Telling everyone else about Sera's family connections had been relatively easy. Xavier told Jeremy, who passed the message along to Bonnie, and Sera told Caroline. Anyone who they might have forgotten or who would need to know would find out eventually. For the first time in her entire life, Sera could openly admit to being related to the Originals and she was going to take full advantage of this ability now that she had it.
Within reason, of course.
Stefan was still not really speaking to Sera, but Sera just kept telling herself that, eventually, they would be on good terms again. She couldn't fault Stefan for being mad, but she still hoped that he would overcome his anger sooner rather than later. She hated being on the outs with him and she didn't like the feeling that came with it.
They had gathered in the Boarding House. Elijah got Stefan, Damon and Xavier up to speed on the conversation that he had had with Sera and Elena. He explained how the ritual would proceed, how Klaus needed to drink Elena's blood to the point of her death, and then how Elijah would revive Elena with some elixir that he had acquired 500-some-odd years ago. Damon was having none of that, however, and was getting quite annoyed by the idea of what was going to happen if Elijah's elixir didn't work.
Xavier went after Damon when he left the room in anger and followed him outside to the backyard. "Dad, could you at least try and be a team player for once?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Damon asked, not turning around.
"It means that, instead of being your usual self, you could at least try and be supportive."
Damon looked at his son. "Supportive?" he said. "Why on earth would I support this insane plan? Why am I the only one who seems to care that this plan involves Elena dying?"
"That's not true and you know it," Xavier said. "Uncle Stefan probably cares the most out of everyone in that room, but it's Elena's decision. If she wants to go through with it, who are we to stop her?"
"Sometimes, when your friends are about to do something stupid, you have to intervene for their benefit," Damon replied. "Have I taught you nothing?"
Xavier rolled his eyes. "Your solution is just as risky," he replied. "Say we stop Elena from doing the ritual. Ok, fine, Elena is alive, but for how long? She will still be hunted by Klaus. We all will still be hunted by Klaus. The only way I can see this going well is if we allow Elena to do what she feels she needs to do."
Damon looked back at their backyard. "Talk to your cousin," he said. "Perhaps she will have some sway with our hybrid friend."
"You seriously think that, after the dance, Sera would have the power to get Klaus to back down?"
Damon shrugged. "Stranger things have happened."
Xavier shook his head. "If Elijah has no control over his brother, then Sera certainly doesn't."
"Sera apparently has the power to kill him," Damon said. "Elijah even said so. Plus, that would mean that Bonnie would no longer be at risk of dying if she tries to kill him."
Xavier sighed. "A long time ago, you gave me a choice," he said. "You told me that you wanted me to have the ability to choose whether I lived or died. Have you seriously changed that much that you would take that choice away from someone else?"
"You're my son," Damon said. "Of course I wanted you to have a choice. But, you were already dying when I gave you that choice. There is a difference between these two situations."
"The principle is the same," Xavier said. "I get where you're coming from and I even applaud your concern for Elena. But, this is her decision. No one else's."
Damon kept his gaze forward as his son returned to the house, remembering all too well the circumstances that led to his son becoming a vampire.
November, 1884
It was just past dawn on the day that would change Xavier Salvatore's life forever, though he had no idea just how much when he woke up that morning. The rest of the house was still sleeping but Xavier knew that he had to be quiet if he were to get out of the house without his cousin hearing.
Sera had become a vampire back in the summer and her newfound super hearing was making it very hard for Xavier to come and go at all hours of the night as he pleased. He had lost count of the amount of times Sera had caught him coming in after a night of drinking with his friends or with the ladies that the tavern provided. But, to her credit, Sera never told Celia about his behavior. But, then again, Celia probably knew and just didn't say anything. Celia always seemed to know what was going on.
Xavier had come to the determination that the easiest way to get out of the house without being noticed would be through the window. The day before, he had taken some rope from the barn where their horses slept and had hidden it under one of the loose floorboards in his room. Now, he removed it from its hiding place and tied one end of the rope to his bedpost. Once he was sure that it was secure, Xavier opened his window and threw the rest of the rope down to the ground. Then, he grabbed his pistol, put it in his belt, and climbed down to the ground.
The purpose of his sneaking around was that Xavier had been challenged to a duel and, if Sera and Celia knew about it, they would certainly have stopped him. The reason why he had been challenged to a duel was that Xavier had stood up the sister of one James Campbell, who was notorious throughout all of Mystic Falls for having a temper. Xavier tried to reason with him that his reaction was a bit over the top, but James announced to the whole tavern that what Xavier had done was an offence against his sister and his family and that it would not be tolerated. Xavier was still trying to get James to calm down when James slapped him across the face with his glove.
And now, Xavier found himself walking across an empty field, a pistol in his hand, taking steps according to the man calling out the paces. Xavier was a good shot. He knew that, if he wanted to, he could kill James. But, he wasn't here to kill anyone. He was here to let James have his moment and then they could go back to their regular lives.
He turned to face James when he was told to and they both fired their weapons at the same time. Xavier had missed James completely, on purpose, but James had hit his mark in the perfect spot. Xavier's eyes widened in pain as he looked down at his bleeding chest. Almost in a daze, his fingers lightly touched where the blood was dripping from his body.
James had shot him in the heart.
Xavier looked back at James, who had a look of panic on his face. Clearly, he hadn't been expecting to succeed in his attempt. He ran away, along with the man who had been there to mediate, as Xavier fell on his back. Staring up at the sky, getting brighter and brighter by the minute, Xavier only thought about his family. How would they react to his death? How long before they found him?
A shadow crossed into his line of sight and Xavier thought he heard his father's voice. But, everything was becoming blurry and the voice he heard seemed muffled. He felt something being pressed against his lips and felt warm, sticky liquid going down his throat. At that point he knew that it had to be his father…or Sera…or maybe even his Uncle Stefan…
But, it didn't matter. Because Death had come for him and swallowed him up in blackness.
Alaric, who had recently been released from Klaus's bondage, showed up at the Boarding House to tell everyone that the sacrifice was going to happen that night. Of course, no one was happy by this revelation. Damon excused himself from the room and headed upstairs. Elena followed some time later, going to check on him. As the others started to bring Alaric up to speed on what had happened while Klaus had occupied his body, Stefan headed upstairs to check on Elena and Damon and Sera went to get a snack from Stefan's freezer. Her Vampire Hearing picked up on sounds of a struggle coming from upstairs, so she changed direction and headed to where the noise was coming from.
She found Stefan and Damon fighting, with Elena on the ground in some sort of mixture of shock and tears, in Damon's bedroom. Sera's brown eyes turned blood red and she used her magic to pull Damon off of Stefan and pin him against the wall. Damon grunted as his head hit the wall and he looked at his niece. "Haven't we taught you not to get in between one of our fights?"
"That rule went out the window the moment I became the more powerful being," Sera said. "What is going on up here?"
"Someone's getting a little cocky," Damon said. "Is this what we can expect now that you're one of the Originals?"
Sera glared at her uncle. "I'm not an Original," she said. "But, at the moment, I have the upper hand. So, tell me what the hell happened to cause you two to fight. Again."
"Damon fed Elena his blood," Stefan said. "So, when she dies…"
"She'll be a vampire," Sera finished. She released her magical grip on Damon and he fell to the ground. "What the hell, Uncle Damon? Do you seriously like having everyone hate you?"
Damon stood. "I'm sorry that I'm the only one taking a preventative measure that we know will work," he said.
"But, you took away her choice," Stefan said.
Damon rolled his eyes. "Admit it,"** he said, to Stefan. "You just wish you had the balls to do it yourself."**
Stefan gritted his teeth and rushed at Damon, only to be stopped by an invisible force as Sera raised her hand in his direction. Stefan fell backwards, landing on his back, and he looked up at his daughter.
"No more fighting," Sera said. She looked between her father and uncle. "This is not going to get us anywhere."
"No," Damon agreed. "But, it's worth it."
They watched as Damon left the room. Sera's eyes turned back to their normal brown color as she turned and looked at Stefan and Elena. "I'm sorry," she said, to Elena. She looked at her father. "I'll leave you two to talk."
She turned to leave when Stefan stopped her. "Sera, wait," he said. She stopped and turned back to face him. "Thank you," Stefan said.
Sera stared at her father for a moment and then looked at Elena. "Think about it this way. If you become a vampire, you two can be together forever," she said. "And then, all of this crap would be worth it."
Sera turned and left the room. But, she wasn't surprised to hear her father coming after her. Only, when she turned around, it wasn't her father, but Elena.
"I have nothing against you, Elena," Sera said, before she had a chance to say anything.
"It sure doesn't sound like that," Elena said, crossing her arms over her stomach. "Sounds the opposite, actually."
"I've just been in a bad mood, today, ok?" Sera said. "Forget what I said."
"I can't just forget it," Elena said. "You're making it sound like it's been an inconvenience to help us."
"It's not like that."
"Is it because they had you give me your house?"
Sera rolled her eyes. "It wasn't a gift, it was a loan."
"Then, what is it?" Elena said. "I thought we were becoming friends."
Sera stared at Elena for a moment. "I still think that," she replied. "I just don't want to see my father's heart broken. Again."
"You honestly think that I will break his heart?" Elena said. "I love him."
"You say that now," Sera said. "But, what is going to happen when you are forty and he is still 'seventeen'? What happens when you want children and he can't give you any? If you two were to ever be together, you would have to become a vampire, because there is no cure for what my father has." Elena looked to the ground. "I'm only trying to be honest," Sera continued. "No one should be forced into such a life-changing decision. Uncle Damon was wrong with what he did to you, no matter his good intentions. But, this is something that you two should have discussed long before now."
Elena looked back up at her boyfriend's daughter. "It's not an easy topic to discuss."
"No, it's not," Sera agreed. She motioned to Damon's room, where Stefan was watching them from the doorway. "He's waiting for you. Best get back to him."
She turned and continued on down the hallway and back downstairs.
November, 1884
Xavier woke with a gasp and found himself not in the grassy field, but in his bedroom. The rope he had attached to his bed was gone, the window was closed, and bits of blood stained his otherwise pristine white sheets. He touched the spot where he had been shot to find that it had been completely healed. He was supposed to be dead. How was he not dead?
Then, he remembered.
He turned to his right to find Damon sitting in a chair by his bedside. "Father?" he said, his voice scratchy from lack of use. "What happened?"
"You were shot," came Damon's reply. "Straight through the heart. You're lucky that I showed up when I did. Otherwise, there would have been a very different ending to this story." Xavier looked back down at his chest as Damon dragged the chair a little closer to his son's bed. "You're now in transition, Xavier."
Xavier looked back at Damon. "Transition?" he repeated. "So, I…"
Damon nodded once. "Yes," he said. "You did die. But, luckily for you, you died with my blood in your system. So, now you have a choice to make. You can either feed and become a vampire or you can die. It's your choice."
"You're not going to force me to feed?"
Damon shook his head. "Your uncle did that to me and I've hated him for it for the last twenty years," he replied. "I want this to be your decision. Do I want to see you die? Of course not. But, I also don't want to subject you to this lifestyle unless you truly want it for yourself. You have to do what you think is best for you and no one else." He took his son's hand in his own and squeezed it. "I'm going to go and get Celia and tell her that you're awake. I'll be back to sit with you this afternoon."
Xavier nodded as Damon stood and left his room, closing the door behind him. He sighed as he rested his head back on his pillows, having absolutely no idea what he was going to do now.
Xavier had gone with Alaric to the Grille where they found Damon sitting at the bar. Sera had updated both of them on what had happened upstairs and, while Xavier was furious at his father for not heeding his advice, he knew that what Damon needed right now was someone to talk to, not to get yelled at by. But, their conversation had to be put on hold when Klaus decided to join them.
Damon tried to get Klaus to postpone the ritual, but Klaus was having none of that. As Klaus moved to leave, after telling them not to mess anything up or they would die, he stopped and turned back to the three men.
"Oh, and do tell Serafina that I thoroughly enjoyed our reunion the other night at the dance," Klaus said. "I can't wait to see her again, especially now that her secret is no longer a secret."
Xavier sighed as Klaus left the Grille. "That can't be a good sign."
"Sera can handle it," Damon said. "I saw proof of that earlier when she pinned me to the wall."
Damon then started talking about what they could do to mess up the ritual, despite Klaus's warning. The conversation turned to getting Klaus's werewolf out of the equation and, despite Alaric repeating himself that it wasn't a good idea, he agreed to help anyway. Xavier didn't have much choice but to join in as well, because he certainly wasn't going to let Alaric and Damon do anything without his help.
Xavier had followed Damon to the woods and had been surprised when Matt had shown up with a gun filled with wooden bullets. After Damon knocked Matt out, they went down to where Tyler and Caroline had been locked up by Klaus and helped to release both of them. Above ground, Day had turned into Night and, while Matt was coming to, Tyler's monthly transformation had started.
Xavier had never actually seen a werewolf transform before and he had to admit that it was a strange thing to witness. Bones were breaking in ways they shouldn't be breaking and Xavier could only imagine the amount of pain that Tyler was in. Caroline was trying to keep Tyler calm, but it wasn't really working. At one point, Tyler seemed ready to lunge at them, but Damon beat him to it. Tyler managed to pin Damon to the ground and was snapping at him when Xavier pulled Tyler off of Damon and threw him as far as possible away from the rest of their group. Tyler landed on the ground with a thud and then told all of them to leave.
Damon gave Caroline and Matt bullets to use if Tyler got too out of control, sending them towards the Lockwood Cellar where Tyler had said it would be best for him to be tied up. Xavier then followed Damon out of the woods, unsure as to what they were heading to do next.
November, 1884
Xavier had brought himself into a sitting position and turned to look at the door when Celia came inside. "Celia," he said. "I'm so sorry…"
Celia sighed. "I know you are, Xavier," she said. She sat down in the chair previously occupied by Damon. "And, I'm sorry too. I never wanted to see you in this position. You or Sera."
"I know." Xavier hung his head. "I don't know what to do."
Celia took his hand in her own. "What does your heart tell you?"
Xavier looked at the only mother he had ever known. "I don't want to die," he said. "But, I don't know if I can bring myself to feed. I've seen and heard about how it is for Father and Uncle Stefan. I don't know if I can handle doing what they have to do."
Celia sighed. "Your father and uncle do things in ways that they feel is right, whether or not it actually is," she said. "But, you are your own person, Xavier. You don't have to do what they do. You can be different. Look at Sera."
"But, Sera has you," Xavier said. "She has you to teach her self-control."
"And, you also have me," Celia said. "I will never abandon you, Xavier. You've been a part of my family for the last twenty-two years. If you decide to feed and complete the transition, I will help you just as I have been helping Sera. I promise."
Xavier smiled a little at Celia as the door opened and Damon walked in, with Sera close behind. "How are things going in here?" Damon asked.
"Just fine," Xavier said. He turned and looked at his father. "I'm going to do it. I'm going to feed."
Damon stiffened slightly. "Are you sure?" he asked. "A decision such as this is not one to be taken lightly."
"Positive," Xavier said, with a nod. "Because I know that things will be different this time. Because this is my new life to live. And, I can choose what I do with it."
Damon smiled at his son. "That's my boy."
Celia took a small knife out of the pocket of her dress and drew the blade across her wrist. "In that case, take a drink," she said.
Xavier began to refuse. "Celia, I…"
"It was my blood that Sera fed on to complete her transition, and you will do the same," Celia said. "Don't worry, I will let you know when to stop."
Xavier hesitated for another moment, but then felt his vampire instincts kick in. He carefully took hold of Celia's arm and began drinking from the cut on her wrist. After a few moments, Celia stopped him. "That's enough, Xavier," she said. She gently pushed Xavier away from her. "We'll get you more later."
Xavier sat back, his eyes closed as he felt the sensation that transitioning gave him. When he opened his eyes, the whites had turned blood red and his fangs shown for all to see.
And, just like that, Xavier Salvatore had become a vampire.
"Dad, what's the plan?" Xavier asked, when they arrived at Alaric's apartment building.
"Stefan said that Klaus already has Elena," Damon said. "We're going to get him to postpone the ritual."
"Are you insane?" Xavier said. "After what we just did with Tyler and Caroline, we need to be as far away from Klaus as possible. He will kill us."
"Then, go home," Damon said. "You don't have to be here for this."
"Yes I do," Xavier said. "I'm certainly not going to let you do this alone."
"Then, stay in the hallway," Damon said. "Don't let him know you're there unless absolutely necessary."
Xavier nodded and did as Damon said as they reached Alaric's apartment and Damon broke down the door. He listened as Damon and Klaus talked, and as Klaus boasted about having a back-up of everything that he needed for his ritual. Xavier hid himself even more when Klaus left. Confused about where his father was, Xavier carefully made his way to the apartment and found Damon on the ground, being fed a blood bag by Katherine. While he was slightly confused as to why she was there, he also didn't care at the same time.
"What the hell happened?" Xavier asked, rushing in and kneeling on the ground next to his father.
"He'll be fine," Katherine assured him. "Once he wakes up."
Katherine slapped Damon's cheek a couple of times and he finally started coming to. She explained how Klaus had gone off to do the ritual and that she couldn't stop him, or else her vervain cover would have been blown. He listened as Katherine explained that she had to call Jenna and that Jenna was going to be Klaus's backup vampire. When Damon asked why Klaus didn't just use him, Katherine pointed out something that neither Damon nor Xavier had noticed before. Something that Xavier had hoped that he would never see.
Damon had been bitten by Tyler.
I hope that you like this new chapter! Please let me know what you think!
