Ding dong Damon was gone. Scarlett could hardly believe that she no longer had to look over her shoulder, in fear that one day Damon would flip his switch and kill her. It was like Thanksgiving and Christmas rolled into one for Scarlett and she couldn't remember the last time she had been this content with her life. It was all thanks to Stefan and his top secret dastardly plan which involved drugging Damon with vervain by getting Caroline to unknowingly ingest some vervain. All of this had taken place after Scarlett had left the heritage party and she woken up to hear the good news from the mastermind himself. It was a genius plan and had gone off without a hitch. Now all they were waiting on was for Damon to start desiccating but that would take some time as according to Stefan, his evil brother's body wouldn't start to break down for another few days. This was going to be achieved by withholding blood from Damon and making sure he was in the position to go out and feed by drugging him plenty of vervain to keep him weak. Currently Damon was locked up down in the basement and Scarlett was forbidden from even approaching the door to the basement as even though Damon was in no position to harm her, Stefan didn't want to take the chance. She was under strict orders about the basement until Damon's body had desiccated enough for Stefan to move him to the family crypt, where he would hang out for the next fifty years in the hopes that he would learn some manners in that time. Scarlett had been rather annoyed about being left out of this grand plan as even Zach had been involved, he had supplied the vervain but Stefan did allow her play a tiny part. She had been entrusted with hiding Damon's daylight and Scarlett had pretty much hidden it in the last place he would ever think to look. Damon could burn Mystic Falls to the ground and he would never find it. Scarlett felt awfully smug about that fact. Rather surprisingly, Scarlett was finding it a bit weird not having Damon constantly lurking around somewhere as with him passed out downstairs on vervain, the house was once again quiet. It was like the old days when it had only been herself and Zach for the first couple of years after her father died. Recently it had seemed like the house had come alive again, like a house this size should be. Scarlett hadn't exactly been comfortable with having Damon staying here but she had been getting rather used to it even though the only thing Damon seemed to be useful for was causing trouble and engaging in a trade of barbs.
Scarlett couldn't help but sigh as she sat in the kitchen and continued to slowly eat her dinner, she felt so mentally exhausted. Things had been so hectic over the last few days and now that things were starting to settle down, it seemed like it was all catching up to her. It was hell but the upside to this whole thing was that Scarlett was now living in a Damon free hell. The aged old lunatic uncle was down in the basement, drugged up and slowly on his way to desiccating. That in itself was cause for celebration but seeing as partying wasn't really Scarlett's style so instead she was at home, dressed in her pyjamas and pigging out on some homemade Italian food. Being of Italian descent on her father's side, it meant that Scarlett of course knew how to make authentic Italian food. That was one of the few things passed down the family line through the generations along with the whole vampire family secret.
"Scarlett? I thought you were working a late shift at the Grill tonight?"
Looking up from where she was sitting, Scarlett saw Zach walk into the kitchen with a warm smile on his face which Scarlett happily returned. It seemed like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders with this whole Damon thing. Given that he had known Damon longer than Scarlett; Zach had pretty much been on edge ever since the Big Bad Uncle had come to pay a visit. Everything that Scarlett knew about Damon, it was because of the stories that Zach had told her. He had always lived in fear of Damon and Scarlett knew that Zach's decision not to start his own family was solely based on the fear of Damon once day harming them. But now? Zach seemed to be really happy and the possibilities for him were endless.
"I was supposed to be but they let me go early considering all the house I've been putting in lately since I've been working my own shift and covering most of Vicki Donovan's whilst she was in the hospital. Not that it matters to me really whether I'm at work or not, I earned a tidy little sum over the summer so I could do with some down time." Scarlett explained as Zach grabbed a spoon and fork from the cutlery draw before proceeding to join her at the table and helping himself to her spaghetti and meatballs.
"I knew that sending you to work at the Grill was a good thing." Zach quipped and Scarlett laughed in response as she took another bite of spaghetti, whilst a huge wave of nostalgia hit her. It seemed like forever since her and Zach had been able to sit down and enjoy a family meal together without worrying was going on outside the walls of the boarding house.
"Yeah I guess."
"I missed you this morning Scarlett, you seemed to have left the house at first light."
"I had some errands to run, including hiding Damon's ring. Don't worry, I've put it somewhere safe where nobody will ever think to find it." Scarlett replied with a small nod, she had left the boarding house just after dawn and set off from the back of her home and walked through the woods for a good hour or so. Scarlett had left very early because she didn't want anyone to know where she was going and she didn't want to risk being followed. Scarlett did this because the palace where she had hidden Damon's ring was a rather sentimental place for her family as she had careful hidden the ring in the ruins of the former Salvatore home. When Scarlett had first been given Damon's ring, she felt inclined to ship the ring off to Timbuktu or Fiji but then she decided to keep it closer to home. She then got the idea to the hide ring in the ruins of the former Salvatore home; The Veritas Estate, the place where Stefan and Damon had both been raised and resided in until they had become vampires. The estate had fallen during the Battle of Willow Creek but some of the ruins remained but it was located in a part of the woods that no one tended to visit, Scarlett found it highly unlikely that Damon would ever feel like taking a stroll down memory lane and reminisce about when he was still human.
"Good… Only a few more days and Damon will be out of our lives for good, or at least our lifetime,"
"Apparently he still hasn't woken up yet which is a relief I guess, a couple of more days Scarlett and he'll be gone for good." Zach replied with a small sigh as Scarlett chose that moment to eat a mouthful of meatballs. "So Uncle Stefan told me what happened at the heritage party, do you want to talk about it?"
"I didn't do anything. I didn't hit anyone especially not Mrs. Lockwood so I really don't think there is anything for us to talk about." Scarlett snarled as she swallowed her food, she had a good idea where this conversation was going and she didn't like it. This was exactly why Scarlett occasionally hated her uncle being her legal guardian as since he had been racing her for the last eight years, he had pretty much been her father and as such he was qualified to lecture her like a parent would.
"I would disagree with that Scarlett, I think we do need to talk about this as we haven't talked about your father in a very long time. It's been eight years since he died…"
"I know how long it's has been Uncle Zach, it's something I will never be able to forget as he was my dad and I walk through the room he killed himself in every day and let's not forget about everyone outside of these four walls. They are in no hurry to let me forget about my dad's suicide, so I don't need you to remind me of it." Scarlett quickly replied in prickly manner as she really did not want to be talking about her dad. The heartache over losing him was still there and just thinking about the circumstances of his death made her very upset. It was for that reason that Scarlett didn't like talking about her dad, even with Zach who was possibly the only person in this world who loved her father almost as much as she did.
"You don't like talking about Gabriel unless you have to Scarlett and I understand that as you've always had trouble dealing with loss. When your mother left, you cried out for Claire for weeks and then a few years later when you lost your grandparents within months of each other, it was something that hit you hard. You loved them so much and they adored the ground you walked on. But losing your father was a whole different situation and it took something from you Scarlett, from the moment I told you that Gabriel died, it was like a little part of you died as. It was such a profound loss that changed everything in your life and then you ended in the hospital. You've been struggling with such a huge loss every day, I've tried to talk to you about and the circumstances that led to your dad taking his own life. For the most part you have been quite open with me, but not so much anymore. Uncle Stefan says that you've mentioned your dad a couple of times and you've gotten pretty upset. He's worried about you Scarlett as am I, it seems like the more time that goes on from your father's death, the more you seem to struggle. It's becoming more obvious and I wonder if it's because of Uncle Stefan coming to stay with us considering the last time he was here was here was when–"
"I know what happened the last time Uncle Stefan was here! I'm painstakingly aware that Uncle Stefan was back home when my dad killed himself." Scarlett snapped, before taking a deep breath as just thinking about it made her upset. The last time Stefan was here also happened to be the last time she saw her father alive. He had been unable to save father and it was something that had been constantly at the back of Scarlett's mind after Stefan was unsuccessful in saving Dr and Mrs Gilbert from drowning.
"Then talk to me Scarlett." Zach gently prodded.
"I don't like talking about dad because I miss him, okay? I miss my dad and it's not like it's in passing. There isn't a moment in the day that I don't miss him, he is always in the back of my mind Uncle Zach. I wonder all the time what it would be like if he was still here, I wonder whether things would be different if he hadn't died. There are so many things that I wanted him to be here for, I wanted dad to see me graduate from high school and go to college, I wanted him to meet his future grandchildren. Most of all, I wanted dad to be live a life he deserved and be happy because that's what he did for me. Everything he ever did was to make me happy. He tried his hardest to make me so happy even though he was suffering so much himself. Talking about dad is hard for me because it always inevitably ends up veering off to his death and I don't want the memory of my father defined by that single event. His death did not make my father the man he was. Gabriel Salvatore should be defined by the life he lived and the people he surrounded himself with and he loved to be with the people he loved most." Scarlett wearily admitted as she looked around the room uncomfortably as this subject matter of conversation was naturally making her uncomfortable.
"I miss him too but that doesn't mean that we can't talk about him, we don't have to talk about his death but we can discuss his life. You know, I remember the day that you born like it was yesterday. Everything was manic and scary, there were some hiccups as already you were coming out legs first and the doctors were having a difficult time with the delivery. I was with Nonno Edward and Nonna Helene in the waiting room of the maternity ward and your grandmother was beside herself with worrying about her nipotina and your grandpa was as cool as a cucumber reading Issac Asimov, occasionally muttering that the baby would come when she was good and ready. We were like that for hours, all we could do was wait and drink cup after cup of terrible coffee until your dad came out of one of the delivery suites carrying this small bundle in his arms; this beautiful baby girl with this mass of dark hair and the cutest little nose. Gabriel looked exhausted beyond compare but he had this moronic grin on his face and he had never looked so happy in his entire life. It was like nothing else mattered to him in this moment and your dad was barely holding himself together. There was just enough time for Gabriel to gingerly hand you over to your Nonna Helene before he kind of fell into Nonno's arms and began sobbing like a baby. Ever since the day you were born Scarlett, you have brought so much happiness and joy to this family and your father loved you more than anything in this world."
"I know that. As unsure as I am about most my life, I know that dad loved me and even though he's physically gone, he's not really gone as we're here to remember him and I always carry him with me." Scarlett replied with a weary smile as she fingered the silver locket that always hung around her neck. It wasn't just something that she could use to inconspicuously carry vervain with her but inside the locket, there was a picture of her father, Scarlett had put the photo of her dad in there a long time ago, so even in her darkest of days, she would never really be alone. Her dad would be by her side, like he always promised to be.
"Scarlett… I know I probably don't have to say this, given the amount of times I've told you this over the years, but you know what happened to your dad wasn't your fault?"
"I do, as much as I like to think I know everything, there was no way I could have known what was going on with dad back then. I was a kid, a goofy little eight year old who was oblivious to the things around her and I know that dad was a big part of that. He wanted to protect me from the truth, so he went out of his way to make sure that I was happy and was unware of how unhappy he was. I'll miss dad for the rest of my life but I've never blamed myself for what happened, I know dad would never want me to think I was responsible for taking his own life. Plus we have each other to remind ourselves that dad's death was a tragedy that neither of us could have foreseen. As much as we both may miss him, dad would want us to live our lives and at least try to be happy, I know that despite the fact that I sometimes don't act like it." Scarlett honestly replied as over the years, it had seemed like Zach had made it his personal mission to make sure that she didn't blame herself for her father's suicide. Scarlett had accepted the fact a long time ago, she knew that her entire family were just victims of a never ending tragedy.
"Gabriel would be proud of you." Zach stated and Scarlett forced herself to smile, she wasn't exactly too sure of that as she wasn't exactly a saint. Since her father's passing, she had turned into a little bit of a hell raiser. Scarlett was saved from responding when the back door that was connected to the kitchen opened and in walked Stefan. He gave them a friendly smile but Scarlett noticed that it didn't reach his always friendly green eyes. Stefan had been ever so slightly off ever since he had come back from the heritage party with an unconscious Damon, clearly he felt bad about the whole thing. Scarlett didn't understand why, as all of their lives were going to improve for the better without Damon in the picture.
"Hey…" Scarlett warmly greeted, offering a wave before taking a bite of a meatball.
"What's going on here?" Stefan questioned.
"We are talking about my dad and sharing a bowl of the world famous Salvatore spaghetti and meatballs, you should pull up a chair and join us." Scarlett replied as she motioned for Stefan to come over and sit with them. There was plenty of food for them to share and Scarlett knew that Stefan was good for getting some family stories, the guy was ancient and had visited the family enough over the last hundred years to have some good tales today. Stefan was pretty much a walking and talking book of the Salvatore family history and so he was one of two people who Scarlett knew she could turn to when she wanted to hear about her father. In the rare times that her father had come up in conversation between them, Scarlett could remember Stefan talking about her father with warmth and affection.
"You sure?"
"Uncle Stefan we're your family, of course you can join us." Scarlett replied as she didn't understand why Stefan didn't think he could join them for a family meal. She knew that things had been a bit frosty between them when Stefan had first arrived but Scarlett believed that everything was fine between them. Scarlett was becoming increasingly fond of Stefan and she liked having him around, just because he was a vampire didn't mean that she didn't consider him to be her family. He wasn't like Damon who fit the image of a bloodsucking vampire to the letter, Stefan was sweet and generous even if you took the whole Elena/Katherine thing into consideration. Scarlett considered Stefan to be her friend as well as her uncle and she was rather glad that she had allowed herself to get to know him. As a child, Scarlett had been rather fond of Stefan, that much she could remember about her childhood. The little memories that Scarlett did have were happy ones, even though she had always been raised knowing that Stefan was her uncle, back then he had been something like a big brother that she never had.
"So Gabriel, huh?" Stefan questioned and Scarlett couldn't help but catch the weary look that Stefan had sent Zach's way. Of course, he was going to be surprised that they were talking about the most taboo subject of them all. It wasn't something that came up in every day conversation.
"We figured that it was about time that we start talking about dad more openly, Uncle Zach and I were talking about what happened at the heritage party. As much as I miss dad, I can't avoid talking about him for the rest of my life. I can't change what happened but I need to learn how to live with losing a parent without it destroying me and getting upset every time my dad is mentioned isn't learning how to cope with. So, as uncomfortable as I may be with talking about dad is for me, I have to do it. Uncle Zach was actually just telling me about the day I was born. I've heard dad's version of events
and as much as I miss dad, it's nice to other people's versions of things that experienced with him. I know he's gone but dad's never sounded more alive then in Uncle Zach's stories of him. You both knew dad before he became my dad and he was more than that and it's about time I stop running away from that. Talking about my dad keeps his memory alive and I don't ever want him to be forgotten." Scarlett explained as she used her fork to idly push around some of the spaghetti on her plate. This was awkward for her, she felt naked and exposed, like she was baring her entire soul for the world to see but really all she was doing was having a conversation with two family members. The truth hurt, that much Scarlett could admit that but no matter how much it ached her heart to talk about her father, she couldn't let his death dictate her entire life.
"He'd be so proud of you."
Scarlett let out a small smile, she wasn't too sure about that. In the years since her father had passed away, she had vastly changed from the girl that her father had raised her to be. But she appreciated the sentiment that Stefan was trying to send her way. "This is nice."
"What is?" Zach questioned.
"This… Family bonding, you know it almost makes us normal except for the fact we've locked Uncle Damon in the basement but I think we can overlook that."