A/N Thank you all for reviewing, it means a lot to me!

Mystic Falls High School

"You are yummy."

Stefan growled hungrily as he pushed the young woman against the wall behind her. She gasped in pain as he bit down harshly on her neck, drinking from her with a sound of pleasure as her forehead lolling against the wall.

He pushed against her, hands moving down her arms before he grabbed her hips and yanked her close, growling against her again when she fought. She opened her mouth to scream, but he quickly cupped a hand over her mouth to keep her quiet.

Everything was going well for him.

He was in paradise.

Until the door opened and a familiar, familial shiver ran up his spine, and he felt a recognized presence. An unwanted presence.

"Stefan!"

Daniella's eyes widened as she watched her brother feed on the young woman trapped against the wall. Her eyes were wide, filled with fear and pain as she struggled against him. He hadn't compelled her because he enjoyed the fight, he savored the fear running through her veins.

Just like she had once upon a time.

The woman whimpered, trying to turn to look at Daniella but yelped when Stefan released a warning growl. She tilted her head almost instantly in a submissive manner, head resting on his shoulder.

"Please."Daniella heard the woman murmur through painful gasps, voice cracking as a sob followed."Help me. Please."

This just caused him to bit into her harder somewhat petulantly, hand falling from the woman's mouth, therefore allowing her to call for help.

"Let her go!"Daniella ordered, fingers curling into her palm as she stepped closer."Stefan!"

Daniella felt a wave of disgust hit her when Stefan laughed against the woman, it coming off slightly muffled but she caught it. Her brother was enjoying ridiculing her.

And it triggered her.

"Stefan!"Unable to stop herself, Daniella flashed towards them and roughly grabbed her brother by his shoulders."Let her go!"

Stefan snarled in anger as he was pulled away from the young woman who took that chance to run out of the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind her.

"Spoilsport."Stefan sing songed, struggling against his sister as she tried to pin him to the wall and, instead, pushed off of the brick with his foot, sending them both crashing into the sinks."You're too old for high school, Dani."

Shrugging his sister off after she stumbled and lost her footing, Stefan straightened and brushed himself off. He glared at his sister who caught herself before she fell and peered up there with wide eyes, as if had no clue on how to approach him.

Shaking his head in contempt, he laughed at the look on her face, a mocking expression appearing onto his own.

"You're lucky I compelled her to forget everything after she leaves otherwise we'd have a cheerleader yelling vampire throughout the school."Stefan chuckled, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand as he stared at his sister."I didn't know you could be such a buzzkill."

"Stefan..."She backed up as he ambled closer to her, blood still smeared across his face, the smell of it making her skin crawl."S-Stefan, we don't have to do this."

"W-What was that?"He imitated her with an exaggerated roll of his eyes, lips curving up into a feral grin when her face fell."What are you doing here, Daniella? I thought you were off helping the homeless or going to confession or something."

Wincing as he closed the distance between them, forcing himself into her personal space, she crossed her arms over her chest, as if putting up a wall between them.

"Damon sent me."

"Why?"Lips set in a tight line, Stefan drew in an annoyed breath, towering over his sister intimidatingly."Because I need help?"

"Yes, because you need help! You helped me when I needed you and-"

"I don't need you."Stefan cut in words spoken so quickly and harshly that Daniella flinched."I don't want you here and, believe me when i say I don't need you here."

Shaking her head, Daniella raised her chin defiantly, eyes pinned to Stefan's.

"Fine. You don't want me here."She shrugged, this time being the one to invade Stefan's personal space with a step forward."But you do need help."

Stefan's smile instantly faltered from his face then, when he leaned forward and sighed, bowing his head as if ashamed, Daniella fell for it. Hook, line, and sinker. She let her arms back down to her sides to reach out and hug him.

That was when he pounced.

He flashed over and locked his fingers around her throat, spinning her around and shoving her back against the wall. Stefan let his vampire features come forward, and he hissed at her, baring his fangs. She struggled against him and, if she were on blood, she would have been equal against him, but because she wasn't, he was stronger than her.

She was no match for him.

"How many times do I have to say it before you understand? I don't want you here, and i'm pretty sure that if he had his way, Damon wouldn't want you here. There is no need for you to be here."

"S-Stefan,"She choked, pulling at his arm."You're hurting me."

"I know."

He chuckled, pulling her forward so that she could get a close up of the vacancy in his eyes before, with all the strength he could muster, he pushed her back against the wall, crumbling the tile behind her.

Daniella let out a silent cry of pain, unable to form words let alone release sound as the tile shattered behind her, some sharp pieces slicing through her shirt and cutting into her skin. She fought desperately against him, but it was no use. It was as if she were the human that was helpless, as if the predator had turned into the prey. He was far too strong. Her eyes widened when he brought up his hand, and human blood hit her senses. There had been blood on his cheek, and it was still fresh.

Stefan pulled back to get a better look at her face, instantly recognizing the expression she sported.

"The old you is still inside of you, isn't it?"

He brought his hand down and left a fingerprint of blood on her nose, laughing to himself when she blinked back at him.

"Stefan, stop-"

"You're begging for some blood. The real you is inside of you begging to come out."

He brought his hand closer to her lips, and she fought wildly, trying to push him off."Stefan! Stefan, stop!"

"You want it?"Stefan quietly asked, fingers digging into Daniella's cheeks as he forced her to look up at his bloody face."C'mon, Dani, at least let the man—your brother—who ruined you fix you again."

She whined in fear when he brought his fingers to her lips and smeared the blood from one side of her face to the other, giving her a bloody smile that made her look like the Joker.

She felt a lump grow in her throat and dry sobbed when he mockingly laughed again, his eyes dancing with sadistic amusement. Her eyes glassed over as her brother's bloody fingers created patterns across her face in childlike glee.

Then, as quick as it appeared, his smile fell and, wiping a tear from her cheek, he scoffed.

"What did good ol' Stefan do to you, huh?"He spat in disgust, pushing himself away from her as if her skin was fire and she'd burned him."You're pathetic."

Inhaling a sharp breath when she was free, Daniella dared to glance at herself in the mirror and suddenly started to hyperventilate. Hands shaking as she brought them to her face, she desperately started to try and rid of the red.

"No, no, no..."

Letting out a loud scream, she slid down the wall, wiping at her face with her hands, becoming more horrified as it only served to make her look at her hands when she tried to gauge how much she'd taken off.

It was everywhere.

"I-I need to get it off. Stefan, help me."Daniella pleaded, on her knees in front of her brother, reaching for the broken sink for some water. She whimpered up at her brother, tears mixing with the blood on her cheeks, and she reached for him."Help me, Stefan. Please. Help me."

Stefan shuffled closer to his sister and, after a long moment of watching her plead, his shooting down and fingers locking around her throat.

"You want me to help you?"

Fighting for air, Daniella managed to nod timidly."Off. I can't-"

As if he hadn't wanted an answer in the first place, Stefan's grip tightened around her throat. Too paralyzed to fight back, Daniella allowed herself to be pulled up to her feet around her throat again to hurt her but the door burst open, hitting against the wall as if to announce his presence, and in stormed Alaric with a cross-brow.

Aiming his weapon at Stefan and more than ready to fire if needed, Alaric gestured for Stefan to leave.

"Get away from her!"He demanded at the top of his voice, side stepping and keeping his eyes on Stefan, pointing to the exit with his weapon."Get outta here. Now."

Stefan held up his hands in fake surrender, dropping his sister to the ground as he did. She silently fell to the ground with a light thump, unable to hold herself up and curled into herself.

"Woah, woah, calm down!"Stefan bared his teeth at Alaric as he smirked, wiggling his fingers as a hello."We're all friends here."

Alaric kept his aim on Stefan and, once again, he gestured for him to leave.

"Get out."

With a sardonic smirk and a laugh, Stefan seemed more than happy to comply. Keeping one hand raised and using the other to reach out for his jacket, Stefan sent one last look to his sister as he smiled.

"It would be my pleasure."

He grabbed his jacket off of the counter, whistling on his way as he shrugged it on and sauntered out of the bathroom.

"I'll see you at home, Dani!"

The door shut behind him and, after staring at it for a few moments just in case Stefan returned, Alaric put down his weapon and rushed over to Daniella. She inhaled sharply as he knelt down next to her, a worried look on his face as he looked her over.

She had bloody smears all over her face as well as fading bruises on her throat. Her eyes were wide with something akin to fear as she shook in his arms, desperately trying to wipe the blood from her face. Her mind was flashing back to her first feed then her first time at being locked away by her brother.

She just couldn't settle her mind.

"Don't-"

"I know who you are."Alaric offered as a peace offering, helping her up to her feet, handing the vampire a paper towel."Damon called me. He was worried."

"Damon?"She whispered to herself, dropping the paper towel."I want Damon."

"He's on his way."

As if on cue, the bathroom door burst opened again, and in flashed Damon, a worried look on his face as his blue eyes searched for his sister. He narrowed his eyes when he saw her face, she had gotten most of the blood, but there were still some on her forehead and chin.

She looked traumatized.

He flashed over to his sister and, without a word, guided her into his open arms, awkwardly offering her quiet comforts as he cupped the back of her head. He rubbed her back with his free hand in an attempt to comfort her and reminded her that everything was all right.

Turning to Alaric after observing the destroyed bathroom, Damon raised his eyebrows expectantly.

"What did he do?"

Picking up his crossbow, Alaric offered Damon a shrug, just as puzzled as the Salvatore.

"I don't know and, to be honest, I don't think I want to."

1961—London

Three years.

That was how long she had been stuck in a cell for. Three years of residing in a cramped in a small space with a thin mattress and blankets while living on three sips of blood a day. Sometimes her brother didn't even bring her blood. Daniella could go days, sometimes weeks without a sip of blood.

He'd explained it was to teach her 'self-control.'

He said that she needed to be able to survive without craving blood, even animal blood. She needed to be able to be around people or even herself without thinking of blood when she was released.

Her brother kept her chained while she bathed and took her fresh clothes every few days. When it was freezing, he would bring her an extra blanket and would sit outside her cell and talk to her for hours because he was the only person there.

Apart from herself, she had nobody to talk to.

She hadn't seen the sun in a year or even the moon or the stars. She heard the rain, but she never knew if it was day or night.

Daniella hadn't seen Damon in over three years.

She missed him. She missed freedom.

"Dani?"

The Salvatore sister straightened from against the wall and looked up at the bars. Her eyes widened when her brother came into view, and a small, relieved smile appeared on her face, pleased to see another person.

"Is it day or night?"

"It's night. I brought you something to read."

He folded what he brought before he passed it through the bars. She groaned and coughed as she moved, crawling over to the door and picking up what he had brought. It was another newspaper. He gave her one every week to give her something to read, and she now had a stack of them. Sometimes, if Daniella was really bored, she'd re-read them.

"Thank you."

He smiled at his sister, studying the other vampire as she opened up the newspaper, eyes eagerly flickering over the pages.

"Are you hungry?"

Head raising at the sudden question, Daniella's lips parted, unsure of how to respond. Finally, she slowly nodded, grip tightening around the paper.

Mimicking her nod, Stefan pursed his lips, pondering before he asked."How much have you thought about blood this past week?"

"Less than last week."Daniella answered, re-folding the paper and hugging it to her chest."I mostly thought about the birds."

She would have given anything to be a bird.

To have complete freedom and go wherever you want, to not have any worries. She would be able to fly away whenever life became too problematic, and she wouldn't be stuck in a cell living on three sips whenever her brother decided to feed her.

"Good."Stefan's smile was genuine and loving, as if he wished to reach in and hug her."That means progress. I'm proud of you."

She smiled a little, grip loosening on her paper, awaiting on what she knew came next.

"Thank you.

As expected, Stefan reached into his pocket and took out a vial of blood, studied it for a second before he passed it through the bars. It dropped onto the ground below them, and she quickly moved to get it, fingers wrapping around the small vial as she dropped the newspaper.

He watched as she unscrewed the top and hungrily took a sip, leaving the rest for later. She sighed in pleasure as the blood, even though it was animal, touched her tongue. She had gotten used to animal blood, and she had to admit, she hadn't thought much about human blood in days.

Did it mean she was adapting?

Or did it mean she was just trying to survive?

Present

"I can't do this!"

Damon followed his sister out of the bathroom into the empty high school corridor, walking quickly to keep up with her. He sighed as she ignored him and walked faster, fists clenched at her sides, steps heavy and body language tight.

"Dani!"

When she offered him no reaction or even a vocal response, Damon sped forward, flashing in front of her.

"I know what happened got to you, but this should surely prove just how much help I need with him."

"It proved that he doesn't want me here."Daniella corrected through clenched teeth, shamefully wiping at her eyes."He doesn't want to be helped, Damon."

She attempted to walk around him only for Damon to mimic her movements, giving her no chance to pass him without using physical violence. But she was in no mood to fight with him, all she wanted was to leave the blasted town.

"What do you want from me, Damon?"Daniella asked with an exasperated tone."The only person who can stop this is Klaus. Beg if you have to."

"You don't think i've tried? I have. He wouldn't let him go."Damon hurled back with slight irritation."I even offered myself in his place, but it did nothing."

Daniella's glare slowly faded, and she narrowed her brows, looking into his eyes. His eyes were wide, his pale blue orbs clear of any deception. He stared back at her, arms outstretched as if he were baring his truth, finally admitting that he needed help, that he couldn't ignore it anymore.

He was vulnerable.

He was telling the truth, she knew that much. Although not impossible for him to be able to, Daniella liked to think she knew how to separate Damon's lies from fiction better than anyone else.

But she couldn't stay, she wouldn't let herself.

It was not healthy.

"I can't, Damon."Daniella shook her head, circling around her brother slowly, shamefully adding."I'm sorry."

"Daniella, don't."His jaw clenched as he tried to compose himself, rooted in his spot."I don't know what to do."

And neither do I. Was Daniella's silent response as she walked off.

Daniella began to make her way over to the double exit doors, grabbing her keys out of her jacket pocket. She pushed the door open and hastily made a beeline for her car, ears catching the sound of Damon following her, but she forced herself to look ahead. She couldn't allow him to get to her, not like she had allowed Stefan to.

She wasn't strong enough for this.

"Dani!"

Just before her hand reached the door handle, Daniella was gently pushed away from her car and, noticing Damon's daylight ring as he snatched her keys, Daniella scowled at her brother.

"Don't go."

Hardened expression softening at his tone, she reached out for her keys only for him to pull them away at the last second.

"Damon, this isn't fair-"

"It's not fair to us if you walk off when things get hard, and that's coming from me 'cause guess what? You're kinda being more than Damon selfish."

Damon's expression clouded as he started to become more upset, also somewhat ashamed because he was begging.

"I know that we've had our troubles in the past, but I need you. Stefan needs you."Looking away, he shrugged, rocking on his heels as he tried to compose himself while admitting."I'm lost."

Looking at her feet, Daniella worried her bottom lip between her teeth.

"I can't."

"Then what are you gonna do? Hmm?"He didn't even attempt to hide the fact how chagrinned he felt, his eyes turning a stormy blue as he stared down his sister with a frustrated sneer."Flip the switch and walk out on me?"

Her head snapped up, heart falling into her stomach.

When a Salvatore demanded to be left alone, it meant to do the complete opposite. Daniella hadn't listened. Daniella hadn't listened when they'd turned and, instead, pranced away and left them to fend for themselves, resulting in fractured relationships.

And guilt had been with her since that cell.

Glowering at him, Daniella tried to ignore the piercing feeling in her chest when he blinked back at her so helplessly that she had to resist the urge to reach out for him.

He knew just what buttons to press.

"Don't play that card, Damon. Don't you dare."

"I am. For our brother."He unapologetically shrugged, crossing his arms over his chest, her keys dangling from his finger."I gotta play the hero in this one, and I need help so, yeah, i'm playing that card. "

She let out a shaky breath, feeling as if she were being suffocated slowly as the guilt crept up her spine.

She couldn't leave now, not after he played that card.

"If you have any loyalty to the Salvatore name, you won't get in that car."

Raising her head, Daniella copied his movement and crossed her arms over her chest defensively.

Her first instinct was to run away because the last thing she wanted and needed was to be in the same vicinity with Stefan. With the Stefan that only her darker self got along with. Daniella didn't want that constant reminder of who she once was, but she had no choice.

He'd do it for her in a heartbeat.

"Fine."She quietly yielded, dropping her arms to her sides with a deep sigh."I'm in."

Shifting from foot to foot Damon tilted up his head, eyes burning into his sister. Clutching her keys in his hand as if he were paranoid she'd snatch them from him and leave, Damon dared to take a step closer.

"You're staying?"

Meeting Damon's eyes, Daniella offered her brother a half smile and nodded in surrender.

"I'll stay."

Thank you for reading!

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