"What matters most is how well you walk through the fire." - Charles Bukowski
19. The Last Dance
Bonnie and Elena were seated next to her on the couch, waiting as she signed her names on the boarding house lease papers. This had literally been how her morning had begun, she'd woken up, had a banana shoved down her throat by her concerned bonded, before the avalanche of people descended upon their peacefulness, in the form of Bonnie, Stefan and his human toy.
Currently, Thea was staring as the lawyer shuffled through the papers, handing her the final one.
"Please sign here and here." He said, pointing to the corresponding places.
She complied, watching as he collected them all and repacked them in his briefcase.
"So this place is all yours? They just gave it you?" Asked Bonnie in wonder.
"For now. If I'm the only owner, then I'm the only one who can invite a specific kind of person in here, and since my instincts are unbeatable…"
"A personalised safe house, for both you and Elena."
Looking at her, the blood-witch grinned widely, "Pretty much."
The brunette human huffed in response, crossing her arms petulantly. Smirking at her, Thea looked back at her friend and explained, "She's jealous they gave it to me and not her. Not like there's a list a mile-long of accomplishments under my belt or anything."
Walking away, she could hear the witch chastising the human for her unreasonable behaviour, and she chuckled, opening the door for the lawyer. Waving him away with a respectful, "Thank you, Mr. Henry."
She looked back at the two vampires, before gesturing with a flourish, "Would you like to come into my house, Ace?"
The blue-eyed man grinned, walking past the threshold and wrapping an arm around her waist. Stefan meanwhile, groaned, "Are we really going to do this?"
"You'd deserve it too, after every shitty thing you've done to me lately. But, I'm not that awful, come in Stefan, hopefully you won't push me into a murderous rage." She retorted, frowning at him.
He walked in, turning to look at hr with apologetic eyes, "Are you ever going to forgive me?"
The blood-witch shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly, "I don't know. Maybe when looking at you stops hurting, maybe when I forget that you don't actually care about me."
"You have perfect recall, you can't forget anything." He replied.
"Exactly, that's your answer."
She felt a small kiss being dropped on the top of her head, and looking up at Damon, she smiled lightly, "I gotta go. Today's a school day, and I can't miss anymore, without at least showing my face."
"Whoa, hey, no. We didn't create a safe house for you to leave it." H retorted, grabbing onto her forearms.
Stefan looked behind her, noticing both Elena and Bonnie arriving with their bags, and his eyes widened comically, "Yeah, guys, Klaus is out there. We know that."
"Sure, but we don't know where. And none of us are willing to just keep letting our lives fly by. Plus, I can take him. You keep forgetting that I'm not as weak as Elena." Sensing that he was still. Reluctant, sh rolled her eyes, walking outside and adding, "You're enrolled at school too, dumbass. Just come with us if it's gonna help give you peace of mind. And before you mention it, Ace." She looked back at her bonded, and smiled, "I'll keep you updated, and you'll be able top feel if anything happens. Don't worry."
She'd taken her seat next to the witch in Alaric's class. The kids were passing around a poster for the 60's decade dance, and when Bonnie showed it top her with a smile, she groaned, "Why the 60's? Why not pick a more interesting decade, at least in terms of fashion? Like either go Renaissance, all poofy ball-gowns and shit, or go 20's, flapper dresses and Jazz. But not the fucking 60s!"
"You're coming." Replied the witch, "I don't care if I have to drag you there naked, kicking and screaming, you're not missing a school dance."
"Pretty sure Ace wouldn't let me out of the house if I'm naked, but don't worry, I've already got an idea." She retorted, giving her best friend a sly wink. Perhaps she'd bust out her best Jane Birkin impression tonight, tease her bonded a little.
Her smile dropped when a sudden chill of awareness wafted over her. Electricity climbing through her veins, pricking her skin. Klaus was nearby, she could feel him, feel his blood calling to hers. Truthfully, if she'd doubted Elijah before regarding hr parentage, she didn't anymore. Her magic recognised him as being a part of it, a part of her.
Rick walked into the room, looking weirdly flustered, and Thea felt her veins sparking with static. She straightened in her seat, watching as the man's eyes roamed over the classroom when he asked, "Hello, class. What are we learning today?"
"With the decade dance tonight, we've been covering the sixties all week." Answered one of the girls in the back. Dana, Thea believed she was called.
He nodded his thanks, still looking around. She saw his eyes land on Elena for a bit, before they moved along, and stilled when they met hers. Whatever he'd been saying clearly died in his throat, "The, uh, ahem…" he looked confused and amazed, and the blood-witch simply titled her head and raised her brow in response. She didn't know what was up with him today, but she still hadn't forgiven him, and probably wouldn't for a while.
He turned back to the board, writing quickly on it and rambled, "The sixties. I wish there was something good I could say about the sixties, but...Actually, they kind of sucked. Except for the Beatles, of course. They made it bearable. Uh, what else was there? The Cuban missile thing, the...we walked on the moon. There was Watergate."
"Watergate was in the seventies. Might wanna crack open a history book every once in a while Mr. Saltzman, your memory seems to be fading." Snarked the witch in reply, smirking at him.
His eyes landed on her, and he smiled, nodding, "Right, of course. Thank you, Ms. Montgomery."
Thea narrowed her eyes at him, suspicion overflowing her mind. Something was very wrong with the man, but she'd couldn't pinpoint her finger on what. Deciding to keep observing him before she jumped to any premature conclusions, she leaned back into her seat, and sighed.
She was already regretting her decision to come to school.
—
The blood-witch had been walking towards the cafeteria, when she noticed Bonnie and Jeremy having what seemed to be a very intense discussion. Changing her course to their direction, she stopped when she heard the young boy say, "That's not fair. You can't harness the power of a hundred dead witches. It'll kill you."
"Shh!" Hushed the witch, before continuing in a soothing tone, "We don't know that for certain. You promised to keep my secret, I'm trusting you. I'm going through with this, and if you tell anyone, I swear…"
"What? What could you possibly do if you're already dead Bonnie?" Questioned Thea, stepping into their field of vision.
The two teenagers jumped, started by her sudden appearance, before Bonnie asked, "How much did you hear?"
"Enough to know you're setting yourself on a suicide mission." Retorted the raven-haired girl, raising her brows angrily.
"Look, it's the only way, and I'm willing to do it. I don't care, Thea. If it'll keep Elena, if it'll keep you safe, then I'll die. And before you complain, you know you'd do the exact same."
Walking slowly towards her, Thea nodded, "yeah, I know. But I'm a hypocrite, and I won't let you die, especially since there's a way for you to do this without selling your life."
"There isn't Te, we've looked." Said Bonnie sadly.
"In your grimoires, but not in mine. Hell, you didn't even ask my opinion, and we both know my brand of magic doesn't play by the normal rules." Taking off her mother's old ring, she handed it to her best friend, "here. This used to be my mom's, and I haven't taken it off since she gave it to me on my twelfth birthday. When you channel the witches, channel me too. I'm more powerful, and that boost alone should keep your system form overflowing, so to speak."
Bonnie took it with a small smile, hope beginning to shine in her gaze, "Okay. I trust you."
"As you should," she laughed, before quieting down and saying, "Take care of it, please. I'll be expecting you to return it to me yourself once this whole charade is done."
Arms were thrown around her, tightening their hold. Laughing she hugged her friend back, before they were both picked up by Jeremy, and they giggled loudly in response. The boy put them down, turning to look at the blood-witch with grateful eyes, "I don't know what we did to deserve having your big-brain in our lives, but I'm so fucking grateful for it anyway."
"Don't overthink it, young Jeremiah, you'll give yourself a stroke if you try and work your brain too hard." She joked in response, laughing when he tried to tackle her.
"Hey, Jer. How you doing? Are you okay at the house alone with John?" Asked a soft voice behind them. The trio tensed, Thea most of all, as they turned as saw Elena standing there, holding a lunch tray in her hands.
The boy shrugged, "It's not ideal."
"You haven't heard from Jenna, have you?"
He began waling away, telling his sister, "It looks like she's staying on campus. Look I'm...I'm late for class."
The brunette turned to the other two girls, who shrugged in response. Thinking on her feet, Thea explained, "Bonnie told him he'd have to dress up tonight, and his emo-person made a reappearance." She watched as Elena sat down with them, and questioned in an incredulous tone, "So, you're just gonna invite yourself over here?"
The human looked at hr with saddled eyes, pleading, "Can we please put the grudges aside for today? Just for today, and tomorrow, you can go back to being angry at me, and I'll go back to not understanding why you're angry act me, okay?"
"Sure," she sighed in agreement, adding, "I'll tolerate your existence today, but don't for a single second think. I'm not angry. I'm fucking fuming, and the sight of you brings out my homicidal tendencies, and if by tomorrow you're still confused as to why, then maybe Bonnie or Caroline or hell, even Jeremy, could explain it to you."
The girl sighed, before beginning to eat, as Dana walked up to their table, and looking at Thea, said chirpily, "Hey, Elena, there you are. Okay. This is going to sound freaky, but this totally hot guy just asked me to ask you if you're going to the dance tonight."
Tilting her head in confusion, she replied, "Well, tell him thanks, but I'm in a very committed, long-term relationship."
She persevered though, adding, "You could at least meet him. He'll be at the dance tonight. Look for him. His name is Klaus."
The blood-witch tensed, spine straightening, and voice faltering. Her gut instinct had been very correct after-all, Klaus had been in school. That's the only way he would have known her, or recognised her in any way. But she didn't know what he looked like, only that they resembled each other, and ignoring her two friends, who were still questioning the girl, she closed her eyes and focused on her bonded's constant presence in her mind. This was information Damon needed to know.
Ace? She asked.
His response was immediate, his concern flooding her system, What's wrong? You're scared, what happened?
Klaus was here. He saw me somehow, and compelled a human to ask me to save him a dance tonight.
Silence, and then, come home, now. We'll deal with this together. And bring Witchy and the human with you.
—
Damon was pacing across the library, hands clenched tightly at his side. Even if they hadn't been bonded, Thea could have felt the mixture of frustration and worry flowing through him, it was that prominent.
Stopping, he looked back at the gathered group, before saying, "We go to the dance then. We go, we find him, and we kill him."
Stefan snorted, shaking his head, "Yeah? And how are we going to do that exactly, we don't even know what he looks like."
"Something tells me he's not going to be sixteen and pimply." Retorted her bonded. Stepping up to him, the girl laid her hand reassuringly on his shoulder, before she said, "We have an idea of what he may look like, at least. Genetically speaking, he'd have the same bone structure as me, so high cheekbones, sharp angles. Probably not my colouring, but he wouldn't have Elijah's either, otherwise I would have brown eyes, not the current mess I do. Uncle E had told me that I have my mother's colouring, but I look like him. Best guess is, he'd be tall too. Probably similar features to me, though more masculine looking, of course."
"Why wouldn't he look like Elijah?" Questioned the human girl softly.
Thea looked at her, as the front door opened, and Rick joined them, before she replied, "Brown eyes are a dominant gene, no matter what. If my mom Amelia had heterochromia like me, but her eyes were green, then he definitely has light eyes too. Green or blue would be my best guess, otherwise, one of my eyes would be brown. That is how direct genetics work."Staring at Stefan, she asked mockingly, "Didn't you go through high school like a million times, why don't you know this? It's in the basic biology curriculum."
The green-eyed man rolled his eyes, as Elena exclaimed in realisation, "I completely forgot that he's your dad. Jesus, your own father wants to sacrifice you for the ritual."
"Yep. And here's another point to me not being able to keep any family. Either they're dead because people are scared, or they want me dead because they want people to be scared."
"Klaus is your father? How is that even possible?" Questioned Ric, eyes wide.
Thea tilted her head at him in confusion, knowing she'd previously explained this to him, while her bonded explained, "It's a blood-witch thing. Apparently, nature decided they can be impregnated by hybrids, and since Klaus is one, he got her mom pregnant when they had sex. Nine months later, out popped Thea."
"And you just believed Elijah when he told you, I mean, it sounds insane." Replied the teacher. He looked incredibly confused, as though his world had fundamentally shifted on its axis. Thea shrugged in response, "I did a blood-linking spell with him. It showed that we came from the same bloodline, that we were irrefutably family. The rest just made sense. Anyway," she added, narrowing her eyes at him slightly, "We're gonna need you to mark Ace down as a chaperone tonight, since daddy-dearest made his first move."
"Okay, so we find him and then what, hmm? What's our plan of attack?" Interjected Elena.
"Me." Retorted Bonnie. Watching as all eyes turned to her, she continued in an assured tone, "I'm the plan. He has no idea how much power I can channel. If you can find him, I can kill him."
"That's not going to be that easy. I mean, he is the biggest, baddest vampire around." Smirked Alaric in reply, looking at the witch as though he found her words amusing.
"Yeah well, then he'll have to deal with me, and apparently, on top of being insanely powerful, I've also inherited his psychotic tendencies, so I'm a hell of a lot meaner than Bons."
"It doesn't matter if he's an Original. I can take down anyone who comes at me." Added Bonnie, before looking at both girls with a wide smile, "I can kill him, guys. I know I can."
Dusting her hands, Thea looked around the room, before announcing, "Well then, pull up your big-boy and big-girl panties everyone, it's showtime."
—
She'd gotten dressed, and was currently standing in front of the mirror, trying to straighten her hair. Her inspiration had been Jane Birkin, and that infamous picture of hers at her piano. It was a fairly easy outfit to pull off, still faithful to the decade, but more fashionable than the rest of her peers. Plus, she wouldn't have to wear polyester, or anything obnoxiously colourful, which was always a win in her book.
"What are you wearing, Angel?" Came Damon's voice from behind her. Looking at his reflection, she could see his wide-eyed stare, and open-mouth. Thea shrugged in response, "What? I wasn't going to get caught dead in polyester, or funky colours. No way in hell. Plus, if I'm fighting tonight, it sure as shit isn't going to be in heels."
"Thea…" he grumbled, walking in her direction, placing his hands possessively on her ass, "I can see your ass in those shorts."
She leaned her head back into him, looking up at him through fluttering eyelashes, "I know. That's the point Ace. Plus, I have a nice ass."
"I know that, I'd just rather the rest of the school not know that too."
"Does it matter, when you're the only one who can touch it?" She questioned flirtatiously, pressing a soft kiss on his neck.
"How am I meant to focus tonight, when all I'll be able to focus on are your legs, and how gorgeous they are?" He replied, hands tightening around her butt, squeezing.
"I do have great legs, don't I?" She joked.
"Uh huh." He murmured in reply, turning her around, "And when we're back tonight, I want them wrapped around me, in nothing but those socks."
"Sex with socks on? How adventurous of you Ace." She giggled in reply, pulling his head down to hers, pressing their lips together.
He pulled away first, inhaling sharply, before his gaze softened, and his hands came to tuck her hair behind her ears, "Jane Birkin had nothing on you baby." He whispered, smiling at her.
She laughed joyously, "You recognised it! I was afraid I'd have to explain it to everyone but Caroline."
"Yes well, it's not like I was alive back then, or anything. Besides, she was hot, and she spoke French, of course I paid attention."
"French huh?" She murmured, "I think I could pull something off." Leaning close to him, she whispered in his ear, "tu t'es sculpté dans mon âme, et maintenant, quand je pense à l'amour, je ne pense qu'à toi."
"What does that mean?"
Leaning her head back, she smiled, pulling him into another kiss, as her voice flowed through his head, You've carved yourself into my soul, and now, when I think of love, I only think of you.
—
The place was crowded, kids everywhere. Looking around, Thea shook her head, tightening her hold on Damon's hand and grumbling, "He just had to make his first move tonight and force me to make an appearance huh? I'm starting to think I got my sense of irony from him too."
"Well, with an outfit like that, why wouldn't you want to come?" Questioned her bonded with a smug smile.
"I wore it for you, could just have well worn it in our room, and then watched you take it off with your teeth. Barring the socks, of course." She smirked in reply, chuckling when she saw his pupils widen with lust, and felt it spreading across their bond.
He pulled her into him, hand sliding into her back pocket and squeezing firmly, as he growled in her ear, "Don't push your luck Angel, or may just be tempted to take you in the bathroom."
She laughed, turning to him and crinkling her brows, "No way, that's unsanitary Ace. I don't want to catch chlamydia from my exposure to the sink or anything."
He chuckled in response, and stopped in front of the stage, watching as Bonnie, Stefan, Jeremy and his sister joined them. The music flowed to a stop as well, and Dana's voice rung out, vibrating through the speakers, "Thanks for being here, everybody. We have a special shout-out tonight. This is for Thea, from Klaus."
'Brown Eyed Girl' by Van Morrison began playing, and while the rest of the group panicked, Thea simply shrugged, bobbing her head slowly to the music. Feeling the bewilderment coming from her bonded, she shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly, explaining, "It's a cheap shot, one that's supposed to rattle me, but really all it did was show me he's got decent taste in music. Van Morrison rocks."
The blue-eyed vampire's eyes widened, before he turned to the remaining teenagers and exclaimed, "Thea's indifference aside, it's a party, people. Blend. Let him come to us."
He began pulling her away before they could leave, heading in Rick's direction, since the man was loitering by the drinks' table.
Thea stopped him before they could reach though, whispering, "Don't trust him. I'm pretty sure Klaus is either compelling him, or more likely, possessing him."
"How?" He questioned, horrified.
"A couple of small clues. He looked surprised when he first saw me, and when we explained to 'Rick' how Klaus is my father, for a minute, he looked as though his world had titled on its axis. The song's a clue too, I made a gripe about not having brown eyes like Elijah yesterday, and that he must have light eyes as a consequence too. He's hinting at it. I mean honestly, out of all of the songs in the 60s, he picks Brown-Eyed Girl? It's not even a dance-y song. He's taunting me, letting me know he's aware of everything."
Damon nodded, closing his eyes in exasperation for a second, before looking at her in wonder, "I keep underestimating you, and every time I think I've grasped just how observant and smart you are, you prove to me that I have so much more to discover."
She giggled in response, clutching onto his arm, and allowing her body to fall naturally into his, "I'm keeping the mystery alive, Ace. I mean, it is the spice of life, after all."
He smiled back, beginning to walk back to Alaric/Klaus, miming the perfect gentleman. In her mind, however, she could hear his thoughts whispering, keep your mind open to me. Anything you notice, any other observations you make, tell me immediately.
Deal, Ace.
They reached the man, keeping their knowledge internalised, which was hard for the young-girl. She was, effectively, standing in front of her father. Whether he was aware of her knowledge or not, and the arrow was firmly pointing to not right now, she knew, and that affected the way she thought of him, and the way she would inevitably address him.
Which is why she let Damon open the conversation, knowing he'd be less inclined to ruin their subterfuge.
"Special dedication, huh? This guy's a little twisted." Said Rick/Klaus as soon as they reached him.
Her bonded tightened his hold on her hand, pulling her deeper into him as he replied casually, "I'm not impressed."
She could see the teacher narrowing his eyes at them, a hint of anger and disapproval appearing in them, along with disappointment, asking, "No?"
Thea shrugged casually, raising a brow in feigned mockery, "I mean, it's a cheap shot. I figured after a thousand years, he'd be little more clever than that. I'd have asked for Duran Duran's 'Hungry Like the Wolf' or something, make it a little more on the nose, a little funnier. But you know, that's just me."
"That is an objectively horrible song, though." He argued back.
The girl chuckled, keeping a light-hearted smile on her face, "is it? I like it, and the irony of it would have made the situation funnier for me."
"You think this whole thing's funny?"
"Isn't it? I mean, my own father is currently conspiring to kill me, and throwing cheap taunts while he's at it. If I didn't find the whole thing hilarious, I'd delve into pure paranoia, and no one wants that. I'd rather laugh and tear hearts out frankly, much more therapeutic."
Looking up at Damon, she smirked, "That being said, I believe you promised me a dance Ace."
The vampire smiled, pulling her towards the dance-floor, but not before telling Rick, "Let me know if you see anything out of whack."
Making their way to the middle of the fray, he grabbed onto her waist, pulling her closer as he whispered, "What was that?"
"What was what?" She asked, tilting her head in confusion.
"You were taunting him, Angel. We don't exactly want to push him towards making a more dramatic move."
"I wasn't taunting him, I was talking. Everything I said was the truth, this whole thing's funny to me, especially the song choice. He could have been more creative, that's all I'm saying."
Leaning her head closer to his, she added, "Speaking of, did you notice the way he looked at you when you pulled me closer?"
"Yeah, the 'over-protective dad' look? I noticed. Didn't like it, but I noticed it alright." He mumbled back, before asking, "What was that whole thing with the Duran Duran song? When he said he disliked it, you flinched a little."
Thea sighed sadly, a nostalgic smile coming on her face, "Dad, my adopted dad I mean, hated it. Literally could not stand to hear the first guitar riff, before he'd start complaining up a storm. It just made me remember him, when Klaus said the same thing. Ironically enough, both of my fathers hate the same song. It's a similarity between them I didn't want to notice, or know."
"Are you having second thoughts about getting rid of him?"
She closed her eyes, leaning her temple against his, "Yeah, a little. But I know it's the only way. I just have a feeling that I won't be able to do it, unless he really tries to kill you or something. So…" opening her eyes, she looked at him sternly, saying, "If I hesitate, this is your reminder to take over. We can't afford to lose an opportunity like this. And I promise, I won't be upset with you."
He nodded slowly, before a wide smile took over his face, "Relax Angel. Remember last decade dance? All the vampires were like 'Arghh'!" he mimed an angry look on his face, one that dissolved into a loving smile as soon as she giggled, and continued, "And you were all badass, shoving stakes and threatening to rip organs left and right."
"And we won." She said.
"Exactly. And we'll win again, but for now…" his hand grabbed onto hers, before he spun her quickly, pulling her back into him, back against his chest. His words flowed into her neck, breath flushing down her chest as he whispered seductively, "I just want to dance with my soulmate."
Moving her hips back against him, swaying them softly, she said, "Done and done. Try to keep up baby, I am former dancer after all."
Midway through though, she noticed Stefan walking determinedly in Care's direction, as well as Bonnie and Jeremy talking. Damon tensed as he eavesdropped on their conversation, whispering, "All of this power could kill her?"
The blood-witch shook her head, "No. I gave her my talisman, she'll be pulling from me instead of all of the dead witches. Channelling maybe 50% them, 50% me. And before you complain, it won't be dangerous to me. Unlike most witches, I actually have endless reserves of magic flowing through my veins, so it won't even tire me out. Elena doesn't know though, and we'd like to keep it that way for now, before she tries to interfere and control everyone's actions like she tends to do."
She could feel his concern, and placed her hand on his cheek reassuringly, "I promise, I won't even feel the slightest bit weaker once she begins channelling my power. Don't worry, okay? Meda used to do it all the time, and I wouldn't even know until she told me, so I speak from experience when I tell you it's a very small drop. Besides, your brother is moving his brooding ass towards Care, and I want to intercept, so how about I head that way, and you go speak to Bons about your concerns?"
He kissed her softly, mumbling a quiet, "Alright" against her skin, before he began moving in the girl's direction. Thea smiled at his retreating back, heading in her best Blonde firmed's direction, reaching hr just as Stefan did.
"Hey," he said, noting her. "I just wanted to let Caroline know—"
"That Klaus is here and Bonnie can take him down? Yeah I know." Interrupted the blonde, raising her brows at him. At his stupefied expression, she sighed, tilting her head in Thea's direction as she explained, "Unlike all of you, Tee actually fills me in as soon as plans are laid out, says its safer that way, and honestly, the way everything's been going, she's right. I can't believe you only thought about telling me now, Stefan!"
He sighed, shaking his head and glaring at the blood-witch, "You can't just keep doing this behind our backs! We're a team here!"
Care interjected angrily before she did, eyes blazing in fury at Stefan's audacity, "Oh, you mean like when you told her you were going to kill her uncle, despite knowing how much shit she's been through and seen? Or when you told her that you'd tried to call Isobel for help, but got John instead? Or when you conspired with John, and you both managed to somehow guilt Rick into helping you, knowing how gutted he would be that he broke his promise to her? Or how about when you all unanimously decided her well-being didn't matter, so long as Elena Gilbert was safe and happy?" Quieting down, she looked at his stunned face, before lowering her voice and asking, "Should I keep going Stefan, or is that enough proof that if anyone's been an asshole, and playing on their own team, it's been you?"
He simply shook his head, turning on his heels and leaving without responding, and Thea looked at her best friend with grateful eyes, wondering, "How long have you been holding all of that in?"
Caroline smiled smugly in response, "Fucking forever. Honestly, he's been acting like an entitled asshole, between him and Elena making everyone's decisions for them, I'd just about had enough honestly. He needed to hear this, before he made another mistake and officially pushed everyone but his girlfriend away from him. Plus, I know how much you actually care about him, and how you wouldn't have said anything, because you're trying o keep the peace for Damon's sake. I however, am not."
She laughed, raising hr hand for a high-five, "Well, I'll be damned then. Remind me to never get on your bad side, because that was terrifying."
Care clapped her hand, giggling, "Deal."
—
She'd returned to her bonded, dancing wildly with him, until of course, Stefan intervened and pulled them outside in the hallway.
"Please tell me you didn't know that Bonnie was on a suicide mission." He asked quietly.
Damon groaned, "Oh, great. Jeremy told you and of course you told Elena."
"Yeah, I told her. You promised her no more secrets."
"Actually, I never did that. She just assumed I'd agree to her words like every other lapdog she had around here. I told you, I'm following the plan that will keep my bonded safe, regardless of the human's life, which if you'll note, has no value to me." Retorted the blue-eyed man, narrowing his eyes at his brother.
The younger boy turned to Thea, exclaiming angrily, "How the hell could you let her do this? Isn't she one of your best friends, or do you n to care about anyone's life so longs you save your own?"
Thea bean chuckling loudly, narrowing her eyes at the boy menacingly. She placed her hand on Damon's chest, sending a wave of regret over the words she knew she couldn't keep in anymore, before beginning to talk, "That's rich coming from you Stef, really. You're gonna talk to me about prioritising my own life over someone else's? Isn't that what you've been doing with mine and Elena's all along, regardless of the fact that we're both in equal amounts of danger? Giving her everything she wants, obeying her every misinformed and misguided wish, while dismissing mine, and my concerns? Did you not care about me, when you decided I didn't deserve to keep whatever remained of my family? Or when you brought John Gilbert along, knowing he would have taken the first opportunity to kill me if he could? You've veered away from brooding and angsty, right down to hypocritical and stupid."
Tilting her head, she chuckled, "here's why I'm letting this happen. Unlike your girlfriend, I firmly believe in the power of autonomy. Bonnie made a decision, who the fuck am I to talk her out of it, or hell, even forbid her from doing it? I'm not God, nor am I her parent. And I especially, am not a hypocrite. I can't keep her from making a choice, I know I would make in a heartbeat had the situations been reversed. It's her life, her power, her free-will. All things, which I hope you noticed, don't involve me at all. I let people make their own decisions Stefan. I give them my trust, and faith in their ideas and thoughts. Especially a witch of Bonnie's caliber, who's capable of far more than your tiny, hypocritical, self-serving, bovine mind could ever comprehend. So don't you dare try to lecture me, or put me in the position of blame, when really, you've brought this whole situation onto yourselves, and forced us to make these choices."
Sensing his surprise, she nodded once, before pulling away from the siblings. "I'm gonna go check on Bonnie, my best friend. Make sure she's ready and prepared to do this, and give her as much support as I can. You two figure your shit out together, but don't pull me into it. I'm done dealing with you Stefan."
With that, she firmly turned on her heels and walked towards the other two. Girls, who were clearly having an intense discussion. She knew Elena wouldn't be alright with the plan, hell, for all of her talk of autonomy and choice, she'd still intervened. Granted, she hadn't forbidden Bonnie from doing anything, merely helped her cause, but she'd added her two cents in regardless. And now, because they couldn't afford to have Elena and Stefan's horrible acting skills ruin their plans, she had to keep Bonnie's survival rate a secret, and further reinforce the notion that she was an emotionless monster to the others.
Reaching them, Elena turned to her in a rage, screeching, "How could you let her do this?"
Thea raised her hands in a gesture of mock innocence, "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know I held complete authority over Bonnie's choices and decisions…Wait a minute, that's because I don't."
"You can't let her do this Thea. You can't let her die for us!"
Narrowing her eyes at the human, she hissed, "I'm not letting her do shit Elena. In case it may have escaped your notice, and I know that's easy because you can't see beyond your own reflection, Bonnie makes her own choices. I don't make decisions for her, and I'm not about to discount her thoughts and opinions because I disagree. And I'm certainly not about to let a selfish, little human girl do that either. Especially one who hasn't got a single clue what being powerful, or self-reliant, or even a goddamn witch is like. So hear me loud and clear, doppelgänger, you're gonna back off, and let us keep you and me alive, or I swear on all that is unholy, I will paralyse you, and take you completely out of the equation until this whole thing's done. Understood?" She waited until the girl nodded her head fearfully, before turning to her best friend and asking kindly, "You ready Bons? You know what to do?"
The witch nodded gratefully, throwing a slightly aggravated look at the brunette before replying, "Yeah. Yeah, I do. Thanks for believing in me, Tee. I appreciate it."
The blood-witch shrugged, "You're a Bennett witch. Only you can know the extents and limits of your powers, so if you say you can handle this, then I believe you."
She made eye-contact with the two girls, seeing the determination steeling their gaze, before nodding once. As she prepared to head back inside, she found 'Rick' running fearfully back towards them.
"Thea!" He screamed, grabbing her attention. The girl looked at him with feigned concern, knowing this was the signal, this was the moment Klaus had chosen to reveal himself. Whatever happened next, it would determine the timeline of the entire operation, and its subsequent success.
"He has Jeremy." He panted as soon as he reached them.
"What?" Screamed the human girl in a panic, following after him, disappearing into the school's hallways. Running after them, Thea dug her hand in her pocket and sent a single text message to her only favourited number.
It's time.
—
They followed him dutifully into an abandoned hallway, and once they stopped, Elena questioned, "Okay, so where are you taking us?"
"Just a little further," he replied.
Bonnie narrowed her eyes at him threateningly, "Where's Jeremy?"
The man stopped walking, turning to them and laughing instead. "I just had to get away from that dance. The sixties, ugh. Not my decade."
Looking at Thea, he asked jovially, "I mean, whose call was that, anyway? I much prefer the twenties. The style, the parties, the jazz."
Thea nodded in agreement, as Elena wondered, "Alaric. Are you on vervain?'
Looking at the human in disgust at her slow mind, the blood-witch sighed, rolling her eyes in impatience, before saying, "Nope. That's not Rick." Looking back at the man, she mused, "I figured the first time I'd meet you, I'd at least get to see your actual face. I wanted to know if we actually looked alike."
Klaus tilted his head curiously at her, eyes widening in realisation, "You've known all along, haven't you?"
"Eh," she shrugged, "You kinda dropped the ball when you stared at me like you'd never seen me before in class. I'm gonna go on a lucky guess, and assume that's because I've got Amelia's eyes and hair, so from far away, I pretty much look like her." At his nod, she continued, unbothered, "After that, it was just a matter of observing the discrepancies in Rick's typical behaviour towards me. He's been incredibly apologetic and guilt-ridden lately, you however, are intrigued and interested. Plus, your face when you found out how related we are was a nice touch."
"You are smart, little one. I may have underestimated you." He whispered, tone slightly awed.
"Most people do. I'm used to it."
Walking slowly towards her, he began circling her, the same way, she noted ironically, that she did those she wanted to scare. Raising a single brow at him, she tilted her head, asking, "Is that supposed to scare me? Cause I do the same thing, and it normally seems to work, but right now, it's just annoying me more than anything."
Klaus stopped, staring at hr, before a small smile grew on his face, "We are more similar than it seems, little one. You may have inherited some Mikaelson in you after all."
"So I keep being told. So how do you want to do this? Retreat now peacefully, or turn it into a whole song and dance that you know won't be easy, until you eventually realise you're lacking ammo and decide to retreat?"
He chuckled softly, shaking his head, "Not to worry neither you, nor the doppelgänger are on my list tonight. She however, is." He said, looking at Bonnie.
"No can't do. Sorry. Best friend code and all. If you go after her, you go after me, and trust me, you're not gonna want to do that." She retorted, taking a precautionary step in front of the witch, shielding her from his gaze.
He couldn't reply, before a strong force sent him sailing into the wall, slamming harshly against it. Thea turned to Bonnie, shaking her head, as he slowly got up and said, "Now, did I mention that I knew a witch? You're gonna have to hit me a lot harder than that."
He ran towards her, only to find himself thrown once more into a glass display case, shattering it around him. Elena screamed fearfully, while Thea looked at her friend in worry, saying, "We need to go. Run!"
The girls complied, following after her, Bonnie locking the doors with her powers. They kept running until they reached Damon, Thea being caught deftly into her bonded's arms, as he asked, "What happened?"
"Klaus is in Alaric's body,"
"He made his move, showed himself," said Elena and Thea at the same time. When Damon nodded at the blood-witch softly, the human girl turned to him and asked in a betrayed voice, "You knew he'd possessed Alaric all this time?!"
"Thea told me when we first got here, so we've only known for about three hours now. Or suspected, anyway." He retorted, glaring at her.
"How could you not tell me? You promised no more secrets!" Exclaimed the human indignantly, crossing her arms over her chest with a huff.
"I didn't promise you jack-shit Elena, you just decided I did by yourself. And frankly, after all the bullshit you've pulled recently, neither Thea, nor I owe you anything, least of all information." He replied.
"It wasn't relevant for you to know. He would have made his move eventually, and you being aware that he'd taken over Rick's body would have done nothing but clue him in earlier about our knowledge, because you're the worst fucking liar in the universe." Thea interjected in aggravation, before turning to the pouting human, and ordering in a stern voice, "Go find Stefan." At Elena's lack of movement, she screamed, "Now!" Which sent her running.
Looking back at the other tow, she shrugged her shoulders, "What? She literally only listens or responds to me when I us my threatening angry voice. And we don't have time to deal with one of Elena's temper-tantrums right now." Locking her gaze on Bonnie's, she questioned, "You know what to do, right? Channel some of the power form your ancestors, and the rest from my talisman. I slipped a fake death spell in your pocket. It should make it believable enough for him to think he has won, until we can regroup and figure something else out."
The witch nodded, sending her a grateful smile, before making her way purposefully back down the halls. Waiting until she'd disappeared from view, Thea turned back to her bonded, "ready to put on the performance of your life?"
"Yep. Are you?"
She nodded back, grabbing onto his hand tightly, and beginning to lead him in the opposite direction from the witch. As they walked, she whispered, "I've texted him. He's on his way. Elena's gonna make her move tonight or tomorrow, and we've gotta be ready."
Damon nodded in reply, speeding them towards his brother and the human girl, intercepting them before they could open the doors.
"There you are." He said.
"Where's Bonnie?" Asked Elena.
"She's doing what she chose to do." Replied the blood-witch sternly, narrowing her gaze at the brunette, who'd begun sobbing and screaming at her words.
"Where is she?" Asked Stefan, stepping menacingly infant of Thea, who simply looked at him mockingly in return. Damon growled low in his throat at the threat, taking position in front of her, and pushing his brother back with a firm hand on his chest, "Don't come any closer. And she made her choice, don't take that away from her."
"Damn it, Damon. Where is she?" He screamed angrily.
Thea nodded at him, and slowly, they moved away form the doors, following after the couple who rushed through them.
They found Bonnie fighting Klaus with all of her might. She turned to them, sending them a small smile, before he body jerked, bending backwards naturally and she fell to the floor, still. Dead.
Thea swallowed heavily at the sight, closing her eyes as Elena began screaming for their friend. She knew Bonnie was alive, knew this was only the spell she'd given her, a spell she'd created herself, but it was still hard. It was hard and heartbreaking to see her best friend like that, a seemingly empty shell on the ground.
A wave of reassurance flowed into her, a soft as a caress, as Damon's voice said calmly, "Stefan, get Elena out of here. Thea and I'll deal with the body."
"What do you mean, deal with it?" Screeched the brunette angrily.
"The sheriff can't know about this. Last thing we need's another mysterious death."
"This is Bonnie!" She retorted, before aiming her next words at Thea, "Is this what you wanted? You killed her! This is because of you and your dad!"
The blood-witch turned her head away in response, feeling the slight sting of tears filling her eyes, as her bonded said in an angry hiss, "Get her home. Now. So I can clean this up."
She waited until she was sure the couple had left, before breaking down, folding onto herself in tears, crying for her best friend, who to her, looked very dead.
His arms wrapped around her tightly, as he soothingly whispered, "it's okay. She's gonna be okay you know that. Your spell saved her life."
Sniffling, she nodded her head, wiping her face harshly, before straightening up and turning around. She gently closed Bonnie's eyes, looking at her bonded and saying, "We gotta get her out of here, get her someplace safe to wake up."
And so they did, Damon laying the girl gently in his backseat, as Jeremy climbed in after her, placing her head on his lap, and tenderly stroking her hair. He looked up at Thea, before smiling kindly, "She told me about the spell. Said it was the only way she'd get out of this alive. So thank you."
"Of course, she's my best friend Jer. I'd do anything for her."
—
Once they'd gotten the witch settled, they headed back to the boarding house, walking in to find Stefan trying to calm down a grief-stricken Elena. Once she saw them, however, she got up and ran their way, screaming, "What did you do with her?!"
Thea sighed tiredly, as Damon turned to his brother and said, "Will you please calm her down?"
"Don't talk to me like I'm not standing in front of you!" She screeched.
"Oh, are you talking? Because to me, it looks like you're throwing a tempter tantrum and screaming, and as an adult, I make it a point to not engage in fruitless conversations." Interjected the witch tonelessly, keeping her face straight and emotionless.
"You knew! Didn't you? You knew that if she harnessed all that power, that she would die, didn't you? And you still let her do it, encouraged her even."
"Yep, I did do all of that."
Her hand came to Thea's cheek at lightning speed, but it was caught in Damon's who tightened his hold on it painfully, watching as the human flinched. Gaze cold as flint, he whispered menacingly, "You listen to me, and listen to me well. You never raise your hand to her, ever. You never raise your voice at her, you never scream, nor will you ever blame her form something she didn't do. Bonnie's alive and well, all because of Thea, and the fact that she thinks ahead of everyone. The minute we found out Klaus had possessed Alaric, we knew our initial plan was done, so my bonded intervened and came up with a spell that would mimic death, knowing that would be the only way Bonnie could get out of there alive. The only way Klaus would let her go. He had to believe it, and he did, because of Thea. So, so help me Elena, if I every catch you talking to her, looking at her the way you were today again, I'll rip your eyeballs out myself, and keep them in a jar."
With that, he pulled Thea into his arms, carrying her towards the stairs. He could feel how drained she was, how today had taken so much out of her emotionally. Meeting her father, speaking to him, understanding how irredeemable he was, on top of watching her best friend fake die, while fighting him. It was too much for a normal person, and plenty for the young witch. And the day wasn't over yet.
Their trek was stopped by Stefan, however, who intercepted them at the first stair, "You know, you could have told me."
Damon snorted, "yeah, so you could go and blab to your human, ruining all of our plans as a consequence? No thanks, I learned my lesson last time."
"You understand what you put her through?"
"Yeah, it was the same thing you put Thea through when you killed her uncle." He replied, raising his brows at Stefan smugly, before sighing and shaking his head. Whatever he was about to say though, was interrupted by the witch in his arms, "See Stefan, neither of us mind playing the bad guy, the ones who have to make the tough decisions because the rest of you are too foolish and blind to do them. We'll do it all, and stand there watching you berate us for saving your lives, watching as you begin to believe we're psychopathic or emotionless, when really, we're just smarter, more aware. Go back and play babysitter to your girlfriend, before she throws another tantrum and makes another life-altering decision that screws all of us over."
—
She'd showered and changed. Damon had fed her, and supplied her with enough coffee to make her feel alive again, and yet, she still felt somewhat numbed out. Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, she could hear him talking to Elena, who'd let herself into their room. Normally, Thea would have joined them, but she found that her tolerance for the human had depleted today, and with it, had gone any patience she may have had for her bullshit.
Standing at the door, she waited as Damon said in a clear voice, "Let me be clear about something. If it comes down to you and Thea, I will gladly let you die. I will always choose my bonded. Over anything and anyone."
The room grew quiet, before the brunette's saddled voice said, "Good night, Damon."
He responded in kind, and once the door slammed shit, sped to the bathroom, standing in front of her, eyebrows raised. "Eavesdropping, really?"
Thea chuckled, shaking her head, "it wasn't intentional. Your voices carried into here, and besides, the minute you began talking about alway choosing me, I had to listen in. You know how I love it when you get all over-protective and loving."
He nodded, a small smile on his face, before leaning close and placing a tender kiss to her lips. Pulling away, he finally noticed she was dressed in a pair of jeans, clearly heading out.
"Going somewhere this late?"
She sighed, "Elena's about to discover our trap. I'm gonna go wait with uncle E at the prescribed meeting place. No way in hell am I missing that reveal."
"Do you want me to come with?" He asked in concern, frowning at the exhaustion he felt coming off of her.
Shaking her head, she pecked him on the cheek, "nah, I'll be alright. It's more emotional exhaustion than physical. Besides, Elijah's almost as protective over me as you, so you know I'm in good hands." Walking towards the door, she turned back to him just before she stepped out, murmuring, "hey, I love you Ace. No matter what."