"Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?" — J.K. Rowling
5. Kill Or Be Killed
The first thing she did when she woke up, was hiss in pain. Everything below her belly-button was sore, and she knew walking would be the worst thing she'd have to do today.
Trying to slowly move from underneath Damon's arm, so as to not startle him awake, she failed when a low "ow," escaped her lips, as soon as she placed her feet on the floor.
"What's wrong?" Came his husky morning voice from behind her.
Biting her lip to hold in the gasp of pain that wanted to escape, she said, "Nothing, just a little sore."
"You do realise I can feel how much pain you're in, right?" He asked. She could hear the smugness in his voice, and replied with a raised brow, "Well, you could sound a little less arrogant about it."
Cold hands wrapped around her waist from behind, before he nuzzled into the crook of her neck, "Can't help it Angel, seeing what I do to you, just does something to me."
"I would say that it's the primitive vampire part of you, but I have a feeling human-you would have been just as smug." She chuckled.
"Yep."
Turning her head to look at him, she asked, "So what now? I'm gonna need to get out of bed at some point, and moving seems like an impossibility."
"I got it," he mumbled, before speeding in front of her, and pulling her into his arms. Giggling, she held onto him, "You do realise you can't carry me around all day, right?"
"Don't tempt me," he replied, before heading into her bathroom, and straight into the shower. Turning the water on the warmest setting they could handle, he slowly dropped her to her feet, grinning at her slight hiss, before he continued, "But I'm thinking a warm shower and a little bit of my blood might just do the trick."
Thea smiled, before placing her head against his neck, and biting her tongue. Mumbling a spell under her breath, she watched as his skin split open, and placed her lips over it, swallowing softly. His own mouth dropped to her neck, and he bit down with a groan.
It had become somewhat of a tradition for them, sharing blood in this way. Him feeding from her, whilst simultaneously feeding her his blood. It made her feel close to him, as close she could get. Most times, she could see their bond thrumming between them when they did that. It would glow and pulse, bright red. Much like it was doing right now.
"What are you looking at?" He asked softly, as he detached from her.
"The bond. It's the brightest I've ever seen it."
"You can see it? I thought it existed in the third realm or the second dimension or something." He joked.
Thea giggled, looking up at him with a smile, "Beyond the veil Ace. It just exists on a plane that's invisible to normal eyes, not another dimension. But yeah, when we do that, share blood, it becomes fully visible to me."
"What's it look like?" He wondered.
"It's like…bright red smoke, but coiled into a rope. It goes from here," she laid her hand softly over his heart, before moving it to her own, "to here, tying us together."
"I wish I could see it," he whispered, before his lips landed on her softly. Thea closed her eyes, sighing in pleasure and complete happiness, before an idea made its way into her mind.
Maybe he could see it. In essence, she should be able to open his third eye up to it with her powers, especially because the bond wasn't isolated to her, but a part of him as well. Clearing her mind, she focused on the small drops of blood still escaping the healing wound on her neck, and imagined opening Damon's mind up to what laid beyond the veil. To the bond she could see, growing brighter and more condescend with each day that passed. His sudden gasp forced her eyes open, and she found him staring at the space between them with a wondrous gaze.
"It's real," he whispered, fingers reaching out reverently to run through the crimson wisps. A gasp left the both of them at the sensation, as though his touch had magnified his own feelings, transmitted them even more clearly to the blood-witch.
"Is this what you're always seeing?" He asked in wonder, eyes locking with her own.
"No," she smiled gently, before explaining, "I'll see flashes of it when we're linked. So if we're having sex, and I implode, I'll see it brightening behind my eyes. Or when it feels like my love for you is overflowing, I'll notice little wisps of it surrounding you. But I only ever see it fully when we're like this. Sharing blood, when you open yourself to me fully, become completely vulnerable, and when I give you the power to kill me, but you don't."
"It looks like your powers. You know, when you get really angry and protective, and those red things come out of your hands? That's what they look like, but fainter." He added, his hands coming up to her shoulders and turning her around, back against his chest. His lathered her shampoo into his hands, before running it through her hair, massaging her scalp.
Leaning her head back against him, she sighed again, before replying, "Yeah. I need to figure that shit out, seeing as I have no idea what it is. Witches don't just develop visible powers like superheroes. Especially not ones that hurt."
"Well, we've got time, we'll figure it out eventually. Meanwhile, maybe try not to use them, since they gave you a brain bleed last time." He mumbled, before nudging her head under the water to rinse.
The girl ran her hands through it, nodding all the meanwhile, "It's not like I do it on purpose, you know? It just happens. I'm protective over you." Looking at him, she grabbed the shampoo and began lathering it into his hair. It was times like these, that she was thankful for her height. She didn't have to lean on her tiptoes to reach his head, seeing as her forehead came to his nose.
"Why are you that protective over me anyway?" He wondered, as he dipped his own head under the stream of water to rinse.
Thea felt herself tense at his question, doubts and insecurities flooding her system. She knew he wouldn't judge her for her feelings, but she couldn't help but feel weak. She just didn't want him to realise how broken she truly was, how damaged her life had made her.
"Hey," his soft voice snapped her out of her introspection, as concern flowed through their bond, "We don't have to talk about it Angel. I was just curious."
Thea smiled sadly, before answering his question, "No it's okay, I just don't want you to think of me any differently, that's all."
"You know I won't." He replied.
"I'm just scared of losing you, deathly terrified actually. So whenever something threatens you, I go into tunnel vision. Really, any therapist worth their salt would tell you it's classic PTSD, a trauma response conditioned from losing my whole family within a couple years of each other. I'm so scared of losing you, that I would literally do anything to keep it from happening, and eliminate the threat."
Meeting his eyes, she chuckled and attempted to joke, "basically, this was my very pedantic and scientific way of saying that I have severe abandonment issues."
"You're not going to lose me Althea." He said.
The blood-witch raised her brows, joking, "Oof, my full name just came out, this must be serious." Looking at him again, she could see the honesty in his eyes, the seriousness of his words and how much he meant them. "You're not going to lose me, Thea. I promise you." He repeated.
Kissing him softly, she replied, "You can't promise that Damon, and that's okay. I know you can keep yourself safe, and I know it's a stupid thing to be scared of, but that's why its a trauma response. It's irrational, and I can't control it unless I'm aware of it."
"Besides," she mumbled, "If you die, I'll probably follow, since we're bonded and all."
Fear spread through her, flowing from him in waves. "What do you mean?" He asked, going still.
Thea raised her hands to his face, cupping it softly, "We're bonded babe. Bonds aren't meant to be broken, in any way. It connects us on a deep level, makes our relationship as intimate and deep as it can be, but it can't be broken, especially when it's this developed. That's the other side of it, I think. One of us dies, the other will either follow, or go insane." At his rising worry, she hurried to explain, "Keep in mind, those are just my theories. I just think that especially since it's physical now too, since I can literally constantly feel your presence in my mind, it's a possibility."
"So you want to tell me that if anything happens to me, it'll happen to you too?"
She stepped slightly away from him, biting her lip in concern, fearing what his reaction might be. "Yes," she whispered unsurely.
"And if anything happens to you, it'll happen to me?" He continued.
"That's the way a bond works, I'm assuming."
He sighed, before drawing her into his arms fully, hugging her into him, "Guess we'll have to be careful then. The universe had to bond the two single most danger-prone people together, huh?" He joked.
She relaxed against him, feeling the amusement and slight worry he was, "Yeah well, if anything, it's all the more reason for the both of us to be careful. And just in case you're worried, I don't die very easily. I've tried."
"You've tried?" His voice had dropped, quiet and sad. Thea closed her eyes in regret, truly hating that she couldn't help but tell him the truth, couldn't keep her mouth shut against this specific one.
Inhaling deeply, she met his eyes, before she whispered, "I need you to know that I don't feel that way anymore, like at all. But I was alone Damon. My entire family, my entire world, had been killed, and I firmly believed it was my fault. The Pura-Sanguinis was hunting me, willing to kill anybody that got in their way. After Andromeda died, I just didn't want to keep going. I was 15, and all alone in a world that to me, seemed to just want me dead. I didn't see the point in fighting, and I was so tired and sad, and just done. But I couldn't die. No matter what I did."
Dropping her eyes to her hands, she flipped them, rising the insides of her wrists to his eyes, before pointing out the long script running vertically through her left one, "I sliced right through, only to wake up four hours later, exhausted, with no scar left, in a bathtub filled with red water. I popped a whole bottle of Xanax, hoped I'd go to sleep and not wake up, but my body metabolised through it like fire. Bullet? Didn't work either, woke up and spit it out in my palm the next day. Jump out the window? Learned that spines are a bitch while they're healing. On and on, until it almost became the world's most self-destructive game. And then, one day I took it too far, and I swore to myself that I'll keep fighting after. And I have been."
He shut the water off, pulling her out behind him, before wrapping her in a towel, and throwing another around his waist. As she was about to say something, he shushed her quietly, taking a seat on her bed, and pulling her directly into his lap, arms wrapped tightly around her, their hearts beating against one another.
"Damon?" She whispered in worry.
"What did you do?" He asked. At her confusion, he elaborated, "When you pushed it too far? What did you do that changed your mind?"
Thea sighed sadly, laying her head into the crook of his neck and whispering the words there, knowing he'll hear them, clear as day. "When you want to escape, but nothing will let you, you turn to the one thing that will chemically allow it, if only for a little bit. And I liked drugs, uppers at least. They gave me happiness, even if it wasn't real, if it was only manufactured. But one day, I overdid it. I'd started injecting it directly into my bloodstream, instead of snorting, and apparently when you wash 5 grams of coke down with a bottle of tequila, even a magical metabolism won't heal it fast enough. I was alone, in my apartment, going on a six-day binge when my brain just snapped. I saw Meda, and she spoke to me."
Closing her eyes, she added unsurely, "I can try to show you, if you want. But I've never exactly tested the spell, so…"
"Show me." He replied, before he raised her left wrist to his mouth, and played kisses along the tattoo there. He bit into it gently, puncturing the skin, and allowing her to use her magic. Thea closed her eyes, and whispered, "videatur in memoria, vivunt in memoria." Over and over, until her sister's voice flooded her ears.
Looking up, she was met with Meda's face, blue eyes wide with unshed tears, blonde hair pulled up into a messy pony tail.
She could see herself sitting across from her, back against the wall, hair matted and stringy, bruises under her eyes, and cheeks hollowed out from depression and usage. She looked like wreck, like she was barely hanging onto life, like she just didn't want it anymore.
The real Thea shut her eyes at her sister's beloved voice, unable to keep her expression form dropping. She knew what was going to happen, and she didn't exactly want to re-witness the scene.
"Ally…What are you doing sweets?" Whispered Meda softly, kneeling in front of her.
Thea burrowed deeper into herself, eyes shutting tightly, head shaking manically. "No. NO. You're not real, you're dead. You're not really here, I'm just hallucinating you."
"Does it matter? Whether I'm really a ghost, or a figment of your imagination, it's still me." Replied the blonde woman.
Slowly, the girl raised her head, eyes glistening with tears at the sight of her sister. The one person she loved most in the world, the one person she never thought she'd lose.
"Meda?"
The blonde woman smiled softly, "hey there, Ally-cat. Fancy meeting you in the dinkiest corner of your apartment."
"Are you here?"
"I'm here sweets. Told you I'd never leave." Was the woman's jovial reply, but her smile dropped suddenly, face growing serious, "You can't keep doing this. The drugs and the self-harm, you can't keep doing this."
"I don't know how to stop." Whispered the girl pathetically. She really didn't. It was a compelling force, depression. It pushed you into your own darkness, brought your demons out to play with you. They'd whisper who worthless she was, how this was all her fault, how if she'd never been born, her family would still be here. Alive. Happy. And she believed them.
"Yes, you do."
As Thea shook her head, she kept going, voice rising with each word, "yes, you do Nikki. You do know how to stop, you just don't want to."
"No, I don't. I can't."
"NO! You do. Why don't you want to stop Nikki? Why are you trying to die so bad? Why Althea? WHY?!"
"Because I don't deserve to live!" She screamed in response, eyes wide and crazed with grief. "Because I don't know why I get to keep living, filled with this hole, without you! Why do I have to be here if you're not? Why do I have to keep going, when it's my fault!"
"I don't deserve to be alive when you're not. I killed you. I killed you and I killed mom and dad and I'll probably kill whoever gets close to me next. I'm an abomination, a curse. I don't deserve to live, when my living is the reason everyone I've ever loved is gone." She whispered. Her voice was empty, matter of fact. As though this as her reality, and she'd long ago accepted it.
"Do you think we want that? That we want you here with us? That we want you to give up your chance to live for us?" Whispered her sister softly.
"I died, because I would rather go out fighting for my baby sister, than stay alive and watch your glow dim. Mom and dad died, because they were fighting for us, to give us, give you a chance. You were never a curse or an abomination, you know that. You're a goddamn miracle."
Shuffling closer, Meda laid her arm around the young witch's shoulder, "If you don't want to live for yourself, then live for me. I still need you to fall in love, and make a good group of friends.I need you to use that big brain of yours, and make something of yourself. I need you to take care of your health, and eat and rest. I need you to quit doing drugs, because we both know they're not worth the end result. I need you to keep fighting for your life Ally. Make sure our sacrifices weren't in vain. Can you do that?"
"I don't know how to do it without you." Whimpered Thea, shoulders shaking with quiet sobs.
"You do. You've been doing it, since the day you came to us. Ally, you've never needed anyone to take care of you, you let us because you knew it made us happy, but you've always been your own person. You've always been Althea Nikolai Montgomery, strong, smart and a total badass. And Althea Nikolai Montgomery doesn't need anyone to survive, to live. She's more than enough for herself."
"And you'll be here?"
"Always. I'm not leaving your side until I make sure you're in good hands kid. Until I'm sure you're gonna be alright. Maybe until you've given me a niece or nephew, not sure yet."
A wet giggle left the young girl, before she raised her head, and met her sister's glistening blue eyes, "Okay. And just because I didn't say it before you died, I love you Meda, and I don't know what I would have done, who I would have become, if it hadn't been for you. You can find peace now, if you want. I'll be alright."
A soft hand against her cheek, lips pressing into the skin of sweaty forehead, "I know. And I know you love me, you showed me everyday, you didn't need to say it. And I need you to know, that the best and most rewarding thing I've ever gotten to do, was raising you for these past couple of years. You are my miracle, and my best friend and my little sister. I love you too."
"Are you real? Or is this happening in my head?"
Her fading voice, tinged with laugher whispered, "Course it's happening in your head, but why should that make it any less real?"
Thea laughed out loud, before screaming, "If you're gonna quote Harry Potter at me, at least get it right!" Noticing her sister's absence, she smiled, before rising from the floor. "Hail and Farewell Meda," she whispered, and she headed into her bedroom.
The memory faded, silence surrounding the both of them, wrapping them in an isolated bubble. It was just to two of them. Just Thea and Damon. The Angel and her Ace, sitting on a bed, wrapped in each other's arms.
"She reminds me of you." He said, his voice breaking their bubble.
The blood-witch giggled wetly, and he grabbed her face softly in his hands, wiping her tears away, "How? We literally look nothing alike." She mumbled with a smile.
He laid their foreheads together, "It's not her looks, but the way she was. The kindness and determination in her eyes. That's all you baby. And just in case she's still around," he raised his head, looking around the room with soft eyes, "You can find peace now Andromeda, I promise she'll be safe and happy for the rest of her life. I'll make sure of it."
"I love you Damon," she whispered reverently, "I know I say it all the time, but the words don't seem like enough. You're everything."
"I love you too, and I know you can feel how much. My entire life, human and immortal, all I've wanted was someone to love, fully, unconditionally. And you've given me that, and that's the greatest gift I've ever received."
Pulling her lips to his, he sent all of his love and admiration through their bond, and she beamed in response. "You're everything." He mumbled against her skin, before kissing her with everything in him.
—
Later, the two made their way to the public park, for the Mystic Falls Historical Society Volunteer Day, another useless function for reasons Thea still couldn't understand.
They arrived as Carol Lockwood had just finished her speech, and the blood-witch turned to her boyfriend with an amused expression, "Can you explain to me why they feel the need to put some kind of event or function on every other day? Like, can they not just do nothing?"
Damon chuckled slightly, "Why are you asking me as if I would know?"
"Aren't you on the Council? Don't y'all discuss this shit over there?"
"Angel, the Council is about capturing and ending the vampire threat, not society functions." He laughed, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.
Thea rolled her eyes, "Yeah I get that, but don't you guys use these events for like, covert ops or something?"
"We're not the CIA babe. There are no covert ops." He was smiling now, big and wide, crinkling the corners of his eyes. She could feel his amusement and joy through their bond, and shot him a wide grin in return.
"You guys are boring. Just a bunch of rich people running around with wooden stakes and no training."
"I'm not complaining. Makes my life easier."
She snuggled into his side, as they arrived behind Stefan, just as Mason Lockwood was leaving.
"What are you doing?" Damon asked his brother.
The green-eyed man answered without turning around, "Negotiating peace on your behalf."
"Bold off you to assume your brother would want anything close to peace. He's an agent of chaos, if anything." Snorted Thea loudly.
Looking over his shoulder at her with an impish smile, the younger vampire retorted, "Well, he should consider it opposite day, then."
Rolling his eyes, Damon replied with aggravation, "Stefan, please tell me you don't seriously think a hand shake just solved our problem."
The younger man turned to him in anger, saying, "No, actually I think that the first chance Mason Lockwood gets, he's gonna drive a stake through your heart and then through mine, all because you took it upon yourself to try to kill him. So thank you, because we don't have enough problems." Turning around, he left them behind.
Thea sighed softly, before pecking Damon on the cheek, trying to send him some reassurance through their bond, "I'm gonna go look for the girls, pretty sure Care's gonna need me. You figure this situation out."
He nodded slowly, eyes still on his brother's retreating figure. "Love you," she whispered against his skin, before pulling away and heading towards the painting station, she could've sworn she'd spotted Caroline's blonde head over there.
—
She was currently attempting to paint with the two girls. Attempting being the operative word here, because Caroline was complaining about her mother and Elena was glancing longingly at Stefan.
"So suddenly, she's in the running for Mother of the Year just when I'm trying to avoid her the most," rambled the blonde, before she stopped, noticing that the brunette was distracted, "I'm babbling, you don't want to hear all this."
Elena looked at her regretfully, "Oh, no, sorry. Then what happened?"
"Well, I was a bitch which is par for the course with us." She shrugged, before continuing with barely veiled interest, "So, how are things with you and Stefan? Anything?"
At this, the blood-witch's head popped up, "Wait, you and Steffy-boy are having problems? And why is this the first that I'm hearing of it?"
Elena shook her head lightly, "He's been pushing me away because he thinks that Katherine might get jealous enough to hurt me. I just don't know how to change his mind."
"You said that Katherine's dangerous. Maybe he's got a point." Reasoned the cheerleader.
Thea shook her head, "But after everything? I mean, the girl's basically had to take his immortal status in stride, as well as the fact that she's a carbon copy of his ex. And she still stayed because she loves him. Giving up because of a little danger after all of that? It's just bullshit."
The brunette nodded slowly, pointing towards the witch, acknowledging her, "Exactly. And besides, I sighed up for danger when I agreed to still be with him after finding everything out!" She sighed, voice lowering and anger turning into defeat, "I know that he's just trying to protect me but it feels like giving up and I just…"
"Just what?" Asked Caroline, placing a hand of the human's shoulder.
"I just thought that we were stronger than that."
The three girls went silent, before Thea interjected with a small smirk, "Well, let's hope he screws his head back on straight again soon. I could do it for him, if you want El. Just one snapped neck, and he'll be back to normal brooding Stefan again."
Chuckling lightly, Elena gave her a small appreciative hug, whispering in a very low tone, "Thanks tee. But there's more to this, I'll tell you what's happening over text."
The blood-witch nodded, before turning back to her painting job. It was sub-par, at best, but she wasn't the most artistically inclined, so she figured it would be a good enough job.
Suddenly, Caroline's voice piped up, "Oh, oh. Longing looks are being exchanged." Looking up, the raven-haired girl noticed that Elena and Stefan were exchanging deep some intense glances, and chuckled mockingly. "So much for you being mad at him, huh El?"
"What do you mean? I am mad." Retorted the human in a distracted tone, not removing her gaze from the younger man once.
"You keep looking at him like you want to jump his bones in public, so it's not exactly sending that message." Mocked the witch.
Squaring her shoulders, the brunette said, "I'm gonna go talk to him." Before making her way there. "No, Elena. I think it's a bad idea." Caroline's screech did not stop her, or even phase her.
Giggling slightly, Thea only noticed Damon's arrival when she felt his arm wrap around her waist, and pull her into his side. "Hey Angel," he whispered.
Looking up at him, she smiled, replying, "Hey back Ace." Giving her a small peck on the cheek, he then turned back to the blonde with a raised brow, "What's her problem?" He asked, nodding in the brunette's direction.
"Don't worry about it." Answered Caroline monotonously, keeping her eyes on the couple, who seemed to be arguing now.
"Why are you being such a bitch to your mom?" He asked.
Again, she gave him the same reply, "Don't worry about it."
Noticing both of their focused gazes, Thea snorted, "You know, neither of you are winning any subtlety awards here. I'm pretty sure Stefan's ears are burning from how. Intensely you're both staring at him."
They both jerked back, as though they'd been stung, and began pretending to be occupied, while still maintaining their focus on the fight. Laughing lightly, the blood-witch went back to her painting, saying, "One of you better update me on what's happening, seeing as I don't have super-sonic hearing or anything."
They suddenly saw Elena storming away, and the blue-eyed man smirked, "Relationships are about communication."
Caroline simply left without a word, while Thea rolled her eyes at him fondly. Laying a small kiss on his lips, she said, "Please try not to get in trouble? I've got girl drama to deal with."
"No promises." He retorted with a small smile.
Shooting him a wink, she turned on her heel and began heading in the direction her blonde friend had left in.
She found the two girls a couple of minutes later, loitering around an empty corner of the forest. "Okay, what is going on?" She asked, feeling absolute confusion at the situation she was currently in.
"Elena and Stefan broke up because he's scared of what Katherine could do to her. I was telling her that maybe this was a good thing," replied the blonde in a hurried tone.
"It's not for the best, Caroline. None of this is for the best." Exclaimed Elena angrily. Calming down, she turned to the blonde and said with regret in her voice, "I'm sorry, okay? I...I don't mean to take it out on you. You're just being a good friend."
The blonde began shaking her head softly, saying, "No, I'm not. I'm not being a good—", before hacking coughs interrupted her. The two girls turned to the witch, who was clutching at her throat in agony, feeling it burn as though she'd been given undiluted hydrochloric acid to drink.
"Tee?! What's happening?" Asked the brunette in a panic, wrapping her arms around Thea.
"Damon…vervain," she croaked softly, before coughing some more. Clearing her throat, feeling the burning sensation decrease, she took a deep breath before attempting to speak once more, her voice coming out more clearly this time, "Damon swallowed vervain. We're connected."
They began looking around the first in a panicked flurry, attempting to locate the blue-eyed man. Caroline suddenly noticed her mother heading out, and enraged, she exclaimed, "Is she leaving? Where is my mom going?" Before running in her direction.
Thea and Elena stayed behind, watching as the blonde argued with her mother vehemently, before the older woman left, seemingly in tears. Shooting each other concerned glances, they walked towards their disheartened friend, before Thea asked softly, "You alright bear?"
The blonde shook her head slightly, replying, "No, but something's going on." The newbie vampire focuses her hearing, before grabbing both of her friends by the arms and dragging them behind her, deeper into the woods.
"Care, what's going on?" Exclaimed Thea in a worried tone.
"I need to be able to hear better."
"Hear what? Is it the boys?"
"Something's wrong Tee."
Looking around frightfully, Elena murmured, "Caroline…" The blonde simply shushed her, and resumed her focus.
Just as Caroline's head jerked up, a searing pain shot through Thea chest, as a small wound began forming, bloodying her clothes. The blood-witch screeched out a painful whimper, clutching at the spot where blood was steadily growing.
Elena's arms grabbed her, supporting her weight, as she explained, "He got shot, wooden bullet since it's not healing straight away." Looking at her blonde sister, she asked in a terrified voice, "What's happening?"
"Stefan and Damon." She whispered slowly.
The blood-witch hissed in pain suddenly, feeling as though her veins had been injecting with pure acid, the poisonous, burning substance flowing through her bloodstream, leaving fire behind it. "They've injected them with vervain," she mumbled painfully.
Turning to the blonde, she pleaded, "I'm in too much pain to try and locate either of them, please you have to try and listen for their location."
—
The pain had decreased after a couple of minutes, and the three were running throughout the forest, following Caroline's tracking abilities. The blonde suddenly stopped in a clearing, looking around.
"What?" Asked Elena.
"They've been here." Bending down, she pointed out a crimson spot on a plant, adding, "That's blood."
A sudden rustling in the first grounds drew the blood-witch's attention away, before Mason Lockwood made his way out of the greenery.
"What are you three doing out here?" He asked kindly.
"Have you seen Stefan?" Replied Elena, panic clear in her voice.
He nodded sombrely, answering, "Yeah Elena, I've seen him. Seen Damon too."
"Well, where are they?"
He nodded his head towards Caroline, saying, "You don't need me for that. I'll let your friend here sniff them out." Turning to look directly at the blonde, he added in a smug tone, "Does your mother know what you are? I'm happy to tell her."
Snarling, Caroline began heading towards him, but he reacted as quickly, and grabbed Thea in a chokehold. "Don't be stupid!" He warned, continuing,"Necks snap easy around here."
"I can take you." Replied Caroline, eyes tightening in fury.
"Wanna bet?"
Thea rolled her eyes, her throwing her head back against his, and using his momentum to flip him over her head and onto his back. Planting her heel threateningly over his neck, she raised a brow and allowed her eyes to glow with their crimson light, "I took you down without magic, but if you keep pushing me doggy-boy, I'm gonna rip your heart out and mail it to your pack back in Florida."
As he ignored her words and began struggling, she lifted her hand, and allowed her strange red ribbons to throw him headfirst into a tree, where he feel into a heap, unconscious.
Dusting her hands, she turned back to her friends, and said in answer to their bewildered faces, "I hate toxic men who think that just because I'm a girl they can take me. Maybe it'll tech him a better lesson on respecting woman's boundaries. Now can we continue looking for the boys before one of them gets staked?"
Both nodded resolutely, as Caroline pointed in a direction and said, "Come on." As they continued their trek through the forest, a bring pain shot through Thea's leg suddenly, and she groaned, before muttering angrily, "I'm gonna kill that idiot myself for putting himself and me in such a vulnerable position."
"You're bleeding!" Exclaimed Caroline, pointing to the girl's leg in horror. The blood-witch nodded tightly, replying, "Yep, Damon got shot. I'm lucky I only feel about 50% of the pain he does, and it only lasts for a little bit, otherwise you'd have had to carry me by now."
As they arrived at the site of the old ruins, another wound made its appearance on the raven-haired girl's leg, and she exclaimed "oh for fuck's sake! This is getting ridiculous! How many times do they need to shoot him?!"
"It's my mom," muttered Caroline in horror, "she's killing them!"
"What!" Screamed both girls simultaneously, while beginning to run in the direction of the ruins' entrance.
"No, wait! I can't. She's gonna find out about me!" Her screams had gone unheard, as Elena and Thea both rushed into the crumbling building, panicked and scared.
The raven-haired girl could feel her blood pumping through her veins at a ferocious sped, she could feel her eyes burning crimson, and the strange magic flowing between her fingers like scarlet smoke. She knew she'd promised Damon that she'd be more careful, that she wouldn't overuse these unknown abilities, as long as their cause her harm, but she found herself not caring for that promise in the slightest. She hadn't been lying when she'd warned him about her trauma, for in that moment, she was tunnel visioned into one single goal; save her blood-bonded, at any cost.
They could hear Liz ordering her deputies, "Let's do this. Each with a stake in the heart, then burn them both."
Elena picked up a discarded plank on their way in, before Thea gently swung a metal gate shut, allowing the noise to flow into the tunnels. All movements stopped, as the older woman said, "Check it out."
Exchanging quick glances, the two girls swung into actions as deputies appeared in their field of vision. Thea threw her hands towards one, allowing her ribbons to wrap around him, before directing him towards his companion, slamming their heads together, knocking them unconscious. Looking towards her brunette friend, she noticed she'd knocked the only man left with her plank, and he laid at her feet. Nodding her head towards the entrance of the main cell, they quickly ran into it, weapons raised, ready to attack.
"Elena! Thea! What are you doing?" Exclaimed the blonde woman, dropping the gun she'd previously raised in their direction.
"You can't kill them. We're not gonna let you." Replied the brunette fiercely.
The sound of a gun going off surprised them all, before the blood-witch glanced down at her stomach, watching a blood bloomed at a quickening rate. The deputy had shot her from behind, the bullet making a clean exist from her back through her stomach.
She could hear Damon exclaiming in pain, before he screamed, "Thea! Bring her here, I can heal her!" She could feel Elena's hands pushing her towards his cell, and she allowed herself to be moved, feeling as though she was outside of her own body.
"You idiot! She's just a kid!" Screeched Liz at the man in accusation, before looking back at the injured girl worryingly. Sudden noises drew her attention away, but Thea looked at Damon, who smiled at her softly.
"How you feeling, Angel?" He asked.
"Like I just got shot," she chuckled, before cringing at the pain the minute action caused.
"Yeah, I'm getting that." He replied, pointing towards his own stomach, which was painted crimson from an identical, but smaller wound. Raising his wrist to his lips, he bit into it quickly, before passing it through the bars to her, "Here, we can't have you laid out because of a gunshot, of all things." He joked.
The girl giggled slightly, swallowing a couple of mouthfuls of his blood, before kissing the already healed wound. "That would be pretty pathetic," she replied in kind, before whispering, "Thanks."
"I would say anytime, but I really don't want this to become a habit." He answered. The witch allowed her eyes to flash crimson, sending a flash of red smoke towards his cell doors, and swinging them open. Stepping into it slowly, she cradled him into her arms, head in the crook of his neck as she whispered, "You terrified me."
His arms came to wrap weakly around her, squeezing slightly, "I know, I'm sorry."
She nodded into his as a reply, before raising her head slightly, angling her neck to his lips. "Go ahead," she said, "We can't have you laid out because of a couple of wooden bullets either."
She felt more than heard his chuckle, puffs of air wafting over her skin, before he laid a gentle, open-mouthed kiss on it. His fangs sunk in, and with a guttural groan, he began drinking. Thea ran her fingers softly through his hair, sending him her love and adoration through their bond, attempting to quiet the anger and betrayal she felt coming from him.
His arms tightened around her for a second, before he slowly pulled away, licking at the skin gently, observing as it knitted itself back together. Looking at her, he pressed their foreheads together, asking, "You sure you're okay?"
"I think I'm the one who's supposed to ask you that. You got shot what, three times? And got injected with vervain, which feels awful by the way." She giggled quietly.
"Felt that too, did you? Yeah, not my favourite feeling in the world."
"I can see why." She mumbled.
She pulled herself out of his arms, turning to look back at the rest. She'd been so completely absorbed in him, that she'd almost forgotten that they weren't alone. She could see Caroline and her mother, sitting on opposing sides of the room, and Elena comforting a weak-looking Stefan as best as she could.
"You need to drink some deputy blood." Damon told his brother, walking out of his cell, Thea's hand interlocked with his.
"No. I'm gonna be fine. It's just gonna take a little bit longer." Mumbled the. Younger vampire, chest heaving with pain.
"Damon's right you know. If there's ever time to break your diet…" added the blonde unsurely from her spot in the corner of the room.
"Look, he said he didn't want it, okay?" Interjected Elena angrily.
"They're just trying to help El. It's okay." Soother Thea softly, before detangling her hand from her blood-bonded's and heading in Stefan's direction. Kneeling in front of him, she said, "I can help take the craving away, but it won't last very long, so you're gonna have to feed as soon as we're out off here."
He nodded weakly, before clearing his throat and asking, "Why are you telling me, instead of just doing it?"
The blood-witch chuckled, before running the palm of her hand over a rough piece of metal, watching as the skin tore open, "Because I like to get consent before I mess with someone's mind and emotions? I don't know. It's a quirky thing, I'm just respectful like that." As he laughed back, she closed her eyes, and laid her bloody palm on his forehead, visualising his current craving for blood, his insatiable need for it, disappearing. Fading much like the wisps of her powers did, leaving no trace behind.
Pulling away, she opened her eyes to find his gaze peaceful. "Better?" She asked.
He reached down and grabbed her hand, holding onto it tightly, "Thank you. You're always saving my ass."
"Part of my job as your honorary sister, right Stefanino?" She winked playfully, before returning to her boyfriend's side, grabbing onto his hand, and squeezing it tightly.
She could feel the waves of fury that rolled over him when he looked at Liz, the woman he considered his friend, and who'd mercilessly shot him and caused him pain.
"This is a most unfortunate situation. Two deputies dead and you." He drawled menacingly, turning to look at the older woman head-on.
"What am I gonna do with you?" He whispered.
"You won't tell anyone, will you? Mom? Mom? Please. Look, I know that we don't get along and that you hate me but I'm your daughter and you'll do this for me, right? Mom, please. He will kill you." Rambled Caroline in fear and panic.
Thea's heart squeezed at the pain in her sister's voice, but she held herself steady. She knew Damon wouldn't kill Liz, but she wanted the woman to make a decision, would she accept her daughter and friend as they are, or would she choose to forget and live in so-called 'blissful ignorance'?
"Then kill me." Replied the woman sadly.
Thea shut her eyes regretfully, so she'll forget then. Her biases ran too deep to accept her daughter as she was. And she truly would have rather died than get over them.
"No!" Screamed the blonde.
"I can't take this. Kill me now."
Kneeling down to her level, maintaining his threatening composure, Damon whispered, "But you were gonna drag it out so painfully."
He grabbed her suddenly, and the room erupted in screams.
"No, no, no, no, no, no, no!"
"Damon, don't!"
"Damon, please!"
Thea rolled her eyes slightly, before raising her voice to be heard over their noises, "Guys relax! He's not going to kill her." Shaking her head, she snarked under her breath, "Christ, you'd think they'd have a little bit of faith in us."
The blue-eyed man nodded, before telling Liz, "You're my friend."
Standing up, he looked around the room, gesturing to the dead deputies strewn about, before announcing, "We've got to clean this up."
—
They'd gone back to the boarding house, with Damon and Thea heading straight down to the cellar, to lock Liz up for three days or so. At least until the vervain left her system and she could be compelled into blissful ignorance, and return to her wonderful life.
The blood-witch couldn't help but be disappointed in the woman she'd previously grown to respect. She truly couldn't fathom the idea that not all vampires all evil. She couldn't even trust that her own daughter has retained her inherent kindness, that Damon was still the same man she'd referred to as 'friend', that their species didn't change who they were, at their core.
The older woman was currently on the phone with one of her deputies, informing them of her upcoming absence, "A stomach bug. Yeah, it came on fast. I'll definitely be out tomorrow…"
At this, Damon tsked softly, shaking his head with a raise skeptical brow. They all knew it would take longer than 24 hours for her blood to be clean, and the attempt at deceptiveness was pathetic, if anything else.
Nodding slowly, the woman amended herself, "...or longer. I'll text you. Yeah. Good night." She hung up, and handed her phone to the blue-eyed vampire with a resigned look in her eye.
"Thank you. It's not exactly the Ritz, but it's secure. Brought you a good thread count. And once the vervain's worked its way out of your system, I will compel you, you will forget everything and you will be a free woman." He said, taking it and slipping it into his pocket.
The woman shook her head slightly, before whispering, "Can you keep Caroline far away from me please? I don't wanna see her."
Damon looked at her in disappointment, "She's your daughter, Liz."
"Not anymore. My daughter's gone."
Thea sighed in sadness, before stepping closer to the woman, "You don't know just how wrong you are. Caroline is the best person I know, because you raised her that way. She's pure light and joy and kindness. She spreads happiness where she goes. Vampirism didn't extinguish those traits, it enhanced them. Her heart grew seven times its normal size, her capacity love and see the beauty in everything increased exponentially."
"Don't give up on your child Liz, just because you can't reconcile your current reality with the biases and ideals you were raised with. Don't lose her over this, it's not worth it." She whispered, a single tear making its way down her cheek. She knew Caroline had been standing at the door, but she didn't care. She needed Liz to understand just how special and amazing her daughter was, how she never needed to change a thing.
The woman simply shook her head, a muffled sob escaping her lips. Nodding Thea, walked back to her boyfriend, pushing her face into his chest, feeling so much pain for her best friend, who'd heard it all, and was surely heartbroken right now.
His hand carded softly through her hair, and she breathed softly, before pulling away. Meeting his eyes, she whispered, "I'm gonna go find Care. I have a feeling she's gonna be needing me."
He nodded softly, before placing a loving kiss on her lips. Smiling sadly, the girl existed the cellar without another glance, and made her way to the living room, where she could hear Elena and Care talking.
Standing at the doorway, she could hear Elena ask, "Can I take you home?"
"I can't go home." Replied the blonde sadly.
Stepping in, Thea walked to the couch, where she wrapped her arm around Care's shoulders, rubbing them softly, asking, "Why not?"
"Because I'm scared." she whispered.
Joining them on Caroline's other side, Elena shot Thea a concerned glance before adding, "Why are you scared? Caroline, you can talk to us."
"Katherine's gonna be there and she's gonna want me to tell her everything that happened today. She told me I had to spy on you and report back to her. Thea put a steel on my mind, so I couldn't tell her anything important, but I'm always so scared that she'd going to figure out I'm lying to her."
Elena nodded softly, before answering, "I know. And I've been so mad at you, but then I tried to put myself in your position so that I could understand why you would do this to me and to Stefan because he's been such a friend to you. That was good thinking on Tee's part though, spelling you against telling her anything."
"She threatened Matt. I figured it out the day of the barbecue, and put the wall in her mind immediately. Again, I was going to tell you, but we never seem to get a second to breathe around here." Replied the blood-witch, chuckling at the end.
The brunette nodded softly, a small smile on her face, before she turned to Caroline, "I know you're scared of her. And you should be. Caroline, we all should be."
"Why is she doing this? What does she want?"
Thea snorted softly, wrapping her arms around both girls, drawing them in, as she said, "that ladies, is the million dollar question. As in, I will literally give you a million dollars if you could answer for me, because I'm stumped."
The three giggled loudly, the joyous noise washing away some of the pain and horror of the day. They held each other tightly, promising wordlessly to always be there for one another, to always maintain that bond of friendship they had.
—
A couple of hours later, she'd just finished tucking a blanket tightly around Caroline's sleeping form, who'd wound up crashing on the couch. Elena was making her way to the door, when Damon joined them. He walked to his girlfriend, and wrapped his arm around her waist tightly, "Do you want me to carry her to a room?"
Thea shook her head softly, replying, "No. It would just freak her out if she woke up someplace different."
The vampire rubbed her shoulder gently, before turning to the brunette and saying, "Stefan didn't drink the people blood, if you were curious, but he needs to and deep down you know that."
The human nodded, before saying, "What you did for Caroline's mom, that's the Damon who was my friend."
"That's who he's always been, you just never tried to look past the things you deemed as wrong." Thea retorted. It was getting a little exhausting, trying to get them to see who Damon truly was, to look beyond his gruff exterior and notice how kind he really was, how caring.
She could feel his appreciation flowing through their bond, filling her to the brim with love for him. Elena nodded slowly, before heading towards the library, joining her boyfriend.
"You ready to head up?" The blue eyed-man asked.
"No," she shook her head, before pointing towards her sleeping friend and adding, "She needs me tonight. I think I'm gonna crash on the other couch."
"Okay Angel." He agreed, before speeding away. The blood-witch rolled her eyes fondly, ready to call out a snarky 'good-night' at him, but he returned, carrying two pillows and a blanket.
"What are you doing?" She asked, smiling at the sight.
He rolled his eyes, pointing out in an obvious tone, "I figure we'd be more comfortable with some pillows. Unless you want to use me as your pillow, which I don't mind."
Giggling, she made her way to him, wrapping her arms loosely around his neck, "You're staying with me?"
"I sleep better with you, and besides, how heartless do you think I am, that I'd leave you here all alone to watch over blondie?"
Laughing, she tilted her head up, pressing her lips against his. "I love you, Ace."
His arms wrapped around her hips, pulling her in tighter, "You better." He whispered into her skin.