Disclaimer: I own neither Twilight nor the Vampire Diaries.
Thanks to the wonderfully talented, Dark-Supernatural-Angel and TheSuperNinja'sCrabcake; their sharp red pens make my writing pretty. Mistakes are all mine.
Enjoy.
We will stand together
Even through the darkest hour
When the night seems never-ending
We know there will be a dawn for us
When the world seems broken
Broken like the hearts within us
Destiny will guide us and we'll dare to raise our eyes to heaven
God will light our way
We shall win the day
We shall win the day...
Then once again the glorious
We will emerge victorious
Until then hand in hand
We'll let history know that..
We will stand together
Even in the darkest moment
Destiny will guide us and we'll dare to raise our eyes to heaven
History will say..
We shall win the day
We shall win the day
We will stand together... till then.
-Russell Watson
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"Where is Katherine?"
"Don't know, don't care."
"What if she is up to something?"
"It's Katherine. She is always up to something. Let's be glad she's leaving us alone at the moment, 'kay, Elena?"
She hesitates briefly before asking about Alaric; it's still a touchy subject with Damon. "Any news?"
"Nope."
"Did you—"
"Yes . I went to his house, checked at the school, and at the University."
"Did you—"
"Yes, Elena. I called Vanessa. I called his cell phone. I all but fired off a text to the vampire community to keep a look out for the vampire hunter."
Elena sighs, exasperated. "What can we do?"
"Right now? Drink and wait for him to show up." Damon tilts his glass towards her, winking.
"Seriously?" Her tone goes a pitch higher.
Damon hums in response, going back to people watching. She in turn goes back to her table, avoiding Matt's questioning gaze and Jeremy's narrowed eyes. The only reason Damon is even here is because he wants to be able to listen in to what Elijah has to say to her. She'd avoided telling him anything about Isobel's answers or Elijah's comments; it's fair in her eyes as they—Bella, Stefan, and Damon—don't tell her anything, either.
She doesn't have to wait long as he slides into the seat opposite of hers. He looks much better without the stake hole in his coat jacket.
"Lucy was your backup plan?"
He shrugs, smiling charmingly. "She owes me."
"What did you save her from?"
"I saved her from becoming Klaus' puppet."
"Oh?"
"Yes. It's an interesting story. You should ask her sometime."
It's clear he won't say any more on that subject. It's a relief, too. It shows that he keeps his deals and conversations private.
"Why did you ask me to come here?"
"I wanted to ask you how you were."
"After the 'you're my daughter and I care about you' debacle? I'm perfect," she states with an over-the-top grin.
He hums, in that annoying way that clearly suggests he knows better, and that he's expecting her to elaborate, but she doesn't.
"Was that all?" She prompts.
"I wanted to tell you in person. I'll be out of town. Lucy will be staying, though."
"Where are you going? Why is she here?"
"I have something to arrange for the, er…upcoming event, so to say. Lucy is helping me; her intentions are pure."
"You're sure about that?"
He nods.
"Okay."
"I'll be back in a few days."
"Okay," she repeats. "What if Klaus shows up?" What a coincidence that'll be…
"Lucy will be at the dance tonight, watching. Take care of yourself," he says formally, not waiting for a response before he gets up and heads out.
Damon sighs from his position at the bar. They found nothing new.
.
.
.
.
"Do you have to do that?" Bella cocks her head to the side, watching the dart pierce through John's eye.
Elena glares at him murderously.
"Oh, I do." He nods his head three times fast, almost giving the human in the room a headache.
Damon had rummaged through the old Gilbert family album, grabbing the first picture of John's he could; he had taped it to the board on the kitchen wall before aiming darts at the eyes. So far, John's picture looks like a pirate, with one eye missing because of so many pokes.
"How's this one?" Elena holds up a colorful dress, with different shapes of different shades all over it.
"Doesn't matter. You're not going as it is," Damon interrupts.
"I'm going, Damon. You can't stop me." It's the third time they'd had this conversation.
"Wanna bet?" He smiles at her, one side of his lips tilting higher than the other. His eyes crinkle adorably. He turns to Bella. "Let's play a game."
Bella swats as his hand wanders up her right side. "No," she declines. "You're a sore loser."
He mock gasps. "Am not."
"You are, and you know it."
"I resent that statement."
"Because you know it's true. The one with the belt looks good, Elena."
He turns to point at Elena. "You're still not going."
She throws her hands up in the air, her words firm, "I am going. I don't see why I can't; Stefan will be there, you'll be there, Bella will be there…"
"And Lucy and Bonnie, right?" He questions.
"Yeah, and them. Listen to me. I just want to enjoy my high school year just in case…"
"Just in case you die during the sacrifice? Yeah, that won't happen."
She steps closer to him, squeezing his bicep affectionately. "Even if I don't, I don't want to look back and remember that because of an impulsive, control freak of a vampire I couldn't go to my high school dance."
He looks at her, pursing his lips to one side in thought. "Fine…"
"I'm sensing a 'but'," Elena teases.
"But you're standing within one of our eye sights, okay?"
She nods. "Okay." She turns to Bella, the sense of security that had enveloped her during her moment with Damon dissipating. She still doesn't know what to make of her feelings, especially after Elijah's declaration of Bella having every intention to be a martyr. "Which dress?"
"I like the sexy hippie one."
"Sexy hippie it is."
Elena moves upstairs, leaving Damon to capture Bella's hands to pull her to play darts with him.
Bella's eyes move towards the stairs, and when she's certain that Elena isn't coming down, she lets her tongue peek out from the right side of her closed lips, closing one eye to get the target right. Her aim would've been perfect regardless, but she plays up the role just to carry on the feel that this game isn't as easy as it really is.
There are footsteps behind her, but she pulls her hand back, letting the dart go when she swings her hand forward, the velocity taking just seconds as the sharp point of it cuts through the air first and then the part of John's forehead, just between his eyebrows. She turns to Damon, her teeth white as she grins widely. She throws her arms up, whooping.
He only rolls his eyes at her antics.
A throat clearing rings out from the kitchen door.
Bella turns towards it and cocks an eyebrow at Jeremy.
"I'm insulted." He crosses his arms over his chest.
"You don't like your uncle," Damon states.
"I don't. Which is why I'm insulted that you didn't invite me to the party."
Bella hands the two remaining darts to Jeremy, winking at him. "Have fun. I'm going to go help Elena with her hair."
"You're going to the dance like that?" Jeremy looks pointedly at her sleeveless sheer blue top on top of a tank, tucked into the waist high skinny jeans.
Bella looks down defensively. "What's wrong with it?"
"Nothing." Damon snickers.
"Everything," Jeremy butts in. "It's a dance."
"And I'll be going as a chaperone."
"You still need to experience it!" He looks at Damon for support. "You should ask her to the dance."
"What?"
"Yeah…that's a great idea! You could have some fun." He looks like a child in a candy store.
"Are you smoking pot again?" Damon's lips turn downward.
Jeremy rolls his eyes. "Have you ever even taken her out on a date?"
Silence.
"Seriously, Damon?"
Damon's eyes widen a fraction as if he's never realized that fact. He'd been kidnapped by her before, but ever since that night…that initial night that their relationship began, they'd never gone anywhere, never just the two of them. The feeling of being suffocated by all the things that have been happening, or will be happening made their actions much more desperate. They'd been so keen on spending as much time together as possible that they'd never valued the minutes and the small, sweet moments.
Jeremy slips away as Damon inches closer to Bella, his baby blue eyes darkening slightly. She finds herself unable to move, locked in his intense stare.
"Bella?"
She hums, her eyes trained on his lips.
His tongue peeks out, wetting his lower lip. He's close enough for her to smell his cologne, close enough to feel the warmth of his skin through their layers of clothes. He's standing just right, that if she were to tilt her head a little to the left and reach up a little, their lips would—
"Would you like to—"
"Bella?"
They startle, but don't pull apart.
"Can you help me with my hair?"
Bella turns towards the stairs, smiling. "Sure." She slips past Damon, letting her arm graze the length of his upper torso. "And Damon? I'd love to accompany you to the dance."
.
.
.
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"This…is boring."
Jeremy and Bella both look around, from the poorly dancing couples on the dance floor with 21th century moves, to Elena, Bonnie, Stefan, Damon, and Caroline standing around the drinks table, probably arguing about stopping the older Salvatore sibling from spiking it just for his amusement. Lucy stands off to the side, content to drink the punch.
"We should get this party started," Jeremy states, straightening his spine and formal button down shirt.
"Do you even know how to do a 60s dance?"
He grabs her hand, leaning back to smirk at Damon before pulling Bella to the dance floor. "No, but I know how to improvise."
She can't stop the laugh as the younger Gilbert grabs both of Bella's hands, pulling one of his arms back and then the other, shaking both of their shoulders. He grins at her, twirling her smoothly before pulling her back towards him. With her pencil thin heels, she's almost as tall as him. Laughing made her forget about the conversation he'd had with Bonnie the night before. The girl is adamant about putting herself through hell for her childhood friend, and while he wanted both his sister and his girlfriend safe, he couldn't side with either of them. Knowing the two of them, they would sacrifice themselves just for a two percent chance that someone would be saved.
He doesn't trust Elijah, nor Elena nor Bonnie…so he'll be talking to that one person he knows would understand his concern.
"Thank you, by the way."
"Whatever for?" He lets his hand rest on her waist, feeling a tiny hint of fear as he thinks of Damon's reaction, but the vampire is smiling. Not a big one, but the tiny, tiny one with just one side tilted up.
"For insisting that Damon ask me to the dance."
"My pleasure, Miss."
Bella's giggles are infectious, and he can't help but chuckle along with her. She's so easily amused.
He spins her again and just as she's coming back towards him, another arm snakes around her waist and her arm that is in the air finds its place around Damon's shoulders, her hand at the nape of his neck. Bella's light blue top contrasts with Damon's black button down nicely.
"Mind if I cut in?"
Jeremy shrugs, grinning at Bella before making his way towards the punch table.
"What's up?" He sides up to Bonnie.
"Eyes out, Alaric is back, and I'm pretty sure Damon slipped some Bourbon into the punch."
"Really? Then don't mind if I have some…"
Bonnie grabs his arm, and he takes advantage to pull her against his body. "No alcohol." The stern look she gives him makes him feel as if he's a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
"On one condition. Dance with me."
"You wouldn't drink even if I didn't."
He pouts out his bottom lip. "You can't resist this face."
She belts out a laugh before taking the outstretched hand.
"Did Alaric give a reason for his disappearance?"
"Something about needing time away."
"And Damon took those words?"
"No, Damon ignored him completely, opting for the dance floor than chit chat." She grins up at him.
The music changes as soon as they reach closer to Damon and Bella. "Time Has Told Me" by Nick Drake softly plays out, and some of the couples on the dance floor leave, letting the others grab their partners closer.
A few minutes…for a few minutes, they can ignore the big elephant in the room. They can pretend that they're just high school kids who know how to have fun, skip class, and who can drink their parents under the table.
And they're content to present until Bella tenses up noticeable, her eyes moving to the entrance of the auditorium.
And it only takes one second for Damon to scramble, grabbing Bonnie and making a beeline for the hallway.
"What—" Jeremy's question goes unheard, and he rushes out after them, pausing briefly just to tell Matt to stay where he is.
Elena doesn't get much time as Lucy grabs her at the waist, keeping her aside as she watches her best friend, her boyfriend and his brother, and Bella rush away.
"Jeremy!" She yells out, trying to get out of Lucy's grasp just long enough to grab his sleeve. "You're not going anywhere!"
"Elena, I can't let Bonnie do this!"
Lucy struggles to keep them both in place. "Stop it, both of you!"
He slips through Elena's hand. "Jeremy! Jeremy, stop!" She tugs at Lucy's hands. "Let go!"
Invisible chains lock around Elena's middle and arms, binding her painfully against the lockers, her feet twenty inches above the floor.
Lucy's curled hair bounces on her shoulder as her head whips around rapidly. The formal red top she is wearing clings to her slightly damp skin—the only sign that the witch is nervous.
"Lucy…are you doing this?"
"Yes," she hisses. "You asked for it. Now shut up, I'm trying to keep an ear out."
Elena silences immediately. The chains on her loosen as she eases, still suspended in air, and her ears strain to hear things above the dull noise of music.
The door from the opposite end slams open. It's almost poetic…how the light is shining from behind the dark figure, drawing out the suspense. Elena breathes a sigh of relief to see Alaric.
"I've got it from here," he tells Lucy, and she leaves the same way the rest had run, as if understanding his silent statement.
"Can I get out of this now?" Elena yells after her, and a second later she crashes roughly to the floor, falling to her knees from the sudden freedom.
She rubs her wrists, muttering curses after the witch who has disappeared completely from her view. She turns to Alaric, tension racing through her every nerve.
"Jeremy went after them; we have to help!"
He grabs her arm, not roughly, but with determination, dragging her towards the opposite end of where Lucy went. The place where his fingers grip her begins to burn, as if the flesh is being set on fire, but she ignores it in her anxiety. She turns her head back at the empty hallway, as if expecting someone to step out and ask her for help, yet her feet move forward, or rather drag forward. She finds herself compliant with his firm action, unable to question his sudden turn of silent authority. She's worried about her brother, worried about Stefan and Damon and Bonnie, but this is Alaric… He is someone she knows and understands. He is safety.
Alaric pushes her into his classroom, clicking the lock behind.
Her brows come together, her nerves on alert. "Wha—?"
"Hello, Elena." The crisp English accent sets her on edge immediately. It's the ever so familiar accent that usually laces Bella's tone when the hybrid doesn't pay much attention to her wording. She can tell because of the way his tongue wraps around her name; it chills her down to her bones.
She backs away unintentionally. "Wh—Who are you?"
"Tsk, Elena. I expected you to be prepared for me. I was told you'd done extensive planning to eliminate my existence…and I come here to find no such fight." He mocks a sad face. "I am utmost disappointed."
She bumps into his desk, her fingers finding a pencil. She grips it tight in her hand.
"Elijah left a mediocre witch to watch over the precious doppelganger? How very naïve of him."
Elena's back straightens up. "He left because he knew we could handle ourselves."
"Oh?" He leans in closer, and she pulls back, her back brushing against the wooden desk to prevent from Klaus' front torso from coming any nearer. His nose grazes against her collarbone as he breathes in deeply. "Divine. I can't wait to taste you."
Her hand with the pencil comes forward, but he grabs it midair, twisting it without breaking a sweat as the pencil points towards her heart. She fights him with all the strength she can muster up, yet he remains stronger.
"It's okay, Elena. I wouldn't hurt a pretty little hair on your pretty little head…tonight. You're not my target."
"How did you know?" She asks through clenched teeth.
"About Bonnie's powers or your idiotic plan?"
She doesn't respond.
"See…you mother tried to use a bargaining chip with me. In order to leave you alone, she'd bring me Katherine. What she failed to realize was just how long I've been waiting for this. Do you know how many seasons have passed, how many decades, how many centuries that I've had to hide my very nature? Isobel always knows more than she lets on, but emotions make you rather unreceptive of those observations. She lost because of your little mother-daughter moment."
Elena's breath catches. "What did you do to her?"
"Nothing major yet. She's just sitting alongside Katherine, making sure the previous doppelganger is punishing herself accordingly to the rules I've set."
"You're sick," she chokes out.
"If you wanted to outsmart me, you ought to have covered your tracks and kept the weaklings out. Katherine didn't last a second before spilling."
He halts, a sadistic smile spreading on his lips. Elena's mind is in turmoil; she's seeing the person that she'd come to believe as safe, someone she'd freely let into both her house and her life, yet it's not him. It's only Alaric's physical preservation. Still, seeing such a sadistic smile on Ric's face makes her shudder. She'd never be able to look at him the same again.
"How nice of you to join us, Bonnie." He blurs away instantly, grabbing the witch by her throat.
"Stop!" Elena screams, scrambling to her feet. "No!" Hands grab her around the waist, hauling her away and out of the room. She finds herself in the hallway, able to listen to the conversation inside, yet unable to do anything to help her best friend. The helplessness of her own lack of ability, mobility, and strength nearly kills her.
"Ah yes, your misconception about your ability to kill me, little one. I heard all about your new found powers, but you're still not strong enough," she hears Klaus murmur in a patronizing tone to Bonnie.
He's flung backwards, and Bonnie finds her balance on the floor. Elena watches from the window on the door in morbid fascination. Perhaps Bonnie would be able to win this fight…
The thought is lost immediately as Klaus taunts. He's flung in various places around the room, as if he were a rag doll before his hands grab Bonnie's neck. He slams her head back against the wall behind her, smirking as the sound resonates.
The lights around them flicker and the ceiling shakes, and just as soon as that had come, everything stills. Time, breaths, movement…everything ceases to be as Klaus falls to floor, to his knees, the expression on his—Alaric's—face contorts to one of confusion and alert and at the same time, of worry. Hands and arms slide against her, yet she feels nothing—it's almost like an out-of-body experience. It doesn't take long for Bonnie to fall to her knees, either, but instead of taking advantage of the situation, Klaus blurs towards the windows, shattering through the glass and disappearing.
Screams. She can hear screams, and it takes a moment to realize it's her. Tremors are going through her muscles; she's fighting against the strong arms around her, struggling to let go of. And finally, the arms are away, and she flings the door open ahead of Jeremy before falling painfully to her knees besides Bonnie, whose hair at the back of her head is covered in blood. There's blood by her nose, and blood on the side of her face.
No, no, no, no, no…
"Bonnie, wake up, Bonnie. Bonnie! Look, we won. He left, Bonnie. Come on, open your eyes, please." Her cheeks are wet.
"Elena…" Stefan's whispered plea falls on deaf ears.
"Bonnie, Bonnie, Bonnie," she chants, briefly aware of Jeremy's hands shaking the witch's shoulders.
Stefan manages to pull her to her feet, supporting her entire weight. Her mind catches up to what happened and her first emotion is anger. She turns angrily towards the sullen faces surrounding her. Her finger points accusing to Damon before it whirls towards Bella.
"You knew. You knew this would happen and you still let her?" Elena doesn't wait for a response, nor does she look at the blood lacing the blue shirt across the Bella's stomach. "How could you? But of course you would! You don't care about anything or anyone besides yourself and your motive. You'd sacrifice anyone in your will to avenge for your sister's death, for what Klaus did to you, and for your miserable life! That's all you want, isn't it? Revenge. And you're willing to make a lamb out of everyone that I care about. Why won't you leave us alone, Bella? Why not leave and drag Klaus elsewhere so that you can finish him there? Or why not just let us die? He'd be so much easier to kill for you when the rest of us vulnerable humans and weak beings aren't becoming a hindrance to your all mighty plans."
Her chest heaves heavily, her emotions winding down a little as the tip of her nose burns. The sides of her eyes burn before her vision becomes blurry. Sympathetic looks…she's the one getting sympathetic looks, and Bella backs away slowly. Her expression isn't one of unkind, but it's carefully manipulated into nonchalance, into a mask. Damon doesn't reach out to her, but surprisingly, Caroline does.
Betrayal.
.
.
.
.
My hand grabs Bonnie's arm, and she flails behind me awkwardly, for once not questioning as she hurries. The dance floor remains a distant memory even though it has been just two seconds since we've left it. We've got more concerning things to worry about.
"Keep Elena away," I whisper roughly to Lucy, feeling your presence beside me. You don't know how soothing it is to know that you're right here…you're right next to me. Not ahead of me, not behind me but right beside. It shows that we're on the same page, it shows that you wouldn't try to fool me and that you'll keep me in the loop. It's a weird analogy, but weird has always worked with us.
"He is this way," Bonnie states, a shaky finger pointing towards the left side of the corridor.
You come to a stop, your brows coming together as your eyes dart the opposite direction.
I grab your arm. "What happened?"
You shake your head. "Nothing…I just thought—no, nothing."
Stefan moves beside us, his expression one of anxiousness. "Jeremy is coming this way."
"You stay, we can handle this," I tell him, reassuring when he insists.
Our feet pound against the linoleum floor, and as we get closer to our destination, I know what Bonnie meant previously. The presence that Bonnie and you had felt then…I can feel it, too. The door to one of the bigger rooms is shaking, not visible to the human eye, but I can notice small tremors moving through it. Energy…lots of energy.
We inch closer. Just as I'm about to touch the doors to pull them open, the three of us are pushed back by an unseen force.
Your eyes are wide. "That's not Klaus."
"How can you be so certain?" Bonnie questions, not unkindly.
"Can't you feel that? The power eluding from within the room isn't one of magical traces, but rather from a powerful being."
I know you'll take care of yourself, and knowing Emily, I know she won't let anything happen to you, either. I turn to Bonnie. "You'll be fine?"
"I didn't know you could be so caring, Damon."
I roll my eyes.
"Yeah, I'll be fine."
"And in case you're not?"
"Damon. I didn't question you when you pulled me away. Now I need you to trust me, okay?"
There's determination in her eyes that makes me believe what she needs me to.
"Wait," you murmur softly. Your back is turned to us and when you try to move away, you only get propelled backwards. "What is that?"
Bonnie moves forth, trying her hand, and silently a few spells, but it fails.
"Shit," you curse. It puts me on alert; you don't curse…not if you can help it. This is serious. "New plan. You two stay out here. Bonnie, I need you to open the door, and if you can, keep the other power contained. And when that barrier falls, I want you to find Elena. Klaus will be there."
Apprehension crosses Bonnie's face, but she doesn't question.
"Damon…I need you to keep your strength. I'm going to be feeding off of you in there."
"Feeding?"
"Energy wise."
"I could help you," I suggest firmly.
"No. This isn't the fight—this is a test. And once that person sees me, I won't be able to let him go out alive."
You murmur a few things to Bonnie, exchanging words that I can't recognize, except Emily's name. The tip of your index finger touches my skin, starting off as a cool sensation that soon turns into fire. As hard as I try, I can't keep a small sound from making its way up my throat because of the pain.
You look at me apologetically, but all I can think is asking you for a promise that you'll be safe and that you'll come back to me safe. That would be completely unfair, though; it's not something that I can ask of you, nor something that you can give me.
You turn to the door, and before Bonnie uses her power, she gives me a look, almost as if she understands my train of thought. I can see her concentration and I can feel you pulling on me, but as soon as the doors fly open, it's only darkness.
Pain on my stomach, neck, head, legs…everywhere. There's nothing touching me, yet I can feel more slashes of pain cross my flesh. I can hear your grunts, and I can feel your pain, and all I worry about is finding a way to get to you. I grind my teeth together, puffing out air, using all my strength to get up. I fall back as a blow reaches my back. I force my eyes open against the burn and find fire in front of me. Standing above the fire, tied with ropes is Bonnie. Moving my eyes a little further is you, fighting with a guy with dark hair and snakebites. He manages to get in a blow, right below the chin.
I feel the pain in my jaw. Your eyes meet mine, dark with the fire reflecting in them. I know the instant your eyes narrow a little that this has pushed you over the edge. My being unconscious and unable to feel the pain kept your strength at bay, but this has opened Pandora's Box.
I don't have time to watch as you grab his arms, twisting them behind his torso. I don't have the time to watch the surprise on his face as his powers to shorten. I don't know if it's Lucy, Bonnie, or Emily helping you, but I don't need to know right now; it can wait. I try to move towards Bonnie, but the flames grow taller, trying to lick at my clothes. I take my jacket off, slapping it at the fire, hoping that the leather will be able to fight against it.
The warlock in your arms struggles, but you pull his arms tighter, suspending them in the back. His scream of pain is almost satisfying.
Lucy grabs my arm, pulling me out of the way before moving her hands over the fire, chanting under her breath. The fire goes away immediately. I snap the rope binding Bonnie to the tall stake before, grabbing her weight. I haul her out of there with Lucy following behind. You shut the door behind you, nodding once to Lucy and she murmurs some spells. I take one last look at the fire consuming the middle of the cafeteria, contained in an invisible circle.
"Where are the rest?" Bonnie asks in a whisper, her head lulling backwards in my arms.
"Caroline and Stefan got distracted by another witch. She just kept them in one place, didn't harm them. Klaus has Elena, and Jeremy ran that way, too."
Bonnie's eyes pop open. "Why didn't you stop him?"
"He's a Gilbert. They don't listen to any type of logic or sensible explanation."
"Klaus can't see me yet," you murmur softly, a hand over your stomach. You're trying to look nonchalant about it, but I can see that it isn't healing as fast as it should be. You need to feed.
I don't need to question your motive. I nudge Bonnie's head very gently with my shoulder. "Can you take on the big, bad vampire?"
"I'm ready."
"No, you're not." Lucy's lips pull back.
"I am. I just need…"
Lucy brings her hand to Bonnie's temple, and the latter immediately gains a handle on herself. She looks down at her body laying awkward in my arms as I walk, and then up at me. She can't scramble fast enough away from me.
Stefan reaches Alaric's room the same time as us. He passes a concerned look at Bella before trying to hurry into the classroom. She grabs his arm to stop him.
"Bonnie needs to do this," she whispers.
He looks torn, but he sighs, stepping away.
"What kept you guys held up?" He asks curiously.
"Klaus distracted us by magically tying Bonnie to a stake and trying to burn her alive."
He blinks back at me.
"Ancient humor," I add.
Did I deliver? Chapter is over 2000 words longer than usual, show me some love to heal my tired fingers? I need those huggles right about now. :) Previews go out on Tuesday.
Solace is now a multi-chapter story if you'd like to check it out. Damaged Damon who finds solace in Bella-an experiment with all human characters.
