French Glossary:
Ça va, ma petite?: Is everything alright, little one?
J'ai un mauvais pressentiment. Je ne sais pas exactement quand ou comment, mais une trahison arrive. Sois prudent, je t'en suppplie. : I have a bad feeling. I don't know exactly when or how, but a betrayal is coming. Just be careful, I'm begging you.
"Monsters are real, ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes they win." - Stephen King
15. The Dinner Party
Thea hadn't slept very well, nightmares haunting her until she gasped awake. Damon's arms tightened around her, before his voice softly asked, "Do you want to talk about it?"
The blood-witch shook her head, burrowing deeper into his chest as she replied, "No. I don't even really remember what happened, other than I felt sad and betrayed." Sighing, she tried to shut her eyes, "I just have a feeling today is going to be a shit day."
"Normal feeling, or witchy-feeling?" He questioned, finger hooking under her chin, raising her eyes to his. The girl sighed despondently, "Witchy feeling."
"We'll get through it, then. Whatever it is, we'll deal. And once that's done, I'm taking you away for a couple of days."
"Can we afford to leave right now? With everything going on?" She asked, tilting her head at him.
Damon chuckled, leaning is forehead against hers, "Don't care. They can keep themselves alive for 48 hours, while you and I recuperate. Someone's gotta think of your well-being Angel, especially since you refuse to."
"I take care of myself, usually. These past couple of days have not been making it easy though."
"Which is why we're gonna take a break, no matter what." He retorted, a smirk curling his lips.
"Where?" She questioned softly, biting her lip.
A soft kiss was pressed to her mouth, before he whispered, "You let me worry about that, baby."
"But how will I know what to pack if I don't know where we're going?" She asked, watching as he began getting dressed.
Damon gave her a wicked grin in return, voice turning husky as he replied, "No clothing necessary. If it goes my way, we'll be naked the entire time."
The girl grinned back at him, leaving the warmth of the blankets and walking in his direction. Pulling his head down to hers, she pressed their lips together, kissing him with all the love in her. His hands wrapped around her hips, pulling her deeper into him, as his tongue tangled with her own, mouths moving together in harmony, a dance they'd perfected long ago.
—
They'd joined Alaric at the Grill, finding him pouting over a glass of bourbon after his earlier encore her with Elijah. The girl giggled at his state, raising a questioning brow, "Why do you look like someone stole your puppy?"
The man glared slightly at her, before mumbling, "If you could tell your uncle to back off and quit flirting with Jenna, I'd appreciate it immensely."
Thea laughed in response, shrugging her shoulders good-naturedly, "Not much I can do about it, Rick. The man can't help that he's dangerously charming, and he's got an accent to boot. That shit gets the girls."
Her bonded took a seat beside her, sliding a crystal glass in her direction. Throwing him a kiss, she took a small sip as he asked mockingly, "Other than your lecture on the history of Mystic Falls, did you get anything out of him?"
"No, it was boring. Of course, Jenna thinks he's charming."
"You sound a bit jealous, doesn't he Angel?" Questioned the dark-haired man, throwing a smirk at the witch, who nodded in reply, "Yep. Very jealous." Looking at Rick, she smiled, wide and toothy, "Hey, listen. We're a charming bunch. I must get from him. But I wouldn't worry about it, he knows both you and Jenna are off-limits."
"Yeah, because of Elena's deal, right?"
Damon snorted in reply, throwing an arm around the raven-haired girl, "No, because Angel over here considers the both of you to be part of her family, and Elijah, unlike everyone else, doesn't want to make her lose anymore." Raising a smug brow at his friend, he questioned softly, "See the difference between all of you, and the one person y'all seem to insist is the villain?"
The man sighed exasperatedly, shaking his head, "How many times do I have to tell you I don't think that, nor do I want to hurt Thea anymore? She's a part of my family too, and now that I know the extent of what happened to her, I'm not going to be a part of something that could give her more nightmares."
"Thanks, Rick." Smiled the girl, laying a grateful hand on his. Looking at her bonded, she leant her head against his shoulder, inhaling a shaking breath.
Something was wrong. She didn't know if hr feelings were messed up because of everything that had happened lately, or if this was some kind of subconscious premonition, but something was going to go wrong today. She could feel it in her bones, someone was going to betray her, and she'd be in plenty of emotional pain.
His hand wrapped around hers tightly, thumb rubbing soothingly over her knuckles as he perked up, pointing towards the entrance, "Ah, there's Jenna with her new boyfriend." As she looked up, she found her uncle headed in their direction, a charmed Jenna following behind him. Her bonded stood up with a grin, "Hi."
Thea followed after him, wrapping her arms around her uncle, relishing in a hug that was filled with parental love and familiarity. He pulled away, placing his hands on her shoulders and looking at her, "Ça va, ma petite?" He questioned softly.
Though curious as to why he'd switched languages, she nodded in the affirmative, before tilting her head and furrowing her brows, "J'ai un mauvais pressentiment. Je ne sais pas exactement quand ou comment, mais une trahison arrive. Sois prudent, je t'en suppplie."
He nodded, acknowledging her concern, as Jenna pointed between the two in confusion. "You two know each other?" She questioned.
The blood-with chuckled bashfully, before gesturing towards the man and explaining, "Elijah's my uncle. I hadn't seen him in years, and he decided to surprise me by coming to conduct his research in Mystic Falls."
"Ahh," she nodded, before stating, "I can kind of see it now. You've got the same eyes, yours just happen to be weird Thea."
"Well, I heard the two of you had quite the meeting of the intellectual minds today." She retorted, smiling at the red-haired woman, who nodded vigorously, "Yes. He must also be where you get your intellect from, he knows more than anyone I've ever met."
Giggling, she threw her uncle a smile, "I bet you I know more than him, Jenna, just you wait."
"Little one," he interrupted with a smile, stealing her glass, "I would not make that bet, were I you." Taking a sip, he raised his brows approvingly, before murmuring, "finally, someone who understands the importance of a good scotch."
Thea shook her head, continuing, "I would make that bet actually. I bet I have more factual information than you, things that can be effectively proven by sources, not just word-of-mouth."
"Well then, one day we shall compete properly. But be warned, you also get your competitive spirit from my side of the family."
"Deal, uncle E." She laughed, before the redhead interrupted with a smile, "Oh my god, we should totally have dinner. Then we can all witness the greatest genius showdown in person."
Rick's voice suddenly piped up, a wide smile on his face, "that's a great idea actually." Turning to her bonded, he questioned amicably, "How would you feel about hosting, tonight?"
Jenna clapped in excitement, while Thea's brows furrowed. There it went again, that strange, foreboding feeling. Something was going to happen at that dinner. Something really bad. He uncle nodded once, agreeing, before he turned on his feet and left, shortly followed by the other couple.
A cold hand cradled her cheek, and her face was turned slowly, until she found herself staring at a pair of worried icy-blue eyes. "What's wrong?" He asked softly.
The girl swallowed heavily, before answering, "Something's going to happen tonight. Something really bad, Ace."
"To you?"
"No. To Elijah."
—
A couple of hours later, the witch found herself loitering in the kitchen with Jenna, watching as the woman unwrapped packages of food. Tilting her head, she asked her softly, "What's going on with you and Rick? I'm sensing some tension."
Thee red-haired woman shook her head slowly, placing the box she'd held on the table, before turning to her and sighing, "I don't know. I really like him. It's more than like and I want it to work, but I can't help but feel that he's hiding something from me. And then I've got John whispering things in my ear about him."
The girl snorted, shaking her head, "Yeah, I wouldn't buy anything that comes out of that man's mouth. He's a fucking viper as far as I'm concerned. Don't let his words be what creates a rift between you two."
"No, I know that. But it feels like Rick's lying to me, all the time. Or he doesn't want to open up."
"Jenna," the girl sighed softly. Placing a comforting hand on the woman's shoulder, she continued in a kind tone, "There are some burdens of the past we'd often rather just not discuss at all, things we'd rather just forget. Don't force him to open up before he'd ready, but trust that he'll come to you when he's fully healed, and that if you have to know, if you knowing is imperative to your relationship, he'd tell you."
The woman chuckle softly, before giving her a warm smile, "Normally, I'd laugh at the fact that I'm getting relationship advice from a teenager, but you and Damon seem to be going really well."
Thea smiled lovingly, thoughts drifting to her bonded, "yeah. Honestly, it's not magic or anything. We just make it a point to communicate. Be open and hear each other out, let the other know how we're feeling. I mean, from the get-go, our thing was no secrets, at least none that affect the both of us."
"That's really healthy. Very mature of you to have that standpoint."
"Yeah, well. I hate drama. It's unnecessary and most of the time, it's just the end result of bad communication. Plus, my parents were great at it. They'd scream at each other for hours, until they reached a compromise, never went to bed feeling angry at each other, always let the other know when something hurt or bothered them. And that's not to say we don't argue, cause we do. He's incredibly overprotective, and I have a tendency to hurt myself if I think it'll help someone I love, so we clash. But we talk it out, figure out a solution that works for the both of us."
She felt his presence increase in her mind, as his voice drifted into her thoughts, pleased and warm, See? Even Jenna agrees that we're the perfect couple.
Giggling internally, she shot back a simple, stop eavesdropping stalker, before turning to the woman with a winning grin. "I'm gonna go see what the men-folk are doing, lest they start a fire somehow. They're both idiots, and when combined, the power of dumbass squared is a terrifying prospect."
Jenna laughed in reply, before asking, "Could you send Rick in here? Maybe I've got some amends to do."
The girl nodded, before heading thee direction of the study, where she could feel her bonded's presence. Peeking her head in, she smiled as she gestured towards the bottles, "Please tell me there's scotch in here, and it's not all disgusting bourbon."
His emotions floated into her like a warm across as he said, "Of course baby. Couldn't forget your favourite drink, now could I?"
She walked towards them, wrapping an arm around Damon's waist, before turning to the teacher and saying with a smile, "Jenna wants to talk to you. I think I may have smooth things over a bit, but I'd recommend letting her into the supernatural. You don't need to reveal all, maybe just tell her about witches or something, and use my as your guinea pig." At his reluctant expression, she shrugged innocently, "Hey, no worries Rick. Just food for thought."
He nodded, headed back towards his girlfriend, as the witch looked back at her bonded and allowed her happy facade to drop. Biting her lip in worry, she began picking lightly at hr fingers, mumbling, "Something really bad is gonna happen Damon. I can feel it, and I don't know what to do."
"Hey," his voice made her look up at him, and he smiled lightly, "It's gonna be alright. Whatever happens, we'll figure it out okay? It's just you and me Angel."
"Even if yo agree with whatever it is?"
His smiled dropped, face becoming serious, "I wouldn't agree with anything, unless we talked it out. Especially if it involves you somehow. It's like you told Jenna, you and I work so well because we talk it all out, and we don't keep secrets. So it doesn't matter if subconsciously I agreed or not, if the decision isn't one you can get behind, or if it hurts you in any way, then I don't want it. There are always a million other solutions, apart from the obvious one."
She smiled softly at him, before leaning her head tiredly onto his shoulder, her own dropping under the weight of her worry. His hand came up to her hair, running softly through the strands, "It'll be alright. You'll see. And come tonight, you and I will be in car, headed away from Mystic Falls for the next couple of days."
"Suddenly, I wish it was tonight now." She mumbled in reply. He could feel his shoulders shaking with his laughter, before he tightened his hold on her. "I love you, Angel." He whispered softly. Thea dropped a soft kiss on his skin, murmuring, "I love you" back, before the sound of the doorbell interrupted their moment. Pulling away, she groaned lightly, before beginning to drag him out oft he library, grumbling all the while, "I fucking hate all doorbells. Every single moment I've ever had, has been ruined by one."
Her rant however, came to a stop when she saw who their uninvited guest was, and she growled under her breath, as Damon said, "John. Surprise. Leave."
The blond man shrugged nonchalantly, "When Jenna told me she was coming to a dinner party for Elijah, I decided I couldn't miss out on all the fun and games."
The girl titled her head at his wording. As far as she and her bonded knew, there were going to be no games tonight. It really was, just a dinner party. Alaric made his entrance, and regurgitate her thoughts verbally, saying in a cold tone, "There are not going to be any games tonight, John. It's just a friendly dinner party."
She could see the subtle looks the two men threw each other, and felt her shoulders tense in response, a slight shiver of dread coasting over them.
They're planning something. And if Rick is willing to work with John, you can bet it's not good. She projected her voice over to her bonded's mind, maintaining an annoyed look on her face.
I know. Whatever it is, I'll do my best to put a stop to it, I promise.
WE'll do our best. You're not leaving me out of this.
—
She opened the door as soon as the bell rang again, greeting her uncle with a wide smile, before waving him inside. His arms wrapped around her in a tight hug, as he whispered delicately in her ear, "There is nothing to worry over, little one. Whatever duplicitous plan they have, it will not affect my agreement with you."
"I don't care about that." She mumbled in reply, tightening her hold on him, "I just don't want you to get hurt. So if you suspect any foul play, feel free to break necks. Both John and Alaric have resurrection rings, so it won't be permanent. Just make sure you're alright."
He gave her a small smile, nodding his agreement, before shaking her bonded's hand firmly, saying, "My darling niece here has warned me of some potential foul play. Should I surmise you had no part in any of these plans?"
Damon shook his head, "No. Although I could see how having you out of the picture may help, it would also hurt my bonded, which I'd never do willingly. You're her family, the only family she's got left, which makes you part of the people I have to keep safe to ensure her happiness. Also, killing you serves no purpose besides temporary relief, strategically, it's a bad move."
"Fair enough, just be warned. Should anyone make a move to cross me, I'll kill everyone who's involved. Are we clear?"
"Crystal." Nodded the blue-eyed man, before stepping aside to allow him to enter. Looking at his bonded, he found her smiling softly at him, and with a raised brow, questioned, "What?"
Thea shrugged in response, "Nothing. I just love it when you get all logical and protective. Turns me on." And with that, turned on her heels and rejoined the others, giggling slightly at the raw desire and surprise she could feel coming from him.
They'd sat around the table, with the witch sandwiched in between her uncle and her bonded. The feeling of dread was flowing over her in waves, causing tiny shivers to run down her spine. She couldn't even pretend to enjoy to conversation, as she felt the beginnings of a panic attack fall over her. She shrugged out of her blazer casually, laying it over the back of her chair, hoping shedding that layer would help cool her off a little.
Damon's hand landed on her thigh, squeezing it reassuringly, but it didn't make much of a difference. Whatever was going to happen, it would affect her in a tremendous way. She'd be in emotional pain, and someone would lose their life.
Closing her eyes, she stood up slowly, excusing herself with a small voice, before heading into the nearest bathroom. She had to figure out what they'd been planning, and that meant magic.
She pulled the small blade from her pocket, running it over the already scarred skin of her wrist. She watched as her blood ran into the sink in crimson rivulets, before she shut her eyes tightly, and focused her magic on her precognitive abilities. They were latent, weak. Often, they offered nothing more than feelings, rather than directions or proper information. But with a boost of her magic, she could direct them, hone them on her target, and the information she wanted to acquire.
She could see clearly now, they had the dagger. John and Alaric had been planning on stabbing Elijah with it, after dipping it into the white oak ash. It would not kill him, but immobilise him. Desiccate him until it was removed. And it would succeed, seeing as humans could wield the dagger with no problems, but vampire would die.
Snapping her eyes open, she stared at her own reflection, watching as her eyes became crimson with anger, and the glass splintered beneath the power of her rage. Rick had lied after all, so had Stefan.
They did not care about her, only Elena. And whatever could be done in the name of helping her, would happen, anyone else who may be hurt be damned. Thea and her emotions, and her pain be damned. Once more, the people she'd trusted had conspired to betray her, to hurt her. Once more, her family would be at risk, for someone else's safety.
Watching as her wound began sitting itself together, she closed her eyes once more and sent her uncle a message, her plan to mitigate this situation, and flip the table to their benefit. She finished it off with a simple request, one that would only be heard by him.
Play along.
Washing the sink, until it became smooth alabaster once more, she breathed in sharply, telepathically relaying everything she'd figured out to her bonded, and asking him to met her in the study, along with her uncle.
She waited for them there, pacing along the length of the room worryingly. The door opened quietly, and the two men stepped inside, closing behind them. Immediately, her bonded walked to her, grabbing onto her previously injured arm, and raising her wrist to his eyes, frowning at the newest scar there. The girl sent a wave of reassurance his way, before Elijah asked, "What you told me, is that what they've got planned?"
Sensing Damon's confusion, she explained quickly, "they brought the dagger. This whole thing was a ploy for John and. Rick to stab uncle E, and get rid of him, under orders form Stefan and Elena. I don't exactly know the details of their plan, but I do know that it should work. And I've got an idea."
Quieting her voice to a whisper, she began explaining her thoughts to the two men, hoping nothing would go wrong, and she'd still have her family by the end of the night.
—
The rejoined the remainder of the party after that, and the witch found herself seated beside her bonded, as John questioned Elijah regarding his plans to kill his brother.
"What I'd like to know, Elijah, is how do you intend on killing Klaus?"
The man in question chuckled good-naturedly, "Gentlemen, there's a few things we should probably get clear right now. I allow you to live solely to keep an eye on Elena. I allow Elena to remain in her house living her life with her friends as she does as a courtesy. If you become a liability, I'll take her away from you and you'll never see her again."
"And the blood-witch?" Questioned John, tilting his chin in her direction, "What about her? Are you going to take her away too?"
Elijah tilted his head to the side, before asking, "I would, except none of you seem to care for her well-being. Apart from her bonded, of course. My niece is perfectly capable of wiping the existence of anyone who threatens her, that she chooses to not do so, only points to the goodness of her heart, and her pure intentions. I should hope you all come to appreciate the value and rarity of her loyalty, before you squander it away."
"Besides," she intervened in a mocking tone, "if my safety was contingent on you, John, I'd probably be dead in a minute or two. Seeing as this is your pattern, after all."
Suddenly, Rick stepped up behind hr uncle, and thrust a dagger through his chest. Thea watched in horror was he pulled it out, and Elijah dropped to the floor, seemingly dead to the world. He was desiccating slowly, his skin turning grey, veins protruding from it, eyes wide open, staring unseeingly at the ceiling.
The witch froze. She couldn't speak, couldn't move from her spot. Damon's voice was whispering across her thoughts, his emotions flowing warmly into her, but she felt numb. Turning, she looked at a regretful Alaric with tear filled eyes, before a sob burst out of her lips. Her head was thrusted into her bonded's chest, and he picked her up, and sped them to their room. Placing her on the bed, he began quickly gathering their items, before pulling out a duffle bag and slinging it over his shoulder. He slowly walked to her, kneeling, as he whispered, "We're gonna go, okay. Just you and me for a couple of days. No Alaric, John, Stefan or Elena. No one but the both of us."
Thea didn't respond, simply nodded her agreement, before she found herself picked up again, and they began heading down the stairs.
"Damon, wait! Where are you going?" Questions Alaric, running after them.
The blue-eyed vampire turned to him with a menacing glare, voice hissing out dangerously from between his lips, "If you come any closer, I will rip your heart out, and we'll finally get to see if that ring of yours can fix that. You've done enough, Alaric. Clean up your mess, and tell my brother and his girlfriend that if I hear from either of them, I will kill them, consequences be damned. You've all done enough." Nodding his head towards his unresponsive girlfriend, he snarled, "Hope you're happy. Hope you're glad Elena's happy and safe now."
—
He hadn't been lying when he said he'd found them someplace isolated. The cabin they were in was in the middle of some woods. There was a river nearby, and a clearing where the stars shone brightly. It was decorated in shades of neutrals and beige, calm tones that worked to bring one's anxiety down.
The girl was seated on the bed, quiet. That was until the door knocked, and she ran towards it, flinging it open with a bang, and wrapping her arms tightly around their guest.
"It's alright, little one. Your plan worked perfectly." Mumbled Elijah softly, running his hand through her hair the same way a parent would, comfortingly, and lovingly.