"He felt now that he was not simply close to her, but that he did not know where he ended and she began." - Leo Tolstoy
6. Plan B
She'd woken up slowly, stretching as she felt the sunlight seeping through the curtains filtering across her skin. Stretching her arms, Thea slowly opened her eyes, to find her blood-bonded staring at her from his spot on the bed.
"Good morning," she said, a small smile spreading across her face, voice still raspy with sleep.
"Morning, Angel," he replied, before leaning over and placing a small kiss on her lips. He turned around, and as she slowly raised herself in a seated position, she found that he'd placed a tray between them.
Damon had made omelettes that morning, deciding to surprise her with breakfast in bed. The tray was loaded with two plates, as well as some fruits and two mugs of coffee. The girl giggled as she saw the feast, looking at him with a raised brow, "Any particular occasion for spoiling me?"
He shrugged, "Do I need to have a reason besides just wanting to spoil you?"
Her brows rose even higher, "I'm not complaining Ace, I'm just curious. It's incredibly domestic."
He raised her hand, brushing a sweet kiss across it, before he answered, "I like being able to do things like that for you, and besides, it's not like you don't deserve it," at her questioning expression, he smirked, "Do you not remember getting shot a couple of days ago?"
Thea nodded, a laugh leaving her lips. She'd actually completely forgotten about that, having been swept up in all of the other dramas occurring around her. Looking back down at the tray, she grabbed her fork, and took a bite, before moaning at the taste.
"God, this is good." She murmured.
"Yeah?"
"mmhmm. I want to marry this omelette."
He stole her next bite, chuckling at the disgruntled expression she threw his way, before answering, "If I promise to keep making them every morning, can I switch places with the omelette?"
She looked up at him, thinking he was joking, before she noticed the serious expression on his face. Eyes wide with surprise, she said "You want to marry me?"
Damon shrugged nonchalantly, "Sure, some day. Need you to graduate first." At her expression, he laughed, "Angel, we're blood-bonded, it's not like its that big of a leap."
Thea shook her head slightly, "No, I know that. I just never thought you'd into the idea. Eternal commitment and all."
"Like I said, blood-bonded. It doesn't get more committed than that, but the idea of calling you Thea Salvatore has a certain appeal to it."
"What makes you think I'd change my name? Maybe I want to stay Thea Montgomery." She posited, smirking at him.
"Nah, you'd change it. We both know you love the idea of us sharing a name as much as I do." He grinned back, winking at her.
"Hmm, Althea Nikolai Salvatore…" she hummed softly, "It does have a nice ring to it."
His brows raised, before a real smile grew on his lips, "Your middle name is Nikolai? How did I not know that?"
"I don't know. It's not like I introduce myself using all of my names, so it just never came up."
"What other secrets do you have?"
"So many," she whispered to him, a grin on her lips. At the speed of light, the tray was moved, before she found herself on her back, with his form on top of her.
"Tell me. Tell me a secret you've never told anyone before." He whispered back, lips brushing against her own.
"You first."
"I've been hearing your voice in my dreams for the last five years." Looking down at her, he said, "Your turn."
"I've been seeing your eyes in mine since I turned thirteen, and I always wondered why I remembered them."
His expression softened, and he kissed her lovingly. Pulling back, she whispered, "Tell me another secret."
"The first time I saw you, I couldn't get you out of my mind."
"That day Elena and I barged in here?" She wondered.
"No," he chuckled softly, continuing, "You were sitting on one of the park benches, and reading a book. You just looked so sad and lost, but I couldn't help but think that you were the single most beautiful thing I'd ever laid my eyes on in on-hundred-and-sixty years. And I swore to myself that I'd stay away from you, because I knew you would flip my world upside-down."
"You didn't do a very good job of that, then." She murmured.
"No, I couldn't help myself. The minute I met you, and you looked at me like you weren't impressed and rejected my flirting, I knew I was done for." Leaning closer, he added, "And it was the best decision I'd ever made."
Swallowing the sudden tears that sprung in her eyes, she lovingly leaned her forehead against his, "I love you Damon. God, I love you so fucking much."
"I love you too, but" pulling back, he raised his brow at her, a smirk pulling at his lips, "You now owe me two secrets."
Closing her eyes, she thought back to her life, to something she could tell him that would satisfy his curiosity. "I wrote a song about you, when I realised that I'd developed feelings for you." She whispered.
"Will I get to read it someday?" He asked.
Thea shut her eyes, breathing in slowly, before she began singing softly. It was the first time she'd sang since Meda had died, the first time that she'd created any kind of music herself since she'd lost everything she loved. She kept her eyes closed, too afraid she'd lose her courage if she saw his face.
Finishing, she slowly said in a hesitant voice, "I know it's not great, and it really needs like a piano accompaniment or something—" her panicked words were cut off by his lips, as he kissed her with an intensity she'd never felt before.
Pulling away, he watched as she panted slightly, before he whispered in a reverent tone, "You just sang for me. You wrote a song, for me."
"I did." She whispered back, opening her eyes slowly. She was surprised to. Find his glistening slightly, and cradled his face in her hands before asking in a tender voice, "Why are you crying? Was it that bad?"
"You sang for the first time since your sister died, and it was to me. For me. It was a song you wrote for me." He breathed. Leaning into her, he continued, "I…I have no words."
"Maybe one day, I could try and play something. Don't know how good I'd be, since I haven't touched an instrument in two years, but I could try."
"I'd be honoured baby." Lowering his eyes to hers, he laughed, "I can see why you got accepted in Juilliard, even just whispering you sound beautiful."
"Ha, no. I was pitchy and my voice cracked a couple of times." She disagreed with a small laugh. Damon shook his head, "You sounded like an angel. My angel."
Pulling him into her arms, she nuzzled into his shoulder, closing her eyes in bliss. Maybe he'd been all she needed all along to start playing again.
—
Later, she'd made her way to the Lockwood Mansion, having been wrangled into it by Caroline earlier in the week. Walking across the lawn, she headed towards a stack of boxes, figuring she should move them inside.
As she picked one up, a voice made her turn around, "Thea, hold on." It was Bonnie, heading towards her determination in her stride. The blood-witch sighed softly, feeling sadness at the current state of their relationship. She didn't want to be angry with the witch, she didn't want to fight, but harming Damon was a line she'd crossed time and time again, that Thea simply couldn't forgive very easily.
"What is it Bonnie?" She said, voice tinged with impatience.
The witch shuffled on her feet, clearly nervous, before she asked in a soft voice, "Can we talk? Please? I know you're still angry with me, but I hate this Tee. I hate not being your friend and not being able to talk to you."
Thea shook her head slowly, before replying in a sad tone, "I'm not angry Bonnie, I'm hurt. There's a distinct difference. You tried to hurt my blood-bonded, multiple times. And you lied to me. It's just a little hard."
"I'm so sorry. I wasn't even aware that I'd given him the aneurysm when I did, I was just so angry that I reacted without thinking. And with the Gilbert Device, Damon wasn't my target, I just wanted the vampires that Grams had almost died to keep from escaping the tomb gone. I didn't want her to have gone through that for nothing. But I never wanted to hurt you, and now that I know how connect you and Damon are, I'll never hurt him again, I swear."
The raven-haired girl sighed, before a slow smile formed on her face. Looking at the hope that was beginning to grow on Bonnie's face, she opened her arms and said, "Come here. It was exhausting being mad at you, especially when I understood. Why you didn't deactivate the device. But Damon's a hard line for me Bon, I can't lose him, it would kill me."
Bonnie tightened her hold on her, whispering, "But you forgive me, right? We're okay?"
"We're okay Bonbon."
Pulling away, she looked at her friend and smirked, "Now, I have to fill you in on everything you've missed, since we both now I'm the only honest friend you have."
Giggling, the witch nodded eagerly, and the two began chatting, catching each other up on everything they'd missed, while they were separated.
—
Elena had joined them at one point, and as they finished updating the witch, she shook her head in bewilderment, "I can't believe this."
"It's a lot, I know. Katherine's doing everything that she can to drive me and Stefan apart and Caroline just got trapped in the middle." Complained the brunette human, shaking her head.
Sitting down on a bench, the blood-witch gestured for her friends to join her, before saying, "I swear to God, I'm gonna make her choke on her own blood when I see her."
Still astounded by what she'd missed, the witch ignored the angry statement, telling Elena, "It's not that you and Stefan are pretending to fight. It's that I didn't even know you guys were fighting at all."
The human responded sadly, "I'm sorry, I don't want to keep things from you but you've made it pretty clear where you stand with the whole vampire thing. And you and Thea were arguing, so she wasn't going to tell you everything."
"So I'm the odd man out." Replied the witch angrily.
"There is no 'odd man out' Bon, we're all involved in this, whether we want to be or not. Elena was just giving you time to come to that conclusion yourself." Retorted Thea.
"And if I don't want to help vampires?"
The raven-haired girl rolled her eyes in aggravation, "For Christ's sake Bonnie, if you stop denying that they've helped you more than they've harmed you, and that they've kept all of us safe on various occasions, I think you'll realise they aren't monsters."
"They're vampires, Thea! They literally need blood to survive! And witches don't like them, they're un-natural."
"So am I. I'm technically an abomination by most witches' standards. Are you going to try and kill me next? Rid the earth of my 'un-naturalness'?" Asked Thea emphatically.
"No! Of course not, you're one of my best friends!" Replied Bonnie, affronted.
"Then you have to throw your prejudices away. Nothing is black and white, we're all living in shades of grey Bon. Don't hold a higher moral ground that's based on biases, because it may get you killed."
Softening her tone, she added, "Caroline needs you. She's going through a lot, and she really needs you to be there for her. Put aside your misconceptions and be there, okay?"
Bonnie shook her head slightly, before standing up and saying, "Not yet, I just...she's a vampire, I can't. I think we should get back." With that, she turned on her heels and left.
Thea made eye contact with Elena, who sighed and patted her on the shoulder amicably, "You tried, that's what matters. The rest is gonna have to come from her."
"I know," replied the blood-witch, "That girl's way too stubborn for her own good."
Elena giggled slightly, nodding her head, before leaning it against Thea's shoulder and saying, "We should go back and help, before Mrs. Lockwood finds us."
Shuddering, the raven-haired girl replied, "Anything but that. I think that woman scares me more than anything. She's too uptight."
—
She was sorting through a box of masks with Elena, while silently observing the seemingly intense conversation Stefan and Bonnie were having, when two familiar arms wrapped around her waist, and she was pulled into a hard chest. Giggling slightly, she tilted her head back and said, "Hey Ace,"
"Hey Angel," he replied, leaning down and pressing a quick kiss to her lips.
The brunette turned to him in confusion, asking, "Damon, what are you doing here?"
"Grabbing Angel and looking for my baby bro. Speaking of, would you tell yours to stop following me around?"
"What's going on?" She wondered.
Spotting the aforementioned boy heading their way, Damon grabbed Thea's hand and began drawing her away, turning to Elena and saying, "Ask eager beaver."
They make their way to Stefan, who was also sorting through some boxes. Arriving, he quickly informed them of the. Vision Bonnie had had, and how Mason Lockwood was working with Katherine.
"Katherine's with Mason Lockwood?" Asked the blue-eyed man in bewilderment.
Stefan sighed, nodding, "We missed it. He got into town right after she did. It makes perfect sense."
"I know, but Mason Lockwood?! Werewolf thing aside, the guy is a surfer. She's got to be using him. She has to be."
"Using him for what?"
"Well," interjected the blood-witch, "Wolfman is allegedly looking for a certain moonstone that could potentially break his curse. Kit-Kat may want it as well."
"Why?" Asked the younger vampire with a raised brow.
"I don't know," she shrugged carelessly, before continuing, "but Katherine doesn't strike me as the type to make plans that are beneficial to anyone but her, so it's probably not good."
"So, how are we gonna find this moonstone?"
"Jeremy is getting it from Tyler." Answered Damon nonchalantly.
"Why would you involve Jeremy?"asked Stefan in an aggravated tone, walking past his brother and smacking him on the arm.
"He's playing Indiana Jones. He involved himself." Screamed Damon after him, before turning to look back at his girlfriend. At her raised brows, he groaned lightly, "You know I wouldn't have involved him if he hadn't involved himself first Angel."
The girl nodded, saying, "No, I know that. I'm just wondering what made you think that Jeremy Gilbert would successfully achieve anything. The boy can barely keep himself alive, what made you think he'd be able to get the stone?"
"He's friends with the Lockwood boy, he'll get it."
Thea rolled her eyes fondly, before laying a gentle kiss to his jaw, "Alright Ace, we'll go with it for now. But if he doesn't get it, you owe me one."
Pulling her face up to his, he whispered, "Deal," against her lips, kissing her.
—
She'd followed after the boys, who'd listened onto Jeremy and Tyler's conversation. Based on Damon's pissed off expression, she'd assumed that it hadn't gone well, and that Jeremy Gilbert had not, in. Fact, succeeded in his assigned task.
Currently, they were heading deeper into the forest, with Bonnie in tow. Damon had intended to grab her, but knowing how much the witch disliked him, Thea had intercepted her arm first.
Looking around, the witch pulled the girl into a stop and said, "Okay. This is as far as I go."
They all nodded, before the blue-eyed man replied with a simple, "Okay."
"What do you want?"
"A favour."
She scoffed, "Like that's going to happen."
Damon rolled his eyes, muttering "predictable," under his breath, before gesturing towards Thea and Stefan and saying, "That's why they're here."
The witch turned to her raven-haired friend with a questioning expression, and Thea explained, "Since you're the one who linked Katherine and Mason, we now have found ourselves presented with an opportunity to have the upper hand." Nodding her head towards her boyfriend, she added with a small chuckle, "I know you can't stand him, but do it for me. Please. My sanity cannot handle anymore of Katherine's bullshit."
The blue-eyed man shot the witch a fake grin, saying, "Pretty please." His act was dropped when the blood-witch's arm smacked him harshly across the stomach, muttering, "behave, Ace."
Bonnie huffed slightly, before saying in a resigned tone, "I'm listening."
Just as they were about to begin explaining, Stefan's phone rang. He looked at the screen, then glanced up and said, "I have to fill Elena in on what's going on." Turning to his brother, he added, "Can you play nice, please?"
"I guess." Replied the blue-eyed man.
"I'll make sure he behaves Stef. Go update El before she loses her mind." Interjected the witch, throwing a warning glance at her vampire.
The young man nodded, before walking away, clutching his phone to his ear. Turning to the remaining two, she nodded to Damon, indicating that he should begin explaining their goal.
The man sighed at her, but complied regardless, telling the witch, "All you have to do is touch Mason Lockwood again to see if he gave Katherine the moonstone."
Bonnie shook her head, "My vision don't work like that. I don't get to ask questions."
Damon snorted in disbelief, muttering, "How convenient." He looked at her skeptically, adding, "Although, let's talk about that little witchy juju thing you do with me. You know, the fun one where my brain bursts into flames? What is that?"
"She's giving you an aneurysm. Your brain vessels burst at an exponential speed, but because you're a vampire, your healing factor kicks in, so she just keeps doing it over and over. It's a witching staple." Replied the blood-witch in a bored tone, before turning to her best friend and chuckling, "Although, now that I've experience a third of the pain first hand from him, I'll be more picky with who I use it on."
"Yeah, sorry about that Tee." Giggled the witch, biting her lip.
Thea shrugged, but she felt Damon wrap his arm around her protectively, sending waves of worry and vigilance her way. The girl leaned against him, assuaging his worry with her own wave of reassurance, reminding him that she was alright and in his arms.
She felt him relax against her, before he asked, "Is it vampire specific?"
Bonnie negated, explaining, "It'd work on anyone with a supernatural healing ability."
He hummed his approval, but the witch interjected again, "Damon, I'm not gonna help you hurt him."
"Mason Lockwood's a werewolf, Katherine's evil. They're the bad guys." He replied. At her conflicted expression, he continued in anger, "Really? You're gonna play morality police with me right now? Let me put it to you another way: they're a threat to both Thea and Elena. So you, witch, are gonna get over yourself and help us. You owe Thea that much, at least."
The blood-witch leaned her hand against his chest, soothing him slowly, before turning to her friend with a pleading expression, "I just need you to incapacitate him for a couple of minutes, enough pain to lower his guard and allow me access to his mind. That's all."
Suddenly, Stefan's voice added, "Yeah, and he meant that as a question with a 'please' on the end."
"Absolutely," nodded the blue-eyed man, before picking Thea up, and speeding them away from the other other two.
Placing her on the ground in a secluded section of the woods, he began pacing slightly, before turning to her with a frustrated expression, "Angel, that wasn't part of the plan."
"I know, but think about it. I can get into his head and figure out what he's here for. It's probably more trustworthy than clairvoyance, which is finicky at the best of times." She replied softly, walking towards him.
He shook his head, "No. It's too risky."
"Damon," she soothed, "It's alright, I won't push myself, I promise. It's a spell I've done a million times, it'll be alright." Still seeing the reluctance in his gaze, she laid a tender hand on his cheek and whispered, "trust me, please."
"Okay," he nodded softly, turning his head slightly and kissing her palm. Pulling her suddenly back into his arms, he smiled at her light giggle, before saying, "Let's go back to the others, you've got a wolf brain to invade."
—
She was hiding behind the car, watching as Bonnie conversed with Mason. Suddenly, the man dropped to his knees, screaming in pain, and as the witch back away slowly, Damon came running and kneed him in the face, rendering him unconscious.
He sped back towards the car, and opened the front passenger door, signalling to the blood-witch to climb in. Thea complied, and watched as Bonnie soon joined her in the back, and the boys placed the werewolf in the trunk. Getting into the driver's seat, Damon sped out of the mansion and towards the road, heading back to the boarding house.
The drive was relatively quiet and quick, and once Damon parked in his driveway, she opened her door and headed inside, holding the front door open for both Bonnie and her boyfriend, who's hands were currently too busy holding onto a still knocked-out Mason Lockwood.
He placed him on a chair, and picked up a nearby tarp, as the witch dropped the bag she was carrying on a couch, and said, "Here's his bag. As requested."
Damon nodded, replying, "Okay, grab that corner."
Complying, Bonnie wondered, "Why are we doing this? And why is Thea not helping?"
"Because I don't want to stain the carpet, and this is a two-person job."
"I knew you were gonna say something like that." She sighed in disappointment, as Damon snorted out a loud, "Judging again."
Thea giggled as she observed the scene, before heading towards the man on the chair. Kneeling in front of him, she said, "He's not gonna be out much longer."
"Whoa. Looks like this guy's used to being tied up." Interjected the blue-eyed vampire, pulling a load of heavy metal chains from the bag.
The blood-witch nodded, before running a small blade she'd begun carrying in her pocket over her palm. Placing them over Mason's head, she was interrupted when Damon asked, "What are you doing?"
"Diving in to his mind. We're looking for a moonstone, so I'm gonna try and find it."
"Oh, good, yeah. Find out if he gave it to Katherine, and find out where she is. And find out what they're gonna do with it once they get it."
She kept her eyes closed, and focused on her intentions, feeling her consciousness seep into the man's mind. He was knocked out, so his natural mental defences were down, and the process was far easier that way. She could see the moonstone, pale and round, and tried to hone her focus on its location.
Where is it, Mason? Where did you put it? She thought to herself.
Suddenly, she found herself in the dark, and began speaking out loud, "It's somewhere small. Dark. I can feel the dampness around me, so I'm assuming there's water."
"Like a sewer?" Came her blood-bonded's voice.
The girl's eyebrows scrunched together tighter, before she shook her head, "No, it's smaller than that. More narrow. There's water under my feet, and stone walls around me, but it's small enough that I could touch them if I spread my arms." Opening her eyes suddenly, she looked at him and said, "It's in a well."
Damon's gaze became confused, as he asked, "Why would it be in a well?"
"He was hiding it from Katherine. I don't know why, but somehow she can't access it inside the well. My guess is the water's filled with vervain or something, so a human should probably be the one to get it, just to be safe." She shrugged.
A rough hand grabbed onto her wrist tightly, and Thea screeched in surprise and mild pain. Damon sped next to her, and pulled the man's hand away, releasing her from his grip. Nodding at him in thanks, she turned to Bonnie and asked, "Are you gonna head out to look for it?"
The witch nodded, before turning on her heels, right before she reached the door, Damon's voice stopped her, "hey, judgey!"
At her questioning glance, he added in a softer voice, "thank you." Without replying, she turned back and headed out of the room.
The man then turned to his girlfriend, before saying, "You should go too, I don't want you to see this."
Thea shook her head emphatically, "Nope. I'm staying. Consider me your current protective detail. I don't trust that he won't have nay enhanced strength, and I don't want you here alone with him."
"Angel," he sighed, walking towards her, "I don't want you to watch this, to see this side of me."
"Ace, I don't care. Besides, whereas you excel at the physical pain, I'm more of a psychological manipulator. It'll be easier to get him to speak once I break him down a little."
At his surprised look, and the shock she felt spreading across their bond, she chuckled sadly, "I told you I've spent the past three years running away and surviving. You think I haven't tortured a couple of people to get information before? The things I did to stay alive turned me into a monster, so don't ever think I'll judge you for doing the same."
"You're not a monster," he whispered, and as she felt his love pouring into her, his hands raised her face to his, "And I love you regardless." His lips caressed her own in a searing kiss, before he pulled away and turned back to their 'guest'. "Guess we should wake him up, then." He muttered.
"Come on. Wake up, wolf boy." He said, landing a harsh punch across the man's face. Mason gasped awake, jerking in his chains, looking around in a panic, "What's happening?" He sputtered.
Thea shook her head slightly, sighing in contempt before answering, "You're about to learn that survival is deadly. Hope you've got a high pain tolerance dog-man, you're gonna need it."
—
An iron poker was heating up in the lit fireplace, turning a blistering red in the flames. Mason was still struggling against his bindings, jerking around, before Damon's chuckle stopped him. "Someone's feisty." He said mockingly.
The man ignored him, continuing to jerk around. Thea rolled her eyes, as she interjected in a similar mocking tone, "You keep going, you're more likely to rip a couple of tendons than the chains. I've reinforced them with magic."
She hadn't. In fact, these chains belonged to him, so she hadn't touched them at all. But she knew the power of perception, and she knew that if he truly believed there was no escape, it would begin wearing his hope down, bit by bit. And that would be his downfall.
He suddenly toppled backwards, cracking the back of his head harshly across the floor. The girl giggled slightly, as Damon walked towards him, fire-poker held threateningly in his hand.
"What?!" The man shouted, but his words of anger soon turned into screams of agony as the burning weapon was thrust into his chest.
Ripping it out of him, the blue-eyed vampire hummed nonchalantly, "You can hurt - good to know. I was afraid you were gonna be some beast mass with no affinity for pain."
"I'm pretty sure he's already healed though, otherwise the aneurysm would have killed him." Added the girl, looking at her nails in fake disinterest.
Damon nodded, pulling the man's shirt down and checking on his already healing wound, "Guess I'll just have to keep applying pain, then."
He puled the chair back up straight, before walking away and re-heating the poker in the flames. Thea headed towards the tied up man, running her fingers lightly over his face and she whispered, "You poor, poor thing. Cursed to feel every bone in your body breaking once a month, and now, you've gotta deal with a disgruntled vampire shoving a burning piece of metal in your chest cavity. Seems like you can't catch a break, Mason."
Leaning closer to him, she lowered her voice even more, "If you tell me what I want to know, I'll stop it all now. Let you walk out of here with all of your limbs intact."
Mason turned his gaze to her, hatred burning in it, before he spit at her feet. Raising her brows mockingly, she clutched her hand to her chest in feigned hurt, "Ouch. Well, guess that answers that. Maybe you do need some more incentivising."
She backed away as Damon returned with the poker, holding it menacingly over the man, as he asked, "So...Katherine. How do you know her? What is she up to?"
The werewolf remained silent, and Damon simply shrugged, plunging the poker in his stomach, and saying in a careless tone over his screams of pain, "We have all day."
—
Nothing was working. At least no part of Damon's particular method was. Currently, her blood-bonded was reheating the poker, while throwing various questions at the tied-up man.
"When did you two meet? Did she seduce you, tell you she loved you? You're supernatural so she can't compel you. I'm sure she used her other charms. Katherine's good that way."
Seeing that there was no answer, Thea interjected, "She told you she loved you, didn't she? That she needs the stone to help you, to save you. But the truth is, little wolf," she kneeled in front of him, staring directly into his eyes, "You're nothing but a pawn to her, as dispensable as her various minions. And since she's been here, she's tried sleeping with both my bonded and his brother, so I'm thinking that your loyalty may not be returned."
"She wouldn't do that," he grunted, "She loves me."
"She really doesn't," replied Thea softly, before laying a hand over his forehead, and biting into the other viciously, "I can show you."
She allowed her memories to seep into his mind, showing him what she'd heard and seen and witnessed from Katherine since her arrival. How she'd attempted seducing Damon, posing as Elena. The scene Thea had interrupted that day in the boarding house. Stefan's memories of his own encounter with Katherine, as well as Caroline's. She allowed him to see all of them, until finally, she felt his resignation snap, and a deep heartache filled him.
Pulling away, she looked at him straight in the eyes and said, "She doesn't love you, Mason. Katherine loves no one but herself. I'm sorry you got pulled into this, truly."
His eyes were filled with tears, and his breath was stuttering out of him in pained gasps. Thea walked back to the couch, feeling a deep regret fill her. She had hated doing that, she always did. Breaking someone apart physically was easy, and if they were supernatural, they would recover eventually. But mental wounds were different. They tore at the soul, and seldom ever healed. She would know, she had more than enough of them herself.
Hesitant footsteps walked into the room, and the blood-witch looked up to find herself staring at Jeremy Gilbert, who was gazing at the scene before him with barely hidden disgust as he placed a box on the table.
"I thought I told you to leave." Said Damon, looking at the boy.
"I found something in Ric's box of stuff." He replied, gesturing towards the box.
"Ooh, what is it?"
The boy reached into it and pulled out a yellow flower, explaining, "I did a search on my phone. It's a plant. Aconitum Vulparia. It grows in the mountainous areas of the northern hemisphere. Commonly known as aconite, blue rocket, and wolfsbane."
Damon grabbed the plant, looking at it, before he questioned, "What else did you read?"
"It's called wolfsbane for a reason," interjected the blood-witch from her spot on the couch. When the two turned to her, she continued, "Myths differ, some stating that the plant was the cause of the curse, while others argue that it's poisonous to the species, which is where the name comes from, I'd wager."
Mason groaned once he noticed the yellow flower, shaking his head weakly in dismay. Noticing his reaction, the vampire smirked smugly, "I'm guessing toxic."
He began heading towards the man, gesturing to the plant as he asked, "What's Katherine doing in Mystic Falls?" At the lack of response, he stroked the end of it across the wolf's cheek, watching as the skin hissed and bubbled in response. Mason began struggling in vain, screaming in pain.
Thea got up from her seat, walking towards the man, and gesturing for Damon to stop, "Enough, he'll tell you what he knows." Kneeling back in front of the Lockwood man, she repeated, "What is she doing here, Mason? What does she want with the moonstone?"
"She's here with me." He replied weakly.
"Why?"
"Because she wants to help me lift the curse."
"And the moonstone is the binding ingredient, I'm guessing. Which is why she told you she wants it, right?"
The man nodded weakly, before whispering, "I love her, and she loves me. That's why she wants to help me."
Thea looked at him with pity in her eyes, before whispering softly, "I think you know that's all a lie, Mason. She doesn't love you, nor does she want to help you. That's why you stuck the stone in a well filled with vervain, because deep down, you don't trust her."
Inhaling sharply, she asked, "Do you want me to help you?"
"Please." He whimpered, before looking at her gratefully, "Please, just help Tyler. Don't let this happen to him, and if it does, find him a pack. Please."
The girl nodded, swallowing harshly, "I promise. You've been brave Mason Lockwood, but it's time for you to find peace now."
The man nodded, gratefulness in his eyes, as he whispered, "Thank you."
As she prepared to bite into her wrist once more, Damon slowly grabbed her hand, "Angel…" he whispered, "You don't have to. I can do it."
Thea shook her head, slight tears in her eyes, "No." She said, "No, he deserves to die at the hand of someone who understands, who respects his decision."
Damon nodded, and he lifted her wrist to his lips, biting into the skin gently, before pulling away with a small kiss. The girl looked back at the werewolf, whose eyes were closed in peacefulness.
"Hail and Farewell Mason Lockwood, may peace find you beyond the veil," she whispered respectfully, before allowing her magic to pull his heart from his chest. His head dropped, body losing all rigidity, and the girl stood up slowly, laying his heart in his lap.
"We need to bury him," she said. "He deserves to be laid to rest respectfully at least."
A hand was placed on her shoulder, before she found her face buried in a familiar chest. "I've got it, Angel. You go get cleaned up. I've got it from here."
She nodded slowly, feeling slightly dissociative from the experience, before heading upstairs to their room, shedding her clothes and stepping into the shower, water scalding across her skin.
She sat down, knees pulled into her chest, face shielded in them. Her heart hurt for the poor man, for the pain he had too go through and the betrayal he felt. Her heart hurt for her, for having to chip at herself over and over again, all for the sake of survival.
How many pieces of her soul would she have left, by the time her life was over?
—
She stayed in that position for a while, the water beating over her shoulders, turning her skin a burning bright red. She stayed that way until it was no longer tinged pink, until she felt cleansed, until a soft voice made her raise her head.
"Angel…" he whispered.
Thea looked at him, thinking that she probably seemed rather pathetic at the moment. But in here, enclosed between the glass walls and the granite, she felt calm. As though the size of her world had decreased, and her worries along with it.
Damon shrugged off his shirt, pulling his pants and shoes along with it, before he stepped into the shower with her, kneeling behind her and pulling her back into his chest.
"You gave him peace, Thea. He's at peace now." He said.
She could feel the love flowing through him, as well as the deep worry for her current state. "I know," she croaked, voice low and strained, "But I hate that I drove him there. I know it had to be done, that he would've gotten us all killed otherwise, but…It makes me feel monstrous."
His arms tightened around her form, as though he could hold her into him, "I know, but you're not. He was at peace, and he felt respected. You gave him that Angel. You allowed him to die with respect, knowing that he wasn't alone."
Thea nodded softly, before relaxing into him, sending her gratefulness through their bond. Leaning her head back into his shoulder, she asked, "Did you get the moonstone?"
"Yeah, we got it. But something else happened."
"I'm gonna go on a wild guess, and assume you probably riled Katherine up and she retaliated by hurting someone." She mumbled.
Damon tensed behind her, before he said, "She compelled Jenna to stab herself." She could feel the regret and the guilt flowing through him, filling him up to the brim.
Turning around, she laid her face into his neck, pressing soft kisses into the skin as she whispered, "It's not your fault. She would have done it the moment she figured out Mason was dead, you antagonising her just used the process up. Don't blame yourself for it, okay? We'll get her back eventually, and Jenna's gonna be alright."
"I know," he replied softly, before adding, "Elena broke up with Stefan because of it. Said that it was too dangerous for everyone she loves if they stayed together."
"I assumed so. That's what Kat wanted anyway, but it won't matter in the long run. They'll get back together eventually, and things will resolve themselves. They always do."
He nodded, before standing up and pulling her into his arms. The girl wrapped hers around his neck tightly, clinging onto him with all her might, "I love you, Ace."
"I know. Love you too."