Chapter 34: The Descent
Jules wakes up in the woods, the morning after the full moon, surrounded by body parts. She'd apparently torn apart a group of campers last night. As she works on disposing of the bodies, a deputy pulls up. Jules pretends to be in shock at discovering her "friends" in this state, and the deputy takes pity on her. When he tries to return to his vehicle and call for help, Jules kills him, too.
Meanwhile at the Gilbert House, Phoebe works on a mass email to send to everyone in the scooby gang. It explains the deal she made with Elijah last night, as well as the discovery they made about her being the key to stopping Klaus. Phoebe decided on sending it all in an email, because she didn't feel like telling the story several times over, while being constantly interrupted with questions. This way, everyone got the whole story, and if they had questions or complaints, they could call her.
After hitting send on her mass email, Phoebe left for her run with Matt. This way, not even those she lived with could stop her to ask fifty questions. She had a busy day ahead of her, and didn't have time to sit around being interrogated by everyone, or scolded for trusting Elijah. What Phoebe didn't realize was that her day was going to be a lot more full and rich than she originally thought it would...
While Phoebe was out on her run, Elena headed to the Salvatore Boarding House to see Stefan, before going to school. The two discussed Phoebe's deal with Elijah – Elena being for it, but Stefan being against it. He didn't like not doing anything to protect his girlfriend and his new best friend. Elena, on the other hand, was only focused on the present. Presently, Elijah was willing to keep them all safe, in exchange for Phoebe's help in killing Klaus. It was a win/win.
As she fixed him a glass of water with vervain in it, Stefan told her that Anna mentioned something about Katherine suggesting they reach out to Isobel for information on Klaus. Stefan wants to call her and ask her what she knows, because any information on Klaus would be helpful. Any information at all on an original in general would be welcome. Elena doesn't want him to, but Stefan isn't going to relent on this matter. So he drinks his vervain water, and heads out to ask John for help in contacting Isobel.
Meanwhile, downstairs, Damon gets Rose some more blood, hoping it'll help her fight off the infection of werewolf venom in her blood. He also tries making her feel better by suggesting that the legend could be wrong, because legends are often wrong. But he realizes just how wrong he is, when he checks her wound. It's gotten much worse.
Elena is on her way out, when she catches a glimpse of Rose's bite. She and Damon both lie to her, claiming that it doesn't look that bad. Damon asks Elena where Stefan is, and she tells him that he left to contact Isobel. She tries asking him to talk Stefan out of it, but Damon actually agrees with his brother on this matter. Damon then asks her to babysit Rose for a little bit, while he goes out. Elena would prefer not to, but agrees anyway.
Back at the Gilbert House, Phoebe returns from her run with Matt. As they approached the porch, Matt tried to take a drink from his water bottle, but it was empty. Phoebe handed him her bottle, which was full, and laughed.
"You know, for a quarterback, you sure need a lot of water breaks," she teased.
Matt shot her a look, "Well, we can't all be camels, like you. I mean, seriously, what's with that?"
"What's with what?" she asked, confused.
"Your strange ability to retain water," he told her. "The more we run, the less you need to drink. But you still sweat. It's like you don't get dehydrated at all."
Phoebe furrowed her eyebrows, as she thought about that. She'd never noticed before, but he was right. She still sweated like a normal person, still smelled gross; but she didn't feel dehydrated. Even now, just thinking about it, she didn't feel the need for water. It was weird. She'd have to remember to ask Elijah about that. It had to be something supernatural.
Matt interrupted her thoughts, "I'll catch you later, Pheebes."
Phoebe smiled and waved, as he jogged away, then headed inside for a much needed shower. Since she was the only home, she blared music in the bathroom, while she showered. She continued to blare it, while she got dressed.
She put on a pair of black tights, with denim shorts; and a parchment-colored t-shirt that had a skull and crossed swords on. The skull was wearing glasses, and underneath it said pirate with the math symbol for pie. She then fixed her hair up into pigtails. Not the ones that go on the side of the head, like Pippy Longstocking, the big girl kind that are positioned on the back of the head. She also stopped short on the last pull through of the ponytails, leaving them not tails but more of a bun.
Phoebe then put her music in her ears – with her headphones – and put on her converse. As she finished that, and grabbed her things for school, 'I Fought the Law, And the Law Won' by The Clash began to play on her iPod. She began with a simple head bop, but it quickly progressed to full on rocking out, as she descended the stairs. After all, what did she have to restrain herself for? No one was home.
As Phoebe rounded the base of the stairs, she came face to face with Elijah, "Oh, my Jesus!"
Elijah reached out to keep her from colliding with him.
Phoebe dropped her school bag, and yanked the headphones out of her ears, "What the frak are you doing in here?"
"Forgive me, I did not mean to startle you," said Elijah.
"Then why didn't you knock on the door, like a normal person?" Phoebe asked, holding her hand over her heart.
"I did, but you apparently didn't hear me," he said, gesturing to her headphones.
Phoebe took a deep breath, and let it out slowly, "How can I help you, Elijah?"
"I thought we might begin our work today," he replied. Phoebe lifted an eyebrow. "On training you to use your powers more actively."
"No, I know what you meant, I just thought you might, I don't know, wait for the weekend," said Phoebe.
"I'm sorry, I thought saving the lives of your sister and everyone else you love might be more important, than sitting in a room for an hour, learning things you already know," Elijah remarked.
Phoebe gave him a look, "It is more important, and a great deal more interesting, but it still would have been nice for you to...never mind. Let us get to work, oh wise one."
Elijah gave her a look that said he didn't appreciate her sarcasm, and headed for the door. He grabbed her coat, and held the door open.
"Where are we going?" Phoebe asked.
"Away from distraction," he replied, simply. He said it in a way that told Phoebe to think twice about arguing. There was also something about his authoritative demeanor that Phoebe found attractive. It was the typical vampire superiority complex thing, it was something...different.
Phoebe took her coat from him, and walked out of the house, Elijah close behind her.
Meanwhile at the school, everyone sets up for some kind of fair. Caroline and Tyler talk about how well he did last night – with not getting out and hurting anyone – and how he feels today, after the fact. Tyler tells her he's a little sore, but otherwise okay. He also thanks her for being there for him through it all.
Caroline smiles, happily, then tells him that next month they need to better fortify the doors, because he almost got her. Tyler doesn't understand why that's a problem, so she explains that a bite from a werewolf can kill a vampire – something Phoebe told her about – so she just needs to make sure he can't get to her from now on.
Their conversation is brought to an end, when Matt requests to talk to Caroline, alone. Caroline assures him that there's nothing going on between her and Tyler, that they're just friends. Matt believes her, because she's never lied to him. She's a lot of things, but not a liar. Caroline is happy to hear that he believes her, but taken aback by what he does next. Matt tries telling her how he feels, but, like Phoebe, isn't very good with words; so he kisses her. Caroline tells him he can't do that, and walks away, leaving Matt more confused than ever.
Meanwhile at the Grill, Jules pops in for something to eat, and runs into Liz Forbes. She asks Liz if there's been any news in Mason's case, but Liz, unfortunately, has nothing new to tell her. Later, as she's eating, Damon enters the Grill and sits with Jules. He asks her if there's a cure for the werewolf bite, clearly desperate for an answer. Jules takes enjoyment in his plight, and tells him the only cure for a werewolf bite is a stake through the heart.
Back at the Boarding House, Rose grows tired, so Elena puts her to bed. As she begins to drift off, Elena leaves her alone, but Rose sits up, going on about preparing the horses. She's becoming disoriented. Elena tries to calm her, and gives her more blood. Unfortunately, it doesn't help. Rose throws up the blood all over Damon's bed, then becomes even more disoriented. She thinks Elena is Katherine, and attacks her. Elena manages to convince her that she isn't Katherine, and puts Rose back to bed.
Meanwhile, Elijah and Phoebe arrive at their training location: somewhere deep in the woods, where there are no distractions, and where no one will happen upon them.
"Very secluded. If you were human, I'd be wondering if you were luring me out here to kill me," Phoebe joked.
Elijah smirked, "As I said, we needed to get away from any distractions. Not only that, but as an elemental, I believe it would be better for you to practice manipulating nature, while actually out among nature."
"You make two very valid points there," she admitted. "So...where do we begin?"
"First, I want you to tell me all the different ways you've used the water element. I need to know what you can do," he said.
"Well, aside from what I told you last night, there's only a couple of other things," said Phoebe. "Uh, this morning, Matt pointed out that I no longer need to drink my water when we're running. I mean I still sweat like crazy, but I never get thirsty."
"Interesting. You must absorb the moisture directly from the air," said Elijah.
"But how? I'm not even trying to."
"It's probably a subconscious thing, or involuntary, like breathing," he told her. "What was the other thing?"
Phoebe almost didn't want to tell him about the other thing. Surely he'd laugh at her, or give her a disapproving look. Either way, it was something he needed to know, so she avoided looking at him, and told him, "...I made bubbles..."
Elijah looked at her as though he wanted to laugh, but was fighting it back, "Come again?"
Phoebe cleared her throat, "I was laying in the bath last night, thinking about how much I wished I had bubbles, and then all of a sudden, there were bubbles."
Elijah continued to fight a snicker, "Well, I suppose that shows an ability to manipulate the form of a liquid. Speaking of which, is it only water that you can manipulate, or all liquids?"
"Honestly, I have no idea. I've never tried to manipulate any other liquids," said Phoebe.
Elijah pulled out a pocket knife, and slit his palm open.
"What are you-" Phoebe began.
"If you can manipulate blood, that could prove very useful in defeated Klaus," said Elijah, putting his knife away. He held his hands together, letting them fill with his blood, before his hand healed.
Once his hand did heal, He stood there, looking at her, with his hands held out to her. Phoebe looked at his hands, and tried to manipulate the blood, but...what did he want her to do with it?
Elijah seemed to read her mind, because the next thing he said was, "I don't care if you make bubbles out of it, just do something."
Phoebe began to grow flustered. She didn't know what to try making the blood do. And having him stand there, staring at her, wasn't helping.
"You're getting flustered," Elijah noted. "Manipulating the water element requires more passive emotions, such as tranquility and serenity."
"I know, but that's kind of hard to do, when you're being pressured to do something," said Phoebe. "I can't focus with you staring at me."
"I hate to break it to you, Miss Gilbert, but you will be under pressure, when Klaus arrives; and I seriously doubt he will be kind enough to give you the time and space you will need to focus," said Elijah.
Phoebe gave him a huff, then closed her eyes. Elijah started to ask her what she was doing, but she held up a finger to silence him. She focused on her breathing, and began to hum to herself. It was a relaxing song. Very mellow, and calming.
After humming the first verse and chorus, she opened her eyes. She stared at the blood in his hands, and continued to focus on the song in her mind, the blood, and her breathing. Anything, except Elijah.
"Veni, veni, Emmanuel."
The blood in Elijah's hand began to ripple.
"Captivum solve Israel."
The blood pulled away from his hands at the sides, and came together in the center.
"Qui gemit in exilio."
Drops began to lift into the air in various different sizes.
"Privatus Dei Filio."
The drops of blood moved around the air between them, like sand in a lava lamp.
"Gaude, gaude, Emmanuel."
The drops separated into smaller drops, like specks of crimson dust.
"Nascetur pro te, Israel."
The drops spread further apart, and began rotating.
"Gaude, gaude, Emmanuel."
The drops came back together, forming bigger, and bigger drops.
"Nascetur pro te, Israel."
The drops formed together into its original puddle in Elijah's hands.
"Interesting," said Elijah.
"You know, the more you say that, the less impact it has. But go on," said Phoebe.
"Does music always have a calming effect on you?" he asked, ignoring her comment.
"Depends on the song," she replied. "Some songs relax me, some make me energized, some make me sad...It all depends on the song. Why?"
Elijah tossed the blood out of his hands, began cleaning them off with a handkerchief, "Each element is tied to specific emotions. As I told you, water is tied to more passive emotions, such as tranquility and serenity. Fire requires stronger emotions, such as rage, anger, or passion. Air: freedom, harmony, boldness. And Earth: patience, strength, stability, and goodness. If you could find one song to associate with each element, we can use that to help you trigger those emotions easier."
"Sounds good, in theory, but...I don't have to think of all four songs right now, do i?"
"No. We're only going to be focusing on the water element, for now," he said. "We need to get you more actively using that element, before we figure out what your next element will be."
"What do you mean, figure out?" Phoebe asked.
"There is an order in which you will develop your ability to manipulate each element. You developed the ability to manipulate water, first. Next will either be fire, or air. Earth will most certainly be last," Elijah explained. Phoebe still looked a little lost, so he explained further. "Earth is the most difficult to manipulate, because it is so solid. It will not bow to the wind, be swallowed by water, or be burned away."
"Actually..." Phoebe began.
"The fire element does not necessarily mean flames. It simply means anything hot, like the sun," he told her.
"So like a desert. It's so hot that not many things can thrive there, but there are still some things that can," Phoebe guessed.
Elijah made a gesture that said she was correct, and moved on, "Air puts out fire, and can move water. And if it's cold enough, cause it to change density."
"Freeze it," Phoebe translated.
"Fire can also change water into another form that cannot harm it. It can also resist being doused by air, if strong enough," he said.
"So what you're saying is, fire and air are both stronger than water, but about equal to one another?" Phoebe asked.
"Yes."
"Well, if you think about it, water can be stronger than fire and air. It can douse a flame, and it isn't easily moved by air. So why not develop fire or air first?" Phoebe wondered.
"Think about who you are. Of the three elements, which are you most like?"
Phoebe thought for a moment, then admitted, "Water."
Elijah nodded, "Which is why you developed it first, and why the next element will either be fire, or air."
"But how are we gonna know which one it is?"Phoebe asked.
"Let me worry about that. For now, all I want you to do is focus on actively manipulating liquids," said Elijah. "Practice divination, make them move around the air, practice absorbing them...make bubbles out of them. Today, we're only going to work on your water manipulation."
Meanwhile at the Gilbert house, Stefan knocks on the door. John, who's just returned, answers the door.
"Stefan," he said surprised. "Elena's not here-"
"I'm, uh, actually here to see you," said Stefan. John was surprised. "May I come in?"
John stepped aside, and let the vampire enter. As he closed the door behind him, he asked, "What can I do for you?"
"I was wondering if you had a way to get in touch with Isobel," said Stefan.
"What do you want her for?"
"Katherine suggested we try asking her for information on Klaus," said Stefan.
John laughed, "It's Katherine, Stefan. She was probably just trying to get you-"
"To think there was hope for her after all, and then try to help her get out of the tomb? Yeah, I, uh, already know that," he said. "But Isobel is an expert researcher. If anyone can find more information on Klaus and the originals, it's her...Or Phoebe, but she's got enough to worry about, right now."
John considered his words, and seemed to agree, "You realize we can't trust her. Isobel, I mean. Even when it comes to Phoebe and Elena."
"I know," said Stefan. "But we need more information, and she's our second best way of getting it."
"I'll see what I can do," said John.
Back at the Boarding House, Elena leaves Rose to get some clean sheets for Damon's bed. When she comes back, Rose is gone. She goes downstairs to look for her, and finds her in the basement, binging on blood bags. When she sees Elena, she mistakes her for Katherine, again, and chases her upstairs. Elena tries running out the front door, but Rose stops her. Elena does the only thing she can do to hurt Rose: she digs her fingers into her bite wound.
With Rose temporarily down, Elena runs upstairs to Stefan's room, and barricades herself in. She breaks an end table, taking a leg for a stake, and stands in the sunlight. Rose tries to apologize to her through the door, claiming to know that she isn't Katherine, but Elena ignores her. Even when Rose becomes sick again, and begs Elena to help her, Elena remains safe in Stefan's room.
Later that evening, as the sun was going down, Elijah called it a day on their training. Phoebe was exhausted. She'd never used her power that much in one day before.
"You did well today," said Elijah, leading her out of the woods.
"Thanks," said Phoebe. She took out her phone to see if she had any responses to her email...she had several dozen notifications. Emails, texts, voicemails, etc. Some were about her deal with Elijah, a couple were from Caroline about Tyler's first full moon, and some were about Rose being bitten by a werewolf last night. That one caught her attention more than anything else. Stefan sent it to her to ask her to see if Elijah knew anything about a cure. "Elijah?"
"Yes?"
"Do you know of a cure for werewolf bites?" Phoebe asked him.
Elijah stopped, and looked at her. He said nothing verbally, but his expression demanded an explanation for her inquiry.
"Rose was apparently bitten by a werewolf last night...she isn't doing well," said Phoebe.
"Unfortunately, I know of no such cure," he replied, sincerely.
Phoebe read through more of her texts and found one from Damon asking her to speak with Elijah about a cure. She was about to move on to the next message, when she noticed a mention of Elena in there. He had told her that Elena was at the Boarding House taking care of Rose for the day, while he searched for a cure.
Phoebe's eyes widened, as she reread the message, and her heart skipped a beat.
Elijah heard this, and asked her about it, "Your heart's just skipped a beat. What's happened?"
"Damon said he left Elena to babysit Rose for the day," said Phoebe. She looked up at him, "Tell me that's nothing I should worry about."
Elijah said nothing in response. He simply scooped Phoebe up in his arms, and took off flitting towards the Boarding House.
When they arrived, the sun was almost completely down, and they both feared they might be too late. What if Rose had already killed Elena? What if the sun was down enough for her to escape the house, and hurt someone else?
Elijah burst through the front door, and placed Phoebe down on her feet. He began looking around cautiously, while Phoebe called out to her sister.
"Elena!" she called. Elijah gestured for her to stop shouting, but Phoebe ignored him. "Elena!"
"I cannot keep you safe, if you insist on calling the delirious vampire to you," he snapped.
"Better than leave her to go after my sister. Besides, we'll find her a lot quicker that way," Phoebe argued. "You should be the one that's silent. If she hears your voice, she'll run away."
"Katarina!" Rose hissed. She glared down at Phoebe from the balcony above the living room.
"Oh, boy..." Phoebe gulped. Rose looked scary. Her vampire face was showing, and she looked on the verge of a rage frenzy.
Rose leapt off the balcony, straight for Phoebe, but she never reached her. Elijah, flew at Rose, intercepting her attack. She was angry, at first, that someone had stopped her from killing Katarina Petrova; but when she saw it was Elijah, she trembled with fear. Rose tried to run, but Elijah blocked her at every turn, until she finally gave up. Instead, she tried to fight Elijah.
"Wow, she really is delirious," Phoebe commented, as Elijah tried to restrain Rose.
"A side effect of the bite," said Elijah.
"Is there any way we can compel her to stop fighting, or trying to run away?" Phoebe asked.
"I can try," said Elijah. "But I need her to calm down, first."
"Leave that to me," Phoebe mumbled. She carefully reached out and grabbed Rose's arm – somewhere she couldn't bite her – and began to focus. She focused on making Rose calm down, and relax – which wasn't easy, since Phoebe wasn't even very relaxed at the moment. She eventually succeeded, and backed away to let Elijah try compelling her.
He compelled Rose not to run away, and not to attack Phoebe or Elena again. He even compelled her to know that they were not Katherine, and were therefore undeserving of whatever punishment she desired to give to Katherine.
Elijah and Phoebe were surprised to find that the compulsion worked – or at least for now. They released her and she didn't try to run, or fight. In fact she began crying and apologizing profusely to them both. But Phoebe only cared about one thing.
"Where's Elena?" she asked. "Did you hurt her?"
"No. No, she ran upstairs to Stefan's room. She's been there for hours," replied Rose.
"Can you get her back to bed? I'm gonna go tell Elena we got Rose calmed down," said Phoebe to Elijah.
Elijah nodded, and they both followed Phoebe upstairs. While the two stopped at Damon's bedroom, Phoebe continued on to Stefan's. When she arrived, she knocked on the door.
"Elena? Elena, it's me, Phoebe," said Phoebe.
Elena jumped at the knock, then became both glad and worried at hearing her sister's voice, "Phoebe? What are you doing here?"
Elena hopped up to unblock the door, as Phoebe answered, "Damon sent me a text, that I just now got, about you being left here alone with a sick vampire."
Elena opened the door, "It's not safe, Phoebe. She thought I was Katherine, and tried to attack me, twice-"
"It's okay," Phoebe interrupted. "Elijah's compelled her not to attack us anymore, or to run away."
Elena nodded, then seemed to realize what she said, "You brought Elijah?"
"He was with me when I got Damon's text," said Phoebe. "We were training."
"Oh. Does he know anything about a cure?"
Phoebe looked like she was going to say something optimistic, but then her face turned grim, and she walked away. Elena followed her to Damon's bedroom, where Rose was already tucked into bed and drifting off to sleep. They were going to leave her to get some rest, but she woke up.
"I'm sorry, Elena," she called out. "I don't like taking human lives, I never have."
"It's okay. You weren't yourself," said Elena.
"Yeah, you just confused her for Katherine and tried to kill her. It's not the first time that's happened," Phoebe joked.
Rose laughed, briefly, then became serious, "That's the worst part about death – the hunt. The need to kill. The thirst. The pleasure it brings you afterwards...it hurts."
"Then don't speak of it," Elijah told her.
"Damon's a lot like me. He wants to care, but the minute he does, he runs away from it...from you," Rose went on, addressing Phoebe. She began to cough, and squirm around. Phoebe moved closer to help her through it with her power. Once she was feeling better, Rose asked her, "Why are you so nice to me?"
Phoebe shrugged, "Because you've never done anything to me."
"I slept with Damon."
"You didn't know he was using you to help push me away," said Phoebe. "If you had...you never would've done it."
"How can you be so sure?" she questioned.
"Because I have a gift. I can see the parts of someone that most people don't see. The things people don't want others to see. I knew when I first met you that you weren't heartless. You and Trevor both. Just like I know Elijah isn't as horrible as you wanted me to believe," said Phoebe. "I guess, you could say, I just feel it in my gut."
Rose smiled for a moment, before her face twisted into an expression of pain. She began writhing around the bed, screaming. Elijah stepped closer to make sure Rose didn't try to hurt Phoebe, while Phoebe geld her and began siphoning away her pain.
Meanwhile at Caroline's, Caroline returns home to find Tyler waiting for her on her porch. He wants to know why she would risk her life to stay with him all night. Already in a mood, Caroline begins going on a tangent about how he seems to not want people to care about him, but she does care and he's just going to have to get over it. Tyler kisses her, stopping her midsentence. Caroline starts to kiss him back, but then she remembers Matt and becomes even more flustered.
Back at the Boarding House, one of the brothers returns home. Elena goes down to see who it is, and is pleasantly surprised to find it's Stefan. She tells him about Rose's worsening condition, and how Phoebe and Elijah are trying to help her through it, while Phoebe continues to siphon Rose's pain away.
"I wanna go home," Rose sobbed, coming down from the most recent surge of pain.
"Tell me about it," said Phoebe.
"St. Austell. 30 Kilometers South of London," said Rose, nostalgically. "With fields and trees and horses."
"Sounds beautiful," said Phoebe.
Rose closed her eyes, "When you live long enough, everything disappears..."
"So show me," said Phoebe.
Rose opened her eyes, "What?"
"Show me home."
Rose closed her eyes, again, and so did Phoebe. The next thing she knew, she was in a sunny field, full of horses. Rose was walking around, wearing a dress from 500 years ago, and her hair was much longer. Phoebe looked around in awe. This truly was a beautiful place.
"This was my favorite place to come as a girl," said Rose. She leaned her head back, and smiled. "The sun is so warm...I miss this."
"The sun?" Phoebe asked.
"Being human," Rose corrected. "I had friends. I had a family. I mattered."
"You still do," Phoebe told her.
"No. I don't. I spent 500 years running. 500 years just existing," Rose argued. "Don't let Damon make the same mistake. Don't let him run away from what makes him happy. Don't let him push you away."
"I'll try."
"Thank you," said Rose, with a smile. "For taking away the pain."
Phoebe smirked, "Apparently I'm rather good at that."
Rose looked around, then smiled excitedly, "I'll race you to the trees."
"You're a vampire, you'll win," said Phoebe. "You're faster than I am."
Rose ignored her, "On the count of three."
Phoebe laughed, "So now you're going to let me win?"
"One."
"What's the point, we're in your head, anyway. You'll cheat."
"Two."
Phoebe smiled and sighed.
"Three."
And just like that, Phoebe was no longer looking at Rose in the sun. She was now looking at Rose all desiccated, with a stake through her heart. Elijah had staked her, while they were talking.
Meanwhile at the Grill, Jules finally talks to Tyler alone. She tells him she knows he's a werewolf and that Caroline is a vampire. Tyler inadvertently reveals just how new he is to all of this, and Jules tells him she can help him, since Mason can't. Tyler asks her about Mason, to which she tells him the truth: he's dead. She tells Tyler that Caroline and the other vampires killed him. Tyler doesn't believe her, but she pushes enough to get him thinking.
Back at the Boarding House, Damon returns shortly after Rose's death. Phoebe tells him what happened, and gives him some space to grieve. After a while she decides to check on him.
"What are you still doing here?" Damon asked, staring into his fireplace.
Phoebe finished entering the room, and replied, "I wanted to make sure you were okay."
"I appreciate the gesture," he said, sipping his bourbon. "I'm just glad it's over."
"You know I don't believe that," said Phoebe.
Damon turned to face her, "Go home, Phoebe. Get some rest. It's a whole new day tomorrow."
"Damon, I'm your friend."
"I'm well aware of that."
"And a friend usually knows when their friend is hurting."
"What do you wanna hear?" Damon snapped. "That I cared about Rose? That I'm upset? Well, I didn't, and I'm not."
"There you go, pretending to turn it off, pretending not to feel," Phoebe pointed out. "Damon, you're so close. Don't give up, now."
"I feel, Phoebe, okay? And it sucks. What sucks even more is that it was supposed to be me. Jules was coming after me," Damon told her.
"And you feel guilty," said Phoebe, more to herself than to him.
"That would be human of me, wouldn't it, Phoebe? And I'm not human," he spat. "Go home. There's been enough doom and gloom and personal growth for one night."
Phoebe extended a hand, "Come on."
Damon just looked at her funny.
"Just trust me, okay. It'll be good for you."
Damon hesitated a moment or two, before taking her hand, and following her out.
The two walked in silence the entire time, holding hands the whole way. Neither of them spoke even as Phoebe laid down in the middle of the highway. Damon gave her a funny look, but Phoebe only patted the ground next to her, meaning for him to lay there, so he did.
"What are we doing out here?" Damon asked, staring up at the stars.
"Isn't this what you usually do when you've had a rough day? Lay in the middle of the road, wait for a pretty young woman to pass through, compel her to listen to your problems, then eat her?" Phoebe replied.
Damon turned his head to look at her, "So what? You're my new wingman, now?"
Phoebe laughed, "If that's what it takes. You've had a no good, very bad day, today. As your friend, I'd have to say you need this. And I say that as someone who understands that you're hurting and that you deal with pain in a different way, not as someone you've corrupted into thinking that killing an innocent human is okay."
"...I'm sorry I said those things...I'm sorry I pushed you away, without giving you any kind of credit for how strong you are. And I'm sorry I turned right around and slept with Rose."
Phoebe turned her head to look at him, "I know. And I forgive you."
Damon turned to look back up at the night sky, "I have a secret...a big secret...but I've never said it out loud."
"Why not?"
"Because what's the point? It's not gonna change anything. It's not gonna make me good. Make me adopt a puppy," he replied. Damon turned his head to look at her, and added, "I can't be what other people want me to be. What you want me to be."
Phoebe reached out and took his hand, "The only thing I want you to be is you, Damon. That's all I've ever wanted. But like it or not, you are changing, Damon. That's what happens when you love someone...You've changed me, too. You've made me more confident in my convictions. You've taught me to stop caring about what other people think of me. You've helped me to be more outspoken...You've helped me find the courage to be myself. So be yourself with me, like you used to. Tell me what's on your mind, and trust that I won't judge you for it. Tell me because you just need someone to talk to, regardless of whether it'll change anything or not."
Damon stared into her eyes for a moment, before finding the courage to tell her, "...I'm not human, Phoebe. But I miss it. I miss it more than anything in the world...that's my secret...but there is only so much hurt a man can take."
Phoebe sat up, and turned her whole body to face him, "Then let me help you."
"How?" Damon asked, sitting up.
"Let me take away some of your pain. Just enough to make it bearable. I mean, it'll wear off after a while, but I can keep doing it, until you've moved past this," said Phoebe. Damon said nothing. He just looked at her. "This isn't me trying to change you, this is me trying to help you. If you'd prefer to rip some girl's throat out, then go for it. I won't try to stop you, and I won't judge you. But just know that doing that will only be a temporary fix."
"So would your suggestion," he noted.
"Yes, but at least with mine, you won't leave behind a trail of empty bodies and bourbon bottles," she countered.
"Why are you so willing to give me this free pass to kill someone? You say I haven't corrupted you, but how can you be okay with me doing this?"
"You've had a rough time, since you came to Mystic Falls. You found out the woman you'd spent the last 150 loving never cared about you, you've been forced to express the feelings you've begun to develop, you've had to wrestle with the option of being selfish enough to be mine or try being noble and push me away, you made a new friend who was a lot like you but then had to lose her to a werewolf bite...I could go on, but I think you get my point," answered Phoebe. "All of that is weighing on you more than you'd care to admit, Damon. It's crushing you, and you're fighting to stay together. But sometimes, you just need to let yourself fall apart."
Damon began fighting the tears that were trying to work their way down his face.
"Damon, do you know how a star is made?" Phoebe asked him. He gave her a funny look. "A star is only born when a gaseous nebula collapses in on itself. So collapse. Fall apart. You're not being destroyed, this is your birth. The new Damon Salvatore."
Damon considered her words, as he lost the battle with his tears. Phoebe reached out, and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. Damon managed to nod, giving her permission to make it stop hurting, so she did. She reached out and embraced him, as he cried, and began to siphon away his pain.
Well, there it is, guys. Chapter 34. I apologize, again, for taking so long to write it. Remember when I said I was going to write in a character early? Well, that's going to happen in the next chapter! Now, many of you guys are excited about season 3 and the originals coming in more, but no one's said anything about when the originals go to New Orleans. I know it's a ways out, but what do you guys think will happen with that? Will Phoebe stay in Mystic Falls? Or do you think her attachment with one of the characters will make her want to follow them to New Orleans? Or maybe something later on will cause her to go down to New Orleans and stay.
So what do you think of Phoebe's cool new powers? Which do you think she'll develop next? Fire? Or Air? What cool new things will she be able to do with those elements? How do you think Elijah will test her to see which element will be next? What's going to happen with all those wolves coming to town? What will Phoebe think of Damon and Andie together? Will she be supportive? Or will she be upset with Damon? How will Phoebe react to hearing Caroline's been kidnapped by the werewolves? Will she let the boys handle it? Or will she kick some werewolf ass?
What do you guys think so far? What do you think will happen in the future? What do you guys hope to see in the future?
HCookie: You see my dilemma? Haha. It's so hard deciding who she's best suited to be with.
Brookeworm3: Finn is honestly my least favorite original. Kol is a close second. I feel Phoebe would understand why Finn is the way he is, but I don't think she could ever love him in a romantic sense.
RavenclawPanda221b: I can't wait for season 3, either. I have so much planned for that season, already. Character developments for Phoebe, interactions between her and the originals, her boyfriend, etc. I'm glad you liked the lollipop idea. I was worried people might think it was stupid, or too silly. As for the tapestry, it just made sense, ya know? It didn't feel right to have Phoebe just wait to be told the story by Elijah. Plus, I thought it showed how she was kind of like Isobel with being good at researching things.
Kate1243: I agree, that most people write their character with Damon or Klaus a lot. All I can say, is Phoebe isn't going to just get into a relationship and stay with that person the rest of the story. So whoever she ends up dating in season 3 isn't who she'll be with for the rest of the story.
LadyAnnikki: Wow, Sweden?! Awesome to know I have fans that far. And I'm glad you like Phoebe, I really enjoy writing for her. I can't tell you whether she will or won't become this unstoppable force, but I can tell you that it will definitely become a concern for the others.
EmmyAltava (aka My #1 Fan): Your reviews most definitely help me to feel more confident about my writing. There are a lot of things I've been and am nervous about writing because I don't know how you guys are going to feel about them. But your glowing reviews always make me confident enough to write them anyway. Thank you for that. A lot of people suggest that I make Klaus fall for Phoebe and have the two interact the same way as Caroline and he did in the show, but Caroline was horrible to him and I just don't feel like that's going to be Phoebe. The two will definitely interact and develop a connection of sorts, but Phoebe isn't going to be half as harsh to him as Caroline was. And of course Elijah is trying to impress her! He just doesn't realize it, yet. Please feel free to send me your ideas, anytime. Even if I don't go with what you suggest, I can almost 100% guarantee that it'll give me an idea for something else.