Chapter 36
"Let her go right now!" A voice sounded behind them, causing Katherine to turn around with Elena, eyes shining brightly.
"Well hello there Stefan, I was wondering when you would join our little party." She crooned, slowly moving toward him. "Why don't you come inside and get your precious Elena?"
"Stefan, don't!" Damon shouted when Stefan took a step, knowing they were in some kind of barrier that prevented anyone from leaving once entered. "She had a witch cast a spell, we're trapped right now."
Katherine stuck her bottom lip out in a pout, running a single fingernail down Elena's cheek. "If you don't join us, I might have to get rough with her." She informed him softly, loving how violently Elena trembled.
Stefan quickly shared a look with Damon, both of them simultaneously nodding while Katherine gazed down at her prey. "Don't do it, Katherine." Stefan continued distracting her, slowly moving toward the invisible barrier. "I'll come inside, but not until you let Elena go."
"This is not negotiable, Stefan." Katherine suddenly pushed the piece of wood into Elena's chest, piercing the first two layers of skin.
Elena screamed out in pain, the wood feeling as though it was burning her skin, tears instantly falling. "S-Stefan…!" She gasped out, instantly moving her hands to the wood and tried pulling it away, but Katherine was far stronger than her.
"Last chance to save her, Stefan."
"Katherine!" Damon shouted, gaining her attention momentarily while trying to think of a way to get Elena to safety. "You said you missed me, so why are you so worried about Stefan?"
"Because I love him." Katherine chirped, glancing over her shoulder at Stefan and smirked when his head lowered, before looking back at Damon. "I did miss you, Damon, but I've never loved you. It was always Stefan. I was simply using you to get to him."
"Katherine, that's enough." Stefan interjected, raking a hand through his hair and once again gained her attention, hoping Damon wouldn't hesitate after hearing that confession.
Before Damon could react, his eyes widened when Katherine was suddenly tackled to the bridge by Ebony. The piece of wood Katherine used to hurt Elena was suddenly sunk deep into her abdomen, which immobilized Katherine. The cut above Ebony's eye was already healed, leaving behind smears of blood, joining the others that adorned her face. Katherine was in shock as she tried pulling the wood out, but Ebony's strength overwhelmed her, crying out at the applied pressure.
This vampire bitch had taken away the one person Ebony considered family and it wasn't about to happen again with Elena. "You think you're so big and bad, that you get everything you want. I've got news for you, slut, I've been around the block MORE than a few times and know how to defend myself." The crunching of wood echoed throughout the night as Ebony drove the wood further inside, starting to actually push it up inside Katherine's chest. "You took her away from me. YOU killed Ashley, not Damon and made him believe that you actually gave a damn about him! You are responsible for all the innocent blood that's been shed. You broke his heart, but that's fine because I mended it. Unlike you, I know a good thing when I have it and will KILL to protect anything and anyone I love."
The wood barely grazed Katherine's heart as Ebony wrapped her hand around Katherine's throat, squeezing. Just the same way she killed Ashley, Ebony was going to same thing to Katherine, glancing over at a sobbing Elena. It was the only way to protect everyone Ebony cared about and loved, especially Damon.
Damon had to look away, along with Stefan and Elena, as Ebony literally tore Katherine's head off, decapitating her. Blood sprayed a little over Ebony, but it didn't bother her as she jammed the wood into Katherine's heart for added insult to injury. Slowly standing up with smears of blood down her arms, neck and face, Ebony immediately went over to where Elena was, bending down to check on her.
"It's healing…" Elena whispered, pulling her shirt up enough to assess the damage. "Ebony, I don't know how to thank you…"
"You're my friend, Elena." Ebony stated simply, wrapping an arm around her waist and lifted her to stand, stumbling a little. "There's no thanking necessary." Ebony jumped slightly when she felt an arm wrap around her waist, looking up into the worried aquamarine eyes of Damon and leaned against him, completely drained. "How the hell are we supposed to get out of here if we can't leave?" She muttered softly, knowing they would have to clean the bodies of Ashley and Katherine up before leaving.
"I think I can help with that." Bonnie said, coming out of the darkness with her grimoire in hand, not noticing what happened to Elena yet. "Stand back, Stefan."
"It'll be okay, Elena." Stefan promised, hating that her choice to remain human had been taken away and didn't know how Bonnie was going to react once she found out.
"Close your eyes because this is going to be incredibly bright." Bonnie instructed, already closing her own while holding her hand over the grimoire, the pages suddenly flipping of their own accord.
"WAIT!"
Both Ebony and Elena blinked as Damon suddenly flew away from them to retrieve something, flying back seconds later. "Put this on." He ordered, holding Ebony's daylight ring that was her last connection to Ashley. "The sun will be up soon."
"No." Ebony refused, looking away from him and closed her eyes painfully, needing to remain strong for a little longer or else she would crumble. "Do the spell, Bonnie. I'll be fine."
"Don't you dare, witchy!" Damon growled, cupping Ebony's face and forced her heartbroken eyes to meet his. "Just until we get back to the mansion. You don't know what this bright light will do and I don't want you hurt any more than what you already are."
"He has a point." Bonnie admitted grudgingly, narrowing her dark eyes in Damon's direction. "The bright light is going to feel like you're engulfed in sun. I don't know if it'll have the same effect, but you could end up burning up in seconds."
"Just put it on you anywhere. As long as it's physically on you, you're protected." Damon pleaded and suddenly just shoved it in her front jean pocket, stopping her hand from removing it. "I will break your arm if you don't leave it alone." He growled, nodding over at Bonnie.
Bonnie set the grimoire down on the asphalt, the entire bridge in the barrier and raised her arms in the air, the wind instantly picking up. She began chanting in a different tongue and all Ebony could do was stand there, watching as the trees swayed dangerously back and forth. Thunder rumbled in the distance as leaves swirled up around everyone, Bonnie reaching a crescendo.
"WHOA!" Stefan jumped back when a bolt of lightning suddenly flew out of the sky and hit the barrier, making a huge crackle.
The entire barrier turned a bright white before slowly beginning to denigrate, making it look like glitter as the barrier slowly dissolved until there was nothing. The wind instantly slowed down along with the trees, the sky lit brightly with stars and the moon. Stefan slowly stood back up, having shielded himself from the bright light and watched as Bonnie nodded before flying over to where Elena was.
"Stefan." Elena whispered weakly, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck as he lifted her in his arms, getting her out of there.
Ebony pulled away from Damon and took the ring out of her pocket as soon as they stepped off the bridge, hurling it as far as she could into the woods. She wanted nothing to do with it, silent tears flowing down her cheeks and didn't care if Damon broke her arm. Feeling him walk up behind her, Ebony suddenly turned around and buried her face in his chest, wrapping her arms tightly around him as the sobbing started. Decapitating Ashley was the hardest decision Ebony ever had to make, but she did it to save the man she loved as well as her new best friend.
Still, it didn't hurt any less that Ashley was officially gone.
Damon didn't know what to say and just held her, knowing he had to get her back to the mansion before the sun came up. "We'll get you another one." He didn't know how because something told him witchy wouldn't help, running his fingers through her hair soothingly. "Let's go home, Ebony."
Nodding, Ebony walked with him toward the Camaro, though she stopped to look back at the bodies on the bridge. "What about…?"
"I'll take care of them." Damon whispered, placing a finger over her lips when Ebony went to protest. "We'll bury Ashley properly, now come on." He glanced over at Bonnie, waving his free hand. "You too witchy, Elena is going to want to see you."
Bonnie looked skeptical, reluctantly following and slipped in the backseat, Ebony in the passenger. Damon didn't waste a second in pulling out of there and flew back to the mansion as fast as he could, holding Ebony's hand. Ebony just stared out the window, so many thoughts running through her mind and pressed her forehead against the cool window, the sky slowly brightening little by little.
Pulling up to the mansion, Damon didn't waste time getting Ebony inside with Bonnie following suit, already hearing Elena's crying coming from the library. Stefan could deal with her because Damon's number one priority was making sure Ebony was alright, guiding her down the hallway. He suddenly stopped, not releasing Ebony's hand and turned to stare at Bonnie, wondering if it was even worth asking for her help one last time.
"Hey witchy?" He called, stopping her from walking toward the library.
"What?" Bonnie asked resignedly, having gotten used to that nickname and couldn't help feeling terrible for Ebony.
"Look, I know you don't like me and the feelings mutual, but this isn't about me. This is about Ebony. Can you make her another daylight ring?" Damon asked straightforwardly, his tone completely even, suddenly wishing he wouldn't have sent Bree to her death with opening the tomb.
"Bonnie, you don't-"
"Yes." Ebony's eyes widened when Bonnie suddenly walked toward her and wrapped her arms around Ebony's neck, hugging her tightly. "You're my friend, Ebony. You proved that tonight by protecting Elena again." She whispered, closing her eyes to hide the building tears.
Returning the embrace, Ebony felt the fresh tears slide down her cheeks and somehow believed what the witch said. "Go to her." She whispered, stepping back after a few seconds, not bothering to wipe her tears away. "She needs you now more than ever, Bonnie. Keep an open mind and remember what happened to her isn't anyone's fault except Katherine and Ashley's…"
Bonnie didn't fully understand what Ebony meant by that and suddenly rushed into the library to where Elena was. Damon was thankful that Bonnie was cooperating with them, hoping she did after finding out that Elena was now a vampire. He would let Stefan handle that situation, guiding Ebony toward his bedroom upstairs, knowing tonight had taken a lot out of her.
Ebony sat on the bed while Damon pulled the shades closed to block out the pending sunlight and reached down to remove her shoes. Both of them simultaneously closed their eyes when sobbing reached their ears from downstairs. Bonnie knew the truth and Elena wasn't handling very well, still in transition since she refused to drink the blood bag Stefan had.
Blocking them out, Damon pulled Ebony up on her feet and cupped her face in his hands tenderly, softly kissing her. There was no point in asking if she was alright because he knew she wasn't, so this was the only step Damon felt he could make to help her. All Ebony could do was kiss him back, cupping the back of his neck and felt their bodies mold together, thankful nothing happened to him.
"Let's get you cleaned up." Damon rumbled against her lips, sliding his hands beneath her shirt and frowned when she stopped him.
"You need to go clean the Wickery Bridge up before someone spots their bodies." Ebony could only whisper because the pain of killing Ashley by her own hand was still very fresh. "Katherine turned my sister into a monster, it wasn't Ashley's fault, no matter what she said. I'll take a shower and get cleaned up while you're gone, then help you bury her body."
"Ebony…" Damon sighed when she pressed a finger to his lips, knowing he couldn't deny this woman anything even if he wanted. "You have me spellbound, you know that right?"
"As you have me." Ebony ran a finger down his cheek, kissing him even softer than the first time. "Now go on, text me where you plan on burying her and I'll meet you there."
Nodding, Damon flew out of the room, grabbing a body bag from the basement and left the mansion to do what Ebony wanted, not bothering to take his car. He ended up placing Katherine's body right on top of the tomb burial, lighting the whole thing on fire and stayed until he could no longer see her body. Then he whipped his cell phone out and texted Ebony, letting her know where to meet him for Ashley's final resting place.
It wasn't in Mystic Falls.
"Where are we going?" Ebony asked, once they were on the road with Ashley's body in the trunk and laced her fingers with Damon's.
"The only place fitting enough for Ashley." He pulled something out of his pocket and tossed it at her, smiling. "Bonnie told me to give that to you." The sun was just about to rise over the horizon and Bonnie had done what she said she would, though it wasn't a ring.
Slowly flipping open the black velvet box, Ebony looked down at the black onyx stone cut in the shape of a heart that was dangling from a thick silver chain. "Oh wow…" She breathed, feeling Damon pull over on the side of the road and handed it over to him as he took it out, deftly clipping it around her neck.
"Your new and improved daylight jewelry." Damon announced, having picked it out especially for her from the Salvatore family safe. "It was my mother's, which is why it probably has an old classy feel to it, but I thought it fit you perfectly."
Smiling with unshed tears in her eyes, Ebony leaned over to passionately kiss him and hugged him tightly. "I love it, thank you." She murmured in his ear softly, pulling back to stare in his eyes and reluctantly pulled back so he could continue driving.
"You're welcome."
Turns out, Damon ended up bringing Ebony back to where it all began – Chicago. They went to Ashley's grave and compelled the owner of the cemetery to let them dig her casket up. Ebony didn't open the body bag because she knew Ashley was in two pieces, simply letting Damon do the dirty work while she silently mourned her friend.
It didn't take long and Damon stood beside her when it was all said and done, their fingers laced together. On the ride back to Mystic Falls later that day, all Ebony could do was breathe the fresh air in and knew Ashley was in a better place, just as she was. Looking over her shoulder at Damon, Ebony knew she was spellbound to him from the moment they first met in the strip club's parking lot and would be for the rest of her immortality, completely fine with it.
What Ebony didn't realize was Damon felt the exact same way about her and would be spellbound, even after death.
The End.