30: And The Fire Starts to Blaze.
"You couldn't pay me or even compel me to step foot into water again." Nova complained. "Not even a fucking bath!"
Damon laughed and helped pull her out of the river. "Yeah, yeah. Where's Bonnie? Before she drowns."
The Romanian's brows furrowed as she dripped with water. "Damon… Bonnie didn't make it. I was on a time limit with no clue how fast or slow what clocks worked where. The fact that you made it is good enough for me."
Panic crept up on Damon like a disease. "That means that either Kai is still there - alone - with Bonnie, or he made it back here with us."
Nova's brows furrowed and she started to ring out her hair. "What's the issue with this Kai guy anyway? What'd he do that was so bad it warranted a magic prison in the middle of nothing?"
"He was a real monster, Nov. He comes from a family of witches - the Gemini coven - but he was born without his own magic. He takes it from other people who have magic. And he murdered his siblings to try and take control of the coven."
The Romanian froze suddenly, her emerald eyes widening. "And we either left him over there with a Bennett witch… or gave him a get out of jail free card to magic heaven…" Her hands went to her hair as her thoughts spun violently. "Fuck!"
Zina heard the knock on her door from her bedroom. She reached for her robe which she had just laid on her bed after her shower when she heard Jeremy shout, "I got it!"
"Jeremy?" Matt blurted with immense confusion.
The young Gilbert raised a brow. "What are you doing here?"
"Me? What are you doing here, Jer? You started to go on a binger then totally vanished from town. I heard a rumor you were out here."
He shrugged. "So I am. What's the big deal?"
"This- this is Zina Vasile's apartment."
"Thank you for stating the obvious, Matt," came the Romanian accept of the resident vampire. "Won't you come in? Best to get the facts from the source rather than poking your nose where it doesn't belong, yes?"
Hesitantly, he stepped into her home. Jeremy dropped back down on his seat on the couch, and Zina sat beside him as she brushed her damp hair. Matt remained standing until Jeremy rolled his eyes and told him to just sit, so he took an armchair on Jeremy's side.
"Relax, Matt, I have no desire to eat you." Zina snickered. Still, she was keeping her hair angled right to hide her scar. "What's this visit about? We were sure we were under the radar and staying out of all of you guys' bullshit." She smiled.
Matt stammered a little, looking between the pair. He was sure to note the way Jeremy's arm rested atop of the couch behind Zina's shoulders. "Yeah, that's what's up - no one has seen or heard from either of you in weeks. What the hell happened?"
Without hesitation, Jeremy boldly answered, "I couldn't stay in Mystic Falls, man. I couldn't keep beating myself up over losing Bonnie again. I had to move on."
Matt's eyes turned slowly to the Romanian vampire braiding her hair. "To… Zina? Nova's twin sister, back from the dead?"
"Why don't you just run down my whole resume, hm?" The vampire quipped with snark. "Lest we forget it was Klaus who tore my beating heart from my chest, and now Oblivion who owns my ass. Oh, there was my parents giving me away for having two daughters too."
"And Katherine Pierce who found you and raised you," Jeremy added.
"I was raped by a Moroi and forever scarred, then I had to give away the child that was created from the incident. Need we list more?"
"I do still consider Nova a friend too," Jeremy said. "We just don't wanna be roped into the crazy. We don't have the energy for it."
Matt cleared his throat and shifted uncomfortably. "Uh, well, sorry to break it to you both then… but all hands on deck have been called." Their eyes widened as he finally gained their attention. "Nova found Damon and brought him back."
"Nova, don't be like this," Damon sighed.
The Romanian whirled around on her heeled boots with her emerald eyes cut at him. "You could not drag me near Whitmore regardless of whose life depended on it. Let me know if the filthy place ever burns to ash." She whipped back around and continued storming down her path. Once she realized most were congregating at Whitmore because that's where Elena was since they couldn't go to Mystic Falls, she stormed her way to a neighboring town instead to compel herself a new home.
"Nova-" Damon shouted as she made it to her front door.
With her hand on the knob and her back still to him she cut him off. "No, Damon. That is where I draw the line. What happened to me each time I stepped foot onto that fucking campus…" She shook her head. "Never again. Not for a fucking thing. And you can tell everyone else that word for fucking word."
He sighed again and pinched the bridge of his nose when she slammed the door shut. He took out his phone to call his brother. "Whitmore is not happening. Not with Nova."
"Yeah, I sorta figured that would happen when she hung up the first time."
"That's my dolcezza." He half smiled at the black front door. "I'll text you the address. Just meet us here for now."
"Uh… Probably not best if I do that."
"Why?"
"Nova… She blames me for losing you. She hunted me down to Georgia with Enzo and killed my girlfriend after swearing to continue to do so because you promised me an eternity of misery."
Damon couldn't help but laugh a little. "Sorry, bro, that's my girl. I'm back now so she'll be fine."
"If you say so."
Everybody gathered at Nova's new home rather hesitantly. Admittedly, it was a beautiful house. More modern than the one she built in Mystic Falls. Stefan remained as close to the door as possible. Brows furrowed and questions raised in heads when Matt walked in with Jeremy and Zina in tow. Zina wore her hood up and bangs in her face still, but with Jeremy close to her side. For the first time in months the whole gang was gathered under one roof. Caroline still harbored anger towards Stefan for bailing, Elena was grieving her multiple losses while trying to learn to be a doctor; it was an emotional disaster. Just before Damon began to speak, since he was unsure if Nova was just hiding in her room or not, all attention turned to the sound of heels at the top of the stairs.
Nova had straightened her hair which made it the length of her back. Her makeup was the familiar and flawless smokey eye with dark red lips. Faux leather leggings wrapped tightly around her long legs with spiked, heeled boots on her feet. She boldly chose a bright white camisole, and a maroon leather jacket that Damon hadn't seen in ages. On her left ring finger was her engagement ring, and on the right shimmered the emerald ring. Thanks to Sofia she was even able to juice it up with some sunlight protection magic when she made stuff for Zarya.
She descended the stairs slowly, eyeing every single person in her home and quickly thinking up a plan with a handful of back ups. "We're short an annoying accent. Where is Enzo?"
Her eyes flicked across each reaction. No one seemed to realize, but Stefan shifted uncomfortably in his corner.
"Who knows where that wise ass is," Damon chimed before she could accuse Stefan. "We don't have a lot of time to wait around."
Zina scoffed. "For being immortals we seem to be short on more time than the humans."
Nova's head cocked to the side. "Says the one who has been hiding and playing human, why? Because you were a chew toy for a minute?"
The younger sister grit her teeth. Of course Nova had an idea about what happened. Insufferable know-it-all, she hissed in her thoughts. "That… beast is still out there, for the record."
Nova rolled her eyes. "It's being called a Night Creature for obvious reasons, tâmpit (stupid; idiot). Well, come on then; you're shriveled away under that hood for a reason. What can this thing do?"
She muttered back and forth a couple times with Jeremy before sighing and finally pulling down her hood. Caroline and Elena let out small gasps when they saw the scars across her eye. "Saskia's Black Magic released the thing and it's got the power to actually hurt us. Any of us. Katia tells me that Auriel made more and they are multiplying steadily."
Nova pursed her lips and sat in a nearby leather chair with her legs crossed. "Alright then, let's start going down the list of problems. Second up: when I brought Damon back, Bonnie was pushed away and a psychopath named Kai tagged along instead."
Alaric's hand slapped loudly against his forehead. "You're joking."
Damon sighed. "Unfortunately not. So we've got to send him back and take Bon-Bon home before he probably murders us like he did his family - a witch coven."
"And this is why it's all hands on deck…" Jeremy muttered.
With everything she had to deal with, Nova barely paid any mind to her twin and Jeremy being the first to leave without a word. She was at the command center trying to get a location on Kai, a way back to Bonnie, some kind of magic to break the spell on Mystic Falls, anything. She nearly tossed her phone when it rang.
"Damon's gone!" Elena shouted frantically before the Romanian could even answer. "He was supposed to meet me at my dorm and there's vervain darts and his phone but no Damon!"
Nova's palm slapped her forehead loudly. "Son of a fucking bitch! Why can't I go one gods damned day without this shit?! Do you have any semblance of a lead?"
"Caroline said there's this guy - Tripp - who has been attacking vampires to protect Mystic Falls since you went off the deep end. He drives them across the border! Sheriff Forbes is shutting down Route 13 so he'll have to double back but-"
"Well he isn't faster than my rage and my Firebird."
Without another word she hung up and sped out to the beautiful car, zooming down the road. She swerved through the little bit of traffic there was effortlessly and drifted the corners. She was coming onto the scene from the only other route when she saw Alaric and Stefan fighting with Tripp in the van. He quickly stepped on the gas pedal and launched the van towards the border. Nova skidded just out of his path as she slammed the breaks.
"They're already over the border, Nova!" Stefan shouted when she exited the car.
Her middle finger flew up at him while she stormed towards the crashed van. "Tell me like I give a fuck, asshole!"
She didn't even have time to process Elena's teacher Jo tending to Alaric. Instead she choked down the water starting to fill her lungs and bee-lined for the van. She collapsed against it, starting to cough, when Stefan appeared beside her with his gunshot wound and a crowbar. Together they pried the doors open while Stefan choked on his blood and Nova choked on water. They were able to snap the chains on Damon and Enzo when Tripp started to stir. Nova hacked up what felt like a bucket full of water before smashing his head off the wheel a few times. She shoved the three men out of the van and one by one they all scrambled towards the border. Stefan made it first as Caroline and Elena arrived at the scene. Enzo was next. Damon nearly made it when he turned to find Nova who had fallen, becoming consumed by water from the inside.
Once again she was back under the river in 1866. She could feel it slashing against her flesh, piercing into her lungs. Her limbs thrashed and she screamed, though no one could hear her. She clawed at her throat, choking and gasping for air. As the darkness started to overtake her she was thrown against something with a hand clasped around her throat. When her eyes opened she found Klaus Mikaelson demanding she turn it off. The world began to crack like a mirror until it was 1958. Nova was surrounded by bodies and drugs staring into nothingness with no idea where Damon had gone.
The cloud of the high from the drugs and blood pulled her back under the frozen water. Each wave cut through her as she flashed back to 1994, finding Damon still searching for Katherine. Another when she lost Jeremy and made Elena shut it off, and one that took her last breath away the day she was dragged away from Damon on the Other Side. Each frozen lash made her feel the pain all over again, until it was numb; as frozen as the water.
Nova began to cough furiously, spitting up mouthfuls of water. When she finally caught her breath she looked around with massively wide emerald eyes. Damon had dragged her back over the border. They were all safe. Yet Nova felt… strangely. There was a weight on her chest, but not one that dragged her down. It was warm, like a heated and weighted blanket. Her head rose slowly until she was gazing at the sky. She could see every shimmer on each star as it twinkled above. She could see clearer than she had in decades. The only times she ever felt so free yet so grounded was when she first arrived in Mystic Falls, and when she first turned.
A hand appeared before her which took her focus from the stars. Damon kneeled before her with a warm smile. He recognized that light in her green eyes. It was a careless joy that he hadn't seen since the darkness overcame her. With a smile she took his hand and practically jumped into his arms. The purest form of Nova Vasile had been found at last.