~ Chapter Eighteen: I didn't know it'd be like this ~
"That you like someone means that you are misunderstanding that person in your own way."
- Shin Woo-Yeo (My Roommate is a Gumiho)
Thursday, 3rd June 2010
Backyard, Bennett residence.
Bonnie dodges the punches thrown at her by Michael. Bonnie swiftly moves to the side just as Michael falls forward. Bonnie turns to frown at her cousin crouching on the ground only to gasp when Michael turns to throw his hands upwards from the grass. Small-sized ice spears fly towards her causing Bonnie to stumble back, but she gathers herself and stands her ground.
"How?"
"It's called morning dew," Michael answers, turning and standing up straighter with a smirk.
Bonnie flexes her fingers, "The ice, smartass."
Michael chuckles, "It's a skill I've been practicing over and over to grasp. Perhaps you've heard it. It's called... training" he finishes raising his hands.
Bonnie smirks an uneven smile, only for it to drop at the sight of all the morning dew rising behind her cousin. She gasps, watching Michael magically manipulate the water droplets into solids. Musket balls made of ice.
Bonnie feels the buzz of excitement in her body, "You're not the only one," she says, opening her hands to fireballs ready in her hands.
"Since when?!" Michael exclaims at the sight of Bonnie creating her own fire.
"Being a vampire demon helps a lot in mastering advanced magic quicker."
"Lucky. Are you ready?" Michael asks, feeling the excitement electrify his skin.
"Bring it."
Mixed with his own force and magic, he pushes the musket balls of ice to fly towards Bonnie at bullet speed. Bonnie instantly clasps her hands together, bringing the fire together, then pulls her hands apart and pushes them outwards, creating a fire shield in front of her. Bonnie lowers her hands, causing the fire shield to diminish in front of her. Bonnie smirks, watching the balls of ice melt against her guard or fly past her. Michael and Bonnie quietly stare at each other only to turn into a peal of full-blown laughter.
"Michael Bennett!"
They stop laughing.
Rosario continues yelling from the kitchen, "You better get your ass inside before I-"
"Coming!" Michael yells, rushing off into the house.
Bonnie laughs only to whisper, "Oh no," when she catches sight that some of the musket ice balls that passed her went through the kitchen window. Luckily, the window didn't shatter.
Bonnie turns around and stretches her arms up in the air to get rid of the tight knots in her shoulders. Bonnie tenses when she hears footsteps. Humans wouldn't overhear it, but it was clear to her Bonnie's ears. She turns and blocks the punch with her left arm and retaliates with her right hand aimed at the person's throat. Bonnie growls, annoyed when the person wraps their free hand around her wrist, blocking her move, and sweeps her feet with their leg causing Bonnie to fall back. Bonnie lets out an embarrassing squeak when she falls back, and recognition is on her face when she gets a clearer vision of the stranger.
Damon Salvatore.
"Of course," she thinks, feeling Damon quickly let go of her wrist, and his hand goes to the back of her head to cushion her fall.
Damon looms over her with a smirk. "Guess the little witch still needs training," he teases.
Using her speed, Bonnie flips Damon onto his back and holds his arms up above his head, "You were saying?" she teases back.
"Can't say I'm mad at this position" Damon's eyes roam over her face.
"Of course you wouldn't be," she says playfully, bringing her face closer and places a chaste kiss on his lips, "Morning."
Bonnie releases her hold, readying herself when Damon grabs her waist and rolls them, causing her to laugh loudly. Damon smiles at the sound of her laughter, and now at sight below him, he smugly moves his head down, ready to kiss her.
Damon pauses when he hears hurried footsteps, only a breath from Bonnie's lips. Bonnie chuckles when she feels Damon's aggravated sigh fan her face.
She wraps her arms around his neck, "Sorry," she whispers.
"20 bucks, everyone! Pay up!"
They turn their heads to see Sora holding his hands out to Michael and Alexis.
Bonnie laughs, slightly confused, "Hi Sora," she says from the ground.
Sora smiles briefly at Bonnie and opens his mouth but is stopped by Marcus jogging towards the group only to look at Damon and Bonnie, "When did this happen?!" he questions in a rush.
"Last night," Bonnie answers.
Marcus groans, "Do you take partial payments? I haven't done a coven mission in a while, and my uncle hasn't given me my allowance."
"Sounds like someone hasn't been budgeting," Alexis mutters under her breath.
Sora chuckles hearing her and tells Marcus, "You're good, O'Donnell. I'll keep track till you've made full payments."
Marcus places the back of his hand on his forehead "My hero," he swoons dramatically, causing Sora to laugh as he accepts Michael and Alexis's money.
Sora looks down at the $40 placed in his hands from Alexis.
"Robbie's payment too," she explains.
Marcus pouts, "Show off," he mumbles, poking his tongue out at Alexis.
Bonnie unwraps her arms while Damon falls to the side with his arms still around her waist, "Is it always like this?" he asks, motioning to the bickering teens.
Bonnie smiles and nods at the sight and looks at Damon, "Always. If you want to be with me, you're gonna have to get used to the coven being in our business."
"New witch has no issue fitting in."
"Why are you jealous, Mr. Salvatore?"
Damon scowls, "Mr. Salvatore is my father. And no, I'm not jealous."
Bonnie hums, "Well, you don't need to be"
Damon stands up and helps Bonnie up. Making their way to the group, she asks, "So everyone in the coven was in it?"
"Yep. Except for Tyler," Sora says, placing his gathered payment in his pants pocket.
Bonnie hums, surprised, "Thought Ty would be the first on this."
"Tyler said he didn't want to bet on your sex life," Alexis said.
Bonnie raises an eyebrow at Alexis, "Is he not well?"
Sora laughs lightly, "That's what Matt asked."
"Why are we gathering?" Rosario asks as everyone looks at her. Rosario sees Damon's arms around Bonnie's shoulder, "Oh hell looks like I'm getting some money," she finishes with a smile holding out an open palm out to Sora, "Cough it up."
"Not everyone has paid, Mrs. Bennett. However, I promise that you will get half your cut."
"Who's left?"
"Matt and Mr. Bennett," Sora said.
Bonnie looks between her aunty and Sora, "So only you and Sora betted that something would happen at Veil?" she asks.
"It's always the hunt," Rosario answers knowingly.
"And you looked damn beautiful in that dress," Sora adds with a soft smile.
Bonnie feels Damon's hand tighten slightly on her shoulder while her hand naturally goes to his back. To comfort him? Assure him? Bonnie doesn't know. Lately, she has been acting on instincts when it comes to Damon Salvatore.
Looking at Michael and Alexis, "Wait, what date did you two bet on?" Bonnie asks.
"Matt, Robbie, and I betted that it would be today after seeing you hunt" Alexis looked at Damon, "We thought you would have some self-control there."
Damon chuckles, looking down at Bonnie, thinking of the exact moment he lost control. Bonnie feels her face heat, knowing what moment he was thinking of.
Michael clears his throat, "I was hoping next week. But, again, I doubted Damon's self-control."
Bonnie looks to Marcus, who answers, "Monday."
"Monday?" Bonnie repeats, wondering how Damon and herself would have gotten together the day they coven got the Immortal stone pieces.
"Yep. Monday, and you two were keeping it a secret."
"Keeping it a secret would be the last thing I want to do" Damon looks down to Bonnie, "Unless Bon-Bon wanted to."
Bonnie looks up to him and shakes her head with a chuckle.
"Yeah, well, you could've lied," Marcus mutters, crossing his arms over his chest, a little upset to have lost the bet.
Bonnie looks to her aunty, "Wait, what did Uncle Gab say?"
Everyone looked at each other, snickering at the remembrance of Gabriel Bennett's answer.
"Oh honey, he was always going to lose with his answer of never," Rosario jokes and smiles at Bonnie, snickering at the answer because, of course, her uncle would say that.
Rosario walks towards the couple and stands in front of them.
"I told him he has to stop being in denial again," she says and smiles at Damon.
Damon sees the smile but isn't sure it is towards him, "Now you know who Bonnie is. You know our coven and what we are capable of should you hurt her. But, first, we will help her bury you."
Rosario turns around and claps her hands, "Let's leave these two lovebirds alone," she says.
They follow Rosario into the house, leaving Damon and Bonnie alone.
"Any chance you can compel your coven to forget they saw us?"
Bonnie raises her eyebrow at his suggestion.
Damon turns to place his hands and her hips, pulling her closer, "What? Sneaking around and trying to be quiet. You would have to practice lowering your vocals."
"I am not loud," Bonnie exclaims, hitting his chest playfully.
"Oh, you definitely are," Damon teases, leaning into the crook of her neck. He inhales her scent feeling his inside calm but feels the excitement burn through his veins. Bonnie's magic. One of a kind. Bonnie wraps her arms around his neck, humming in the feeling of peace when Damon wraps his around her waist hugging her.
They stay like this, soaking up the silence and their presence at this moment. It scares and fascinates Damon of his feelings and being with Bonnie at this moment. The stillness was never something he would achieve or enjoy when it comes to relationships, but here he was in a moment he wanted to remember forever.
Damon lifts his head and looks down at Bonnie. She sees the veins creep under his eyes for a few seconds, "Have you fed?"
He nods, "I'm okay. Being this near to you will be something I will have to get used to. I want to get used to it."
"Are you kidding me?!" they hear Gabriel's voice yell in the house.
"Now my uncle will have to get used to it, too," Bonnie says.
"My brother is finally here."
Bonnie hears Stefan's voice greeting Michael, "For his memories."
Damon nods, "How exactly does this spell work?"
"I will need to have Stefan's complete trust in me. My conscience will be entering his mind. The more trusting the person is, the more control I will have of walking through his memories. Stefan will also be able to help me pinpoint the memory we are looking for."
"If you don't have his trust?"
"It's his mind. Everyone is always stronger than who has permission to be in their head," she says, tapping Damon's forehead. She moves her hand to cup the side of his face, her thumb brushes back and forth over his cheek, "But it also depends on the hierarchy of beings. Magic created vampires. It's why witches can't be compelled. Humans become vampires hence why humans can be compelled. I am a hybrid. A witch and vampire from Lucifer's creation."
"Making you powerful enough to compel or enter a vampire's mind."
Bonnie nods, "I do have an advantage of fighting back a vampire, forcing them to have no control of their mind, but doing so is a risk of doing more damage to their mental state that I won't be able to fix. So it's a delicate process and one I don't take lightly."
"It's why I prefer blood memories," Bonnie thinks.
"We get blood and straight to the point," Adara adds, knowing that Bonnie would agree with the demon, "Remind me again why we are not doing that? We excel with blood memory spells, and we've already had a taste of Stefan."
"We also tend to drain the vampires, Adara, and I'm not about to give a past ripper a taste of our blood."
"Now, you're no fun."
"Like what that old O'Donnell did to Katherine in the tomb?" Damon questions hiding his worry for his brother.
"It is similar. Except, the moment Katherine attacked was enough for Scott to capture her to gain tighter control of being in her head. To not risk hurting himself, he made Katherine relive the memories she was hiding to the point she believed that it was her reality that she had no control of her movements but to watch and feel everything of those moments. All Scott would do then is watch from the outside. When the vampire trusts the witch with the memories, they will be able to watch the memories. In a way, Stefan will be a guide for me in his head."
"Will he be in pain?"
"Knowing Stefan, he will feel guilty of seeing his past since you've said that he was a ripper vampire. So we will search his memories first. The blood memories will be the second tactic if it doesn't work. Blood memories are similar to the spell, except I would just need his blood for a stronger bond into his mind. Stefan is in safe hands, Damon."
Damon nods, pushing aside the minor distrust of how far the coven will go to get their answers from Stefan, and smiles at Bonnie, "My brother lives off swimming in guilt, so if anything, this will be a party for him."
Bonnie rolls her eyes to Damon's statement, "You know you and Stefan are not so different when swimming in guilt. You just hide it better."
"I will take that compliment."
Bonnie smirks at him and stands on her tiptoes to place a chaste kiss on his cheek, "That was not a compliment," she whispers in Damon's ear.
"Come on," Bonnie says, moving out of grasp and grabs his hand.
Damon smiles a small smile interlacing their fingers as he happily follows Bonnie into the house.
Living room, Bennett residence
Sitting on the couch, Rosario looks at Stefan seated across from her.
"Are you going to be okay with Bonnie going through your memories?" Rosario asks Stefan.
Stefan nods, "Yeah. Anything to help."
Rosario smirks, looking briefly at her husband. Gabriel's arms crossed over his chest as he leaned against the entry casing. Rosario looks back at Stefan, "That is not what I asked."
Stefan chuckles nervously, "I don't want her to be afraid of me," he admits, already thinking of their delicate friendship. However, looking at his past and what he has done may make Bonnie stay away from him. Permanently.
"I took a lot of lives," he gulps, "Innocent lives."
Rosario leans forward in her seat and places her hand over Stefan's knee. "Are you still that ripper now?"
Stefan shakes his head immediately in response.
"Your past won't scare me, Stefan," Bonnie voices, causing everyone in the living room to watch Bonnie and Damon enter the room.
Stefan looks down, surprised at the interlaced hands, while Gabriel looks at the couple standing near him. His brown eyes narrow at sight. Bonnie lets go of Damon's hand and walks towards the couch.
"It will make me look at you differently, but it won't scare me," Bonnie states truthfully to Stefan.
Stefan nods, a little thankful for Bonnie's honesty.
Rosario looks past Bonnie and Damon to see Alexis and Robbie rushing down the stairs.
"And that's my cue," the older woman says, standing up.
"All good to go?" she asks Alexis and Robbie.
The twins nod. Rosario stands up and walks over to her grumpy-looking husband. Gabriel turns to look at his wife.
Rosario cups his cheek, "Be nice," she says softly to him, her thumb running over his smooth brown skin.
Gabriel uncrosses his arms, feeling the calmness wash over him, "I'm always nice," he mutters.
"Mmhmm," Rosario hums and places a chaste kiss on his lips, "I'll let you know if they find anything important. Don't forget to call back Ray."
Gabriel nods to his wife's orders and looks back to the twins, "Have fun, Robbie. And Alexis, don't die of boredom."
Alexis rolls her eyes, "Hope the Salvatores don't die by your hands," she replies sarcastically.
Gabriel laughs at the response as everyone waves goodbyes to Rosario and the Johnson twins. Then, Michael waves his goodbyes while coming down the stairs.
"Okay, I'm ready when you guys are," Michael says once at the bottom of the stairs.
"Marcus and Sora?"
Michael chuckles, motioning upstairs, "Marcus wanted to watch, but Mr. O'Donnell just called about the Enochian research. Sora volunteered to help sort through all the information emailed over."
"Good," Gabriel says and turns to look at Bonnie.
"Are you ready?" he asks.
Gabriel sits on the couch looking up at his niece, "Are you sure you're okay to do this?"
Bonnie nods, "Out of everyone, I'm the only one that can see memories clearly without putting Stefan through physical pain."
Gabriel raises his eyebrow, causing Bonnie to change her reply, "I'll be okay," she says.
Bonnie looked down at Stefan, "Are you ready?" she asks.
Stefan nods at the witch hybrid standing in front of him.
"You can't shut me out, Stefan. You need to allow me into your memories. If you don't, it will become painful for you that you may react and attack me. It's why they are here," she says, motioning to her uncle and her cousin seated beside Stefan.
"I understand," Stefan says.
Stefan can't help but look over to Damon leaning against the fireplace banister behind Bonnie. Damon nods curtly at his brother. His expression was telling his little brother he was here for him. Stefan looks back to Bonnie and closes his eyes, readying himself.
Bonnie raises her hands, placing them on either side of Stefan's head. Then, taking a deep breath in and out, Bonnie closes her eyes and mutters the spell's words to enter Stefan's mind.
Doing this spell was like diving headfirst into the deep end of a pool—rushes of images flood Bonnie's mind. Damon hears Bonnie's breath stutter then returns to a steady pace. Doing this spell is always dangerous. A witch has to wade through the memories that fly past. The more reluctant the person is in sharing the memories, the more painful it will be for the—case in point. When Scott searched through Katarina Petrova's memories, Scott would've destroyed every block the vampire would mentally throw up in her mind to block him. Eliminating those blocks without any care would make the person relive the memories and the emotions they felt.
When the person or vampire allows a witch to search their memories, the pain is null, like turning the pages of their stories—watching from afar, given a chance to bypass the memories like a ghost wandering the woods.
Stefan's trust in Bonnie allowed the hybrid to float through the hallway of his memories and see more evident how far she needed to go. It's a trip at times when Bonnie uses her magic to search through memory. The mind that holds people's memories is like long lit up the walkway in a blacked-out room. The memories will be floating in the air playing out. Marcus describes it as a gallery of movies playing on mute. The most present memories are always first at most and the clearest. The further you walk is when more of the memories begin to blur together, but it all depends on the witch's concentration of what they seek. This is where the witch relies on their guts to find the memory; the answers they seek. Often if the person trusts the witch performing the spell, they can bring the witch to the forefront of the memory they seek with just a thought.
Bonnie looks up to the floating waves of memories above and smiles a little when she catches a glimpse of Elena's smiling face. Then, looking away, Bonnie pauses and looks down the white-list walkway.
Stefan assisted in conjuring up the last time he saw the necklace. The scene unravels around Bonnie as she watches the past Stefan pick up the chain from the ground outside of a bar. She hears everyone screaming and running around him. They are scared and in trouble. They were running not to get caught.
"What happened?" she wonders.
Bonnie turns and walks further back into his memory. She is stopped by a glitched wall in front of her. She frowns, remembering from Scott's teaching that when someone is blocking a memory, it will take on a form of a solid barrier placed in front of the memory. To see the memory, the witch has to break it with strength and delicately to not cause disruption to the victim's mind or memory.
Bonnie frowns at the barrier. Could she call it a barrier? In front of her is a wall of Stefan's memories during these years— all tangled up. To be sure, this was the memory she needed to see. She closes her eyes and moves past the barrier into another memory before Chicago. Bonnie opens her eyes only to gasps in shock. Bonnie quickly turns away from the horrific scene of Ripper Stefan and the deaths of what looked like a village.
Bonnie stares at the glitching wall. Keeping her emotions at bay, reminding herself this was Stefan's past. Bonnie's hands touch the wall, ready to unravel the memory carefully, but the moment she touches it, Bonnie is thrown back. It looks like she would need her whole strength for this.
"Stefan, please help me see this memory," she whispers before raising her hands to break the block.
Gabriel, Michael, and Damon hear Bonnie growl in frustration. Then, Michael watches Bonnie's vampire face appear.
"Dad…" Michael says in warning.
"Wait, Michael," Gabriel orders, trusting Bonnie.
Bonnie's fingers flex, trying to break the barrier, "Show me," Bonnie orders sharply.
Gabriel raises his hand immediately, using his magic to hold Damon back the moment Stefan starts screaming.
Bonnie moves her hand away, breaking the spell looking down at Stefan, holding his head. Breaking that wall my power will cause Stefan too much pain. Someone wanted him not to remember that time.
"An Original" is all Bonnie can think of.
"Besides us, they are the only ones strong enough to compel another vampire." Adara states in an unmistakable tone.
Bonnie bites her bottom lip in thought. A memory compelled to be forgotten. Could she tear apart an Original's compulsion with her compulsion? Ridding the compulsion may restore the memory. Bonnie needed more power and a stronger footing in Stefan's mind to make such an attempt.
"Will it work?" Bonnie asks Adara.
The demon knows precisely what Bonnie's next move is, and Bonnie feels Adara's excitement.
"Now we're talking. Vampire blood twice this week. Whose life did I save for me to deserve such a blessing."
"Adara," Bonnie states sternly.
"It's your idea, and you know the answer. So why bother asking me?"
Bonnie chuckles and sits down on the coffee table to be eye-leveled with Stefan. The vampire looks up, still pained from Bonnie attempting to destroy the block in his head. Bonnie looks back to Damon, staring furiously at her for causing Stefan pain. Blue eyes against her green eyes.
"Do you trust me?"
"What did you do?!" Damon snaps at her, no longer feeling the magical hold, "You promised me."
"Watch it, Damon," Gabriel says, warningly standing up.
Bonnie holds back the urge to wince at Damon's accusing tone, "I broke the spell before I could hurt him anymore. Someone compelled Stefan to forget most of his time in Chicago before he found the necklace. I was trying to see the memories, but I need to break that compulsion on him. Do you trust me?" she repeats.
Bonnie feels her heart tighten to Damon's silence and looks away from him. Bonnie feels her anger rise from Damon's hesitation.
"Forget him. This is the safest way. We need the memory," she hears Adara remind her of their goal.
"Hold him back," Bonnie commands her uncle.
"Bonnie!" Damon yells when he sees Bonnie's vampire face appear. He tries to move forward, but a barrier blocks him. Michael stands up, rounding the couch to now stand behind Stefan.
Bonnie leans down to Stefan placing it on his shoulder, getting his attention, "Stefan, my next move may hurt a little, but I need you to trust me. Can you do that for me?"
Stefan stares at Bonnie's demonic face; into her bright red eyes. He doesn't know what she is planning, but he trusts her.
Stefan looks at his brother, "It's okay," he says.
"Bonnie, what are you doing? Don't you dare hurt him!" Damon yells, his eyes bleeding black. Gabriel strengthens the barrier against Damon. He raises his hand, ready to twist the vampire's neck, but Bonnie's detached tone stops him, "Don't. Let him watch."
Bonnie soaks up the rage she feels that Damon would think she would hurt Stefan to get what they want. She chuckles a little because Damon honestly doesn't know how much pain she can inflict on a vampire. Stefan was barely a scratched surface of how far she could go.
"Blood memory spell. Slightly upgraded," she answers, directed to Damon.
Michael places his hands on Stefan's shoulders, using his magic to hold him in his spot while Bonnie grabs him by the throat, surprising him. Bonnie's pupil dilates as she watches Stefan's pupil do the same.
"I want you to remember the first time you saw Esther's necklace," Bonnie compels him. Bonnie waits with bated breath and with her vampire hearing, then smirks when she hears his hitched breath. He's remembering.
Damon's fist clenches at the sight of Bonnie letting go of her hold and goes in and bites into the crook of Stefan's neck.
Pulling back with closed eyes, the memories of Chicago are crystal clear in her mind.
Bonnie opens her eyes and smirks, "You've been busy, Stefan," she whispers huskily.
Feeling that high from Stefan's blood and the humming built up of her magic. She wants more; she wants to drown in it. Just see how powerful she can become. Bonnie goes in and drinks more. She feels the thrill of a life in her hand. Her lips against Stefan's throat, Bonnie feels his pulse slowing down. She stops when she feels Stefan sway a little, the memories are becoming hazy in her mind. He is going to pass out soon.
Pulling back, Bonnie knows her next move might be too much for her, but Stefan is at his weakness. So she pushes on. Hoping the power of Stefan's blood flowing in her body will give her power more strength.
Ignoring the sight of Stefan's blood all over his cousin's lips, Michael can see the gears in Bonnie's mind turning.
"Bon," he says warningly, but Bonnie shakes her head almost in a drunken, giddy manner.
She is placing her hands again on either side of Stefan's head. Bonnie's red eyes stare into his compelled eyes. Using the power boost from Stefan's blood flowing in her; allows Bonnie to bond to Stefan's mind. The hold is a little unstable, but Bonnie manages it, wanting a few seconds of stability before her definite attack.
"Bonnie," Michael says, now worried when he sees blood fall from her nose.
Bonnie ignores him and shuts her eyes to concentrate.
"Break all compulsions." Stefan hears Bonnie's ordered voice in his head and takes a prolonged sharp intake of air.
A few seconds pass, and then Bonnie chuckles when she feels lightness in Stefan's mind. Like a boulder removed from the entrance of a cave. She opens her eyes, feeling lightheaded but happy that now Stefan's mind no longer holds secrets from him. The glitched wall is no longer there, the memories now playing as if they were there all along.
Bonnie bites into her wrist and puts it to Stefan's lips. His eyes widen to the taste and feel himself healing, and everything heightened. Bonnie feels Stefan tighten his hold on her wrist, wanting more. Bonnie, with her magic, slightly burns his chest with her free hand, causing Stefan to let go of his claim on her. Bonnie moves her bloody wrist away from him.
Michael lets go of Stefan's shoulders and rounds the couch to sit beside Bonnie. He hands her tissues. Bonnie watches her bloody wrist heal and takes the tissues from Michael mumbling thanks.
Wiping the blood from her lips, she looks at Stefan, asking, "Do you remember where you got the necklace?" he nods. "Do you remember everything?" he nods again, looking to the ground, ashamed. Bonnie tells him, "That is your past; you can't change it. You chose to be a ripper. Now it's time to face those moments."
Gabriel releases his hold on Damon. He isn't moving. Not remarking, but Gabriel can see the anger leaving the older Salvatore's face.
Stefan looks at Bonnie and asks, "You saw?"
Bonnie nods, "Not everything, but I saw enough to answer my question. I'm surprised Klaus didn't brag about your friendship."
"He couldn't risk it. He was on the run. They were," Stefan explains.
"They?" Michael questions.
"Klaus and his sister Rebekah," Stefan says and confirms for Gabriel and Michael what Bonnie also saw, "Rebekah was wearing that necklace when I first met them. In Chicago."
"Do you remember what she looks like?" Gabriel asks.
"I do," Stefan says.
Gabriel looks at Michael, who is already pulling out his phone, "On it, Pops," he says, putting the phone to his ear.
"Hey Alexis, we're gonna need you to chat with Stefan…." they hear Michael say as he leaves the room.
Gabriel looks back at Stefan, "We're going to need you to describe Rebekah Mikaelson for Alexis to sketch. So we can have it for our profile on the Mikaelson family."
"Are you feeling okay?" Bonnie asks her, eyeing his neck to see the puncture healed.
Stefan nods, "Your blood healed most of everything" he pauses when a not-so-old memory pops into his mind, "You saved me from the Maestri brothers."
Bonnie smiles, knowing that all compulsion was gone now. Bonnie nods and apologizes, "Sorry I had to compel you. Couldn't risk our coven's connection to Mystic Falls; Domenic would've raised havoc if he knew I was from here, plus I did kill Sebastian."
"Thank you," Stefan says, causing Bonnie to smile a little at Stefan's earnest tone. However, their moment is disrupted when they hear movement from Damon behind them. He says nothing and leaves the room, passing Michael, causing the witch to stop, confused by Damon's reaction.
"Damon," Stefan starts, but Damon is out of the house before Stefan could say another word.
Stefan looks at Bonnie, Gabriel apologetically, "Sorry about that. I should go."
Bonnie nods in understanding, "Thank you for trusting my coven."
Stefan smiles a little, "It's not just your coven. It's you that I trust," he states.
"Thank you for trusting me."
Stefan nods goodbye and leaves the house.
Once the front door shuts, Bonnie releases a defeated sigh. Michael walks back into the room, sitting beside his cousin on the coffee table. Gabriel moves to sit in Stefan's spot and takes his niece's face into his hands, cradling it.
"Are you okay?" he asks worriedly.
Bonnie smiles at her uncle's concern, trying not to think about Damon's reaction. They should be celebrating. They got evidence that Rebekah Mikaelson wore the necklace she was wearing now.
Bonnie nods, ignoring her thoughts, "I'm okay."
Gabriel stands up and places a kiss on top of Bonnie's head, "Go get some rest. You used a lot of your powers, breaking Klaus's compulsion."
"How did you know how to do that?" Michael asks.
Bonnie shrugs her shoulders, "I can't explain it. Adara was okay with my plan, but I didn't know it would work. I just followed my instinct. I ran into a wall of his tangled memories. I knew it was the compulsion, and I needed his blood to create a stronger bond before breaking through the wall."
"You know Marcus is going to lose his mind when he finds out you broke Klaus's compulsion on Stefan."
Bonnie chuckles, already picturing the dramatic witch. But, of course, the fact that Marcus was just upstairs would make him more livid that he missed out on witnessing it and helping her out.
"Can you explain why Damon reacted the way he did?" Michael asks next.
The question causes tears to well up in Bonnie's eyes and look at Michael. He immediately raises his hands in panic, patting Bonnie's shoulder in comfort, "I'm sorry. You don't have to answer that."
Bonnie shakes her head, looking briefly up at her uncle, then at Michael, "I thought Damon trusted me," she stutters, feeling the sting from the memory of Damon's distrustful expression.
Gabriel sits down, grabbing hold of Bonnie's hands. The older man doesn't want to advise about this, but he also doesn't like seeing his niece cry.
"That is something you will have to ask him, Bonnie-bear. It has only been four months since you've returned. There are all types of trust to build in a relationship; you and... Damon," he stresses the vampire's name almost in pain, causing Michael and Bonnie to chuckle, "You both are still building the foundation of it. From this friendship to more."
"Chicago," Michael says suddenly, causing the two to look at him.
"Klaus was in Chicago with Stefan. It could also be where Klaus is looking for a witch."
Gabriel and Bonnie smile at Michael's suggestion.
"Good work, son," Gabriel says proudly, patting his shoulder. He looks at Bonnie, "You go and rest," then looks between the teens telling them his plans, "I'll give Rosie a call and tell her what is happening. I trust her more in asking Stefan questions about the places they hung around in Chicago. I'll chat to Scott and Eric to look into our connections in Chicago."
"Will we go to Chicago if Klaus is there?" Bonnie asks.
"One step at a time. Let's get all our information first, but right now, you need-"
"-to rest," she says in unison with her uncle.
Bonnie stands up, "I'm going, I'm going," she says in surrender, leaving the living and making her way up the stairs.
Salvatore Boarding house - Evening.
Damon sighs, closing his eyes, frustrated with how he overreacted to Bonnie. Then, opening his eyes, Damon stares into the fire seeking the answers to why he reacted that way. Damon trusted Bonnie. He really trusted her; it wasn't just words he said for the first time in his long life. He felt it in his bones.
"Don't. Let him watch."
Damon runs his hand through his hair, remembering Bonnie's disconnected tone before she bit into his brother's neck. Was he concerned for Stefan's safety, or was he a jealous and selfish bastard?
"You're an idiot, brother," Stefan says, cutting through Damon's deep thoughts.
Damon rolls his eyes to Stefan's comment, taking a sip of his whiskey, and continues his staredown into the fire. Stefan sits down across from him.
"Please continue telling me something I don't know," Damon admits sarcastically.
"They are not us, Damon."
Damon looks across at his brother with a perplexed expression.
"We're focused when it comes to protecting Elena. Of course, we hope others outside our circle of friends don't get hurt, but if it means protecting her, then we're not afraid to cross that line. That's not Bonnie, and that's not her coven. They are always seeing the bigger picture and doing their best for no one to get caught in the crossfire. Did you really think the coven would put me in danger to get what they want?"
"You don't know that? They did that spell to Katherine in the tomb."
Stefan laughs wryly. "I think we're the last two people to make that comparison, and it's Katherine; we would have done worse. You do remember Mason?"
Damon mumbles his unpleasantries to the question as Stefan continues.
"This is Bonnie. The same girl that despite losing her Grams because you wanted Katherine out of the tomb and I wanted you gone still helped us."
"For Elena," Damon reminds his brother.
"Yes. But Bonnie didn't need to save me from Sebastian Maestri. She could've let me die and then kill him," Stefan finishes and eyes his brother. Damon knew this, but he was never going to admit that Stefan was right.
Stefan carefully states his following observation, "I know Katherine hurt you, but Bonnie is not her. She isn't going to betray you."
Damon scoffs, skulking the rest of his drink, "Of course, I know Bonnie is not Katherine. She's... Bonnie," he finishes softly, leaning forward to place his glass on the table. He keeps his hold on the glass, "But Bonnie is loyal. Loyal to her family. Her coven. If something happened and it forced her to choose between them or us..." he looks at Stefan to answer him.
"That's not going to happen," Stefan says, standing up.
Damon looks up at Stefan. "You sound awfully optimistic with that answer."
The younger Salvatore chuckles and replies, "As I said, the coven are not us. They won't put Bonnie into that situation to choose between them or us."
Damon smirks at Stefan, watching his brother leave the room. Damon turns his attention back to the fire. Maybe Stefan was right. Maybe. He winces, realizing he will need to apologize to Bonnie. Then, hopefully, she would let him talk to her.
Saturday, 5th June 2010
Flashback: Salvatore Boarding house, Sora's room
"You should return home."
Sora sits up on his bed surprised, "Grandpa…" he says in Japanese.
"Sora, you've done your part in this Prophecy. You found the Immortal stone for the Chosen One. Therefore, there is no more need for you to be there."
"Bonnie. Her name is Bonnie."
"Sora," Katsu Nakamura says sternly.
"Please," Sora stresses through the phone, "Our family is of the Elder line. It's not only our duty, but I want-"
Katus cuts off his grandson before he finishes the sentence, "Sora, You will be back home by the end of this week."
Town Square, Mystic Falls - Morning
Sora's lips form a thin line remembering the ordered tone in his grandfather's voice before he ended the call this morning. Sora tries to push it aside and focus on being in the moment. He will deal with that later; for now, he will procrastinate away from his problems. His eyes roam over the town square watching the people of Mystic Falls laugh and chat as they gather together to help set up for the movie screening event tonight. Seeing this small town come together to get ready for an event was a little surreal for a boy born and raised in the Upper East Side of New York, where a gathering consisted of an event planner, lots of money spent, and connecting with socialites. Sora is grateful for his life and how hard the Nakamura family has lived beyond their comfortability. Still, Sora couldn't help but feel more at ease with the coven than he ever did in that life. Sora could already feel his anxiety rising again, remembering the phone conversation with his grandfather again. The thought of going back home to people that only liked him because of his family name and their connections in the UES concerned Sora. He wanted to stay, help the coven and make sure Bonnie comes back to life.
"Maybe he is right. I'll end up being in the coven's way."
Sora's grip on the ladder tightened to his thought, not in the realization that was what Bonnie needed as she made her way down.
For the first time in his life, Sora is around other witches outside his family and learns from them. He likes them, and vice versa. Sora remembers he played a part in clearing up the history of the Nakamura family line and returning to the Elder coven. He needed to stay. It was his duty as an Elder line to help the coven. Sora just hoped he could convince his grandfather.
"I just don't know how to have a conversation without your commentary," Bonnie says in teasing exaggeration while stepping down the steps of the ladder, placing her feet on the ground.
Still lost deep in his thoughts, his brows knit together, confused by Bonnie's statement, "What is it?" he asks.
"There. You commented," Bonnie says jokingly, moving away from the ladder and asks, "Now do you want to tell me why you're pouting?"
Sora, at first, doesn't want to tell Bonnie, but the tone already tells him she won't leave it alone.
"I shouldn't stay, right?"
Bonnie frowns instantly to his question turning, "Who said that?"
Sora just decides to get straight to the point. Rip that metaphorical bandaid, "My grandfather wants me to return home."
"I mean, if that's what you got to do."
"You think I should go?"
"It doesn't matter what we want. What you want matters, Sora. But just so you know, the boys will be dramatic saying goodbye to you" Bonnie reminds him of his newfound friendship with the other members of the coven, in particular Michael and Marcus.
Bonnie smiles, seeing Sora turn his head, trying to be nonchalant and try to hide his smile at her comment.
Picking up the almost empty box, Bonnie walks to Sora, "What do you want?" she asks, standing in front of him.
Sora looks at Bonnie, holding back the instant answer of "You," wanting to leave his mouth. Instead, Sora takes the box from Bonnie to hold under his arm to distract his brain for a second.
Looking down into the box, he admits, "I want to stay. Not in Mystic Falls but with the coven. I've never been around witches besides my family."
"I know what you mean."
Sora looks up and sees that she means it. She understands the feeling. Bonnie moves to link her arm around Sora's free arm, and they begin their trek back to the long table set up near the center of the town square with the decoration set-ups.
"I grew up in Mystic Falls with no knowledge of being a witch hybrid or that our family was witches of an assassin coven. Michael grew up with all that to grow with his magic and with Marcus. While I had my Grams helping me handle being a witch, I still felt alone in Mystic Falls. Because I was the only witch that wants to help. Then when she passed, it made me feel more alone and unsure. The coven was in Light Haven, but I wasn't sure if I was ready to leave my life in Mystic Falls with my dad. I had my friends, but..."
"They would've never understood the pressure of being the only solution."
Bonnie nods, "Going to Light Haven was an eye-opener for me. To realize what type of people I should have in my life," she finishes with a resigned smile thinking of Marcus, Alexis, Robbie, Amerie, Scott, Eric, and Ray.
Sora sighs, placing the box on the table. He turns around to face Bonnie, "I thought my grandpa would've been more understanding now knowing the Nakamura line are Elder witches."
"Maybe he's being careful?" before Sora could retort, Bonnie continues explaining, "The Nakamura family was forced to go into hiding because of Archangel Michael's orders. Mayu helped her coven by helping Tiana create Adara. I know you want to do the same and help the coven bring me back. But, I also don't want to put your family at risk with the archangels."
"Then order me back to New York, and I will do so," Sora says, towering over Bonnie; his tone is soft yet daring. Bonnie can't help but rise to the challenge.
"So you can blame me? Or your grandfather, to be the people holding you back?"
Sora's lips form a thin line and look down when Bonnie grabs his hands, "I can't order you back because of my fears. Everyone that is helping with this Prophecy is at risk. You were forced to meet me and help me find the Immortal map, but now the next choice you make has to be your own, not forced by them" she motions her head to the sky, "or Fate."
Sora runs his thumbs over Bonnie's hands and looks at her, "I don't regret meeting you or the coven. It's the best thing that has happened in my life, and I want to hold onto it for as long as I can."
"You're not gonna lose us if you think that is what's going to happen when you go back home. Technology is pretty advanced for communication."
Sora chuckles and shakes his head, "No, I know that I won't lose contact with you guys. I'm afraid that I will not be helpful enough here or that I'll drive myself insane if I wasn't here."
Sora moves his hand to cradle Bonnie's face and tilt upwards to see the seriousness of his following words, "I want to see you come back alive and breathing. You deserve to live Bonnie Bennett the way you want to; not what they-" he motions his head upwards to the sky "-want. I want you to be happy with your family and with someone that cherishes you, even if it's Damon..."
"Sorry," he hears her mutters and tsks her.
"Never apologize for your feelings," Sora says with a teary smile that Bonnie sees. Sora places a chaste kiss on her forehead and places his forehead against hers, "From everything you've gone through, you deserve to be loved and happy."
"So do you, Sora," Bonnie says, feeling herself getting teary. They weren't together. Why did it feel like a break-up to her?
"I am. I will be," Sora breathes out when Bonnie wraps her arms around his middle. Sora wraps his arms around Bonnie and feels her place her head against Sora's chest. Bonnie breathes out relief in realization. They weren't saying goodbye to what could've been. Instead, they're accepting this is what they have. No anger, no regrets, just knowing they have another person they can turn to and understand all of them. Friendly love ready to flourish for each other that will expand for years. Sora closes his eyes, remembering his feelings and this moment.
Town square, Mystic Falls - Night
The fairy lights around the town switch on as the credits roll on the projector screen. Groups of people on the picnic blanket begin to stand up and stretch while some start to make their way to refill their drinks at the refreshment table.
Sitting crossed-legged on the picnic blanket, Sora and Bonnie look to the group of Michael, Marcus, Matt, Stefan, and Elena situated next to them. At the same time, Gabriel, Rosario, Jenna, and Alaric had put their picnic blanket behind them. Bonnie had to admit it was a lovely night and seems to have provided a good distraction since Damon didn't show up. Bonnie looks briefly at Alexis seated near her. Bonnie felt somewhat guilty that she was glad that Jeremy also didn't show up. Bonnie knew Alexis would be okay, but Bonnie also knew Jeremy would attempt to talk to her, and it would put Alexis Johnson in a sour mood. Nobody likes Alexis when she is in a bad mood.
Sora looks at Bonnie, "What was the next movie, again?" he asks as quickly as he could before yawning.
"Sleepy?" Bonnie teases at the sight of Sora, trying to cover up a yawn.
Sora quickly shakes his head only to stop from Bonnie's raised eyebrow, "Sorry, I don't usually wake up this early for town commitments or any social commitments."
"Not even for school?" Robbie questions, surprised.
Tyler chuckles, handing Caroline the picnic basket and his jacket for her to wear. He settles back down on the picnic blanket beside Robbie, "Sorry, Johnson, not everyone can be a nerd like you."
Bonnie shakes her head briefly when she hears Robbie begin bickering with Tyler and looks back to Sora, "Stardust is the next one," she says.
Sora nods and looks down at the empty bucket placed between them. "More popcorn?" he asks.
Bonnie nods, "Please."
Sora looks to the rest of the group seated on the picnic blanket, "Does anyone want anything else?"
"Oh, just grab me another drink," Tyler says
"Me too," Robbie says
Matt stands up from the picnic blanket situated next to theirs and stretches his hand out to help Sora stand up.
"Sure," Sora grunts out and stretches out the tight muscles.
"I'll come to help you," Matt says and follows Sora towards the line to the table of refreshments.
"Hey!" Tyler and Robbie say in unison and look back to see Caroline had hit their arms with two plastic forks.
"Don't be rude, you two. Go help Sora and Matt," Caroline orders them.
Alexis quickly covers her mouth to hide her laugh at the sight of her brother looking flabbergasted at their alpha wolf being ordered by Caroline Forbes.
Tyler spots Michael and Marcus in the line, "They're good. Mike and Marcus are in the line too. No wonder Matt volunteered they left him. Oh, look, even Damon and Elena are there too."
Bonnie looks over to see Damon being pulled back by Elena, but he keeps looking at Bonnie. It seems like Elena was trying to stop from coming over. Bonnie smiles at her friend's protective nature at times. Stefan standing up from his spot gets Bonnie's attention for a second. Bonnie looks away. It was a night of relaxation. Dealing with Damon was supposed to be tomorrow.
Caroline hums, displeased, "You got lucky," she mutters to Tyler and Robbie. She resumes taking out the rest of the food of the picnic basket for the second film.
Alexis makes her way to kneel near Caroline and helps her unload the food.
"Why are you feeding an army?" Alexis jokes, taking out numerous packed containers of food.
"Just this coven and Tyler," Caroline quips, causing Alexis to laugh, pleased with that response.
Stefan smiles and sits down beside Bonnie, "Stefan," she says.
"Bonnie," he responds and leans forward to whisper, "Sorry about my brother."
Bonnie feigns shock at younger Salvatore, "You are not apologizing to me for your brother, Stefan."
Stefan raises his hands in surrender, "I wouldn't dare to. He is on his own for that. I'm just sorry he is going to be your headache now."
Bonnie laughs and playfully hits Stefan's shoulder, "Oh, you got jokes now?"
Stefan laughs, turning his body from Bonnie's soft hits to stop when Damon approaches the group.
Stefan looks up and looks at his empty hand, then sees Elena looking confused from the line. He turns to Bonnie, who already nods to dismiss him, "Go and save her," she says teasingly.
Stefan smiles, feeling a weight off his shoulders from conversing with Bonnie. She didn't seem closed off from him, but then again, it was still early stage. Maybe there was hope for this friendship of theirs.
Watching Stefan walk past Damon causes Bonnie to look at Damon.
"Can we talk?" Damon asks.
"You want to rework that question? Maybe add a please," Alexis says, watching the interaction.
"Oh, Alexis, where have you been?" Caroline praises then playfully nudge Alexis's shoulder, knowing the response.
Damon grits his teeth, glaring at the two not even phased by Tyler and Robbie's warning glare thrown at him.
He looks down at Bonnie, "Can we go somewhere to talk?"
"Now?"
"Please," Damon says, holding his hand out to her.
"Fine," Bonnie states and places her hand in his. Damon helps her up. Bonnie lets her hand go out of his grasp. Damon fights the instinct to reach out to Bonnie but follows her to a more secluded area for their conversation.
"What did you want to say?" Bonnie asks, turning around.
"I shouldn't have gotten angry at you."
"Okay, that's all you have to say," Bonnie brushes past Damon. You would think Bonnie was pulling his teeth just for an apology. Stubborn, prideful vampire.
"Wait! Just. Just let me say this," Damon says in a pleading tone that stops Bonnie from leaving this conversation.
Bonnie turns and crosses her arms over her chest, waiting.
"I'm an idiot," he states.
Bonnie waits for Damon to add more to that statement, but the silence stretches, causing the hybrid to scoff.
"That's not an apology," she mutters in disbelief, uncrossing her arms, and leaves to go back to the group.
"I said I was an idiot, Bon-Bon."
Bonnie turns and snaps at Damon, "Still not it. I want to hear it from you, Damon. Why?"
"I thought you were going to continue with the spell. Despite Stefan's screaming."
Bonnie scoffs, but Damon speeds in front of her, "As I said, I was an idiot."
"You're unbelievable. You really thought we would put Stefan in danger after all this time?"
"Can you blame me? Your coven was not exactly ecstatic when it comes to the lives of Mystic Falls."
"Yeah, you're on your own, buddy," Damon's conscious state leaving this conversation like Damon lost his mind with the words he was spewing.
Bonnie laughs in disbelief. Was Damon serious?
"No, you're right, Damon. My coven doesn't give two shits about anyone here. It was so stupid of me to have saved Stefan from Sebastian Maestri. Likewise, we shouldn't have gotten Scott to retrieve the moonstone from Katherine."
"Bon-"
Bonnie cuts him off angrily, "No! And Founder's Day! My coven shouldn't have saved Stefan from the burning warehouse where Mr. Lockwood died! The night of the sacrifice! We should've just let Elena die. You're absolutely fucking right, and then John Gilbert would still be alive."
"Okay, okay, I get it," Damon says. And he did get it. He already had this commentary reminder from Stefan.
"Do you?! Because you seem to have it in your head that my coven, no. That I don't care about the people in Mystic Falls? I get that you had played hero when I left but don't say we don't care. For any town, my coven cares. We care about every plan we make to ensure the safety of everyone. The innocent lives we lose hurts us, and we make a better plan for it not to happen again."
"Do you trust me?"
"Yes," Bonnie replies with no hesitation.
"I'm sorry," he says, reaching out to her.
Bonnie pulls away from him, still in disbelief, "God, Damon. Stefan is your brother. Somewhat of a friend to me, now. I wouldn't hurt him to get what I want. I thought you knew me better."
Damon runs a hand through his hair, "Look, hearing him scream made me snap."
Bonnie reminds him, "And I broke the spell immediately. I had attempted to break the compulsion. The moment he screamed, I stopped. An Original compulsion is strong. Despite being as powerful as an Original, breaking it was still a risk. I knew I needed a stable bridge."
Damon's eye twitches at the realization, "His blood."
Bonnie nods, then proceed with her explanation, "I told you vampire blood is a strong element for me. For my vampire side but also to my witch side. When I drink vampire blood, I get rushes of memories that I am not looking for; so I get lost in my desire for their blood. But when I perform the blood memories spell to seek out a certain memory, their blood can make my magic more focused and the memory more clearer," she finishes in a softer tone.
Bonnie turns away from Damon when the memory before Chicago of Stefan's massacre on a village appears in her mind.
"Bon," he says softly, reaching out for Bonnie's hand. She lets Damon hold it.
"What did you see?"
She shakes her head, "I've heard of ripper vampires. Heck, I was afraid I would've become one but seeing someone I know in that state."
Bonnie shakes her head of the memory, "It scared me how angry it made me feel," she confesses, "I felt Stefan's exhilaration crushed by his guilt. All I could think about was the lives he took but then felt this compressing pity for him. Stefan still lives with the guilt of his choices."
Damon stays quiet, letting Bonnie speak, "It's also why I don't want to drink your blood. You may trust me to be in your head, but I may come across a memory you weren't ready for me to see. I don't want to rely on what I see in your head. I want you to show me who you are."
"You're scared of my past? There's a lot of lives I've taken and some I've enjoyed."
"I know." she looks at him, "All I know right now is that I trust you to have my back, but I also feel like I'm on the fence waiting for you to prove me wrong."
"Bon," Damon starts, but Bonnie continues.
"I know it's an unspoken thing between us of having no secrets, but I mean it. Even if you think it's to protect me, tell me, and we can figure it out together."
"Together?" he pulls her closer.
Bonnie doesn't fight him, "Damon..." she says with a small smile.
"What? You said together. We should be closed for that to happen".
Bonnie playfully narrows her green eyes at him. Damon lets out a breath of relief from being able to hold Bonnie in his arms.
"Since we are not keeping secrets, I confess that I may have been on the fence hoping for you and your coven to prove me wrong in trusting you all."
Bonnie places her hand on the side of his face, "How about we try telling each other when we're concerned about other people in the plans we make. I know I told you roughly my plans with Stefan, but I should've told you what it entails and that if the moment Stefan were in pain, I'd stop."
Damon presses his forehead against Bonnie's, "And I'll ask better questions. But, I can't promise that they won't be snarky."
Bonnie drops her hand to his chest, "It wouldn't be you if it weren't," she teases, causing Damon to chuckle.
Relaxing a little in his arms, "This is a new turn in our relationship. I did not expect this to become more than a friendship," Bonnie feels Damon's uncertainty when he stiffens to her words.
"I like you, and even though it hasn't been a day, I still want to see where this goes. So what do you say, Salvatore? Go steady with me?"
Bonnie smiles when she understands Damon's unsaid yes when he pulls her into a hug. Bonnie moves her hands to wrap around Damon's waist while he moves his head to bury it into the crook of Bonnie's neck.
"Sorry," he mumbles softly, but Bonnie hears him and moves her head back to see him better.
"Wow, Damon Salvatore said sorry twice. Maybe it was worth missing out on watch-"
Damon cuts off her teasing words with a chaste kiss on her lips, causing Bonnie to giggle and kisses him back.
Caroline nudges Alexis and motions to Damon and Bonnie walking towards them.
"Looks like it all went well," Caroline says to Alexis. They watch Bonnie roll her eyes to Damon lifting her hand to place a kiss on it.
"Damon doesn't seem like the type to apologize so quickly," Alexis says, eyeing her mentor and her new boyfriend.
Caroline barks out a laugh, "He barely apologized to Elena after snapping Jeremy's neck."
Caroline stops when she sees Alexis stiffen to Jeremy's name. Then, from the corner of her eyes, Caroline sees Jeremy approaching them.
"Oh, he better be looking for his sister," Caroline mutters protectively of Alexis, causing the witch to frown at the vampire's glare over her shoulder.
Alexis looks from Caroline to now tilt her head and see Jeremy standing behind her.
She scoffs at the sight, "You have got to be kidding me?" Alexis looks up to the night sky, "Are the planets aligned for apologies tonight?"
"Alexis…" Jeremy starts crouching to be eye-leveled with her.
Alexis looks at him, "I don't want to hear it," she says.
"Then I won't leave until you talk to me," Jeremy says, getting himself comfortable on the picnic blanket.
Alexis rolls her eyes. If she weren't so mad at Jeremy, she would be teasing how childish he was being and sounded.
"You do realize you are speaking to a witch and a vampire right now?" Caroline says.
"Alexis won't risk her powers in public, and you also know compulsion doesn't work on me."
Alexis sneers, displeased at Jeremy's stubbornness, but Caroline places her hand on Jeremy's shoulder, "I'll happily show off my strength and move you. Tonight was for this coven to relax."
"Damon missed that memo," Alexis whispers sarcastically, causing Caroline to chuckle.
Jeremy looks at Alexis, "Please, let me explain."
Alexis glares at the boy, "Explain," she seethes.
"Shhh!" Jeremy and Alexis look to see a group of people sitting on their right.
Alexis roughly grabs Jeremy's wrist standing up, and tugs for him to stand up.
"Alexis, you don't-" Caroline starts, but Alexis shakes her head.
"I'll be okay," she says and looks up quickly to see Tyler and Robbie still at the line, trying to hold the popcorn buckets being handed to them by Sora and Matt.
"Tell them I'll be okay," Alexis says, looking at the now standing Jeremy and pulls him to follow her away from everyone.
Once in the center of the town square, away from everyone, Alexis lets go of her grip around Jeremy's wrist, stepping away from him to calm her building anger.
Turning around, Alexis stomps to him, "God! Jeremy, I gave you so many times to come clean. And every time I asked, you lied to me. I told you about Derek. You know how much he hurt me."
"I know! I was going to tell you-"
Alexis cuts him off, "No! No, you weren't. You just got caught, Jeremy. But, as you said, you promised Anna."
"Tell me how I can fix this?" he pleads.
"You can't," Alexis says.
"There has to be a way for me to fix us."
Jeremy was just not getting it. "You lied to me. You knew how much that would hurt me. So it's not only I can't trust you, but I can't trust myself."
Jeremy reaches out, seeing Alexis's glassy eyes. Still, she steps back, wrapping her arms protectively around her waist, "I was suspicious of you, but every time you said it was nothing, I told myself I was just paranoid because of how easily Derek lied to me. It's not about trusting you; it's about me being able to trust my gut. So, thank you for showing me that truth."
Alexis turns, and power walks back to the group.
Jeremy watches her hastily sit down. Caroline is far away, but he can feel her glare before she directs her attention to Alexis. Jeremy looks ashamed to the ground. His closed fist tightens despite himself hurting Alexis.
"I want to hit you for hurting her," a voice says behind Jeremy, causing him to turn around and then gulp at the sight of Tyler Lockwood.
"But I promised her I wouldn't hurt you," Tyler states motioning his head to Alexis, talking animatedly to Caroline.
Jeremy looks back briefly at them, then back at Tyler, "I didn't mean to hurt her."
"But you did," he steps forward, causing Jeremy to step back a little, "You are going to respect Alexis's wishes and give her time."
Already frustrated with the situation, Jeremy can't help himself. "I don't seem to remember you being the type to respect a girl," he snips, knowing that Tyler would get his meaning.
Tyler lets out a low growl at the off comment of his past relationship with Vicki. His eyes flash red as he takes a step towards Jeremy, ready to land a punch or two to this kid but stops when he senses Robbie behind him. Robbie grabs Tyler's shoulder pulling him back, and steps between the two.
Robbie places a hand against Jeremy and Tyler's chest holding them back.
Robbie looks at Tyler, "My sister can handle her problems," he says and looks to Jeremy. "But Tyler is right. I hope you do listen to my sister's words because if you don't, it will make it harder for her to trust you again."
Jeremy looks away and leaves Robbie and Tyler alone to make his way back to Elena sadly. Robbie drops his hand and turns his attention to Tyler seeing his red eyes fade back to their natural color, "Jeremy is a human. You can't just wolf out on him."
Tyler rolls his eyes to Robbie's disapproving tone, "I wasn't wolfing out on him."
Robbie raises a hand, questioning derisively, "I'm sorry, has your eye color always been red? And don't tell me you weren't thinking of getting a couple of punches on him."
"You're stressing about nothing, Johnson."
"You need to be careful too, Ty. You can't let our emotions drive your actions. We would never forgive ourselves if you did something you would regret later."
Robbie feels his face heat up, embarrassed from the silence, and turns around quickly, walking his way back to the group. Tyler is taken aback by Robbie's words, never seeing it that way. People always told Robbie he was a little too responsible, but that wasn't a bad thing, right? Tyler may be used to doing whatever he wants because of his name, but he is now responsible for his family's safety and the Johnson family line.
Tyler laughs softly in this small group with the twins. It was very safe to say Robbie was the most responsible one out of them, but it did help that he and Alexis could tag team to remind Robbie to take a breather or help him. Tyler runs ahead to catch up to Robbie, catching the boy by surprise when Tyler throws an around Robbie's shoulder and pulls him towards him.
"Sorry, Robbie. As your Crescent Alpha, I won't go off the handle."
Robbie opens his mouth to state he didn't mean, but Tyler cuts him off, "You know what I mean. I'll learn to get a better handle on handling my emotions. Now, race you back."
Robbie nods, smiling a little, until the words register, "Hey!" he exclaims, watching Tyler take off.
The Other Side, Lilith's bedroom
Lilith smiles when she feels the dip of her bed and the familiar arms snake around her waist, pulling her towards him. Lilith feels and hears the deep sigh of relief of holding her.
Even after all these centuries, it still amazes Lilith that her presence could calm the archangel in her bed. Lilith turns around and smiles at the sight of her love. She raises her hand and runs her finger along the side of his face, her eyes memorizing his beauty. Her thumb runs along the scruffiness of his beard. The archangel opens his eyes and smiles tiredly at Lilith. She doesn't like the sight of the tired expression on his face, but she loves that he doesn't hide it from her.
"You know I'll be more than happy to help you disobey Michael's orders," Lilith says knowingly.
Archangel Samael chuckles, burying his head into the crook of his lover's neck, "I know." he murmurs, placing a chaste kiss.
Pulling back, the archangel looks at her, "They are not his orders. They are Izanami's orders."
Lilith hums in agreement and points out, "But it always works in your brother's favor."
"Hmmm."
Lilith cradles Archangel Samael's face, "What do you want to do?"
Archangel Samael lowers his guarded expressions like he always does when he is around Lilith and tells her truthfully, "Protect the new hybrid reaper."
Lilith smiles a little, "Then to do that; you must follow the orders."
"Even when the new reaper will hate me?"
"You're doubting Izanami?" Lilith questions, a little surprised. She's used to Samael questioning the actions of the other archangels, but Izanami or the other deities he never challenged their decisions. Samael always told her that it was out of his control when it came to Fate and never to question it. He's created to not challenge Fate.
Lilith notes the slight twitch in Samael's jaw to her question. "I don't like that Izanami and Michael have been working together this long to plan another Elder's death and just label it as Fate. They managed to pull strings without touching it."
"Perhaps you should see Metatron."
Archangel Samael looks at Lilith, confused.
"He guards the records of everything that happens. There must be a record of everything Michael had planned with Izanami. Something must have been done to now work in their favor. None of you knew that Michael locked away Adara. It also seems that we all don't know what happened that day of Tiana's death when she was here." she pauses when she sees a brief disheartened look on Samael's face.
"What is it?" she asks him not to let what he is thinking pass.
Archangel Samael looks into Lilith's dark brown eyes, not at all surprised by the question. She knew him too well.
Archangel Samael cradles Liltih's face bringing her closer to place his forehead against hers, "I don't want to feel like I did that time again."
Lilith leans back a little, "Like?" she questions, concerned.
"Not knowing. The last time I didn't question what my brothers and sister's plans were with the Elders was when I almost lost you and-"
Lilith doesn't let Archangel Samael finish remembering those events, "You saved me. You. They never crossed that line again."
Archangel Samael chuckles bitterly, "Because Michael got what he wanted. Weapons for the Elders."
"You cannot change the past, my love," Lilith states, "The Elder lines and their archangels have paid the price of creating such powerful weapons" she frowns, thinking of the situation so far and the possibility of Nicholas Blackwell being resurrected.
"You don't think the demon slayers will be brought back to the Elders to fight against the Blackwell witch?"
Archangel Samael looked to Lilith, interested to know, "Do you think these new Elders won't be able to handle the power?"
"The original Elders had trouble handling the powers in those weapons. The temptation of being that strong. Bonnie Bennett is lucky that her demon slayer is in the form of Adara, and they were able to merge successfully."
"The other archangels may want to protect their new witch and help them handle the powers in their demon slayers. That is if the new Elders will find them."
"That is if your brother will let them," Lilith points out.
Samael sighs, "Michael doesn't see that this plan has pushed everyone away. But, of course, the other archangels want to protect their Elder witches, maybe Raphael being the exception."
Lilith chuckles at the thought of the stubborn archangel, "Raphael just doesn't trust himself around his new Elder witch."
"Then that will be the quickest way for her to die should this war be brought to Earth," Archangel Samael breathes out a defeated sigh and lays his head against Lilith's bare shoulder, "I want to rest and stay here. With you."
Lilith hums, pleased with Archangel Samael's answer. Then, running her hands through his short hair, "Rest my love. We can speak more when you wake, but you do need to face the fate of your new reaper hybrid," she finishes softly, only to hear the soft breaths from his lips and his eyes closed. Lilith smiles and lets her head lean on top of his head. Archangels don't typically sleep, but Archangel Samael found the beauty of resting his mind. He always told her that he could lower his guard and close his eyes when he is with her. For that, Lilith doesn't take that for granted.
Monday, June 14th, 2010
Busan, South Korea - Night.
Leila takes a deep breath in and out. Her feet planted on the cemented ground of the rooftop. With her eyes closed, she invites the quietness and the calmness of the air into herself, allowing her to ground herself. It has been two days since her mom, with the help of the Kim coven, unbound her reaper side. It was still surreal how complete she felt having the powers of a witch and reaper.
Liam stands across from Leila, holding a war scythe; he patiently eyes his daughter waiting for her move.
Ready, Leila stretches out her arm and turns her palm. Relief leaves her body when she feels weight upon her palm as she quickly grips the pole of the war scythe. Every reaper's war scythe be it in Heaven or on Earth, was different. They had the essential parts of a war scythe, but the curved blade set every reaper a part. The reaper had no say in its creation, for the edge created itself to suit its owner.
Liam smiles proudly at the sight of his daughter holding her weapon. However, Liam smirks when his eyes land on the deep concave blade closely resembling the shape of a crescent moon.
Leila's voice grabs Liam's attention, "At this rate, I'll be killed before my scythe appears."
Liam shakes his head, "Your scythe may always be in your hands most of the time. We don't use scythes for battles. We use them to travel between the realms, collect souls, and create barriers to protect us. The more you use your scythe, it will feel like second nature to call upon it."
Leila nods, tightening her grip around the black metal pole, and tilts her head to stare at the silver crescent moon-shaped blade. She looks at her father's war scythe. Instantly she spots the differences in their blades. His was longer and less curved, almost like an inwardly curved rectangle with a black stripe running along the blunt edge.
"The tricky part is always making it disappear," Liam explains, releasing his hold on his scythe as they watch it disappear.
"You need to completely let go of why you needed the scythe in the first place. Do not hold on to the anger or the desire to continue the fight. You need to let it go, and the more you do that. The more in control of your emotions you are-" Liam pauses when he sees Leila catches on to his meanings.
"The more in control I will be of my scythe," she says in understanding and watches her scythe slowly disappear. Leila looks to her dad, "It's harder for humans, right?"
Liam nods, "You are emotional beings," he jokes, walking towards her. Liam places his hand on the side of her face, "That's not a bad thing, Lei," he says.
"Says the reaper."
Liam smiles, dropping his hand, "It got harder for me one time when I decided to stay on Earth. Feeling all these emotions."
Leila smirks, "For mom?"
Liam nods, "I wanted to protect her. I never realized how much my fears could feed my anger. It was how your mom figured out I was a reaper when I killed a vampire with my scythe to save her."
"Why did you come to Earth in the first place?"
"Two questions for a long story. How about I tell you tomorrow. We can be tourists tomorrow."
"We are tourists, dad."
"You are. I'm not. The last time I was here was in 1967."
Leila gawks, "Oh my god, please don't tell me you're ancient."
Liam zips his lips and walks away from his daughter, "Really, how old are you?!" she yells.
"I think it's time to eat. See you downstairs!"
"Dad!" Leila exclaims, only to chuckle at the door closing.
Her attention is caught from the vibration of her phone in her pocket. She pulls out her phone to see a message notification from Matt.
"A little early," she mumbles with a smile and swipes to open the message and laughs at the photo of Matt's sweaty self, and in the background, she sees Michael, the twins, and Bonnie lying on the ground exhausted.
"Guess who won in training," she reads out loud, followed by a chuckle to Matt's exaggeration.
"You're a quick learner," a voice stops her from texting back.
Leila tries to refrain herself but rolls her eyes. Then, putting away her phone, Leila turns around to see the tall, lanky archangel, "Picked that up from my mom."
"Hmmm"
"What do you want, Archangel Samael? I said yes to your deal."
"You're not going to change your mind?"
Leila bites her bottom lip causing the archangel to chuckle at the apparent frown on the girl's face, "Of course you won't. You hate being weak."
Leila scoffs, "So you're here to remind me how selfish I am."
"I wanted to see how you were handling your reaper abilities. I know unbinding that side of yourself this late in your life may be overwhelming for your human vessel."
Leila looks away, "It's fine," she grits out.
"Good. There isn't much your father can teach you. I will begin training you tomorrow morning. I need you ready when the Elders face Klaus."
Archangel Samael disappears before Leila could respond.
The witch-reaper looks up to the sky, "Why yes, master," she mouths snarkily.
Leila lowers her head to look out to the view from the rooftop. Leila places her hands against the ledge breathing in the air to calm herself. Archangel Samael had led her parents to believe the spell her mom created was strong enough to bind the reaper side for good. This stupid deal was the only way Leila was able to have her reaper side unbound. According to the archangel, the binding would have lasted for a good 4 to 5 years before Leila would again show signs of her reaper side.
"Why does it have to be me?" Leila wondered why it had to be her to betray the Elder coven.
Was it a coincidence the unbinding of her reaper side worked into the favor of the archangels' plans, or was this her planned fate from the day she was born?
Friday, 18th June 2010
Gloria's, Chicago, Illinois
Derek follows Klaus and Elijah into a quiet, dim-lit, empty bar. He eyes the neon sign Gloria's behind the bar.
He looks to Elijah, asking, "Why are we here?"
Klaus's booming voice fills the empty bar before Elijah could answer, "Now, this was a fun time!"
Klaus looks to his older brother, "This is where we ran to after New Orleans with our father hunting us."
"Of course you did," Elijah mutters.
Klaus looks at Derek, "You were still living those disastrous penance years of yours."
Derek rolls his eyes to Klaus's mocking tone. Even after all these, Klaus never got why Derek felt guilty about being a vampire.
"It worked in my favor because I met another ripper vampire that was almost at your level," Klaus pats Derek's cheek, "But no one can beat the one I created"
Derek moves his face away from Klaus's touch in anger.
"You have got to be kidding me," a female voice says. Derek looks over Klaus's shoulder to see a 40ish-year-old black woman with short blonde hair walking into the bar. She seems unimpressed by their appearance.
Klaus turns and smiles widely, "So a hybrid walks into a bar, says to the bartender..."
Gloria cuts him off. "Stop. You weren't funny then, and you're certainly not funny now."
Klaus laughs, loving that Gloria hasn't changed one bit, "Everyone, this is Gloria. A mighty witch I had the honor of meeting during my time here."
Derek frowns, calculating the years he separated from Klaus and Marcel. Klaus turned him in New Orleans, 1864. He left with Marcel to fight in World War One in 1918. Marcel returned to Klaus in 1919, but Derek couldn't go back to that life to Klaus. After the war, Derek wanted to help. At that time, Derek needed to find a way to save lives to balance the lives he took as a ripper vampire. Is that what Klaus defines as his disastrous penance years? Derek looks at Gloria's appearance. The woman looked to be in her mid-40ish; it's impossible.
"That was back in the 1920s, shouldn't you be-"
"Old and dead?" Gloria answers with a smirk.
Derek closes his mouth and nods.
Wanting the conversation to move a little quicker, Klaus orders Derek, "Derek, why don't you go fix a little something from behind the bar."
Derek rolls his eyes to orders sensing the Original hybrid just wanted the conversation to move quicker.
Derek looks at Elijah, "The usual?" he asks.
Elijah nods, "Please," he says, his eyes following Derek's walk to now stand behind the bar inspecting the drinks. Elijah looks at Gloria, impressed.
"That is a powerful spell. You must be a powerful witch," he says.
Elijah's compliment doesn't faze Gloria as many usually are, "Herbs and spells. But don't worry, it'll catch up to me once," she says with a wave of her hand and looks to Klaus.
"I know why you're here. A hybrid out to make more hybrid. But, unfortunately, that kind of news travels fast."
Glad to get straight to the point, Klaus asked, "So what did I do wrong? I broke the curse."
"You obviously did something wrong," Gloria states and sees Klaus is not happy with her answer. The older woman sighs and breaks it down for all of them to understand, "Every spell has a loophole, but a curse this old...means we'd have to contact the witch who created it."
"That would be the Original witch, who is dead," Elijah says.
"Very dead," Klaus adds.
Derek can't help but chuckle at Klaus's answer and turns to inspect the whiskey range. Gloria refrains from sarcastically responding that everybody knows that.
"I know. And I will need help to be able to contact her. So bring me, Rebekah."
Derek's back stiffens when he hears Rebekah's name.
Out of the Mikaelson siblings, Rebekah was his favorite. They were close; not as close as she was with Marcel, but he appreciated her. Klaus loved vampire ripper Derek and the fun they could have. Elijah was the one that would hand out warnings and clean up their mess. Kol never trusted him, and understandably so, given Kol siding with witches to take down Klaus. But Rebekah. She understood him. The restriction of living under Klaus's ruling. The need to run. She was the older sister he never had. Derek knew it must have hurt Rebekah when he didn't return with Marcel. Derek hoped she understood his reasons. Trying not to get lost in the memories, Derek looks up and frowns at the photo hanging in front of him.
"Rebekah..." Klaus chuckles, already feeling Elijah's stare. "Rebekah is a bit preoccupied."
His words don't phase Gloria, "She has what I need. Bring her to me."
Klaus sighs, "Fine, I will go fetch her," he says and turns to his brother.
Klaus places his hand on Elijah's shoulder, "Looks like you'll be reunited with our family sooner than expected."
Derek pulls the photo from the wall, "What the fuck?!" he exclaims, pausing Klaus in his thought and action to dagger Elijah and looks at Derek, annoyed in halting his plan.
"Derek. Must you use such profanity? It's unbecoming of you," Klaus says, his hand still on Elijah's shoulder.
Derek turns around, recognizing the vampire next to Klaus. Was this the ripper vampire? Was the Elder coven in danger? Alexis.
The vampire turns the photo towards everyone, "Why the fuck is Stefan Salvatore in this picture?"
AN: Hello! So sorry for the delay in this update, but I actually got editing projects sent my way, so I was kept very busy last month. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter.
Thanks for the favs, the follows, and the reviews. :D