Review responses:
Only reviewer: Yeah, Sarah's taking none of Bonnie's shit. Honestly though, don't have a lot of big plans for Bonnie outside of what she does in the show. That might change down the road, but she's more of a side character in this story. She was never really a favourite of mine until the later seasons anyway. I'm just not a big on witches. But, I think you'll enjoy the well scene here and hopefully Mason's death too!
I got it up in time! Yay! It was a little rushed though, so sorry for any bits that are clunky or poorly written. But there were so many bits in this that I'm so glad I got to do. We've got the well scene, which is one of my favourite scenes in the whole show, just because it has Elena, Caroline and Bonnie working together and it's one of the few moments we get with all three of those characters working together in the same scene. And now Sarah gets to be added to that experience! Another Damon/Scarlett highlight here too and then the set up for Masquerade. Can't wait!
And thanks for the favourites, follows and reviews since last time! As always, it's appreciated!
Chapter 13: Wolfsbane
Scarlett knew she'd been far too lucky with not running into Mason at the Lockwood house. Now he was in her own home, being tortured by Damon and Ronnie. She was struggling to decide whether that was a good thing or not. At least she wasn't being drafted into help, or worse, just to watch. She wouldn't put it past Damon though, to set some kind of example in case she had any lingering thoughts about biting. However the truth was she hadn't had a single one of those thoughts since she moved back in. It scared her to think that with one wrong move or joke she could kill one of them. Even if it wasn't true, she had to believe it was and be extra careful around all the vampires she knew.
She'd have rather not been in the house at all while Mason was being tortured, but Jeremy insisted on helping. He'd said if she wanted to leave then he'd understand, pointing out it was probably hard having someone of her kind being tortured on the other side of the house. Her mixed feelings made it hard to tell, but she knew one thing, she wasn't leaving Jeremy alone with Mason. So she shrugged it off and stuck around to help him search through Alaric's box of mostly useless research that Vanessa had sent him.
Only halfway through an old battered book, Jeremy let out a bored and irritated sigh as he lowered the book onto the table he and Scarlett were gathered around. Hearing him loud and clearly, Scarlett looked up from the cardboard box she was still sorting through. So far she'd just laid a few items out on the table and had sorted them into three piles. Books, not books and can't possibly have anything to do with werewolves. "You're the one who wanted to do this," Scarlett pointed out simply as she went back to searching through the cardboard box.
"I know," sighed Jeremy, closing the book but using his thumb to keep his place. "I just thought I'd…feel more useful I guess. It feels more like we're being sidelined, or that they're trying to keep us safe," Jeremy explained, a hint of disappointment in his voice. That was in fact what they were doing, except in this instance Scarlett actually agreed with it. Neither of them were expect tortures like Damon, and there were already five people going to get the moonstone, they didn't need two more. She knew the feeling though, back when Sarah had wanted to keep her supernatural side a secret from the rest of the group. She'd been constantly sidelined then. Now everyone knew and she was getting more involved. Unfortunately being involved did mean doing annoyingly boring research at times.
"Trust me, I know it's boring, but this is helping," Scarlett pointed out, trying her best to sound grown up. "Besides, it's this, wondering around a forest looking for some stupid stone, or torture detail. And you and I aren't cut out for torturing people, and we just happened to draw the short straw on the research this time," Scarlett explained as she went back to searching through the box.
"I guess you're right," Jeremy sighed as he opened the book back up. He glanced down at it for a second before looking back to Scarlett. She looked back at him, the couple sharing a smile as her hand rummaged around the box. When she felt something sting her hand for the briefest of seconds, she frowned and looked down. She would have thought Alaric would have at least warned them about sharp objects. Reaching further in, she searched for what she'd pricked herself with. When she felt the same prick again, she went to grab the item, only to the yelp in pain as her hand began to burn. "You okay?" Jeremy asked as he hurried over to Scarlett who yanked her hand from the box.
She stared at her hand, lingering smoke vanishing from the tender burnt flesh on her palm. It healed, but slower than usual and the burning remained even after it did, though it began to fade with time. "What the hell?" Scarlett said with a frown as she looked to Jeremy, equally worried and deeply concerned. He reached into the box, looking in as he searched. "Jeremy don't–" Scarlett warned, not wanting him to get hurt like she had. But he pulled his arm out before she forced him too, holding a dark blue, light purple flower that had been crushed inside the box. "What's that?" Scarlett asked with a frown as Jeremy stared at the already tattered flower in his hand.
"I have no idea," Jeremy admitted as they both stared at the flower. Then slowly Scarlett began to reach for the flower. Jeremy's hand immediately pulled away with the flower as he warned her off, "Scarlett no."
"We have to be sure that's what hurt me," Scarlett said firmly. Jeremy definitely wasn't happy about it, but he held the flower back out for Scarlett to touch. Clenching down, Scarlett wrapped her hand around the top of the flower, only to clench down three times as hard when the sound of sizzling filled the air, followed by the smell of burning skin.
"Scarlett!" Jeremy shouted when she refused to give in and let go. His shouts brought her to her senses though and she let go of the flower, breathing laboured as she stared down at her mangled hand. It was healing, but at the same slow rate as before, and the pain was taking even longer to leave this time. "This stuff must be like your Kryptonite," Jeremy said worriedly, holding the flower closer to his chest now, and purposefully out of Scarlett's reach. Then his face lit up with an idea. "What if there are herbs and plants that effect werewolves like they effect vampires?" Jeremy suggested.
"So this planet is my version of vervain then," Scarlett surmised, following Jeremy's suggestion.
"I guess," Jeremy murmured as he pulled out his phone and began to type with one hand.
"What's it even called?" asked Scarlett, staring at the flower, but being careful not to lean in too close and get burnt again.
"Wolfsbane apparently," answered Jeremy as he showed her his phone screen, with both the name and picture of the planet that had hurt her.
Since Caroline already had her car at the Salvatore's, she drove the three supernaturals to the woods. Sarah wasn't keen to use Mason's and risk being seen, she or Damon would compel someone to take care of it later and then forget about it. She knew how things were going to end with him, he'd made his bed, now it was time for him to sleep in it. She didn't mention that to Caroline or Bonnie though. Caroline was still getting used to this life and Bonnie was still her judgement little self, despite the nice moment she'd shared with her.
The whole way to the forest, Caroline talked, about anything and everything. She kept circling back to her mom, but it wasn't the bitchy comments Sarah had heard her say a few days ago. She was explaining all the good qualities about her mother, the times she remembered fondly rather than the times that had been ruined by herself or her mother. It sounded like the past few days had been good for the mother and daughter. Bonnie said so herself and Caroline agreed before growing depressed. The vervain would be out of her system by the end of the day, meaning Caroline would then have to watch her mother be compelled to forget everything about the new her, and the few days they'd shared together. It'd be like it never happened. Sarah could only imagine how that felt.
Making their way through the woods, Sarah tried to switch off the depressing subject of Caroline's mother and onto something 'normal'. She brought up school and got the girls talking about what was going on. That lasted for a bit until Caroline began to tease Sarah about Ronnie thus leading to Bonnie's discovery of her boyfriend. Sarah didn't need to explain anything, she had Caroline for that, who was all to happy to inform Bonnie of everything that had happened up to this point between her and Ronnie. It made her smile though, to relive her most recent experience with love through Caroline's eyes. Even Bonnie seemed happy for her.
All that came to a stop though when Sarah picked up the screams of Elena from deeper within the woods. She stopped, face turning serious as she focused her hearing. Caroline asked her what was wrong but soon realised Sarah was listening out for something else. She too focused her hearing, pushing past all the birds, rustling leaves and scampering animals until they both heard Elena shouting, "Stefan!" over and over. They both instantly recognised the tone, panic. Without another word to Bonnie the two vampires took off towards Elena at their advance speed, running through the forest faster than any animal could.
As they arrived, they found Elena by an old well trying to lift a heavy chain that had been left in a pile by the well. When it became obvious it was too heave for her she returned to the edge of the well, calling down to Stefan who was apparently trapped inside. "Stefan!" Elena shouted, voice now terrified before she jumped when a hand touched her should. She swung around and found the serious faces of Sarah and Caroline.
"Elena, what is it? What's happening?" Sarah asked quickly as she held onto Elena's shoulders with both hands, trying to get her to focus and panic a little less.
"It's Stefan," Elena said frantically. "He's down in the well and the chain's too heavy and–and–and…" She was practically hysterical, too riled up and panicked to think straight. But from Stefan's screams of pain from below, Sarah knew it was serious and she had to get him out of there and quickly.
"Move," Sarah ordered, practically lifting Elena aside as she mounted the well, ready to lunch herself in. Only before she could, Elena grabbed hold of her leather jacket, pulling her back from the well's edge. "Elena-"
"It's filled with vervain!" Elena blurted out. Sarah eyes widened in alarm. Now she was the one panicking, hysterical thoughts running through her head while her brother remained trapped at the bottom of the well like bread in a vervain soup. "Sarah, we've got to get him out of there, now!" cried Elena.
"I know, Elena. I know. Just… I just need…" She looked down into the well, her brother's screams rushing up to greet her. She had to think, but her mind was racing a mile a minute and she wasn't thinking straight. Even with the little bits of blood she'd been making sure Stefan took everyday, he still wasn't strong enough to survive this. Every second she wasted was one more second she risked losing him forever. And she was helpless, utterly helpless against the effects of vervain. She could call Scarlett and get her to go in and hold him up, but by the time she got here it'd bee to late and Stefan would be nothing but a burned disfigured corpse floating in a well, still burning after his death. She needed something else but there wasn't any time and all she could hear was her brother's pleading screams for help.
"I…I…"
"The chain!" Caroline declared as she held up the end with her vampire strength. Sarah and Elena turned to her, eyes in disbelief and mouths parted. They looked at the chain then back to Caroline. "We can use it to lower Elena into the well since she won't be effected by the vervain, then use it again to pull her and Stefan back up."
"Caroline, you're a genius," Sarah declared as she leapt from the edge, grabbing the chain that Caroline offered, before both girls got to work setting up a makeshift hoist. Sarah just hopped they weren't too late, and that her three second panic attack hadn't cost Stefan his life.
Scarlett tried to argue against it, but Jeremy was set on his course. He was so determined to prove his worth to Damon that he wasn't listening to her. He didn't understand why she was practically begging him not to go into the study where Damon and Ronnie were in the middle of torturing Mason. How could he though, when she'd never told him the truth. Maybe she wouldn't have to now. Maybe Mason would expose her for what she really was, revenge for her siding with the vampires.
She did all she could to deter Jeremy from going in but he was insistent, taking the wolfsbane with him. Part of Scarlett wanted to wait in the living room until he came back, but the rest of her couldn't take the suspense. At least if she was there she'd know for certain if Mason did spill the beans. Even though she knew the feeling was coming, she was still surprised when she walked into the study behind Jeremy and her heart launched itself into her throat. She could see Mason, but he couldn't see her. He was facing the fireplace, but even so she could see he was in pain, strapped down with blood dripping onto the blanket beneath him even now.
"Oh, great, it's Charlie Brown and Snoopy here to stick their noses where they don't belong," snapped Damon from in front of Mason. Beside him stood Ronnie, arms folded, and between them both Damon held an iron poker with a scorching red tip. Mason turned his head, trying to get a look but Scarlett remained just out of his line of sight, while Damon and Ronnie's gazes followed her and Jeremy as they made their way around the study. Luckily Damon came over to meet them, handing the pocker off to Ronnie who swung it towards Mason when he tired to look over, the scorching tip mere millimetres from the hairs on his chiny chin chin. His blue eyes reminded Scarlett of Damon's own cold merciless ones in that moment. Clearly he was no stranger to torture either.
"Get out," Damon ordered bluntly, not liking the interruption in his torture session.
"We found something in Ric's box of stuff," Jeremy explained, holding the wolfsbane out to Damon. He snatched the plant from Jeremy, looking it over in his hand with a frown, confused as to its value. Apparently it had no effect on vampires, just wolfs. Definitely like vervain then.
"What is it?" Damon asked, gaze moving to the young couple.
"I did a search on my phone. It's a plant, Aconitum Vulparia. It grows in the mountainous areas of the northern hemisphere. Commonly known as aconite, blue rocket, and wolfsbane," Jeremy explained as Damon went back to staring at the planet, more curiously now that he'd heard its name. Wolfsbane.
"What else did you read?" Damon asked.
"We didn't read anything else," Scarlett explained with a shaky voice. Damon's gaze shot to her as she continued. "But when I touched it, it burnt my skin. It was like what happens to you guys when you touch vervain," she explained quietly.
"So it's toxic then," Ronnie stated as he lowered the poker from Mason's chin. He struggled for a few seconds but then gave up with a painful sigh. Scarlett felt a pang of hurt irradiate through her then. Could she really just stand by and watch them hurt him any more than they already had. What did it matter, they already practically had the moonstone thanks to Bonnie, what else did they need from him. He was weak outside of a full moon and Scarlett had already proven she could take him if he got out in wolf form. What threat did he still pose, what was the point in this continued torture.
"Sounds like it," Damon said with a grin as he turned back to Ronnie and Mason. Twirling the planet back and forth between his fingers, Damon made his way back over to Ronnie's side while Scarlett and Jeremy remained where they stood, watching from afar. "Let's try this again," Damon said as he glared down at Mason, who looked up at him in exhaustion. "What's Katherine doing in Mystic Falls?"
For a moment it looked like Mason might have considered answering him. Scarlett wished he had, but he remained stubbornly silent, refusing to cave and answer Damon's questions. Damon's glare intensified as he reached forward with the wolfsbane, brushing it slowly against Mason's cheek. Scarlett cringed as she watched the smoke drift up from Mason's face, the burning flesh sizzling in the air before he burst out into a painful scream. A trailed line of blistered skin left across his face. It began to heal, but not nearly quick enough for Scarlett's liking.
"Why is she here?" repeated Damon.
"She's here with me," Mason snapped out, not eager for another dose of wolfsbane. "Why do you ask, you jealous?"
Now that pissed Damon off, Scarlett could see it by the flash of fury in his eyes. She'd never been on Damon's murderous side, but one look like that and she'd be a little more careful to make sure she didn't end up on it. That look was the stuff of nightmares. "How rude of me. You know, I just realised, Ronnie." He shared a looked with the vampire before turning back to Mason. "We never offered Mason here anything to eat." Before anyone had a chance to understand his words, Damon thrusted his arm forward shoving the wolfsbane directly into Mason's mouth. Crushing and grinding it into his face as Mason screamed against Damon's hand.
"Damon, stop!" Scarlett shouted out before she even realised. Damon's cold careless eyes landed on her then, hand falling from Mason's bloodied mouth as he spat and threw up, trying to get the wolfsbane out of his mouth and off his skin as it burnt him. Scarlett just stood, watching Damon as he advanced on her with Ronnie watching just as emotionlessly from the position he hadn't left since she entered the room.
"Let's get one thing straight here, Scrappy. You don't tell me what to do. I tell you–" he said, pressing his finger against Scarlett's chest as he glared down at her. "–what to do."
"See, Scarlett," Mason spoke up in a hoarse voice as he looked over his shoulder from the chair. Blood still dripping from his mouth as even now he spat out wolfsbane, small puffs of smoke drifting from his skin and mouth. "That's what these vampires are like. Merciless, murderous, monster–" he cut himself off with a painful scream of agony as Ronnie stabbed the scorching poker right through his knee and down his leg
"Shut up!" Ronnie shouted threateningly over Mason's screams before he pulled the poker out. Sticking it back in the fire place as Mason's knee slowly healed over, but even then it'd be a few hours before he was walking normally again thanks to Ronnie. There was now a burning hole running right down his leg that would take more than a while to heal thanks to the wolfsbane, assuming it drained their supernatural abilities like vervain did to vampires.
"You do realise Katherine's a vampire, right?" Damon called over his shoulder pointedly.
"She's one of the good ones," Mason groaned out, struggling to keep it all together as he tried to focus on the healing process, jaw tight with effort as he let out a series of sharp breaths.
"You have no idea how wrong you are," Ronnie said with a glare that was going to make Scarlett look at him a lot differently from now on. Then again it was hardly surprising. He loved Sarah, judging by what she'd overheard this morning, and Katherine was the one that had done the most damage to her in all the world. Of course he was going to make anyone suffer that said she was the good guy and Sarah was the bad one.
"Do you guys really need to torture him anymore?" Scarlett asked, feeling like a scared little girl again as the two big bad vampires shot her a glare.
"Yes," they both declared angrily before Damon returned to Ronnie's side, grabbing the poker from the fire and stabbing it through Mason's chest once more. Scarlett didn't speak up that time. Not out of fear, but because she couldn't see the point. What could she do here? Nothing. She couldn't stand up to them, they wouldn't listen to her. And she couldn't fight them over this, or else she'd lose this new family… she'd lose Sarah. One of the few people that actually seemed to care about her enough to look after her when she had no one else. She couldn't risk that just for Mason, who she didn't even like. So she shoved the urge down into her chest and took deep breaths, fighting the weak tears in her eyes. She felt Jeremy slid his hand into hers, reminding her he was there. It was probably meant to comfort her, but all it did was remind her that at any moment Mason could ruin her life forever. One way or another, Scarlett didn't see this situation ending happily.
After unfolding the chain and making sure the wooden support above the well was secure enough to hold Elena's weight, Sarah threw the chain over the wooden beam above the well and wrapped the chain around Elena's waist. "That feel okay?" Sarah asked as she hooked the end of the chain so that it was securely around Elena. She nodded back, no sign of backing out or even hesitating. Sarah was glad of that, they didn't have time for pointless drama.
"I'm good," Elena answered.
"We've got you," Caroline said firmly, holding the chain as Sarah took hold with her.
"What's going on? You both just took off in a blur," Bonnie gasped as she came running up to the well, out of breath from the run.
"We heard Elena screaming," Caroline explained softly, not wanting to scare Bonnie off with more of her vampire powers.
"Now help her into the well, now!" Sarah ordered. Bonnie didn't question her tone, she understood the urgency and quickly helped Elena into the well. Both Sarah and Caroline felt Elena's weight suddenly, and had to dig their feet into the ground to stop themselves from sliding. It wasn't even Elena's weight that was the problem, just everybody's favourite physical force, gravity. Their vampire strength was more than enough to accommodate though, they just hadn't been using enough apparently. They found the balance within the second and then began feeding the chain through their hands, lowering Elena steadily but quickly into the well.
Stefan had gone quiet now, which worried Sarah all the more. She had to keep telling herself while they were setting up that it was just the endless pain which had knocked him out. But that also meant they had less time than she thought to get him out. At least now that she was actually lowering Elena into the well her mind was focused on the task at hand, knowing that in a few seconds they'd have Stefan out. At one point while they were lowering her in, Caroline lost her grip but Sarah managed to keep a hold until she got it back. She was just as nervous as Sarah was, but that didn't stop the older vampire from sending her a reforming look. The blonde apologised before carefully feeding the chain through to Sarah as they lowered Elena the rest of the way.
Once the weight left the chain, Sarah let go and ran to the edge peering over from next to Bonnie while Caroline held onto the chain. It was dark near the bottom of the well but Sarah's vampire enhanced eyes could see Elena clear as day. Stefan was a little hard to spot now that he was floating face down in the vervain filled waters with just the back of his soaking shirt visible. After getting the chain off her, Elena splashed her way over to him pulling his face out off the water. It was horribly disfigured, burnt with blisters consuming his entire face in a red puffy rage.
"Elena, get him hooked up now!" Sarah shouted as she ran back over to help Caroline with the chain. She could hear Elena fumbling around with the chain but she got it on remarkably quickly before shouting for Sarah and Caroline to pull him up. As soon as they had the go ahead, the two vampires started pulling with all their strength as quickly as they could. Stefan was noticeably heavier than Elena but when using full vampire strength it was hardly noticeable. They heaved and heaved, the chain running through their hands in a blur until finally he appeared at the edge of the well. The second he was in reach, Bonnie grabbed onto Stefan, pulling him over the edge before Sarah let go of the chain.
"Stefan," she said urgently as she went to check his pulse, only for her fingers to burn at the touch. This was seriously bad if she was getting burnt by his skin, it'd absorbed the vervain water and was now trying to expel it from his system as quickly as it could. Worse than that he wasn't even healing, not even slightly. He needed blood to kick start the healing process and help him force out the vervain. It would break his schedule he, she and Elena had set up, but this was his damn life and by now Sarah'd hoped he'd built up enough of a tolerance to control himself.
"He needs blood," Sarah said turning to Bonnie, the only one with drinkable blood within reach. Bonnie froze, unsure about what to do, the definition of a deer in headlights look. She was starting to get along with them all again, despite what they were, but this was apparently a bridge too far. Sarah didn't care, she was all but ready to rip out Bonnie's throat and throw her at Stefan's feet, consent or not.
"He needs my blood," Elena called up from the well. It was true Stefan had only being feeding on Elena's blood over the past few days, that was part of the agreement, but this was a serious emergency. But drinking foreign blood could also set him off and he might be able to control himself afterwards if it was Elena's blood.
Sarah made a snap decision, she wasn't sure if it was right but she had to do something. She ran back over to the well's edge and threw the chain back down, almost taking Caroline down with it. "Elena get up here now!" Sarah shouted down.
"I just need to find the stone!" Elena called back up as she searched the vervain filled waters.
"Now, Elena!" Sarah roared. She was about to add, 'Or it'll be Bonnie's neck I rip open,' but somehow managed to restrain herself. Thankfully Elena found the moonstone easily enough, floating in sealed box. Once she had it, she grabbed hold of the chain and shouted for them too pull, not wasting time with tying it around herself. Sarah was fine with that and after a few sharp yanks on the chain they had Elena out the well.
Once again Bonnie grabbed onto her as soon as she could and pulled Elena to the side of the well. Sarah rushed over, grabbing Elena and practically dragging her towards Stefan. Elena forced the box with the moonstone into Bonnie's hands and then found her feet before Sarah dropped them both down next to Stefan. Sarah went to bite Elena's wrist but then found herself stopping, Elena's arm in hand, her green eyes looking to Elena for permission. With Bonnie there had been no intention of permission, but with Elena she needed to know her answer before she did it either way.
"What are you waiting for!" Elena snapped and Sarah didn't need to be told twice. She let her fangs elongate, bitting into Elena's wrist, the rest of her vampire features coming out as she did. She couldn't help the satisfying sensation that rushed through her then, the taste of Elena's blood. She'd often wondered what it would taste like and now she knew. It was heavily. How Stefan hadn't drained her completely after one taste was a testament to his love for her. She only had the initial taste from the bite though. She didn't dare drink and waste precious seconds. With the skin broken, she pulled away and let Elena move her open wrist to Stefan's mouth, blood pouring into his parted lips.
"Come on, Stefan. Come on," Elena whispered as she winced in pain, letting the blood flow from her and into Stefan. Licking her lips, Sarah waited with bated breath until finally Stefan's eyes opened and his skin began to turn to a more natural colour. It was working, the healing process was activating, the vervain was leaving his system and he was getting his strength back. None of which would have been possible without Elena and her blood.
"Thank you for saving him," Sarah whispered as she stared into Elena's strangely serene doe like eyes. She smiled back and Sarah found herself pressing her forehead to Elena's shoulder, thankful she had a friend like her, and her brother a girlfriend who was willing to share her blood.
"Why do you want the moonstone?" Damon shouted, enunciating each word as he spoke over Mason's groans and cries of pain.
"Screw you!" Mason mumbled back, words lost inside his bloodied mouth and burnt lips. He was practically crying now, the wolfsbane stinging his nerves so badly that it was bringing him to tears. Scarlett had been stood next to Jeremy the whole time, watching in silence. Wanting to leave but unable to at the same time. She just wanted it to be over, to end this pointless torturing. She didn't care if he told them the truth, this was inhumane. The instinct inside her was telling her to stop this, and yet she just stood and watched another of her kind tortured beyond belief. It felt wrong, but right at the same time. She was so confused and just wanted it all to stop for a second so she could breath and think. If it was Sarah she'd listen, but it wasn't Sarah. It was just Damon, the big bad vampire, and Ronnie who she hardly knew.
"Wrong answer!" Damon shouted as he advanced on Mason, raising the poker up towards his face this time.
"What does it matter why he wanted the damn thing?!" shouted Scarlett as she stepped forward. Damon's glare swung to her once more, a clear warning to shut up or else. She ignored it. She'd spoke up now and had to keep going, she couldn't do this, couldn't torture a man like this and just watch, especially when they would have the moonstone soon enough, if not already. "Please. Just stop for a minute. You don't need to keep stabbing him and forcing wolfsbane down his throat."
"Maybe I should start forcing it down your throat," Damon snarled, poker turning on her now. He wouldn't dare. Sarah would have his head if he even tried it. She'd tear his ear off once she found out he'd threatened her like that. She could feel Jeremy tense behind her, fists tightening at the threat being made against her. Her own wolf was growling back, willing to take Damon on, but Scarlett wasn't. She didn't want a fight, she just wanted a break from the torture.
"The well!" Mason blurted out, eyes on Damon. Was he saying it for her? Scarlett wondered as all eyes moved over to the trapped werewolf. Was he seriously speaking up to defend her, after she'd just stood there and watched and done nothing until now to help. She'd made it clear whose side she was on, the Salvatores. But maybe it was the same thing inside her – that made her want to end the torture – that was making him open his mouth now. The threat of another wolf being hurt. "You can find it there," Mason sighed out, head dropping in defeat.
Damon swung the poker back towards Mason's face, the freshly burnt melt sizzling as it neared his skin. Scarlett took another step forward when Mason grimaced but it did little to deter Damon. She wasn't even sure he'd actually noticed her move at all, his menacing blue eyes focused on his prey. "I know where it is you idiot," Damon snapped at Mason. "I want to know what it does and why you want it."
Mason's eyes lifted to Ronnie, glaring down at him with another poker in hand, tip pointing towards the ceiling as it leaned against his shoulder. "And you?" Mason asked. "What do you want?"
Ronnie just stared back, blue eyes emotionless as he aimed his own poker at Mason's chest. Slowly he edged forward with it, the scorching tip just touching Mason's chest. Mason let out a hiss of pain but refused to give in as Ronnie leaned in towards him, the poker remaining perfectly still. "Answer the question," was all he said, in a cool level voice. He pulled back, bring the poker with him so Mason could answer clearly without pain muffling his words.
"I'm getting it for Katherine," Mason sighed out. Once he started talking, Damon lowered his own poker from Mason's face.
"Why?" Damon asked.
"She's gonna use it to lift the curse."
"Of the moon?" Damon scoffed. "Why would a vampire help a werewolf break a curse that keeps them from turning whenever they want?"
"So I wouldn't have to turn anymore," Mason answered.
"Why?" Damon snapped, still not getting it.
"Because she loves me," Mason declared. Damon stared at him for a moment, before he then bursting out into cruel laughter.
"Now I get it. You're just stupid." His playful mocking laughter then left, going cold and serious once more. "Katherine doesn't love you. She's using you, you moron."
"Of course you'd say that," Mason spat out, blood landing by Damon's feet as Mason let his tired head drop, still struggling to breath normally with the wolfsbane in his mouth.
"Yeah. Guess you're right," Damon agreed as he nodded his head back and forth. He then discarded his poker back into the fire and looked to Ronnie. The two blue eyed vampires' eyes connected and they both knew what they had to do now. "Okay, I'm going to kill you now," Damon declared with one of his classic evil grins.
"No!" Scarlett shouted as she stepped in between Damon and Mason. "Damon, no," she said firmly only to be met by Damon's completely and utterly irritated glare. "You're done with him. You've gotten what you wanted out of him. There's no need to kill him." He just stared back, no hint of indecisiveness in his eyes. He was set on his path and he was going to see it through. Scarlett couldn't let him, the wolf was howling at her to stop him, to not let him hurt one of her kind. But how far could she go before Damon would refuse to let her turn back.
"He's no harm to you, he's not like me Damon, he can only turn on a full moon. I'll-I'll make sure he's out of town by then, I won't let him come near you or your family, I won't let him hurt any of you. Just, please, don't kill him," Scarlett begged.
Then Damon hit her with an impossible question. "Why do you care?"
It stumped her. It really did. She didn't know why she care. The wolf cared. She didn't. Her life would be easier without Mason in it. It would be like that night never happened and she and Jeremy could go on living their lives, him blissfully unaware of what happened between her and Mason. And yet she still couldn't let it go any further, not without standing up.
She ended up bypassing the question and going right back to begging. "Please, Damon." It was all she had left. That and a pleading look of her matching blue eyes that she just hoped would crack through his dark exterior. He sighed, briefly turning away, his hands on his hips and Scarlett thought he might just go for it. He might just let Mason live. Then suddenly she was falling, then stumbling over towards Ronnie. Damon had shoved her at vamp speed. She tried to find her footing but Ronnie had his arm around her neck before she could, his other arm going around her lower waist and pulling her away from Mason and Damon as she struggled.
He was smart in the way he held her though, limbs out of biting range. He wasn't risking it, even if she'd promised to never bite any of them. She thrashed around against him but he'd gotten too good a hold on her early on. Jeremy began to move, alarm and fight in his eyes. He made it to Mason's chair, fully intending on heading for Scarlett and Ronnie, when Damon shoved him. He landed on the hard wooden floor looking up at Damon in surprising astonishment. "Stay down, Gilbert," Damon warned as he turned his sights on Mason. Those cold blue eyes having made up their mind. "It'll be over in a sec anyway."
"Damon, no! Damon! Damon, just listen to me, please!" Scarlett shouted at him. She kept shouting even though she knew it was useless. She had to though, she couldn't help herself. She kept shouting at him, begging and pleading as the vampire raised his hand. Then it dove into Mason's chest and Scarlett found herself crying out in horror. Damon's hand came out a second later, Mason's heart in hand. The former werewolf's head rolled forward, all life leaving him as his body slumped, held in place by the chains that bound his corpse to the chair.
Once Damon dropped the heart, his hand covered in red, Scarlett stopped screaming. Jeremy was still on the floor, in shock of what he'd just witnessed, she couldn't see Ronnie. He released her a few seconds later though, and they all just stood around Mason's body.
Scarlett's water blue eyes just staring at Mason, as if waiting for him to suddenly pop up, alive once more. She'd witnessed death before, but this was different, felt different. It was like when her mother had died. Not as bad, but there was a similar sense of loss in there, like she'd lost a limb, as opposed to the heart she'd lost with her mother.
Her eyes slowly moved over to Damon. Eventually, he too turned from the dead werewolf, their blue eyes connecting in contrast. One set was calm and controlled with a hint of relieved fury. The other was consumed in sadness for some unknown reason.
"You didn't need to do that!" Scarlett snapped at him, as the fury shot back up to attention in Damon's eyes.
"We're on the same side, here, Scrappy!" Damon snapped back, finger raising until it was in line with the dead Mason. "He's the enemy. This is what we do to our enemies."
"He wasn't a threat! He was going to leave and you didn't need to kill him over this!" Scarlett shouted in mild hysteria.
"I'd say anyone who can kill me with a single bite is a threat," Damon snarled, advancing on Scarlett until he was towering over her, glaring down at the young wolf who glare up at him just as passionately.
"Does that mean I'm a threat?" Scarlett whispered, her voice was a mixture of fear and threat, warning and sadness over what might come out of this. Damon continued to glare, eyes unchanging, with the exception of a slight shake to them that stopped just as soon as it began.
"Go to your room," Damon finally said after a stretch of silence.
"You're not–"
"I said, Go to your room, Scarlett!" Damon shouted right into her face. She managed to stand her ground, but couldn't stop the tears that pricked her eyes. She head her gaze firmly against Damon's before pulling away. And that was when the tears started to come out. She didn't want him to see, didn't want him to think he was scary enough to make him cry. She wasn't crying for him, wasn't even crying for Mason. She was just crying.
She ran from the room almost at supernatural speed, running down the hallway, then up the stairs, along another corridor before then diving into her room slamming the door closed behind her. She was at her bed in two strides before she jumped the rest of the way, face landing on the bed as she cried out into the sheets. She stayed like that for a while, just crying on her bed, not sure why, but unable to stop. Inside the wolf was howling in sadness too. Flashes appeared in her head of her mother, the feeling came rushing back, all the times she'd been happy with her mother, until that night. The night she'd died.
The door opened, and Scarlett made an effort to silence her cries, though the tears kept coming. She pushed herself up onto her elbows and looked back as Jeremy sat down next to her on the bed. He didn't look hurt. Scarlett had only just realised what Damon might have done to him for interfering. What was going on with her? Was she beginning to lose it?
Jeremy didn't say anything. He just sat by her side, hand resting on top of hers. She sat up at one point and began crying into his shoulder. Then his chest. They moved, getting comfy on the bed. Him sat up with his legs stretched out while she lay beside him, curled up in his arms as she cried out whatever was wrong with her. Maybe once she got it all out, she'd finally understand why she was crying. As if life was ever that simple.
After a while she grew quiet, just feeling Jeremy's chest move up and down beside her as he breathed. That was all she needed for now. She just needed him, beside her and near her. He was her rock through all this, and as odd as it sounded, she needed his help to get through Mason's death. "Stay with me tonight." Her voice came out timid and frightened. She didn't care, Jeremy would never judge her for it, never bring it up in the future and throw it in her face. He loved her, squeaky sad voice included.
"Of course," he said. And for the rest of the day they lay there, holding one another.
Sarah was all but ready to cancel on Jenna for tonight's dinner. Stefan was still recovering, Damon had killed Mason, and Scarlett was in her room crying. Her entire family was in another of its chaotic fits, and she was going out to dinner. Now she did like Jenna, she was a cool person and a good friend to her, but her family always came first. Tonight though, Elena wasn't taking that as an option.
Tonight was apparently a win according to her because they had the moonstone. Sarah had to agree that was a good thing, but the state of her family was not something to celebrate. Damon disagreed with her, naturally, as long as he was getting his way he was happy. Stefan was also dismissive of her when she said she was still worried about him. He assured her he'd healed up nicely, which he had, and wouldn't be taking any more blood tonight. He claimed not to feel the urge, but promised to call both her and Elena if he felt it coming on. That left Scarlett, but apparently Jeremy had that covered and had already sorted it out with Jenna. Sarah asked what was wrong, to which Jeremy explained that Mason's death had triggered some memories of Scarlett's mother's death, but insisted that she was better now. Before leaving though, Sarah made Jeremy swear that he'd call her if things got any worse. He did before returning to Scarlett's room.
With that all dealt with, Elena then drove herself and Sarah back to her house, where Alaric and Jenna were already preparing dinner. Although, they'd apparently been taking a few pauses, as they were in the middle of a heated makeout session by the island when Sarah walked in. "You sure you want me here for dinner?" Sarah asked, making her presence known as Jenna and Alaric quickly parted.
"Sarah! Hey," Jenna said in a highly embarrassed tone with Alaric smiling the same awkward smile as her.
"Hi, Sarah," Alaric greeted.
"You two are so cute when you're embarrassed," Sarah said as she picked up a chopped piece of fruit and plopped it into her mouth with a fiendish grin at the couple.
"Shut up," Jenna snapped playfully, leaning over the island counter and giving her friend a push on the shoulder. "And since you're here ruining our fun, you can set the table up.
"You invited me here, all I'm saying," Sarah said with raised hands before she grabbed the plates on the counter and dished them out around the dinner table while Jenna and Alaric continued with cooking.
"Where's Elena at?" Jenna asked as Sarah placed the last plate down.
"Up stairs," Sarah said over her shoulder. She'd gone straight up from the moment they got in, wanting to change out of her damp cloths and wash up before seeing Jenna. No need to make her suspicious or worse, worried. Jenna didn't question Elena's long absence though, kept busy with food preparations while Alaric and Sarah pitched in and helped set the table. By the time Elena finally joined them, Sarah had finished setting the table and Alaric was bringing the finished parts of the meal over to the table.
"Hey, Sarah was saying there was a few complications today?" Alaric asked Elena as she joined them by the kitchen table.
"That's a bit of an understatement, but we got through it," Elena said with a tired sigh.
"We'll catch you up tomorrow," Sarah promised.
Elena's eyes then moved over to Jenna, who had stopped the food preparations to answer the phone and seemed to be deeply involved in the conversation. "Who's she talking to?" Elena asked.
"I don't know," Alaric said with a shrug. When Elena's eyes moved over to Sarah, the girl sighed and brushed her hair back, ready to eavesdrop. But by the time she focused, Jenna had started talking again anyway and they could all hear her.
"Of course, I understand," Jenna said before holding out the phone and making her way over to Elena. "Elena, it's for you and Sarah," she said, her gaze blank. Elena took the phone with a 'thank you' smile, but Jenna just turned and went back to cooking the meal. Odd, but Sarah was more focused on the phone call that was for her and Elena. Only a few people knew they were both here after all.
"Hello?" Elena said with a frown.
"Hello, Elena. Hello, Sarah," came the same voice in response, only more smug and satisfied. Sarah recognised that voice anywhere, and so did Elena, their eyes meeting in wide panic. Elena made her way around to Sarah, their eyes bouncing between each other and Alaric who frowned at them, wanting to know what was going on.
"Katherine," Elena said into phone, keeping her voice low so that Jenna wouldn't overhear.
"Did you enjoy your little rendezvous with Stefan this morning, Elena?" Again Sarah and Elena's eyes meet, alarm growing. How could Katherine know that, Sarah only knew it because Stefan and Damon could never leave the house without her knowing, at least now that she was on high alert anyway. But she hadn't told Katherine and no one else knew. Damon had his suspicions, but he was hardly going to tell Katherine of all people.
Katherine chuckled from down the phone. "I will always know, Elena. And I will always be one step ahead of you, Sarah. When are you going to figure that out? Do you know how easy it was to get inside your house? To replace Aunt Jenna's vervain perfume, to convince her to stop drinking her special tea?" Sarah and Elena's eyes shot over to Jenna who was still preparing the food as if nothing was going on. Alaric looked at them, wanting to know what was going on but they ended up looking back to each other before he could ask. Katherine had gotten to Jenna, that's why she'd been acting so strange a few seconds ago. She'd been compelled to obey her commands, and when she said to give the phone to Elena, Jenna had gone into a trace state like all compelled humans.
"Jenna's been my little spy for days now. And so much more obedient than you or Caroline, Sarah." Sarah clenched her teeth, blood beginning to boil. Even more so when Katherine let out another fiendish laugh. "She even listens to me, unlike you two. So when I suggested that the world would be a much better place if she were to just…" Katherine trailed off. The words clicked too late in Sarah's head. By the time she'd realised and both she and Elena had turned to look at Jenna, she already had the knife raised, her eyes blank and obedient.
"Jenna, no!" Elena cried out. Alaric wheeled, Sarah ran, but Jenna stabbed herself before she could get there. Once again Katherine was to fast for her, and now her friend and Elena's aunt was suffering for that. With the knife firmly placed in her chest, Jenna began to fall, but Sarah caught her on the way down and carefully lowered her as Alaric and Elena rushed over.
Elena and Alaric were shouting at Jenna, but she was dazed, confused, in shock and fresh out of a compulsion. Her head was on Sarah's lap, Alaric knelt in front of Jenna with Elena on the other side of him. But through the shouts and Jenna's staggered breathing, Sarah heard Katherine loud and clearly. "Well, you get the idea. Bye, bye, Sarah." She ended the call with the sound of a kiss, making Sarah's skin crawl. It was a few seconds later before Elena's panicked shouts brought her back to reality.
"What'd we do? What'd we do?" Her hands reaching for the knife but pulling away in case removing it was the wrong idea. They were all in a shock and panicking, but that wasn't going to help Jenna. Normally the smart thing would be to leave the knife in and call the hospital. But this was Jenna and Sarah was going to be damned if she'd let anything happen to her. She was innocent and didn't deserve this like the rest of them.
Without thinking, Sarah held up her wrist, keeping Jenna's head in place with her other hand, and ripped at her skin. The second she felt the blood begin to ooze out, she placed her wrist to Jenna's mouth, forcing her to drink. It was always a risk feeding a human vampire blood, even to heal them. If they died then that was it, they'd turn. But Sarah had to take that risk, she wasn't going to let Jenna become another of Katherine's victims. Once she'd had enough, Sarah looked to Elena and firmly ordered her to, "Pull the knife out."
Elena hesitated, fear taking over with aunt's life in the balance. But reason ended up breaking through. Sarah had been around a long time and knew what she was doing. And Elena trusted her. So she pulled the knife out, watching in horror as blood continued to pulse outwards, until a second later when the wound began to close beneath Jenna's stained dress. Once it had, and the blood flow stopped, they all sighed in relief.
It took a few minutes for the blood to fully heal Jenna but Sarah knew once it had and finally relaxed enough to let Jenna sit up when she wanted too. There were a few awkward questions about what had happened. Sarah took care of those. Katherine wasn't the only one that could compel Jenna, even if Sarah did feel a little bad for doing it. She compelled her to forget the whole evening and made her remember it as a good night with lots of laughs and good times. Once that was done she sent her up to bed and made her sleep. Once that was done Elena sprayed Jenna's entire face and bed in vervain and from now on would be watching her aunt like a hawk to make sure she was taking vervain regularly.
Once that was taken care of, Alaric said he would go, but Elena asked him to stay, at least until she got back. He said he'd stay the night and they'd make up something in the morning. Elena was thankfully for that. She then took Sarah home but on the way Sarah realised it wasn't just about taking her home. Elena was going to the Salvatore house to do something else. Something that was going to break her heart by the look in her eye.
"I'm sorry, Elena," Sarah said quietly. Briefly, Elena took her eyes of the road as she looked to Sarah.
"Sorry?" Elena said with a frown.
"I'm sorry I let Jenna get hurt," Sarah elaborated, voice drenched in failure.
"No, Sarah. That-That wasn't your fault," Elena said sympathetically.
"I wasn't fast enough. I should have known Jenna was compelled and done something about it… She never should have been brought into this," Sarah said solemnly as she looked out the passenger side window.
"I know," Elena sighed as they continued driving in silence.
"Just…" Sarah began as she turned back to Elena, the brunette's eyes moving between Sarah and the road ahead. "Just be gentle with him." Elena knew what she was meaning and put on a brave smile, nodding as a few tears left her eyes. That was one promise Sarah wasn't sure she'd be able to hold Elena to.
When they got to Sarah's home, she waited down in the living room as Elena broke her brother's heart. It was hard to listen too, knowing she had Ronnie and Stefan and Elena where losing each other. How long until Katherine made her and Ronnie do the same, until she ripped out Damon's heart just for kicks and to make Sarah and Stefan suffer. Where did Katherine's game end? With their deaths? When they swore their undying love to her? Where, and more importantly, when?
Damon and Ronnie joined her soon enough in the living room, as Elena and Stefan broke down into tears. They tired to be strong, but they just couldn't handle it. They parted with a saddened kiss and Sarah felt her own eyes prick as Ronnie took her hand in his. Despite the win of getting the moonstone, this was a loss. The day had been a complete loss.
Elena practically ran out the study, leaving Stefan to his tears. Sarah wanted to go to him, but she could already hear him telling her he wanted to be alone. She didn't feel like she could lift his spirits anyway. She was in the same depressed mood as him after what had gone down.
When Elena ran past the living room, heading for the front door in tears, Damon called to her, standing up as Sarah and Ronnie remained on the couch. She turned, door in her hand and already half opened. Her mascara was stained, eyes a bubbling mess and lower lip shaking in utter defeat. She looked at them all and they all felt her pain. Ronnie looked away, but squeezed Sarah's hand as she held Elena's gaze with nothing but apology in her eyes. It wasn't enough though, it never could be.
"It was me," Damon said as he stepped towards Elena. "I riled Katherine up. I-I wasn't thinking. I didn't think," Damon tried to explain but like with Sarah, it wasn't enough.
"It doesn't matter, Damon," Elena sobbed out. "She won. Katherine won." And with that she left. Leaving words that burnt into Sarah's mind.
Katherine won.
Still staring at the door past her brother, her eyes moved onto him when he turned to her, nothing but apology in those blue eyes of his. "Sarah…I didn't mean-"
"I know," Sarah cut in. He never did. He hadn't known Katherine was going to try and murder Jenna as retaliation for him murdering Mason. None of them had known. And that was the scary thing. That's why Elena had to give in, had to break Stefan's heart and by an extension the entire Salvatore family. The truth was they weren't willing to risk their loved ones, none of them were. That was Katherine's advantage, it always had been. She didn't love anyone. She just had her play things.
As Sarah stood up, blinking back her own tears, she said again, "I know Damon." She offered him what was meant to be a brave smile, but when she didn't see the desired effect on his eyes she stormed out the room, not wanting to see him like this. Filled with nothing but guilt and just waiting for it to eat him up. Stefan was in a worse state, having just lost Elena for real, consumed by his broken heart. It was a miracle they didn't all just switch off their emotions right then and there. But there was still one emotion very much alive in Sarah, one other than depression and sadness. Rage.
She found herself in the home gym, leather jacket cast over one of the chairs in the corner. Her hair was tied back in a sleek ponytail that dropped down past her shoulder blades. She got right up to the first punching bag that stood in front of her, and then let lose. Punch after punch, kick after kick, grunt after grunt, shout after shout. At some point she noticed Ronnie's presence by the door. He didn't say anything, just let her try to work through it because she wanted too.
When the punching bag wasn't enough. Sarah began speeding around the room, going from one punching bag to another at vamp speed. She'd hit each with a single punch or kick before going onto the next, running through them all over and over but never getting any close to the closure she needed. Tears flew from her eyes, grunts of effort turned to further cries of rage until she ended up back at the same punching bag she'd started at. Only she was behind it now. She worked her way around it, sending a series of kicks and punches in a fury of limbs until she ended up with her back to Ronnie once more. Her breathing was heavy now, the rage exhausting her, but not itself. The work out wasn't having the desired effect. Ronnie saw that too and tried for a different approach.
"You want to talk about this?" he said softly, leaving it entirely open to her. He just wanted to offer his help, like he always did. Her heart was aching for him now, frightened by the possibility of losing him like Stefan had just lost Elena. Only Katherine would do far worse to him, she'd already prove she would after her hit on his life. How long until she tried that again.
"Sure, let's talk," Sarah breathed out before punching the bag again. "Let's talk about how I can't defend the people I care about from the one person I hate most in this world." A punch to the bag. "Let's talk about how Katherine has been running circles around me and my family this entire time and we've barely scraped a win against her." A punch to the bag. "Let's talk about how I am completely powerless against her, and she still has just as much control over me, since the day she first compelled me." A punch to the bag.
"She doesn't have control over you," Ronnie said firmly. "You're strong and you've got something she'll never have."
"Yeah," Sarah chuckled hollowly. "But for how long." Another punch to the bag, stronger now, angrier.
"You can't let her get to you like this. If you do then she wins," Ronnie explained softly, trying to make her see sense and get her mind off her negative emotions.
"Oh, she's won for the last time," Sarah declared as she hit the bag with another vampire powered punch. "I'm done letting her win." Another vampire powered punch. "I'm done letting her hurt the people I care about." Another vampire powered punch. "I'm done letting her hurt, Caroline, Elena, Jenna, you, Scarlett, Damon, Stefan." With each name she threw another punch, each stronger than the last. Then she paused, letting out a few laboured breaths before her eyes darkened, the green fields becoming clouded. "I'm done letting her hurt me."
"What are you going to do about it then?" Ronnie asked, his voice strangely worried, cautious and concerned. At the question, Sarah threw one final punch fuelled with all her strength and rage. The punch connected and the punch bag snapped right off the chain holding it up. The bag sailed through the air, flipping over itself before it hit the wall and landed on the floor with a thud, cracking open as it did. A nice metaphor for what Sarah was finally going to do to Katherine.
"I'm gonna kill her."