Chapter Twenty:
With Every Last Breath
Aria…
That voice…I know it…don't I?
Aria, open your eyes…you need to wake up.
I don't want to wake up.
Aria, please.
But why? My body aches…my lungs are desperate for air and my eyes are sealed shut. I want to wake up. I know I need to but this heavy weight is keeping me down.
You have to try. You can do this.
The sharp light of the sun through the trees made a small hiss escape my lips. It was too bright. Turning my gaze I saw that Dark was still carrying me along the path. So he was the one urging me to awaken…but that voice. It sounded like someone entirely different.
"Aria, try and stand on your own…and try not to react."
With wide eyes, my head peeked over Dark's shoulder to see the one person I thought I would never see again…Alaric…but how was this possible? The well perhaps? Was Silas's magic reaching out to me so I would assist Dark in the witches resurrection? But the way the Jeremy was staring at my lost brother told me that he was indeed here…If Jeremy could see him than it was true...he was here…he was really here! Quickly blinking away the tears in my eyes, I pleaded with Dark to set me down. My horse, dry voice surprising me.
"You won't be able to stand alone." He protested.
"I'll help her." If only Jeremy's look alone could kill.
"Please, I just want to walk."
With a heavy sigh, he gently set me down. Once my feet touched the ground my legs wobbled trying to catch their bearings.
"See? You can never listen to me can you?" Dark rolled his eyes but his tone was slightly playful.
It took everything I had to run and jump into my brothers arms, but he said I couldn't react to him. Can no one else see him? With slow steps, I laced my arms with Bonnie and Jeremy.
"How is this possible?" I whispered once we were on the move again.
"Irelia and the others Cearess have generated enough power to let me help you but I won't have much time." Alaric explained.
"Can anyone else see you?"
"No. Only you and I can apparently." Jeremy cut in.
Bonnie did look rather confused and almost oblivious that my dead brother was walking beside us.
"I'm so glad you're here." I sobbed quietly.
This was all I could ever ask for. Just a chance to really say good bye and to let him go…He couldn't have come at a better time either.
"You can't raise Silas." Alaric began with a heavy breath. "He's not the answer to anyone's problems. He'll promise great things but it won't be worth it. You have a choice to make." Alaric gentle gaze locked with mine.
No I don't. Not really. I have too many threats hanging over my head for it to really be a choice.
"Would you hate me…if I chose to…well change?" I blinked away a few of my tears feeling Bonnie's arm tense.
"It's not something I would wish for you…but it is your better option." He said with a bleak smile.
Those words alone made the weight of my decision ten times lighter. I always honored my brother's approval and ever since I learned that he would have rather died than to complete his own transition…well it made it much more difficult for me to make up my own mind.
My own smile was wiped off my face when that same pressure of pain in my chest surfaced once more.
"Aria what's going on?" Bonnie panicked as both she and Jeremy kept me from stumbling to my knees.
What was this pain coming from and why was I having so many visions?...The future was changing and it was because of someone.
"Someone keeps changing the future." I cried before the visions of a future about to pass came flashing before me and I was consumed in darkness once more.
~.~.~.
White…pure white. Irelia needed to really consider redecorating. Not only was it rough on the eyes but it was getting harder and harder to figure out if I was dead or just passing through this world.
"I thought I told you my decision. I don't have time to be passing out!" I sighed when my look alike appeared before me.
"I've brought you here this time to teach you something very valuable. The way to subdue the guardian."
"So I won't have to kill him?" I asked hopefully.
"If that were only the case…what I'm about to teach you has only been achieved by a few…a sealing spell if you will."
Spell? I'm not a witch so how am I supposed to do that? Bonnie? Maybe I'm supposed to pass this information on to her.
"Witches help keep balance within nature…the Cearess was created by Isis to make sure there would always be balance within time. This is why we were given this one ability to subdue anyone that would threaten it."
Out stretching her pale hand, a light blue glow surrounded her as my bow and a single arrow appeared out of the air. Within her dark brown eyes, the golden hour glass shined brightly. Is this what I looked like when the visions came? It was awfully eerier.
"You just concentrate. This spell can be done without the use of a weapon it will be your best option. Within us is the power that Isis bestowed upon us…reach within you and tap into that power. When you do, you can seal Dark's magic and he will be put into an eternal sleep until the arrow has been removed but there is a catch of course…" Her eyes still shingly sadly.
"Of course…" I mumbled. It would be way too easy if there wasn't a catch.
I already knew that outcome though.
"Subduing dark would mean changing the future and using that kind of magic in the state you're in now will not leave you with enough energy to survive…"
I know.
"And once you die, Dark will also. He will not return if you decided to not be reborn into your next life. It will be enough to keep him from raising Silas and to save your friends."
"The future is already changing. I believe this new hunter that has appeared may be the cause of it. Nothing is clear anymore."
Smiling, she placed my prized weapon in my grasp.
"It's strangely comforting to finally not be so certain about the future." She giggled. "We have done everything we can to bring your brother to you. Rely on that like you used to and there will be no reason for uncertainty."
~.~.~.~.~.~
This time when I awoke, I found myself on Jeremy's back with my arms wrapped around his neck. Peeking up, I noticed him and Dark in a wonderful glaring contest and I couldn't help but smile. Jeremy was so young but strong. He cared deeply for his friends and family.
"Enough with this pissing contest." I mumbled, sliding off of Jeremy's back.
I was expecting to feel weak and stumble with my footing like before, but pleasantly I felt perfectly fine…with a soft smile I shut my eyes and whispered a small thank you to Irelia...she was really pulling everything she could just to help me…she and the other Cearesses must really want this all to come to end.
Walking to my brother's side, I gave him a large grin before going back to observing the area around us. There were so many things I wanted to say to him…ask him…but right now I needed to pretend that he wasn't here. Hopefully, I would have enough time to say everything once this was all over.
Wherever we were now it was dark. That fact alone made me grow ridged. Rocky walls, dark path ways and a large gaping hole in the center. This was the cave that my vision took place…this was it…
"Bonnie, Jeremy, would you like to go first?" Shane motioned to the cavern below us.
As if they had a choice.
Once they started sliding down the rope the adrenaline in my system rose.
"I don't know if I can do this." I whispered, staring up at Alaric.
"You can."
Alaric was never one to give long speeches but his simple words were always enough for me. I don't know how I would ever be able to thank Irelia for going through whatever lengths she has done for this to be possible…I guess ending all of this would be thanks enough for her.
Professor Shane soon followed after the two teens leaving just me and Dark. Maybe I could persuade him now that Shane was not here to whisper in his ear.
"Dark, you don't have to do this." I started, earning his attention. "This is all wrong. Too many people will suffer…Irelia doesn't want this."
That would be my upper hand card. I had all the access to the other Cearesses. He had to believe me! His head tilted to the side in wonder.
"Of course she does. All of them want this to end. You would too once your life ended. You would be stuck in a limbo…drawing energy for your next life never knowing rest. I just want it to end." He sighed.
"I do too but it doesn't have to end this way. There are other options now…you've spent so many years worrying and protecting us…let it go…please." I pleaded.
My words weren't getting through to him. There was a dark shadow over his eyes that were blocking him from the outside world that he once loved. Irelia was right; He is not the same person anymore.
"Other options?" His eyes narrowed sharply. "Like becoming one of them? I'd rather you die a million times over than to be stuck in time as a monster. Stay here. I'm going to make sure it's safe before you go down there." He hissed before disappearing down the gaping hole.
I don't know why his words stung so much. I hadn't really gotten the chance to know him but the fact that he wished for my death versus being a vampire hurt…That was a minor problem compared to the fact that my brother and I were left alone. The emotions I had done so well to hide came crashing down in an instant and I was free to show it. A break down was inevitable but I had to do my best to not spiral now. If only our mother were to here to witness this. How much would this ease her wounded heart?
My brother's sad smile reached his hazel eyes when a quiet sobs racked my body as I reached for him…to my dismay, my hands just passed right through him.
"So you're not really here." I concluded.
"I am…just not physically."
"Then how are you supposed to help, Ric? I mean, what if he is right? Maybe I am better off if…but…I don't…I can't…" Closing my eyes I tried to steady my out of control breathing.
Everything that had happened over the past few months was caving in on me. My brother dying, Vampires, werewolves, hybrids, blood bonds, falling for someone when there was no hope in a future and haunted by visions that I never even asked for…how long all of this had affected me and I decided to shove it away like it was nothing.
Vampire's have a switch where they can turn off their humanity and not have to deal with the many emotions that plague us…in a way humans do it too. Not to such a severity but close enough. We push things aside and shove them somewhere we don't have to deal with it until it becomes too much and comes tumbling down more severe than what it would have been in the first place.
I thought that I was okay with this. I knew that my life was going to come to an end and I had accepted it. I imagined what life would be like as a vampire. Exciting and adventurous. I wanted that…I wanted to fulfill everything I ever wanted and more but now that I find myself on the brink of that moment…I'm terrified.
"I don't want to die, Ric….I can't do this." I sobbed, no longer trying to keep everything together.
"Hey listen to me..."
His hands lifted to my face and I expected them to pass through like mine had but the warmth of his touch was so real that there was no room for me to question the reality of it. The surprise on his face stayed as he wiped away my consistent tears that were slowly coming to a stop.
Alaric always had this power…own mom never understood it. I would come home from a long day from dance, angry with a friend or maybe even a relationship that ended badly…mom would say anything she could think of to make me feel better…run her fingers through my hair..Say everything would be okay and it will pass. I felt better yes but the moment Alaric would come home, I would run to his side and just merely sit in his presence. He would know something was wrong but he never needed to actually say anything about it make me feel better…he just knew.
That same phenomena hadn't disappeared. Even though my brother's life had come to an end…he had never truly left. What a cliché but it must be true…how else had I braved these months?
I was going to be okay. No matter how all of this ended…as long as everyone…and Damon were happy and safe…than all of this would be worth it. Even if it meant spending an eternity drinking blood…my friends wouldn't let me fall down a path that I would later regret.
Clicking heels and rocks moving about turned my attention towards the entrance to see none other than the new hunter dragging Damon along behind him. The ropes that were tied around his neck and wrists had to be laced with vervain…the hissing sound his skin made with each step made that clear enough. Dark blisters formed and blood trailed down his neck.
"Damon…" I started but my brother's arm and stern stare held me back.
"Just wait." He said.
"The Cearess." The hunter's thick accent addressed me. "Of course you've been brought here to stop Silas."
How did he know? Irelia did mention that a Cearess had been present the moment that the witch planned on sealing Silas away. Was there more to the story?
"I'm here to get the cure for my friends…and hopefully keep Silas down as well." I spoke slowly and truthfully. My eyes kept darting towards the cavern below just in case Dark appeared once more.
"I'm afraid I can't let you have the cure. As I've informed your friend here…there is only one dose and that must be used to kill Silas."
My eyes locked with Damon's searching for any truth to the large fact that the hunter had just revealed…and just like that all my hopes of possibly being a human after all of this was done went flying away and Elena…she would have to learn how to accept her new life….Rebekah would never have a family and a normal human love…and Stefan's hope for normalcy was shattered as well. Nothing could ever go the way we wanted it.
"You know Vaughn; I'm going to kill you now." Damon hissed, no longer having the patience for the man.
Roughly he ripped away the poisonous ropes burning his skin and tossed them to the ground. Why hadn't he done that to begin with? My head tilted to the side when another pair of clicking shoes echoed through the cavern.
"Your attachments will be the end of you." Vaughn warned the vampire who was out for blood and not a lecture.
"You don't know my friends…" Damon started. "Or my enemies." He finished with a sadistic grin as Rebekah appeared by my side.
Well this escalated rather quickly.
"Aria, hunters are strong and quick. You've seen this from Jeremy but this one is more experienced." Alaric spoke as he motioned towards my prized weapon that was lying on the cold, rocky ground.
Another point for Irelia. I couldn't let her down.
"Stay back and let them deal with most of it." He advised.
Damon gaze flashed towards me with confusion in his eyes and for a moment I could have sworn he was looking for something…or someone?
"Are we gonna dance or play?" He cracked his neck, the two vampires assessing their prey.
"He can't kill me. Not like it will be much of a challenge." Rebekah spoke with pride.
"No, but he has other toys." Vaughn matched her tone before she rushed towards him.
With little effort the hunter was able to incapacitate the original with a spike grenade through her chest. So much for her being our wonderful secret weapon. The distraction that she created was enough for Damon to have the upper hand but Vaughn had drained him of blood and had him tied to vervain for too long…the strong vampire I had seen before was not up to his normal strength.
Setting up my bow, I was ready to fire at the hunter when Alaric pushed the weapon down.
"Stefan and Elena are here…save your arrows for Dark…you only have two shots." He warned.
But I had to do something! In a flash, Vaughn fire from a small gun that released a thin sharp wire, tying Damon to a rocky pillar but just like Alaric had promised, Elena and Stefan appeared scaring the hunter off down the abyss below. He was prepared to take on a wounded vampire and an unprepared original but not too well fed vampire's right when he was out of toys.
Rushing to Damon's side, my attempt to free him from the trap was unsuccessful without hurting myself.
"Go, you have to get to the cure before he does." Damon shot towards Stefan and Elena.
"We're not leaving without you." Elena argued.
"You're not. I'll stay. You both go but Stefan free your brother first." I ordered the two as I strolled over to Rebekah's temporary dead state and removed the bloodied spikes in her back.
As much as it pained me to think…she really wasn't that bad. We have all lost someone and have gone through great lengths to protect the ones we still had alive…she was no different.
"I need a siesta." Damon moaned, dropping to his back once he was free and Stefan disappeared with Elena close behind.
"You wouldn't if you hadn't thrown a little tantrum and wondered off by yourself." I mumbled under my breath even though it was a vain attempt at keeping him from hearing me.
"Oh great…I inhaled the poisonous flowers."
Okay sure….blame the indigenous wild life that you made up for your problems. That seems reasonable for Damon logic anyway. Once I had finished taking the spikes out of Rebekah's back there was nothing more I could do for her. All we had to do was wait for her to wake up after her body had healed. I guess I could swallow my pride and use this wonderful blood bond to my advantage and give Damon a small amount of my blood…after all that's all he needed to back up to par.
But when I turned my attention to the stubborn vampire I was frozen in place. There he sat leazuirly as he had a stare down with my departed brother.
"Damon, can you see him?" I stumbled over my words.
"Yup." He said with a pop to the p.
"This isn't some trick of wild life or Silas…he's really here….well kind of..." I explained.
Narrowing his eyes in disbelief, his head tilted slightly.
"A little late the party pal." He finally spoke with sarcasm dripping on every word.
Rebekah's sharp intake of breath grabbed my attention for the moment. With a moan, she pulled herself to her feet; mumbling over the different ways she was going to torture that had caused this pain on her.
"Better late than never." Alaric grinned, offering a hand to his beaten down friend.
"Irelia is doing whatever she can to have him here to help me." I informed Damon, who was still unconvinced until Alaric pulled him to his feet. There's your proof…
"And while we're on that subject and since you can see me too…" Alaric stared at me for a second before swinging a sharp hook that landed squarely on Damon's face.
"What the bloody hell is going on?" Rebekah squealed when Damon fell to his back by a force invisible to her.
"My brother happened." I stared on wide eyed unsure of what to say or even do.
"That's for kissing my sister dumb ass." Alaric hissed, rolling his shoulders.
Red, hot heat ran straight to my face while my jaw dropped down the ground. Even in his passing I was not freed from his threats to potential interesting men. Oh god…oh god….oh god this is really happening right now. Weren't there more important things we had to deal with right now?
"All that for a kiss…hate to know what you'd do if it was more." Damon hopped to his feet while he goaded my older brother.
Now is seriously not the time for this….even so…I guess it was. It's not like they would have the time after this…
"Seriously, what's going on?" Rebekah sighed in annoyance that she was out of the loop.
With a small smile, I let the two friends continue their bickering and turned to Rebekah with a task at hand.
"I need your help with something." I whispered quietly, knowing that Damon and Alaric were fully distracted with one another.
"My help? I thought you hated me." She scoffed.
"Hates a strong word…you're not exactly my most favorite person in the world but you were right. We all do things for the people we love…in a way I should be thanking you for releasing my brother from a life he didn't want."
Smiling in victory, she gave me a listening ear to my master plan.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.
Damon rose to his feet, cracking all the bones in his body. With a deep breath, he relished in his normal strength returning. Not rising from my seat on the rocky ground, I watched the way his body shivered when my blood began to pass through him. I couldn't help but feel prideful…it was my blood that made him feel that way and only mine could do it…with a sheepish grin I pushed all those dirty thoughts aside…my brother was here for crying out loud and I am embarrassed enough as it is.
The moment his eyes locked with mine and he offered me a helpful hand, all of his words from our previous conversation came rushing back. I was just a human…so what would happen to us if I wasn't?
"Damon, no matter what happens down there I need you to trust me…no matter what happens to me…just trust that I have a plan." I whispered for only him to hear.
His brows furrowed with frustrated lines forming on his forehead. Of course he wasn't going to actually listen to me. When did he ever? It was worth the try and the warning though.
"Depends on what your choice is." Damon said.
"Let it go Damon." My brother ordered from the other side of the room.
"Like I said; it depends." It was a promise…
I'll change you myself…
Those words had hung and haunted the air around me since the moment he had first said them. It never ceased to surprise me how powerful this one man's words were. Whether it was to be spiteful, sarcastic or even caring in his own way; they stuck on anyone.
"What choice?" A velvet voice spoke from the shadows.
All this time we spent preparing to go after him and he was kind enough to bring it to us. It was better this way. Now I wouldn't have to worry about anyone else's safety…it appears that one of my visions was unaltered…well it was but only slightly.
In this very cave Damon and faced off with Dark…but now Rebekah and Alaric joined in this countdown of a moment. For once, this change was in our favor.
The adrenaline in my system was back at full force. My fingers were cold as my blood rushed everywhere but my finger tips that begun to tremble.
"She's not raising Silas for one, dick." Damon stated smugly. "And two," he continued on, raising two fingers upward. "She'd rather make one hell of a vampire than raise hell on earth."
Yes Damon, please keep speaking for me.
"I never said that." I cut in rather quickly.
If this was going to go well I needed to keep this shadow guardian calm. I could deal with an angry Damon but not Dark. We had seen only a taste of what he was capable of…Damon's life was not something I was going to risk.
"But he's right about Silas. He needs to stay dead." I said firmly.
"He's the answer. I need you to agree with me on this…" Dark pleaded with me.
Alaric was by my side the moment Dark had made his presence known but he wasn't the one I was too worried about. Turning slightly, my eyes locked with Rebekah who gave me an encouraging nod.
"Remember, you only have two shots Aria…make them count." Alaric spoke quickly.
I couldn't forget. The bow in my hands felt incredibly heavy in my freezing hands…was it the weight of the burden at hand or was Irelia's little magic wearing off?...It had to be the latter…I was beginning to feel like exhaustion was poising itself to over take me.
Reach deep within…
Irelia's gently voice encouraged in my ears.
One more try...
"Silas isn't the only way…all those years you have protected and trusted me in different life times….just trust me once more."
Damon's self control was going to explode in any minute…he would be out for blood.
"I've watched it for too long…every one of them was unique…they all died. Not anymore…and I won't let you turn into a monster for a chance at life."
5….
This was it…
"Aria, now." Alaric ordered while Damon unsheathed his fangs.
With quick aim, I fired without thought…but just like my vision he had vanished from sight…which meant...
"Damon, behind you."
4….
But Damon was already one step ahead of me…the advantage of having my blood in his system was giving him the upper hand for now.
"Last shot…you can't miss." Alaric informed wearily.
3…
I'm tired….Aiming my last chance, Dark and Damon's figure's began to blur together. Irelia I need more time. Please just try for a second longer.
The bow and arrow in my grasp was slipping through my fingers.
"I can't do it…" I managed to speak…my eyes drooping.
Jeremy! No!
I can't have a vision! Not now! Jeremy, what's wrong with Jeremy? Focus, focus!
My eye sight was constantly being blocked by a vision fighting and creeping its way into my mind. Just a moment longer was all I needed...
2…
Aim…
1…
It'll be over then…
~.~.~.~.~.
Alaric could see her slipping but he could also feel that his time was done as well. Irelia and the other Cearesses have exhausted all of their powers. It was Aria's turn now. So in his final moment, he took position beside her and helped her hold the bow in place.
"Steady breathing…" He spoke softly as he thought of the moments he had done this in the past when they would escape and shoot for their own free time.
Her tense, trembling body began to calm within his embrace and a light blue glow shined over the tip of her last arrow. Her brown eyes eclipsed by the hour glass for the last time.
"Hold your breath…"She complied instantly.
"Release."
With a snap, the arrow shot forward, slamming straight into Dark's heart with a sickening sound, trapping him to the rough, cold walls. His violet eyes stared at the dearest person he had spent years protecting…betrayal…disgust…hurt…and then understanding. The dark clouds that covered his sight to the truth seemed to have dissipated before his eyes shut into an eternal sleep.
Alaric hands ghosted through his sister, who fell to her knees but not entirely from the weakness that was slowly overtaking her but relief.
It was done.
"Thank you…" She whispered up to her brother with tears pooling around her now golden eyes.
Her breathing started to become constricted in her throat, her eyes danced around the room seeing things that no one else would until it actually happened.
In a panic, Damon flashed before, biting into his wrist. The moment was going to force the crimson liquid down her throat; Rebekah pounced only to hold him down with her fangs bared.
"What are you doing?" Damon hissed, using his extra added strength to toss the original off of him.
But even with Aria's bonded blood inside of him, the blonde original was still much too strong. With a primal growl rumbling in his chest, he watched as Alaric vanished from sight and Aria falling to the ground with a sick thud….her eyes returning to their natural brown…her lush thin lips paling along with her cheeks…and a final steady breath escaping…
~.~.~.~.~.~.
White….white everyone…heaven…it would make sense…I felt lighter than air but perhaps that was because the burden that was bestowed upon me was finally finished and everyone was going to be okay. When Irelia appeared before me all thoughts on heaven disappeared.
"I was expecting you to look more…well happy." I frowned, taking in her sad expression.
"Pertrova…how did she elude our visions."She cried slow tears.
"Jeremy!"
Elena's pained screams echoed in the vast open area so loud I had to cover the sounds. I waited for her to stop but she painfully continued to cry for her brother. I could feel her despair here…
"I don't understand. What's going on?" I demanded.
I jumped back in horror when Dark appeared beside her…but was it him? Instead of deep purple eyes, they were a soft green…his pitch black hair a gentle brown and his pale skin tanned as if he had seen nothing but the sun.
"I don't know if you will ever be able to forgive me…but I am truly sorry for losing my way…"
Oh! Even his voice had lost its threatening edge.
"Jeremy!" Elena's voice continued to scream around us.
"Make it stop!" I cried.
Her despair….her emptiness….and a small light of hope deep within her…I could feel it all.
"Make it stop!" I repeated, clutching my chest as if I could suppress the pain.
"I'm so sorry…we really tried." Irelia said she and Dark left me in this white, horrific room.
"Just stop!"
~.~.~~.~.~.
"She asked me to do it Damon!" Rebekah admitted to the raging vampire.
"Explain." He ordered with the veins under his eyes pulsing violently.
"She was bonded to you Damon! As a human! What do you think would happen if it was your blood that changed her?" She rolled her eyes as it was the most obvious thing in the universe.
For a long moment Damon contemplated her words…had he jumped to conclusions? Was there still hope the Aria would open her eyes again?
On cue, the young girl's body lurched, eyes snapping open while her lungs desperately tried to take in every amount of air she could.
"Jeremy!" She mumbled between breaths.
Rushing to her side, Damon held her tight.
"Jeremy!" Tears poured down her face that was slowly regaining color.
Her brown eyes locked with Damon's bright blues, desperately trying to asses if he was real or not.
"Save Jeremy."
She finally cried as a golden hue overtook her brown eyes…leaving both vampires stunned.
A/N: Oh lord I am finally done! Gah! Haha! I love it though. I am really proud of this chapter and I hope you all like it!
You know, I saw the new TVD and I am slightly disappointed that they went to New York because I had this original plan for them to go there and now it doesn't feel so original haha. Well, I can still make it that way
Thank you so much for all the reviews! I can't wait to see what you all think of this climactic moment…and whether or not you think our little Aria is a vampire or not…hehe