Warnings: Language, PTSD, Morbid jokes and Dark humor that might offend others e.g. jokes on contemplation of suicide, these are just used to describe the rather morbid sense of humor the character/s may have and are in no means used to offend anyone or make light of the serious topics that may be mentioned. For any sensitive topic used in a joke, I apologize in advance and hope you keep in mind I meant no offense.
Note: The dialogues in Italic show that the speakers are either a form of flashbacks or communicating in a different language, in this case spanish.
The link to the picture that potrays the Asturias Household in Mystic Falls, Virginia, USA: images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQbX9FJJpGUtg1QVS2c8yjNsFo3P_ogJQp-Jp1rYzPF_hVBiaP2qTTmHUDe.
Bond: Definition: (Noun) a force and feeling that unites people; a shared emotion or interest.
'There are no stronger bond on earth than the ones connecting loving families.'
-Jess Catcher-
'~We are like birds of a feather, We are two hearts thrown together, We will be forever as one, My brother under the sun.~'
-Brothers Under The Sun; Bryan Adams-
Chapter II:
7th March, 1996; Asturias Household, Mystic Falls; Virginia, United States of America.
His daughter had formed a magical bond with Bonnie Bennett.
Ignacio was giddy in pride.
To form a magical bond at such a young age? Well, it seemed to be a further testament to his daughter's immense and potent magic. He recognized the bond to be a familial one; based on feelings of protectiveness and a sense of guardianship.
He watched with warm eyes, as his daughter sat with Bonnie on the soft green grass of their front yard. They had an open notebook placed in front of them and Zatanna was patiently trying to teach Bonnie to write her own name.
"No, Seňorita Bonita. It's B-O-N-N-I-E, not B-O-N-N-Y." He heard his little girl explained softly, while pointing out her cousin's mistake.
Bonnie, on the other hand, scrunched up her nose and stared at Zatanna through wide, inquisitive eyes.
"Why?" She asked.
Instead of blinking confused or floundering for an answer -because how did you explain why the name 'Bonnie' did not end with a 'y', seriously how- his daughter smiled indulgently, looking utterly unaffected by the question.
"Why is the sky blue and why is the grass green, Bonita?" Zatanna softly asked, while using the affectionate endearment she had dubbed Bonnie with.
Bonnie must have felt bewildered as she responded with a lost expression, "I don't know. Just, because."
Ignacio watched his daughter grin -to be fair, he was doing the same- her eyes lighting up with tender warmth.
"Because it's the way things are. Your name is spelt like that because that's how it's always been done." Zatanna responded, picking up the pencil and handing it to Bonnie.
"I don't like it." Bonnie crossed her arms and jut her lower lip out in a petulant pout.
Zatanna stared at Bonnie, amusement playing over her face. "You can't like everything," a touch of sarcasm coated his daughter's words. "Now go on, Seňorita Bonita, write your name."
The two went silent after that, as Bonnie attempted to write her name and Zatanna watched on, with a small solicitous smile.
Watching his daughter and how she tended to Bonnie, Ignacio couldn't help but ponder on how his daughter acted much older than she actually was; her speech was impeccable, having a vast vocabulary that was not usually found in a three-year old child, possessing intelligent wisdom and let's not forget her thirst of knowledge.
He didn't quite know what to make of his daughter's maturity, he was pleased of course, but he knew there was something more.
Ignacio had always made it clear; his family was his entire world. Nothing mattered more than them. Nothing. And he loved them more than words could describe. They were his.
His Pauline, his Atticus and his Zatanna.
In response to his sudden protective sentiments, his magic swirled around him, causing the air to subtly hum with energy; as if on instinct, Zatanna's head snapped in his direction, looking at him, just staring with wide eyes full of wonder.
Ignacio tilted his head to the side, a half-smile finding its way on his face. Perhaps, he needed to resume his lessons with his daughter, after all one could only fully utilize an ability after being taught how to use it.
And Ignacio wondered; his daughter had already showed a prodigious inclination towards her magic, performing little tricks with ease, he wondered how strong she would be with the proper knowledge and training.
He noticed both three-year old girls staring at him, Zatanna's eyes were focused on him in an intense way that made her eyes seem more teal-green than sea-green at that one moment, eyes that were dark but completely focused. Bonnie was staring more curiously, looking at the general air around him, no doubt feeling the power resonating in his aura.
He looked up at the darkening sky and decided to go back inside, it was a spring evening but there was a chilly breeze blowing. It didn't affect him much but he preferred to take the two girls indoors.
Better safe than sorry, of course (also if the girls fell sick, he wouldn't hear the end of it from his wife and Sheila and -god forbid- Abby and he liked keeping his pride intact, thank you very much).
Standing up from his relaxed seated position upon the wicker garden chair, Ignacio took long strides towards the two cousins, and with a mischievous smile he abruptly picked both girls up, jostling them playfully.
Both shrieked in laughter, holding on to him with tight grips and squealed harder when he made a show of dropping them back on the ground.
"No, don't!" Bonnie giggled loudly.
Zatanna beamed while trying to catch her breath -Because, of course, giggling was a draining exercise, and yes he was being sarcastic- before she latched her arms around his neck and rested her head against his right shoulder and Bonnie did the same with his left shoulder and they clung to him like koala's would to trees (and wasn't that an apt description).
He walked through the tall glass doors of the house and led the two children up to Zatanna's bedroom, Bonnie was staying the night on Zatanna's insistence (as she had done countless times before in this past month only because Zatanna had taken full advantage of her ability to make sad, innocent wide-eyed expressions; that cheeky, manipulative brat).
He helped them change into their pyjamas and Bonnie, who had spent the entire day playing with Zatanna, fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. He smiled at her sleeping form, running a comforting hand through her hair before tucking her in and turning towards his daughter.
Zatanna stood by the foot of the bed and looked -for some reason- wary of sleeping. Ignacio was not a blind man, on the contrary, he was very perceptive.
Now, being the astute and perceptive man he was, Ignacio had noticed that his daughter had recently started having trouble at sleeping. She looked tired and wary and it was at these moments he noticed how old her eyes looked.
As if they had seen too much and experienced much more.
His magic swept out of him, curling around his daughter's form, cocooning her in its warm embrace. And immediately, Zatanna relaxed at the feeling, looking up at him with soulful eyes.
"Can I stay awake with you, just for a little while, Papa?" She asked hesitantly.
He reached down to grasp her hand within hers. "You never need to ask, querida."
He led his daughter to his study, and with a single wave of his hand, lit the fireplace with a warm, bright flame.
His daughter took a seat on the large and comfortable -if he did say so himself- couch opposite the fireplace and snuggled against his side when he sat next to her.
He stayed silent and ran his fingers through her dark lazy waves, his magic alerted him to his son's approaching presence and Ignacio smiled tilting his head backwards, just in time to see Atticus peek inside the room.
The young boys eyes lit up when he caught sight of them and approached with a cheerful gait.
While decidedly buoyant, he looked tired but then again he would, Pauline had taken Atticus out for the day to help him practice elemental spells; something she had decided to teach him herself.
"Where's your madre?" Ignacio questioned as he put an arm around his son, who had taken to snuggling against his other side.
"Mama told me Aunt Abby needed to have an important talk with her, she left just a few minutes ago." His son answered promptly, reaching an arm across Ignacio's form so he could take a hold of his sister's hand.
Zatanna squeezed the offered appendage and grinned tiredly at him. "What did you learn today?" A familiar curious spark filled her eyes as she turned to get a better look at Atticus.
Ignacio smiled to himself, momentarily forgetting his intense dislike of Abby Bennett (because let's face it, he had always found her shallow, close minded and utterly judgmental) and concentrated on his children.
Atticus visibly lit up. "I can control fire, Mama was so surprised!" He exclaimed excitedly, turning eager eyes towards Ignacio.
His son could control the most volatile of the elements? Heh. His children and their magic seemed to know no bounds; that was to to expected, of course, they held the heritage of the two most powerful bloodlines; the Bennett family who were regarded as Wiccan royalty and then the Asturias family, who were essentially the royalty of the entire magical community.
And yes, he was absolutely and shamelessly bragging.
"Show us." Ignacio encouraged his son with a smirk.
Atticus sat up and grinned mischievously at them.
"Okay, okay. Mirad esto." The young boy turned towards the hearth and stared intently into the flames; his eyes glowed luminously as his entire demeanour shifted to concentrating at the task in hand, it was almost as if he was dazed.
Ignacio felt his son's magic pouring out his form; controlled magic, he noticed instantly. The soft tendrils of his magical aura advanced towards the flames molding them, gently and ever so softly.
Zatanna watched on in fascination, her eyes completely focused on her brother and the flickering fire before them.
In response to his magical manipulations, the flame slowly but surely changed it's form, curving and shaping till it resembled-
"Aslan!" Zatanna sounded positively gleeful.
Atticus turned his attention towards his sister, a similar beam on his face and Ignacio was impressed to note that even after breaking his concentration, the fire still maintained its shape of a prowling lion, it further showed his son's impeccable control over the most unpredictable of the elements. "Narnia's the best."
Zatanna nodded her head rapidly. "That was awesome!" She turned her head away from Atticus and towards her father. "When can I start learning magic?"
His daughter sounded completely and utterly sulky.
She was pouting, for fucks sake.
He had this sudden urge to laugh hysterically.
"When do you want to start?" He asked in return, turning his attention back towards the fire-lion, it was now lounging carelessly, it's ear twitching as it stared at them solemnly.
She blinked at him looking surprised, but after exchanging a glance with Atticus started smiling eagerly. "Right now, please."
"Its a theoretical session, again." He warned. "Now tell me, pequeňa bruja, what do you remember from your last lesson?"
"You said we were not bound to Nature and that instead of manipulating the magic around us-magic provided by Mother Nature, we had our own magic." She replied deftly and promptly.
His lips twitched but he suppressed a smile. "Well done. But do you remember what I said after?"
She stared through large, contemplative eyes. Eyes that seemed much too calculating. "Mors nobis favet; Death favors us."
Atticus shifted and looked at Zatanna, his eldest child had a smirk that would give anyone chills; such a smirk was not meant to be seen on the face of a five-year old.
It was positively maniacal and devilishly chilling.
Ignacio was proud.
It was such moments that Pauline snorted at and further commented on how he resembled an odd mutated version of a Preening Peacock and a Mama Bear.
It was probably true, but he would continue acting offended on said assumption.
"Its our family motto." Atticus informed Zatanna, his smirk only growing wider and broader.
"What does it mean?" His daughter asked, confusion rolling through her aura.
"When I said we are not bound to Mother Nature, I meant that literally." Ignacio rolled his eyes. "Servants of Nature are judgmental little things."
Zatanna snorted.
His three-year old daughter just snorted sarcastically.
He raised them well.
He flashed his daughter an amused smile before continuing. "Nature believes in balance." he hissed out the last word.
"And we don't?" Zatanna looked utterly engrossed in the conversation.
"Not at all, pequeňa seňorita, and that is because we are bound to Death."
Silence.
Zatanna stared at him and Atticus with wide eyes, her mouth fell open forming an 'o'.
Atticus jumped into the conversation then; his eyes sparkling with glee. "That means we answer to Death not Mother Nature. And Death has always given us a free rein."
Ignacio nodded at his son, pleased that Atticus remembered his lessons. "We have no restrictions placed over us. Death does not believe in balance. As Asturias, we can practice all forms of magic."
Ignacio felt Zatanna's magic rise, it leaked out and merged with his own and Atticus', her excitement easily distinguishable as her magic leaped and sparked.
"All forms?"
"All." Atticus confirmed. "Even Wiccan magic, without all the restrictions placed by Nature, of course."
"Is Death stronger than Nature?" His daughter asked, an assessing frown on her face.
"Indeed it is." Ignacio was glad his daughter caught onto that.
"How?"
He smiled before saying in a voice that seemed to demand his children's complete and undivided attention. "Well, hijos míos, life and death are a cycle but not necessarily a balanced cycle. Death has always been stronger." His voice was hypnotizing as his children stared at the fire-lion, which changed form once more due to Ignacio's own magical manipulations; forming a distinguishable visage of a tree growing upon a lush grassy forest floor.
"Think of it this way; there is a tree growing deep in a forest, filled to the brim with life; Nature is obviously blessing it. But Death soon comes, it affects the very soil upon which the tree grows, seeping it of it's life till the tree, too, is dead." The tree of flames withered and crumbled, just as darker coils of the fire crawled over the forest floor seeming to darken and harden it.
"Until Death does not allow life to seep back into the soil, there can never be another tree growing there. The soil shall remain dead till Death recedes it grasp on it and only then lets life, let's Nature to breathe its blessing into it once more." The crawling tendrils of fire receded and the darkened blaze that was the forest floor lightened in color, as a sprout erupted from the ground at the same spot where the previous tree had been.
Zatanna and Atticus (although he had heard this all before) stared at the fire constructs with avid interest.
"There can be no life without death." Ignacio quoted, his children snapping their heads into his direction.
"We can do anything." Atticus informed his sister. "Papa said we have no limits because Death has not given us any restrictions."
"What if we lose ourselves in the process?" Zatanna asked looking cautious, as if it was too good to be true, as if their had to be a catch.
Silly girl.
That was the point.
There was no catch.
They were bound to Death, not Nature. And Death did not believe in Nature's attempts of misguided balance. You could have it all and Death wouldn't bat an eyelash, Death wouldn't go out of the way to make sure there was a weakness to the strength so they were balanced out. That was Mother Nature's ploy. Death simply didn't care. And those bound to Death; those whom Death favored cared even less. Nature dared not touch them; touch that which belonged to Death.
Hence, the Asturias family motto;
Mors nobis favet; Death favors us.
"We can't lose ourselves, unlike the Wiccan who only have two extremes; light or dark magic- and isn't that utterly romanticized, they only see the world as black and white. There are those who practice light magic are those who are the most disparaging, judgmental; the ones who are the perfect servants of nature and anything against nature's laws are considered abominations. Then there are those who practice dark magic, the magic provided by nature that the Wiccan cannot control is considered dark -moronic, I know. They cannot control it and are instead consumed by it, thus considered dark."
"There is no in-between." Zatanna murmured.
"Exactly." Ignacio felt pleased at his daughter's quick grasp. "An Asturias can practice all the magic Wiccan can, all the magic they cannot and so much more. They're are no limitations and no drawbacks."
"Because, Death favors us." Comprehension (finally) followed quickly by pure, unrestrained fascination flashed over her face.
Ignacio and Atticus gave her identical smirks.
Good, she finally understood what it meant to be an Asturias.
Zatanna opened her mouth to undoubtedly ask more, before she paused and violently shuddered, an action her brother mimicked at the exact same moment.
Ignacio frowned, his magic reaching towards his children in concern-
-Before, the soul bond connecting him to Pauline lit up with distress and pain.
And Ignacio was consumed with fury.
He would make Abby Bennett beg for death.
7th March, 1996; Bennett Household, Mystic Falls; Virginia, United States of America.
Abby had no choice.
Really, she didn't.
She had to do this. For Miranda and for Elena.
They were innocents. They never asked to be hunted by the Original Hunter.
Fuck it all. She never asked to have magic. All her life, she tried to fit in, to somehow ignore her magical heritage that her mother seemed so keen on reminding her of.
What was so special about being a Bennett anyway? Bennett witches seemed to have only lives of misery written in their fates, Abby was no different.
Normal, I just wanted to be normal. Why couldn't I be normal?
That was also largely part of the reason why she had married Rudy, he hated all things magic and with him, Abby could pretend to be normal.
She stared at Pauline's fallen form; she had caught her cousin off guard, otherwise Abby might not have been able to knock her out (at the back of her mind, jealousy sparked; how could Pauline live so happily with her lovely family? Why was Pauline not bothered by her magic? Why did Pauline have amazing control over her magic? Why wasn't she suffering like Abby was?). She had used a rolling pin to hit Pauline in the back of her head, before she cast a spell to ensure that her cousin stayed asleep.
Abby was thankful her mother was out, Sheila would have been disgusted and horrified with her actions.
She knew that after this; she could never come home. Never see Bonnie.
No, she was doing this for Miranda and Elena.
What about Bonnie? Your own daughter? Her treacherous mind whispered.
She would understand. She thought back, dismissively.
Abby dragged her cousin's limp body towards her car and with a bit effort on her part, managed to lift Pauline onto the back seat.
Family is sacred. A voice sounding suspiciously like her mother's chimed through her mind. A Bennett always helps their own.
But, Abby was the one who needed help.
Pauline was helping her, wasn't she? She came all the way from Barcelona to Mystic Falls. The two had spent over a month, casting protective, defensive and repelling charms and hexes over the Gilbert's and the rest of their close ones.
To make sure, Mikael didn't touch anyone.
But Abby knew it wasn't enough, she had found a desiccating spell in one of her mother's grimoires, but it utilized too much of nature's dark magic and Abby couldn't do it alone. She had broached the subject with Pauline, who had straight out refused.
"You could die, Abby." Pauline had sternly informed.
"Not if I siphon magic from you." Abby had responded feeling hopeful. Mikael couldn't die but he could be detained.
"I won't take the risk, I have my own family to think about." Her cousin stated firmly.
"We are your family." She, herself, had snapped angrily.
Pauline's eyes darkened and froze over. "My family is my husband and children. Do not mistaken me, Abby. They will always come first."
Abby clenched her teeth, burying down the sudden guilt that emerged.
She shouldn't have done this, Pauline had done so much to help her and Abby owed her a debt of gratitude. Pauline would never forgive her, but that was alright. They just had to get this over with, then Abby would spend the rest of her life making it up to Pauline.
They would be fine.
The plan was simple; draw Mikael outside of Mystic Falls boundaries, desiccate him and then entomb him in the ancient crypt she had acquired in Charlotte, North Carolina.
They would be fine.
Additional Information: Pauline Bennett, according to Wikia, is an actual canon character who was the niece of Sheila Bennett, the daughter of Sheila's un-named sibling and was listed as deceased.
'Bonita' is basically the Spanish, Portuguese variant of the Scottish name 'Bonnie'. Both names have the same meaning; 'Pretty, cute, attractive.'
A/N: I hate Abby XD.
Anyways, Wow.
Like, wow. I am honestly taken aback and pleasantly surprised at the response this story has gained. I'd like to sincerely thank all those who favorited, followed and reviewed this story. It was heart-warming and encouraging and I can never thank you enough.
I'd like to especially thank; Jankia, ZippyZappy, .Winchester.7, RebeliousOne and time-twilight for reviewing. And I'd like to thank Nihama9492 for adding this story into her community; SI-OC Stories.
Like/Favorite and Review/Comment, please. I respond to all reviews via PM.
Translations:
Seňorita Bonita: Miss Bonita.
Querida: Dearest/Dear one.
Madre: Mother.
Mirad esto: Watch this.
Pequeňa bruja: Little witch.
Pequeňa seňorita: Little miss.
Hijos míos: My children.
Note: All translations were taken with the help of Google. If there are any mistakes, I would like to apologize as I do not know how to speak the language.
Edit: Corrections to translations made with the kind and welcomed help of Alessandra12, I am extremely and genuinely grateful for her help.
"Mors nobis favet; Death favors us."
-The Asturias Family Motto-
Disclaimer: This is a work of fanfiction; I do not claim any ownership over any characters, situations or anything of relation from the TVD world. I do, however, own the Asturias Family, anything related to them, any other Original-Character introduced and the plot of this particular story.