Charmed © Constance M. Burge and The Vampire Diaries © L. J. Smith. I don't own or have any affiliation with either TV shows.
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WITCH WAY NOW?
"Now there's gravel in our voices, glass is shattered from the fight. In this tug of war, you'll always win even when I'm right..."
~ Rihanna: 'Love the Way You Lie (part 2) (ft. Eminem)' (Loud [2010])
Mystic Falls High School
Night
Stefan and Damon stood facing each other in the middle of the corridor as they came with a summary of what went down this evening. Phoebe hovered nearby, having momentarily abandoned the brothers to grab a drink from a nearby drinking fountain and to mull over exactly why Damon had randomly compelled Jeremy and Elena's history teacher. He didn't seem like a threat to her; maybe a tad nosy, but it's only natural if you're a new face in the crowd and trying to make yourself known. Especially if you're a teacher at the local high school and your student happens to be the topic of conversation between the two of you.
Phoebe decided to let it go, as it wasn't a top priority at that moment.
"There's no way that idiot was workin' alone." Damon insisted, causing Stefan to look at him with a raised eyebrow.
"You are."
Damon glares at him, which Stefan ignored. Rolling her eyes at their childish behaviour, Phoebe approached both brothers, a question on the tip of her tongue about something that had been nagging at her since Noah first blurted out about the 'Grimoire' earlier.
"So, this grimoire..." Both Damon and Stefan give her their undivided attention. "That was Bonnie's ancestor's, right?" She asked, curiously.
"Yeah. It was Emily Bennett's. What about it?" Damon asked, a little impatiently.
"I think that's what you need to reverse that spell." Phoebe guessed. "My best guess would be, that when she had been burnt alive, this town's founding families probably would have divvied up her things amongst themselves."
"Or recorded their thoughts about that day." Stefan agreed, before looking at his brother. "You were hoping that dad's journal would tell you where it is." He stated, and Damon smirked at him.
"Look at you, puttin' together the pieces. With Phoebe's help no less." He shrugged, looking unfazed that he had been caught out somehow. "Well, it's out there now. Let the games begin."
Phoebe frowned, confused. "What games?"
Damon eyes her briefly, still smirking and making Phoebe suspicious.
"Nothing dear, just a little something between Stefan and I." He reassures her, before returning his attention on Stefan who folded his arms across his chest, not amused. Phoebe groaned in exasperation. It was so not the time for this.
"My offer still stands." Stefan reminded Damon, who rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, with some hidden caveats, no doubt." He scoffed, as Stefan shook his head looking entirely serious.
"No." He insists, causing Damon to raise an eyebrow at him, cynical. Phoebe scowled at them both.
"Guys…" Phoebe spoke up, warningly. Both of them ignored her, much to her annoyance.
"Nothing hidden about it." Stefan continued. "No lies. No deception. I'm there when you open up that tomb, you and Katherine go, and the other 26 vampires die." Stefan bargained with Damon, who snorted.
"See, there you go again, brother. Making assumptions that you know everything about my plans to free Katherine from that tomb." Damon stated, coldly. "But just out of curiosity, what happens if I agree?" He asked, half-curious. "What's in it for you?"
"I'll help you." Stefan confirmed, succinctly.
"I see." Damon seemed to mull this over. "And why should I trust you?"
"Because I'm your brother?" Stefan replied like it should've been obvious. Damon let out a dry, humourless chuckle.
"I'm sorry, but that's not gonna cut it." He stated, darkly.
"Alright then. Because I want you gone." Stefan bluntly stated, causing Phoebe to look at him; aghast, as Damon pauses for a moment, thinking this over.
"Stefan!" Phoebe cried out in protest. "You can't seriously be saying this."
"Okay." Damon agrees, brightly.
As both brothers shake on it, sealing the terms to their agreement, Phoebe looks at the both of them in disgust before she shook her head and turned, walking off down the corridor and out of sight. Both Damon and Stefan watch her go, both with equally stubborn but guilty looks on their faces.
Mystic Grill
Night
Phoebe wasn't the only one having her hopes dashed. While she was witnessing the seemingly irreparable dissociation between Damon and Stefan, and being helpless in stopping the situation; Caroline was attempting to make one last ditch effort to make amends to Matt. The blonde cheerleader nervously approaches Matt who busy clearing away and wiping down tables.
"Look I said something stupid. I'm sorry, but I wasn't even talking about you." She insists as she follows Matt when he walks over to clean another table.
"Yes, you were Caroline. Ben could've just as easily have been me. We're just alike." Matt insists.
"That's not true." Caroline retorts, stubbornly. "Are you seriously mad about this? Matt, you know me. Okay, I say stupid things without thinking, and then I have to apologise and take it back, and … I'm a terrible, awful person." She pauses, causing Matt to stop and look at her, waiting for her to finish her sentence. "But I'm working on it."
Matt sighs heavily, and frowns. He is not in the mood to even attempt to soothe Caroline's wounded ego. What was said, was said; there was no coming back from that.
"Look, can we just not do this right now?" He asks, firmly.
Caroline nods, "Okay. When do you get off?"
Matt shakes his head. Caroline can't seem to take a hint.
"Look, this thing that we've got, it's nice, and it feels really good, and I know you want to take the next step—"
"How do you know that?" Caroline interrupts, frowning. "Have you even asked me?"
"I'm… I'm not over Elena." Matt states, bluntly. "I mean, I don't know if I am, but if we go there, then it could mess things up, and we might lose this, and this is the only good thing I've got going for me right now." He lays down the facts and Caroline was crestfallen, causing Matt to feel guilty, but he bravely presses on with his confession. "So, if it doesn't work, I'll just disappoint you and hurt you, and I don't wanna do that."
Caroline pauses for a moment, letting the words sink in. But instead of feeling hurt and accepting the explanation, all she can feel is anger and resentment.
"Well, big problem, Matt." Caroline exclaimed, angrily. "Because you took the next step all by yourself, and you played the whole thing out in your head, and you decided to bail before even giving it a shot." Matt grimaces, realising the situation hadn't gone entirely as he planned. "So, this really great thing that we have, don't worry about losing it, 'cause it's already gone."
Caroline immediately turns away from the table and storms out of the Grill, leaving Matt looking displeased with himself as he watches her go.
Gilbert Residence
Night
And at the very same moment, Alaric was in the process of escorting his lady friend home. While still slightly shaken up by the encounter in the school corridor outside the cafeteria with Damon, he was not dissuaded from getting to the bottom of why Damon had targeted and killed his wife all those years ago. But for now, Alaric was focused upon Jenna Sommers, whom he was reluctantly attracted to even though he was still searching for his wife and still (for the most part) held feelings for her.
Alaric and Jenna walked up the front porch and stopped outside the front door. She shrugs off the lettermen's jacket Alaric had slung over her shoulders and handed back to him.
"Thank you, I needed that." She told him, graciously.
"Well, thank you for – for coming." Alaric responded, a little nervously. "I…I really appreciate it. You made the evening much more… Well, you made it. Period." He chuckled at the lame comment. Jenna giggled.
"I'm glad I could help."
"And thank you for putting up with all that wife talk. I…I gotta stop doin' that. It doesn't bode well for dating." Alaric added.
Jenna blinked, "Is that what this was? A date?" Alaric's eyes widened and he immediately backtracked when he realised what he had just said.
"No, definitely not a date." He clarified hastily.
"Oh." Jenna sounded disappointed.
"But Friday… You, me, and dinner and a movie, that could be a date. How about it?" Alaric asked, earning a bright smile from Jenna for his efforts.
"Works for me." She chirped, then laughed. "Uh, you can talk about your wife all you want. It's gonna take time to heal. We should just be ourselves." She suggested, not unkindly and Alaric relaxed just a little.
"Still, I think I'll keep the Isobel talk to a minimum." He promised. Jenna's head snapped up the second he mentioned his wife's name, suddenly alert.
"Isobel?"
Alaric nodded, seeming oblivious to the interest Jenna now had with his late wife's name.
"Yeah. That was her name." He confirmed. Jenna nodded thoughtfully, realising she had to tread carefully when asking this next question, as to not arouse Alaric's suspicions. After all, it was a rather personal question.
"Where was Isobel from?" She asked curiously.
"Virginia." Alaric answered, and Jenna paled a little. "I mean, not too – not too far from here, actually." He said. Jenna nodded, giving a pained smile as she realised that Alaric had potentially been married to Elena's birth mother. She faked a yawn, and covered her mouth, laughing nervously.
"Oh, well. I gotta get inside, early start tomorrow." Jenna fudged an excuse, and Alaric nodded.
"Yeah. School to teach. I'll talk to you later then?" He clarified, and Jenna smiled genuinely.
"Absolutely." She turned and let herself inside before stepping through the threshold, waving at Alaric who waved back and hooked his lettermen's jacket casually over his shoulder. He walked back down the stairs of the Gilbert's front porch towards his car, nearly colliding with Phoebe who was walking up towards the house; seemingly lost in thought, but in reality was still seething over the bargain the Salvatore brothers had just struck.
"Woah. Sorry 'bout that." Alaric apologised, stepping around Phoebe who immediately senses curiosity and apprehension coming from Alaric. "Phoebe, right?" He questions her, and Phoebe manages to paste a pleasant smile on her face as she acknowledges him.
"Good memory, and no harm done. Did ya have a good night with Jenna?" Phoebe asked, trying to figure out what this guy's deal was, since she and Damon had coincidentally bumped into him outside the cafeteria at the same moment, she, Damon, Elena and Stefan had dealt with Noah.
"Yeah, it was great. What about you with Stefan's brother, uh, Damon was it?" Alaric pried, causing Phoebe's eyes to narrow ever so slightly.
"That's right." She confirmed, then shrugged seemingly nonchalant. "It was my first time helping to chaperone, so hopefully things turned out for the good." She chuckled a little. Alaric nodded, understandingly.
"Yeah, I wouldn't worry. There's really nothin' to it. I'm sure you did fine." He reassured her. "Well, I gotta run. Nice talkin' to you." Alaric unlocked his car and got in, tooting his horn in acknowledgment before peeling off down the street.
"Likewise." Phoebe agreed, definitely knowing for sure that Alaric was indeed hiding something.
It was just a matter of finding out exactly what that was.
Mystic Falls
Night
Convinced that she had thoroughly embarrassed and humiliated herself enough for one night, Caroline makes the long journey home to shower and remove all the hairspray from her hair before turning in for the night. She walks alone down the street with her arms folded across her chest protectively. She doesn't notice Matt's truck until he drives up beside her and rolls down the window to yell to her.
"Caroline!" He calls out, and Caroline turns her head to look at him, but doesn't stop and continues walking. "Care, get in the truck." Matt urges. Caroline scoffs at him and picks up the pace forcing Matt to pull over and put his truck into park as he jumps out and follows her. Caroline starts to cross the street in front of Matt's truck to avoid him, but he manages to stop her in time. Caroline immediately turns on him, unfolding her arms.
"What!?" She growls, angrily.
In response, Matt takes Caroline's face in his hands gently and kisses her. Surprised, Caroline looks at him in astonishment when he pulls away but keeps his hands on her face.
"This'll never work." Matt insists, talking about their budding relationship. However, both smile and proceed to continue kissing each other again and again.
Gilbert Residence
Night
An hour after Phoebe had gotten home from the Decade Dance after storming away from both Damon and Stefan out of disgust for their plan, the psychic Charmed One was sitting alone in the guestroom, quietly reading 'Gone With The Wind' on her bed in her pajamas for the thousandth time since learning that her current love interest and his kid brother had both grown up during the Civil War, which was when the novel was set.
She was lost in the mental images of hoop skirts, corsets and southern hospitality when she heard the front door open and close, causing her to frown and wedge her bookmark into the spine of the book. Taking off her reading glasses and setting them and the book aside, Phoebe slowly got up from the bed and walked towards the bedroom door to investigate who had just entered the house, since Jenna had already gone to bed (oddly experiencing feelings of curiosity and suspicion, that Phoebe suspected were directed towards Alaric), and both Jeremy and Elena had yet to return from the dance.
The incident involving Noah who had tried to not only kill Elena but also herself, had put Phoebe on edge and she wasn't taking any chances. She walked silently down the carpeted hallway to the top of the stairs, and was about to descend them when Stefan's concerned, quiet voice suddenly rang out.
"Doing okay?" He asked, and Phoebe relaxed a little and walked down the stairs enough so that she could see into the Gilbert's living room. She spotted Elena sitting on the couch with her back to her, absently pulling the scarf she had been wearing in her hair earlier through her fingers. Elena turned towards an out-of-sight Stefan (presumably in the kitchen) and hesitated.
"Is it weird if I say yes?" She responded. Phoebe frowned a little and sank down on the step she was standing on to continue listening in to their conversation.
'I would consider you a liar if you said no…' Phoebe privately thought as Stefan responds.
"Is it true?" He prodded.
Elena shrugged looking awkward, "I should feel more upset or scared or something, but I … feel kind of exhilarated." She admitted. Stefan walks into view carrying a mug of something steaming hot in his hands.
"It's the adrenaline. You'll crash soon enough." He explains, which prompts Elena to nod.
"Then yeah, I guess." Elena stated, then smiles proudly. "I fought back tonight with Phoebe." The witch flinched when her name was spoken, thinking that she had been spotted eavesdropping on their conversation. "It felt good." Elena admits, and Phoebe relaxed a little but frowns at how excited Elena sounded about what had happened that evening. It had been a remarkably close call, and both of them could have been killed; despite the fact that Phoebe was the more experienced fighter out of the two of them. They were just exceedingly lucky that both Damon and Stefan had shown up when they had.
Apparently, Stefan agreed with her.
"I wish you didn't have to fight at all." He stated, disapprovingly.
"Still…" Elena shrugged, which was a cause for concern for both Stefan and Phoebe. Stefan sighed and sat down beside Elena, handing her the mug which she takes, smiling gratefully at him. She puts the mug to her lips to take a sip and starts a little when Stefan places a hand on her leg to grab her attention. That was when Phoebe was suddenly hit with a wave of guilt that came straight from Stefan that nearly knocked her for six.
"I need to tell you something, and I don't know how you're gonna feel about it." Stefan explained, and both Elena and Phoebe look at Stefan with concern. Elena lowers the mug from her lips.
"What?" She asks.
Stefan hesitates, "I told Damon that I'd help him get into that tomb to get Katherine back." He explains, and Phoebe almost immediately frowns; hating being reminded of that conversation back in the corridor. She got up and started to head back to the guestroom and leave them to their conversation. "But it was a lie." 'What?' Phoebe froze and looked at Stefan with disbelief. "I let him believe that he could trust me."
Elena frowns in confusion. "Then why would you be worried about telling me?"
'Yeah, that's what I would like to know!' Phoebe demanded crossly, questioning what Stefan's motives really were.
"Because he can be very persuasive." Stefan explained, causing Phoebe's face to become thunderous. "And you two have bonded lately." He sounded vulnerable, like he was afraid of losing his girlfriend to his brother, and Phoebe looked at him with disgust. His excuse was pathetic, just like turning around and stabbing his brother in the back was the lowest thing anyone could sink to. She couldn't decide which was worse; the fact that Damon was still determined to gain access into the tomb to free Katherine for whatever reason he wouldn't reveal, or the fact that Stefan had no intention of keeping his word to help Damon free Katherine and was going to instead turn on him at the last second.
Elena scoffed at him, "That doesn't mean I trust him." She set aside her tea on the coffee table in front of her. "It's gonna take a lot more than just a road trip and a rescue for me to forget who Damon is and everything he's done." Stefan visibly relaxed, but feelings of guilt had not disappeared which only infuriated Phoebe more.
"I don't wanna be his enemy, Elena, but I can't let him do it." Stefan said, wearily.
'Then don't make promises that you don't intend on keeping!' Phoebe thought angrily. 'Your brother is a big boy; he really wouldn't care less.'
"I can't hear anymore of this. This whole situation is incredible…" Phoebe muttered to herself and immediately turned and headed back to the guestroom. Oblivious to Phoebe's fury, Elena attempted to reassure Stefan that he was doing the right thing.
"Then don't, and I'll help you, whatever it takes. Okay?" She promised. Stefan smiled at her gratefully.
"Okay. Come here." He beckoned her closer and Elena folded herself into Stefan's arms, resting her head on his shoulder and shutting her eyes. She never noticed Stefan discreetly turning his head in the direction of the staircase, with remorse on his face. It was obvious that he had known Phoebe had seen listening in on their conversation the whole time and had overheard her last sentence.
'I'm sorry, Phoebe. But it's for the best…'
Mystic Grill
Night
Around about midnight, it was closing time for the Grill. Ben ushered out some straggling customers before proceeding to lock up. Across the street, Anna watches him waiting for the right moment to approach. As Ben locks up and slides the security gate across the double doors, he turns and starts walking down the street, seemingly unaware of Anna's presence. She blurs to the corner and starts morphing into her vamp-face as she vamp-speeds towards Ben, grabbing him and opening her mouth to take a large bite out of his neck. He screams before turning and grabbing Anna and pushing her roughly against the wall, hissing angrily. Ben's face had also vamped out, as he looks down at a smirking Anna with annoyance.
"Jeez, don't sneak up on me." Ben whines, as Anna laughs playfully at him.
"You love it." Anna points out, playfully pushing Ben away from her. He backs off, giving her space before glancing about, looking for someone.
"Where's Noah?" He inquires and Anna's playful smile, darkens a little out of annoyance.
"His obsession got the best of him." She responds, rolling her eyes. "And so, did the Salvatore Brothers."
Ben raised an eyebrow, "They killed him?"
"Tortured and staked." Anna confirmed. Ben studies his older counterpart with interest.
"You're not very upset." He deduces, and Anna shrugs carelessly. It is obvious that Noah was just another in a long line of 'useful' vampire help that Anna could scrounge up in a heartbeat. His loss was her gain.
"I warned him, Ben, and he was just gonna screw everything up anyway." Anna stated. "Let's be honest, he wasn't exactly an asset." She looked at Ben curiously. "So, how'd you do?"
Ben grinned. "Oh, the witch is totally crushing on me. Did you get the journal?"
Anna shook her head.
"No, but I know where it is, and I'll get it." She replied confidently. Both vampires smile at each other before Ben leans down and kisses Anna passionately. Eventually they pull apart and continue to smile at each other before Ben places his arm around Anna's shoulder and both turn to walk off down the street together.
Gilbert Residence
Night.
A few hours later, late, Phoebe is sleeping restlessly in her bed. It seems that the imminent betrayal Stefan was about to do against Damon, and the fact that Damon himself was still stubbornly focused on freeing Katherine from the tomb for who knew why, was not exactly doing wonders for the psychic witch's beauty rest; as it was still crystal clear in her thoughts; making it impossible to put her mind at ease.
Suddenly, Phoebe wakes from her sleep with a start. She opens her eyes and registers the darkness of her room and gives it a cautious sweep. It is an automatic reaction from when she was still battling demons, warlocks and others from the underworld, and from when Cole was still alive and with active powers trying to win her back, unsuccessfully. Her eyes linger for a moment at the window, which she had left ajar to let the fresh air circulate around the room while she slept, sensing something.
Shaking her head, and yawning, Phoebe sits up and clicks on the lamp, rubbing her face wearily and reached for some water. She raises the glass to her lips and is about to take a sip when something taps unexpectedly on the window. Phoebe jumps, causing the water to spill a little from the glass and down her front. Annoyed, she glances up and sees Damon perched against the windowsill with a sheepish expression on his face.
"Mind if I come in?" He asks Phoebe, who wipes her mouth and sets aside the glass, looking at Damon with a raised eyebrow.
"Since when do you ask permission?" She asks, blotting her shirt a bit with a tissue. Damon shrugged.
"Contrary to what people think, I have manners; I just choose not to use them." He responded, eyeing Phoebe a little impatiently. "Well?"
"Well what?"
"May I come in?" Damon asked, struggling not to come across as snappish. Phoebe nodded, bewildered at his behaviour as she continues drying her shirt with the tissue.
"Be my guest." She gestured vaguely, and Damon pushes the window open a little wider and steps inside. He eyes her dabbing her shirt, with a slight frown.
"Are you alright?" He asks, and Phoebe looks at him dryly.
"I'll be fine. It's just water; I'm not gonna melt." She balls up the tissue and sets it aside on the bedside table. Damon seems a little taken aback by her slightly cold response.
"Okay. Maybe the correct question should've been: 'What's wrong?'" Damon stated, and Phoebe looked at him quizzically, despite knowing why he was asking that question.
"Why should anything be wrong?" She answered.
"Because I feel as though I need a warmer jacket. It's like I'm getting frostbite right about now." Damon retorted, narrowing his eyes at Phoebe a little. "What gives?"
Phoebe scowls at him, not in the mood for this conversation.
"'What gives?' You're seriously asking me that question? After that little conversation you and Stefan had tonight about getting into that tomb?" Phoebe stated, causing Damon to wince. "I mean, why is it so important that you need to get in there and save Katherine?"
Damon frowned, "That's on a need-to-know basis. You're just gonna have to trust me on this."
"Yeah, well trust is earned." Phoebe retorted, flipping back the duvet and sitting on the edge of the bed as she hid her face in her hands tiredly. Damon reacts like she had slapped him.
"Are you saying you don't trust me?" He demanded, slightly hurt. Phoebe raised her head, looking at him sternly before sighing after a few minutes and getting to her feet; folding her arms across her chest protectively.
"No, I do trust you. But some of your actions contradict full faith." Phoebe responded. Damon relaxed a little, but still looked slightly stung by what Phoebe had said earlier. He quickly shifted into nonchalance. That didn't fool Phoebe for a second; but she decided to let it slide.
"That's fair." He conceded.
Damon starts to walk about the room inspecting it, as Phoebe watches him warily, trying to decide how to convince him to own up at least a little about his plans; and then how she could help him achieve that goal. To her surprise, Damon makes the first move, spotting her 'Gone with The Wind' novel on the bedside table and picked it up, looking at Phoebe with an amused expression on his face.
"Doing a bit of light reading?" He teased, casually opening the book and flicking through the pages. Phoebe flushed out of embarrassment.
"On and off. Ever since I learned you had fought in the Civil War." Phoebe replied, noting how Damon bristled a little when she mentions his involvement, and sensed feelings of resentment from him. "Have you read it?" She asked him, trying to distract him from his negative emotions.
"It's not really my go to book. I don't really like romances." Damon admits, making a bit of a face.
"What do you like?" Phoebe pressed, curiously. Damon looks at her a little calculatingly before smirking slightly.
Hmmm. Is that the sound of ice-breaking? Phoebe thought triumphantly.
"'The Call of the Wild' by Jack London." He responded and Phoebe blinked in surprise.
"You like adventure novels? How interesting." She observed and Damon frowned defensively.
"What do you mean?" He asked, cautiously. Phoebe's smile fell a little and felt her stomach clench in knots when she realised just how guarded and defensive Damon could be. She adopted a thoughtful expression.
"I'd have thought you'd have chosen horror or thrillers. Like 'Bram Stoker's Dracula'." Phoebe confessed sheepishly. Damon scowled playfully at her, which helped Phoebe relax the tension in her shoulders when his suspicion and cautious feelings vanished.
"That's stereotyping, missy. Just because I'm a vampire, doesn't mean I enjoy reading about blood and gore all the time." Damon explained. "Although, I have read the book; and it wasn't a bad read. Anne Rice is closer to the truth about vampires…" He trailed off, and Phoebe decided to broach the subject one last time, this time appealing to her need to help him; regardless of how much she resented the idea that Katherine was the subject of his obsession with opening the tomb underneath Fell's church.
"Look Damon, if you want me to trust you; you're gonna have to trust me." Phoebe laid down the facts. "It's a two-way street. Please tell me why you want to liberate Katherine from the tomb." Phoebe urged, firmly but not unkindly.
Damon froze and turned towards her with an annoyed scowl.
"Phoebe…" He said, warningly.
"You don't have to tell me the whole truth, okay. I did that with my sister Paige, when she was trying to end a feud between two magical families … and it didn't end well." She admitted, regretfully. "It's your business, just like it was hers and I totally get that. But she and I in the end realised too late, that you cannot do what she did alone." Damon looked at her with hard eyes, still not entirely convinced. "The way I see it; you need someone who will help you no questions asked, who won't betray you." Phoebe pointed out. Damon hesitated and avoided eye contact with her. "Just throw me a bone, here."
For a moment, it looked like that Damon was going to ignore her plea and disappear out of the window into the night. But after a few minutes, he sighed and turned towards Phoebe; his eyes softening a little.
"Closure." He responded, quietly.
Phoebe blinked, "Closure?"
She stretched out with her empathic gift to determine if he was lying to her. Surprisingly, all she could sense from him was relief. Damon was definitely not lying to her, but he was also not telling her the whole truth either.
"Yeah, closure." Damon confirmed, before returning his attention back to her novel and started thumbing through it again.
"Okay." Phoebe replied, shrugging. Now it was Damon's turn to look surprised.
"That's it? You're not going to interrogate me further?"
"What purpose would that serve? I did that the last time and it bit me on the ass, and I learn from my mistakes." Phoebe retorted. "So, what happens now? Or are you still working on that?"
Damon smiles and puts down Phoebe's book, before turning and heading for the window.
"Apparently there's information about Emily's grimoire in one of Johnathan Gilbert's old journals." Damon replied.
"Elena's ancestor?" Phoebe asked.
"Yep."
"And I suppose we gotta search for it now?" Phoebe guessed.
"Not us. Just Elena and Stefan. Why should we do all the work?" Damon corrected her, and Phoebe tensed up a little, which was unfortunately spotted by Damon. "What's wrong?"
"I'd be careful around Stefan and Elena, Damon." Phoebe warned him. "Don't ask. It's just a suspicion I've been having for awhile now." She spoke up before Damon could question her further. Phoebe knew that if she revealed the real reason why she suggested he maintain caution around his brother, Stefan would be missing a heart or his head. There would be no escaping Damon's wrath; and that was the last thing that Phoebe wanted.
"Thanks for the heads up." Damon glanced over at the clock radio. "I'll be back tomorrow morning to bring you to the Boarding House."
"Why?" Phoebe frowned.
"To debrief the happy couple on what they have to do." Damon replied, a pleasant smile on his face that immediately made Phoebe wary. "You don't have a problem with that do you?"
Phoebe shook her head, "I said I'd help you, Damon. I don't back down from my promises."
"Good!" Damon straddled the windowsill. "See you tomorrow, gorgeous." And he was gone within a blink of an eye. Phoebe walked over to the window and glanced down at the Gilbert's well-manicured backyard, at the moonlight that washed over the grass and the hedges before letting out a heavy sigh and wondered back over to her bed, sliding into the sheets and making herself comfortable.
Within a few minutes of clicking off the light, Phoebe drifted off to sleep.
Gilbert Residence
Day
Bright sunshine came through the window, reflecting directly on Phoebe's face; causing the psychic witch to groan and wince and flip the duvet over her head to block out the blinding rays of light.
Knew there was something I forgot to do before going to sleep last night… Phoebe thought crabbily, remembering that she had forgotten to pull down the blinds before going back to sleep after Damon's late-night visit. Realising that there was no way she was going to drift back off to sleep any time soon, Phoebe muttered unflattering curses underneath her breath as she groggily flung back the duvet and stomped her way towards the bathroom to get started with her morning routine. The strong, but pleasant aroma of freshly brewed coffee drifted up from downstairs in the kitchen and Phoebe paused momentarily to inhale it.
I need one of those the size of my head… She finished her business and moved to brush her teeth to remove the furry feeling from them.
Phoebe made her way downstairs towards the kitchen, expecting to see Jenna already in there tucking into a bowl of cereal or sipping on a cup of coffee. But was mildly surprised to find the kitchen devoid of life. She knew that Elena wouldn't be there, as she had made plans to stay over the Boarding House the night before to be with Stefan, and Jeremy had presumably been and gone if the empty and unwashed cereal bowl in the sink indicated anything. But Jenna's absence was odd.
Must have a deadline to finish… Phoebe decided before spying the coffee pot and making a beeline for it.
"Oh, I hope that's leaded." Phoebe muttered out loud not expecting anybody to respond to her statement as she reached for a coffee mug and poured a generous amount of the black ambrosia into it. She was just about to take a mouthful when an amused chuckle caused her to jump and spin round to investigate the intruder.
"Good morning, sleeping beauty." Damon greeted her, teasingly.
"Breaking and entering I see." Phoebe responded dryly as she takes the first mouthful of her coffee and nearly moans in satisfaction. Damon straightens up from his lean against the counter and walks closer to where Phoebe was standing, still sipping away at her coffee.
"Not at all. Jeremy let me in." Damon replied, and Phoebe raised an eyebrow.
"Really?"
"No. But he eventually let me when I explained that I was here to pick you up for our plans this morning." Damon shrugged, and Phoebe smirked.
"That sounds more like it." Damon rolled his eyes at her response as Phoebe set aside her coffee cup and walked over to the cupboard, pulling down a bowl and fetched a spoon from the silver drawer. "So, what exactly are we doing this morning?" She asked, frowning a little as she rummaged around the pantry to grab the Special K.
"I told you that last night." Damon frowned. Phoebe just aimed a glare at him as she finished pouring a generous amount of the cereal into the bowl and reached for the fridge door.
"You're seriously expecting me to remember what you told me in the middle of the night, after I woke up prematurely?" Phoebe pointed out as she grabbed the milk, before snorting at the blank expression on Damon's face. "Please, I was half-asleep. That was definitely wishful thinking on your part."
Damon groaned in irritation as Phoebe returned the milk to the fridge, and spooned a mouthful of her cereal into her mouth, waiting for him to fill her in on the plan he had roped her into against her wishes the night before.
"We're going to get Stefan and Elena to gather more information about Emily's grimoire from one of Johnathan Gilbert's journals." Damon explained with exaggerated patience.
"And you're expecting that they'll just automatically be co-operative about this?" Phoebe stated, dubiously.
"Hardly."
"So why recruit them for the task? Why not do it ourselves?" Phoebe questioned. Damon smirked, reaching for Phoebe's coffee cup; much to her consternation.
"Why should we do all the work? If Stefan wants so desperately to get rid of me, he's gonna have to pull some of weight around here also." He stated, taking a sip, and placing the mug back down on the table. Phoebe's eyes widened in alarm.
"You're not really going to leave town after getting into the tomb, are you?" She asked and Damon smiled warmly at her.
"No, of course not, gorgeous. Since when have I ever agreed to anything Stefan says? There's no law that says I have go skip town once my goal is completed." Phoebe relaxed.
"Then what happens?" She asked.
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it." Damon responded, somewhat impatiently as he reached for Phoebe's finished cereal bowl and goes to deposit it in the sink with the other cereal bowl already in there. "Now, hurry up and finish getting ready. We're killing daylight." Damon shooed Phoebe back upstairs with her coffee and smirked at the unamused glare the witch threw at him as she stomped out of the kitchen towards the staircase.
Salvatore Boarding House
Day
Phoebe glanced dubiously at the Boarding House and then at Damon, questioning exactly what the hell she was doing here, when the eldest Salvatore was more than capable of telling his brother and Elena exactly what he wanted them to do in order to locate Emily's grimoire on his own.
"So…" Phoebe cleared her throat, drawing Damon's attention. "Run it by me again. Why exactly am I here?" She asked, unbuckling her seatbelt and letting herself out of the car as Damon did the same thing and blurred to her side.
"For emotional support." Damon replied, mysteriously.
"Emotional support?" Phoebe echoed, disbelievingly. "Right…" She followed Damon inside and paused in the hallway watching him make a deliberate beeline for the staircase. "I don't buy it. Why would you need emotional support to suggest to Stefan and Elena that they go looking for information on a witch's Book of Shadows?"
Damon raised an eyebrow, "Book of Shadows?"
"Or 'Grimoire', whatever it's called. Don't evade the question." Phoebe retorted, impatiently. Damon just smirked playfully as Phoebe bounded up the staircase beside him, looking at him suspiciously as he continued walking down the hallway towards Stefan's bedroom; looking for all intents and purposes like he was merely taking a stroll through the park instead of walking down one of the many corridors in his home.
"It's just a hunch I'm going off." He replied. They both stopped in front of Stefan's closed bedroom door, but Damon made no move to knock.
"What are you waiting for?" Phoebe questioned. Damon merely gestured casually with his hand, looking deceptively innocent.
"Nothing. Ladies first…" He insisted, and Phoebe rolled her eyes and raised her hand to knock on the door … when she was suddenly and unexpectedly hit by a wave of lust. All of which was coming from within the bedroom. Phoebe's eyes widened in understanding and immediately backed off.
"Uh, maybe we should come back later?" She suggested hastily, but Damon shook his head.
"What for?" He asked, deliberately reaching for the doorknob and silently entering the room.
"No, wait! Damon!" Phoebe hissed, frantically. Then recoiled in mortification and embarrassment when she unintentionally copped an eyeful of the happy couple in the throes of post-coital bliss, and let out a horrified squeak and hid outside. Damon merely looked unfazed and perched casually on the end of the bed, watching his brother and Elena.
Are they seriously that oblivious? Phoebe wondered, waiting for Elena to at least shriek in fright and Stefan to start yelling at his brother for invading their privacy.
"Mmm. Good morning." Phoebe hears Elena mumble, followed by a wet sounding kiss that made her cringe uncomfortably.
"I could get used to this." Stefan states and they kiss again.
I'm gonna get you for this, Damon…
"Rise and shine, sleepyheads!" Damon chirps, enthusiastically. Phoebe tries to discreetly look around the door to see what's going on and sees both Elena and Stefan sit up ramrod straight in Stefan's bed, both obviously startled at Damon's presence at the end of the bed. They pull the sheets up to their chins, trying to cover up any parts they don't want him to see.
"Damon! Please!" Elena angrily yells at him.
"And Phoebe!" Damon points out, thumbing over his shoulder at the bedroom door. "Don't forget about her, she's here too, right outside." Phoebe cringes and sticks out her hand around the door and waves awkwardly.
"Hey guys! Don't mind me, I didn't see anything." She reassures them, still cursing Damon in her head from here to kingdom come.
"Much appreciated, Pheebs." Elena mutters, still sounding pissed. Phoebe retracts her arm from the doorway, and continues listening in to the cringeworthy conversation still taking place between the Salvatores and Elena.
"What are you doing?" Stefan demands Damon, as Phoebe hears the sound of bedsheets shifting around.
"Oh, stop being smutty." Damon scolds them.
"Seriously, get out of here! At least Phoebe is showing some form of decency, in spite of you probably dragging her here." Stefan insists.
Damon lets out an impatient huff, "Look if I see something I haven't seen before, I'll throw a dollar at it." He promises insincerely. "Now listen, we have some very important business to discuss."
"Does it have to be right now, Damon?" Phoebe shouts in from the corridor, and Elena nods in agreement.
"Yes, Phoebe. We've already discussed this earlier." Damon replies, before turning his attention back on the couple. "We have lots to do, now that we're all friends and working towards a common goal." He continues, all-business and adopting a chatty-like demeanor that causes Stefan and Elena to look at each other in bewilderment. "So, in order to open the tomb, we need to find the journal to get the grimoire to undo the spells."
Assuming that they don't betray you afterwards… Phoebe thought, uneasily.
"First things first-since you are Elena Gilbert, you're on journal duty." Damon instructed, oblivious to Phoebe's negative thoughts. Elena was taken aback.
"Since when am I helping?" She demanded.
Damon shrugged, "Well, Stefan's helping, and you've taken up residence in Stefan's bed, ergo…" He trailed off, as Stefan rolled his eyes and frowned at his brother in annoyance and frustration.
"You don't have to do anything you don't want to do." He reassured his girlfriend. There was silence for several minutes, before Elena let out a resigned huff.
"I'll look for it tonight." She promised, flopping back down on the bed and flinging the bedsheets over her face.
"Good." Damon replied, satisfied.
"But how do we know that this journal will hold the location of the grimoire?" Stefan asked, doubtfully. "We're really going to take the word of this vampire? He seemed like a bit of a dimwit."
"I second that." Phoebe chimed in.
"In lieu of any other options." Damon responded, stubbornly. Elena suddenly sits up, pulling down the sheets and frowning curiously at both brothers (and in the general direction of Phoebe behind the door).
"Okay, what exactly is a grimoire, anyway?" She asks, curiously.
"It's a witch's cookbook." Damon replied.
"Every spell that a witch casts is unique unto itself, so every witch would document their work." Stefan sounded like a walking encyclopedia.
"Yeah. Cookbook." Damon dumbed it down.
"Can also be called a 'Book of Shadows'." Phoebe added. "Back in San Francisco, in the underworld, a grimoire is most commonly referred to as something only evil can use."
"Meaning…?" Damon prodded, obviously referring back to when Phoebe first mentioned the phrase 'Book of Shadows' earlier.
"Grimoires protect themselves against Good, and vice-versa. My family's tome: 'The Book of Shadows' repels and electrocutes those with evil intentions or who are evil. Something that Cole once told me happened to him when he attempted to touch it." She explained. Both brothers hissed angrily the second Cole had been mentioned, startling Elena.
"Never mention that bastard's name in front of me." Damon warned, darkly.
"I second that also." Stefan agreed.
"Uh, noted." Phoebe responded, rolling her eyes at their overprotective nature and response to Cole.
"Why?" Elena asked, confused.
"It's complicated, sweetie. I'll explain it to you later, I promise." Phoebe reassured the suspicious teenager, who didn't appear to like that answer but let it go for the time being. Stefan returned to the subject at hand.
"What about our mystery vampire?" He pointed out. "Dimwit obviously wasn't working alone, so whoever's out there knows who we are."
"And I don't like that disadvantage, so…" Damon claps his hands together, rising from the end of Stefan's bed. "Chop, chop." Footsteps approached the door, and Phoebe took a step away from it to avoid being smacked in the face when Damon would push it open. But he pauses and turns to look back at Stefan and Elena, walking backwards to look at them while still talking to them. "You know, I really like this whole menage a foursome team thing." He joked. "It's got a bit of a kink to it." Damon chuckled as he emerged from the bedroom, ignoring the mildly disgusted expression on Phoebe's face. "Don't screw it up."
Damon turns on his heel and walks down the corridor, Phoebe following close behind still scowling at the back of his head for the parting comment he had made to Stefan and Elena.
"Did you get it out of your system?" Phoebe asked.
"Get what out of my system?"
"Whatever inspired you to say what you just said just now." Phoebe elaborated, dryly. "Seriously, was that entirely necessary?"
"I don't know what you're talking about." Damon denied.
"Sure you don't." Phoebe stated, sarcastically. "Well, I hope you don't, because I'm not gonna put up with it for the rest of the day. Too much drama. I'd rather go back to the Gilbert's house and have some down time, than deal with it." She warned and Damon's smirk deflated.
"Yeah, I'm done. I promise." He reassured her, and Phoebe nodded; still frowning but not sensing that he was lying or full of malicious intent.
"Alright. So, where are we off to next?" She asked, trying to remain upbeat, despite her reservations.
Damon opened his mouth to respond to Phoebe's question, but then paused and glanced upstairs towards where the bedrooms were. Specifically, Stefan's bedroom. He pulled a revolted face and shuddered, causing Phoebe to stretch out her empath powers to find out the source of Damon's disgust and was instantly hit with a foreign desire (not hers) to suddenly jump his bones. Something that she immediately squashed down and attempted to ignore, but her traitorous cheeks betrayed her to Damon who rolled his eyes.
"Nowhere." He responded, politely pretending that Phoebe's embarrassment didn't amuse him. To which she was grateful. "I was planning on doing a bit more research into what my father was up to after Katherine was imprisoned in the tomb." Damon continued. And before Stefan killed him in a moment of weakness… He thought to himself as he walked in the direction of the library with Phoebe following, looking curious.
"You have that information? But I thought that's what you asked Stefan and Elena to find out only seconds ago." Phoebe pointed out, and Damon chuckled.
"No, I asked them to do some research into Elena's ancestor's journal to find out the whereabouts of Emily's Grimoire." Damon corrected her, searching through the piles of books he had been sifting through even before Stefan had handed him their father's journal. Phoebe unknowingly picked up said journal and flipped to the first page.
"Isn't this your dad's journal?" She asked, curiously flipping through it. Damon turned towards her and pulled it out from her grasp, much to Phoebe's surprise.
"Yep. That's his alright." Damon said, dismissively tossing aside the delicate looking journal onto another desk in the room, causing Phoebe to wince at his treatment of such an old keepsake. Phoebe perched on the side of the desk, raising a delicately plucked eyebrow as she watched Damon flipping through book after book, impatiently.
"Well, shouldn't that contain the information you're looking for?" Phoebe questioned him.
"No it does not. I already checked. Bastard was always careful with what he wrote just in case it fell into the wrong hands." Damon muttered, darkly.
"You mean yours?" Phoebe correctly assumed that Damon's relationship with Giuseppe wasn't exactly a close one.
"Yep."
"Isn't that a little harsh to think that?" Phoebe asked, a little awkwardly.
"You wouldn't say that, if you knew Giuseppe." Damon replied, a little tersely. Obviously talking about his relationship with his father wasn't his favourite topic of conversation. "As far as he was concerned, I was the 'failure child', the 'black sheep of the family'. Nothing I could do, could ever please him." He said, and Phoebe winced at the hurt and resentful emotions she could sense practically dripping from him. "Stefan was always the 'golden child', the one who could do no wrong. The son who would never disappoint him and carry on the Salvatore name without a blemish on our reputation."
Phoebe suddenly wished she could take back the conversation, as it was clear that this was a sore topic for Damon, and the last thing she really wanted to do was bring back bad memories for him.
"Sounds familiar." Phoebe muttered, uncomfortably. Damon glanced over at her with hard eyes, observing her defensively.
"I don't need your pity." Damon retorted, resentfully.
"Good, because I'm not giving you any." Phoebe responded, evenly. "I was reflecting back upon a few unpleasant memories of my own past." She explained.
"You were a black sheep in your family?" Damon sounded dubious.
Phoebe offered him a pained smile, "Lil' Miss Screw-up. That was me. At least until I eventually turned my life around after getting back my magic."
"You lost your magic?"
"My Grams bound my magic when I was a kid. Partly, so my sisters and I could experience a normal childhood without the burden of magic, and so a warlock couldn't kill us and steal our powers for himself." Phoebe explained.
"You think magic is a burden?" Damon questioned, curiously.
"Sometimes. But it's a part of me, and nothing can change that. Not even the few setbacks my sisters and I experienced over the years. But we eventually realised that Grams did the right thing when she bound our powers; it helped us become the people that we are today." Phoebe stated.
"A famous, powerful witch shacking up with a dangerous, unpredictable vampire who could kill you at the drop of a hat? Explain to me how that is a good thing?" Damon looked sceptical.
"I've dated worse." Phoebe shrugged, nonchalantly.
"You have?"
"Yeah, before and after I got my powers back. I was an irresponsible rebel, and I made so many mistakes. And when I got my powers back, it took awhile to shake the irresponsibility rep and avoid the 'personal gain' rule." She said, taking secret pleasure in the curiosity and intrigue Damon was expressing right then. It was helping to distract him from his dark thoughts, as well as giving him a bit of insight about her.
"That doesn't seem bad." Damon pointed out. "I think dating a vampire would still trump that."
"What about falling in love with and marrying the Source of All Evil, and becoming Queen of the Underworld?" Phoebe asked, and Damon's eyes widened. "He was just as dangerous as you are."
"The Source? Were you insane?!" Damon yelled, horrified. However, Phoebe barely batted an eyelid. Her marriage-from-hell was ancient history as far as she was concerned.
"Miss screw-up. Remember?" She reminded him cheerfully, before becoming serious. "But seriously, if I can fall to the darkest love that has ever existed, and come back from it, you are more than capable of redeeming yourself and showing others that you can be a good man." Phoebe insisted. Damon looked doubtful, but she immediately changed subject and picked up the nearest book and flipped open to the first page. "Now, what am I looking for exactly?" She asked a mystified Damon.
Gilbert Residence
Day
It turned out that despite searching for hours for any elusive information that Damon might've overlooked the last time he had perused the Salvatore's collection of books, both he and Phoebe came up with nada. So, he drove Phoebe back to the Gilbert's, hoping that Stefan and Elena were having better luck than they did. However, Damon decided at the last minute to forgo coming inside with Phoebe and promised that he would return later. Phoebe let herself in and walked towards the staircase.
"Do you think Damon really believes us?" Phoebe paused halfway up the stairs, frowning when she heard Elena's voice coming from the kitchen. She turned and made her way back down, pausing on the bottom step to listen in. "That we're both trying to help him?" Elena asked, somewhat worriedly.
"I don't think Damon knows what to believe. Trust isn't something that comes naturally to him." Stefan responded.
Phoebe looked around the bannister and down the corridor where she could see Stefan sitting at the breakfast bar, presumably watching Elena. She was somewhat surprised that neither of them had heard the front door open and close, especially Stefan with his advanced supernatural hearing. Phoebe sank down and took a seat on the steps, choosing to continue eavesdropping instead of announcing her presence to them. She was wary of them both, especially when she knew that they were plotting against Damon in their attempt to make him leave town for good.
Not if I can help it… Phoebe vowed. Elena continued shifting through the contents of what Phoebe assumed was a collection of Gilbert memorabilia.
"You know … I really think that Damon believes that everything he's done, every move that he's made, he's done for love. It's twisted, but kind of sad." Elena commented.
"There are other ways to get what you want." Stefan agreed. "You don't have to kill people. Damon has no regard for human life. He enjoys inflicting pain on others." Phoebe scowled disapprovingly at Stefan. Considering what she had learned from Damon about his relationship with his father, from back when he was human; it was no wonder that Damon became who he was: a lonely, troubled man reacting to how people perceive him because of what he is, instead of really stopping to get to know the man within instead of the vampire he became – and not by choice either. "For 145 years, every single time that I have let my guard down and let Damon back into my life, he's done something to make me regret that. I'm not going to make that mistake again." Stefan vowed.
Hypocrite… Phoebe scowled.
"So what do you think will happen if the tomb gets opened and Damon gets Katherine back?" Elena asked.
"I think that no matter what Damon promises, a lot of people will die." Stefan replied, darkly. Phoebe decided that she had heard enough, and it was enough to convince her that for the moment, they weren't to be trusted. So decided to play spy on Damon's behalf, to make sure they didn't stiff Damon on the important stuff they were most likely to uncover. Elena suddenly exhales loudly, glancing down at what Phoebe assumed was an old-fashioned brown and yellow photograph. Kind of like the one of Primrose she had left in Damon's care. "That's Johnathan Gilbert." Stefan revealed, answering the question that immediately sprang to the psychic witch's mind. Phoebe got to her feet, and started walking towards the kitchen, nearly getting bowled over by Jeremy who had come running downstairs.
"Woah! Sorry, Phoebe." Jeremy apologised, smiling at Phoebe who grinned back and waved away the apology.
"No harm done, where's the fire anyway?" Phoebe asked, raising an eyebrow at the speed the teenager came charging down the corridor at. Jeremy looked slightly sheepish.
"Oh, my bad. I got thirsty, just headed into the kitchen for a drink." He explained, and Phoebe nodded.
"Good idea. I'll join you." Phoebe improvised, and followed him down the corridor. Both she and Jeremy walked into the kitchen, startling both Elena and Stefan out of their silent conversation.
"Hey guys, what's up?" Phoebe greeted the couple with a forced smile, as she headed for the glass cabinet and pulled down a water glass from it.
"Phoebe? Jere? Hey!" Elena greeted them, looking a bit flustered as Stefan threw a suspicious look at Phoebe, which she countered with a warning look of her own; trying to translate that she was onto them. "When did you get back?" Elena directed this question to Phoebe who shrugged.
"Just now. Why?" Phoebe asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No reason." Elena replied a little too quickly.
"What are you guys doing?" Jeremy asked curiously, headed straight for the fridge and eyeing off the box of memorabilia. Phoebe's sharp brown eyes noticed Elena discreetly putting out of sight from her brother what looked like a weird muzzle.
"Just going through some stuff, feeling sentimental. Dad had this old family journal from years ago. I thought I'd dig it up." Elena explained. Jeremy sits down on the kitchen counter, cracking open a can of soda and taking a sip from it.
"Johnathan Gilbert's journal?"
Elena nodded, "Yeah, what do you know about it?"
"I just did a history report on it." Jeremy explained. This immediately grabs Phoebe, Elena and Stefan's attention.
"Oh. So where is it now?" Elena asked, interestedly.
"I gave it to Mr. Saltzman." Jeremy replied, taking another swig from his soda. "He wanted to see it."
"Don't blame him. The information in that thing must be fascinating." Phoebe commented, as Elena and Stefan exchange looks between them and then at the Charmed One suspiciously. "I might take a look at it after he's done reading it." She added, before looking at Elena. "If it's alright with you, of course." Jeremy looked unconcerned, while Elena frowned slightly at her.
"Why wouldn't it be?" Jeremy asked, as he hopped down from the counter and left the room. Elena and Stefan immediately interrogated Phoebe, who finished her water and rinsed out the glass.
"What are you doing?" Stefan demanded.
"Helping?"
"Why? Damon asked us to find the information in Johnathan Gilbert's journal." Elena pointed out.
"I know." Phoebe replied, putting the glass upside-down on the draining board, and turned to lean against the sink.
"Then why are you here?" Stefan asked, looking suspiciously at her. But Phoebe could also detect a hint of fear.
Good. He should be scared… "It can't hurt to have an extra pair of eyes, right?" Phoebe suggested and Elena relaxed a little, giving her a weak smile.
"No. Of course, not." Elena replied, hesitantly. She glances at Stefan who hadn't taken his eyes off Phoebe since the witch first stepped into the kitchen.
"Great! Where should we go next to find this journal?" Phoebe asked, pleasantly.
Mystic Falls High School
Dusk
Stefan reluctantly takes Phoebe along with him to interrogate Alaric at the school, while Elena opts to stay behind to help Jenna set up for dinner to keep the older woman from getting suspicious or asking hard to answer questions. Stefan at first had tried to persuade his friend to stay behind as well to help, but Phoebe was stubborn and refused to budge. She didn't like choosing sides, especially when it came between family members. But she drew the line when making a choice lately, meant that it was supposedly okay to stab someone in the back, or betray them to get their own way.
"What are we doing here?" Phoebe spoke up as she followed Stefan walking briskly down the corridor, looking very determined.
"We're here to have a little chat with the new history teacher." Stefan replied, sounding a little short.
Meanwhile, Alaric was in the teacher's lounge making copies of Johnathan Gilbert's journal entries. Once completed with this task, he collected the printed pages and walks towards a nearby locker to store the documents in it. Anna walked down the corridor nearby the teacher's lounge, with Alaric oblivious to her presence. He re-emerges after depositing his bounty and heads back to the classroom. Johnathan Gilbert's journal is tossed back onto Alaric's desk and the vampire hunter takes a seat behind it, grabbing some schoolwork and starting to grade them. He looks up with a start when Anna suddenly blurs by the classroom.
"Hello?" Alaric calls out. He gets to his feet and walks out into the hallway to investigate. "Hello?" He calls out again, as Anna hides behind a nearby wall, waiting for the right opportunity to collect what she was here for: the Gilbert Journal. "Someone there?" Alaric turns right and walks down the corridor, giving Anna the opportunity to blur into the classroom. Cautious, Alaric walks back into the teacher's lounge and reopens his locker to retrieve a duffle bag from within. He opens it and pulls out a blow dart gun, which he had modified to shoot wooden stakes.
Alaric takes a slender wooden stake and sticks it in the blow dart gun, cocking it and walking back to the history classroom. But instead of walking back inside, he stands up against the wall next to the classroom door. Swiftly, Alaric turns into the doorway, points and shoots the wooden dart.
"Watch out!" Phoebe hollers at Stefan who grabs the stake before it could penetrate. He glowers at Alaric as the vampire hunter starts to reload another stake into the gun as Stefan and Phoebe watch. Alaric looks down and cocks the gun, moving towards the doorway while doing so. Stefan immediately blurs around Alaric and blocks his way, causing him to look up at him in surprise. "Stefan, don't!" Phoebe warns him, in alarm. But he ignores her as he grabs Alaric by the shirt, and pulls him close.
"You shouldn't have done that." Stefan insists, and pushes Alaric into his desk and snatches the gun from him as the stunned man crumples to the floor. Alaric scrambled to his feet, ready to fight. However, Phoebe steps between them, holding her arms apart to keep them both apart.
"Okay, guys. Enough!" She yells firmly, before turning towards Alaric and smiles apologetically at him. "We'd like to ask you a few questions, if we may?" Phoebe asks Alaric who looks between them with confusion.
"Have a seat." Stefan orders, causing Alaric to hesitate. But when Stefan points at a random desk, insisting that he comply with his wishes, Alaric sits down at a desk. Stefan looks down at the gun he had taken from Alaric and examines it curiously. "What is this, compressed air?" He asks him, but doesn't get a reply.
"That's really impressive, did you make it yourself?" Phoebe questioned, trying to defuse the tension in the air and stop Alaric from being scared. Again, the question goes unanswered.
"Who are you?" Stefan asks Alaric, taking a step towards him. The poor man flinches and Phoebe wades in, giving Stefan a look.
"It's okay. He's not going to hurt you, I won't allow it." Phoebe calmly reassures him.
"Unless he tries to stake me again." Stefan added, earning a glare from Phoebe at the same time.
"No, Stefan. I mean it." Phoebe insists, sternly. Stefan sighs and hands Alaric his gun who takes it. Phoebe perches at the front of Alaric's desk, directly in front of the teacher, while Stefan picks up a desk and sets upright before taking a seat on top of it, and focuses on Alaric. "Now … who are you?" Phoebe asks again.
"I'm a teacher." Alaric responds. Phoebe senses irritation from Stefan and turns to admonish him again, but stops when Alaric continues. "I'm also a historian. And while researching Virginia, I—made a few discoveries about your town." He explained.
"Like what?" Phoebe asked, genuinely curious about what those discoveries could be. "I come from San Francisco, so I'm all ears too!" She smiled, brightly. Stefan shook his head, looking impatient and disinterested in what Alaric knew about Mystic Falls, but deciding to humour his friend's curiosity.
"My wife was a parapsychologist." Alaric explained.
"A what?"
"She spent her life researching paranormal activity in this area. It was her work that led me here." Alaric elaborated, causing the smile on Phoebe's face to fade slightly.
"Oh."
Stefan jumped in with his interrogation, "Where's your wife?"
"Dead. A vampire killed her." Alaric replied, and Phoebe's face fell with sympathy.
"Oh, no! I'm so sorry." She said, and Alaric smiled gratefully.
"It's okay. It happened a long time ago." He reassured the empathic witch, who could sense that he was sincere. Stefan looked genuinely sympathetic too, but he and Phoebe were both here for a reason, and he decided to get straight to the point.
"Where's the Gilbert Journal?" Stefan asked, politely.
Alaric frowned, guardedly. "What do you want with it?"
"Where is it?" Stefan repeated, and Alaric pointed towards his desk.
"It's there on my desk." He stated, and Phoebe turned her head to look down at the piles of paper and stationery strewn across it.
"No, it's not." Phoebe confirmed, causing Alaric to get to his feet and walk over to see for himself. The Gilbert Journal was indeed missing from the desk, and Phoebe was nearly overwhelmed with Alaric's panic. Alaric glances at both Phoebe and Stefan, sheepishly.
"It was on my desk."
Oh, great…
A/N: Finally finished with this chapter! I hope you've enjoyed reading this. Also, you will find this story and another one of my stories on Wattpad. If you wish to re-read this story on there, feel free as I've added photos and music to it, and I removed Damon's Titanic memory chapters as I was just repeating myself. It should help the story flow better. Thanks for reading!
TTFN xx