, spearing Damon on a low hanging tree branch. The vampire cried out in pain, but Emily didn't heed his cries. Instead she picked up a fallen branch and began to trace a symbol in the dirt. Damon attempted to prise himself off the branch, but he couldn't quite manage it. Luckily he didn't have to wait very long before Stefan arrived, and his brother quickly helped him down.
"Oh, that hurts!" Damon complained as he collapsed to the floor. "This is why I feed on people."
"Stefan." Stefan turned to find Bonnie, or should say Emily, staring at him.
"Hello Emily," he said calmly.
"These people don't deserve this; they should never have to know such evil," Emily told him. Stefan took a couple of slow steps towards the witch.
"What do you mean evil?" he asked cautiously.
"Emily, I swear to God I'll make you regret this," Damon groaned as he tried to stand up, clutching his rapidly healing wound.
"I won't let you unleash them into this world," Emily said firmly. Stefan's eyes widened at her words.
"Them?" he asked. When Emily remained silent, he turned to his brother who was still struggling to rise. "What part of the story did you leave out Damon?"
"What does it matter?" Damon said as he managed to get into a kneeling position. Stefan turned back to the witch.
"Emily, tell me what you did," he called. Emily looked up from her work and made eye contact with the younger vampire.
"To save her, I had to save them."
"You saved everyone in the church?" Stefan asked in astonishment.
"With one comes all," Emily confirmed.
"I don't care about them," Damon told her, finally stumbling to his feet and using Stefan's arm to keep himself upright. "I just want Katherine." Emily tilted her head to one side as she smirked at him.
"Are you sure about that?" she asked quietly. Damon didn't have time to question Emily's cryptic comment, as Stefan grabbed him by the jacket and glared into his eyes.
"I knew I shouldn't have believed a single word that comes out of your mouth," he said as he shook Damon. "This isn't about love, is it? This is about revenge."
"The two aren't mutually exclusive," Damon said as he tried to get Stefan to loosen his grip.
"Damon, you can't do this."
"Why not?!" Damon yelled as he shoved Stefan back. "They killed twenty seven people and they called it a war battle, they deserve whatever they get!" Stefan once again grabbed his brother's jacket, trying to shake some sense into him. God, how he wished Scarlett were here; her empathic abilities might come in useful.
"Twenty seven vampires, Damon. They were vampires. You can't just bring them back." Damon clasped his brother's head in his hands and looked him square in the eyes.
"This town deserves this," he murmured. Stefan couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"You're blaming innocent people for something that happened one hundred and forty five years ago," he said, trying to reason with his brother, but it didn't work and Damon thrust him away.
"There is nothing innocent about these people and don't think for a second that it won't happen again" he spat, his blue eyes blazing with fury. "They already know too much, and they'll burn your little grand-witch right next to us when they find out, trust me," Damon said as he glared over Stefan's shoulder at Emily. A twisted smirk came to his face as he glanced back at his brother. "And don't think that your little goddaughter will be safe when they start rounding us up."
"Things are different now," Emily said firmly.
"Don't do this," Damon begged, but Emily's gaze only hardened.
"I can't free them," she said. "I won't." Dropping the branch to the floor, she raised her arms to the heavens and cried, "Incendia!" Flames erupted all around her, forcing Stefan and Damon to step back away from the heat. Emily pulled the crystal from her neck and held it aloft before making eye contact with Damon.
"No, no please," he begged, his pale eyes pleading with her to stop.
"Bonnie!" Damon turned when he heard Scarlett's voice and watched as she and Elena burst into the clearing. The empath's eyes quickly met his and she gasped as she saw his blood stained shirt before turning back to the witch. "Emily, don't you dare hurt her," she yelled. The witch turned to Scarlett with a small smile.
"I'm doing this for her. For you. For everyone. The path you tread is a dangerous one, Scarlett Williams. Take care." With that, Emily threw the crystal into the air and it exploded in a burst of white light. Scarlett quickly raised her arm to protect her face from the sparks that flew in every direction. Lowering her arm, she watched as the flames extinguished leaving Bonnie standing silent and confused in the moonlight. Before Scarlett could move, she heard Damon growl and suddenly he was at Bonnie's side, his fangs embedded in her neck.
"NO!" Scarlett screamed, and she didn't even try to stop the wave of power that coursed through her body from pulsing out towards Damon and sending him careening into a tree. The redhead ran forward as Bonnie collapsed to the floor, the wound at her neck pouring crimson blood onto the ground. Scarlett dragged her blouse off over her head, leaving her in a simple black vest top, and held the material firmly against Bonnie's neck. Stefan was beside her in an instant and quickly leaned down to listen to Bonnie's heartbeat.
"She's alive, but barely - I can save her," he said as he quickly bit into his wrist.
"Stop talking about it and do it," Scarlett snapped, her eyes never leaving Bonnie's face. Stefan placed his bloody wrist against Bonnie's mouth, urging her to swallow his blood. Scarlett felt Elena kneel beside her, resting a hand against her shoulder.
"Swallow, Bonnie. Just swallow," the redhead muttered calmly, pushing a wave of peacefulness into Bonnie's head. The witch's eyes flew open to meet Stefan's, and with a bit of persuasion, she swallowed a few mouthfuls of his blood. "You're okay. You're gonna be okay," Scarlett told her friend soothingly as she carefully pulled away her shirt to reveal Bonnie's wound which was quickly knitting itself closed as her breathing evened out.
"Her neck – it's healing," Elena said, half in shock, half in amazement. Bonnie's gaze moved to Scarlett who smiled down at her.
"Scarlett – what happened?" The redhead didn't reply, she didn't know how to. Instead she raised her gaze to find Damon staring at her, his bloodshot eyes full of pain and longing before he turned and walked into the forest followed by Stefan. Turning back to Bonnie, Scarlett gently helped her to sit up and, with Elena's help, managed to get the witch onto her feet.
"We'll explain everything, but right now we need to get you home," the empath said quietly. "Elena, will you take her to the car? I'll only be a couple of minutes." The brunette nodded before leading a still shaky Bonnie towards Scarlett's 4x4. Scarlett watched them for a moment before turning and following in the direction Stefan and Damon had gone. They hadn't gone far, and soon she could overhear Damon talking.
"Katherine never compelled me – I knew everything, every step of the way. It was real for me." There was a pause before Damon spoke again. "I'll leave now." Scarlett's heart stopped. He couldn't leave… She was so caught up in her own thoughts and emotions that she didn't notice Stefan walking towards her until he stopped in front of her. Slowly he reached out and cupped her cheek with his hand, raising her gaze to his.
"Talk to him," he said softly. "He could use a friend right now." Scarlett nodded slowly and Stefan gave her a small smile as he walked past. Taking a deep breath the redhead moved further into the forest until she saw Damon sitting on a ruined wall, his empty eyes gazing blankly into the distance. He didn't look at her as she sat by his side and didn't move as she rested her hand on his arm.
"I'm sorry, Damon," she whispered as she studied his face. Finally he turned to face her, his eyes filled with unshed tears and confusion. Without thinking, Scarlett leant forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him tightly. Damon's arms remained limp at his sides as he felt Scarlett's small, warm body pressing against his. It was such a simple gesture, so innocent, and yet it meant so much. He honestly couldn't remember the last time someone had just held him without asking for anything in return. Slowly his arms crept up and wrapped around her waist as he rested his head against her shoulder.
They sat like that for a few moments, neither breaking the silence and neither quiet wanting the moment to end, but eventually Scarlett pulled back, her hands cupping Damon's face as she gazed into his eyes.
"I'm sorry," she whispered once more, before placing a gentle kiss against his cheek. That done, she stood and walked back to her car, leaving Damon alone with his thoughts. As she got closer to the place where she had parked, she saw Stefan and Elena talking and couldn't help but overhear the tail-end of their conversation.
"I thought that I couldn't be with you, but I can. You don't have to push me away. I can do this," Elena said as she reached forward to take Stefan's hands. Scarlett watched as her godfather smiled sadly before replying.
"I can't… I have to leave, Elena." Scarlett's heart clenched at his words. "Too many people have died, too much has happened."
"What? No. I know you think you're protecting me, but –"
"I have to. Coming home was… was a mistake. I can't be a part of your life anymore," Stefan explained gently. Scarlett could feel tears welling in her eyes and blinked furiously to keep them at bay.
"Don't go Stefan. Please, you don't have to, this is your home, just… please don't go." Stefan raised Elena's hand to his lips and kissed it softly.
"Goodbye, Elena," he said, and finally he turned and walked into the night. Elena called after him, but the vampire didn't turn around. Scarlett quickly composed herself and walked up to Elena. The brunette looked into her eyes, her own brown eyes filled with tears that had already started to fall.
"Get in the car," Scarlett said gently. "I'll take you and Bonnie home." Elena nodded and quickly got into the back seat with Bonnie. The two girls cried silently as Scarlett drove them to Elena's house. As soon as she parked, Bonnie got out of the car and hurried up to the front door. Elena moved to follow her, but hesitated when Scarlett remained in her seat.
"Are you coming?" Scarlett shook her head.
"It's been a long day… And I want to say goodbye." Elena nodded sympathetically.
"I'm going to tell Bonnie everything. About Stefan, and vampires."
"Do me a favour? Tell her about me as well. It'll be easier if she's told everything at once." Elena nodded once more before shutting the car door and following Bonnie into the house. Scarlett waited until her friends were inside before pulling away from the curb and driving slowly back home. She parked her car in front of the Boarding House and walked inside, her feet instinctively making their way to Stefan's bedroom. As she pushed open the door, she saw her godfather throw one of his diaries across the room. He turned when he heard her enter, his eyes swimming with unshed tears.
"You promised you wouldn't leave me," Scarlett whispered, her voice barely breaking the silence. In an instant Stefan was in front of her, pulling her tightly into his arms. Scarlett let all of the repressed emotions of the day flood through her as sobs wracked her body. Stefan didn't say a word, he just held her as she cried, hot tears soaking his shirt as his own tears trickled down his face. Scarlett's legs eventually gave out and she sank to the floor, pulling Stefan with her. She cried until she couldn't cry anymore, and when she couldn't cry she closed her eyes and let sleep take her.
Stefan carefully lifted his goddaughter off the floor, cradling her in his arms just like he had when she was born, and carried her through the house to her bedroom. He placed her softly on her bed and covered her with a blanket before placing a kiss on her forehead. She was the only daughter he would ever know, and she was also his best friend. He couldn't imagine leaving her, but he had to. It was the only way he could be certain that Damon would leave, and Damon leaving was the only way Scarlett would be safe. Stefan took one last look at Scarlett's face, peaceful in sleep, before turning and walking from the room, closing the door behind him.
A/N: So... Happy faces? Sad faces? I hope you all liked it. Comments, questions and constructive criticism are always welcome. I'll try and update soon.
Much love xx
