Hello again! Another reasonably fast update =) Fair warning, you may hate me slightly towards the beginning of this chapter, but hopefully I'll make up for it later on. I had to change quite a bit, but I hope you all like it. As ever, the only thing I own is the beautiful and quite wonderful (if I say so myself) Scarlett... Enjoy!
Scarlett woke up with her cheek pressed against cold tiles. Her head was throbbing painfully, so she pressed her face closer to the tiles to get some relief, but it was no help. Taking a shuddering breath, Scarlett slowly opened her eyes and pushed herself up on shaking arms, moving so that she was leaning against the wall. She glanced around, vaguely recognising the room she was in. Her throat was dry from dehydration, and reaching up she could feel a scab forming at her temple. She groaned – people really needed to stop hitting her.
A moan from the bath drew her attention, and Scarlett carefully crawled across the bathroom floor to the tub, dragging herself onto her knees to gaze inside. Her lips parted on a gasp as she saw Bonnie sprawled gracelessly inside, a dark bruise forming on the girls' temple in a similar place to her own. Gritting her teeth, Scarlett forced herself to stand and stumbled to the sink, dampening a face cloth and perching on the side of the bath to gently dab at Bonnie's wound.
Now that she was more focused, Scarlett could recognise where she was – she was in the bathroom of Anna's motel room. She could remember the vampire coming to her house last night after she'd returned home from the grave yard – evidently she'd fallen prey to yet another vampire with an agenda. Scarlett paused in her ministrations as she heard shuffling and raised voices coming from the bedroom. The door opened and a girl was thrust into the room. Scarlett stiffened when she realised who it was.
Elena turned on her heel, her eyes widening as she caught sight of Scarlett sitting on the edge of the bath, her usually warm blue eyes glaring frostily at her in the dim light.
"Oh my God, Scarlett," the brunette said, ignoring the anger in the redhead's eyes and rushing forward to hug her. Scarlett's body tensed further, her arms staying resolutely at her side until Elena had moved back.
"Turn on the lights," she said quietly, turning back to Bonnie. Elena sighed – she should have expected the less than friendly welcome - and turned to flip the light switch next to the door, bathing the room in a harsh, fluorescent glow. Turning back to Scarlett, she let out a gasp as she caught sight of Bonnie's unconscious form. She moved forward, standing next to Scarlett as the redhead leant forward once more to check Bonnie's pulse and breathing.
"Is she okay?" Elena asked, worried for her friend; worried for both her friends.
"She will be," Scarlett replied, her gaze fixed on Bonnie willing her to wake up.
Damon was sat quietly in the library at the Boarding House, entirely focused on the grimoire in his hands as he scanned the pages, looking for the exact spell he would need to free Katherine from the tomb. Last night had been a wakeup call – there was no one in this town he could trust. Not Elena, not his brother, and most definitely not Miss Scarlett Williams. Damon growled as his heart thumped painfully in his chest at the thought of Scarlett. He'd come home last night to find the house deserted and had felt rather lost – no, not lost, it had been nice. Nice to come home and not have to worry about what Scarlett was doing or how she was feeling. Not that he worried about the girl… He let out a frustrated sigh and returned his attention to the spell book just as Stefan came rushing into the room.
"Anna took Elena," his brother said, his voice dripping with worry. Damon mentally face-palmed at his brothers' single mindedness.
"Yeah, I got that from your six hundred voicemails," he replied sarcastically, refusing to lift his gaze from the book although he wasn't actually reading anything.
"Damon, all night long, every single street in town I've been searching," Stefan told him seriously. "What if Elena isn't the only hostage Anna has?" Damon paused in turning a page.
"I'm sorry?" he said, trying not to sound too interested. Stefan pulled out his phone and hit the speed dial for Scarlett, knowing instinctively that she wouldn't pick up – she hadn't picked up the first ten times he'd called. Both vampires looked up as the sound of a phone ringing from the hallway reached their ears – Scarlett's phone.
"Damon, what if your blood hasn't passed out of Scarlett's system?" Stefan asked, sure that Damon would help him if he knew Scarlett was in danger. He watched as his brothers jaw tensed briefly before he continued perusing the pages of the book in front of him.
"Well at least you know you'll see her again, though I can't say the same for Elena…" Stefan felt his heart lurch at the casual way Damon was speaking. He could have sworn he'd seen a change in his brother, was almost certain that Damon felt more for Scarlett than just simple friendship, even if he wasn't particularly happy about that fact. So why now, when he really needed Damon's help to find not only his goddaughter but his girlfriend, was Damon being so unfeeling? He sat gingerly on the sofa next to Damon's chair.
"Please – what do you know? You and Scarlett were with Anna before; you must know where she's living. Just tell me where I can find her." Damon finally glanced up to meet Stefan's gaze, his pale eyes colder than usual. He hesitated for a moment, seeming to think about his answer.
"Nope," he said finally, returning his gaze to the grimoire. "You can go," he added dismissively. He looked up. "Really," he finished with a hard smirk. Stefan sat back and let out a pained sigh.
"You know, all I can remember is hating you. There might have been a time when that was different, but your choices have erased anything good about you." Damon looked up with a glare, putting the book down in his lap and opening his mouth to respond, but Stefan held up a hand to halt him. "I also know that you have just as much reason to hate me. This all began with me; Katherine got taken away from you because of me… and I'm sorry." Damon's eyes softened slightly, and he reached out to clap his brother on the shoulder.
"Apology accepted," he murmured. Stefan held his hands out to Damon pleadingly.
"So please, just tell me what you know," he asked. Damon refused to meet his brother's gaze, instead concentrating on closing the grimoire. "It's Scarlett and Elena, Damon. If you know something, tell me." Damon gazed at Stefan, a frown drawing his brows together, before standing, Stefan following suit.
"I have two things to say to you, and I mean them both sincerely," he began, one hand gripping Stefan's shoulder. "Firstly, I hope Elena dies. And second," he paused, looking Stefan directly in the eyes before he finished his sentence. "I hope Scarlett does too." With one final smirk, Damon brushed past Stefan and left the room, leaving Stefan to contemplate what he could possibly to do find his girls.
Scarlett smiled gently as Bonnie slowly started to regain consciousness, her friends' eyes fluttering open to meet her own.
"Scarlett?" the witch said as she caught sight of her friend. Her eyes roved over the room until she saw Elena stood a little further away, arms crossed across her chest.
"You're okay," Scarlett whispered soothingly. Bonnie grimaced in pain as her head throbbed.
"My head," she groaned, and Scarlett smiled ruefully as she carefully helped the girl sit up. Elena moved to help, but Scarlett tensed when she came near and the brunette backed off again. "Oh my god – Ben is a –" Scarlett quickly cut Bonnie off by putting a finger to her lips and then tapping her ear, letting Bonnie know that the vampires in the next room could hear what they were saying. She turned to Elena who was gazing at her warily, before gesturing to the taps. Elena nodded and quickly turned the taps on so that the sound of rushing water would mask their words.
"We still have to be quiet, but we can talk now," Scarlett murmured as Elena moved closer and crouched near the bath so that she could hear both her and Bonnie.
"I'm so stupid," Bonnie scolded herself, gritting her teeth as another wave of pain washed over her. She frowned when the pain suddenly disappeared, being replaced with calm and relief. Her eyes flashed open and she stared at Scarlett, in awe of the girl's powers. She knew that Scarlett was an empath – Elena had told her that much – but she'd never been on the receiving end of the redhead's talents. She smiled in gratitude and sat up slightly stranger, feeling much better than she had moments before.
"No, he had all of us fooled," Elena reassured her, reaching out to squeeze Bonnie's arm. The witch smiled at her friend before looking between Elena and Scarlett, her eyes widening.
"What's going on? Why are we here?" she asked worriedly. Elena glanced at Scarlett who ignored her, surprising Bonnie.
"It must have something to do with the tomb and Emily's spell book," Scarlett explained as she brushed a stray curl behind her ear.
"Spell book?" Bonnie queried. The redhead nodded.
"Damon said that it could be used to open the tomb."
"Why didn't I know about any of this?" Her gaze rose to meet Elena who looked guilty, although Bonnie wasn't sure what her friend could have done to feel guilty about.
"I was trying to keep you out of it, hoping it would never come to this," Elena told her gently.
"Come to what?" Bonnie asked, her eyes searching Elena's face but the brunette couldn't bring herself to reply.
"They need a witch to break the spell and let the vampires out," Scarlett said, her voice barely more than a whisper.
"No way," Bonnie replied immediately. Scarlett and Elena both hurried to reassure her, but they were interrupted when the door burst open and Ben strolled in and glared at them. Elena leant forward, covering Bonnie with her arm while Scarlett stood up and moved to stand in front of both of her friends – she may not be too happy with Elena right now, but that didn't mean she was going to stand by and let her get hurt. Ben glanced at the tap and turned it off. "You're wasting your time," Bonnie told him, her own eyes narrowed in a glare. "I'm not gonna help you." Ben stepped forward until he was directly in front of Scarlett, glowering down at her but the redhead refused to back away.
"That's why these two are here," he told Bonnie as he grasped Scarlett's wrist and turned her abruptly, pulling her back against his chest and wrapping his arm around her throat. Scarlett gasped as his arm tightened around her neck, cutting off air. "Motivation for you to behave." Ben leant forward, forcing Scarlett to do the same, and smirked at Bonnie. "You know, you shouldn't be so desperate – you made it too easy." Pulling away he roughly thrust Scarlett out of the bathroom. "She wants to talk to you," he called before shutting the door behind her, leaving Scarlett alone with Anna.
"I'm sorry about him," Anna said as Scarlett leant against the dresser and gasped down lungfuls of air. "He's a bit new at this." Scarlett looked up to see Anna standing by a small table, a small smile on her face.
"Why are you doing this, Anna?" Scarlett asked as she stood and took a few steps forward, eyeing the vampire warily as she walked to the window and opened to curtains a fraction to look outside. Every time she tried to read Anna, all Scarlett could feel was a confusing mix of emotions, all heightened because of her vampirism.
"I need to get into that tomb – you know that." Scarlett's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Bonnie's not going to open in," she said firmly. Anna continued to gaze out of the window.
"Oh I think she will." Scarlett frowned as she tried to sift through some of Anna's surface emotions.
"It's not Katherine that you want," she said slowly and Anna scoffed slightly.
"Feel that, can you?" she asked with a smile as she turned to face Scarlett. "Trust me – no one I know wants to see that girl again. Except Damon, the love struck idiot." Anna's head tilted to one side as she eyed Scarlett curiously. "Then again, perhaps even he doesn't want to see her now," she said cryptically.
"Then who is it?" Scarlett asked, ignoring the suggestive tone of Anna's comment. The vampire grinned.
"Let's see if you can work it out." Scarlett sighed before reaching out with her mind once more. It was easier this time – Anna was mentally allowing her access to her emotions, not hiding anything. Everything was stronger; anger, joy, jealousy, love… such love, but for who? It wasn't romantic, so a family member. A brother? Sister? Scarlett's eyes widened as she figured it out.
"Your mother's in there," she murmured, her heart aching for the girl before her. Anna's smile faded and she nodded, walking away from the window to stand in front of Scarlett.
"Katherine couldn't help herself. She just had to toy around with both of the Salvatore brothers… Then when she got caught, so did my mother." Scarlett tensed as she felt Anna's anger rising to the surface- an angry vampire was not one she could convince to let the three of them go. "I watched Jonathan Gilbert take her away." Scarlett took a deep breath and stepped closer to Anna, reaching out to place a hand on her arm.
"I'm sorry," she said simply, trying to let Anna feel her sympathy. It was harder for her to transfer her emotions with a barrier such as clothing, so she wasn't sure if it would work. Anna's eyes narrowed as she felt something flicker at the edge of her mind.
"You really mean that? And you're trying to prove it." Scarlett gave her a small half smile, but Anna didn't return it. She stepped back out of Scarlett's reach. "Yeah, I think we'll skip the dead mum bonding so you and your Katherine look-a-like friend can start serving a purpose."
"Which is what, exactly?" Scarlett asked wearily as she turned and sat down on the bed.
"Leverage," Anna replied. She reached out and picked up a phone from the nearby table before waving it at Scarlett. "This is Elena's phone." Scarlett gritted her teeth as Anna scrolled through the numbers and hit the call button before lifting the phone to her ear. It only rang once before it was picked up. Anna paused as whoever she had called spoke, too quietly for Scarlett to hear.
"She and Scarlett are fine – for now. Tell me you have the grimoire and they'll both stay fine." Scarlett's eyes narrowed at the implied threat, mainly at how she didn't feel that Anna would really go through with it. "Which means your brother has it, and I have the witch. SO one of you had better meet me in the very public town square in thirty minutes so we can safely discuss how fun it's going to be to work together," she said with a smirk before hanging up. "Your godfather sends his regards," Anna said sarcastically as she strolled to the bathroom door and banged on it twice, calling that she was leaving. The door opened and Ben strolled out, forcing Bonnie and Elena in front of him – the latter had a bruise developing on her cheek which made Scarlett glare at the vampire. "Keep them buttoned down," Anna instructed her accomplice. "Compulsion won't work – just use violence."
"Right, I got that," he replied as Anna grabbed a bag and left the motel room, shutting the door behind her. The vampire shoved Bonnie and Elena so that they were sat on the bed across from Scarlett. "Sit, behave," he said sternly as he looked away from them and slipped off his leather jacket. He turned to face Bonnie and smirked. "So you're the key to this? Literally… the one who opens the door. Tell me," he sat down on the chair opposite the three girls. "How long have you been a witch?"
"Is there anything to drink here?" Elena asked. Ben stood up again, his gaze heated.
"Are you offering?" he asked as he stalked towards her. Elena shuffled back at the implied threat and glanced across at Scarlett who smiled reassuringly, if somewhat tensely. "There's water on the nightstand." As Ben stepped away, Elena turned and picked up the glass on the nightstand, preparing to take a sip.
"Hey – can I have a sip?" Bonnie asked her. Elena hesitated before handing the glass over. Bonnie turned her eyes to Scarlett and nodded subtly before throwing the water at Ben. It caught light immediately, and soon his entire arm was covered with flames. The three girls dove for the door, Scarlett reaching it first and pulling it open, Bonnie on her heels before Elena's muffled cry stopped them. Turning back, Scarlett saw Elena being held by Ben who was radiating anger.
"Come back in – shut the door," he growled. Scarlett could feel Bonnie's eagerness to run, but she quickly grabbed her hand and drew her slowly back into the motel room.
"Don't hurt her," she said gently, holding up her other had in surrender.
"Don't make me!" he responded, his eyes flaring red for just a second. Scarlett pushed the door shut behind her, gripping Bonnie's hand tighter as she felt her friend trembling. "Lock it," Ben hissed, and Scarlett turned and locked the door, slipping the safety chain into place for good measure.
Damon watched from a distance as Anna made her way across the town square, pausing briefly as she spoke to Baby Gilbert. He hadn't told Stefan where he was going when he left the house; hadn't wanted him to realise the reason why he was meeting Anna. Hell, he didn't want to admit to himself why he had really come to talk to Anna. He waited until the girl had sat on a park bench in the middle of the square before flashing out and vampire speed and taking the seat next to her.
"Got a hot date, or are you just planning on nabbing the entire Gilbert family, and then some?" he asked sarcastically as Anna turned to face him. She wasn't fazed.
"Party – right next to the old cemetery. Isn't that nice of them? Lots of warm bodies for serving vampires."
"I told you – I don't need your help," Damon told her, leaning forward slightly to emphasise the point. Anna smirked as he deliberately rephrased his words of the night before.
"So do I. But you're minus a witch and I'm minus a spell book, so what do you say?"
"Stefan will come after you, you know that… For messing with Elena and Scarlett." Anna's lips quirked again.
"Honestly, I'm surprised you're being so restrained considering I've got your little empath locked up tight." She watched as Damon's jaw tensed and his blue eyes turned glacial.
"She's nothing to me," he growled.
"You keep telling yourself that, Damon," Anna said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "As for your brother, he won't be too happy if I kill them if I don't get what I want." She stood up quickly and began to move away. Damon gritted his teeth, trying to force himself not to care, but he couldn't manage it.
"When do you wanna do this?" he called after her, and the vampire stopped and turned on her heel, a wide grin stretching her lips.
"God, it's like 1864 all over again, just this time you have better taste," she said with a chuckle. Damon's eyes flashed to hers and he glared, but her smile didn't fade. "You Salvatore's are truly pathetic when it comes to women." She turned serious for a moment. "Tonight – after sundown. Meet at the church." With that, she walked away leaving Damon to ponder her words.
At the motel, Scarlett was doing all she could to keep everyone in the room calm. Ben was edgy – as a new vampire he didn't have control of his blood lust, so being in a room with three living humans was proving to be a bit much for him, and his edginess was transferring to Elena and Bonnie, making them nervous to be in the same room as them. Scarlett tried to remain calm, letting her peace flow through the room, but she wasn't at full strength. After the night she'd had, she was amazed that she was still standing. Ben took a swig from a water bottle filled with dark red liquid before smirking at Bonnie.
"Witches don't have eternal life, right?" Scarlett felt Bonnie nerves grow at his words. "So you can die?" The witch glanced up at him with blandly.
"Yeah, we can die," she said. Frowning, Scarlett glanced at the door, feeling a strange sense of determination from outside. She didn't catch what Ben said next as the door was forced open from the outside to reveal her godfather, his green eyes dark with anger. Stefan thrust open the curtains, flooding the room with sunlight and forcing Ben to cower in the shadows to avoid burning to death.
"Stefan!" Elena cried as she, Bonnie and Scarlett rose to their feet.
"Get outside," he said and the three girls sprinted out of the room, Scarlett leading the way down the stairs and into the car park. Bonnie and Elena stopped to wait for Stefan, but Scarlett kept walking. She didn't want to talk to her godfather, didn't even want to look at him. The only reason she'd put up with Elena was because they'd been held captive together. Now she was free and she wanted to get as far away from the both as possible. A hand caught her arm and she spun to glare up at Stefan.
"Come to tell me another lie?" she asked sarcastically, yanking her arm out of his grip. Stefan sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face in frustration.
"Scarlett, come with me," he urged her gently, trying to take her hand, but she stepped back.
"Why should I?" Scarlett could feel her anger building, an anger that she'd repressed while she'd been locked in the motel room but which was now bubbling to the surface.
"Because I want you to be safe, and you're not safe as long as you're wandering the streets with vampire blood in your system," her godfather said calmly. Scarlett scoffed at his words.
"And whose fault is that? You lied to me, Stefan." Scarlett threw the words at him, tears brimming in her eyes that one of the few people who she trusted anymore had gone behind her back and lied to her face. Stefan felt her sadness reaching out to him, watching as the anger dissipated to be replaced with… loneliness. "You told me once that you'd never lie to me – how can I trust you now?" Stefan stepped closer to his goddaughter and took one of her hands, using the other to tilt her chin up so that he could look into her eyes.
"Because you're my family, and no matter what happens, I will always look after you and I will always be there for you," he said earnestly. "You may not understand why I did what I did, Scarlett, but I did it to protect you. I will always protect you." Scarlett could feel the honesty in his words; she knew that he meant them, and thought they were true. But she also knew that as much as Stefan believed his words to be true, there would be moments in their future when he wouldn't be able to protect her, whether it by from choice of circumstance. That, however, was a problem for a different time. She took a deep breath before nodding and slowly walking back towards Elena and Bonnie, Stefan at her side.
"What do we do now?" Elena asked. Although she was curious about Stefan's words to Scarlett, she knew what he had said was none of her business and she wasn't going to pry.
"We go to Sheila's house," Stefan replied simply. Ignoring the girl's questions, he led the way away from the motel and towards one of the residential areas of Mystic Falls. As they drew closer to Sheila Bennett's house, the front door opened and the women herself stepped onto the porch, smiling as she saw them approach. Bonnie ran up the drive and flung her arms around her grandmother and hugging her tightly. Sheila pulled away from Bonnie and gave her a warm smile, cupping her cheek with one hand as she turned to Scarlett. She didn't need to be an empath to know the girl was upset, and she stepped forward to give the girl she considered to be a second granddaughter a one armed hug.
"Y'all better come inside where we can have a proper talk," she said, directing the words at Stefan as she invited them all into her home. The five of them stepped over the threshold, and Sheila immediately set to making some herbal tea, sensing that the conversation they were about to have would require an abundance of it. She glanced over at Scarlett as the girl sat at the table opposite her granddaughter. Sheila had long known about Scarlett's powers, had promised her mother Tara that she'd keep an eye on the girl if anything were to happen to her. So to say she was worried about the quiet, tired looking redhead at her kitchen table was an understatement. She carried a tray with several mugs to the table and placed them in front of the girls, squeezing empath's shoulder gently before seating herself between Scarlett and Bonnie.
"How did you know where we were?" Bonnie asked wonderingly, gazing at her grandmother affectionately.
"Many things can fuel a witch's power," Sheila explained as she reached out to take both girls by the hands. "Worry, anger. After Stefan told me that they'd taken the two of you I had a lot of both. A simple locator spell was easy after that." Scarlett glanced across the table at Bonnie and the two of them shared a small smile before Bonnie returned her gaze to her grandmother.
"I'm sorry – about all of this," she said quietly. Sheila smirked in response.
"Not as sorry as they're gonna be." Scarlett glanced at the door as Stefan and Elena entered the room, both sending her apologetic looks as they came to stand by the table.
"So what do we do now?" Elena asked, directing her question to Sheila but it was Stefan who answered.
"Well for now you need to stay here," he told them.
"A prisoner? In my own home?" Sheila asked, raising an eyebrow at the absurdity of Stefan's suggestion. "I don't think so."
"I can't protect you if you leave the house," Stefan explained, but Sheila refused to back down.
"We'll protect ourselves." Stefan opened his mouth to refute her words but was silenced when Scarlett levelled a glare at him.
"It's not like we haven't done it before," she told him simply.
"We need to let him have Katherine back," Elena said into the silence that followed Scarlett's words. All eyes turned to the brunette. "He's not going to stop until he gets her; maybe if we help him that ends it.
"No," Bonnie said immediately. "He doesn't deserve to get what he wants." Scarlett felt her cheeks heat with anger at Bonnie's words – she had no right to say that about Damon when she knew next to nothing about him.
"What other choice do we have?" Elena argued, hey dark eyes lifting to look at Stefan as he turned away in defeat.
"Witches and empaths being pulled down by vampire problems," Sheila said ominously, her eyes narrowing at Stefan. "As much as we try to do to stay out of it." She looked at her granddaughter and Scarlett, her eyes hardening with determination as she thought of what could happen to them if she didn't help. "I'll open the tomb. You get your brother's girl and destroy the rest with fire, then this will be all over."
"We still have to get Damon to agree," Stefan said, his eyes moving to his goddaughter who refused to look at him.
"He already agreed once," Elena reminded him and Scarlett's eyes shot up.
"Yeah, before you lied to him and stabbed him in the back," she replied sharply, some of her emotions leaking out and snapping towards Elena so that she stepped back as though she'd been pinched. Taking a deep breath, Scarlett carefully reined in her rampant emotions; even though Elena's betrayal had hurt her, the last thing Scarlett wanted to do was hurt her friend.
"She's right – we double crossed him and now he's angry," Stefan agreed. Scarlett shook her head as she stared at a small spot on the table.
"No, he's hurt," she told them, her eyebrows drawing together in a frown as she thought back to the outpouring of emotion she'd felt from Damon the previous night before he masked them. "There's a difference." She paused, her fingers reaching up to idly play with the vervain filled locket at her throat before she looked up to meet Stefan's worried gaze. "I know what I have to do," she told him simply.
Damon was just getting ready to head out when he sensed someone enter the room – her. Slipping on his leather jacket, he turned to watch Scarlett walk hesitantly into the room, now wearing a pair of black jeans and a purple V-neck sweater borrowed from Elena. She sent him a small smile which he didn't return.
"I might have to find somewhere else to live," he said harshly as he picked up the grimoire and tucked it under his arm. "You stage a jail break?"
"Stefan," Scarlett explained simply, more hurt than she would admit by his cruel tone – why wouldn't he believe that she'd had nothing to do with Stefan and Elena's plan?
"Ah brother – ever the white knight, even if you aren't his damsel in distress," he replied sarcastically. Scarlett didn't respomd. In fact, Damon was wondering if she was going to speak at all as the silence stretched between them.
"Bonnie and Sheila are going to help you," she finally said, twisting her fingers nervously in front of her. Damon's lips curled in a smirk.
"Oh really?" he scoffed. "And why should I believe that?" Scarlett's eyes narrowed she dropped her hands, clenching them into fists at her sides as she strode further into the room, her temper rising at his continued disbelief.
"Because it's true! God, what do I have to do, Damon?" she asked as she moved closer to him. "What have I got to say to convince you that I didn't lie to you?"
"You could try honesty," the vampire told her, his nostrils flaring as her scent reached him, fuelling his temper and adding the sharp tang of hunger to it.
"I promised you I would help you, and that's exactly what I was doing. I was with you practically all day, Damon - when would I have had a chance to help Stefan and Elena with their stupid plan?" Damon's smirk faltered at her words. It was true; she had been with him for most of the day, and he knew she hadn't left the house except with him. But why would she not help Stefan? She had no reason to trust him over her godfather, and yet she seemed to be declaring just that. But he couldn't trust her, not now. He was so close to getting Katherine back, he couldn't afford to let Scarlett any closer than she already was. "We're all on the same side now, Damon. We all want the same thing," Scarlet told him softly, coaxingly, as though she were talking to a wounded animal which, in some respects, she supposed she was.
"Not interested," the vampire said bluntly as he turned and began to walk away from Scarlett, but she hastily followed him.
"Yes you are, because you were willing to work with them yesterday," she said, her voice tinged with exasperation at his attitude. Damon turned and flashed her a smirk.
"Fool me once, shame on you," he told her snidely. He was about to turn away again when Scarlett stepped forward and took hold of his wrist, her small fingers curling around to stop him from leaving.
"When we were in Atlanta, why didn't you use your compulsion on me?" she asked quickly. Damon glared down at her hand on his before turning so that his whole body faced her, tossing the grimoire onto a nearby table.
"Who's to say I didn't?" he replied darkly, answering her question with one of his own. They were so close to each other, he could see the artery pulsing in her throat, hear every small intake of breath and see every fleck of green in her sapphire blue eyes. One corner of her mouth tilted up in a smile as she gazed at him.
"I'm an empath, Damon. I know you didn't… but you could have." She glanced down, staring at her hand on his wrist, slipping it down so that she was instead holding his hand, his fingers immediately twining with hers. "You and I – we have something," she said gently, glancing up to find his pale blue eyes staring intently at her face. "An understanding. I didn't betray you then, and I'm not going to betray you now." She squeezed his hand gently, reaffirming her words. "I promise I'll help you get Katherine back." Damon raised his free hand, about to cup her cheek but paused, instead clenching it into a fist and letting it fall to his side.
"I wish I could believe you," he murmured, his gaze roaming over her face, imparting every inch of it to memory. Scarlett nodded once before letting go of his hand, but instead of moving away she reached up and carefully undid the clasp of her vervain filled locket and held it up for him to see.
"Ask me if I'm lying now," she replied as she placed it on top of the grimoire. Damon's eyes widened marginally in shock. She was asking him to compel her; to force the truth from her, and that more than anything convinced him that maybe, just maybe, she was someone he could trust. He gazed at her for a long moment, waiting to see if her conviction failed but she held his gaze, never faltering.
"You know Anna won't stop, by the way, no matter what I do?" he asked. Scarlett tilted her head slightly in acknowledgement.
"Then we'll deal with it." Damon smiled slightly at the determination in her voice. He found himself wishing that he'd met Scarlett in 1864, that she'd had a chance to know him as a human before the years had turned made him so cynical. Reaching out, he picked up her locket, careful not to touch the silver heart.
"I didn't compel you in Atlanta because we were having fun," he told her as he slipped the chain around her neck and gently refastened the clasp, letting his hands rest on her shoulders when he'd finished, his thumbs gently skimming along her collarbone. "I wanted it to be real." Damon paused, waiting for Scarlett to meet his gaze. "I'm trusting you, Scar… please don't make me regret it." The empath nodded, feeling his reluctance to trust her, but also his hope that she was telling him the truth.
"We should go – Stefan and Elena are getting everything ready," she said as she turned and began to walk towards the front door.
"You should get a coat." Scarlett glanced over her shoulder at Damon's words, one eyebrow lifting in question. "It's cold out." When Damon didn't speak again, Scarlett nodded and changed direction, jogging upstairs to her room and pulling on a short grey military style jacket over her jumper. She raced back down the stairs to find Damon waiting in the hallway, the grimoire tucked under his arm, tapping his foot impatiently. As soon as she appeared, he opened the front door and ushered her outside and the pair began walking, at human speed, through the forest.
They were silent as they walked, both engrossed by their own thoughts. At some point, Scarlett stumbled and Damon's hand snapped out to catch her, pulling her close to his body so that she wouldn't fall. Once he was certain she was steady on her feet again, they continued walking, but he didn't let go of her hand. If he got Katherine back – when he got her back – he wouldn't be able to touch Scarlett the way he did, or talk to her as much. He and Katherine would leave and Scarlett would stay here in Mystic Falls with his brother... The sound of music and teenagers reached them the closer they got to the cemetery, and Scarlett's eyes widened as they started to bump into people she knew from school.
"Oh my god, the Duke party's tonight – I hope they stay away from the church," she murmured to Damon as he led her through the parked cars, bonfires and milling high school students.
"Your hope, not mine," he replied. Scarlett frowned and was about to respond when Matt and Caroline stepped in front of them, stopping her and Damon in their tracks.
"Scarlett, hey," Matt said with a smile which Scarlett returned before raising one eyebrow as Caroline slipped her hand conspicuously into Matt's.
"Scarlett, oh my god, where have you been?" the blond aske, her voice a mixture of excited and concerned. Her gaze fell down to Scarlett and Damon's joined hands and she frowned, but just as the redhead was about to explain, Damon spoke.
"Long story, no time to tell it," Damon told the blonde snidely.
"I wasn't talking to you," she replied, her lips curling in distaste.
"Sure you were," the vampire argued, and Scarlett squeezed his hand tightly, warning him not to say anything else.
"We haven't met – I'm Matt," the boy introduced himself, trying to make an effort for Scarlett's sake. He knew that she'd been spending a lot of time with the older Salvatore brother, and from the way Damon was standing, his entire body angled towards Scarlett, he guessed things must be getting serious.
"Matt, there's a reason we haven't met," Damon replied before meeting Scarlett's glare. "You and I are going that way," he told her as he let go of her hand and placed his on the small of her back, applying just enough pressure to make her move.
"I'm sorry, guys," Scarlett called over Damon's shoulder as he led her away from the party and towards the old church. "That was rude," she said as she glared up at him.
"Good thing I don't care then, isn't it?" Damon responded, turning his head slightly as the sound of his brother's voice reached his ears. He dropped his hand back to his side and led Scarlett into the clearing, whistling to announce their approach. He glared at the small group as he made his way towards them. "Brother, witches," he said by way of greeting before disappearing down the steps to the tomb. Scarlett stopped a few feet away from the group and gazed after Damon, letting out a small sigh.
"Everything okay?" Stefan asked as he took a step towards Scarlett, his own gaze following his brother.
"I just want to get this over with – are we ready?" Scarlett turned to the two witches who nodded in response.
"I guess so," Bonnie said gently, her breath fogging in the cold air. The five of them walked down the stairs to the tomb entrance, Scarlett shivering slightly as she neared the door.
"Are you okay?" Elena asked her quietly so as not to disturb the Bonnie and Sheila as they prepared for the spell. Scarlett turned to meet the brunette's dark eyes.
"I can feel them," she replied, just as softly. "It's like they're… screaming." Elena's eyes widened and without thinking, she reached out and wrapped an arm around Scarlett in a side hug. The empath tensed for a moment before relaxing, grateful for her friend's support. Sheila took a firelighter and lit the four torches surrounding their circle.
"Air, earth, fire."
"Water," Bonnie finished, handing her Grams a bottle of clear liquid. Elena frowned as she watched Sheila sprinkle the water on the ground.
"That's it? Just water from the tap?"
"As opposed to what?" Sheila asked her.
"I just figured maybe it'd have to be blessed or something," the girl replied. Sheila smiled secretly, her eyes meeting Scarlett's.
"It has been blessed," the empath said, her gaze leaving Sheila's to meet Elena's. "By Sheila." The brunette let out an 'oh' of understanding before turning back to the witches. Damon pulled something out of his pocket and Stefan shone a torch light on him, revealing a blood bag.
"What's that?" Stefan asked, less than happy with the sight.
"It's for Katherine," Damon replied easily. "Gotta have something to get her going, unless either of your girls are offering up a vein to tap." Damon turned to smirk at Scarlett but his face fell as he saw that she wasn't impressed. In fact, she didn't seem to be listening to him at all, her gaze focused on the witches as they worked. Turning back to his brother, he felt his smirk return and leant closer to whisper in Stefan's ear. "Admit it – you can't wait to get rid of me." Stefan chuckled slightly at his words.
"I can't wait to get rid of you," he agreed. Despite Stefan's words, Damon couldn't help but feel oddly dissatisfied. He was sure the feeling would leave once he had Katherine back, but at that moment, he really didn't want to leave.
"We're ready," Bonnie called, dragging Damon's thoughts back to the matter in hand. The two witches stood opposite each other, their hands clasped, and began chanting. Scarlett frowned as she listened to the words; for some reason they seemed familiar to her.
"What are they saying?" Damon asked from his position by the door.
"Sounds Latin," Stefan replied simply, but Scarlett shook her head.
"I don't think it's Latin," she told them. The chanting continued, Bonnie and Sheila repeating the same phrase over and over again. Suddenly the torches flared, forcing Stefan, Elena and Scarlett to step back.
"What's happening?" Elena asked, eyeing the torches warily. Scarlett and Damon both looked at the door of the tomb just before there was a loud bang and the door slowly opened, revealing a gaping black tunnel.
"It worked," Bonnie said disbelievingly.
"Well of course it worked," Sheila said in response, both of them gazing at the entrance. Damon turned back to his brother.
"Don't you have some fires to build?" he asked. Stefan nodded and turned to look at Elena and Scarlett.
"I'm going to get the gasoline – I'll be right back." That said, Stefan jogged up the stairs and out of sight. Damon eyed the witches cautiously, not happy with how confident Sheila seemed, before glancing towards the girls stood by the stairs. His eyes focused on Scarlett for a moment before jumping to Elena.
"You ready?" he asked the brunette whose eyes widened in shock.
"What?" she replied, her voice shaking slightly. Scarlett reached out and took her hand, squeezing it slightly before stepping in front of her.
"What are you talking about, Damon?" she asked, her voice stronger than she thought it would be. Damon didn't look at Scarlett, refused to in fact because he knew that if he did look at her for even one second, he'd cave. Instead, he turned back to focus on Sheila, reaching past Scarlett to grasp Elena's arm and haul her towards him.
"You think I'm gonna go in there by myself so you can seal me in?"
"Don't take her in; I'll bring the walls down," Sheila threatened.
"You'll bring the walls down if I don't. You think I trust you?" Damon retorted, his voice tense.
"As much as I trust you," the witch replied.
"Enough," Scarlett said, ending the verbal duel. "Damon, if you want leverage then take me; Elena's not involved in this," she reasoned.
"She's absolutely involved in this, she's Stefan's girlfriend," Damon told her, finally making eye contact with the redhead. "And this way, I'll have you out here making sure they don't shut the door on me. You wouldn't let them do that, would you Scar?" The empath hesitated for a moment before shaking her head – no, she wouldn't let them lock him in the tomb. She couldn't bear the thought of him wasting away for hundreds of years, not anymore. Nodding once as he saw her answer, Damon stepped forward and plucked one of the torches from its place. "May I?" he asked sarcastically before leading the way into the tunnel. Elena met Scarlett's eyes and the empath smiled encouragingly before watching her friend follow Damon.
"Why did you let her go?" Bonnie asked Scarlett as soon as they could no longer see Elena in the tunnel.
"She'll be fine, Bonnie," Scarlett reassured her friend gently as she lowered the barriers around her mind, searching for one very specific presence.
"How do you know?" Bonnie asked again, but Sheila hushed her granddaughter.
"You just let Scarlett keep an eye on Elena, baby." Bonnie stared at her grandmother for a moment before her words registered and she realised what Scarlett was doing. Sheila walked to Scarlett's side. "What do you feel?" Scarlett frowned as she concentrated, finally pinpointing Elena amongst the myriad of emotions,
"She's nervous; she doesn't like being there, it's creeping her out." Scarlett took a deep breath before letting it out, concentrating on sending Elena as much reassurance as she could despite the distance between them. Her lips quirked in a smile as she felt Elena relax slightly. The sound of footsteps reached them and Scarlett's eyes darted towards the door, widening as Anna and not Stefan appeared. The vampire started towards the door but Bonnie stepped in front of her.
"You're not going in there," the witch said firmly.
"You think you can stop me?" Anna queried, preparing to attack if necessary.
"Bonnie," Sheila called, nodding at her granddaughter to let her know it was okay. Glaring at Anna, Bonnie stepped back and the vampire picked up a stray torch and hurried into the tomb.
"Why did you let her go in?" Bonnie asked her Grams incredulously.
"Because she isn't coming out, baby," Sheila said gently. "None of them are." Scarlett's concentration faltered at that and her gaze shot to Sheila, her eyes widening.
"What do you mean they're not coming out?" she snapped. Sheila met the empath's gaze calmly, felling emotions that weren't her own bombarding her subconscious, but she was more than capable of holding them back.
"I'm sorry Scarlett, but I promised your mother I'd protect you and that's a promise I intend to keep," she said, her voice as steady as her gaze. Scarlett's gaze darkened with anger. She took an unconscious step towards Sheila but was forced to stop when Stefan appeared, his gaze focusing on her and his brow furrowing as he took in the fury in her eyes. He quickly glanced around, looking at each witch in turn before he realised something, or rather someone, wasn't there.
"Where's Elena?" he asked worriedly. He looked to Scarlett to answer but she was silent, her harsh stare not waving from Bonnie's grandmother.
"Damon took her inside," the young witch explained. His heart froze in fear.
"What?" he exclaimed, moving past Scarlett towards the tomb's entrance when Sheila lunged forward and caught his arm.
"Stefan, if you go in there you won't come out," the witch said, and Stefan frowned to hear Scarlett hiss at the words. He glanced at his goddaughter, before he met Sheila's gaze once more.
"What did you do?" he asked her.
"Opening the door didn't remove the seal it just, opened the door," she said with a shrug of her shoulders.
"What's the seal?" Scarlett demanded, her voice shaking with emotion. She knew she had to calm down, she had to get a handle on her emotions but she couldn't. She'd sent Damon in there, into a tomb that he couldn't get out of and there was no way she could help him. And Sheila had lied to her! One more person she trusted implicitly, lying because they thought it would protect her. Treating her like a child. Sheila's gaze met hers, and the older women flinched at the coldness in the empath's eyes.
"Some seals keep vampires from entering," she explained softly. "This one keeps them from coming out."
"Elena's human – she can leave," Stefan clarified.
"But Damon can't," Scarlett ground out, her hands clenching into fists at her sides.
"You were never planning on breaking the spell, were you?" Stefan asked Sheila. The witch took several steps back until she was standing in front of Bonnie.
"I told you, I will protect my own. Just like I will protect those I am asked to," she said, meeting Scarlett's eyes calmly. "Elena can get out; that's all that matters." Scarlett turned away from her and headed towards the tomb entrance only to be held back by Stefan.
"Don't make me hurt you, Uncle Stefan," she said as her godfather turned her around and grasped both of her arms, shaking her lightly.
"What are you gonna do, Scarlett? You can't get him out of there," he told her, trying to make her see reason.
"I promised him, and unlike some people I don't break my promises." Stefan stepped back as though he'd been slapped, his eyes filling with hurt, a hurt that Scarlett could feel but which she forced aside. She needed to be strong if she was going to think of a way to get Damon out of the tomb. A scream sounded from deep in the tomb – Elena - and Stefan bolted into the tomb. Scarlett rounded on Sheila.
"Now you may be willing to leave Damon stuck in that tomb, but there's no way in hell I'm going to let you leave both of them in there," she told the witch. Bonnie hurried to Scarlett's side.
"We can't just leave Stefan in there, Grams," she said urgently.
"He made his choice," her grandmother replied. Bonnie shook her head in denial, feeling Scarlett shaking beside her.
"No," she said and she quickly picked the grimoire and held it out to her grandmother. "Just show me what to do."
"We are not strong enough," Sheila insisted. "Even if we were able to bring the seal down, there's no guarantee that we could get it back up again."
"You said it yourself – many things can fuel a witch's power," Bonnie argued. Sheila was silent at her granddaughter's words. "Help me, or I'll do it alone." Scarlett shook her head and took a half step forward.
"You won't do it alone," she said quietly. Sheila's eyes widened at the implication of Scarlett's words.
"You don't know what you're saying."
"Many things can fuel a witch's power?" Scarlett quoted. "What about the determination of an empath?"
"Is it possible?" Bonnie asked her grandmother. "Can we tap into Scarlett's emotions?" Sheila hesitated before nodding slightly.
"It's possible, but it still might not be enough."
"We have to try," the young witch insisted. Sheila looked between Bonnie and Scarlett; her girls, so strong, so brave. She took a deep breath and tilted her head once in agreement before walking to Bonnie's side, the two of them studying the spell they would need to take down the seal. The three women looked up when Elena stumbled into the room, breathing hard and bleeding from her wrist. "Elena – Stefan," she began, but the brunette cut her off.
"He's right behind me." She turned to Scarlett who was gazing sadly at something over her shoulder and turning, she found Stefan stood in the doorway, just beyond the boundary. "Stefan, what are you doing?" she asked, confused.
"It's gonna be okay – we'll fix it," Bonnie called, making Elena turn back to her.
"What is it?" she asked, her voice trembling.
"I can't," Stefan said gently, drawing Elena's attention back to him.
"Can't? Can't what?"
"The spell's still up, we can't get them out yet," Bonnie explained.
"You went in there not knowing if you can come back out?" Elena asked her boyfriend. Stefan looked down at the ground, confirming Elena's suspicions. "Oh my god," she breathed.
"I heard you scream," the vampire replied. Elena's hand flew to her mouth and she let out a small sob as Scarlett stepped forward, wrapping an arm around the girl for support whilst looking at her godfather.
"We can't leave him in there, Uncle Stefan," the redhead said quietly. "I promised him and now I'm asking you to promise me." Stefan met her gaze and nodded.
"I know," he said.
"Even if we're able to break through the seal, we won't be able to hold it for long," Sheila told them. Stefan looked between Scarlett and Elena before nodding once more and backing into the tomb. Elena turned to the empath, grasping her hands.
"Tell me you can get them out?" Scarlett's eyes hardened with resolve before she moved to stand beside Bonnie and Sheila who were readying themselves to begin the spell. Placing her hands on each of their wrists, Scarlett reached into herself and let her emotions flood into the two witches, letting her anger and determination fuel their own as they began chanting. Scarlett was vaguely aware of Elena pacing behind her but quickly blocked it out, not willing to let anything distract her from helping the witches break the tomb seal. The flames in the torches flared, making Scarlett's skin tingle with heat.
Footsteps sounded behind her and Scarlett glanced over her shoulder, but it was only Anna supporting a woman who she assumed was the girls' mother. Scarlett grit her teeth in frustration, willing Stefan to hurry up and get Damon out of there; him and Katherine. Bonnie stumbled slightly, her powers failing despite Scarlett's assistance.
"Bonnie, keep going!" Sheila cried, adding more of her own strength to the spell as she felt Scarlett do the same. She turned to the empath, their eyes meeting. "They better hurry."
"Stefan, they can't hold it much longer," Elena yelled into the tomb. Scarlett's eyes widened as she was hit with the most extreme pain she'd ever felt and she snapped her hands away from the witches, not wanting them to be distracted by it. She knew exactly who it was – Damon. Without thinking, Scarlett turned and sprinted into the tomb, ignoring Elena's cries behind her. The tunnels were impossibly dark, but Scarlett didn't need light to guide her way, just her mind as she followed her emotions to a small chamber where Damon and Stefan were, her godfather trying and failing to convince his brother to leave.
"Damon," she called, skidding to a halt in the doorway of the chamber and immediately seeking his gaze. Damon ceased his pacing at the sound of Scarlett's voice and looked up, staring at her in disbelief as she gazed at him with wide, sad eyes. Stepping further into the room, she hurried to his side and placed her hand in his, squeezing gently. "Please," she whispered, her eyes begging him to leave. She didn't say anything else, didn't have to. Damon gazed at her for a moment longer before striding from the room, pulling her with him while Stefan followed. They ran down the corridor and out into the antechamber just as the door to the tomb slammed shut behind them.
Stefan was immediately engulfed in a hug by Elena, who clung to him as if he'd been gone for years. Damon dropped Scarlett's hand and rested his forehead against the cold stone, trying to calm his mind. How could Katherine not be in the tomb? He'd waited for so long, and she wasn't there - what did that mean?
"Come on, let's get out of here," Stefan said into the silence that surrounded them, pulling Elena from the tomb followed by Sheila and Bonnie. Scarlett followed more slowly, waiting for Damon. Outside, the moon shone coldly down on the clearing around the old church, illuminating a body not far away. Stefan and Elena hurried towards it and Elena let out a thankful breath as she realised her brother was alright. Scarlett tried to smile, happy that Jeremy was safe, but she couldn't do it. She couldn't force her lips to curve as she gazed at Damon. The vampire was staring blankly at the floor, his eyes empty of any emotion; not anger, not sadness, just… nothing.
She slowly walked towards him, waiting until he raised his eyes to meet hers before lifting her hand and cupping his cheek, tears in her eyes at the lack of emotion she felt in him. Without waiting to see if he would stop her, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled herself close to him, pressing her cheek against his shoulder as a single tear trailed down her face.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, just loud enough for him to hear. Damon's arms hung loose by his side. He didn't know what to feel, what to think, what to do. He felt cold and empty and so very, very lonely. He waited for Scarlett to pull back, to step away from him, before turning and silently making his way through the forest. Scarlett watched him go, her eyes not wavering from his retreating figure until a warm hand took hold of her own.
"Let's go home," Stefan said gently, and he tugged her away from the clearing towards Elena's car where Bonnie and a tired looking Sheila were waiting. Elena drove, dropping Stefan and Scarlett off at the Boarding House before taking the Bennett's home. Scarlett trudged slowly up the stairs to her bedroom, shrugging out of her jacket falling onto her bed. She closed her eyes and took deep, steady breaths, trying to decipher the maelstrom of emotions swirling around her head.
Damon sat in the darkness of Anna's motel room, watching the door, waiting for the vampire to return. He knew what he was feeling now – anger, an anger unlike anything he'd ever known before. Even Stefan had made him feel this all-consuming rage. The door opened and two figures walked slowly into the room, one remaining by the door and flicking on the lights. Pearl, Anna's mother, looked up when she sensed Damon's presence and her eyes widened.
"You knew Katherine wasn't in there," Damon said, his glare levelled at Anna as she glanced nervously between her mother and Damon.
"You wouldn't have helped me," she said defensively, looking away from the anger in his eyes. Damon was out of his chair in an instant, his hand fastened firmly around Pearl's throat. He squeezed tightly even as Anna tried to pull him away, but he was too strong for her this time, too angry.
"Why do you get a happy ending?" he asked through gritted teeth, his whole body shaking with rage.
"Damon, please!" Anna begged, clinging to his arm as she tried to get him to release her mother, but it was no use. "You wouldn't have helped me, you know you wouldn't."
"Why do you get it and I don't?" he asked again, his glare now fixed on Pearl.
"The guard, the one at the church, the one who locked us in – she promised to turn him," Pearl gasped, unable to fight Damon off in her weakened state. "He was obsessed with her." Damon squeezed tighter, unable to believe that the women he'd loved would do something like that. Sure, he knew Katherine was manipulative, but she was his. They were going to be together, that was the whole point. So why had she turned Stefan too? "She had him under her spell like everybody else." Damon's glare faltered. He didn't need to be an empath to see the truth in Pearl's eyes – Katherine had never been in the tomb. "He let her go." At her words, Damon's hand relaxed and fell limply to his side. Pearl collapsed into Anna's arms, breathing heavily.
"The last I saw her was Chicago, 1983," Anna told him. "She knew where you were, Damon… she didn't care." The last of Damon's anger melted away and he stepped back, watching as Anna pulled her mother into a tight hug. He didn't belong there, he had to leave. Eyes wide, he walked from the room, pausing at the door to glance back at the happy family reunion – something he would never have.
Scarlett didn't know how long she'd been lying on her bed when her phone began to ring. She groaned and ignored it, waiting for whoever was calling to give up. The ring tone stopped before starting again. Scarlett frowned and sat up, moving to her desk. Picking up the phone, her frown deepened as she saw Elena's name flash across her screen. Hitting the answer button, she raised her phone to her ear.
"Elena?"
"You have to get to the hospital?" Scarlett's blood ran cold at the fear she heard in her friend's voice.
"What's happened?"
"It's Bonnie's Grams… Scarlett, she's dead." Scarlett's heart plummeted.
"I'm coming," she said before hanging up her phone, grabbing her jacket and bag and racing from the room. Stefan met her at the bottom of the stairs, a concerned frown on his face.
"What is it? What's wrong?" he asked quickly. Scarlett ran past him, grabbing her car keys from the stand by the door before glancing into the parlour. Damon was sat on the sofa, his gaze on the fire. Scarlett swallowed as she felt his sadness begin to overwhelm her before she hastily threw up her mental defences and turned back to her godfather.
"Sheila's dead," she said bluntly as she slipped her phone into her jeans pocket; Stefan's eyes widened in shock.
"Go," he said. "I'll stay here." He motioned towards Damon and Scarlett smiled gratefully before dashing from the house and jumping into her car.
By the time Scarlett returned home from the hospital, the sun's rays were just beginning to peek over the horizon. The Boarding House was dark, seemingly empty, but she could already feel Damon's devastation as she pulled her car up in front of the house. She let out a sigh – tonight had been absolutely hellish. She felt emotionally and physically drained and all she wanted to do was curl up in her bed and stay there for a week, far away from the emotions of others.
Climbing out of her car, she slowly made her way inside. The fire was still burning in the parlour, two glasses and a near empty bottle of bourbon on the coffee table. There was no sign of either Salvatore brother. Scarlett made her way through the house as quietly as possible, entering her bedroom and dropping her bag on the floor. She trudged to her bathroom to change into her sleep shorts and take top, taking longer than usual, before walking to her bed and crawling under the duvet. But sleep was elusive.
Scarlett lay on her back, her blue eyes gazing blindly at the ceiling as the light in the room slowly changed from black to dark grey. She didn't know how long she stayed that way, but some time later she sensed she was no longer along in the room. Glancing at her window, she saw a shadow slightly darker than the light outside – Damon. She could feel the deep sadness and betrayal radiating from him. Sitting up in bed, she watched him quietly, knowing instinctively that he wanted to speak to her.
"I… I don't think I can… I don't think I can be alone tonight," he said, his voice barely breaking the silence. Scarlett blinked in confusion – what was he suggesting? Damon turned to face her, his pale eyes glowing in the soft dawn light. "Can I stay?" Scarlett felt her heart skip a beat at his words.
"Dazedly, she nodded and lay back down. Damon walked towards the bed, kicked off his shoes and lay beside her, on top of the covers. He folded one arm across his stomach while the other, the one closest to her, he left by his side. Scarlett turned on to her side and gazed at his profile as he stared at the ceiling. Wanting nothing more than to comfort him she reached out and gently slipped her hand into his. Damon inhaled sharply and turned to face her, his eyes focusing intently on hers. She didn't say a word, simply smiled reassuringly, before closing her eyes, the sound of Damon's steady breathing lulling her to sleep.
Damon continued to gaze at Scarlett, his eyes absorbing every inch of her face. She was so different to Katherine; warm and vibrant and alive… and here. Letting his own eyes fall shut, Damon gave Scarlett's hand a gentle squeeze before he slowly fell into the first peaceful night's sleep he'd had in one hundred and forty five years.
Me again... So first off, I'd like to say thank you SO MUCH for all the comment, favourites and follows you guys have given this story. They mean so very much to me.
Second, what do you think? Did you like it? Did you hate it? Please leave me a review so I know what you're thinking and how I can write you all a better story.
Plus - I love Darlett! I know I should, because I'm writing it, but I seriously love them. And you too!
Much love x