The Blackest Night Awakens the Brightest Dawn
By: afallenblackrose
Author's Notes: Yet again, I want to hug every single one of you who have read this story. I especially want to hug all the ones who have reviewed. I wouldn't be able to write these chapters without your reviews inspiring me. So thank you to all of you.
Foolishangel87: Thanks for your review! I'm glad you liked the chapter and that it left you with the feeling of speechlessness. Wow indeed. Hope you like this chapter.
Mobbs Fellow: Thanks for your review! I'm sorry the short chapter made you frustrated, but there wasn't much to write from Damon's POV and I'm pretty sure everyone just wants to know what's going on with Andrea. Twists are always fun for me to write and I'm glad that you like them. Short but rocking, indeed.
Laurazuleta 18: Thanks for your review! We all want Damon he's so amazing! Lucas is feeling guilty but not for the reasons you think. Here's the next chapter! Enjoy!
AkashaCullen26: Thanks for your review! I was wondering where you got to, but I'm glad that you liked the chapter! By the way, I read the recent chapter for your story (I haven't had the chance to review yet) but it was amazing! Enjoy this new chapter!
Vampire lover 18: Thanks for your review! To find out if the group finds Andrea and kills Steve read on…
*Again, out of haste I forgot to put the usual disclaimer on the last chapter. But you all know it, so do I really have to put it on? BTW: Song lyrics "You Don't Belong" by Daughtry.
20.
In Which Andrea Forgives
It was a horrible thing, being trapped in the mind that is. I had read about a man who had gone through this in my AP English class in my senior year of high school. Even when I read about it, I couldn't imagine living like that. I remember thinking back then that if I ever had to go through something like that I would go absolutely mad.
I was wrong.
This was absolute hell. I had no idea what was going on in the world around me. I
It won't be like that for much longer, babe, I heard Steve in my head.
Forget hell. I was in my own personal nightmare.
Ouch, Andy. I don't deserve this treatment.
Don't you, Steve? You fucking staked me in the heart! Who does that?
Someone who loves you, Steve told me.
Love me? Steve, listen to me, if you really loved me you would have stayed the hell away from me. You would have let me be happy with Damon.
Andy, why can't you see that you don't belong with Damon? He isn't right for you.
And who is, Steve? You?
Yes, I am. Andy, I created you. You and I are meant to be together.
No, I refuse to believe that.
You're going against kismet?
Steve, I've been going against kismet for years. I don't believe in destiny, you pave your own way. If you knew me as well as you think you do, then you would already know that.
My response left him speechless, at least for the moment.
Fine, we'll see how long you'll stay with that belief when I leave you alone in your mind.
Hmph, you're an evil son of a bitch Steve.
I've heard worse babe, I've heard worse.
And then he was gone.
I groaned as I felt the overwhelming amount of my thoughts and memories try to swarm over me. This was ridiculous. Who the hell made the freaking queen of vampires dependent on the blood of her caretaker or soul mate? As queen of the damned, I should be able to not be affected by a stake at all.
The dead shall rise again, and to survive will drink the elixir that sustains all life. They will only walk in the dead of the night. They will be lead by a powerful wench with the power to walk in the sun, peer into the depths of a person's mind, and will not be killed by a wooden stake. This ruler will not need to drink the elixir that sustains life as often as others of her race.
I groaned as that paragraph echoed in my head. Powerful wench, huh? That book was so full of it. If I was so goddamned powerful why couldn't I revive myself from being staked?
Something strange happened then. I heard a rushing sound in my ears, almost as if blood was pounding in them. Soon though, it stopped.
I gasped and felt myself released from my mind.
I opened my eyes. I was lying in a bed, and no one else was in the room with me.
Why would Steve stay? For all intents and purposes he thought I was comatose. How did I get out of my head?
The wench is strong willed and what she wants she will always receive.
I grinned at that thought. That book knew things, even though it was old and musty it knew. I shook my head at the thought. I would not doubt that thing ever again.
I looked around me trying to figure out where I was, but I soon found out. The poster on the wall across from the bed was very familiar because it hung in the same location in my room. I got up and looked around the room.
This was my bedroom. We were in my apartment. How the hell did Steve know where I lived? Had he been following me like he had done in the past when I had refused to date him initially? I was pissed as I thought about all those times from the past and how he had made me feel.
I noticed the stake on my nightstand and grabbed it.
It was time to end things. This had been going on too long.
I walked out of my bedroom, trying not to make a sound. But apparently I didn't have to worry about that; for once I got into the hallway I heard music. And not just any music, but my music. How had he gotten this? I wondered as I listened in.
With time to kill and an empty tomb I always find a way to pass the time with you
Dark and smoky rooms
I can hardly stand the fumes
Telling me that you mean no harm you stand me up like a crutch another arm
But only when I'm gone
Have I been away too long?
No
You don't belong to me
I think you lied to me
With my back against this wall it's hard to be strong
No
You'll tell me anything
Look what you've done to me
Still I tell myself that tomorrow you'll be long gone
Long gone
Any given time or place I never will forget the disgrace on
Your face so full of love will it ever be enough?
Ten feet tall and bullet proof I never thought that I had a thing to lose
Well it looks like after all I'm gonna have to chose
No
You don't belong to me
I think you lied to me
With my back against this wall it's hard to be strong
You'll tell me anything
Look what you've done to me
Still I tell myself that tomorrow you'll be long gone
You help pass the time
But I'm doing fine on my own
So there's no good reason why to live such a lie
Tell me have I been gone away too long?
When the song stopped I was behind Steve, ready to place the stake through his heart, but he turned to face me a look of pure delight on his face.
"I knew you could do it, Andy," he said to me.
I faltered a little bit, "You knew I could do what?"
"Get out of your mind without needing blood to revive you," he replied.
"You knew that I could get out of my mind without the blood?" I asked. "So that's why you staked me?"
"A staked you for a lot of reasons, Andy, but yes that was one of them."
"What were the other reasons?"
"I'd think the first one would be most obvious; to get you away from Damon and to convince you that you've always belonged with me."
I groaned, "Weren't you listening to that song at all Steve? I don't belong to you."
The features on Steve's face changed into something that I had only seen once before. He was angry as he grabbed my wrists and through the stake out of my hands.
"I'm so sick of hearing that," he shook me. "I created you, Andrea! I am your sire! You belong with me not that Damon douche bag!"
"Steve," I calmly replied looking into his frantic eyes. "Maybe you're sick of hearing it because you know it's the truth. You left me in that alley, Steve. You left the queen of vampires to figure out what she was supposed to do for herself. That's a stake able offense, Steve. So Lisa staked you, and yes, you beat the system and came back to life, but…that doesn't mean how things were are how they're going to be."
"Why, Andrea?" He asked his tone a little more calm. "I love you."
"As I've said before in the past, Steve," I replied. "You only love the idea of me. If you loved me you wouldn't have gone through all of this. You would have seen that I'm happy with Damon and would have left me alone."
Steve let go of me and turned away. He knew I was right. He knew it was time to let me go, but as usual he was acting stubborn and pig headed.
The door to the apartment opened and the whole Motley Crüe flashed in.
"Andrea?" Damon was by my side in seconds.
"I'm okay," I assured him. "I'm just having a discussion with Steve."
Lisa and Lucas stalked forward.
"Are you on drugs?!" Lisa exclaimed. "You stake the freaking queen of vampires just to prove a point?!"
"You're lucky we don't stake you on the spot," Lucas scoffed.
"Go ahead," Steve mumbled. "I deserve it."
The group stared at him. They weren't expecting that response.
"What?" Lisa whispered and looked at me. I just shrugged.
"I deserved to be staked," he continued. "I shouldn't have done what I did, but I thought I had good intentions for what I did. I guess," he said looking at me. "I was wrong."
The group was silent again.
What happened? Both Lisa and Damon asked me at the same time.
Steve and I had a discussion and he realizes the error of his ways. Lisa, there's stake over there.
That's not what we meant, Lisa said. How are you standing? Shouldn't you be comatose?
I laughed at them in my head. Oh, well, don't you both kind of find it strange that as queen of the vampires I'm paralyzed because of a stake? But I forgot the next line from that paragraph.
What paragraph? Damon asked.
Oh, that book….Lisa mused.
The wench is strong willed and what she wants she will always receive, I responded. And I wanted out of my mind without the need of blood and well…here I am.
That explains a lot, Lisa replied.
I'm glad that you're okay, Damon replied. Now can I kill Steve? The bastard shot me and I feel like I have a debt to be paid.
Be my guest, I told him ushering towards the stake.
"Andrea," I heard Steve whisper as Damon went towards the stake. "I'm sorry."
I looked away and then thought quickly about something.
"Damon, would you mind doing it outside?" I asked. "I don't want to clean up the ashes."
Damon nodded and turned to Steve.
"Lisa, Lucas? Would one of you like to help me?" He asked with a smirk.
Lisa, Lucas, Steve and Damon walked out the door as I stared out the window. I hated when vampires were staked even though I was the queen of vampires and it had to be done. I sighed as I heard the door open again.
"It's done," Damon told me and rushed towards me.
I felt his arms snake around my waist and pulled me flush against him. I relaxed in his embrace.
Things were how they were supposed to be.
Author's Notes: So there you go. Steve is dead. Andrea and Damon are together. And I'm thinking this will be the last chapter. I might write an epilogue but for the moment the story is complete. Now onto the sequel! Let me know what you think!