THE RETURN
Confused to where all the noise was coming from, I slowly made my way over to the kitchen, craning my neck to see what was going on. A gasp of fear and shock escaped me at the sight. I stared horror struck at John, who lied on his back against the ground, blood spouting out of his abdomen. His bloody hand shook violently against his stomach, trying to stop the flow of blood. He was failing. What the hell happened? He looked at me in fear, and I wasted no time.
Rushing towards him, I swiped a towel off of the kitchen counter, grabbed the home phone, and kneeled by John. Multitasking, I placed pressure on the wound with the towel, and called 911. John, took the hand towel and kept it in place onto the gaping hole that made me feel lightheaded looking at it.
"911, what's your emergency?" The receiver finally picked up.
Panicking, I got out quickly, "Hi, I - I need and ambulance to 2014... Maple Street."
John mumbled something to me, and I looked at him in question, "What?"
"Behind you!" He said, louder this time. I dropped the phone.
Shit. Turning around, I expected... what? A vampire? Yeah, no. There wasn't anybody there. Whoever it was, had disappeared, though he/she could still be on the house. Glancing to my left, I caught sight of something shiny. Our silver knife used for cutting meat lay on the kitchen ground, covered in what I presumed to be John's blood.
Shivering in fear, I reached for the knife, and held it tightly. Keeping my eyes in front of me, I rose, and began to walk out into the hallway.
Nothing.
A noise came from behind me, and I spun around. The last thing I saw or heard was the door slam shut. The vampire had gone. What was his motive? To kill John? No. Not that. Was it a threat? A warning?
John would be okay, the ambulance were coming...
But he wasn't the only person in the house. "Elena! Jeremy!" I bolted up the stairs, into Elena's room. She was sitting half-asleep on the bed, her computer supported in her lap. Looking up at me, she took in my disheveled state and the knife.
"What's going on?" She asked.
"Are you okay? Did anything happen?" I asked her.
"No, I'm fine, what's happened?" She queried, then furrowed her brows.
"One of the tomb vampires attacked John." I stated.
"What?"
"Yeah." I confirmed, "I called the ambulance; they're on their way. Hopefully he'll be fine." A pause, "I'm going to go check on Jeremy."
Turning around, I didn't need to glance back to know that Elena was hot on my heels as I made my way over to my brother's room. My heart sped up as I ran over to him, shaking him awake, "Jeremy, wake up, please." I felt like a ton of weight was dropped on me. This wasn't right. Something was wrong.
Elena came in, and looked between Jeremy and I in confusion. She started, "Why isn't he - "
She got cut off. Jeremy inhaled a loud gasp as he woke up, his wide eyes staring at me like he'd just seen hell. "Jeremy, what happened?" I asked, tentatively; afraid.
The ambulance were carrying John away on a stretcher. His eyes met mine for a millisecond, expressing all his pain, before he disappeared out the door. I stood right at the top of where the staircase ended, my hands in tight fists as I waited for someone.
He finally showed up.
Stefan arrived at the doorstep. He tried to get in, but the officer there held him back, and looked at me. "He's okay." I stated, and the officer nodded, allowing Stefan to enter.
"What happened?" He asked, his eyes taking in my house, analyzing everything that had occurred with his acute eyesight. He raced up the stairs and followed me as I made my way back into Jeremy's room. He was awake, sitting on the edge of the bed as Elena tried to get him to look at her. He ignored her.
"He said that Anna gave him her blood and then he took these pills and now..." I shook my head, rambling, "He looks fine, but then again, so do you. I don't know."
I felt exasperated. Not knowing what to do. Jeremy wasn't a vampire, he couldn't be. Why he'd ever want to become a vampire, was something I'd never know. Considering Anna was... dead - I felt a pang of sadness, even after all she did - I had no idea why Jeremy would try to turn.
Stefan kneeled in front of Jeremy, his eyes completely focused as he took my brother's face in his hands. He examined him. "Look at me." He instructed.
"I'm fine okay?" Jeremy tried to ignore him, annoyed, "I feel exactly the same."
"Jeremy," I said, and placed a hand on his in concern. He flinched away from me, but didn't move his hand. He was more on edge, trying not to direct his anger at me.
"Should I call a paramedic up?" Elena asked, her eyes flashed as she waited impatiently for an answer, "What am I supposed to do?"
"No, nothing," Stefan said sternly, still checking Jeremy's eyes, "He's fine."
I closed my eyes in relief.
"You mean I'm not a vampire?" Jeremy questioned, acid rolling off his tongue, "Damn it!"
My eyes snapped open at his reaction as I looked at him confused.
"What's wrong with you?" Elena asked him, shocked, "How could you want that?"
"Didn't you hear about Anna, what happened to her tonight?" He questioned as realization dawned on Elena's face, "She's dead."
I swallowed uncomfortably, "I'm so sorry, Jer." I never wanted her to die, I longed to say to him, but I didn't. He was having enough trouble as it is trying to control his emotions. No need to have that subject linger for longer than it had to.
He clenched his jaw, but didn't say a word. "Jeremy, Jeremy." Stefan tried to regain my brother's attention by standing up. "I am very sorry about Anna but it's very important that you listen to me right now. With every passing moment, Anna's blood is leaving your system. If you tried to kill yourself right now, you could really die." Jeremy made the mistake of looking away, and Stefan gave him a little slap, "Hey!" He continued urgently, "Do you understand me?!
By now hot tears of anger and frustration were streaming down Jeremy's face. The way Stefan's demeanor was like right now had me questioning a few things. He held deep concern for Jeremy. Jeremy who wasn't even eighteen yet, too young to become a vampire, or so help me... die. The reason for why Stefan was acting like this was because he really cared, and I loved him for it.
So as much as it pained me to see Jeremy get a scolding from Stefan, it was for his own good. I wouldn't allow him to be a part of the supernatural crap. I wasn't going to lie to him, but that didn't mean that I wanted him to be involved.
"Yeah." Jeremy choked out, his gaze meeting Stefan's squarely, "I understand."
"Good." Stefan said, and stood up to stand next to me.
"Wait, what about the pills that he took?" Elena questioned Stefan. What made me feel worse was that it was my pills Jeremy had taken. From the car accident.
"He didn't take enough to die, so Anna's blood actually healed him, I bet." Stefan explained to us.
A knock startled me, and I spun around to face a policeman. "Miss Gilbert?" He inquired, glancing between Elena and I expectantly.
Elena nodded to me, and I replied, "I'll be right there."
The policeman nodded to me, and disappeared. "You need to be at the hospital." Stefan said to me.
I looked at Jeremy in deep concern. I felt that if I were to leave him, something bad would happen. I loved him so much... I couldn't bear the thought of loosing him.
Elena caught my gaze, and said, "Stefan and I'll stay here with Jeremy. You can go."
"No, I don't need babysitters." Jeremy protested, looking at me pleadingly as if I could help him out of the situation.
"Yes, you do." Elena stated.
Jeremy sighed, and looked to the ground.
Stefan turned to me, "I'll be here, waiting."
I smiled, trying to relieve myself of some of the stress. "I'll come back as soon as I can." I needed to go check on John, though. Needed to know if he'd be okay. He was my biological father after all. Me and Elena's.
Stefan gave me a peck on my lips, and I left the room. I went into my own bedroom, and changed. Walking outside, I met up with the cops who'd take me to the hospital.
I'd figure out which tomb vampire had been here... Shoot. I just realized something.
Whoever it was, he's been invited in.
After the cops "interrogated" me with questions like: What time did you arrive home? Did you hear any noises, at all? What were you doing before you found him in the kitchen? Has he been in any depressions lately? Any talk about suicide?
The questions to me... were ridiculous. I tried to answer them to the best of my abilities without giving any "vampire" clues away. No fingerprints were found, obviously, so there were no suspects but... John himself. I assured them that it wasn't him, though they still weren't completely convinced.
During my time in the hospital I found out that Caroline had been wounded in a car accident involving her, Matt, and Tyler. The boys were okay. Her on the other hand...
Okay, I admit, I was freaking out.
"Bonnie." I called out to one of my best friends. Her dark hair flew through the air as she turned to face me, her worried expression mirroring mine. "How's Caroline? Will she be okay?"
I haven't visited her yet, because they're preforming an operation on her. It was more serious than I would've imagined. Too serious. How could this be happening? To Caroline, of all people? She was innocent, even a bit ignorant sometimes, but that's why we all loved her.
No, please...
"She's weak." Bonnie responded solemnly, "They don't know if she's going to make it."
My body stopped functioning. "What?" I gasped, thinking that she was lying. That she'd say, "Oh, no, I was joking. Caroline's fine". But she didn't say that. I stood there, paralyzed while she wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug. When she pulled back, I questioned, "Is there something that you can do? Maybe a spell, or something?"
"She doesn't know how, do you?" The voice came from my left, and I looked to see Damon walking up to us. It would have been awkward for us, but my mind was preoccupied with thoughts of my best friend.
"No, I don't." Bonnie agreed reluctantly.
"No, you don't, because it took Emily years to learn a spell like that." Damon said.
"Well, I can take down a vampire, that spell was easy to learn." Bonnie threatened, narrowing his eyes at him. She was stressed out with everything happening. So was I. I shook my head at their not-so-friendly banter.
Damon turned to me, leaning in close as he almost-whispered, "I can give Caroline some blood."
I looked at him shocked. "Is that a good idea?" I wanted Caroline to heal, but this... giving her vampire blood would come at a price. If she were to die with it in her system... she'd be a member of the supernatural. But if she were to die now... it would be worse. I'd rather see her as a vampire then... dead-dead.
"Just enough to heal her." Damon said, defending his proposition. "She will be safe in the hospital and it will be out of her system in a day. She will be better, Ariana."
"Do it." Bonnie said, surprising me. Damon and I looked at her, and she looked at me, "This is Caroline. We can't let her die." Her gaze shifted to Damon, "Do it."
Damon stared at me, waiting for confirmation. I nodded. I would've thought Bonnie would be completely against Damon feeding Caroline his blood. But if she trusted him, then I would too.
Damon glanced at Bonnie, with a bit of distaste. "If I do this, you and me, call a truce?"
"No." Bonnie replied haughtily. Then she smirked, "But you'll do it anyway. For Ariana."
Bonnie left, and I swallowed uncomfortably as it left me alone with Damon. It was on the cheek, it was on the cheek... I kept repeating that in my head. Why was I so worked up?
"I know this is probably the last thing you want to do right now but we should talk about what happened tonight." Damon said.
I looked at him, pretending not to know what he was talking about, "What do you mean?"
He gave me a look, "You know what I'm talking about."
My thoughts drifted to the memory of his lips igniting fire within me. "It wasn't a big deal, Damon." I said, trying to convince me more than him. My eyes were glued to anything but his eyes.
Hurt flashed through his eyes. "Wasn't a - " He cut himself off, "We kissed, Ariana."
"I would hardly call that a kiss." I replied immediately, then regretted it as he flinched. I sighed, "Damon - "
He grabbed my arm, forcing me to look at him, his eyes filled with intense emotions. His ice blue eyes had melted, and were now boring into mine. "If you want to forget what happened, fine." He stated, "But I can't."
My breath hitched. My mind went into overdrive. Wasn't he overreacting a bit? We did not kiss. At least, I don't think we did. Everything was a little hazy, lately. Surreal.
Jenna arrived, and I was thankful that she did. If she hadn't, I'd be a puddle on the floor right now, from Damon's stares. "Ariana, I came as soon as I got your message." She said, glaring slightly at Damon. I furrowed my brows. I thought she liked him. Then I realized that he was still holding onto me, and he let go as Jenna came closer. "How is John?"
"He's doing okay. But, where have you been?" I asked her. I didn't see her at the house when I came back.
"At the fire department." She sent me a look that implied I was supposed to know, "I had to fill out a report. I told earlier."
I shook my head, "I don't think you did."
"Yes, I did." She stated.
"No." I was confused, "Jenna, you didn't."
I haven't seen her for hours, how could she have told me anything?
"Yes, I did." She remained solid.
"Mmm, you got to be kidding me." Damon groaned from next to us, as something dawned upon him. We looked at him in confusion, almost forgetting he was there. His eyes widened, realizing he'd said that out loud. He glanced several times between us, and walked away.
Damon offered to drive me home, and I took it. It was awkward between us, and so I focused my mind on other things.
Unlocking the front door, I stood dumbfounded at the sight before me. Stefan was on the ground, and he pushed himself up onto his feet as Damon and I entered the house. I took in his disheveled look in concern. "Stefan?"
"Ariana." He got out, examining me as if making sure I was myself.
"What happened?" Elena questioned as she descended the stairs, looking for an answer between the three of us.
"Katherine happened." Damon answered, looking at Stefan and I.
Yep, I was definitely dreaming.
Turned out, I wasn't.
Are you kidding me?! Katherine had returned, and rumor had it, she was posing as me. I really didn't know how to feel about this. Me and Elena's centuries old ancestor was in Mystic Falls, and she didn't exactly have a reputation for playing nice.
After re-entering the living room, I found Elena, Damon, and Stefan pacing and thinking in their own way. Elena was closest to me, as she leaned against the staircase wall, looking bored, confused, and tense. Damon paced slightly, but looked up when I walked into the room. Stefan came over to me, calculating silently in his mind.
"I told Jeremy, I can't omit anything from him anymore." I stated.
"Are you alright?" Stefan asked, concerned.
"I don't know." I replied truthfully. "I thought things would get easier with the tomb vampires gone, but..."
"I know." Stefan nodded, understandingly, "We all did."
"How do you think Katherine got into the house?" I asked no one in particular.
"Yeah... uh, about that." Elena started uncomfortably, raising her hand, "Guilty as charged."
"You invited her in?" Damon asked Elena in disbelief.
"Maybe, accidentally," She looked to me, "I thought she was you. She dresses like you, has the same hair, the same walk... it was scary. I mean, you guys look exactly the same."
I sighed, and took a seat on the comfy arm chair, next to Stefan, who stood pacing. "What are we going to do?"
"Move." Damon spoke up.
"Very helpful, thank you." Elena said sarcastically, as she glared at him.
Damon ignored her, and turned to me. "Katherine wants you dead; there's zero you can do about it; you would be dead. But you're not. So clearly she has other plans."
"Right and we need to find out what those other plans are and not provoke her in the process." Stefan casted Damon and sharp look, "What happened tonight when you thought she was Ariana?"
Shoot, shoot, shoot. Stefan knew? Wait, what am I worrying about? Nothing happened, not really. But obviously something did between Damon and Katherine, since he smirked back at his brother.
"To risk another frown line encroaching on a very crowded forehead." Damon said, while Stefan glared at him, "We... kissed."
That explained it. Why he was so persistent earlier. He thought that we had kissed and... oh, gosh. This was getting complicated. From the corner of my eye, I saw Elena roll her eyes, as if this news came of no surprise to her.
"What do you mean you kissed?" Stefan questioned dangerously.
"Well, you know, when two lips pucker and they go - " He puckered his lips and made kissing noises. Stefan lost all his composure and rushed at Damon with his vampire speed. Damon dodged him easily, and came to stand beside where I was sitting.
"Don't be obvious, Stefan." Damon said. Stefan started to charge at him again, and so I reacted automatically. I stepped in between them, placing an open hand out to Stefan.
"Stefan wait, h-he kissed Katherine, not me." I stated, then realized that I was partially lying.
"Aren't you forgetting what happened before that?" Damon said from behind me, and I turned around to see his jaw clenched. "Or did you already choose to ignore it."
"Ignore what?" Stefan almost growled out in jealousy. I took in a breath to answer, but Damon beat me to it.
"I kissed her on the cheek." He said, almost proudly. Everything happened in a blur after that. Stefan growled louder this time, and suddenly he was pinning Damon to the wall, murder written all over his features. Damon pushed the younger Salvatore off of him, taking an defensive stance. I planted myself between the two of them again, not wanting to witness them fight. My hands reached up and my fingers grazed Stefan's face, making him look at me.
"Stefan," I said, panicked as words just started spewing out of my mouth, "It wasn't that big of a deal." He continued to glare daggers at Damon. I waited a few seconds until his gaze softened. "We don't have time for this, guys." I looked at Damon, trying to make him understand.
"Later." Stefan proposed, and I think Damon agreed silently. I'll deal with that "later", I thought.
Elena cleared her throat uncomfortably, as she decided to join the "conversation". "John must know something. That, or he's so much of a douche that Katherine just decided to try to kill him."
"Elena." I stated.
"What?" She questioned, and I shook my head.
"She's Katherine." Damon explained. "She loves to play games, and you're fooling yourself if you think you're going to figure out what she's been up to before she wants you to know."
"No, John could know something through Isobel." Stefan said, thoughtfully. He glanced at Elena and I, "Your mother, she was in touch with Katherine so maybe we can go to the hospital and get him to talk."
"Yeah, um, unless it involves torturing it out of him, I'll pass." Elena stated, "I'd rather not have to ever see him again, let alone talk to him."
I was about to tell her that it wasn't exactly a nice thing to say, considering he was in the hospital, but Damon spoke up: "I've got a better idea?"
"What?" Elena questioned, as if nothing could top what she'd just said.
"I'm just gonna ignore the bitch." Damon said, walking backwards, "See you."
"Is that smart?" I asked. From what he was telling me, Katherine was very dangerous. More so than any of the tomb vampires, even.
"If Katherine thinks she's being ignored it will lure her out, she'll make a move."
"Yeah?" Stefan challenged, "And then what?"
Damon replied with a smirk, "Stake her; rip her head off, something poetic. We'll see." Then he disappeared out the back door.
The next day, Stefan and I went to visit John. Elena stayed at home, to help Jenna bake the pastries that we were bringing for the sudden death of Mayor Lockwood. He had died with the tomb vampires, and we didn't know why. I was baffled, almost certain that he hadn't been a vampire. Though, I guess we really didn't know in this world.
In the hospital, Stefan and I stood outside John's door. Stefan looked at me, "Ready for this?"
Nope, definitely not. But instead of saying that, I nodded. We entered the room, and I took in John; who was lying on the bed, in the hospital's patient outfit. His eyes were closed, with a breathing tube stuck to his nose.
"John?" I questioned softly with hesitation. His eyes opened, and they widened in panic when he saw me. He reached for the button to call the nurse, but Stefan took it away.
"It's Ariana." I said. And after a few moments, he calmed down.
"We know Katherine did this to you." Stefan stated. "We need to know why."
"Where is she?" He asked.
"You tell us." Stefan said.
"I don't know." John tried to sit up, but Stefan carefully pushed him back down. John winced in pain.
"You're a little too weak to play tough guy." Stefan suggested, "Why don't you just sit back and answer a few questions."
I slipped my hand into my pocket, and pulled out the huge, cool, silver and black ring. The ring that protected humans from the supernatural. The ring that provoked Katherine to chop off John's fingers just to make sure he died. Luckily, he didn't. I placed it in the palm of his hands, and he kept my gaze with his.
"Please, tell us why she's here." I pleaded, "What does she want?"
He didn't respond, so Stefan spoke up, "She'll try again; we can't help you if you don't confide in us."
"In you?" John scoffed at the idea.
"In your daughter then." Stefan gestured to me.
"My daughter should have driven a stake through your heart by now." John looked at me, "I never spoke with Katherine directly, she never trusted me." He looked back to Stefan, "So either kill me or get out, because I can't stand the sight of you with my daughter."
I was out the door before they could see my tears. I think Stefan called after me, but I couldn't remember. Why did John have to talk like this? Why were his superstitions so deeply rooted? Why couldn't he just see the light and be happy? Happy that he was alive?
Stefan caught up with me outside, questioning, "Hey, are you okay?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." I replied, "I just have to swing by home to pick up Jenna, Jeremy, and Elena so we can go to the Lockwoods'." I waited a second, "How did you leave him there; John?"
"I... I asked him to leave town." He said.
"Asked?" I questioned his choice of words.
"Okay," He admitted sheepishly, "I threatened him." He waited a few moments as I gathered my scattered thoughts. "You're not mad, are you."
"No, of course not." I assured him. "I want him gone, I do. I mean, all he's brought here to Mystic Falls is trouble, and it's put you and Damon in danger. But..." I lowered my eyes to the ground, "He's my father, Stefan. And I - I'm not sure if I want him to leave."
He nodded, understandingly, "I'll go back, and tell him - "
I shook my head, "No. It's better if he goes. For now I don't want him in Jeremy and Elena's life. In mine. We'll give him some time, and if he wants to come back into town, then he can."
Stefan smiled slightly, "Okay," he agreed, and embraced me.
When we pulled apart, I took a deep breath, and wondered, "So, what now?" Where would we take it from here? How do we proceed?
"Now, I need to go find Damon." He said, determined.
"Please Stefan, don't fight with him."
"No, Ariana, he tried to kiss you... and in a way, he did." He said, "I'm not okay with that."
"Stefan, he kissed me on the cheek." I said, and he clenched his jaw tighter. Okay, wrong thing to say. I tried again. "It was his way of saying 'thank you'. It didn't mean anything more."
"Maybe to you." Stefan replied, "But to him, he saw it as something more. Much more."
I sighed, "Stefan, don't worry. I don't want to blame anyone but... really, it's Katherine who's messing with your minds. Damon's not stable when it comes to her. Fighting with him is just going to make this situation worse."
"Ariana - " he tried to protest.
"Please, Stefan." I repeated, "Don't fight with him."
It was a minute before he finally relaxed, and nodded reluctantly. I sighed in relief. Now all we needed to do was fix this situation with Katherine. We didn't know what her plans were, but whatever it was, I had a feeling they were worse than we could ever imagine.
Jenna, Elena, Jeremy, and I were about to get into our car, preparing to go over to Tyler's. My phone rang, and I pulled it out. The caller ID read: Bonnie
"Hey, Bonnie." I said, after pressing the green button.
"Ariana?" Bonnie questioned, "Where are you?"
"Bonnie, I'm sorry I'm late. But I'm getting in the car now. Be there in five." I had to hang up because Jenna was handing me the box full of pastries. We got seated, and Jenna drove us to the Lockwood Mansion.
"Looks like the whole town has turned up." Jenna said as the four of us made our way across the front lawn of the Lockwood estate.
I gave her a sidelong glance, "Yeah. Well... he was the Mayor."
"Why don't they just save it for the funeral?" Jeremy questioned, annoyed.
"That's what people do." Jenna answered, "The Lockwoods were here for us when we went through this." I tried to ignore the flash of pain that went through me when she said that, "It'll be quick; we'll drop off the food and pay our respects and go."
"In and out?" Jeremy smiled, "It sounds like a plan."
We finally reached the huge porch, and I caught sight of Damon standing by a pillar, looking out into the horizon, while drinking a glass of bourbon. He looked thoughtful, but in a sad way. I turned to my family, "You guys go ahead, I'll be right there, okay?" They gave me a weird look, especially when they saw Damon. Elena nodded at me, Jeremy rolled his eyes, and Jenna glared slightly at Damon. They entered the mansion, disappearing from my sight.
"Hey," I greeted Damon, trying to smile and be happy, "How are you doing."
"Great, Ariana." He said sarcastically, "Walking on sunshine, thanks for asking." He gulped down more alcohol.
"Damon." I gave him a look, telling him that I really wanted to know how he was.
"Ariana." He played along with me.
"Damon, we're close enough now, that we should be able to talk about this." I said to him, "It's your decision whether or not you want to, but... I really want to know how you're doing." I held deep concern for him. So even though I didn't want to push him into talking about "feelings" or whatever, I was still worried.
"I kissed you; I thought you kissed me back." He announced, "Doppleganger hijinks ensued." He gave me a sarcastic smile, "How do you think I'm doing."
I took a deep breath, and spoke my mind, "I think that you're hurt."
"No, I don't get hurt, Ariana." He lied.
"No, you just don't admit that you get hurt." I told him, "Then you get angry and cover it up by doing something regrettable."
A twinkle lit up in his eyes, "You're scared." He deduced, "You think Katherine is gonna send me off the deep end, don't you?" I didn't answer, and his eyes hardened, "I don't need her for that."
Guilt clouded my senses, and I suddenly felt like a horrible human being. I couldn't stand hurting Damon, but what else could I do? I couldn't be what he wanted me to be. I took a shaky breath, and realized that Damon was leaving. But then, he turned back around suddenly.
"You know, why - why is it such a surprise that I would kiss you?" He asked me, a little smug.
I hesitated to answer, "It wasn't so much a surprise... than me being a little shocked."
"Then why were you shocked?" He smirked.
"Damon, we're close friends," I told him. "But yesterday, after the parade, I thought I made it clear that Stefan was worried about us. I thought... you knew that Stefan was the one I'm in love with." Hurt flashed through his eyes, "He's your brother, and I didn't expect you to do... what you did." Damn, my wording was getting really crappy. I couldn't think straight. My mind was on full defense.
"I thought what I did was appropriate at the time." He said.
What?! How in...? In what world...? Him kissing me - appropriate? "How was it appropriate?" I asked him, "You know I'm with Stefan. And you know how he'd react if -"
"I hardly care about how Stefan would 'react' or 'think'." Damon cut me off.
"Well he's your brother, so you should respect him." I said, kinda awkwardly. "And you should know, that I love him. A lot."
He gave me a fake laugh, his eyes glistened, "It's like you're deliberately trying to hurt me."
My heart sunk and plunged into an abyss. I felt immediate guilt, and it saddened me, "I wasn't trying to -"
I couldn't finish my sentence, because Bonnie rushed to meet me suddenly, her eyes widened in fear. "Ariana!"
"Bonnie." I turned my full attention to her, "What happened?"
She glanced a few times between Damon and I, as we looked at her in question.
Katherine had posed as me again, and Bonnie had been fooled. I still had yet to meet the vampire who looked exactly like me. The girl who met the Salvatore brothers, like me. We seemed to have a lot in common so far: From boys, to the way we dressed. Our identical faces...
From what Stefan and Damon have told me, I was nothing like her. Stefan described her as manipulative, selfish, entitled, and seductive. I hoped that none of those were true... okay, maybe the last one wasn't so bad. But still.
I was freaked out.
Damon and I went into search for Stefan and Katherine by the river, and I was not expecting... this! Katherine was no where to be seen, but Stefan was struggling to get up onto the bench, a gaping wound in his abdomen. Just like how I found John... and the wound was caused by the same person. What was Katherine after?
After announcing to us that he was going to find Katherine, Damon left. I tended to Stefan, using a cloth from my purse to wipe away the blood.
She had stabbed him with an iron stem.
"You gonna be okay?" I asked him as I soaked up the blood, the pigment staining the cloth. I could feel Stefan's hard abs under the material, and so I tried to focus on the task at hand instead.
"Yeah, it will heal." He answered. I gave him a look, implying that my question was meant to be interpreted differently. He continued, "I was trying to figure her out. I was playing along and I let her get to me."
I smiled, "Then don't." I stated obviously.
He smiled, and reached up to catch a strand of hair by my face, and proceeded to tuck it behind my ear. His green eyes looked at me longingly, and it was making me giddy.
Our connection broke when a voice explained, "I tried to track her but she's gone." Our eyes snapped up to see Damon coming back, giving us news about Katherine. He pretended to divert his gaze, "Oooh, cover up, Fabio." Stefan rolled his eyes, and pulled his shirt down, concealing the wound, "We got a crazy ex on the loose." He smirked at me, "You better watch out, looks like Katherine is trying to steal your guy."
I knew that he was joking, and just trying to get a rise out of Stefan, but his words still bothering me. Is that why Katherine came back? Did she want the Salvatore brothers' back? No, it couldn't be. She had a century and a half to return, yet she chose not to. She had plans. Plans that I wasn't sure I wanted to know.
"That's not what's happening." Stefan said to me, glaring at Damon.
"Isn't it?" The older Salvatore pushed, "I mean, it's only fair, since I went after your girl."
I looked to the ground, realizing this conversation was way too awkward, tense, and uncomfortable... They needed to work, and sort things out for by themselves. I tried changing the subject, plucking any excuse I could from memory. "I'm going to go check on Jenna, Jeremy, and Elena. I'll be at the mansion." I gave Stefan and smile, Damon a nod, and disappeared back to the Lockwoods'.
3rd person POV:
The Salvatore brother's eyes followed the Gilbert, until she was out of sight, and back into the elegant mansion. Stefan dropped his gaze to the grass, memorizing every detail to distract himself. Damon reacted differently, and chose to add humor to the situation, "So what's it gonna be, huh? Fight to the death?" Damon took a boxing stance, and pretended to punch something with his fists. Stefan just snorted. "Go ahead, make your threats, stake your claim."
"I'm not gonna fight you." Stefan stated, replaying the words Ariana had said to him earlier.
"Why?!" Damon rolled his eyes, and smirked, "I'd fight me."
Stefan stood up from the bench, and said, "Katherine is gonna try to play us against each other, you do know that right?"
"Brother, don't you worry, our bond is unbreakable." Damon said, sarcastically.
Stefan remained serious, "We need to stay united against her. So yes, as much as I would like to kill you, for what you did, I'm not going to fight you." He started to turn away.
"I kissed Ariana." Damon stated, smugly.
Stefan whipped his body back around to face Damon, pushing the jealousy and anger down. "Because you feel something for her!" He exploded, raising his voice. "I'm not going to hold that against you, because I completely understand why you would."
Stefan saw Damon swallow, no longer smiling. Stefan continued, "You care, and I'm not gonna let Katherine come in here and destroy that part of you that is finally, after all this time, willing to feel something." He lowered his voice, stepping closer, "She will try to break you, she will try to break us. And how we respond to that will define us. It's our choice. So no," he shook his head, "I'm not gonna fight you."
Stefan looked at Damon for a while, then walked away. It was great that Damon was willing to feel again, willing to care. But... of course it was Ariana that brought that side of him out. She was complete light, and only she could change his brother. Stefan hated how jealous he got when he thought about the two of them together. He trusted Ariana... but Damon, not so much.
Damon continued to stand by the river, surprised by Stefan's speech. He thought about how much he loved Ariana, and how much she had changed him. She had brought him out of his dark days, and into the light.
But now Katherine was back, and he couldn't stop thinking about how much he wanted to rip her head off.
Night had fallen upon the town. Damon entered the parlor, and poured himself a drink. He was pondering over the day's events, about to walk out of the room, when he sensed someone's presence. Someone unwelcome. He halted.
"Very brave of you to come here." He said to said someone, turning his head to look at her. Katherine sat on the couch, smiling slyly; beautiful. Just like Ariana.
"I wanted to say goodbye." Came her silky voice.
"Leaving so soon?" Damon narrowed his eyes at her, turning so that he could face her.
"I know where I'm not wanted." She stated.
"Don't pout." Damon drank a sip of his alcohol. "It's not attractive on a woman your age."
Katherine scoffed, "Ouch."
Damon finished his drink, and started to walk out of the room, annoyed by how much she reminded him of a certain someone. Katherine suddenly sped in front of him, "What, no goodbye kiss?" She questioned.
"Why don't I kill you instead?" Damon suggested, then narrowed his eyes further, "What are you doing here?"
"Nostalgia, curiosity, et. cetera." She replied.
"I'm better at the enigmatic one-liners, Katherine." Damon repeated, "What are you up to?"
Katherine rolled her eyes, "Trust me, Damon, when I'm up to something, you'll know it." She leaned closer, "Come on. Kiss me. Or kill me. Which will it be, Damon? We both know that you're only capable of one." She inched closer to his lips.
Damon jerked his head backward, and turned away. He barely moved a foot before Katherine rushed in front of him, grabbed his throat, and tackled him to the ground. She lied on top of him, seductively rubbing herself on his body, "My sweet, innocent, Damon." She cooed.
Damon flipped the over, this time he grabbed her by the throat. She smiled, seeing the hesitation in his eyes. Damon couldn't help himself. She looked too much like Ariana, and he longed to kiss her. So instead, he kissed Katherine.
Memories from centuries ago came rushing back to him, and he remembered how much he had loved her. It may not have been as much as he loved Ariana, but it was something.
"That's more like it." Katherine whispered, as she shaped her lips with Damon. She sped them to the wall, and she ripped his shirt wide open as they continued to kiss, only breaking for air. Damon knocked books off of a nearby table, and pushed Katherine onto it, kissing her neck and chest. By now she was in her lingerie, exposing most of herself to him.
Suddenly, Damon stopped. His breathing heavy. "Wait, brief pause."
Katherine rolled her eyes, and pushed him off of her, standing up. Damon was deep in thought. He knew that Ariana would never love him the way she loved Stefan. He was hurt, and he hated feeling that way. He just wanted to know that someone cared about him, that someone wanted to be with him, even if it was Katherine. She was the next best thing after Ariana. Darkness next to Light.
"I have a question." He started, "Answer it and it's back to fireworks and rockets red glare. Answer it right and I'll forget the last one hundred and forty five years that I've spent missing you. I'll forget how much I loved you, I'll forget everything and we can start over. This could be our defining moment because we have the time. That's the beauty of eternity." He gently caressed her face. The face that looked so much like Ariana. "I just need the truth, just once."
"Damon," Katherine started. She closed her eyes. "I don't love men who love other women, and you know who I'm talking about." Damon swallowed. "Even if she was out of the picture... The truth is... I've never loved you. It was always Stefan."
She took his hands off of her face, and left. Damon stood there, distraught. Ariana didn't want him, and Katherine didn't either. It was always Stefan. Katherine, whom he's been waiting over a century and a half for, never wanted him. His heart was slowly breaking apart.
Ariana POV:
I sighed as I got ready for bed. Slipping on a burgundy singlet, and jean short-shorts, I went into the bathroom to brush my teeth.
I was so worried. Worried about Katherine. Worried about Damon. Worried about Stefan. Everything! I swear, it was going to drive me insane.
I exited the bathroom and went back into my room. I almost had a heart attack, startled by the person sitting on my bed.
Damon.
"Oh god, you scared me." I said, walking up to him.
He gave me a sidelong glance, stating, "Just doing my part in the neighborhood watch."
I smiled, then looked away awkwardly. Damon was trying to protect me, and earlier all I did was hurt him. "Damon, about earlier - "
"Don't worry about it." He said.
I licked my lips. "Thanks, Damon. For everything. For looking out for us. Thank you."
"Your welcome." He said, and sighed, "That's me, your trusty bodyguard. Calm in crisis."
I furrowed my brows at him. He seemed different; eyes distracted, wavering body. "Have you been drinking?" I questioned.
He held up his forefinger and thumb, indicating that he's only been drinking a little bit. I didn't buy it. "Are you okay?" I asked, concerned, "You seem upset."
"No, I'm not upset." He said, "Upset is an emotion specific to those who care."
How many times have we been down this path? I gave him a look, "Come on, Damon. That's a lie. You care."
Damon looked up at me, as if trying to figure me out. "You're surprised that I thought you would kiss me back? You can't imagine that I believed that you would want to?"
"Damon..." I said, warningly. Why did he have to change back to this subject?
"That what we've been doing here... means something?" His eyes hardened, "You're the liar, Ariana. There is something going on between the two of us and you know it."
He rose suddenly, fire lighting up the ice in his eyes. I found myself suddenly afraid. Afraid of what he was going to say, going to do. He came closer to me, and my skin tingled in anticipation. I realized that I was wearing close to nothing, and I almost shivered.
Damon continued, towering over me, his eyes piercing mine, "And you're lying to me, and you're lying to Stefan, and, most of all, you're lying to yourself. I can prove it." He whispered the last part.
"No." I started, seeing the resolution in his eyes. But it was too late. His warm hands grabbed my face, and before I could think about it, he was kissing me. His lips caressed mine in a way that made me feel hot all over. It made me feel dangerous, and loved. I could feel the passion radiating off him, and my lips almost parted, as I found myself wanting more.
Almost.
My mind filled with Stefan suddenly, as I remembered him. I couldn't do this to him, I loved him. Damon's grip was like a vise, and it took all of my power to push his hands and face away from me. My heart pounded in my chest loudly, and I knew he could hear it.
"Damon, don't!" I said, "Please, what's wrong with you?" He was drunk, that must've been the answer.
"Lie about this." He whispered, his eyes looking at me with longing and lust. He bent his neck to kiss me again as his hands caressed my face.
I tried to move away from him, catching his hands, "Stop it!" I said in disbelief, "You're better than this, come on."
His eyes challenged mine, "That's where you're wrong." His hands evaded mine, and he grabbed my face again, leaning in to kiss me. I didn't have the physical strength to stop him. This time his kiss was much more forceful, and his tongue slipped through my lips, and I shivered. Whether it was in pleasure, or because I was scared, would always be a mystery to me.
I jerked my head back, breaking his grip on me. I grasped his hands, and exclaimed, "No, no, no, Damon! I care about you. Listen to me, I care about you, a lot. I do." His fingers curled around mine, and held on to them tightly. His hopeful expression made me feel bad about saying my next words, but he had to hear them: "But I love Stefan, it's always gonna be Stefan."
His eyes turned dark, and it was as if something died inside of him. As if I had just destroyed his entire universe. He looked at me in pain.
"Ariana, what's going on here?" I turned my head and saw Jeremy standing there, looking as if he wanted to murder Damon for touching me.
I pulled my wrists out of Damon's grasp, and fought the urge to slap my forehead. "Nothing, Jeremy." I lied, not wanting him to worry about me, "It's okay, just go back to bed."
"No, it's not okay, Ariana." Damon's words confused me as he said them, glancing from Jeremy and then to me, "He wants to be a vampire."
He suddenly rushed Jeremy and pushed him up against the wall. Damon's hands held him in a death grip by the throat, as Jeremy gagged.
"No, Damon, stop it! Damon!" I shouted at him, as I flared up in anger. If he hurts him-
"You want to shut out the pain?" Damon asked him, crazed, "It's the easiest thing in the world. The part of you that cares just goes away. All you have to do is flip the switch and snap!"
I heard a sound like the breaking of concrete, saw Jeremy's neck bend at an unnatural angle, then he fell to the floor, limp.
My entire world shattered.
"NO!" I registered myself scream, before I collapsed to the hardwood floor, my hands grabbing at Jeremy. Tears blurred my vision and fell down my cheeks, making it hard for me to see. But I didn't care. No. Jeremy couldn't be this. This wasn't happening, this wasn't happening, this wasn't -
But it was. Jeremy was dead. There was no pulse. His eyes were closed. He was still. Something inside me died. I think Damon left, but I didn't care. I clutched Jeremy like a lifeline. Like I could somehow save him if I willed it.
Something shiny caught my eye. His hand. A ring was on his fourth finger: the Gilbert ring. I let out a long breath of relief. Jeremy would be okay, he had to be. The ring would bring him back to life. It protected humans from supernatural creatures. He'd be okay.
Stefan arrived when I called him, and he stood behind me, as if too afraid to touch me. Afraid that I'd react in a bad way. Elena heard all the noise and rushed into my room. After I explained to her and Stefan what happened (leaving out the part about Damon kissing me), and telling them about the ring, she stopped freaking out.
We sat on the floor together, held on to each other, and cradled Jeremy's body.
"He saw the ring, that's why he did it." Stefan said from behind us. "He knew."
"That's no excuse!" Elena spat out.
"He didn't see the ring." I claimed, tears still present on my face.
"It's Katherine." Stefan said, angrily, "She got under his skin. She undid everything that was good about him."
"There's nothing good about him." Elena said.
"He's decided what he wants." I said, anger and rage pulsing through me, "He doesn't want to feel, he wants to be hated, it's just easier that way. He got his wish."
3rd person POV:
Damon entered the boarding house, his emotions running wild. He ripped off his jacket and threw it against the chair. He poured himself a drink, figuring that it would take away his pain and regret. It didn't.
He threw the glass into the fireplace, trying to relieve himself of the rage. The glass shattered, and tiny shards flew through the air, melting into the fire.
How could he have been such an idiot? How could he have killed her brother, the brother of the girl he loved? She'd never forgive him, and he hated himself. He hated himself in that moment more than he ever had before. He's just destroyed the little shimmer of hope he had before. She'd never care for him again, she'd hate him for eternity.
Ariana POV:
"I hate him, Stefan." I cried out. I never thought I could hate someone. Never thought it was possible. But there wasn't any other word I could use to describe how I felt in this moment. I didn't like the feeling. It was foreign to me, and I wanted that hatred to go away. I didn't want to hate someone.
Stefan knelt down next to me, his expression sincere. He comforted me, and placed an arm around me, repeating, "I know. I know." He kissed me on the shoulder, and rubbed his hands up and down my bare arms.
I heard a gasp, and looked down to see Jeremy awake. He was alive! Thank God! "Is he okay? Stefan?" I kept repeating over and over, looking at Jeremy for any signs.
"Jeremy!" Elena got out.
"He's okay." Stefan replied, trying to calm Jeremy's frantic movements, "Shhh, you're okay."
He was still in shock. "He killed me! Damon killed me!"
I touched Jeremy's face, feeling life come out of him. I touched his neck, feeling the quick beats of his heart. He was okay. "Oh my God, Jeremy." I embraced him, smiling like an idiot. "You're okay. It's okay."
"You gave me one hell of a scare," Elena said, as she went to hug our brother. We were all relieved. Relieved that he was alive. He was fine.
Gosh, I loved this episode. It's probably one of my top favorite episodes of the entire series. Katherine returning, and Damon and Stefan... their interactions were spectacular. The writers did an amazing job.
I want to thank everybody for reading and reviewing. It makes my job of writing easier to do when I know what people enjoy. So thank you!
-Spiralcloud