"I think I like you better this way," Damon said, eyeing me appreciatively as he drove us back. Despite how tempting it was to take off to Fiji, there were bigger problems we had to deal with first. Namely, Syrena – or, as Damon put it, "the homicidal elf." "You're different. In a good way," he clarified.
"Really? How?" I asked as I sorted through Damon's collection of tiny glass bottles. "Aha," I said as I found a mini version of Grey Goose.
"You're more…relaxed somehow. Like you're more comfortable," he said.
I considered this. "I don't feel exactly the same as before. I know when my humanity was turned off, I was…different," I started carefully. Like a tiny bit of the spontaneity that had emerged in my worst self had left a permanent mark. I wasn't emotionless anymore, but I wasn't the worried martyr either. I was somewhere in between.
"You mean you were a raging bitch?" Damon said as he kept his eyes on the road, though the corner of his mouth twitched and his tone lacked malice.
"I deserved that," I admitted. "Although don't think I didn't see you cuddling up to the blonde on the airplane," I pointed out. "How are you going to make it up to me?" I said with playful grin.
His hand slid up my thigh. "Oh, I can think of a few ways," he answered devilishly.
Tingles ran through my body. "Focus," I reprimanded him as seriously as I could manage. "Syrena? Dead priest? Ring a bell?"
"Vaguely," Damon grumbled as his hand returned to the steering wheel. "Bonnie said she had some witchy crap in mind."
"A spell? To do what?" I asked curiously as we pulled up at the boarding house.
"Ask her yourself," he said, nodding towards the porch. Bonnie was standing there with her arms folded, a small smile on her face.
"Elena," she exclaimed. We hugged, and I buried my face in her shoulder. "It's good to have you back," she sighed.
"Damon said you had a spell that might help us with Syrena?" I asked, pulling away. Thought it was most definitely good to see her again, something about her comment irked me.
"Yeah," she said, turning back to go inside. "I found it in Gram's grimoire. Come on!"
Damon and I followed her inside. "Caroline?" I said tentatively upon seeing her and Stefan huddled in the library. They turned cautiously to look at me. "I'm sorry," I said, my voice cracking at seeing my old friend through fresh eyes. "Those things I said and-and did, I didn't mean them – or all of them, at least - "
"It's okay, Elena," Caroline said, embracing me. "We've been best friends for years, and that isn't going to change."
Stefan watched us carefully. "It's okay, Stefan," I said. "I'm not going to bite," I joked lamely. He looked as if he wasn't quite sure if I was serious or not. "That was a joke," I amended. "It's…" I trailed off awkwardly. "Never mind."
He smiled briefly. "Welcome back."
"Thanks."
"Have you seen this?" Damon asked, striding into the room and waving his phone.
Stefan took it and zoomed in on the tiny screen. His eyes grew dark with concern as he read the article. "Fourteen murders between here and the next two towns over. Naturally, the police are 'working on possible leads,' which means…"
"They have absolutely no idea who's behind them," Damon filled in. "Obviously, the bodies have all been drained of blood, leading them to believe it's an animal behind the attacks."
"Why would Syrena stay in the area?" I wondered.
"Because she's got unfinished business here," a dry British voice drawled.
"Klaus," Damon greeted him sardonically. "What brings my least favorite vampire Ken here?"
Stefan stepped protectively in front of me. "Relax," Klaus said, rolling his eyes. "I have no intention of harming your little doppelganger." He leered at me. "Yet."
"Then get out," Damon said lazily.
"Shan't," Klaus responded. "Besides, you need me."
"And why is that?" Caroline scoffed.
He grinned at her. "Because I know what Syrena wants."
DAMON
I wondered why it was that whenever my life evened out – even for about, say, five minutes – life felt the need to throw another curveball. I like action as much as the next guy, but after 170 years, the routine gets old. "So you're telling me, basically, that Syrena doesn't know what she's doing, but you do?"
Klaus nodded. I cocked my head. "That's it. After a thousand-plus years, you've finally snapped."
His nostrils flared in anger. "You don't have any other options. So I'd take the advice I could get."
Fair point. "So what's your plan?" I asked resentfully.
"Six of her victims were priests. Clearly, there's a pattern. She's subconsciously targeting them because somewhere in her mind, she wants revenge for what happened to her. Five of them were vampires, which tells us…well, it tells us she's not a picky eater and most definitely more powerful than you lot. The last one was a witch. ARGHHH!" At his last words, Klaus bent over double, holding his head in his hands.
"Bonnie. Maybe it's not the best time for that," Stefan said, glancing at the angry witch.
Klaus slowly straightened up, glaring at us in his typical serial-killer way. "Do that again and I'll snap your neck," he growled at Bonnie.
"Hurts, doesn't it?" I asked unsympathetically.
"Why would Syrena go after a witch?" Saint Stefan asked, shifting his weight and crossing his arms. I have a theory he stands like that so often because he thinks it makes his biceps pop out.
"A witch was the one who cursed her. Ergo, she wants revenge. Or the part of her that remembers does, according to Ken," I summed up.
"That is so messed up," Caroline sniped. Well done, Blondie. Excellent observation. It's so hard to remember she's smarter than she looks when she says shit like that.
"How do you know Syrena so well?" Elena asked curiously.
Klaus smiled tightly. "Elena, dear. You don't want to know."
"How do we kill her?" Bonnie asked bluntly.
"A bit eager, this one," Klaus said, raising his eyebrows.
"Just get to the point," Stefan stated calmly. Man, I get such a kick out of shattering that mask of humanity he insists on parading around in. I'd say it's about time to do that again, judging from his oh-so-righteous expression.
Although I don't disagree.
"Fine," Klaus said, clearly pouting he couldn't have his dramatic reveal. Originals. So melodramatic. "Bonnie over there," he said, spitting her name out, "is going to use a magic little spell I like to call Entrapment."
"I already found that, genius," Bonnie snapped.
"What does it do?" Blondie asked. This time, I wasn't the only one to stare at her incredulously.
"I'm guessing it, uh…traps her," Elena answered.
"Oh."
"Moving on," Klaus barked. "You're going to Entrap her, which won't hold her off forever, but it'll give us time."
"Time for what?" Stefan asked skeptically.
"To find a descendant of the witch who cast the original spell. We're going to find the great-great-great-granddaughter of Elizabetta Argent."
ELENA
"Are you sure this is going to work, Bonnie?" I asked, eyeing the items she had set out. "You're not related to her, so can they even help you?"
"Yeah, kind of thought you burned that bridge," Damon put in.
Bonnie inhaled. "I don't know for sure. But I'm almost positive they know something. Witches are all interconnected. We can sense supernatural power in others. The problem will be getting them to tell me what they know."
"Well…be careful," I told her. Because you don't have Jeremy to look out for you anymore, and neither do I, I added silently. Fresh grief began to well up inside me, but I forced it down to be dealt with later. Not now. I can't afford to fall apart again.
Bonnie began chanting. Her hair rose eerily around her like a warped version of Medusa's snakes. The candles flickered and went out with a gust of air.
"So…does that mean no one's home?" Damon whispered. I stifled a laugh at his inappropriate joke. This was serious.
Suddenly, the candles re-lit, bursting into unnaturally large flames. Bonnie was still chanting with unbroken concentration, and her hands were beginning to shake. Blood flowed freely from her nose. "Bonnie!" I exclaimed, moving forward to help her.
Damon grabbed my wrist. "Stop," he hissed. "We don't know what kind of effect that will have." He considered her. "Just let her finish her conversation." We watched her for a moment. "Or whatever it is she's doing," he amended.
In a few moments, the flames went out, and Bonnie slumped forward. I rushed to catch her. "Bonnie," I said gently as her eyes fluttered open. "Are you okay?"
"What did they say?" Damon asked, handing her a box of tissues. He nodded towards her nosebleed. "Don't get that on my furniture."
Bonnie sat up slowly. "They know Elizabetta."
Damon waited. "And?" he prodded.
"She is survived by Amelie Argent. But…" Bonnie closed her eyes, resting briefly.
"So how do we contact her? Where is she?" Damon asked impatiently.
"Damon! Let her rest," I said. "So…where is she?" I asked after waiting nine seconds.
"In the hospital," Bonnie murmured.
I frowned. "What? Is she injured? Or sick?"
"Sick," Bonnie whispered. She touched her temple and shook her head, trying to rouse herself.
"Well, let's go see her then," Damon said.
"You can try, but it won't help," Bonnie said tonelessly.
Damon narrowed his eyes. "Why?"
"Because she's spent the last six years in the psychiatric ward."
"Are you kidding me?" Caroline blurted.
"I wish," I said wearily.
"But – how? Why?"
"Bonnie thinks it's because there's still a connection between Amelie and Syrena. When Syrena tried to fight the spell, Amelie could feel it, and she tried to reinforce it. But by doing that, she put herself in danger of experiencing residual effects of Elizabetta's original spell."
"So…you're saying Amelie cursed herself?" Caroline asked, wrinkling her nose in utter confusion.
I didn't blame her. Trying to understand the full story was like trying to get through a maze without an exit. "Not on purpose. But essentially…yes."
"Poor girl," she said softly. I nodded in agreement. "Are you going to go see her anyway? To see if there's anything you might be able to get out of her?"
"I think so," I answered. "We don't really have any other leads right now."
"Elena," Caroline began in a voice that made me tense in preparation for a conversation I did not want to have. "I know you don't want to talk about this. But as your best friend, I have to ask." She hesitated. "How are you dealing?"
"With?" I asked, stalling.
"Everything," she said simply. I looked at my hands. "Elena, you've been through a lot. It's okay to…to feel."
"Is it?" I asked. "Because I feel like I'm on the verge of a breakdown every single fucking day. I'm holding it together, but barely. I drink, because while turning off my humanity wasn't the answer, it was better being numb than feeling like this."
"Even if it meant you couldn't love Damon?" Caroline suggested.
"No," I said slowly. "Of course not. But it was just…easier. Simple. Straightforward. You know?"
"I do," she said, surprising me. "When my dad died, I wanted to take off my ring and walk straight into the sun. But I can't change who I am or what happened in the past, and neither can you. The only thing we can do is deal with it a little bit at the time, day by day and week by week."
"And wait for time to heal all wounds?" I quipped without enthusiasm.
"Not exactly." Caroline reached over and poured me a measure of Damon's bourbon. I laughed, half-hiccuping, and took a sip. "But in all seriousness, you need your friends, Elena. Even if you don't like it, we're all you've got. Let us be there for you, like you were there for me."
"Thanks, Care," I said, hugging my friend.
She watched me. "There's something else bothering you, isn't there?" she guessed.
"Maybe," I admitted. She waited. I twirled the glass in my fingers as I tried to put my thoughts into words. "Everyone expects me to go back to the same person I was before all this happened," I said slowly. "When my humanity was off, I was the worst version of myself. But it was still me, just magnified." I took another sip. "I guess what I'm trying to say is…I can't go back."
"No one expects you to," Caroline said, surprising me again.
"Bonnie does! And Stefan," I pointed out.
"But not me. Or Damon," she argued.
"But what about Bonnie and Stefan?" I asked.
"Elena, not everyone is going to react the way you want them to," she said wisely. "So just take it at face value, okay?"
"God, when did you become so smart?" I asked as we got up.
"I always have been! It's just that no one ever notices." Catching sight of my expression, she laughed and relented. "Okay, maybe I have the occasional dumb blonde moment."
DAMON
So now all we have to do is track down a crazy witch, use her to track down a crazier elf with the help of a crazy Original, and kill her without going crazy ourselves.
Good thing life is so simple.
Thanks for the reviews! I hope you enjoy this chapter, it was a little hard to write. More Delena moments coming up later :)
