Poison & Wine - Chapter XXXVI
~ * • ° • ° • * ~
"You should not have to choose between your family and mine, Annie."
"What's wrong, Klaus? Please talk to me."
"I called Damon, he should be coming any minute now."
"So you're going to act like it's my fault? You're going to act like I'm the one who suggested to Esther to kill all of you? Talk to me, Klaus! Don't shut me out. You're better than that."
"You are not welcome here, so why don't you go wait outside for your friend?"
"You're kidding me, right?"
"I can easily remove you myself."
"Fine, I'm going. Just remember you're the one who pushed me away."
With each memory, I punched the bag harder and harder. I was so angry at Klaus I couldn't handle it, and I was so confused at what was going on with Elijah and I. I genuinely believed he wanted to speak with me, that he wanted to get to know me. Not leave me without a real explanation or goodbye.
I was in Alaric's apartment – he gave me permission to stay over since I couldn't stand to be around Elena – and I was working out. But I eventually pushed myself too far, because soon I was in bathroom vomiting. After I was finished, I changed the gauze on my stab wound, wincing in pain.
I was ready to seriously hurt someone after everything I went through, especially since I couldn't even sleep last night, so I thought it was best if I backed off got a while.
But, that didn't seem to be possible when I got a call from Damon. "What do you want?" I answered the phone with.
"Well, you're bubbly today."
"Just tell me what's wrong."
"Ric was arrested."
I paused. "Is he at the police station now or have you bailed him out?"
"He's still there."
"I'll see you in a bit."
I entered the police station, still in my sweat workout clothes, and immediately spotted Damon and Elena talking. "Where is he?" I demanded as I walked up to them. "Is he okay?"
"Chill out, he's fine," Damon said. "He's in his cell, considering on pulling a Shawshank."
"That's not funny, Damon," I growled. "What happened?"
"Meredith accused him of attacking her, so now he's a suspect in the killings of the council members," Damon explained and I started pacing around. "Sheriff wants me to stay out of it."
"But you're not going to. Are you?" Elena asked.
"Seems just as good a plan as any."
"Your friend's in jail for murder. You have to do something," She argued with him.
"Well, I guess I could rip out Dr. False Accusation's throat. Maybe her tongue. You know, I could chew it up into little tiny pieces and feed it to the squirrels."
"Stop it, Damon!"
"Guess me staying out of it suddenly sounds like a good idea, doesn't it? I saved both of your lives last night. You're welcome," He said and I stopped pacing to glare at him.
"You know, you could show a little compassion about Bonnie," Elena said.
"I know, you're right, her and her mom must be really hurting right now. Should I send lasagna?"
"Okay, now you're just being mean."
"I'm mean, you hate me, the Earth is back on its axis," I scoffed. "Alaric's in jail, and you, Elena, are worried about Bonnie's mom while Damon is being self-destructive. I don't care what you two do, I'm going to go hear Meredith's side of the story." I walked away from them and out of the police station. I didn't get very far before Elena was on my tail.
"I want to go with you," She said.
"Why? So you can try to repair our twin bond?" I asked bitterly.
"Maybe, but I think getting Alaric out of jail should be enough to put our differences side and work together," She grabbed my arm, trying to stop me, but I reversed it and pinned her against a car that was in the parking lot. She stared back at me with fear in her eyes.
"You almost had me killed along with Klaus and Elijah, do you really want to mess with me?" I demanded before letting her go and continuing toward my car. I called back, "You better keep up if you are coming." I figured I'd let her come to get some backup when dealing with Meredith.
We got to Mystic Falls Hospital and Elena went into the hospital to get some information. She came out and said that Meredith was on her way to work. As we waited at my car for Meredith to show up, Elena decided she would take this opportunity to appeal to me.
"I didn't know Esther had to kill you," She quickly said before I could interrupt. "I just thought that maybe she had to―"
"What? That she had to use my blood?" I laughed coldly. "You assumed that Esther had a good heart, didn't you? I mean, Alaric said that she's already tried to kill you once and you trusted her word, Elena. Now Elijah left town, Kol fled, Klaus and Rebekah won't even speak to me. I don't know what to do other than distance myself from everyone so I won't hurt them because all of you knew, I know you did, what Esther was planning."
"Klaus has destroyed my life, Andy. He killed Jenna and almost killed Jeremy! He uses my blood to create hybrids, how can I not want him dead?"
I closed my eyes. "I'm connected to all the Originals, Elena, that's why it had to be me and not you who was killed. If one of them dies, I would go through the same thing, except there would be no wound. It would devastate me even if Finn died, and I don't like him. Don't you get why I'm protective over them? Not only because of what I told you, but by a miracle, I've come to care for them. I understand that Klaus killed Jenna, and I've not forgiven him for that, I might never, but that doesn't mean I don't care for him."
"I don't see what you see in them. They're monsters, Andy."
I opened my eyes and faced her. "You don't have to see it, Elena. They're just as bad as Stefan and Damon, so I don't think you're in any position to judge."
Right then I noticed Meredith exiting her car and we went up to her, but we all kept walking towards the hospital. "I'm due in surgery, whatever case you're gonna make against Alaric, make it quick," Meredith immediately said.
"I'm not―"
Before I could speak further, Elena interrupted me. "I don't have to make a case, he didn't do anything."
"How do you know? Sure you both live with him, he takes care of you, but do you really know anything about him?" Meredith questioned.
"Good point," I said. "Now―"
"We know enough," Elena interrupted again.
Meredith stopped walking and turned to face Elena. "Let me tell you what I know. He was arrested for fighting four times before the age of 21. When he was at Duke, his future wife, Isobel, filed a restraining order against him. Twice. Although, then she married him, so I guess that says more about her."
"Okay, you're making all of this up," Elena folded her arms.
"Am I? How would you know? You took pity on a borderline alcoholic vampire hunter and you never even thought to look any deeper," Meredith said and I bit my bottom lip. Could she be right about this stuff?
"How could you do this to him? He didn't kill anyone and you know it," Elena insisted.
"You date vampires, Elena. It shouldn't come as a shock to learn that your guardian is a murderer," Meredith walked away.
I sighed. "Couldn't just let me talk, could you?"
"Excuse me?"
"Go home, Elena, you're a horrible detective. People don't always react well to bad cop," I followed quickly after Meredith, thankfully Elena didn't follow.
"I can have security throw you out," Meredith threatened.
"I'm not here to do what Elena did, I want to hear your side of the story, all of it. I want to see if Alaric could actually be the killer." I said. "Stranger things have happened."
She turned to me, staring at me a moment before nodding. "Fine, I'll tell you, but after work. I get off at five, so meet me at my apartment at five-thirty. I'll tell you everything then."
When it hit five-forty-five later that day was when Meredith's car pulled into the parking lot of her apartment complex. "Sorry, surgery ran later than expected," She said and I could tell she was exhausted.
"Hey, if you need me to come back later―"
"No, it's fine, come on," We headed into the building. "I'm just glad you're willing to hear me out. I was so sure Elena was going to send Damon after me."
"He offered," I admitted. "But that wouldn't have helped anything. What's it like being a surgeon? I mean, I gotta imagine you have to have a strong stomach."
"You do," She smiled wearily at me as we got to her apartment.
We heard a faint, "Oh, my God," from inside the apartment, which made us both hesitate, and then we heard rustling. I pulled out my stake and gestured for her to open the door.
We entered her apartment and I spoke to make I seem like we suspected nothing. "So you think the stakes – my family stakes – were used by Alaric... to kill humans? Why would he use stakes, and our own, nonetheless?"
Meredith grabbed her purse back up. She opened the front door but didn't wall out of it when she closed it. The light got turned on in the closet so Meredith and I moved to stand right in front of it. The door was opened to reveal Elena and Matt.
I was standing by Sheriff Forbes's desk in her office, staring hard down at Elena. "I told you to go home," I said. "But what do you do? You go break and enter Meredith's apartment, and you pull Matt into it."
"You didn't seem to be getting anywhere."
I hissed, "I was getting Meredith's side of the story to try and see if there were any holes in it. I was going to get plenty of things."
The Sheriff entered right then. "What were you thinking?"
"I know that we had no right," Elena begun.
"No right? You broke the law."
"But, we found something that clears Alaric. It gives him an alibi in the Brian Walters murder," Elena said, almost smug. Maybe she was hanging out with Damon too much.
Sheriff held up a piece of paper. "You mean this?"
"What is that?" I asked.
"A letter from the county coroner's office correcting the error in the time of death of Brian Walters. Meredith Fell received it today. She brought it to me several hours ago, full of apologies for accusing an innocent man," Sheriff said.
"Why would she have a copy hidden in her closet?" Matt asked.
"I can't ask those questions, Matt, because the very fact that you broke into her home to find it. Do you know how much I'm already protecting both of you?" Sheriff looked in between them.
"I'm sorry," Elena said.
"Only because you were caught," I interjected.
"Just... get out of my office and go home. Please. Alaric will be released as soon as the letter is authenticated. Go," Sheriff sat down and covered her face.
"Thank you, Sheriff," I said before we headed out. We all walked in silence for a few minutes until we passed an alleyway. I spotted Damon, Stefan, and an unfamiliar girl that was probably my age.
"I got you. That's a good girl," Damon said.
"What are you doing?" Elena asked them. That's when Stefan turned to us, blood over his mouth. "Stefan?"
Stefan wiped the blood off of his mouth. "Elena,"
"What are you two doing?" I asked, stepping forward.
"Relax, guys. Just a little experiment. There's no need to make this more dramatic than it needs to be," Damon looked frustrated at seeing us.
"Elena, let's just go," Matt said, yanking her arm, but Elena continued to stare at Stefan. "Elena!"
Matt forced Elena to move and she eventually did. As we walked away, I said aloud, "I don't know what you expected, Elena, he's a vampire. He's got to drink something."
That got me thinking about Elijah and Klaus. I knew Klaus definitely drank from the vein, that would always be what he did, but did Elijah? I'd never thought about that until now.
Since Alaric was coming back, I went home with Elena and Matt, but I went to take a shower instead of sitting with them downstairs. I felt hurt as I began to think of Klaus again. Why had he blamed me?
When I got downstairs, Elena was hugging Alaric. "Where's Andy?" He asked when he pulled back.
"She's―"
"Right here," I said with a smile as I walked down the stairs. "So, did you get a sweetheart while you were in the slammer?"
"Andy," He sighed but hugged me when I got to him.
I grinned at him. "Are you going to keep in touch with him?" He rolled his eyes and headed upstairs. I went into the kitchen and started making coffee while Elena was seated on the couch, reading a journal.
"Hey, I was gonna make some coffee," I heard Alaric say after a while.
"I already am, Ric!" I called out as I pulled out my phone when I felt it vibrate with a new message. I hoped it was from Klaus, but it was Meredith instead. I had given her my number before I went to the police station with Elena and Matt.
"Hey, is Ric there? Need to speak with you two."
"Yeah, we're here."
"Perfect. I'll be there in few." I put my phone away when Alaric walked into the living room.
"Elena went to bed," He said. "Who were you texting?"
"Jeremy," I lied, brushing through my wet hair with my fingers. My mom used to hate when I didn't dry my hair after a shower for some reason.
"Oh, how is he doing?" Alaric moved to pour himself some coffee.
"He's adjusting," I said as I ran my fingers over the gauze wrapped around my torso. I actually had no clue how he was doing because we haven't spoken since he left.
"Listen Andy," Alaric turned back to me. "Elena told me you were trying to figure out whether I did it or not."
"I was."
"I don't want you getting yourself in trouble at the expense of me. I'm supposed to be taking care of you."
I rolled my eyes. "I'm eighteen, Ric, I'm old enough to no longer need a guardian legally but I do need one personally. However, there are limitations. Such as, if you tell me to not help you when you need it, I'm going to ignore you."
"Of course you are," He sighed. "Please, Andy, promise me you'll let me watch after you."
I shook my head. "Nope, sorry, can't do that," I took a sip of my coffee.
He was going to say something, but there was a knock on the door that distracted him. "This conversation isn't over," He said before going to answer the door.
I chuckled as I finished off my coffee. I started cleaning out the mug when I remembered Meredith was coming over so I hurried to the front, door to see Alaric standing in the doorway and glaring at Meredith.
"You have no reason to, but I need you to trust me anyway," Meredith said. "If you let me in I can explain."
"Ric," I said, walking over to him. "Let her in."
"She was who you were texting, not Jeremy," He realized with a scowl.
I nodded. "Just let her in, if she tries anything I think we can take her." I went into the kitchen and soon they were in there as well.
She handed a folder to Alaric and he started flipping through it. I stood by his side and looked with him; it was the crime scenes, coroner's reports, and pictures of the evidence. "Like the Sheriff said, the victims were killed with your weapons," Meredith said to him.
"Yes, but he was attacked," I pointed out.
"With his own knife," She countered. "A wound that could have been self-inflicted."
"It's impossible! I would know if I were killing people," He dropped the folder on the table, clearly getting upset.
"Would you?" She asked. "Have you had any blackouts, instances of lost time?"
"You're crazy," He shook his head, avoiding the question.
"No, but I think you might be," She walked closer to him. "You wear a ring that lets you cheat death, Ric. How many times can you die before it changes you?"
I felt sudden horror and had to sit down at the table, they followed suit. This could not be happening, Ric couldn't be a killer.
"I think you're sick, and I want to help you," Meredith grabbed his hand. "This has happened before, almost one-hundred years ago." Right then we all noticed Elena standing in the doorway, a journal in her hand.
"Elena," Alaric said, sitting up straight.
She held up the journal. "Ric, I think she's right."
I put my head on the table and covered my head. Couldn't he have just been a doppelganger or a witch – warlock, whatever male witches preferred? Why did he have to be a killer?
All I could think about was what I had said to him: "I'd suspect you before I would her." I hadn't actually realize the weight of those words until this moment, and I hadn't actually meant them. They were to comfort him.
"Andy," Alaric said, his hand on my back.
I shook my head and stood with difficulty to my feet before going outside on the porch. I pulled my phone out and hovered over Klaus's name; I wanted to talk to him so badly, but I knew he wouldn't talk to me. It was worth a try, though.
It rung a few times before going to voicemail. Once the operator told me to leave a message, I did. "Klaus… I'm not sorry. I'm not sorry for whatever part you think I played in your almost death. If you would just pick up your phone we could talk about it, but obviously things are going to go unresolved. Elijah left town and I feel like I have no one. You made me think of you as an actual friend and then you leave just when I need you. The ball's in your court, so do something about it before it's too late. I won't wait around forever." I exhaled as I hung up the phone; I remembered Matt saying something similar to Caroline when they were romantic interests.
I headed back in the house to deal with Alaric, my heart not feeling any lighter.
~ * • ° • ° • * ~
The End of Chapter XXXVI