Episode 14: Duke's Party

"Faith is the bird that feels the light and sings when the dawn is still dark."

— Rabindranath Tagore

I was flying, watching the earth as it changed beneath me. The world took shape as I flew high above, never touching it. Those early days all blended together: floods and beautiful springs, bountiful harvests and harsh winters. From the sky, I watched as brother killed brother. There was violence ever since the beginning, but there was love too. I watched as mother protected child, as lovers comforted each other when times were bad, as families celebrated happiness.

I had always been alone when I was flying. Then one day I landed and I knew flying would never be the same. But I also knew I would never be lonely again.

And then I burned to ashes.

Mystic Falls, 1864

I sat outside the Salvatore house watching a bird flying in the distance.

"So, you like birds?" Anna said as she joined me in the grass. Her mother was visiting with Katherine that day.

"Do you ever miss your old life?" I asked.

"What do you mean?"

"You know, when you were human?" I whispered. No one else was around us, but it never hurt to be too careful. "Is there anything from your human life you miss? Something you couldn't bring with you?"

Anna played with the grass beneath her fingers. "I have my mother, that's all I really need."

"What happens if you don't have her anymore?" I pressed. "What would you miss then?"

Anna's hand clenched, ripping a chunk of the grass from the dirt. "That won't happen."

"It could."

"I wouldn't let it," Anna said resolutely. "What do you miss? According to Miss Katherine you've had quite a few old lives."

I smiled. So Kat did talk about me.

"I miss the freedom of flying."

Mystic Falls, 2009

That morning I dragged Caroline into my room and made her sit next to me on the edge of my bed.

"Caroline, there's something really important I need to tell you," I said. "I recently found out that I am in fact, not a witch. I'm a Phoenix."

Caroline burst out laughing.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Caroline spluttered, trying to suppress her giggles, "you're being serious, and I'm being inappropriate." She let out a few giggles. "You're a phoenix? Like Fawkes? From Harry Potter? The firebird?"

I nodded seriously. "I know it sounds silly and I'm obviously not a bird. But I think I used to be. And then I became human, well, human-like. And it explains my supernatural abilities, like the fire and reincarnation, and the flying—"

Caroline interrupted my rambling with a wave of her hand. "Hold up, you can fly?"

"I did once, maybe twice," I said fumbling over my words, "I'm still figuring that part out."

"Where was I?"

I wondered how much Caroline remembered of that night.

"Getting kidnapped by Logan Fell, who was a vampire." I watched Caroline closely. Her brow furrowed as she tried to remember.

"Logan Fell kidnapped me?" She asked.

"Attempted," I clarified, confused about her lack of response to him being a vampire. "Did you miss the part where I said he was also a vampire?"

"How come I don't remember getting kidnapped by the news reporter?" She didn't seem fazed by the vampire bit, perhaps Damon's compulsion was stronger than I realized.

"Vampire," I tried.

"Ok, weird non sequitur," Caroline said. "What about them?"

"Logan Fell was a vampire."

"What about Logan?" she asked, as if she didn't hear the full statement.

"He hit you pretty hard on the head," I said, finally giving up. I wasn't going to get anywhere this way. When Damon compelled her to forget about vampires, it didn't just affect her memories of him, he made it so she couldn't remember any new information about vampires at all.

"And you're a Phoenix. Who can fly," said Caroline excitedly, blissfully ignorant of my inner turmoil.

"Sometimes." I stuck out my pinky finger. "You have to promise me you won't say anything to anyone."

"Obviously," she replied, intertwining our pinkies.

"Okay, well I have news too," Caroline said suddenly, "Matt kissed me!"

I was grateful for the change in topic to something so normal. "That's great! So like are you two official?"

Caroline's excitement dampened, "I don't know...things were okay between us at school yesterday, but I felt like there was this barrier. It was all awkward. What if he's having second thoughts or regrets, or was like, ooged out—"

"Ooged out?" I laughed.

Caroline hushed me. "I am trying to figure out a serious problem here!"

I tried to reign in my amusement, but I still smiled good naturedly. "So why not just ask him how he felt about it? Instead of wondering and giving yourself anxiety."

"I know he doesn't think it's going to work out between us, he's told me as much himself." She pouted.

"Then offer him an out," I suggested.

"An out? Like an escape clause?"

"If that kiss sealed a contractual agreement, sure." I tried not to laugh again at my sister's torn expression. "Look Care, the kiss obviously meant something. So just lay it all out there, let Matt know. He might be having the same insecurities you are."

"But what if I mess it up and say the wrong thing?"

I stood up and grabbed a pen and paper from my desk, handing it to my sister. "Then write it down first. It's like you're preparing a speech."

"That's a good idea. I'm glad we made up, I don't know what I'd do without my other half, even if she is half bird." Caroline embraced me in a hug.

"I'm glad too, I missed you." We released each other and got up to get ready to head out for the day. "Hey, if things work out with Matt you can invite him to Duke's party tonight."

"Could you text Elena and Bonnie about Duke's party?" Caroline said later as she drove us to the Grill. "No one's replying to me."

"Sure." I sent a short group message. By the time we reached the Grill there was still no answer from either of them.

"Hey, Jeremy. Where is Elena?" Caroline asked as we ran into him inside the Grill. "We've been texting her and Bonnie all day about Duke's party."

"Uh, she went somewhere with Stefan."

Caroline sighed. "I am so not going to be one of those girls who disappears just because she has a new boyfriend." Caroline invited Jeremy to the party and then left me as she spotted Matt to give him her speech.

I sat down at the bar on my own, but my eyes followed Jeremy as he stepped out to meet with Anna.

My phone rang.

"Hey Stef," I answered.

"Anna took Elena last night," he said without preamble.

I kept my eyes trained on the female vampire outside. "Why am I just hearing about it now?"

"I've been busy searching every street in town. Damon was no help."

"Of course he wasn't, you and Elena seriously betrayed his trust." I hoped my annoyance transferred over the phone. "You know, he's not the villain you think he is."

"He killed people, Charlie."

"Well, he's a vampire. They tend to do that on occasion. You know all about that don'tcha, Steffy?" I added sarcastically. I could practically hear the jaw clenched in irritation over the phone.

"I don't have time for this, Elena is in trouble."

"I see Anna now, I'll go have a chat with her. You should see Sheila, I'm pretty sure Anna nabbed Bonnie too."

"Wait! Don't do anything stupid—" I heard as I ended the call.

I walked up to Anna just after Jeremy left. "Hi, Annabelle. It's been a hot minute since I've seen you."

Anna looked me over suspiciously, trying to place where we'd met. "Do I know you?"

"No, but I knew you and your mom, Pearl, a long time ago."

If she was surprised, Anna didn't show it. "I don't remember you."

"I had a different face back then," I replied. Anna did look surprised then.

Suddenly, Damon appeared. "Got a hot date, or are you planning on nabbing the entire Gilbert family?"

Anna's attention quickly turned to Damon. "A party, right next to the old cemetery. Isn't that nice of them? Lots of warm bodies for starving vampires."

"You don't have to kill or hurt anyone, Anna," I said.

She barely glanced at me, watching Damon methodically. "Not if Damon cooperates with me."

Damon leaned closer to me. "I told you. Application's are closed, the partner position is filled." I felt strangely prideful hearing Damon say that.

"Small problem," Anna said haughtily, "You're minus a witch and I'm minus a spell book. So, what do you say now?"

Damon shrugged, "I could always find another witch."

"No, you can't," I interrupted. I caught Anna's attention. "Maybe we can work something out, if you let Bonnie and Elena go."

"Here's the thing," Damon started, "our motives don't line up. I'm only going into this tomb for one reason and one reason only, to finally get revenge on Katherine, everyone else can go up in smoke for all I care."

"No," Anna said sharply. I could see the panic set in her eyes. "I'll kill Elena. I'm sure your brother would love that, especially when I tell him you could have prevented her death."

"You don't have to kill anyone!" I said loudly. Anna finally looked at me. "It's okay, Anna. We can do this together. You can get your mother back, but we have to kill the other vampires. And you can't attack the Gilberts."

Anna eyed me suspiciously. "Who are you?"

"I'm Maggie, Annabelle. Remember me now?"

"Maggie?" Anna stared into my eyes, her eyes widened as she finally recognized me and then they turned to anger. "How can you tell me not to kill anyone and then go ahead and murder all those people just because they're vampires? You knew them."

"Yeah, well, turns out you and Pearl were the only ones I could stand," I said. "No one holds a grudge like a vampire. Damon's proof of that. You're proof of that. If we release all the vampire's in the tomb they'll kill the whole town in revenge."

Anna scoffed. "Maybe it's what they deserve."

"These people are not responsible for the past. I can offer the vampire's peace, but I can not let them go. Not when the lives of people I love are at stake. So you can get your mother and only your mother, no revenge plot, no harm to any of the Gilberts, or she can burn with everyone else." My phone dinged with a new message, I glanced at the notification. "And I would choose quickly, you just lost your bargaining chips."

"Bonnie and Elena?" Damon asked.

"Stefan," I answered.

Damon smirked at Anna. "Ah, brother. Ever the white knight."

Anna looked devastated.

"I can convince Bonnie to help," I said.

Damon snorted. "Good luck."

"Just, no more attacks," I added, "no more bloodshed."

"Unless it's vampire blood," Anna remarked bitterly.

"Please, Anna, it's the only way they'll open the tomb."

Anna crossed her arms over her chest. "And what happens if I don't agree and try to stop you?"

"Then it's going to get very hot for you." I reached out for her forearm, my hand already glowing a hot red. I barely touched her before she jerked back with a hiss, a small burn rapidly healing on her skin.

"I see your point," Anna acquiesced. "Fine, I won't lash out anymore."

A half hour later, I knocked on the door of Sheila's house. Stefan answered, but I ignored him as I rushed in. Bonnie and Elena were already there safe and sound.

"I'm so glad you guys are okay," I said as I enveloped them both in a hug.

"So what do we do now?" asked Elena.

"We need to let Damon in the tomb. He isn't going to stop until he gets what he wants," I suggested.

"If we help him, maybe that ends it," agreed Elena.

"I hate the thought of giving him anything he wants," Bonnie said spitefully.

"What he wants isn't so different from what we want," I said. "He wants Katherine dead, I think we can agree that's a good thing."

"And what of the other vampires in the tomb?" Bonnie asked.

"Damon agreed to kill them too," reminded Elena.

"Yeah, and then we double crossed him," Stefan said bitterly, "So now he's angry."

"He hasn't wavered on that," I said, "but I did promise Anna we'd let her mother out."

"What!" exclaimed both Bonnie and Elena.

"How could you promise anything to the girl that kidnapped us?" Bonnie said. I felt a twinge guilty, but I also felt righteous in my decision. Anna was just lost, not evil.

"She was only trying to protect someone she loves. Wouldn't you do the same?" I turned to Elena. "Isn't that why you were so willing to betray Damon in the first place?"

Elena had the decency to look ashamed.

"Besides, it doesn't matter if we don't have witches to break the spell. What do you say Shei?" I turned to Sheila.

Sheila shook her head. "Witches being pulled down by vampire problems. As much as we tried to stay out of it. I'll open the tomb. You destroy the rest of the vampires with fire. Then this will be all over."

I smiled victorious. "Great, I'll go spread the good news."

Damon and I made it to the woods just after sundown. Teenagers were already milling about drinking and chatting. I'd almost forgotten how close we'd be to the party.

"Why did you need to bring a blood bag?" I asked as Damon stuffed a blood bag in his jacket next to a stake.

"It's for Katherine."

"Okay. Why does Katherine need a blood bag?"

"So I can see the look in her eyes when she realizes I've put a stake through her heart."

"Right, staking a desiccated corpse isn't as dramatic. Silly me, I forgot."

"Charlie, hey!" Matt called as he and Caroline walked up to us. I smiled as I saw them holding hands.

"Charlie! Where have you been?" Caroline asked, looking between me and Damon.

"Long story, no time to tell it," Damon said shortly.

Caroline glared at him. "I wasn't talking to you."

"Sure you were," Damon replied.

Matt held out his hand for Damon to shake. "We haven't met. I'm Matt."

"Matt, there's a reason we haven't met." Damon slung his arm around me and steered us away.

I glanced back at the couple, an apologetic look on my face. "Talk to you later!"

When everyone was out of sight Anna appeared next to us. "Alright, I'm here. This better not be a trap."

"We'll keep our end if you keep yours," I promised. "How's Jeremy?"

"Thinks I've stood him up."

"Good." I reached out to her. "Ready?"

She grabbed my hand. "Since 1864."

Damon whistled as we approached, the group turned to us. A mixture of distrust and distaste marred their expressions. Anna squeezed my hand so tightly she would have broken my hand if I was human.

"Brother. Witches," Damon greeted. He handed the grimoire to Sheila who stood in the middle of a circle of unlit torches set up around the tomb.

"Are we ready?" Elena asks.

"I guess so," Bonnie said unenthusiastically.

Stefan, Elena, Damon, and Anna watched from the steps of the tomb's entrance. Stefan was rooted between Elena and the two vampires. Bonnie and Sheila stood next to each other in the middle of the torches as I lit them.

"Air. Earth," Sheila said.

"Fire," I added, lighting the two torches on either side of the tomb door.

"Water," Bonnie continued. She held out a water bottle to Sheila, who sprinkled the water on the ground.

"That's it?" Elena said from her place on the steps, "just water from the tap?"

"As opposed to what?" Sheila smirked at her.

"I just figured maybe it would have to be blessed or mystical or something," Elena rambled.

"Ready?" Bonnie asked me. They needed me to undo the spell in lieu of Emily's pendant.

Bonnie and Sheila held hands from around me, so that I was standing between their arms. They shut their eyes and recited the spell.

After a few seconds, I could feel something happening, it was like a weight on my chest that made it hard to breathe. The torches flared up. The door to the tomb creaked open. Sheila and Bonnie stopped chanting and looked up, their arms falling back to their sides.

"It worked!" Bonnie sounded surprised.

Sheila smiled knowingly. "Of course it worked."

Anna grabbed a torch and vamp sped into the tomb.

Damon gestured toward me. "We have some fires to build."

I nodded back and waited by the door. He looked to Elena. "You ready?" He asked.

"What?" She asked, they hadn't discussed this part.

"Not happening," Stefan said, his arm covering Elena protectively.

Damon looked to Stefan and then to the witches. "You think I'm gonna go in there by myself so you can seal me in?"

"If you take her in, I'll bring the walls down," Sheila threatened.

"You'll bring the walls down if I don't."

"I'll be in there too, Damon," I reminded gently. "Do you think they'd trap me too?"

"I'm convinced you'd survive it and get out without me somehow. And they would know that."

"Enough." Elena said, pushing Stefan's arm out of the way. "All of you. Look, he needs leverage. He needs to know that you're not going to shut the door when he gets inside. I get it. I'll go."

Elena stepped down into the ante-chamber, she was putting on a brave face, but her slight shaking gave her anxiety away. Damon grabbed a torch from the circle and stepped into the tomb. Elena and I followed.

The tomb was creepier than I thought it would be, dark and dank and covered in cobwebs. Elena's brave face was slipping the further into the tomb we went. Whispers from the mummified vampires echoed throughout the chambers in an unintelligible noise.

"What is that?!" Elena was practically shaking.

"It's the vampires," I said.

"They can sense you," Damon elaborated.

Damon was focused on finding Katherine among the vampires laid out in the tomb. I followed closely behind, helping him look for her. The corridors in the tomb were surprisingly long and numerous, there were a lot of alcoves Kat could have hid in.

"Where is she?" Damon asked to no one in particular, the universe maybe. "Where is she?"

It didn't look like Katherine was even there.

A scream rang out from another part of the tomb. I turned to see Elena wasn't with us anymore. I felt a little guilty I hadn't noticed when she got separated. I ran back to find her.

"Elena!" I called.

Anna's voice carried out to the rest of the tomb. "I made a choice a long time ago that it would be Gilbert blood that brought her back to life. Originally, it was going to be Jeremy but..."

I followed Anna's voice to their chamber. Unfortunately, I wasn't fast like a vampire. Elena screamed again. I entered the room they were in just as Anna was holding Elena's bloody wrist to Pearl's mouth.

"Stop!" I pushed Anna away with a surprising amount of strength and a little bit of fire. I turned to help Elena up. In the next moment Stefan was there blocking us from Anna.

"Go," he ordered. "Make sure she gets out safe. I'll be right behind you."

I nodded in response and ran with Elena outside. Bonnie and Sheila looked up from the grimoire as we stepped out.

"Elena, Stefan…" Bonnie sounded apologetic.

"He's right behind me," Elena turned around to see Stefan standing in the doorway. "Stefan, what are you doing?" she asked worriedly. Elena stepped up to the tomb door, the two sharing a moment.

"It's gonna be okay. We'll fix it," Bonnie promised. She was speaking to Elena who was still focused on Stefan.

"What did you do?" I accused looking between the two Bennet witches.

"Opening the door didn't remove the seal, it just opened the door," Sheila explained.

"You were never planning on breaking the spell, were you?" my voice cracked.

"I will protect my own. You and Elena got out. That's all that matters."

"No, it's not," I said, trying to rein in my anger. "We made a promise. I gave them my word."

"We can't leave him in there," Elena said from her place by Stefan. I was touched by her care for Damon. "We promised him. Both of us."

Stefan sighed. "I know."

"Even if we're able to break through the seal," Sheila said, "we won't be able to hold it for long."

"Channel me!" I suggested, "That'll make it easier on you wouldn't it?"

"You are a strong source of magic," Sheila agreed.

Stefan ran back into the tomb to get Damon.

Sheila and Bonnie each took one of my hands and started reciting the spell to lift the seal. The torches flared up and Elena stopped her pacing for a moment to look at the tomb.

"I think it's working," she said.

Anna, her clothes singed, exited the tomb while holding up a weak Pearl. "I'm sorry. I just wanted my mother back," she said to Elena. "Jeremy's fine. I won't touch him."

Then they were gone.

Sheila and Bonnie were still chanting to keep the seal down. Patches of orange light started to emit from my arms and hands, and I could feel it move up my chest and face covering me in a glow of orange hues.

Sheila looked at me concerned. "They better hurry," She told Elena.

"Stefan, they can't hold it much longer!" Elena shouted into the tomb.

Sheila and Bonnie have to let me go before I burn them.

"Can you hold it on your own?" I asked.

"For a little while more," Sheila answered.

I ran into the tomb, my way illuminated by my heated skin. When I reached them, blood splattered the walls and was seeping into the dirt. Damon punched the wall. Stefan was with him, desperately trying to get him to leave.

"It doesn't make sense. They locked her inside!" Damon yelled.

"If you don't get out of here now, you will burn with all the others." The heat was rising in me, the glow spreading and getting brighter with every second. I raised my hand, sparks and flames jumped from my skin as it moved. I was losing control.

In his anger, Damon stabbed his stake through the heart of the nearest desiccated vampire.

"Damon, please!" I cried, I didn't know how long I could hold off. Damon stared into my eyes, the fury I saw in him reflected the fire I was currently trying, and failing, to keep inside.

The Salvatore brothers left just as the fire inside me was unleashed. It spread throughout all the corridors of the tomb. When the fire died down there were only ashes around me. Soot covered me from head to toe, the fire had burned everything around me including my clothes.

The air outside cooled my bare skin as I exited the tomb. I fell to my knees in exhaustion. Sheila and Bonnie stopped chanting. The door to the tomb closed behind me and the torches died out.

Damon bent down in front of me and wrapped me in his leather jacket.

"I'm sorry," I said. My fire had burned out, but there was still a fury within Damon, I could see the light of it in his eyes.

He growled. "I should have expected it."

An hour later I was washed, wearing borrowed clothes from Bonnie and sitting in Sheila's font room. The older witch was sitting across from me.

"Thank you for tonight. I know it goes against everything you stand for as a witch."

"I'm sorry. I know you wouldn't intentionally do anything to harm this family. I just worry you care too much about the wrong people."

"You've become cynical in your age, Shei."

"I've become cautious," she corrected.

"Here you go, Grams," Bonnie placed a tray with two cups of tea on the coffee table. I picked one up and took a sip. "How are you doing?" Bonnie asked me. "That was a big spell; we borrowed a lot from you."

"Recovering." I looked at the two witches in front of me, taking in their matching tired looks. The color of their skin was duller and large circles hung under their eyes. "How are you both?"

"I'll live," Sheila said. She took a sip of her own tea.

"Nothing a good night's rest won't fix," Bonnie added.

I finished my tea at the Bennet's house and went home. Caroline was already back and asleep in her bed by the time I got home. The night had a few bumps, but as I watched my sister sleeping soundly, without the fear of another vampire attack on the horizon, I had faith this life was starting to look up.

"Hey, you're back," Caroline said groggily, turning toward me in her bed. "You never came back to the party."

"Yeah, Damon and I ended up somewhere else," I replied softly.

"Probably for the best, it was kinda lame this year anyway." Caroline shifted in her bed. "You like him don't you?"

There was no question about who.

"We're just friends."

"Uh-huh." Caroline rolled over, falling back asleep as soon as her head settled on the pillow.

"Sweet dreams," I said softly as I closed her door.

A/N: Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, or Happy whatever you celebrate this time of year! And if I don't update before then, have a Happy New Year too!