"Screw pretty. I'd rather be strong. Pretty fades over time. Strength gets you through the bad shit." - Thea Harrison
2. Brave New World
She could feel cold fingers gliding over her arm in gentle repetitive strokes. Shrugging her shoulder, she turned to the side to escape, hearing a soft chuckle, before a face nuzzled into the crook of her neck. "Good morning Angel," he whispered.
"G'morning," muttered the girl in reply, turning to look at him. His icy eyes were gazing at her face, a soft smile on his.
"What?" She asked sleepily.
"What, what?" He repeated, smile widening.
"You're staring."
"I thought we'd already established that it's 'gazing' and that it's the height of romance."
Snorting, she giggled, "Alright Ace."
Looking at him, she noticed the he was fully dressed, "Where are you going?"
"Carol Lockwood has demanded a meeting, and as much as I want to skip it, I can't." He muttered.
"Nooo," she whined slightly, before snuggling into his chest, face against his heartbeat, "Stay here with me. We can cuddle until I fall back asleep."
His hand began carding through her hair softly, brushing the strands away from her face, "Unfortunately, your phone's been going off for the past half-hour. Apparently you're needed at school, something to do with a carnival."
Shooting up, she gasped in surprise, "Shit! The carnival prep, I completely forgot! Care's going to eat my liver for breakfast if I don't help out." Rolling out of bed, she ran to the closet and began pulling her clothes on hastily.
He was watching and laughing, amused at her forgetfulness. As she quickly pulled on her shirt, she looked around the room in confusion, "Where are my boots?" She asked.
Still laughing slightly, he answered, "Downstairs. You'd taken them off before your little confrontation with Katherine."
Nodding, she ran out the door with a quick "Goodbye," before running back in again.
"Forgot something?" He chuckled.
"Yep," she replied, walking towards him and dropping a quick, but loving kiss on his lips, "forgot to tell you I love you."
"Love you too, Angel," he whispered against her.
Pulling away, she smiled, "Now I've actually got to go before I'm late," running out the door.
—
She'd made her way to school in record time, walking out in the courtyard and immediately spotting a familiar brunette. Heading towards Elena, she smiled at the thought of telling her she'd met her doppelgänger yesterday, but that smile dropped the instant she saw who accompanied the human.
Elena and Bonnie were laughing together, as though nothing had happened. A twinge of jealousy made its way through the girl. She longed to join them, to throw her arms around both of their shoulders and laugh with them, but she couldn't. Bonnie had hurt her, more deeply than any of them seemed to understand. The witch had betrayed Thea's trust in the most fundamental of ways, had almost gotten Damon killed. Had it been her in danger, had she been the one in the direct line of fire instead of her blood-bonded, she would have forgiven the witch. Would have understood her point of view and forgiven her, but she could not, would not, forgive an attempt on Damon's life that easily. The protective instincts in her towards him, further emphasised by the bond, roared to life at the thought of his life being endangered.
She reached them just as Bonnie said, "Okay, I'm sorry, I'll focus. We have to make Caroline proud or she will kill us. I don't know how she does all of this."
Throwing her arm around the brunette's shoulder, she answered with a smirk, "Well, that would be because our resident blonde is not human, obviously."
Squealing in surprise, Elena turned to her, hand over her heart, "Tee! Don't scare me like that!"
He blood-witch giggled in response, "Remind me to train you on environmental awareness El, that way you'll stop being caught unexpected." Turning to look around, she added, "So what do you need me to do? I got dragged out of a warm bed and subsequent cuddle session to come here."
"I still can't picture Damon cuddling. The image just doesn't work in my mind."
"Why? He's a really physically affectionate person, so it makes sense, I guess."
The human shrugged, "I don't know. He just doesn't strike me as the type to be affectionate at all."
Smiling, Thea questioned, "What? Did you think it was all hot animalistic sex against the wall?"
"Pretty much, but I did not need that image in my mind," she replied, grimacing slightly.
"You're the one who started this," laughed the blood-witch, before continuing with a soft smile, "He's definitely gentler than you think. Likes to spoon me, constantly storing my hair and holding my hand and stuff."
"Do you think it's the bond?"
"I think it definitely plays a part. Like, he can tell when I need comforting, so he'll give it. But I think he's genuinely an affectionate person, he just hadn't gotten the chance to explore it because of your evil twin." Looking at her, she added with a grin, "Speaking of, I met her yesterday. I'd the resemblance is uncanny, but it would be redundant at this point."
"Wait, hold on. You met Katherine yesterday?" Retorted the human, looking both concerned and worried at once, she continued in a rush, "What happened? Are you okay? Did she hurt you? Is Damon okay? What did she say?"
Chuckling, the blood-witch soothed, "Calm down El. Clearly we're both alright, otherwise I wouldn't be here. But she was trying to manipulate him, convince him that I'd chose Stefan over him eventually. I think she tried to seduce him too. But it didn't work."
"He didn't fall for it?"
Raising an offended brow, she replied, "Okay, I'm gonna need y'all to stop doubting his love for me. It's a little offensive at this point. Of course he didn't go for it, he's loyal, it's part of being in a relationship. He told her he loved me, and had her thrown against the floor when I interrupted them."
"Sorry, sorry. Force of habit, I guess. Anyway, what happened then?"
"We spoke. I warned her against trying to come between him and I, and then mildly threatened her. She seemed to get that I was not one to be fucked with, so she backed off. I think she was a little impressed by me, honestly. She said we could've been friends right before she left. Oh, and that she liked me."
"You threatened Katherine? The one who sliced off Uncle John's fingers without a second thought? And she said she liked you? And she didn't threaten you back, at all?"
Elena was looking at her with wide eyes, as though she both couldn't believe Thea's bravery, and that she was still alive to tell its tale after the fact. The girl giggled in amusement, replying, "Well yeah. Like I said, she could tell I was dangerous, powerful. And she's a survivor, we know not to mess with anyone or anything that could impede on our ability to live and achieve our goals."
"What do you mean, 'we'? You're nothing like her, Thea!"
Rolling her eyes in fond annoyance, she hugged her friend around the shoulders, "I know that. I'm just saying I also somewhat understand her mindset. She's been running away from something for centuries. I've had the Pura-Sanguinis on my ass for the past 4 years, and I'm already fundamentally damaged by it, so I can somewhat understand why she's such a bitch. When you're trying to stay alive, against all odds, nothing matters except you. It's selfish, but realistic."
"Maybe, but that still doesn't mean you two are similar. You don't take advantage of people, you don't hurt them for your own gain."
"I used to." She cast her gaze downwards ashamedly, sighing before continuing, "I wasn't always this nice, you know? I used to be just like her. Do anything, use anyone to survive, to stay alive. Didn't matter if I liked them or not, if they were a danger to me, I'd kill them without thinking twice. If I could use them to gain an advantage in my escape, I'd do it in a heartbeat. The things you do to survive can turn you into a monster, El. They certainly have me."
Arms wrapped around her, hugging her tight, "You're not a monster. You've been through so much, seen so much, and you're still here for me, for all of us. And you're kind and selfless, those are all traits Katherine doesn't seem to have."
"Thanks," she mumbled into the human's shoulder, before pulling away and wiping underneath her eyes with a smile, "So, what do you need me to do? I've gotta help out so Care doesn't kill me once she's out."
Laughing, the human threw her arm around the witch's shoulder, guiding her towards an empty booth, "I need you to fill the aquarium, and place the prizes on the shelves."
"Done."
—
She'd spent all day helping with the organisation, so much so that she could feel the exhaustion flowing over her. Stefan had dragged her away at some point to eat, having been previously warned by Damon about her propensity to forget under stress. She'd complained, obviously, but he'd retorted with a "If you don't stop complaining, I'm gonna throw you over my shoulder and force-feed you." So she'd shut up fairly quickly after that.
After that, it was demand after demand, as Care had left her and Elena in charge of everything, and the two girls have been careful to inspect every minute detail, to ensure that the carnival would go through exactly as the blonde had imagined it.
She was currently walking around various stalls, inspecting them for any potential mistakes, as Bonnie walked over to her with a hesitant smile, "The ring toss is out of Bart and Homer dolls and Team Jacob T's."
Nodding with a straight face, she replied, "Alright, I can go grab some from the science club. Also we lost a speaker in the karaoke room, so I need you to get on that."
The witch nodded, before stating, "It's alright Thea, take a beat and look around. This thing's a huge success!"
The raven-haired girl smiled slightly, "You mean I can do more than get myself involved in deadly situations? How odd."
Bonnie giggled, "Go figure, right?" Before growing serious and sad once more, "I'm sorry Tee. I know you're tired of hearing it, but I'm really sorry and I just want us to get over this fight."
"It's not a fight. Fight implies a grievance on both sides, but I've done nothing but support you and love you from the get-go." Sighing, she shook her head slightly, "You really hurt me, Bonnie. It's gonna take some time for me to get over that, but it's not impossible."
The witch smiled, a hopeful gleam in her eyes. Smiling hesitantly back at her, Thea turned to a nearby booth, where she called over the boy working it, "Hey, Carter, right?"
"Yeah," he replied with a smile, "What can I do for you?"
Smirking, she gestured towards the wide-eyed witch with a hand, saying, "My friend here needs your help with something, so I'll just leave you two to it." Throwing a smile towards the girl, who mouthed an enthusiastic "thank you" at her, she turned on her heels and left them alone.
She'd been wondering around for half-an-hour, looking through the various booths and games, waiting for Damon to arrive. He'd texted her earlier, saying that he was on his way and she was simply biding her time now.
Standing at the ring toss, she'd been prepared to throw her second one, before a cold, familiar arm wrapped around her middle. "Your posture's all wrong baby," he murmured into her neck.
Smiling, she replied, "How about you fix it, then?"
She could feel his lips curving into a grin against her skin, before his arms came to grab onto hers, fixing them. His leg came in-between hers, pushing them apart, while simultaneously pressing into her centre. She withheld a moan, as he softly whispered, "You gotta spread your legs apart, give yourself some balance." Stepping away, he added, "Try now."
Thea bit her lip, as she tried concentrating on her target. She needed to get his intoxicating presence out of her mind, but she couldn't, so it was with a small pout that she turned to him and said, "You do it. I can't focus now."
Chuckling lovingly, he pecked her quickly, before grabbing the ring out of her hand and narrowing his eyes. Throwing it decisively, it landed on the furthest bottle, and he turned to her with a smug smile.
The girl raised her brow, before pointing to her two remaining rings and adding, "You've got two left, and I want the stuffed bunny." He laughed lightly, before turning back, "one stuffed bunny, coming right up for the lady."
Landing his shots, the man handed him the plush doll, and he turned to her with a grin. "Well?" He asked, holding the toy up above his head. Tilting hers up at him, she smiled, "Well what? Are you gonna hand it over?"
"Where's my reward?"
Stepping closer to him, she whispered, "What do you want?"
His head tilted down to hers, angling their lips perfectly, "I think a kiss would be a good start."
She could feel his breath on her skin, lips brushing against hers, every word a kiss onto itself. "A start?" She mumbled.
"Oh yes, there's so much more after that." He replied, before finally giving in. Their lips moved against one another, heated, but passionate still. A kiss filled with love and emotions. She could feel him, through the bond. Could feel his adoration for her, his need and desire and mostly, she could feel his happiness.
It filled her up, lit a fire inside her that seemed to glow from her skin. Pulling away, she panted slightly, "I think there's a couple more toys I'd like."
Laughing, his hand reached down to intertwine with hers, before pulling her in the direction of the booths, "Lead the way, Angel. Your wish is my command."
—
He'd kept his word, and as they stood watching the arm wrestling match occurring, the girl's arms were filled with various toys and knick-knacks.
"He's strong," she mumbled, watching as Tyler beat yet another person with a victorious shout.
"I know, almost abnormally so." Mumbled the vampire back.
Shrugging her shoulder, she turned back to him and opened her mouth, indicating she wanted him to give her a piece of cotton candy.
"Yeah? Well I'm gonna need something in return." He smirked in reply.
Lowering her voice, she whispered in a lustful tone, while simultaneously sending her desire and love to him through the bond, "How about this then? When we get back, you can do whatever you want to me. Carte Blanche, nothing's off limits."
He swallowed heavily, before raising a brow, "Whatever I want?"
"Uh-huh" she nodded.
Gaze lidded, he replied, "So, if I wanted to blindfold you and tie you up, you'd let me?"
The girl groaned in a low tone, eyes closing at the desire throbbing through them, and nodded her head.
"And if I wanted to taste you? Bite you all over and suck on those rosy pink nipples, would you let me?"
"Yes…" she hissed out.
"And if I wanted to spank you? Bend you over my knee and leave a handprint on your skin, would you still let me?" He continued, an almost feral look in his eyes.
Thea swallowed, before attempting to regain her composure and raising a brow, feigning indifference to his words, "Do we need to go over what the words 'Carte Blanche' mean, Ace?"
"Answer the question, Angel. Would you let me do to you whatever I wanted?" He insisted.
Looking up at him, she met his lustful gaze with her own hooded one, before whispering, "I would."
His eyes closed, a low growl climbing out of his throat at her words, before they opened once more, and he focused behind her. "We'll get back to this later, for now, we're about to have company."
Closing her eyes, mourning the moment they'd been having slightly, the girl turned back to the fight, and felt his arms pull her back into him, feeling the evidence of his arousal pressed against her back.
"You're lurking." Stefan's voice piped up suddenly.
Opening her eyes, she turned to him with a forced look of disinterest as Damon replied, "I'm observing."
"It's more like he's obsessing, really." Snorted the witch. His hips ground against hers in slight warning, before he continued, gesturing towards Tyler "He's got strength."
The younger man snorted, replying, "He's a triple letter varsity athlete, of course he has strength. You're reaching."
Looking back towards they, she noticed a man walking towards him, "Enter the slightly suspicious, if mildly attractive uncle."
"That's ridiculous." Stated Stefan, as Damon ground into her once more, before whispering directly into her ear, "What do you mean, mildly attractive?"
She could feel his slight irritation flowing through their bond, and smiled smugly. If he was going to turn her on, only to leave her hanging, then she'd frustrate him into action. It seemed to work for her in the past, at any rate.
"Just that. He's not terrible to look at, that's all. Too much of a surfer vibe for my personal preference, but he's pretty nonetheless."
Ah, some more irritation, followed by a slight relief. Thea snorted internally, as if she'd ever be attracted to anyone else when he was exactly what her fantasies were made of. Leaning her head back against his shoulder, she wiggled against him suggestively before whispering in such a low voice, that his hearing could only pick it up because he was so close, "No worries, Ace. No one measures up to you anyway."
His arms tightened around her possessively, as Mason beat Tyler. The younger boy stepped away with raised hands, before shouting to the excited crowd, "Okay, he's the champ, who wants to go next?"
"Stefan wants to go." Piped up Damon suddenly. Throwing his brother an irritated look, the younger man made his way to the table, saying, "Yeah, sure, I'll– give it a shot."
Chuckling at the look on his face, Thea screamed an encouraging, "Get him, Stef!" Before giggling loudly at the look she got in return.
"My brother and his girlfriend over there think I can beat you." He told the man.
Smiling, he replied humbly, "they're wrong."
The two men took their positions, before beginning to arm-wrestle. Thea could see that Stefan was actually putting in an effort, that he was trying, but Mason seemed strong, almost unnaturally so.
Almost a minute later, the younger vampire's hand banged against the table, and he smiled at Mason before walking back towards them, frowning slightly at his loss.
"You didn't put in any effort at all." Said Damon, angrily.
Patting him on the hand that was still wrapped around her, Thea soothed, "No babe, I think he did, actually."
Stefan nodded towards her, stating, "I did, yeah."
Straightening, she could feel Damon grab her hand tightly, before walking away, gesturing for his brother to follow with a "come with me," thrown over his shoulder.
Making their way to a deserted hallway, he turned to Stefan, asking, "is he—"
"No, no, it wasn't that kind of strength but it was more than human, if that makes any sense." Interrupted the boy.
"What is up with that family?" Wondered Damon in aggravation, "They're not vampires, what the hell are they?"
Smiling, his brother replied jokingly, "Ooh, maybe they're Ninja Turtles."
Thea giggled at the imagery this induced. Something about the mental visual of Tyler dressed as Michelangelo form the kid's show was immensely funny to her. Her boyfriend didn't seem to share her humour at the situation though, simply looking at his brother with a stoic look, "You're not funny."
"Hmm. Zombies? Werewolves!" Continued Stefan, amused.
"Absolutely no comedic timing—"
"Hold, on. There could be something to that," interrupted the blood-witch with a critical look in her eye. She could see the matching disbelieving expressions in their eyes, and raised a stunned brow, "What? We're literally witches and vampires, creatures that are not supposed to be real, and you're surprised to learn of the existence of other supernatural species?"
"No, but come on Angel, werewolves?" Questioned her blue-eyed vampire.
"Yeah. I mean I haven't met any that know of, but I've certainly heard of them before. They're supposed to be incredibly strong on the full moon, a strength that rival's vampires'. And once they turn, they're mindless beasts, no longer in control of their actions. Truly becoming a predator of the wild. And some of the earliest texts in history allude to their existence, from mythology to mythology, cross culturally. Like the Epic of Gilgamesh mentions them, and that's tablature from early Mesopotamia, and then there are references to them again in Nordic History dating back to the early 1st century BC. But that's only mythos though, I wouldn't be sure until I saw one in real life. Or annexed some more sources and legends."
Looking at her friend, she could see him gazing at her with an impressed expression, before she asked, "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"
He shook his head slightly, before replying with a small smile, "it's just…Both Elena and Damon have told me how smart you are, but this is the first time I've witnessed it myself. It's impressive."
Shrugging nonchalantly, she turned to her boyfriend and added, "Again, it's all speculation so far. But I've learned that most myths and legends originate from some grain of truth, so…"
The blue-eyed vampire nodded, before saying, "Well, until I meet one, I'm gonna continue with the assumption that they're not real. 160 years on this planet and I've never met any."
A sudden noise drew his attention, as Carter from the carnival made his way to them. Damon turns to him, calling him, "Hey you!"
The boy turned to him with a frown, saying, "I have a name."
Shrugging, he replied, "I don't care." Before speeding to him and grabbing him by the shoulders, beginning his compulsion, "I need you to pick a fight with someone, a kid named Tyler Lockwood."
Throwing her head back in irritation, the blood-witch groaned out, "Ace, come on, don't do this."
Sending a wave of reassurance down their bond, he reaffirmed it by saying, "It's just an experiment, trust me. Get him mad, don't back down no matter what he does, okay?"
The boy nodded, eyes clouded and foggy, "I won't back down."
"I know you won't." Releasing his compulsion, the blue-eyed man stepped back as he watched Carter walking away, before Stefan interjected, "Do you realise someone is going to get hurt right?"
"No, someone is going to get mad, as in rage."
"What's that going to accomplish?"
Looking at him, the blood-witch took over, "Tyler's incapable of controlling his anger, and that seems to be the trigger here. He won't walk away from the fight, so we'll get to see who interferes. Maybe it'll be the supernaturally ambiguous, mildly hot surfer uncle."
Rolling his eyes, the younger man nodded before turning on his heels and walking away, clearly eager to rejoin his girlfriend. Thea was looking in his direction, before she felt a gust of air, and found herself pressed against the cold metal of a locker, staring into her blood-bonded's irritated eyes.
"Still think he's hot, do you?" He muttered.
She could feel the jealousy ebbing through him, subsequently enhancing his need to be territorial, to mark her as his. Raising a brow, she replied, "I have eyes, Ace. I'm fully capable of looking at someone and acknowledging that they're aesthetically pleasing, doesn't mean that I want him between my legs."
"I don't like it." He whispered menacingly, continuing, "I don't like it when you look at anyone that's not me, when you think anyone else is attractive."
"I know," she breathed, before chuckling slightly, "It's your primitive vampire brain telling you that I'm yours, and getting upset when my attention's away from you. But what I need you to understand, is that I am yours. Unequivocally, undoubtedly yours, in every way that matters. My heart, my soul are literally tied to you. So don't worry, don't doubt. There will never be anyone else for me. That's it, I've peaked, being loved by you, Damon Salvatore. How could I want anything else after that?"
His forehead came to rest against hers, their breathing becoming synchronised, before he whispered tenderly, "I love you. And I'm yours too, you know? There's no one else who could ever make feel like this, no one I could ever look at the same way I do you. You're every wish and every dream I've ever had, and somehow, despite everything I've done, I still got to have you. So no, I don't doubt, and I trust you, implicitly. But I'll never stop getting jealous, never stop being possessive because I know exactly how they feel."
She smiled slightly, eyes closing in blissful happiness. "I've never had that, you know? I've spent my entire life feeling like I don't belong anywhere. And as much as I loved my family, I knew I was different. I didn't look like them, so the normal world knew I was adopted. My powers were different, so their coven knew I wasn't truly a Montgomery. I was too rebellious and wild, untameable. Didn't act like a perfect socialite, was too good at manipulating my way to anything. But it was a form of stability, not belonging necessarily, but knowing that I had someone who would catch me if I fell. When they all died, I was aimless. Nowhere to go, no soft place to land, looking over my shoulder at every point, always doubting whether I'd live to see the next day. I was so sad, and so lost that sometimes, I wondered if it was worth it to keep going, to keep fighting when I had nothing to fight for, and no one to fight for me."
A hand came to wipe gently at her cheek, removing the tear that had made its way there, before he whispered, "And now? Do you still feel like that?"
"No," she answered in a matching tone, "I have you, and a family I made, of people who care about me, and who I care about back. I have your love, and that's given me a soft place to land, to know that you'll catch me, that you'll always be there. I stayed alive for their memory, but now, I'm staying alive for me and you. For the memories we'll be making and the future we will have."
Taking a shuddering breath, she opened her eyes, meeting his icy gaze and feeling all of his love thrumming through the bond between them, before continuing, "Everything I've seen and everything I've been through, I'd change none of it, if it all meant it would led me here, to you. I would do it all over again, if my reward for persevering was you."
She could see a small tear drip down his face, and with a loving hand, wiped it away, before cradling his cheek and rubbing it softly. Leaning in, he sealed their moment with a kiss, promising to always be there to catch her when she falls with his lips.
—
She'd gone to the bathroom, having needed to refresh herself after the emotionally heightened moment they'd shared. It was slightly terrifying, she realised, to love someone with such an intense passion. It lit her up, filled her to the point of spilling, but it was terrifying.
She was constantly scared. Scared of losing him, of humbling in danger, of him leaving her alone. And she understood his possessiveness, she felt it too. To a less intense degree, but she felt it nonetheless.
She was washing the traces of her earlier tears from her face, when the door banged open, and he ran to her.
"What's wrong?" She asked worriedly, heart still beating out of her chest from the surprise.
"You need to come with me. We've gotta find Elena." He replied, before grabbing her into his arms, and speeding out of the building, on the lookout for the brunette human.
They found her in discussion with a classmate, and he interrupted her by calling her name. The girl looked back at him with an annoyed frown, before asking, "What do you want, Damon?"
"Clearly, you're not overjoyed to see me right now, but I need you to come with me."
"Whatever it is, I'm not interested." She replied.
Sensing the worry through their bond, the raven-haired witch stated softly, "It's important El, he's really concerned. Please just, trust me."
Nodding slightly, seeming more worried now, the brunette made her way behind them, Thea texting Stefan on their way.
They stopped in an empty classroom, Stefan joining them soon after. Before Damon blurted out, "Caroline's a vampire."
Thea staggered on her feet, feeling waves of icy dread crashing over her, coupled with a paralysing worry. She wasn't upset her friend had been turned, merely that it had been without her consent. She was worried about Caroline, worried about how she would feel, what she would do.
Sensing her emotional state, hey boyfriend quickly made his way over to her, wrapping an arm around her waist, holding her to him tightly, as Stefan exclaimed, "How did this happen?!"
Still hugging Thea tightly, he stated in a sardonic tone, "Well, I fed her blood and Katherine obviously killed her and A plus B equals–"
"But why?" Interrupted the human.
"Becasue Katherine is a manipulative, nasty, little slut."
"And she said 'game on'? I mean, what does that even mean?" Wondered the younger brother.
"It means she's playing dirty. She wants us to know."
"But why Caroline?"
"I don't know."
Tuning them out, the blood-witch drew into herself, arms wrapping tightly around her middle. Guilt, toxic and all-encompassing fell into her as she realised that she was at fault. She'd threatened the woman, and had not emphasised that her friends were not to be touched. She'd been solely focused on Damon, on their relationship, that she'd forgotten that there were other ways to manipulate them into doing her bidding. She'd done this. This was her fault.
"It's not your fault, Angel." Damon's concerned voice drew her out of her own head, and looking around, she found the others gazing at her with similar questioning expressions.
"I taunted her, threatened her. This is my doing. I did this to Care." She muttered.
"Katherine did this, not you." Said Stefan, in an attempt to soothe her.
The girl turned to him with wide eyes, glistening with unshed tears, "No, you don't understand! I was so focused on what she could do to Damon, that I never mentioned that all of you guys were off-limits! I didn't widen the boundaries she couldn't cross, and so she crossed them to manipulate me."
Walking around, she raked her hands through her hair roughly, pulling at the strands and she muttered, "I did this."
Her emotions were torrential in their power, taking over her entire being. She could feel her magic buzzing through her veins like electricity, needing to be released. It was painful, an itchiness she couldn't ignore, and she subconsciously began scratching at her skin, leaving marks in her wake.
"Hey, hey. Thea, baby, it's okay. It's gonna be okay." Announced Damon softly, walking towards her and grabbing onto her arms, protecting her from herself. She suspected he may have been trying to send her reassurance, to calm her down, but she was too distraught to notice it, let alone accept it. It was never-ending, waves upon waves of guilt and anger flooding her.
Suddenly, his arms wrapped around her, and she was pressed into his chest, head against his heartbeat. "It's okay love. I promise, we'll fix this. She'll be alright. I swear to you, I'm gonna make this alright. It's not your fault, none of this is on you." He whispered, adding, as he stroked her hair softly, "It's okay Thea, just listen to my heart okay? Just breathe baby, I've got you. Breathe for me."
Shuddering, she realised she'd been hyperventilating, and nodded softly, listening to his heart and matching her breathing to its beats. One, inhale, two, exhale, one, inhale, two, exhale. On and on until her lungs no longer felt squeezed, and her heart had returned to its normal pacing. Pressing a kiss against his chest, she murmured a quiet, "thank you," before pulling away.
Breathing in, she said, "The good thing is that she was already aware of vampires and their existence. I'd also removed Ace's compulsion from her when she was human, so no new memories would be filtering their way into her mind. My only worry right now is her control, and what the hunger would be doing to her."
Elena turned back to the blue-eyed man, before stating in a strong tone, "We're not killing Caroline!"
Thea turned to her boyfriend with a scandalised frown, "You were thinking of killing Caroline!"
Raising his hands to calm her down, he slowly stated, "it was a thought, and now it's gone. We'll help her okay? But please calm down before you induce another panic attack." Turning to his brother, he asked, "Any idea where she could be?"
The blood-witch closed her eyes, before raising her wrist to her lips, before she could bite down, it was grabbed by familiar hands, as he said, "I'll do that."
Soft lips laid a gentle kiss against the skin, before his fangs pierced it, and with a small swallow, he returned her hand to her. Sending a wave of gratitude towards him, she focused on her blonde sister, on the way she felt about her, on the love and bond they shared. An image of her entered her mind, she was in the parking lot, with a bloody-nosed Carter.
Opening her eyes quickly, she turned to her boyfriend and said, "She's with Carter, where he fought with Tyler. Take me there, quickly." Nodding, he scooped her up into his arms, and shed them out of the building, towards the parking lot.
They find her seated on his chest, fangs tearing into him ravenously. Running towards her, she stood aside as Damon grabbed the blonde and dragged her away. Throwing Caroline aside, the witch rushed towards the prone man, tearing at her skin, and focusing on him. It was incredibly difficult, what she was attempting to achieve, telekinesis on a cellular level. She was stitching his wound back together, cell by cell. The difficulty didn't come from the magic itself, but rather the amount of power it took out of her, the focus it required.
As a drop of blood made its way out of her nose, she realised she wasn't as powered up as she normally would be, it was more taxing to her. The amount of magic she'd drained saving Damon from the burning building had yet to fully replenish, but she ignored it and kept her focus.
A throbbing pulsing had begun making its way to her temples, when gentle hands grabbed hers, and Damon said, "You've done enough, Angel. Don't push yourself past the point of no return."
Turning to him, she let the spell run its course, allowing the incessant buzzing to leave her veins. His hand came to gently wipe at the blood that had accumulated on her upper lip, before he stood her up slowly, leaning her against him when she lost her balance and swayed dizzyingly.
Suddenly she could hear Caroline's panicked scream, "Get away from me! You killed me!" Pulling away from Damon in a rush, she ran to her best friend, before drawing her into her arms, soothing her, "Shh, it's okay bear, I've got you. You're okay." Looking at her, she gently wiped at the blood surrounding her mouth with her sleeve, asking, "Do you know what's happening to you?"
The blonde nodding hesitantly, replying, "I'm a vampire now, right?"
"Yes. And do you know who did this to you?" Continued Thea in the same soft tone.
Once again, Caroline nodded, but her eyes became panicked, "It was Elena! She smothered me with my pillow and said, 'game on'."
"No sweets, shh. Calm down. It wasn't Elena, bear. It was Katherine. You remember Katherine right? I told you all about her."
Clarity began shining through her eyes, as she answered, "She's Damon and Stefan's ex. The one who manipulated them and played them both. But…She looks like Elena? Why does she look exactly like Elena, Tee?"
The blood-witch sighed, rubbing her friend's shoulders softly. Before she could reply, the brunette interjected, "Maybe now's not the time—"
"No," interrupted the raven- haired girl in a strong tone, "She deserves to know the truth. Ignorance will get her killed, and Care's the strongest person I know, she can handle it. Right?"
"I can handle it. I need to know." Replied the blonde in a calm voice.
"Elena's Katherine's doppelgänger, its a weird supernatural phenomenon. Doesn't happen a lot, and its typically nature's way of righting a mistake in its balance. We don't know why she's here, only that she needs to do something, and is using every one of us a pawn in her game." Thea sighed, before looking at her best friend, her sister. It would kill her to utter those next words, but she had to. She had to give Caroline all of her options, to let her make the decision.
"Now, you have two choices. You could either learn how to be a vampire, to control the urges and take advantage of your new heightened senses, or…you could end it now."
She could hear the disagreements behind her, but ignored them and continued, "You weren't given the choice Care, so I'm giving it to you now. Whatever you choose, I will make sure it gets done."
Caroline looked at her, tears filling her eyes before she asked in a small voice, "Do you think I could do it? Learn not to be a monster?"
"I think if anyone could master vampirism, it would be you Caroline Elisabeth Forbes."
"And you'll stay with me? You'll still be my friend?"
Thea shook her head slightly, and at her sister's falling face, she replied, "I'll always be your sister, vampire or not. This changes nothing between us. You can't get rid of me that easily, you know?"
The blonde threw herself in her arms, sobbing slightly, before she said, "I want to learn. I'm not ready to die and I want to learn."
"Okay. Then we'll teach you. You're gonna make vampirism your bitch Carebear, just you wait."
They pulled away from each other, smiling with relief. Thea hadn't lied, she'd help her in any way she could. That was her job.
"Caroline?!" Came Bonnie's voice from behind them suddenly.
The group turned around, and at the disgust in the witch's face, the blonde's shoulders fell despondently, "Bonnie?"
"Oh, god!" She mumbled softly, shaking her head.
Reacting quickly, Thea pushed the blonde in Stefan's direction, saying, "Go, get her cleaned up. We'll deal with everything over here and rejoin you."
The two left quickly, before she turned back to her ex-friend, who was seething.
"I can't believe this is happening." She mumbled angrily.
"Well, at least we don't have any bodies to bury, so that's that." Shrugged Damon nonchalantly. Bonnie turned to him in a rage, and he fell to the floor in a scream of pain. One that was shared with Thea.
The blood-witch was on her knees, clutching her head in agony. But she could hear what Bonnie was saying, and the threat against her blood-bonded sent her reeling, vision turning crimson.
She stood up suddenly, and ran towards them, as the witch said, "Everything that happens is his fault, Elena."
"This was on you." Stated Thea from behind her, as scarlet ribbons shot forward from her hands and tied Bonnie's to her sides. Immobilised, she could no longer do her spell, she could no longer do anything but watch in panic, as the enraged blood-witch walked to her.
"You're the one who told him to feed Caroline his blood. If this is anyone's fault, it's yours Bonnie," continued Thea. Blood was beginning to leak from her nose again, her head feeling like it was being squeezed by a vice, but she had a point to make, "I told you to never threaten him again, to never use your magic on him. Because everything you do to him? It happens to me too."
Releasing her from the strange magic, the raven-haired girl staggered away on unsteady feet, before a blur caught her in its familiar arms. "I've got you," he whispered softly, before a soft smile made its way onto his face, "See? Told you I'd always be there to catch you when you fall."
Thea giggled tiredly, before leaning her head against his shoulder and closing her eyes. She was exhausted, bone tired. Frankly, she just wanted to sink into his arms and fall asleep for the next couple of years, or at least until she was fully powered up again.
Feeling the exhaustion seeping out of her, Damon picked her up swiftly in his arms, before turning to Elena and asking, "You good over here? Got everything handled?"
The human girl nodded slowly, saying, "Yeah, I've got it. I'll let Caroline and Stefan know you guys went home. And Damon?" He looked at her, brows raised in question, as she added with a small smile, "I won't tell you to take care of her, because I know you'll do. But, keep me updated on how she's doing, okay? I worry too."
"Will do." He answered, before he sped towards her house, arriving in mere minutes. Going up to her room, he gently laid the blood-witch on her bed, before nudging her.
"Hey love," he whispered, "I just need to get your clothes off okay? Can you do that?"
Thea nodded tiredly, yawning loudly, before raising her arms with a smile, "I'm gonna need you to do it for me. Too tired."
Damon chuckled softly, complying with her request. He stripped her gently, pulling one of his shirts over her head before laying her down under the blankets and taking his place beside her.
"You're not gonna change?" She asked, before yawning again.
"Don't worry about me baby, you just sleep. I'll be here when you wake up."
Nodding, she sunk into the comfort of his arms, mumbling a sleepy "love you," before her eyes closed.