Chapter 29 TH
"What's gotten into you hawk eye?" He heard Beth laugh from another room and he had to stifle a shudder.
Toby's abilities were increasing and they were increasing alarmingly quickly. He put his head in his hands and scratched his scalp. Something wasn't right. He couldn't shake the feeling. It may be time to contact the mates. Then again, what could they do? They probably wouldn't know any more than he – except Stefan perhaps. When you walked the line between having been dead and then been resurrected, you sometimes have more of an awareness of the other side. Plus Stefan would no doubt sense changes to Vida's attitude also. Stefan hated him right now though.
Elizabeth would no doubt see any action as being premature and an overreaction. She thought he was paranoid, but he knew better. As the days progressed, Toby was becoming more aware of apparent spirits around them. Klaus felt helpless.
How could you protect someone from things you couldn't see? From beings that held no connection to the earth. From things that you couldn't inflict pain upon.
He shook his head and steepled his fingers. Tobby giggled.
Uncertainty.
He felt Beth channel by accident. Toby was her world and she was concerned about this. Still, by nature she was an optimist and she was trying not to follow his fear bandwagon. He lifted his cell and dialled out. He needed some psychic help at the very least. Time to shake the grapevine and find out whether the spirits around Toby were a threat or not.
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He waited until Bonnie was gone before he relaxed his clenched fists. Stefan was still alive. He put his face in his hands, overcome by relief and emotion. He closed his eyes and tried to breathe, shedding a few tears that he wiped away immediately. He had to be careful, he had no friends here, no real allies and he had to appear as strong and ambivalent as he'd been upon arrival. He ordered Bourbon.
Knowing Stefan was alive changed his game plan. There was a chance he'd survive now. Before he'd assumed it was only a matter of time until he started to die and he hadn't wanted Vida to see that happening. She'd have known what was inevitable and it would have distressed her more – the pain of a mate dying was like nothing else and he'd never have been able to conceal what he was going through. Now knowing he had time was good.
He pushed his chair back, taking his glass of bourbon with him as he moved upstairs to the dingy little room he had paid for. The walls were damp and he was pretty sure there were rodents around but he didn't care. He went into the room and lay down, looking up at the ceiling. Marcus had called. He'd wanted to clue Bonnie in on it, but it was too risky to involve a good witch. She might not be on board with his plan to do whatever it took to end Grandma's connection to them, probably because it was a decision that shouldn't be his alone. He knew she'd voice that and he didn't have time to argue with her over the merits of consent of the others. At the end of the day he knew that sometimes someone needed to make the hard calls and be hated for it, meanwhile accomplishing what everyone really needed. Whether they'd understand it right now wasn't important. They would eventually.
He nodded to himself and lifted his cell phone. He was dreading this phone call, but it was necessary. Stefan would probably hate this, but what else could he do? No way in hell Grandma intended to give Stefan's body back to them. He had to make sure that it happened and he couldn't do that if Grandma cottoned on to his plan in any way.
He hesitated, staring at the phone. Should he channel to Nathan first? Check on his progress? He sighed and closed his eyes as he considered it. Nathan was his beta, his ally – maybe the only one right now that he could count on. He was so like Stefan in morals. Perhaps he should run it by him first. Then again, if he did, then he risked putting Nathan in danger with that knowledge. Grandma may be able to break into his mind bubble and read his thoughts. It was too risky.
Family, Nathan?
He channelled anyway. He should check on him.
Alpha?
How goes the big bad wolf?
Dressed in grandma's clothing.
Any ideas what she's planning yet?
No. She's trying to mess with us.
How?
He frowned. He could see that grandma was smart. She would probably use her knowledge of their lives and abilities to her advantage. He didn't like her foreknowledge at all. She probably knew more about Nathan than he did.
She's just trying to claim responsibility for how some of the spell worked. Don't worry, I don't believe a word she's saying.
Be careful.
Family. Pack.
He exhaled and chewed his lip. What was she talking to Nathan about exactly? It was difficult not to be curious. After all, they'd been reduced to animals for the entirety and only grandma knew what she'd really done to them.
Alpha?
He blinked in surprise.
Yeah?
She's discovering the uh…wonders of being in a body again.
What do you mean?
Morning rise for one. Humour. Maybe if I bombard her with some of these things, it'll knock the wind out of her sails and she'll lean on me a little more. If I can gain her trust…
No, if she starts to enjoy being in Stefan's body she won't give it up.
Damon warned.
Alpha, you really think she's going to anyway? Skepticism.
Damon nodded to himself. At least he and Nathan agreed on one thing.
Probably not.
He agreed.
Maybe she's forgotten what being alive is really like – the uncertainty, pain, emotion. All she seemed to understand beforehand was hatred and vengeance. Maybe if she understands how we feel, it'll change her mind about using us all.
Damon chuckled and shook his head. Nathan was such a dreamer, so hopefully and unjaded. A few more years around he and Stefan and that would change! As he realised that he deflated a little. He liked Nathan the way he was. Being around their crazy lives would ruin a lot of who he was, the way he saw the world. He swallowed hard. Weird to feel protective over someone other than Vida and Stefan.
Alpha?
Nathan prompted and Damon exhaled.
Try it your way, but watch her. She's old and smart.
I will.
Damon rubbed his face again and looked to his cell screen again. It was now or never. Time to dance with another devil.
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Stefan wept in his bed. His whole back and rear stung as though he'd been speared by a hundred angry bees. Father had hit him. He'd actually done it – the look of anger in his eyes, he'd never seen it before. He'd almost seemed like an animal when he brought the belt down on him repeatedly.
He hiccupped as tears continued to saturate his pillow. Father had permitted no one to attend him either. He wanted Flora. He needed someone to hold him and soothe the pain. Why was father so angry? All he'd wanted to know was why he hadn't heard of this 'Damon' person before. Why had it invoked such a rage from father?
He buried his face deep into the pillow and tried not to touch his rear. It was difficult not to though, his blood pulsed there. He'd never felt pain like this before, had never been beaten before.
He held his breath in terror as he heard footsteps approach his room. Please, no more father!
The footsteps halted at his door and he cringed and held himself tight. The door unlocked from the outside and opened. He held his breath. Whoever it was stood looking at him for a few seconds before closing the door and walking towards the window. He slowly turned his face, but was too afraid to open his eyes.
"Why must you continue to resist Stefan?" His father mumbled and he brought his limbs in towards his belly to protect himself from any more lashes of the belt. "I've given you a new start here. A chance to save yourself."
Father's words didn't make any sense. What was he talking about? What had he done to make him so angry?
"You know going into the cemetery is forbidden. You know not to disturb your mother. You know how fragile her mind is." His voice was calm but authorative.
Stefan didn't know what to say. Should he speak or simply listen?
"Why can't you just live?"
He opened his eyes now, confused and looked at his father.
"I'm sorry father." He whispered, unsure if he should and Giuseppe turned to look at him.
He swallowed and shivered and Giuseppe looked to his clothes, seeing the blood spot parts where he'd been beaten.
"You must stay pure Stefan. It's the only way to save yourself."
"Yes sir." He whispered although he had no idea what he was talking about.
Giuseppe exhaled and he closed his eyes again and turned his face back into the pillow for comfort. Father's temper had receded. Hopefully he'd just leave him alone now and let Flora come. Giuseppe walked over to the bed and sat down at his side. Stefan didn't make any movements.
"I do this to protect you son. To save your soul. I will always try and save you from yourself, from others. I failed you last time but I will not this time. I swear to you."
Stefan turned his head, tears rolling from his eyes.
"Father, I don't understand." He sobbed and Giuseppe seemed to melt and lay his hand on his head.
Stefan jolted in fear and Giuseppe swallowed hard at that, running his fingers into Stefan's hair comfortingly.
"I am your father, you don't need to understand just trust me." He said gently and Stefan continued to sob.
Giuseppe sighed in remorse.
"Your brother is not a topic I ever wish to discuss after today and you must never mention his name to your mother again."
Stefan gave a nod of understanding.
"He was rotten inside Stefan. I knew it from the moment he began to talk back at me. He had something about him. I knew he'd take the wrong path in life and he wouldn't heed me."
Stefan listened carefully and closed his eyes.
"Worse still was his effect on you. I knew, that should he live, he'd corrupt you. I couldn't have that."
Stefan looked to him in pain and confusion. It almost sounded as though father had…No. He couldn't have, not to a child! Giuseppe avoided his eyes.
"I admit that it was partly my fault. Perhaps I should have beaten him more. I should have sent him to doctors perhaps, but I knew he'd inherited…" he shook his head as though unwilling to finish his line of thought, "I knew he'd fight me. I grieved for his soul, longer than I should have because it made me weak. I allowed him to grow more than I should have."
"Father, what happened to him?"
Giuseppe looked at him and swallowed hard.
"His foolish nature, son." Giuseppe answered with a non-answer and Stefan felt his hair prickle.
"Did you hurt him?" Stefan almost couldn't speak from fear.
If his father was capable of that, what would he do to him? This couldn't be happening.
"No! Son!" Giuseppe said horrified and lay his hands on Stefan's shoulders gently as Stefan searched his face. "With god as my witness, son. He was still my blood despite the demon in him. I couldn't."
Stefan turned his body slowly, grimacing as he did and Giuseppe helped him sit upright – the flame of guilt burning in his cheeks as he saw how much pain he had inflicted on his cherished son.
"He fell." Giuseppe said. "From a horse."
Stefan wiped his tears across his face with his arm and sniffled.
"The horse knew what he was and threw him."
"What was he?" Stefan asked and Giuseppe closed his eyes and tightened. "Was he a demon?"
"In a way." Giuseppe said grieved and looked away from him. "That's why we don't speak of it. You are a pure soul son and I knew that you would grieve for a brother, even one who would have damned you."
"How?"
"You're too young to understand." Giuseppe gave a small smile. "When you are a man, I will explain it all."
"When will that be?"
Giuseppe gave a chuckle and cupped Stefan's face.
"Soon my boy. Soon. No more talking of Damon. Your mother will get more upset recalling what can't be undone and it may make her illness worse. Do you understand?" Giuseppe said gently and Stefan nodded. "Stefan it's important that you obey me. I know what's best for you, for your mother. You must let the doctors do their work and not disturb her. Her mind is battling against death and she needs rest."
The mention of death had him sobbing again and Giuseppe carefully guided him into a hug, trying not to touch his wounds. Stefan sobbed against him now and Giuseppe cooed.
"I will send Flora in and she will clean you up. Now, a boy your age shouldn't cry. Show the servants who their master is, son."
Stefan pulled back and nodded, drying his tears. Giuseppe nodded and stood up.
"Don't go into that cemetery again, Stefan."
Stefan nodded and watched as his father left the room. He continued to breathe harshly and sniffle. He had no idea what the hell that had been about and now he couldn't ask mother. If mother was fighting death, he couldn't weaken her. Mother couldn't die! He would just have to forget 'Damon'.
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Bonnie waited in her car. Damon was up to something and she needed to know what. It must be big enough to make Damon stay here when he knew Vida was upset and needed him. What could it possibly be? What the hell would he need to come to a dump like this for?
She sighed and checked her phone. She texted Ian to let him know she'd found Damon but she didn't know what to tell the wolves, other than to keep trying what they could with Vida. Vida was a stubborn baby. Thankfully Isabella had infinite patience and had managed to get her feeding from Damon's blood once more. Human food was still off the table though. Vida just wouldn't accept it and that worried them all. Surely if she were to grow she'd need more than that. Her body was alive – it wasn't fully vampire. Isabella felt in her gut that she should be eating.
Damon hadn't come out of his room in a while now. If only she could tune into his thoughts like the mates could. Mind you, she might see horrors in his head and she didn't want that – opening up the mind of Damon Salvatore wouldn't be a picnic she wagered.
Finally after an hour, Damon emerged from the building and began to walk into the woods. She frowned. She'd assumed he'd drive to where he was going. What could be in the woods? She climbed out from her car and sighed. His senses were so sharp he'd hear her coming a mile away. Having wolf senses on top of vampire ones made certain of that fact. She tried to focus. There was a spell she'd seen in her grimoire that she hadn't ever used on herself. It could be useful now though.
She grabbed it from the back of the car and flipped through it. She had used an invisibility element to shield Jonathan Gilbert Journal when Damon had had to collect it for Logan Fell and the other's who'd forced her and her grams to do the opening spell - the spell that had killed Grams and gotten Stefan killed originally. The spell to cloak the book from anyone but Damon had worked really well and they hadn't had a problem. Could she cloak herself though? A person was much bigger than a book. Still, what choice did she have? She quickly recited the spell and put the book safely back in the trunk, locking it with magic, before checking for her reflection in her wing mirror. There was nothing. She marvelled and chuckled, before remembering she had to follow.
She ran in the direction he'd gone in, amazed that not only was she cloaked visibly, but so was any sounds she might make – perfectly convenient for this moment. She'd have to use this spell again.
She stopped a few feet away from him and waited. He was obviously meeting someone. He looked around and searched the woods, looking right at her and she held tight in fear he could see her. He frowned. How odd. He knew she was out here – well maybe not her exactly but he knew that something wasn't right. Amazing. Wolf part or vamp part of him? He continued to stare in her direction when his head turned elsewhere and she looked in the direction he was. She couldn't see or hear anyone, but he obviously could.
After a few minutes she heard footsteps, several of them and Damon appeared to stand on alert. Clearly he was expecting one person and not several. She moved a little closer and Damon's expression tightened into anger and she could see why. All around him, people approached and circled him. She stood far enough back to avoid detection, but some of the other people looked around as though searching also. She swallowed and waited.
"Where's Marcus?" Damon asked, looking a little cornered.
"He's coming, but first of all we make the trade of services." One woman said commandingly and Damon chuckled and tilted his head at her.
"And you need all your little helpers here to make sure I play fair?" He scoffed.
"You're a vampire." Was the woman's response.
"What's the trade?" Damon asked impatiently.
"You." The woman said and Damon blinked.
Bonnie stepped closer, her skin prickling in alert.
"Excuse me?"
"In exchange for breaking your kinds blood connection to the original wolf, we want your body."
"And why the hell would I agree to that?" Damon let his vampire eyes show in warning.
"Because you're dying anyway and we are the only ones who can give you what you want." The woman was confident and seemed sound in her bargaining.
Bonnie frowned. Damon must have told them Stefan was dead. What the hell was their spell? To break their blood connection to grandma? What? What would that accomplish?
"Marcus said you'd only need my blood." Damon bargained and the woman shook her head.
"No. We need your tissue."
"What for?"
"For study."
"Study?" Damon scoffed again and looked around at them all. "Don't see any grad students here, lady. Where the hell do a bunch of gypsies keep lab equipment? In your wagon?"
Gypsies. Shit. Bonnie's eyes widened as she realised. These people were travellers.
She clenched her fists. Of course! Grandma had had a traveller magically add the special element into the blood of her children so that each new generation would carry it and help her draw upon their collective life force once they mated, for her spell. The element was almost like an inherent trait and when coupled with werewolf mating it made the connection to grandma stronger…God. Damon had figured it out. If the travellers undid that spell, then it would unlink the babies and any future babies from grandma. It wouldn't stop them being related to her because there would be no way to rip the element from the blood of people who already had it, so Vida and Toby would still carry it, but if the connection was severed, they'd be able to mate when they were adults and not have their bond seal like the mates. That would mean that when they did mate as adults, the bond would now be a normal wolf one and their children would be born without the element afterwards.
Damon had set this up as a way of ensuring that Vida would survive and live as normal a life as possible. If they failed to get Grandma out of Stefan voluntarily and they were forced to kill Damon to kill Stefan's body, then Grandma would no doubt try again and she would try to drain her other descendants. There weren't many left – Klaus, the mates, Nathan and 3 other humans and grandma would count on being able to drain from any of their offspring too. Bonnie had cast with Klaus's blood to earth the mates, so she couldn't draw from them anymore, but she could draw from the humans however. Thankfully they weren't strong enough unless she had hundreds of them and she'd only have three. It'd never be enough to bring her back without any connection to offspring.
Bonnie put her fingers into her hair and pulled. This had been a suicide mission. He really had believed that Stefan was gone. What the hell were they to do now? Gypsies and witches didn't play well together. If she tried to approach them now, it could end badly. She returned her attention back to Damon, who was now snarling and arguing.
"You think I'm going to let you get your hands on a mated body? You're crazier than you look lady!" He growled and they pulled the circle around him tighter.
"You were the one that came to us vampire! Now you either make the trade or we walk away. It's your choice."
"And I'm supposed to trust that if I hand myself over, you're going to keep your end of the bargain?"
The woman stepped forward and held out her hand. Damon looked down at it and saw a crystal there.
"What's that?" He snorted.
"The bind for the spell. This was used in the casting of your spell. Destroying it with a little magic will sever the connection."
"That's it?" He said sarcastically. "I know witches and they need a little more than pretty rock to cast a spell, lady!"
"Yes, well." The woman began to chuckle and they all did, causing Damon to scowl and look around at them all. "That's witchcraft for you – very little power, but lots of tools. Our magic is ancient and elemental."
Damon pulled his expression back to blank once more and stood taller, staring the woman out.
"What would you get out of having me in exchange?"
"That's for us to know, now do you want the spell broken or not?" She asked and there was a finality to her voice.
He drew in a deep breath and looked towards her palm. She was so close, if that crystal was the bind, maybe he could grab her and it and take them back to Bonnie. Bonnie's magic he could count on. He cracked a small smile.
"Go to hell." He flashed his teeth and dove for her.
They all linked hands suddenly and Damon fell to the ground gasping as though he couldn't breathe. Bonnie ran forwards, chanting to try and summon a wind to knock them all over, when they simply vanished. Damon sprang up angrily and shouted into the air. He was infuriated. He fell to his knees and pounded the ground as he screamed.
Bonnie stopped before him, panting at her exertion and he slumped his shoulders, grabbing pieces of mud and squeezing them.
Bonnie let the invisibility slip from her like a piece of fabric and Damon looked up at her tiredly, defeated. He opened his mouth and then closed it, bowing his head.
"You're not a dumb as you I thought." She commented and he slumped further and sat down, staring off into the woods. "You couldn't let me in on your brilliant plan?"
"Not so brilliant." He mumbled.
"Not this way, no." She agreed. "Come on, get up. We've got a spell to undo."
"The only one who can undo it is a traveller Bonnie." He said, sounding defeated.
"I know."
"That was my only shot." He croaked.
"You didn't have much of great plan there did you?" She commented and he didn't answer.
"Thinking is hard right now." He admitted and she nodded.
She reached her hand down to help him up and he looked at her. She raised her eyebrows and he took her hand, standing up.
"If you've taught me anything, it's that you have to know your enemies weaknesses." She said, dusting the mud off of her hands and he exhaled. "These people wanted your body, which means there's something in you they need."
"My blood." He mumbled.
"No. If they just needed that they could have just disabled you and taken you with them." She surmised, looking around.
He turned to her, thinking about that.
"There's another reason and we're going to figure it out." She said confidently and he seemed to pick up a little. "Now, let's get you home to your daughter shall we?"
He nodded and followed her back to her car.
