Disclaimers: Elena Gilbert, Stefan Salvatore and friends, along with the Vampire Diaries I - IV belong to L.J. Smith. Everything else is mine. No harm intended or money made from this fic.
Notes:
~ Chapter ~
::Thoughts or telepathy::
_emphasis or italics_
* Author's Note(s)
Date posted: 5 March 2003
* I'm going to have to revise my estimated update timetable to weekly.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~ Forty One ~
The Supra pulled up to a rustic looking cabin in the middle of nowhere. The Lotus rolled to a halt alongside. Tristan must be cursing the rough dirt path that led to this location, Samar thought ironically. Oh, the impracticalities of driving a road-hugging sports car. She looked about. The place was ringed with trees, trees and more trees.
"Are you sure this is the place?" she asked, skeptical. Beside her, Makoe nodded to Leon's familiar blue Nissan sitting in the open garage attached to the cabin. Samar rolled her eyes at him and got out of the car.
She'd been forbidden to go near Tristan's car after he pointedly reclaimed the keys from her. Despite having just hunted, none of them were in particular good moods due to the bland mental messages Jerrick had been sending them.
"The nerve of the man, moving all our stuff here," Samar muttered as she stomped into cabin. She threw the light switch and paused, surprised. The interior belied its crude façade; polished wood of the walls and the furniture glowed warmly in the yellow light. The door to the right led to the garage, which proved large enough to hold all three cars and Makoe's assorted toys. The kitchen was partitioned from the living area by sliding doors. After a little experimentation, Samar decided to leave the partition open; the combined rooms formed an airy, open L-shape.
Beyond the sitting area were the individual bedrooms. The vampires identified their rooms by virtue of its contents. As promised, their belongings had been moved to the new dwelling. Samar had to grudgingly admit – to herself only – that she could not find fault with the arrangement of the items. She caught a glimpse of Tristan's room before he shut the door and was amazed at the transformation some good housekeeping had rendered on his disaster area. No doubt, given a little time, he would reinstate it to its previous public health hazard status.
A fifth room was filled with unfamiliar items, presumably Stefan's effects. And Elena's, Samar added, spotting some feminine articles on the dresser. Two bathrooms at the end of the hall. One of which, Samar noted archly, had a second door linking it to Elena and Stefan's room.
"Home sweet home," she said, sarcastic. Gosh, she must have been spending too much time with Makoe; she was beginning to sound like him. Horrible thought. "Now what?" she asked.
::We're suppose to wait for the rest of the cavalcade to arrive,:: Makoe said from within his room. He emerged shortly dressed in rags, a sure sign that he was about to go tinker with his 'baby'.
"So we hang out till then," Leon added. He was in the living area, sorting through a thick wad of mail.
"They're all coming _here_?" Samar asked incredulously.
"No. Just Stefan. And Elena, probably. As I understand it, there are a dozen or so cottages dotted around here," Leon murmured absently. Makoe had disappeared through the front door and Samar heard the buzz of the Supra's engine as Makoe drove it into the garage.
"Right," Samar said and went to find where the mysterious movers had put her hair mascara. After gleefully filling the cabin with her much-missed music, she disappeared into the bathroom with the cosmetic stick. When she emerged an hour later, the dark pink streaks in her black hair were longer and glowed sullenly in the warm yellow light.
Singing along to the music, she threw open the door to the garage to find Makoe industriously waxing his car. He was bereft of grease so Samar didn't think he had gotten to fiddling with his engine yet. Tristan was likewise preoccupied and the Lotus gleamed a pristine white beside the royal blue of the Supra.
"...take a look at my alignment later. Samar must have messed it up with her adolescent handling," Tristan was muttering at the other vampire.
"Oh, sure, blame it on me," she snapped. Huffily, she slammed the door shut. Leon was lazing on the couch, reading some letters. "I'm going to take a walk around," she told him.
"Be careful," he reminded, looking up. "Yeah, yeah, I know," she said as she shut the door behind her.
* * *
"What?"
"Kick them out?" "But the healers–" "We'll be losing some half-decent fighters. Our fighting force would be sorely reduced."
Crystal flung up a hand to silence the varied and simultaneous objections. "Firstly, this isn't a discussion; it's a briefing. I'm not asking for any opinions. Secondly, don't tell me you're willing to work with vampires – or with people who do." Confronted with this challenge, no one uttered a word. There was a pregnant pause during which the rustle of hair on clothing sounded loud. Crystal let a silence stand pointedly before adding flatly, "If your sympathies lie with them, leave now. There's no place for you here." The harsh pronouncement was met with more silence as she stopped to see if anyone moved. When no one did, she snapped, "Then get out there and pass the word on to your teams."
Her gathered lieutenants rose and departed to carry out their orders. All except two.
"Crystal," Taura said when they were alone. Cat-like green eyes fastened on her and there was a strange guardedness behind them. "What about the Old Ones?"
The graceful deep auburn eyebrows rose. "What _about_ them?"
"Are we abandoning that mission?" the elfin huntress asked.
"Since Jerrick has chosen to fight fire with fire, I don't see how he needs us anymore. And we certainly aren't going to work with vampires." Crystal's gaze grew piercing, fixed as they were on her. "Are we?"
Taura struggled to keep her expression bland. She shot a look at Karen, standing silently beside and slightly behind her. The blonde markswoman looked apathetic, clearly not objecting to their leader's words.
::Well, she's not the one who has an axe to grind!:: Taura looked back at Crystal, pursing her lips unhappily. The redheaded huntress was watching her like a hawk. There was a stillness about her, a waiting that seemed to dare Taura to defy her. It was a tense moment before the petite fighter bowed her head in acquiescence and nodded once.
"Good. Then we are all in agreement. Now, you need to touch base with your people," Crystal said briskly, clearly dismissing them. The mismatched pair of hunters left the room silently and split up, heading for their respective unit locations.
Finding her group, Taura tersely outlined the new orders and left her subordinates to coordinate the individuals. She walked briskly towards the first floor east wing, where many of the Turned and mystics were housed.
* * *
The sound of running feet was beat urgent tattoos on the carpeted corridor as people rushed about. Turned and witch alike were scrambling to meet the seven-hour eviction edict.
Like the eye of the storm, Jerrick stood in the midst of the turmoil, calmly directing them. There was not as much that needed to be done as there might have been and some began to suspect that the quiet, crippled man was not caught unawares by Crystal's decision.
He turned away from one of the healers as she hurried off to carry out whatever instructions he had given her and looked at Taura as if he had been expecting her. A faint smile invited comment.
"Crystal says we are to pull out all support of the mission," she opened, looking uncomfortable for the first time he had ever seen and her tone was apologetic.
"Taura–"
"I'm _sorry_!" she burst out, not letting him talk, "I feel awful about leaving you and Elena on the lurch like this! Jerrick, you taught us a lot in the year you were with us! And the kills we raked up from the two vampire waves...Not to mention the Old Ones! And now we're throwing you out like so much rubbish?" Her jaw set in an unhappy angle. "I can't veto Crystal openly. My place is here..."
::You put on a good show, little one. I'll play along.::
Jerrick laid a hand on her shoulder. "It's all right. I understand your position and I'm sure Elena doesn't blame you either." He let his hand fall back to his side, then turned to a desk and picked up a pen. "However," he added, jotting something quickly on a small square of paper and offering it to her, "In case you decide to look us up, we'll be at this address for the next two weeks at least."
He met her wide eyes calmly, his expression was as bland as ever. She blinked in surprise, looked down at the white piece of paper, slipped it into her picket then pulled her frazzled wits together and nodded. "I'll...I'll go say bye to Elena," she stammered and beat a slightly hasty retreat.
Jerrick was smiling faintly as he turned his attention to the next matter that required his direction.
* * *
Elena seemed to be everywhere at once, overseeing the moving of her belongings, lending a hand to the packing, bidding some hunters farewell, calming some distressed person.
Stefan kept pace with her and wondered where she got the energy. In the blur of faces that he encountered that day, one remained constant aside from Elena's; the self-contained young man named Eiran. When they emerged from the vampires' rooms, he had been there with news of the move. From then on, the two of them had flanked Elena as she went about, Stefan on her left, Eiran on her right.
As the day progressed, Stefan got the distinct impression that he was missing something. Why did some of the others seem to defer to her so much? It was late in the afternoon when he became aware of the burning in his veins. He needed to hunt soon, he realized. A month of constant meals had accustomed him to regular feeding. He brushed aside the urge and forced himself to pay attention to what was going on around him. A petite girl was approaching Elena. Stefan thought he recognized her from the night before; the hunter who had ordered him to stop. She reminded him of–
"Bonnie!"
Elena sent him a sidelong look, confused. Now he could see that she was getting tired. "What about her?" she asked, sounding faintly irritable.
"I need to let her know what's happening. When you disappeared, I couldn't sense you and contacted her to see if there was anything she could do," he said briefly.
"You couldn't sense me?" Elena repeated and he heard her add, ::Is that why you took so long to–?:: "That must have been Jerrick's doing," she added acidly.
By now familiar with her dislike for the lame man, Stefan planted a quick kiss on the crown of her head meant to empathize and soothe. "I'll be right back," he said and went to find a telephone. He missed Eiran's impassive eyes following him as he left.
He pulled out the short list of contact numbers he kept in his wallet and dialed. "Good afternoon," he said politely when someone picked up on the other end, "May I speak to Bonnie, please." He was told to hold on and the familiar voice came through the telephone moments later. "Hello?"
"Bonnie, it's Stefan."
"Stefan! Where have you been? It's been a month! Have you found Elena?" she gasped.
"It's a long story. We're in a bit of a rush now, so I won't go into the details. I just called to let you know Elena and I are all right so you wouldn't worry. I'm sorry I didn't call earlier; I was...It's a long story," he said again wryly.
"Okay," she said after a pause. She sounded slightly dazed.
"We'll be in touch. Expect an email soon," he promised and then said goodbye. As he turned, he felt another sharp pang of bloodlust and inhaled sharply. In the next room, Elena was asking someone a question. Through the red haze, he couldn't quite make out what she was saying. A face swam into focus directly in front of him. He blinked and recognized Eiran.
The young man was taking a firm hold of his arm and steering him down a secluded corridor. Stefan found himself being seated on a bench and confronted with an exposed wrist. He looked up uncertainly, resisting the urge to grab the proffered limb and sink his fangs in.
"Drink up," Eiran said curtly.
Stefan slowly shook his head. "I don't drink human blood," he said flatly.
"Fine," the other said equably and gestured at an open window at the end of the hall. "Then go into the woods and hunt. But you're not going near milady Elena until you've fed." Stefan felt like shaking his head to clear it although he knew the gesture wouldn't help. His disoriented mind could not take in the bizarre scenario.
"What are you doing?" he asked, slightly nonsensical.
"Making sure you don't do anything stupid. I'm not about to let you near her in this state. Either feed or stay away from her." Eiran's tone had hardened to cold steel. "Or would you rather come out of a feeding frenzy and find her limp body in your arms?"
Stefan's green eyes sprang open, terror rendering him momentarily lucid. ::How did he know my greatest fear...?:: "You sound like you know what you're talking about," he said slowly.
"I do. I was in that position once." Stefan stared dumbly. "You're human," he stated. And yet...something was...off.
"I am now. But I used to be a vampire." Eiran undid two buttons of his shirt and pulled it aside to show the scar over his heart. "I got this when Elena staked me."
"Staked you?" Impossibilities flooded Stefan's mind. None of this was making sense. "Yes. She had to nearly kill me before she could change me back. We call it Turning." The material was released and the buttons closed with calm efficiency. "So, yes, I do know what I'm talking about. Later, when you're in a clearer frame of mind, I'll be happy to answer your other questions. For now, go and hunt."
After that, Stefan dimly remembered jumping from the second floor window and running towards the woods. When he came to his senses again, he held the cooling body of a chipmunk in his hands. Gauging his hunger, he doubted it was the only animal he had caught. He started back to the mansion, recalling the conversation with Eiran.
The position of the sun made him estimate that it was early evening. They would have to leave the Baron place soon. He couldn't wrap his mind around the idea, and yet...
Elena was waiting for him. "Eiran said you'd gone hunting," she said, slipping into his arms for a brief hug. "We need to go."
He nodded. "We'll need to pick up my car," he added.
"Do you need anything else from the apartment?" she asked as they walked arm in arm towards the waiting van.
"Jerrick's moved everything to the new location," he told her, and was faintly amused at her outraged reaction. She didn't say anything, but the brooding look on her face spoke volumes of her displeasure.
They were dropped off at the apartment and Stefan waved the van on. On the road again, in the familiar leather-covered interior of the Porsche, Stefan let the comfortable, companionable silence reign for several minutes. Choosing his moment, he broached the subject that had been on his mind since he returned from the hunt.
"Eiran says that he used to be a vampire." The effect of that statement was dramatic. The relaxed atmosphere shattered and he felt her entire body tense. "He said you changed him."
"Yes," she murmured but didn't elaborate beyond that. It was probably a good thing Jerrick had planted the directions to the new location in his mind earlier; he would not have known where to go, otherwise. His mind roiled like a restless stream and he gripped the steering wheel tensely. "Why didn't you tell me about it?"
"I might have...later."
"Might? You mean you might have kept it a secret?" His knuckles were turning white, he noticed abstractedly. It took conscious effort for him to ease his hold. "Why would you keep something so important a secret? If there was a possibility that I could become human again–"
"That's why I didn't want to tell you," she broke in. "I knew you would want to–"
"And why wouldn't I?" he demanded, staring at the road with greater intensity than was needed. "Elena, this might solve our dilemma. If I were human, we could have a normal life together. I wouldn't have to count each day with you as precious and dread the day when you must die and I have to go on alone!"
"Stefan, I couldn't risk it!" The desperation in her voice stopped him, captured his attention and stilling his anger. "You don't understand. The gift –Turning vampires – rules _me_. I have no control over it! It's not something I can switch off and on at will. It just _happens_," she said miserably.
"It's drawn to vampire need. Only when a vampire really wants to become human again does it emerge. And that's not all. Once it begins, there's no turning back. If the vampire only _thinks_ he wants to be human again, but deep down, clings to vampirism, if he can't embrace humanity again..." her voice was heavy with tears.
"What?" he demanded.
"He dies." The finality in her tone lent the two words weight. After a moment, she added, "I remember now. Some of them didn't make it." She turned her head to look at him and he knew without looking that her eyes were imploring. "Do you see why I couldn't risk Turning you?"
His jaw clenched as one emotion mixed with another: hope, anger, fear, shock. And against all this, rationality warred. "I see. But I could wish you had given me the choice," he said tightly. She had no answer to that and bowed her head to look at her clasped hands on her lap.
They turned off the street onto a dirt road. Had Leon seen the look on his face, he would have said that Stefan was the image of Damon. Silently, Stefan made himself a vow: If there was a chance that he would be human again – a chance that he and Elena might have a normal life together – he _would_ take it.
They arrived at the designated cabin and Stefan caught sight of Makoe's blue Japanese racing car. The garage was full, but it didn't bother him. If needed, he could no doubt find another garage among the various lodges to put the Porsche in.
Elena looked up, taking in her surroundings with a puzzled frown on her face. "Where are we?" she asked. "And where are the others?"
"They're at another – larger, I understand – house, not far into the woods. This is the lodge Jerrick assigned the vampires." At her skeptical look, he quirked an ironic eyebrow. "He had your things put with mine. He thought you might want some time away from him."
In response, Elena's face grew stony. She reached for the door handle, but he stilled her with a word, "Elena." She turned to him, eyes wide and expression vulnerable. "This conversation – about my being Turned – it's not over yet," he warned quietly. "We'll talk about it some more. Later." Then he got out of the car, locked it when she had shut the door, keyed the lock and walked with her towards the front door.
Full dark was falling around them.
* * *
Samar was up in a tree. The vantage point gave her a good view of the proceedings farther away and negated her disadvantages lack of stature as well as providing her with adequate cover to spy without being spotted.
She saw the humans and witches unpacking and carrying various items of luggage and boxes into the building. The way the smaller lodges were scattered about this large, clubhouse-like building made her think of a retreat of some sort, with secluded cottages for rent and a central building for administrative or bed-and-breakfast facilities. She had checked out the other cabins. All were ready to receive occupants, but only the vampires had been allocated one.
::Now why didn't Jerrick just put us all in one building?:: she wondered. ::That place could definitely accommodate all of us. What's he up to now?:: As she watched, she decided to find out.
She waited until the entire cavalcade of cars had been unloaded and parked and everyone was indoors before creeping up to one of the lighted windows. Cautiously, she peered in. It turned out to be a kitchen, filled with bustling bodies. She resisted the urge to grouse impatiently and noticed that many of the humans were leaving, save a handful that was apparently on clean-up duty.
The next window she peeked into held a bunch of witches, reading or talking quietly among themselves. Samar caught the words 'Baron' and 'hunters' once or twice before she moved on. She hit pay dirt in the room she spied on; nearly twenty humans were sitting or perched on various surfaces or standing, all facing Jerrick. The redheaded lame man was ensconced in an overstuffed armchair. On his right was a good-looking man with sun-streaked blond hair and light brown eyes who held himself like a fighter.
Jerrick lifted a hand to indicate the blonde. "You've heard Alvin's account of what happened." He nodded to Alvin, who returned the gesture and left the room. After he had gone, Jerrick addressed the attentive humans. "Some of you have been wondering what will happen now. Some of you have your guesses. The time has come to stop the speculation."
His head turned as he looked at each face. "Without Trent, we have no safe outlet for the Power left by the unmade Old Ones. But if Elena can channel that Power into Turning, then there is hope, and we can proceed," he said firmly.
"You'll leave tomorrow to find unwilling vampires, as you once were. Find them and bring them back here. Alvin and Eiran estimated that fifty vampires were Turned the last time. Each of you must find at least three others for us to have a safe number to channel Power into."
He stood and swept both hands in a grand gesture at the assembled humans. "Turned. It is your time now. Elena needs your help," he intoned.
::Samar.:: Leon's untimely call distracted the silent spy from the unanimous calls of acquiesce from every listener. ::It's late and you were gone for so long. Are you all right?::
::Yes, worrywart,:: she sent back tartly, annoyed. ::I'll be back in a bit. Now hush.:: She tried to concentrate on the happenings inside the room, tried to understand what Jerrick had been talking about. ::They were vampires? But they're human! Jerrick had called them Turned? What?:: thoughts raced madly through her head as she tried to make sense of it all. ::Elena changes vampires back into humans?:: The incredibly possibility roused shock, disbelief and...a kind of terrified hope.
A hand clamped down on her shoulder. She knew from the grip that the person was human, even before she whirled around. She crouched in an attack position, fangs sliding out threateningly. It was the golden boy who had been in the room.
"Now, now, none of that," he murmured. He held out a hand as if to ward off attack, but Samar felt her body go numb and paralyzed. He was a witch, then. She glared at him as he took hold of her. "Don't glare at me. Jerrick wants a word with you," he informed her, picking her up and carrying her around the building to the nearest door.
::How the – hey – did you creep up on me without my hearing you?:: she demanded telepathically.
"Cloaking spell, of course," he replied airily, adding insult to injury. She continued to stare daggers at him while he brought her to Jerrick. He, in turn, nonchalantly ignored her gaze.
They finally arrived at the room she had been peering into. It was empty now; the only occupants were Jerrick and another human. "Ah, Alvin, thank you. You can put her over there," the mild-mannered redhead gestured to a chair opposite him. The witch did as he was told and withdrew, pausing at the door to release her from the spell.
Samar drew breath to give voice to her outrage, her nostrils flaring aggressively.
"How much did you understand of what you heard?" Jerrick smoothly beat her to speaking first. "I know you were out there, so there really isn't any point in denying it."
Samar's hazel eyes narrowed on him. He might seem harmless but she wasn't fooled by his appearance. "You had questions just now. Why not ask them now?" he went on, watching her as Leon might. When she remained stubbornly silent, he gestured to the other man, seated quiet and still to her right.
"This is Eiran. Do you notice anything strange about him?" Jerrick asked.
Unwillingly, she turned her head and studied him. He looked human, and yet, there were hints of a vampire in the way he held himself and in his not-quite-earthly appearance. The longer she stared, the more amazed she became. Finally, he spoke.
"I was a vampire once, made one against my will. I hated every moment of my existence then. One night, I couldn't stand it anymore. I wanted so badly to be human again. And then Elena appeared and she granted my wish. She changed me back," he said. Simple words lent eloquence by the world of feeling they held. "We, who have been changed, are called the Turned."
All her earlier emotions returned with a vengeance; fear, skepticism, disbelief, shock, hope, longing. The contradictory emotions met and clashed. Skepticism won and she looked sharply at Jerrick. "Yeah, right," she spat out. "Nice try, Jerrick, but I'm not falling for your lies. Whatever it is you're trying to get me to do, you can forget it. I'm not falling for your scheme."
"If you don't believe me, all you need to do is ask Elena about it. She has no reason to lie," Jerrick replied calmly.
Samar barely heard him. She shot to her feet and stalked to the door. "Hah!" she said derisively, slamming the door behind her.
Eiran rose as if to follow, but Jerrick waved him back into his seat. "Let her go. It's all right."
The quiet young man looked at the man who had been his leader before Elena's awakening. "What was that all about?" he asked curiously.
"An appeal. Elena vowed to use her gift to help unwilling vampires. To refuse to go along with the plan would make her foresworn," Jerrick said, leaning into the chair, looking satisfied.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* If you read this, if you like it, if you hate it, please let me know! Your feedback _really_ makes a difference. Thank you to those who have responded to my appeal. Love ya! =)
Notes:
~ Chapter ~
::Thoughts or telepathy::
_emphasis or italics_
* Author's Note(s)
Date posted: 5 March 2003
* I'm going to have to revise my estimated update timetable to weekly.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~ Forty One ~
The Supra pulled up to a rustic looking cabin in the middle of nowhere. The Lotus rolled to a halt alongside. Tristan must be cursing the rough dirt path that led to this location, Samar thought ironically. Oh, the impracticalities of driving a road-hugging sports car. She looked about. The place was ringed with trees, trees and more trees.
"Are you sure this is the place?" she asked, skeptical. Beside her, Makoe nodded to Leon's familiar blue Nissan sitting in the open garage attached to the cabin. Samar rolled her eyes at him and got out of the car.
She'd been forbidden to go near Tristan's car after he pointedly reclaimed the keys from her. Despite having just hunted, none of them were in particular good moods due to the bland mental messages Jerrick had been sending them.
"The nerve of the man, moving all our stuff here," Samar muttered as she stomped into cabin. She threw the light switch and paused, surprised. The interior belied its crude façade; polished wood of the walls and the furniture glowed warmly in the yellow light. The door to the right led to the garage, which proved large enough to hold all three cars and Makoe's assorted toys. The kitchen was partitioned from the living area by sliding doors. After a little experimentation, Samar decided to leave the partition open; the combined rooms formed an airy, open L-shape.
Beyond the sitting area were the individual bedrooms. The vampires identified their rooms by virtue of its contents. As promised, their belongings had been moved to the new dwelling. Samar had to grudgingly admit – to herself only – that she could not find fault with the arrangement of the items. She caught a glimpse of Tristan's room before he shut the door and was amazed at the transformation some good housekeeping had rendered on his disaster area. No doubt, given a little time, he would reinstate it to its previous public health hazard status.
A fifth room was filled with unfamiliar items, presumably Stefan's effects. And Elena's, Samar added, spotting some feminine articles on the dresser. Two bathrooms at the end of the hall. One of which, Samar noted archly, had a second door linking it to Elena and Stefan's room.
"Home sweet home," she said, sarcastic. Gosh, she must have been spending too much time with Makoe; she was beginning to sound like him. Horrible thought. "Now what?" she asked.
::We're suppose to wait for the rest of the cavalcade to arrive,:: Makoe said from within his room. He emerged shortly dressed in rags, a sure sign that he was about to go tinker with his 'baby'.
"So we hang out till then," Leon added. He was in the living area, sorting through a thick wad of mail.
"They're all coming _here_?" Samar asked incredulously.
"No. Just Stefan. And Elena, probably. As I understand it, there are a dozen or so cottages dotted around here," Leon murmured absently. Makoe had disappeared through the front door and Samar heard the buzz of the Supra's engine as Makoe drove it into the garage.
"Right," Samar said and went to find where the mysterious movers had put her hair mascara. After gleefully filling the cabin with her much-missed music, she disappeared into the bathroom with the cosmetic stick. When she emerged an hour later, the dark pink streaks in her black hair were longer and glowed sullenly in the warm yellow light.
Singing along to the music, she threw open the door to the garage to find Makoe industriously waxing his car. He was bereft of grease so Samar didn't think he had gotten to fiddling with his engine yet. Tristan was likewise preoccupied and the Lotus gleamed a pristine white beside the royal blue of the Supra.
"...take a look at my alignment later. Samar must have messed it up with her adolescent handling," Tristan was muttering at the other vampire.
"Oh, sure, blame it on me," she snapped. Huffily, she slammed the door shut. Leon was lazing on the couch, reading some letters. "I'm going to take a walk around," she told him.
"Be careful," he reminded, looking up. "Yeah, yeah, I know," she said as she shut the door behind her.
* * *
"What?"
"Kick them out?" "But the healers–" "We'll be losing some half-decent fighters. Our fighting force would be sorely reduced."
Crystal flung up a hand to silence the varied and simultaneous objections. "Firstly, this isn't a discussion; it's a briefing. I'm not asking for any opinions. Secondly, don't tell me you're willing to work with vampires – or with people who do." Confronted with this challenge, no one uttered a word. There was a pregnant pause during which the rustle of hair on clothing sounded loud. Crystal let a silence stand pointedly before adding flatly, "If your sympathies lie with them, leave now. There's no place for you here." The harsh pronouncement was met with more silence as she stopped to see if anyone moved. When no one did, she snapped, "Then get out there and pass the word on to your teams."
Her gathered lieutenants rose and departed to carry out their orders. All except two.
"Crystal," Taura said when they were alone. Cat-like green eyes fastened on her and there was a strange guardedness behind them. "What about the Old Ones?"
The graceful deep auburn eyebrows rose. "What _about_ them?"
"Are we abandoning that mission?" the elfin huntress asked.
"Since Jerrick has chosen to fight fire with fire, I don't see how he needs us anymore. And we certainly aren't going to work with vampires." Crystal's gaze grew piercing, fixed as they were on her. "Are we?"
Taura struggled to keep her expression bland. She shot a look at Karen, standing silently beside and slightly behind her. The blonde markswoman looked apathetic, clearly not objecting to their leader's words.
::Well, she's not the one who has an axe to grind!:: Taura looked back at Crystal, pursing her lips unhappily. The redheaded huntress was watching her like a hawk. There was a stillness about her, a waiting that seemed to dare Taura to defy her. It was a tense moment before the petite fighter bowed her head in acquiescence and nodded once.
"Good. Then we are all in agreement. Now, you need to touch base with your people," Crystal said briskly, clearly dismissing them. The mismatched pair of hunters left the room silently and split up, heading for their respective unit locations.
Finding her group, Taura tersely outlined the new orders and left her subordinates to coordinate the individuals. She walked briskly towards the first floor east wing, where many of the Turned and mystics were housed.
* * *
The sound of running feet was beat urgent tattoos on the carpeted corridor as people rushed about. Turned and witch alike were scrambling to meet the seven-hour eviction edict.
Like the eye of the storm, Jerrick stood in the midst of the turmoil, calmly directing them. There was not as much that needed to be done as there might have been and some began to suspect that the quiet, crippled man was not caught unawares by Crystal's decision.
He turned away from one of the healers as she hurried off to carry out whatever instructions he had given her and looked at Taura as if he had been expecting her. A faint smile invited comment.
"Crystal says we are to pull out all support of the mission," she opened, looking uncomfortable for the first time he had ever seen and her tone was apologetic.
"Taura–"
"I'm _sorry_!" she burst out, not letting him talk, "I feel awful about leaving you and Elena on the lurch like this! Jerrick, you taught us a lot in the year you were with us! And the kills we raked up from the two vampire waves...Not to mention the Old Ones! And now we're throwing you out like so much rubbish?" Her jaw set in an unhappy angle. "I can't veto Crystal openly. My place is here..."
::You put on a good show, little one. I'll play along.::
Jerrick laid a hand on her shoulder. "It's all right. I understand your position and I'm sure Elena doesn't blame you either." He let his hand fall back to his side, then turned to a desk and picked up a pen. "However," he added, jotting something quickly on a small square of paper and offering it to her, "In case you decide to look us up, we'll be at this address for the next two weeks at least."
He met her wide eyes calmly, his expression was as bland as ever. She blinked in surprise, looked down at the white piece of paper, slipped it into her picket then pulled her frazzled wits together and nodded. "I'll...I'll go say bye to Elena," she stammered and beat a slightly hasty retreat.
Jerrick was smiling faintly as he turned his attention to the next matter that required his direction.
* * *
Elena seemed to be everywhere at once, overseeing the moving of her belongings, lending a hand to the packing, bidding some hunters farewell, calming some distressed person.
Stefan kept pace with her and wondered where she got the energy. In the blur of faces that he encountered that day, one remained constant aside from Elena's; the self-contained young man named Eiran. When they emerged from the vampires' rooms, he had been there with news of the move. From then on, the two of them had flanked Elena as she went about, Stefan on her left, Eiran on her right.
As the day progressed, Stefan got the distinct impression that he was missing something. Why did some of the others seem to defer to her so much? It was late in the afternoon when he became aware of the burning in his veins. He needed to hunt soon, he realized. A month of constant meals had accustomed him to regular feeding. He brushed aside the urge and forced himself to pay attention to what was going on around him. A petite girl was approaching Elena. Stefan thought he recognized her from the night before; the hunter who had ordered him to stop. She reminded him of–
"Bonnie!"
Elena sent him a sidelong look, confused. Now he could see that she was getting tired. "What about her?" she asked, sounding faintly irritable.
"I need to let her know what's happening. When you disappeared, I couldn't sense you and contacted her to see if there was anything she could do," he said briefly.
"You couldn't sense me?" Elena repeated and he heard her add, ::Is that why you took so long to–?:: "That must have been Jerrick's doing," she added acidly.
By now familiar with her dislike for the lame man, Stefan planted a quick kiss on the crown of her head meant to empathize and soothe. "I'll be right back," he said and went to find a telephone. He missed Eiran's impassive eyes following him as he left.
He pulled out the short list of contact numbers he kept in his wallet and dialed. "Good afternoon," he said politely when someone picked up on the other end, "May I speak to Bonnie, please." He was told to hold on and the familiar voice came through the telephone moments later. "Hello?"
"Bonnie, it's Stefan."
"Stefan! Where have you been? It's been a month! Have you found Elena?" she gasped.
"It's a long story. We're in a bit of a rush now, so I won't go into the details. I just called to let you know Elena and I are all right so you wouldn't worry. I'm sorry I didn't call earlier; I was...It's a long story," he said again wryly.
"Okay," she said after a pause. She sounded slightly dazed.
"We'll be in touch. Expect an email soon," he promised and then said goodbye. As he turned, he felt another sharp pang of bloodlust and inhaled sharply. In the next room, Elena was asking someone a question. Through the red haze, he couldn't quite make out what she was saying. A face swam into focus directly in front of him. He blinked and recognized Eiran.
The young man was taking a firm hold of his arm and steering him down a secluded corridor. Stefan found himself being seated on a bench and confronted with an exposed wrist. He looked up uncertainly, resisting the urge to grab the proffered limb and sink his fangs in.
"Drink up," Eiran said curtly.
Stefan slowly shook his head. "I don't drink human blood," he said flatly.
"Fine," the other said equably and gestured at an open window at the end of the hall. "Then go into the woods and hunt. But you're not going near milady Elena until you've fed." Stefan felt like shaking his head to clear it although he knew the gesture wouldn't help. His disoriented mind could not take in the bizarre scenario.
"What are you doing?" he asked, slightly nonsensical.
"Making sure you don't do anything stupid. I'm not about to let you near her in this state. Either feed or stay away from her." Eiran's tone had hardened to cold steel. "Or would you rather come out of a feeding frenzy and find her limp body in your arms?"
Stefan's green eyes sprang open, terror rendering him momentarily lucid. ::How did he know my greatest fear...?:: "You sound like you know what you're talking about," he said slowly.
"I do. I was in that position once." Stefan stared dumbly. "You're human," he stated. And yet...something was...off.
"I am now. But I used to be a vampire." Eiran undid two buttons of his shirt and pulled it aside to show the scar over his heart. "I got this when Elena staked me."
"Staked you?" Impossibilities flooded Stefan's mind. None of this was making sense. "Yes. She had to nearly kill me before she could change me back. We call it Turning." The material was released and the buttons closed with calm efficiency. "So, yes, I do know what I'm talking about. Later, when you're in a clearer frame of mind, I'll be happy to answer your other questions. For now, go and hunt."
After that, Stefan dimly remembered jumping from the second floor window and running towards the woods. When he came to his senses again, he held the cooling body of a chipmunk in his hands. Gauging his hunger, he doubted it was the only animal he had caught. He started back to the mansion, recalling the conversation with Eiran.
The position of the sun made him estimate that it was early evening. They would have to leave the Baron place soon. He couldn't wrap his mind around the idea, and yet...
Elena was waiting for him. "Eiran said you'd gone hunting," she said, slipping into his arms for a brief hug. "We need to go."
He nodded. "We'll need to pick up my car," he added.
"Do you need anything else from the apartment?" she asked as they walked arm in arm towards the waiting van.
"Jerrick's moved everything to the new location," he told her, and was faintly amused at her outraged reaction. She didn't say anything, but the brooding look on her face spoke volumes of her displeasure.
They were dropped off at the apartment and Stefan waved the van on. On the road again, in the familiar leather-covered interior of the Porsche, Stefan let the comfortable, companionable silence reign for several minutes. Choosing his moment, he broached the subject that had been on his mind since he returned from the hunt.
"Eiran says that he used to be a vampire." The effect of that statement was dramatic. The relaxed atmosphere shattered and he felt her entire body tense. "He said you changed him."
"Yes," she murmured but didn't elaborate beyond that. It was probably a good thing Jerrick had planted the directions to the new location in his mind earlier; he would not have known where to go, otherwise. His mind roiled like a restless stream and he gripped the steering wheel tensely. "Why didn't you tell me about it?"
"I might have...later."
"Might? You mean you might have kept it a secret?" His knuckles were turning white, he noticed abstractedly. It took conscious effort for him to ease his hold. "Why would you keep something so important a secret? If there was a possibility that I could become human again–"
"That's why I didn't want to tell you," she broke in. "I knew you would want to–"
"And why wouldn't I?" he demanded, staring at the road with greater intensity than was needed. "Elena, this might solve our dilemma. If I were human, we could have a normal life together. I wouldn't have to count each day with you as precious and dread the day when you must die and I have to go on alone!"
"Stefan, I couldn't risk it!" The desperation in her voice stopped him, captured his attention and stilling his anger. "You don't understand. The gift –Turning vampires – rules _me_. I have no control over it! It's not something I can switch off and on at will. It just _happens_," she said miserably.
"It's drawn to vampire need. Only when a vampire really wants to become human again does it emerge. And that's not all. Once it begins, there's no turning back. If the vampire only _thinks_ he wants to be human again, but deep down, clings to vampirism, if he can't embrace humanity again..." her voice was heavy with tears.
"What?" he demanded.
"He dies." The finality in her tone lent the two words weight. After a moment, she added, "I remember now. Some of them didn't make it." She turned her head to look at him and he knew without looking that her eyes were imploring. "Do you see why I couldn't risk Turning you?"
His jaw clenched as one emotion mixed with another: hope, anger, fear, shock. And against all this, rationality warred. "I see. But I could wish you had given me the choice," he said tightly. She had no answer to that and bowed her head to look at her clasped hands on her lap.
They turned off the street onto a dirt road. Had Leon seen the look on his face, he would have said that Stefan was the image of Damon. Silently, Stefan made himself a vow: If there was a chance that he would be human again – a chance that he and Elena might have a normal life together – he _would_ take it.
They arrived at the designated cabin and Stefan caught sight of Makoe's blue Japanese racing car. The garage was full, but it didn't bother him. If needed, he could no doubt find another garage among the various lodges to put the Porsche in.
Elena looked up, taking in her surroundings with a puzzled frown on her face. "Where are we?" she asked. "And where are the others?"
"They're at another – larger, I understand – house, not far into the woods. This is the lodge Jerrick assigned the vampires." At her skeptical look, he quirked an ironic eyebrow. "He had your things put with mine. He thought you might want some time away from him."
In response, Elena's face grew stony. She reached for the door handle, but he stilled her with a word, "Elena." She turned to him, eyes wide and expression vulnerable. "This conversation – about my being Turned – it's not over yet," he warned quietly. "We'll talk about it some more. Later." Then he got out of the car, locked it when she had shut the door, keyed the lock and walked with her towards the front door.
Full dark was falling around them.
* * *
Samar was up in a tree. The vantage point gave her a good view of the proceedings farther away and negated her disadvantages lack of stature as well as providing her with adequate cover to spy without being spotted.
She saw the humans and witches unpacking and carrying various items of luggage and boxes into the building. The way the smaller lodges were scattered about this large, clubhouse-like building made her think of a retreat of some sort, with secluded cottages for rent and a central building for administrative or bed-and-breakfast facilities. She had checked out the other cabins. All were ready to receive occupants, but only the vampires had been allocated one.
::Now why didn't Jerrick just put us all in one building?:: she wondered. ::That place could definitely accommodate all of us. What's he up to now?:: As she watched, she decided to find out.
She waited until the entire cavalcade of cars had been unloaded and parked and everyone was indoors before creeping up to one of the lighted windows. Cautiously, she peered in. It turned out to be a kitchen, filled with bustling bodies. She resisted the urge to grouse impatiently and noticed that many of the humans were leaving, save a handful that was apparently on clean-up duty.
The next window she peeked into held a bunch of witches, reading or talking quietly among themselves. Samar caught the words 'Baron' and 'hunters' once or twice before she moved on. She hit pay dirt in the room she spied on; nearly twenty humans were sitting or perched on various surfaces or standing, all facing Jerrick. The redheaded lame man was ensconced in an overstuffed armchair. On his right was a good-looking man with sun-streaked blond hair and light brown eyes who held himself like a fighter.
Jerrick lifted a hand to indicate the blonde. "You've heard Alvin's account of what happened." He nodded to Alvin, who returned the gesture and left the room. After he had gone, Jerrick addressed the attentive humans. "Some of you have been wondering what will happen now. Some of you have your guesses. The time has come to stop the speculation."
His head turned as he looked at each face. "Without Trent, we have no safe outlet for the Power left by the unmade Old Ones. But if Elena can channel that Power into Turning, then there is hope, and we can proceed," he said firmly.
"You'll leave tomorrow to find unwilling vampires, as you once were. Find them and bring them back here. Alvin and Eiran estimated that fifty vampires were Turned the last time. Each of you must find at least three others for us to have a safe number to channel Power into."
He stood and swept both hands in a grand gesture at the assembled humans. "Turned. It is your time now. Elena needs your help," he intoned.
::Samar.:: Leon's untimely call distracted the silent spy from the unanimous calls of acquiesce from every listener. ::It's late and you were gone for so long. Are you all right?::
::Yes, worrywart,:: she sent back tartly, annoyed. ::I'll be back in a bit. Now hush.:: She tried to concentrate on the happenings inside the room, tried to understand what Jerrick had been talking about. ::They were vampires? But they're human! Jerrick had called them Turned? What?:: thoughts raced madly through her head as she tried to make sense of it all. ::Elena changes vampires back into humans?:: The incredibly possibility roused shock, disbelief and...a kind of terrified hope.
A hand clamped down on her shoulder. She knew from the grip that the person was human, even before she whirled around. She crouched in an attack position, fangs sliding out threateningly. It was the golden boy who had been in the room.
"Now, now, none of that," he murmured. He held out a hand as if to ward off attack, but Samar felt her body go numb and paralyzed. He was a witch, then. She glared at him as he took hold of her. "Don't glare at me. Jerrick wants a word with you," he informed her, picking her up and carrying her around the building to the nearest door.
::How the – hey – did you creep up on me without my hearing you?:: she demanded telepathically.
"Cloaking spell, of course," he replied airily, adding insult to injury. She continued to stare daggers at him while he brought her to Jerrick. He, in turn, nonchalantly ignored her gaze.
They finally arrived at the room she had been peering into. It was empty now; the only occupants were Jerrick and another human. "Ah, Alvin, thank you. You can put her over there," the mild-mannered redhead gestured to a chair opposite him. The witch did as he was told and withdrew, pausing at the door to release her from the spell.
Samar drew breath to give voice to her outrage, her nostrils flaring aggressively.
"How much did you understand of what you heard?" Jerrick smoothly beat her to speaking first. "I know you were out there, so there really isn't any point in denying it."
Samar's hazel eyes narrowed on him. He might seem harmless but she wasn't fooled by his appearance. "You had questions just now. Why not ask them now?" he went on, watching her as Leon might. When she remained stubbornly silent, he gestured to the other man, seated quiet and still to her right.
"This is Eiran. Do you notice anything strange about him?" Jerrick asked.
Unwillingly, she turned her head and studied him. He looked human, and yet, there were hints of a vampire in the way he held himself and in his not-quite-earthly appearance. The longer she stared, the more amazed she became. Finally, he spoke.
"I was a vampire once, made one against my will. I hated every moment of my existence then. One night, I couldn't stand it anymore. I wanted so badly to be human again. And then Elena appeared and she granted my wish. She changed me back," he said. Simple words lent eloquence by the world of feeling they held. "We, who have been changed, are called the Turned."
All her earlier emotions returned with a vengeance; fear, skepticism, disbelief, shock, hope, longing. The contradictory emotions met and clashed. Skepticism won and she looked sharply at Jerrick. "Yeah, right," she spat out. "Nice try, Jerrick, but I'm not falling for your lies. Whatever it is you're trying to get me to do, you can forget it. I'm not falling for your scheme."
"If you don't believe me, all you need to do is ask Elena about it. She has no reason to lie," Jerrick replied calmly.
Samar barely heard him. She shot to her feet and stalked to the door. "Hah!" she said derisively, slamming the door behind her.
Eiran rose as if to follow, but Jerrick waved him back into his seat. "Let her go. It's all right."
The quiet young man looked at the man who had been his leader before Elena's awakening. "What was that all about?" he asked curiously.
"An appeal. Elena vowed to use her gift to help unwilling vampires. To refuse to go along with the plan would make her foresworn," Jerrick said, leaning into the chair, looking satisfied.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* If you read this, if you like it, if you hate it, please let me know! Your feedback _really_ makes a difference. Thank you to those who have responded to my appeal. Love ya! =)