Author's Note: I'm blown away by all the nice words and love this story has gotten so far. I really wasn't expecting it and especially since I've never written within the TVD fandom before.
Thanks for all the reviews, favorites, and follows. It really means a lot. Please enjoy the next chapter and let me know what you think.
"So I don't get it," Natalie told her father as she did her history homework and he graded papers. It was a rainy Saturday and after Natalie told her father Damon Salvatore tried to get into the loft, he felt much safer at the school. Despite it being a public space. "Why did Burr and Hamilton hate each other so much? They both fought on the same side."
"It's classic rivalry," Her father answered her, smiling at her from over the papers he was grading. "Hamilton took whatever he wanted while Burr always waited for things to happen for him. He envied Hamilton for being a go-getter."
"Men are so weird," Natalie said as she rolled her eyes before writing an answer to one of her study guide questions. Alaric chuckled. He was just glad his daughter didn't seem to be interested in boys yet.
Boys seemed to be the furthest thing from Natalie's mind.
Thankfully.
"What do you think Isobel's doing right now?" Natalie asked casually as she continued doing her homework. Her dad cast her a hesitant look. Natalie seemed to insist on referring to her mother as Isobel now. She refused to refer to her as anything else. "Draining the life out of some poor innocent person I suppose."
"Don't start this again, Natalie," Her dad said tiredly. If anything, he wished he never revealed to her that her mother was a vampire. Natalie was more resentful of her mother than before. Alaric didn't feel like it was healthy for her to be this resentful. He had half a mind to send her back to therapy but it's not like she could discuss the problems in her life.
A vampire mother couldn't exactly be revealed in therapy sessions.
"I'm just curious, Dad," Natalie said innocently even though Alaric knew she was anything but innocent. The girl seemed hellbent on the idea of staking her vampire mother which Alaric didn't want for her. Despite everything Isobel did to them, she was still Natalie's mother. "I mean, what was her grand plan for a vampire life? Aside from zero responsibility and running away? There must be something better out there for her if she wanted to die for it and become a blood-sucking leech in the process."
"Look, I'm not saying I'm happy discovering that your mom left us to pursue whatever vampire fantasy she had but you need to let it go," Her father warned her and Natalie scoffed. "She's stupid. She's stupid to leave you like that. You're the best kid and if she wanted to leave to be a vampire then she's an idiot. She's missing out on so much but don't let her stupidity take away that optimism you used to carry with you wherever you went. I don't want her actions taking away the person you are."
"I hate her, Dad. I hate her so much," Natalie stated quietly as she heaved with anger. The very thought of her mother filled her with rage and she couldn't just ignore it. "She broke your heart and left her own child like it was nothing. Like we were both nothing to her. All to spend eternity by herself. Somehow it was better than spending her life with us."
"Like I said, she's an idiot," Her father told her softly. "You're worth so much more than eternity. If she couldn't see that then she doesn't deserve you."
"She doesn't deserve you either, Dad," Natalie responded, her gaze meeting her father's gaze. "She was lucky if someone loved her half as much as you loved her."
"I'm grateful," He said, his gaze softening as he stared at her. "If it wasn't for her then I wouldn't have you. If I didn't have you…I don't know what I'd do with myself."
"I'm glad I have you too, Dad," Natalie said softly. He smiled at her and she returned his smile before they both went back to work without another word. They didn't have to say anything else. It was part of their relationship. They could be completely comfortable in silence with each other.
In a way, Natalie was glad it was her mom who sucked and not her dad.
Natalie could survive losing her mother.
But she couldn't survive losing her dad.
"Dad, what took you-" Natalie started to say as her dad walked back into the classroom. It was the people he returned to the classroom with who gave Natalie some pause. Elena Gilbert and Damon Salvatore. "So long…"
"Oh, look, it's Junior Van Helsing," Damon said sarcastically as he gave the twelve-year-old a fake smile. Natalie immediately glowered at the vampire.
"What's he doing here?" Natalie asked her dad without tearing her gaze away from the vampire she vervained last week. She immediately thought to the wooden stake she had hidden in her backpack. Could she get it in time? She knew vampires were fast but maybe the element of surprise could work in her favor.
"So much resentment for such a little girl," Damon quipped and Natalie fixed the vampire with a heated glare.
"I wasn't such a little girl when I sprayed you with vervain," Natalie gloated and the fake smile fell off Damon's face. "It looked like it really hurt."
"That won't be happening again," Damon told her, giving the little brat a glare. "What have you been teaching this girl, Ric? Did you know your little daughter sprayed me in the face with vervain last week?"
"Are you suggesting I should ground her for doing what I taught her to do," Alaric questioned, crossing his arms. "If anything, I think I should increase her allowance for protecting herself."
"I wasn't going to hurt her," Damon argued before hesitating. "Although I'm starting to regret that decision."
"Damon," Elena said warningly, glaring at him. Finding out Natalie was her sister might've been a new revelation for her but it still meant something to Elena. She didn't want her sister to get harmed. "We came here for Mr. Saltzman's help."
"If you think my dad's going to help you and your vampire boyfriends then think again," Natalie said toughly, glaring at the older girl as she crossed her arms. "Where is the other one by the way?"
"That's the problem," Elena told Natalie and Mr. Saltzman although she had to admit that she hadn't expected her sister to know about vampires much less resent them. Although she understood why. Stefan informed Elena, after learning from Mr. Saltzman, that apparently Natalie hadn't taken the news of their mother being a vampire very well. "The tomb vampires that Damon helped released want revenge against Stefan and Damon. They blame them for getting trapped there in the first place."
"Stefan and I were a little lovesick back in 1864. It might or might not have gotten all those vampires trapped in the tomb underneath the old church," Damon explained nonchalantly as he turned to look out the window at the rain. "They're pretty pissed. Especially now."
"Anyways…they live in this house on the outskirts of town," Elena said as she continued to explain the situation to Natalie's father who sat quietly at his desk. "Stefan's in the house. Damon's a vampire. He can't get in. We need you. I would go but-"
"Your life is valuable," Damon finished with a smirk as he glanced over at Alaric. Natalie glanced at him suspiciously before returning her gaze to Elena. "Yours, on the other hand…"
"Stefan told me about your ring," Elena informed him.
"What about it?" Alaric questioned.
"Let me recap," Damon started to say as he moved closer to the three of them. Natalie still found him suspicious. "You tried to kill me. I defended myself. You died. Then according to my brother, your ring brought you back to life. Am I leaving anything out?"
"Yeah," Alaric said angrily as he started to get up from his seat. "The part where I try and kill you again. Only this time, I don't miss."
"Mr. Saltzman, please," Elena pleaded with him. "It's Stefan."
Natalie still didn't understand it.
Elena clearly loved Stefan Salvatore but he was a vampire. How could someone love a vampire? They didn't strike her as the sweet, kind, and loving type. Not the ones Natalie had met which so far was only Damon. He didn't really instill sympathy in her for vampires. It was actually quite the opposite.
"So are you saying there's a house full of vampires?" Natalie said after processing everything Elena and Damon had told them.
"A whole tomb's worth of them," Damon answered and Natalie turned back to her father with an excited look on her face.
"Dad, there's a bunch of vampires in that house," Natalie told her father who glanced away from Elena to look at her. "Isn't this what we wanted? What else have you been training me for all this time?"
"No," He told her sternly. "I taught you everything to protect you. Not for you to go all vampire hunter on a bunch of old, experienced vampires."
"Element of surprise, remember?" Natalie reminded him as Damon stared in between the two in disbelief. "This is perfect. We can get rid of a bunch of vampires and save Elena's vampire boyfriend at the same time. Two birds, one stone."
"Okay, slow down, Buffy," Damon told the girl. "I don't think I like the look on your face. A little trigger-happy for vampires, aren't you?"
"Natalie, no. Killing one or two vampires is a lot different than killing a whole hoard of them," Alaric told her and Natalie looked disappointed. Even Elena found it disconcerting. Her younger sister who her history teacher apparently trained to kill vampires. "If I had it my way, you'd never cross paths with one but I guess that's pointless now."
He gestured to Damon who gave him a feigned innocent look.
"Mr. Saltzman, I know what Damon did to you," Elena tried to reason with him again. "But Stefan's not like that. You have to help him. Please."
"I'm sorry, Elena," Alaric finally told the girl. "But it's not my problem."
"Dad…" Natalie whined, disappointed at the thought of not killing a bunch of tomb vampires. They were a danger to the town, weren't they? They'd only hurt and kill a bunch of innocent people. They needed to be put down.
"That's a shame because the woman in charge of the crowd can help you find your wife," Damon told him and Natalie honestly didn't care if her mother was ever found. If her mother didn't want them than Natalie didn't want her.
"You're lying," Natalie's father told him and Damon raised an eyebrow, giving him a smirk.
"Am I? Why don't you ask her for yourself?" Damon questioned and when Alaric said nothing, he smirked again. "Coward. Come on, Elena."
Natalie glared at the vampire. She didn't like how he accused her father of being a coward just for not wanting to get involved in vampire problems. Sure, Natalie would like nothing more than to finally put her training to the test but the way Damon lured her father was infuriating.
Still…she knew her father would give in.
He still loved her mother despite everything she put them both through. He'd still give everything up in order to find her. Natalie wished that he could move on.
For good.
"Dad?" Natalie asked quietly as her father stared at the ring on his finger. She could see the look of hesitation on his face.
"Alright. Wait!" He called out for Elena and Damon. They both paused in the doorway. Natalie watched in surprise as her dad swallowed hard before glancing over at them. "I'll go."
Natalie knew it.
Of course, she wanted to go after the tomb vampires but just not for the reason her father wanted to. Natalie didn't want to do it for her mother. She wanted to do it for herself.
She just wished her father could forget her mother.
Her mother had clearly forgotten them.
"Teacher by day, vampire hunter by night," Damon said jokingly as her father laid out all the stakes and vervain darts across his desk. They were in the midst of planning out their rescue plan. "Middle-schooler by day, vampire hunter-in-training by night. You're like a vampire-hunting Hannah Montana."
"Only babies watch Hannah Montana," Natalie retorted, glaring at the smug vampire. "It wouldn't surprise me that you'd watch it."
"I don't watch-" Damon started to say and Natalie crossed her arms, fixing him with a defiant look.
"Then how did you know what it is?" Natalie threw back at him and Damon glared at her. "I bet you know all the songs. You probably sing them in the car."
"Listen up, you little brat-" Damon told her and Elena gave him an unimpressed look.
"Damon," She warned him and even Alaric gave him a glare. "Just don't."
"What? She started it," Damon accused while Natalie just glared at him unflinchingly. Alaric scoffed.
"Aren't you one hundred and something-years-old? She's twelve," Alaric told him and Damon sneered at him before returning his attention to the weapons. Natalie looked satisfied that everyone seemed to be against the vampire.
"So you spend all your time hunting vampires after office hours?" Damon asked Alaric, changing the subject. Alaric glared at him.
"I have you to thank for that," Alaric retorted. Elena furrowed her eyebrows in confusion as she looked at the vervain darts.
"What are these?" She asked and Alaric crossed his arms.
"Those are tranquilizer darts filled with vervain," He informed her. She nodded in response.
"It's supposed to put the vampires right to sleep," Natalie told Elena. "But we've never tested them before on a real vampire. Although, it would be nice to test them before we go into a house full of vampires."
Natalie said the last part suggestively as she turned to look at Damon. The vampire gave her a fake smile.
"Just try it, kid," Damon warned her and Natalie tore her gaze away, knowing that she'd gotten underneath the vampire's skin but she was enjoying it nonetheless. He shook his head, glancing at Alaric. "Just get me in. I'll get Stefan out."
"That's your plan?" Elena questioned in disbelief. "You're just gonna take them all on yourself?"
"Well, I'll be a little stealthier than that, hopefully," Damon quipped, smirking at the brunette. Elena then picked up one of the vervain darts from the desk. Alaric stopped her.
"Whoa. What are you doing?" He asked her.
"I'm going with your guys," Elena told them as though it were obvious. Natalie allowed her hopes to be raised because she knew if Elena was going to go then she would go too. She was a lot more experienced against vampires than Elena was which meant that her dad would have to let her go.
"No, no, no," Damon said, shaking his head as he huffed. "No way."
"You need me. I'll get in," Elena tried to convince them both. "You could distract them, and then I'll get Stefan out."
"You'll get yourself killed. You're not going in there," Damon argued and Elena scoffed, shaking her head at him. Natalie looked between the two of them curiously. Damon was supposed to be an evil vampire yet he almost seemed to care about Elena's safety. Was it some sort of vampire brotherly duty since Elena was his brother's girlfriend? Natalie didn't understand it.
"I'm going," Elena told him, refusing to back down. Natalie had to admire her for holding her own and refusing to let Damon walk all over her. Maybe her sister was someone Natalie could even like. She wasn't weak. That was for sure.
"So, when you get me in, get out as quickly as you can," Damon told Natalie's dad, ignoring Elena. "I know how to sneak around where they can't hear me. You'll basically just be in the way."
"Damon, now is not the time to be the Lone Ranger," Elena snapped as she glared at the dark haired vampire. Damon sighed.
"Fine, Elena. You can drive the getaway car," He relented, humoring her in an insulting fashion. "You're not going in the house."
"You can't stop me," Elena argued, knowing there was no way she could just hang back as Stefan remained trapped inside that house with tomb vampires. "It's Stefan we're talking about here. You don't understand."
"Oh, I understand. I understand," Damon said mockingly as he looked back at Elena who didn't seem too impressed with his condescending attitude. Natalie had to admit it was entertaining watching the two of them argue. "He's the reason you live. His love lifts you up where you belong. I get it."
"Can you just not joke around for two seconds?" Elena said in disbelief, continuing to glare at him. The expression on Damon's face grew very serious as he glared back at her.
"I can't protect you, Elena. I don't know how many vampires there are in there," Damon finally told her, all jokes aside. He snapped his fingers. "That's how long it takes you to get your head ripped off. I have to be able to get in and get out. I can't be distracted with your safety…or this will end up a bloodbath that none of us walk away from. Including Stefan."
"I know," Damon said after a brief pause, his gaze softening as he looked at a teary-eyed Elena. "I get it. I understand."
Natalie waited a few seconds before giving her own input into the conversation. Things were a bit heavy so she broke up the tension with an announcement of her own making.
"I'm going too," Natalie told the group. Damon rolled his eyes before groaning.
"What is this? Some sort of tomb vampire field trip?" He asked sarcastically while Natalie's dad shook his head. "This isn't the zoo."
"If Elena's going then I'm going. I'm not that much younger than her," Natalie argued and her dad didn't seem too impressed with this idea.
"Well, Elena's not my responsibility, Natalie. You're not going," Alaric tried to tell her. However, much like Elena, Natalie refused to back down. Damon wondered if annoying stubbornness was a family trait. It sure seemed like it.
"I'm much more useful than Elena. She's just a cheerleader," Natalie told her father as she tried to convince him to let her go. The girl then gave the older brunette girl an apologetic look. "No offense, Elena."
"None taken and I'm a former cheerleader by the way," Elena said, feeling it necessary to say. Natalie nodded before returning her attention to her dad.
"You've trained me for this stuff. What was it all for if I wasn't going to use it?" Natalie asked her dad who still seemed not willing to let her go. "I could just stay in the car with Elena. Just in case anything goes wrong. I know how to use the compressor gun and the crossbrow. She doesn't."
"You're twelve. What kind of father would I be by letting you go with us?" He asked her, crossing his arms. Natalie met his gaze with defiance.
"I can either go with you guys or I can stay here alone. Who knows what tomb vampires you might piss off?" Natalie said, trying to convince her dad to let her go. "I'm probably safer in that car with Elena than I'd be here all by myself."
"You're too stubborn for your own good," Alaric told his daughter, shaking his head as he caved. Natalie withheld the excitement she felt that her dad was really going to let her go with them. Her first vampire-killing adventure. Okay, so she'd basically be stuck in a car the whole time but it was better than being stuck at the school by herself. "Fine. You can go but you're staying in the car with Elena the whole time. You're not to leave and at the first sign of trouble, you and Elena have to get out of there. No questions asked. Got it?"
"Got it," Natalie confirmed as Elena nodded in agreement. She tried to contain herself as she felt giddy at the idea of a vampire rescue mission. She never would've thought she and her father would try to save a vampire but Natalie didn't care. It was something and it was her first time on any sort of vampire-related mission.
"Great. Is there some kindergartner with a crossbow who'd like to join us too or is this it for all the kiddies?" Damon asked sarcastically but Natalie just ignored him. Not even Damon, the evil vampire, could ruin her happiness at finally putting her skills to the test. Alaric shook his head.
"If we're gonna go, let's go," Alaric finally said in a serious tone, already regretting his decision in letting his daughter come with them.
Elena and Natalie shared a look with each other as the two men started to pack up so they could head out. It was the first time that Natalie had to acknowledge the fact that she was standing alongside her very own sister. Her flesh and blood. That was what Elena was to her.
It was weird.
She supposed Elena and herself did share a resemblance, but Natalie had never seen it before. Not that she would've thought of herself and Elena Gilbert sharing anything except having the Bennett girls as friends. Now it was apparent that Elena was her sister. Her half-sister.
Natalie just didn't know how to process all of it.
Not just Elena being her sister but her mother apparently being a vampire now and having hid Elena's existence from both her and her father. It was mind-boggling that Natalie even had a sister. Yet she couldn't feel excited about it.
Not with all the chaos in her life.
"Natalie…" Elena trailed off, not knowing what to say to the younger girl. Natalie quickly grew uncomfortable with Elena's attention.
"I'm going to help my dad load everything into the car," Natalie said quickly, trying avoid Elena and all her questions. She still didn't want to talk about Isobel or anything related to her. Natalie just wasn't ready for that.
Elena sighed as she watched Natalie hurry off.
The inevitable happened and Natalie was finally left alone with Elena.
Her older sister.
It was still weird getting used to that term. Sister. It usually meant two girls who shared the same parents and were raised together but everything seemed complicated for Natalie and Elena. Instead, it meant two girls who shared the same mother who only recently discovered the other one existed.
"So, your dad's been training you to fight vampires?" Elena asked the younger girl as they sat in the car alone. Natalie's father and Damon already left for the house which quite a distance away. Elena and Natalie remained in the car just as they were told.
"Fight and kill vampires," Natalie corrected, causing Elena to frown from the driver's seat.
"And that's something you want to do?" Elena asked her, mystified by everything about her younger sister. She didn't think she'd met a more puzzling person than her sister. Not even Stefan was this indecipherable. "You want to kill vampires?"
"They probably deserve it," Natalie retorted, knowing that Elena clearly didn't feel the same way about vampires. Not when she actively dated one. "They're bad, aren't they?"
"Not all of them," Elena pointed out and Natalie disagreed with her about that. The only good vampire was a dead one in Natalie's opinion. Just because she and her dad went along with Damon on this little adventure, didn't mean that Natalie suddenly liked him. It was quite the opposite, actually. He turned her mother, after all.
"What? Like Stefan?" Natalie questioned and Elena nodded. "I'm sorry, Elena, but I don't believe that there's nice vampires out there. We're just prey to them. All they see is food when they look at us. Even Stefan. He might fight it because he loves you or whatever, but the hunger is still there. No offense but I don't think I could ever be with someone who might eat me."
"I admit that Damon's a pretty bad example but if you got to know Stefan then you'd see that he's not like the others," Elena tried to convince her, but Natalie was stubborn. She had hated vampires ever since she could remember. Long before she knew they actually existed. Elena wasn't about to change her opinion. "Stefan's good."
"Our mom's not," Natalie said bluntly as she glanced over at her sister. Elena met her gaze with caution. She hesitated for a moment before acknowledging the one thing the both of them had been tiptoeing around for the past week.
"I've tried talking to you," Elena said softly, and Natalie quietly watched her with brown eyes very similar to Elena's. "Every time I approach you, you walk the other way."
"I'm sorry," Natalie told her, swallowing hard before continuing. "I just know you have questions about my-our mom, and I don't want to talk about her. Not after what she did."
"Oh," Elena said awkwardly when she realized the real reason Natalie had been avoiding her. She thought maybe Natalie didn't like her or maybe she didn't want anything to do with her. Maybe she even hated her, but it was actually to do with their mother. Elena supposed the news of their mother's vampirism was more of a betrayal to Natalie since it was Natalie that Isobel abandoned to become a vampire. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize how hard that must've been for you."
"It's not that. Well, it is but…it's just that my dad and I worried about her all this time. We felt guilty about what happened to her when in reality she left us," Natalie explained to Elena who listened to her without interrupting. "She was always so obsessed with vampires that she never paid much attention to me. I guess that's the real reason I don't like vampires. I feel like they stole her from me."
"I understand…I mean, I don't think I really can understand but I can see why you feel that way," Elena told her sympathetically. Natalie gave her a sad smile. "Since discovering that I was adopted, I wondered what my birth mother was like and questioned the closeness of my mom and I but…I know how lucky I am to have my mom. I'm just sad you didn't get that too."
"It's okay," Natalie told her sincerely as she looked back at Elena. "At least, I got a sister out of it. I always wanted a sister. I just never thought I'd get one this way."
"I always wanted a sister too," Elena said, smiling back at younger girl. "Mostly to dress up and do makeovers with but this is pretty nice too."
"I don't know about that, but I'd be open to a sleepover," Natalie told her which warmed Elena's heart. She'd wanted nothing more than to get to know Natalie since discovering their relation to each other. "I'd like to get to know you better since you're my sister apparently."
"A sleepover could be fun," Elena said in agreement and Natalie raised her eyebrows at the older girl. "I'd really like that."
"But no boys or vampires allowed," Natalie told her in a serious tone and Elena laughed. She shook her head at her, realizing that she could actually get along with Natalie.
"No boys or vampires," Elena promised. The small smile then morphed into a frown as Elena remembered what they were doing in the car in the first place.
Stefan.
"You're worried, aren't you?" Natalie said observantly as she looked at Elena. The older girl nervously drummed her fingers against the steering wheel. "About Stefan."
"Yes…I don't know what these tomb vampires are planning with Stefan," Elena informed her as she tried look for any sign of Damon, Mr. Saltzman, or even Stefan's return but she didn't see anything. Just an empty forest. "Damon said they want revenge. They blame Stefan and Damon for getting trapped in the tomb. It's kind of a long story."
"I guess I'd be pretty angry too if someone got me locked up inside a tomb for one hundred and forty-five years," Natalie said quietly, not knowing what she could say to comfort Elena. "But they are vampires, after all, so they probably deserved it."
"You seem to think vampires deserve every bad thing that's ever happened to them," Elena shot back at her and Natalie just shrugged. She wasn't shy in her disdain for vampires. It wasn't necessarily something she was hiding.
"Pretty much," Natalie said in agreement. Elena normally would've rolled her eyes at Natalie's response but with all the worrying about Stefan, she couldn't bring herself to do anything but wonder what he was going through right now.
Were they torturing him?
Did they plan to kill him?
What goal did these vampires intend to accomplish by kidnapping him?
"I can't do this. I can't just sit here, knowing that he's inside there with all those vampires," Elena finally said, knowing that she was going to break her promise to Damon and Mr. Saltzman. "Damon and your dad aren't back yet. It's been too long. I have to go in there."
"Okay," Natalie said much to Elena's surprise. She seemed to astonish the older girl with what she suggested next. "But I'm going with you."
"What?"
"I'm going with you. You have no idea how to defend yourself against vampires," Natalie insisted to an unsure Elena. "I do. It's what Dad's been training me to do for the past almost three years."
"You're just a kid," Elena reminded her, and Natalie fixed her with a glare.
"You're technically a kid too and I'm not that much younger than you. Four years isn't that big of an age difference," Natalie argued much to Elena's dismay. "Besides…I know more about how to use Dad's weapons than you do. You'd probably poke your eye out with that vervain dart."
"Your Dad will kill me," Elena stated but Natalie didn't seem too worried about that.
"Well, if you go into that house by yourself then a bunch of vampires will kill you," Natalie pointed out to her and Elena had to admit that the younger girl made a lot of sense. "Would you rather get sucked dry of all your blood by a bunch of evil vampires or for my dad to get mad at you?"
"Fine. You can come but we're only going in there to save Stefan," Elena told her seriously with a knowing look in her eyes. "We're not going there to build up a vampire death count for you. Stefan's the focus."
"I got it. Save your weird vampire boyfriend and get out," Natalie confirmed as she began to dig through her father's bag of weapons. Elena sighed but decided not to argue with Natalie about Stefan. It was clear that the girl didn't like vampires and she wasn't going to change her mind about that. "But if any vampires come at us, I'm still going to take them out."
"Whatever it takes to get Stefan out of there," Elena told her as Natalie resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the way Elena seemed so devoted to Stefan. It was gross. Vampires were gross and Natalie thought it was weird the way the older girl seemed to adore him.
Natalie handed Elena a couple vervain darts without another word which Elena graciously took. She took the air compressor gun for herself, quickly loading the gun with a wooden stake. She stuffed another stake in her back pocket just in case.
"I'm ready," Natalie told her sister with her hand on the door handle. Elena nodded, looking just as determined as Natalie. "Let's save your vampire."
"Stefan," Elena told her quietly. Natalie knew that Elena didn't like her referring to Stefan as a vampire. She wanted to argue that it was fair because that's what he was, but she could tell Elena was scared and worried for him. "His name is Stefan."
Natalie gave her a small comforting smile.
"Let's save Stefan."
Alaric Saltzman raced through the forest, nearly slipping in the mud numerous times as the rain poured over him. He was on a mission to make it back to Damon's car to check on Natalie and Elena who were still waiting at the edge of the forest line. He left the moment after Damon dismissed him just so he could return to Natalie. He'd been stressed out, over the thought of her sitting in a car so close to vampires, ever since he and Damon left those two behind.
The history teacher felt relief wash over him as he approached Damon's car. It was still there which meant they were both there. He could feel better now. Especially with knowing that both girls, both sisters, would be under his protection.
Alaric quickly yanked the car door open only to be met with the sight of an empty car.
No Natalie and no Elena.
Alaric quickly looked around the car, hoping to see the girls nearby but all he could see was trees in the midst of the pouring rain.
They were gone.
"Damn it, Natalie!" Alaric cursed aloud. He already knew where the two girls had gone. He just didn't know if it was Elena or Natalie's idea to go. Probably both. Alaric gritted his teeth and retrieved his duffle bag of weapons from the car.
It looked like he was going back.
With his daughter on a vampire-hunting mission in a house full of tomb vampires, he had no choice but to go back.
She was going to be so grounded after this.
After he made sure she was okay, of course, but after that…super grounded.
Elena and Natalie quickly, and quietly as they both could, climbed over the railing that decorated the front porch of the nice-looking house. It didn't seem like a house a bunch of blood-thirsty vampires would occupy but looks could be deceiving. Natalie wasn't about to let her guard down.
The two sisters were both soaked from the rain, but they cared little for appearances. Not with trying to be stealthy around a house full of vampires. Natalie clutched the air compressor gun close to her as she and Elena hid behind a corner alongside the house.
"Billy! Jacob! Get back in here!" Natalie heard one of the vampires yell from inside the house. She kept her finger on the trigger of her gun just in case. Natalie had to be ready. Her father said vampires were fast. Way faster than humans.
Elena peeked from around the corner but at the sound of the voice, she moved back. The older girl eyed a set of stairs which probably led down into the basement or cellar. She shared a look with Natalie and nodded towards the stairs without saying anything. They didn't dare speak in fear that the vampires would hear them. Vampires had enhanced hearing, after all.
Natalie nodded wordlessly, understanding what Elena was telling her with her eyes. It was likely where Stefan might've been and a safer entry into the house away from the prying eyes of vampires. Natalie gripped her gun tighter before Elena quickly moved across the porch to the stairs with Natalie following closely.
She prayed that the sound of the pouring rain masked any sounds their feet made against the ground.
As both girls trotted down the stairs, pushing open an old-looking gate in the process, Natalie couldn't help the fear that came over her. Suddenly there was a difference between all the training her father gave her and now this.
This was real.
This wasn't a training drill, and she was only realizing this a little too late.
There were vampires and she was in the same house as them. No more wondering what facing a vampire would be like. It was now her reality.
Natalie didn't have a chance to think anymore on this as they approached yet another door. Elena attempted to turn the knob but found that it was locked. Natalie quickly pointed to the glass window, signaling for Elena to break the glass. It was the only way they were getting in. Even if it might be revealing their presence to every vampire in the house.
Elena nodded. She pulled her sleeve down over her hand as she punched the glass, ignoring the pain from the force of impact. The girl reached her hand through the hole and opened the door from the inside.
Natalie followed Elena into the cellar of the house which was large and quite old-looking. The only light illuminating the cellar came from the dirty glass windows. Otherwise, the cellar was very dark. She swallowed hard as she heard the distant sound of music. Rock music. As though someone was listening to music too loudly on their phone.
Elena and Natalie stood behind another corner as they carefully peeked around it. It seemed as though there was a hallway around the corner and at the end of the hallway…a vampire.
Natalie placed her finger over the trigger of her gun again as she spotted the vampire. He was sitting in a chair, looking to be guarding a door at the end of the hallway. He didn't seem to notice them at first. The vampire was much too occupied with the music on his phone which probably explained why he hadn't heard the glass breaking.
The vampire stood up from his chair abruptly, not seeming to notice Elena and Natalie at first until he stepped out of the darkness. The vampire paused in his steps, stiffening as he noticed the two girls peeking around the corner. Elena quickly ducked back behind the corner, her grip tightening on the vervain dart, but Natalie knew it was too late.
They'd already been seen.
A determined look crossed Natalie's face as she stepped out from behind the corner, preparing to bravely face the vampire. Elena looked at her in alarm as the girl pointed the gun at the vampire.
"What are you doing, Natalie?" Elena hissed, wondering if her sister was crazy or stupid. Maybe a bit of both.
The vampire stopped again, looking at Natalie curiously. A smirk then found it's way to his face as he realized that Natalie was a child and not an adult. A little girl. He seemed almost amused as Natalie glared at him.
"What are you going to do with that gun, little girl?" The vampire asked her mockingly as she continued to point the gun in his direction. She remembered target practice with her dad. She was good at shooting targets. Maybe not at first but with practice she never missed. However, this was different. This was a real vampire. Not some unmoving dummy her dad set up in the woods. He didn't seem threatened by her at all. "Shoot me?"
"Yes," Natalie told him. She aimed the gun at his heart, praying that she wouldn't miss. Missing her target might mean death. It was clear that this vampire might get pissed if she shot him and missed.
"Very cute but-" The vampire started to say but was cut short when Natalie pulled the trigger.
The stake went sailing through the air in a heartbeat, taking the vampire by surprise at the fact that she actually shot him. Before the vampire could process what happened and stop the stake, it landed exactly where Natalie had been aiming at.
His heart.
The wooden stake punctured the vampire's heart and he let out a surprised gasp, his hand clutching where the stake hit him. He glanced down in surprise at the wooden stake before glancing back up at Natalie in shock. The vampire took a step forward before tumbling forward, his skin turning grey as he finally took his last breath.
Natalie let out a breath of relief at the sight of his dead body. She hadn't missed and she was still alive to tell the tale. Elena stared between the dead vampire and her sister in disbelief. She could barely comprehend what just happened.
Before Elena and Natalie could say anything to each other, another individual stepped into the hallway from another room. Natalie quickly took her extra stake out of her pocket and reloaded the gun with it. She aimed it at the person but relaxed somewhat when she saw it was only Damon.
Even so, Natalie still didn't lower her weapon.
Damon took one look at the dead vampire lying on the ground with a stake in his heart before glaring at the two sisters. It could only take him one guess before realizing which sister staked the vampire. He was guessing it was a certain middle-schooler who was a bit too trigger-happy for vampires.
"Are you both insane?!" He snapped as Elena finally stepped out from behind the corner. Natalie glared back at the vampire. "Do you not realize you could both be dead right now?"
"He's the dead one, isn't he?" Natalie told the furious vampire. "I still have an extra stake. Maybe I'll use it on you. You've done a lot more to me than that other vampire did."
"Just come try it, kid. I dare you," Damon warned her, not taking her threat seriously. Natalie narrowed her eyes at him. "You got lucky with that idiot. You won't get lucky with me."
"Guys, come on," Elena said, reminding the both of them why they were there in the first place. "Stefan's still here. We have to help him."
"Fine. Let's go save Saint Stefan," Damon said, rolling his eyes as he tore his gaze away from Natalie. Natalie just shook her head before finally lowering her weapon and following Elena.
"I didn't get lucky," Natalie muttered as she passed the arrogant vampire. "My aim's perfect."
"Whatever, Buffy," Damon retorted as he followed both sisters down the hall. They passed the dead vampire's body and Natalie couldn't resist looking down at him.
Her first vampire she ever killed.
He was entirely gray, with veins covering his face, and grotesque looking. Natalie thought they would look more human in death, but she was wrong. They still looked very monstrous and it filled Natalie up with unease…as if it was to further prove the fact they were all monsters. She stared at the stake sticking out of his chest and knew it was there because she put it there.
Natalie felt scared for a moment.
Scared at the idea that she'd taken a life.
Maybe she even felt guilty for a moment before she remembered what he was.
How many lives had that vampire taken? How many bodies had he left scattered in this world since he was turned? Probably more people than Natalie could count. He was a monster who drained the life out of the innocent. Maybe Natalie had taken his life but how many more lives had she saved in the process with this vampire dead?
Besides…could she really take the life of someone who was already dead?
Logic said no.
Natalie only tore her gaze from the body of her first vampire when Damon shoved her forward, forcing her to keep moving. She usually would've glared at him for even touching her with the hands he probably killed hundreds with, but she didn't. Natalie instead focused on Elena's back as they kept moving down the hall and further away from the dead vampire.
It was no secret that the dead vampire would probably haunt her a for a while but right now she had more pressing things to think about.
Elena burst into the room where Stefan was being kept. Both Natalie and Damon followed closely behind her. Natalie kept the gun raised in case anymore vampires popped out of the woodwork. Damon rolled his eyes once again at the girl.
"Calm down, Buffy. It's just Stefan," Damon told the girl who only glared at him before looking around the room with caution. She didn't trust him, and she probably never would. Not after what he did to her mother. "He wouldn't dare harm you. He only likes cute innocent little bunnies."
"Elena…" Stefan said in a raspy voice. Natalie looked in horror at the way Stefan was tied up. He was hanging, shirtless, from a rope that was tied to one of the rafters in the ceiling.
Vampires really treated other vampires like this?
Natalie just assumed they were all friends and hung out with each other all the time. She never imagined they had rivalries or feuds with each other. Monsters had to stick together, right?
Apparently not.
"You shouldn't be here," Stefan told his girlfriend as she raced over to him. Damon scoffed as he walked over to his brother. Natalie looked around the room in paranoia. She noticed another vampire in the corner who seemed to be staked to a chair and she quickly aimed her gun at him, finger on the trigger.
"She and Buffy were supposed to stay in the car," Damon told him, looking casually around the room with an air of nonchalance. "I guess stupidity and stubbornness must be a shared family trait."
"I'm not stupid. I staked that vampire without any of your help," Natalie argued without tearing her gaze from the vampire sitting in the chair who seemed a bit out of it.
Damon just sneered at her before grabbing a stake from off the table and moving towards the sitting vampire. Stefan immediately stopped him.
"No, no!" Stefan explained, still sounding weak. "Not him."
"Whatever," Damon said, rolling his eyes. Natalie refused to lower her weapon just in case this vampire decided to attack them. She didn't really trust Stefan's word despite how Elena seemed to sing his praises. Damon moved to help Stefan down from the rope. "Let's get you down."
"There's vervain on the ropes," Stefan warned him before Damon could touch the ropes. Damon moved away, groaning in annoyance.
"Elena…Natalie. One of you pull that," Damon ordered but Natalie made no move to help Stefan. He just shook his head as Elena raced over to let Stefan down from the ropes. Elena pulled the ropes and Stefan finally came down.
"Alright, let's go," Damon said hurriedly. He knew the longer they stayed in this place, the more chance of those tomb vampires showing up and attacking Elena or Natalie. "Clothes on."
Elena went to go fetch the rest of Stefan's clothes as Natalie was already following Damon out of the room. She still didn't trust him and a part of her felt like he would kill her the second she let her guard down but right now he was their only safe way out of this house full of vampires.
"Wait," Stefan said, stopping them in their tracks. Damon looked back at his brother in annoyance while Natalie stood near him, curiously looking over at Stefan.
"What?" Damon bit out, clearly in a rush to get the two human girls out of the house before they became main entrees to the tomb vampires. "Guys, come on. We have to get out of here."
Stefan quickly took one of the stakes out of the vampire's leg. The vampire groaned in pain as Natalie stared at them in disbelief. Now wasn't the time to be saving more vampires. Stefan was the only one she signed up to help save.
"Come on, we gotta go!" Damon hissed and for once, Natalie agreed with Damon. Not that she would ever admit to agreeing with a vampire. Especially a vampire like Damon.
"Elena, please," Natalie told the older girl. Elena glanced at her before looking at Stefan who gave her a desperate glance.
"The other one," He begged her. Elena barely hesitated before pulling the other stake out of the vampire's leg, causing him to yelp in pain again. Natalie looked grossed out at the sight of the blood coming out of the vampire's wounds.
"Oh my god," Damon said, sounding frustrated with his ever so heroic brother. He finally exited the room as Natalie followed him. Stefan and Elena followed closely behind while Elena supported Stefan up in order to keep him from falling. He was so weak that he couldn't walk on his own.
Damon mentioned earlier how Stefan only drank blood from animals instead of humans which made him weaker than the rest.
"Can you guys get him in the car?" Damon asked both Natalie and Elena. Natalie glanced at Stefan before nodding.
"Yeah," Elena answered, and Damon nodded.
"Alright, you two go. Buffy, watch out for any stray tomb vampires," Damon instructed her, and Natalie clutched her gun close to her. "I guess there's no question of whether or not you can stake one."
"I won't miss," Natalie said, feeling a lot more confident after staking her first vampire. She was still filled with unease but less so than she felt just an hour ago.
"What about you?" Elena asked Damon as she struggled to help Stefan up. Natalie would've helped but she knew she had to be the look out for them in case any other vampires showed up.
"You guys rescue," Damon told them both as he tried to get them out of there. "I'll distract. Go."
Damon didn't have to tell Natalie twice. Natalie didn't waste any time leading the way out of the cellar as Elena and Stefan followed closely behind her. She held her compressor gun out in front of her, preparing for any surprise attacks from vampires.
The coast was seemingly clear.
They finally made up the stairs and back on to the porch which seemed deserted for the most part. There was still music playing inside the house which indicated that the vampires might not have been aware of Stefan's escape just yet. However, Natalie knew it wouldn't be long before they noticed. She already staked one of their friends, after all.
She tried not to run.
Natalie knew that Elena had to move slowly because of Stefan. She just wanted to get the hell out of there as fast as possible. She only had one stake left. Natalie figured she should've taken back the stake she used on the vampire but there was so much going on that she forgot. She definitely wouldn't be making that mistake again.
Stakes could be recyclable.
The ground felt even muddier than before as they moved through the forest. The pouring rain hadn't let up since earlier. There was no telling when it would stop or die down. It didn't give Natalie a good feeling since it was hard to hear anything in the forest other than the raindrops hitting the tree leaves.
It was getting dark too.
Between the rain and the darkness, Natalie couldn't really see anything. The whole situation made her nervous and the sooner, they could leave the forest then the better she was going to feel. Until then, Natalie felt very on edge.
Natalie just hoped her father was alright. She hadn't thought to ask Damon in the midst of staking the vampire and rescuing Stefan. The young girl regretted it now because she wasn't going to be able to think clearly until she saw her father again.
"You shouldn't have brought her here, Elena," Stefan told his girlfriend as he looked at the back of Natalie Saltzman. "They don't care if she's a kid. They'll hurt her."
"I can take care of myself," The twelve-year-old told the concerned vampire as she threw a glare back in his direction.
"It's okay, Stefan," Elena told him reassuringly. "We're almost to the car. Can you make it?"
Stefan groaned in pain as he fell to the ground, bring Elena down with him. The brunette beauty stumbled towards the ground, cutting her hand on a branch. Natalie stopped in her tracks and looked back at the couple in worry.
"You okay?" Stefan asked her. Elena nodded.
"Yeah," She answered him, and Natalie gave them a panicked look. It was really dark now and even though the rain seemed to be dying down a little, it was still difficult to see anything in the forest.
"Guys, come on. We have to go," Natalie told them both.
"Come on, we gotta keep going," Elena told her boyfriend as she helped him off the ground. Natalie had never made her disdain for vampires a secret but even she felt a bit bad for Stefan in that moment. He was very weak. "Come on."
"Do you need help with him?" Natalie asked Elena but the girl just shook her head.
"No, I've got him. Just lead the way," Elena told her, and Natalie nodded before moving again with the young couple trailing behind her.
It seemed like they'd been walking through the forest for hours but in reality it had probably only been half an hour or forty minutes at most. Natalie kept wishing that they'd been able to park the car someplace closer. This was getting ridiculous.
"Come on," Elena told Stefan encouragingly as she continued to help him walk through the forest. Natalie swallowed hard as she thought she heard a branch snapping somewhere in distance. It was either her mind playing tricks on her or an animal…or a vampire. "It's right over here."
They finally reached Damon's car and Natalie was disappointed to see that her father wasn't in it. Not that she thought it was likely he would've waited for her like that. It was still better than thinking of him going back to that house full of tomb vampires on his own. Sure, there was Damon but Natalie didn't trust him. Not after he already killed her father once.
Natalie opened the passenger car door for them as Elena quickly helped Stefan into the car. She slammed the door as soon as he was safely inside and got into the back while Elena ran over to the driver's side. A wave of relief washed over Natalie despite her dad not being in the car with them.
They had made it.
They'd finally made it back to Damon's car without any incident.
It seemed almost too good to be true.
Maybe it was.
"Stefan…" Elena trailed off as she stared at the car's ignition in shock. Natalie's eyes widened.
It looked like the ignition had been torn to pieces.
Before either one of them had a chance to say anything else, the window of the passenger side shattered into a million pieces. Natalie screamed in surprise, throwing her hands in front of her face instinctively in order to shield her face from the shattered glass. A hand abruptly reached in and yanked Stefan out of the car roughly.
Natalie watched in horror as a vampire pounced on Stefan, not hesitating before delivering a row of punches to his face. Stefan struggled on the ground, too weak to fight back. Elena quickly got out of the car and Natalie had no choice but to follow, loaded gun in hand.
The vampire lifted Stefan up from the ground with a wooden branch in his hand. He lifted the branch and glared at him hatefully.
"This is for Bethanne," The vampire told Stefan before staking him in the stomach. Stefan grunted in pain. Elena gestured for Natalie to stand back and Natalie obeyed her as she watched her sister sneak up behind the vampire with a vervain dart.
A part of her was impressed.
She thought Elena was just a former cheerleader but maybe she misjudged her.
"And this is for the tomb."
The vampire held the stake over Stefan's heart and was about to stake him when he suddenly stopped. Elena stabbed him with the vervain dart, causing the vampire to fall to his knees. He fell unconsciously to the ground and Natalie gave him a wary look. She debated staking him where he was but knew that Elena needed her help more.
"Stefan," Elena said in a panic as she kneeled over her boyfriend, shaking him so he'd wake up.
"The branch," Natalie told the older girl. Elena gave her a confused look, so she elaborated. "I think the branch is causing him a lot of pain."
Elena nodded before tearing the stake from his stomach. His eyes flew open, and he groaned in pain at the sharp sting. Natalie winced at the sight of the bloody branch. His eyes quickly closed again.
"Stefan…" Elena called out for him in worry. "Stefan! No, Stefan. Stefan! Stefan!"
It seemed like the vampire was much too weak to answer. Natalie gazed with pity at Elena's boyfriend. She didn't think she would ever pity a vampire, but she did.
"Elena, we have to hurry. I don't know how long that vervain dart will subdue him," Natalie informed Elena as she looked back at the vampire. "We never tested it on a real one before."
"I can't leave Stefan," Elena told her, and Natalie knew then that Elena would never leave him. She didn't really understand it since Natalie didn't really believe in falling in love and all that nonsense, but she knew she loved her dad and she wouldn't leave her dad if it was him in Stefan's position.
"Well, we have to do something," Natalie tried to tell her. Elena ignored her as she continued to try and wake Stefan up.
"Stefan, please!" Elena begged as she willed her boyfriend to wake up. "Stefan!"
In the distance, they heard the vampire stirring. Natalie clenched her jaw. She raised her gun again.
"Stefan, please get up," Elena continued to beg him. "Get up, Stefan. Stefan!"
"I'll just stake him myself," Natalie said as she took a step towards the vampire, but Elena stopped her.
"No!" She called out for the younger girl. Natalie stopped and looked at her.
"He's almost awake now," Elena tried to tell her. "He's old and dangerous. It's not safe. Please! I have an idea."
"What idea?" Natalie questioned.
Elena tore her gaze away from her and glanced down at the cut on her hand. The teenaged girl raised her hand towards Stefan's lips. A disgusted look crossed Natalie's face as Elena practically forced her bleeding hand over Stefan's mouth.
She knew the situation was dire, but Natalie doubted she'd ever be willing to consensually let a vampire feed from her. Natalie would rather die than have a vampire do that to her.
"Here," Elena told her boyfriend as he tasted the blood. Natalie tried to ignore the disgusting sight before her and drew closer to the two of them. She kept her weapon pointed in the direction of the vampire just in case Stefan didn't wake up in time and they were left with no other option.
"Elena, please take your sister and run," Stefan told her. Natalie swallowed hard because it was the first time anyone had actually referred to Elena as her sister. Probably not the best moment to get all emotional.
"No," Elena said, refusing to leave him.
"Please," He begged of her.
"Please, Stefan," Elena insisted as she held out her wrist to him. "My wrist. Here take my wrist. You need more blood."
Natalie kept her gaze focused on the vampire who was slowly waking up. He still seemed weak from the vervain but he was still stronger than her and Elena.
"Go, Elena. Run," Stefan said, fighting the urge to feed. Natalie thought he was perhaps the first vampire to actively refuse human blood even though she hadn't met many vampires. "Run!"
Natalie was starting to get very annoyed with Elena's boyfriend. A part of her wanted to scream at him to just drink the damn blood already before they all died.
"No," Elena said defiantly. "I trust you."
Any other time, Natalie would've called Elena foolish for trusting a vampire but somehow the moment was bittersweet. Instead of making a snarky comment about how untrustworthy vampires were, Natalie kept quiet. She carefully watched the vampire on the ground instead.
It seemed Elena's admission of trust is what did the trick. Natalie's nose wrinkled in disgust at the sound of Stefan drinking Elena's blood. The slurping is what made her want to vomit the most no matter how much they needed Stefan's strength right now.
It was still disgusting to listen to.
It took a few minutes before he finally stopped.
Stefan got up from the ground as Elena clutched her wrist to her chest. Natalie turned to look at him, trying not to wince at the sight of Elena's blood smeared across his mouth. Stefan didn't look as weak as he stood there, looking past her at the vampire still lying on the ground.
"Elena, take your sister and go hide," Stefan said, sounding stronger than he had before. "I'll take care of him."
Elena nodded and Natalie took one look at the vampire before wordlessly agreeing. She already staked one vampire today. Who knew if she'd survive trying to stake another. She wasn't about to push her luck.
"Here," Natalie said as she unloaded the wooden stake from her gun. "Take this."
"Thanks," Stefan said as he hesitantly took the stake from her. He still found it weird how Natalie was so young, yet she seemed to not only be aware of vampires but to also hate them. Thinking of herself as something of a potential hunter.
He supposed he couldn't blame her.
Especially after what Damon did to her mother.
"Now go!" Stefan told the two sisters. Elena immediately grabbed Natalie's hand and led her away. They found safety behind one of the larger trees as they waited for Stefan to permanently subdue the vampire this time.
Elena wrapped her arms around Natalie, holding her in her arms almost protectively and Natalie let her. It felt nice to be comforted. Especially after the day they both had. It was almost ironic in a way in regards to how Elena felt protective over her long-lost sister when Natalie was the one who saved them both earlier. Maybe they protected each other.
Elena didn't think she would mind that.
Stefan played dead on the ground and Natalie didn't let the irony of that escape her since technically he was dead. Well, undead but same difference.
The other vampire finally got up from the ground, glaring at Stefan as he did so. He picked up the discarded branch from earlier before stalking over in Stefan's direction.
He raised the branch again but before he could even get close enough to stake the seemingly unconscious vampire, Stefan rose up from the ground and grabbed the vampire by the neck. He knocked the branch out of the vampire's hand.
Natalie gasped as she witnessed the monstrous looks on both of the vampires' faces.
Their eyes turned almost reddish in color as veins rose to the surface of their skin just beneath their bloodshot eyes. They hissed at each other like animals and Natalie looked on in horror as she saw vampire fangs for the first time. It seemed even more terrifying in person than it had seemed in the movies.
Maybe because this was real life.
Not a horror movie.
Stefan growled as he threw the other vampire up against a tree with inhuman speed. She flinched at the way he moved so fast. It was disconcerting to witness and maybe she had underestimated vampires a lot. They seemed even more dangerous than she thought. Not that she thought they were ever harmless, but it was somewhat terrifying yet captivating to witness their power in person.
"It's okay," Elena whispered to Natalie, thinking that the terrified look on the younger girl's face was due to the fear of the other vampire attacking them. "Stefan will keep us safe."
That wasn't what had Natalie worried.
She just couldn't fathom how Elena so vehemently loved Stefan when she saw him this way. He looked like the monster he was. No more hiding behind boy band hair or kind green eyes. This was who he was and Natalie wasn't going to lie when she said she was afraid of what she saw.
Stefan growled in anger as he drove Natalie's stake through the vampire's heart. His fury didn't end there. Stefan grew so furious that he repeatedly drove the stake through the vampire's heart over and over again. Even when the vampire's skin turned gray, and the dark veins ran across his face.
Stefan didn't seem to stop when he was dead.
Elena quickly ran over to him with Natalie trailing close behind her.
"Stefan!" Elena cried out as she grabbed his wrist to prevent him from staking the vampire yet again. Natalie wasn't so sure that was a great idea. "Stefan!
He growled at both her and Natalie, showcasing the monstrous look on his face. Natalie froze as she stared at him. The look on his face was truly animalistic and Natalie didn't think she'd ever forget the way he looked. It somehow displayed the true nature of vampires.
This is what they really looked like.
When Stefan seemed to come to his senses and realize that it was only Elena, he calmed down somewhat. His breathing slowed down, and the veins disappeared from beneath his eyes. Natalie was almost astonished at how quickly he went from terrifying monster to cute teenaged boy.
Stefan dropped the stake to the ground, his hands still dripping with the vampire's blood. Elena and Stefan seemed to stare at each other for a moment in silence. Natalie almost thought Elena was going to run away from him or scream in terror.
But she didn't.
Instead, Elena ran towards him, wrapping her arms around him. Natalie could hardly believe the ease in which Elena seemed to forget what they just witnessed from him. Stefan closed his eyes as he breathed in Elena's scent, finding comfort in the warmth of her embrace.
The vampire opened his eyes a moment later and looked over his girlfriend's shoulder to see Elena's newly found sister staring back at him. The young girl stared at him with an expression that was a combination of disgust and fear. She looked at him like he was the monster that he was always afraid Elena would see him as.
Although this was almost as bad.
Because Natalie's eyes were so similar to Elena's that it was almost like Elena was looking at him like that. That she looked at him and saw a monster which was clearly what Natalie thought as she stared at him. The girl finally tore her gaze away from him and quietly walked away to give the couple privacy.
Stefan watched her go but felt a deep wave of regret wash over him. He never meant to scare her. She was only a child. It was never his intention to do anything to frighten her.
Hopefully he could show Elena's sister that he wasn't the monster she perceived him as.
With time.
Maybe a lot of time.
"You're grounded for the next ten years," Alaric lectured as he glared angrily at his daughter.
They had only just returned back to the loft a short while ago. After a silent car ride, her dad waited until they got home before finally yelling at her. Natalie had honestly been expecting it from the moment she left the car with Elena to rescue Stefan. She promised her dad she wouldn't leave the car, but she went ahead and did it anyways.
"You're grounded until you leave for college," He said still in disbelief that Natalie had willingly set foot in a house full of vampires. Not only that but according to Damon she had apparently staked one too. To conclude Natalie's adventure, she and Elena narrowly escaped the clutches of a vengeful tomb vampire. Alaric had it up to here with his daughter's crazy antics. "No phone, no iPod, no sleepovers, and no vampires."
"Elena needed my help, Dad," Natalie tried to tell him but he clearly wasn't having it. "You and Damon were taking too long in there. We thought something had happened to you."
"You and Elena walked into a house full of vampires with only a vervain dart and a couple wooden stakes," He reminded her, and Natalie sighed heavily, resting her face in her hand as she realized the lecturing wasn't going to end. "You're lucky you walked out without a scratch."
"But I'm fine," Natalie argued, trying to show her father she could take care of herself. "I took out the vampire, saving Elena and myself, and we rescued Stefan."
"You're twelve. That vampire could've easily killed you," Her dad reminded her. "You have no idea what a fluke it is that you're alive right now."
"I can take care of myself," Natalie tried to convince him. "Because you taught me how to, Dad. That's why."
"I wanted you to learn how to defend yourself. Not to actively go out seeking vampires to hunt," Her dad told her, and Natalie shook her head. "This is getting too dangerous."
"You told me I could be a great vampire hunter," Natalie said quietly, wondering why her dad seemed so adamant against her staking vampires. He'd done nothing but showed her the basics of vampire hunting since her mother vanished. Now he suddenly wanted her to forget all that and be normal? No way. "You've encouraged me to be."
"I meant when you were old enough to make your own decisions," Alaric said in exasperation. "I didn't mean now. You're only twelve."
"Yet I've still managed to stake a vampire," Natalie argued, and Alaric grew frustrated. She was so stubborn. It was impossible to argue with her.
"Listen, Natalie," Alaric said after he allowed himself to calm down for a moment. "Someday when you're an adult and you've become a legendary vampire hunter that sends fear into the hearts of vampires everywhere, you'll regret not just being a normal twelve-year-old. There will be plenty of chances for you to play vampire hunter in the future. Just not now."
"But you taught me," Natalie told him again and Alaric sighed before nodding.
"I know and maybe that makes me a bad parent," Alaric admitted, causing Natalie's gaze to soften as she stared at him. "I thought by teaching you to defend yourself, it would help me feel safer that we live in this world filled with vampires. Maybe I went too far but nothing ever seems to be enough."
"Nothing will change the fact that there's vampires in this world," Natalie told her father, trying to comfort him. She knew he felt guilty about maybe going too far in his training of her, but Natalie never felt that way. No amount of training would ever be enough for her. "Regardless of how little or how much I'm trained. I just know I'd rather have too much training versus too little. Just like today for instance. It saved my life."
"I'm sorry for getting angry at you but I could've lost you today," Alaric told her with a distant gaze in his eyes. "You have no idea how terrifying that is."
"Maybe I don't but I was okay, Dad," Natalie reassured him. "I was scared but I still did it."
"You shouldn't have had to," He tried saying but he knew it was pointless. When Natalie had her mind set on something, it was impossible to change it. Right now, her mind just seemed set on hunting vampires.
"The vampire thought I wouldn't shoot it," Natalie told her father. "He thought I was some silly little girl. You were right. They wouldn't expect someone like me. I hit him right in the heart. I was a perfect shot but only because you trained me so much. I couldn't have staked him without you."
"I suppose I don't feel as bad anymore," Alaric said reluctantly before giving her a stern look. "You're still grounded for a long time. You disobeyed me."
"I know," Natalie answered but she didn't seem sad. To her, it had all been worth it. Finally going head-to-head with a vampire during a rescue mission. Natalie didn't regret it one bit.
"Go to bed," Her dad told her, running a hand over his face tiredly. "We'll talk more about this in the morning."
"Goodnight, Dad," Natalie said as she did what he asked without complaint. She left the living room and headed off to her bedroom. It was a small room. Not very large given how small the loft was but Natalie didn't mind. She only really slept there.
Natalie crawled into bed that night and fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. She was much too exhausted to fight sleep. Especially after the day she and her dad just had.
That night her dreams were not filled with the characters from the books she read or training with her father.
Her dreams were filled with the memory of Stefan Salvatore's monstrous vampire face.
Something she was sure would haunt her for as long as she lived.