Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and The Vampire Diaries. They belong to J.K. Rowling and L.J. Smith. I am writing this just for fun and no money is being made.
AN: Hey, I hope you are doing fine. First, I would like to apologize for such a late update. My dog died and I wasn't able to concentrate on anything. So, in hope to get back on track, I wrote a couple of new stories. And finally, I was able to finish it.
I want to thank Jadiona for inspiring me to write again, when I was at my lowest. You rock, girl!
I would like to apologize for any mistakes in advance. Without further ado, let's get started.
Damon wasn't sure what was he doing here, but he wanted to talk to her. He wanted to know, why she didn't tell him. And more than just being a want, he knew that he needed it. Needed to talk to her desperately. She never struck him as someone who could betray or hurt anyone. He wanted to ask her why she did that to him. He had known that he liked her ever since her friend appeared from the fireplace, but realizing that he was in love with her hit him like a ton of bricks. Some part of him didn't want to believe that she would betray him. She was the kindest and the most innocent person he had ever met. She wasn't manipulative and bitchy like Katherine, nor she was the one to play games with him and his brother like both the doppelgangers did. But no matter what, he couldn't get the voice out of his head.
'She's my niece.'
'She was Klaus's daughter!'
But still, he wanted to ask her himself, maybe there was something he had missed. So, without thinking he ran towards her house. He reached at the woods in front of her house, but before he could move further, his legs stopped involuntarily and he froze on spot.
Klaus and Elijah were standing on her door, when Athena came out and invited them in. In that moment, he realized that no, she was the daughter of his enemy and knew everything what she was doing. There could be no other reason for her coming to town and befriending him along with everyone else. She never told him that she loved him, he was sure she didn't even care about him, their friendship, her caring about him was all a farce and he foolishly fell in love with her. He closed his eyes as he felt his heart breaking even more and all his strength left him. Tears filled his eyes, before he turned around and ran away from her house and her!
Potter Home in Mystic Falls
Klaus and Elijah were sitting on her couch, looking around curiously. Athena was waiting for one of them to speak. She hadn't had the best day yesterday and she just wanted them to get whatever it was over with. It must be something important and that's why she was sitting here and waiting patiently for one of them to talk.
Her patience was wearing thin and they still hadn't said a word, but were looking around as if it was a museum. So, she looking at the brothers and said, "Not to be rude or anything, but I don't think you're here this early in the morning for breakfast!"
Both their gazes snapped towards her and she arched an eyebrow at them.
"We apologize if we disturbed you, but we need to talk." Elijah told her.
"Yes, well. Go on then. What is it?" she asked impatiently.
"We are here to invite you to the Mikaelson's ball this evening." Klaus said. Then, he gave her a box which was packed quietly and shifted uncomfortably.
Athena looked at him with a frown marring her face and then at the box. She didn't say anything, but skeptically reached forward and pulled the box before opining it. She stared at it for a long time and whispered a soft, "Oh!" unconsciously.
"You don't like it? We can get it changed." Klaus said anxiously as he stared at her.
"NO! I… Thank You. It's beautiful." Athena said with a voice thick with emotions.
Klaus looked at her and his heart filled with warmth as she touched the fabric of the cloth lovingly. He couldn't understand the emotions he was feeling for her. Couldn't understand why he felt so happy, when she loved something he gave her. He had just met her. Does every parent feel like that towards their child or was something wrong with him? How can he already be attached to her?
Elijah stared at his niece as she looked at the dress like it was the eighth wonder of the world and he couldn't understand the emotions that crossed her face. On the other hand, his brother looked at Athena, like she herself was the eighth wonder. He felt something inside him which he hadn't felt for nearly thousand years. Hope! Hope for his brother and hope for his family. He wondered that possibly Athena would be the one, that would bring his family together once more, just like they used to be once. They had forgotten what humanity was like, especially Niklaus, but whenever he saw his brother with Athena, he could see the love shining in his eyes which had been buried deep inside him.
The only thing which worried him was their mother. He couldn't understand why she was back and even though she said that she wanted to see them as a family again, he was dubious about it. First, Athena had told them the same day that their mother had contacted her to kill them and second, she forgave Niklaus for killing her. He didn't know why, but he wasn't able to believe her words this time. He didn't believe in coincidences. Everything was planned. He just hoped that his suspicion would turn wrong. Nothing was stopping them. They could be a family now.
He came back to himself, when he heard her asking, "Uhm… Can I bring a friend? She's staying with me for a couple of days and I don't want to leave her alone."
"Of course, you can bring anyone you like." Klaus agreed immediately and Elijah's lips twisted upwards.
Athena gave him a small smile, before asking, "So, what's the occasion?"
"It's a family event and our mother want to meet her grand-daughter." Klaus answered her and Athena's eyes grew the size of the soccer's, not comprehending the meaning behind his words.
"What?!" she nearly shouted.
"Our mother is back and she wants our family to live in peace and her capability to forgive and disregard everything our family has done in last 1000 years… it's difficult for me to believe." Elijah told her calmly like coming back from dead after a thousand years was a usual occurrence.
Athena stayed quiet but arched an eyebrow at him, already knowing where he was headed. She had told them, not that he had believed her before.
"You don't believe her." she stated.
"I wish to do so, but I am uncertain about it." Elijah shrugged as he said this, but Athena saw right through him.
She had a hunch where this was going, so she asked carefully, "You suspect she's up to something?"
"We are almost positive that she would try something today and that's what the ball is about, but the question remains what?" he said with his brows furrowed as he thought about it.
"What do you want me to do?" she asked carefully.
"If she tries something, we would require your assistance." Elijah said slowly as he and Klaus stared at her and she sucked in a hard breath, understanding the meaning behind their words.
Salvatore Boarding House
Damon was sitting on the couch in the parlor, a glass of bourbon in hand, sipping steadily where staring at the fire monotonously. He wasn't angry. No, he was just tired and he didn't want to think anymore.
Stefan came downstairs and looked at him. Damon was simply sitting there, staring up at the ceiling, doing nothing.
"Damon."
Damon didn't look at him and said monotonously, "Stefan."
He had been waiting whole night for Damon to be back, so he asked annoyed, "Where have you been?"
The questioning irked Damon and he asked sarcastically, "What's with you, mother?"
Stefan rolled his eyes exasperatedly and started, "Listen. About Athena…"
Just then, someone knocked on the door and Stefan hung his head infuriated.
"Stefan? Damon?"
They heard Elena's voice and Stefan sighed. It didn't seem like he would be able to talk to Damon about Athena anytime soon. It was private and he didn't want to involve Elena between the two. Elena came inside and stood in front of them.
He looked at her and asked, "Elena? What are you doing here?"
She shifted uncomfortably, then braced her shoulders and said, "I haven't heard from any of you in sometime and you weren't answering my calls."
"Ah! Our mutual uninvited girlfriend." Damon muttered sarcastically under his breath, but Stefan heard him clearly and closed his eyes. It wasn't a good time for her to be here, Damon wasn't himself right now which was never a good thing. He wanted to talk to him as soon as possible.
Elena took a deep breath and said, "Rebekah tried to kill me yesterday, but Elijah saved me. It was their mother Esther, who was sealed in the coffin."
Stefan looked at her sharply and asked, "As in the original witch?"
"Oh, the joy! Grandma's alive." Damon scathingly remarked.
"Grandma?" Elena asked confused.
Stefan ignored Damon and asked instead, "Nothing! How is she even alive?"
"Elijah told me she wants to live in peace with her family, including Klaus." Elena told them slowly as she sat on one of the couches.
"That coffin was the only thing stopping Klaus from tearing us to shreds." Stefan uttered anxiously.
The doorbell rang and they shared a glance. Stefan blurred towards the door before opining it, Damon close behind him. There was no one as he looked around, but two envelopes were lying on the ground with both their names on it. He frowned, but picked it up and came inside before closing the door.
"What is it?" Damon asked curiously.
"It's the invitation to join the Mikaelson Family tonight for celebration. I got the invitation just before coming here." Elena said as she showed them her own invitation.
Stefan's eyebrows furrowed and he asked, "Who are the Mikaelson's?"
"The original family." Elena replied.
Damon scowled at the name and said angrily, "It's not bad enough that they moved into town, played with people, now they are throwing a house warming party?"
"Actually, that's another reason I came to talk to you. Esther wants to meet me." Elena took a breath and stated, "If she wants to talk to me, maybe I should find out why!"
"It's a dumb idea." Damon finished helpfully from where he was sitting on the sofa.
"No, I think she's right. Bonnie was able to open the coffin. I know there's more to it than that." Stefan told them.
"Can you act like the old Stefan, who cared if Elena lived or die?" Damon asked him angrily as he gestured towards Elena with his head.
Stefan looked at Damon with an unfathomable expression and said, "Its not my job anymore, Damon."
Elena's heart clenched painfully when she heard that, but she ignored it and whispered confidently, "I'm going to find out what she wants."
Damon glared at Stefan, before snatching the envelope with his name from his hand and said, "You can't protect yourself, Elena. I'll go with you." And with that he left, Stefan and Elena staring at him.
.
.
When Elena left, Stefan searched for Damon, but he wasn't in the house and he sighed with frustration. He went to Damon's room and kept Athena's letter along with the picture in Damon's bedside table. He didn't know when he'll be able to talk to Damon, but he hoped that Damon would read the letter before he does something unforgivable.
Potter Home
It was almost evening and she was getting ready for 'the ball'. She wanted to take Lavender along, the girl has been alone ever since she came here, in fact since the war and she was just coping from the loss of her family and on top of that, she was a werewolf now. She thought that maybe, it would do Lavender some good, talking to people, no matter how embarrassing she could be, but she wasn't healed properly from the full moon yet and had declined her offer.
Athena decided to apparate to the mansion directly, not that she had a vehicle. But she loved Damon's car and she wanted to buy one too. Once all of this chaos was over!
She had tried calling Damon, but it went straight to voicemail. She wasn't sure if Stefan had talked to him or not, but she was hoping he would be at the ball and would listen to what she had to say.
She looked at herself in the mirror and nodded. The dress he had brought for her was beautiful, which even made her look good and finally she has managed to tame her hair down. She was just about to go downstairs to apparate, when she felt her wards shift and someone rang the doorbell. She frowned, Elijah had said that Esther has invited the whole town, so who could be at here? She went downstairs hoping to see Damon, but her hopes were quashed when she saw Kol standing there in a tuxedo.
"What are you doing here?" she asked him.
"Oh darling! I'm your date for the evening." Kol replied enthusiastically.
She was surprised at that, but simply nodded at him.
"I would have said you look gorgeous, but you resemble Nik too much. I'm just glad you have don't have his eyes and hair. That would have been creepy." Kol said and she rolled her eyes at him.
He looked at her and asked excitedly, "So, how are we going?"
She looked at him with confusion and asked, "How did you come here?"
"I ran. I was hoping we could vanish like you did yesterday. Is it a means of travel? You can take me along, right?" He babbled with glee.
He was almost jumping on his toes and she smirked. He was so going to regret travelling her way. She gave him her hand and he held on to it.
"Hold on tight." She told him, then closed her eyes and apparated.
Mikaelson Mansion
Athena apparated outside their mansion and Kol fell on his knees, groaning. She smiled at him innocently and asked, "Are you alright?"
"Ugh… That was the worst thing I've ever experienced and I've been daggered many times." He said dramatically.
Athena smiled at his antics and said, "I do it all the time. It's not that bad."
.
.
Just as Elena entered the hall with Damon, Stefan joined them. Musicians were playing subtle music and the place was filled with people. They met Carol along with couple of other people.
As soon as Athena entered, Damon's gaze automatically snapped towards her. The silk of her evening gown was royal blue in color, off-shoulder of semi-embroidered fabric which accentuated her thin waist and hugged her hips. She was wearing a diamond studded necklace with matching earrings. Her long black hair were curled and cascading down her back in soft waves. The only words that came into his mind were elegant and simply stunning.
But then his gaze snapped to the man, no boy, who had Athena on his arms and his eyes narrowed at them. Forgetting the reason he was here for, he dropped Elena's hand which was still linked to his and went to grab a drink from the bar.
He was still standing at the bar with a glass of campaign in hand, looking around when the boy came and ordered a drink. He didn't know why, but he felt that he had seen the guy somewhere.
"Have we met?" Damon asked him, who apparently was Athena's date.
The boy smirked at him and said, "I've met a lot of people, and you don't particularly stand out."
.
.
Elena was standing alone, sipping from a glass of wine when a man came to him and said with a soft smile, "Miss. Gilbert, I am Finn Mikaelson. You are here to see my mother."
Elena looked at the man and nodded her head.
"If everyone could gather, please." They heard a voice and turned to see that it was Elijah, along with all the originals. They were standing on the grand-staircase with a glass of wine in their hands.
"Excuse me, please." Finn said, before joining his family.
"Thank you for joining us. You know whenever our mother brings our family together like this, its traditional for us to commence the evening with the dance." Elijah said as Esther descended from the stairs.
"Tonight's theme is a centuries old ball, so please if you could find yourselves a partner. Please join us." Elijah finished with a smile.
Elena saw Esther going back upstairs and followed her.
"Elena!" Elijah called and she turned back as he came towards her and said, "I understand my mother wanted to see you."
"Yeah! Why? Is something wrong?" Elena asked him curiously.
"Well, her ability to forgive my brother after everything he's done to destroy this family strikes me as a little… strange, to say the least." Elijah told her.
Elena looked at him and asked, "Do you think that it's an act?"
"It has me questing everything I had never thought I'd ask." He said as he looked at her. Then he asked hoping that she wouldn't let him down after he'd helped her again and again. "Can I depend on you to tell me what she says?"
Elena looked at him and whispered, "Of course."
And after that, she entered the room Esther was in.
.
.
Athena turned around and saw Damon and Stefan whispering to each other. She took a deep breath and moved towards them, intending to talk to him anyway she could. As soon as she reached them, they both turned to look at her. Stefan shook his head at her subtly when he saw the questioning look in her eyes and she closed her eyes before snapping them open. Damon looked at her softly, she looked beautiful, but when her eyes met his, he remembered her betrayal and his eyes turned cold.
"Athena, you look beautiful." Stefan told her and Damon's head snapped towards him, anger filling him.
"Thank you." She whispered politely as she tried to smile at him.
"I'll see you later." Stefan said awkwardly and left.
Damon and Athena remained where they were, staring at each other, before he came back to himself and shook his head at her and without saying anything turned around to leave.
"Damon!"
He stopped but didn't turned around. He didn't want to hurt her and he knew he would if he looked at her or he would do something which he would regret later. Looking into her eyes, he was only reminded of the fact that he loved her and she betrayed him.
"Damon, please. Why won't you listen to me?"
His anger flared as he turned around to face her and said, "Listen to what exactly? The small detail that you forgot to mention about your father? Or that you are a Mikaelson?"
"I didn't know…"
"What was it that you didn't know? That dear daddy is a murdering bastard, who came to this town with the intention of killing everyone? That he took my brother and erased everything good about him or how I wasted all this time with you while I could have done something about it? But, you probably were busy laughing at me with him every time I talked to you. I thought you were my… friend. Why don't you return to your family and celebrate the return of your grandmother?" He hissed at her cruelly as she stared at him wide eyed.
"You've got it all wrong, Damon." She tried again desperately.
Damon stared at her as her eyes shined with unshed tears. He wanted nothing more than to kiss the tears away, like he'd done before; no matter how much she'd hurt him, he still loved her and seeing her like this was killing him. But then another thought crossed his mind. She was a good actress, she had to be for acting brilliantly to be their friend. She made him fall in love with her and he hated her for it. So, he steeled himself and a cruel smile stretched out across features as he looked at her.
He leaned closer to her and whispered in her ear, "If you or any of your family hurt anyone I care about, I'll kill everyone you've ever loved. Your friends, family, every single person."
He pulled back as he saw a tear falling from her eye, but ignored it and left. Athena stared at him before turning around and went out for some fresh air.
.
.
Finn was sharpening a dagger when someone knocked on the door.
"That would be the girl." Esther said as she gestured at Finn to open the door.
Esther smiled at Elena, who was staring at her and said, "Its only sage. I've spelled it, so we can speak freely without being overheard." Then she looked at Finn and added, "That'll be all. Thank you, Finn."
"You must have a million questions for me, Elena. Please." Esther said as she offered her to sit.
Elena picked up her gown and moved forward. She and Esther tool seat on the same couch as she asked, "How are you alive? Are you a ghost or…?"
"Not exactly. When I died, the witch Ayana preserved my body with a spell. She was a close friend of mine. An ancestor of your friend Bonnie." Esther looked at her and replied.
"So, that's why only Bonnie and her mother could open the casket because they're Ayana's descendants." Elena summarized.
Esther gave a subtle nod and said, "I drew power from them and their ancestors on the other side. There is a way to undo the evil I created."
"You're going to help us kill Klaus, aren't you?" Elena asked her hopefully.
"One thing at a time, Elena. For now, I simply need your help," Esther says.
Esther stood up from the sofa and moved towards the table, where she lip up the candles for the ritual.
"I turned my children into vampires to protect them from the werewolves, but in no time at all they began feeding on human blood. They ravaged towns in their remorse. And then Niklaus turned against me." Esther told her as she poured a glass of campaign.
Elena stood as well and came near her and asked curiously, "How are you going to kill him? He's immortal."
"It'll take time, and your assistance." Esther said.
Elena took a breath and asked without hesitation, "What do I have to do then?"
"My children believe I am holding this ball to celebrate our reunion. But in truth, I've gathered them together to perform a ritual. The first step requires the blood from a doppelgänger." Esther told her.
Elena's eyes widened and she took a step back.
So, Esther hastened to reassure her. "Only a drop. Its essence will be on the campaign toast this evening."
Esther picked a knife which was wrapped around a cloth and asked, "Will you do it? Or shall I?"
Elena thought for a moment, then removed her glove and Esther pricked her finger. Then she dropped some drops of her blood in the glass and continued, "Elijah's more suspicious than the others, so he may need more persuasion. But they must all drink the toast in order to be linked as one."
"What do you mean linked as one?" Elena asked.
"You said yourself Klaus can't be killed, but tonight's spell links all my children together, so if one goes, they all go." She said with a shrug of her shoulder.
Elena stared at her wide eyed and whispered, "What?"
"I love my family, Elena, but they are an abomination. I betrayed nature when I created them. It's my duty to kill them," Esther said as she stared at her.
"There's one more thing I need you to help me with, Elena."
Elena narrowed her eyes at the witch and asked, "What is it?"
"I need you to keep an eye on Athena and make sure she drinks the campaign as well." Esther looked at her and said seriously.
The statement startled Elena and she asked, "Why?"
"She's the most powerful witch and she can reverse my spell. And, she has the potential to turn like Niklaus, or even worse. I want to stop that before it happens. She's my responsibility, just like my children."
Elena breathed, "She's a witch? And how can she be your responsibility?"
Esther said, still looking at her. "She has the werewolf gene in her blood and that can be tricky if she were to turn into a vampire and Niklaus won't let anything happen to her. She cannot be killed, but if I successfully link her to my children, then she can be desiccated. She can be locked after that."
Elena was confused and couldn't understand why Klaus would care about Athena, so she asked, "I… Why would Klaus care what happens to her? From what I've seen he cares about no one, but himself."
"Niklaus is her father."
"She's an original?" Elena's mouth hung open and she gasped.
"No. She's as human as your friend Bonnie is, a 17-year-old, but she's something much more than any of us can ever imagine. She was born with the help of magic and to a creature which shouldn't have been possible. Magic is a complicated thing, Elena and she's an abomination, just like my children. I don't want to give her the chance to ruin everything I'm working for. Its better this way." Esther finished.
Elena swallowed, not knowing what to do. Athena was a girl just like her, but on the other hand, she was powerful enough that she could become a monster like Klaus and she was a witch. Maybe, that was the reason she was able to take everyone from her? Maybe, she spelled them and if Athena died, she'll get everyone back. So, she looked at Esther and nodded.
"Elena? I won't mention anything about her to your… friends."
Esther gave her a knowing look and Elena understood, that she didn't want her to tell Damon and Stefan about Athena. She nodded, before leaving.
.
.
Athena was standing outside the mansion, staring numbly around the vast property as tears steadily fell from her eyes, when Klaus found her. He had seen her arguing with the elder Salvatore and then slipping out afterwards. He's never been there for her, but he wanted to do that now.
"What is it?" He asked her softly.
Athena didn't look at him, just turned her face in the other direction and hastily wiped her tears. Then she muttered, "Nothing."
"Did I tell you that you look lovely?" He asked her.
She looked at him as she turned pink with embarrassment, even though her lips twitched upwards and muttered, "It's a beautiful dress."
"You are beautiful. Lily would have been proud of you." He told her.
"You think so?" she asked expectantly.
Klaus turned and looked into her eyes and said sincerely, "I know so."
She didn't say anything, just gave him a watery smile.
Klaus held his hand towards her and asked, "Would you care to dance? It'll be our first father-daughter dance."
Athena gazed at him for a long time, then she replied softly, "Yes. I would like that."
.
.
Elena was standing there, still thinking about what Esther has told her when Elijah came to her with two glasses of wine and gave one to her.
"How was my mother?" he asked anxiously.
Elena didn't know how to answer that so she whispered one word. "Intense."
Elijah asked apprehensively, "And what was the reason that she needed to speak with you in private? Shall I be concerned about my mother's intentions?"
Elena took a breath and said, "She just wanted to apologize, for trying to have me killed."
"So, it's true then? She's forgiven Klaus?" He asked her skeptically as he looked at her with a frown on his face.
"Its true." She whispered to him with a smile.
Elijah stared at her, not believing a word she had told him, when he heard his mother's voice.
"Good evening, Ladies and Gentlemen. Waiters are coming around with campaign. I invite you all to join me in raising a glass. It provides me with no greater joy, to see my family back together as one including my granddaughter Athena. I want to thank you all for being a part of this specular evening."
Waiters distributed the glasses and Athena almost chocked on her breath when Esther mentioned her in front of everyone. She looked at Klaus, but he and Elijah were busy staring at each other and it looked like they were having a private conversation of their own.
Esther raised her glass and said, "Cheers."
Everyone raised their glasses along with her and repeated, "Cheers." As they all drank it.
.
.
Stefan asked Caroline to dance with him, while Klaus was dancing with Athena and Damon and Elena were dancing together. Even though they had different partners, Damon was focused on Athena and Elena was busy staring at Stefan. After some time, when the partners changed, Klaus was Caroline's, Stefan was Athena's and Damon was Rebekah's. everyone was having a good time, apart from Damon and Elena, who were both blistering with anger and jealousy.
Damon stared as his brother danced with Athena. Stefan was smiling at her, not his fake smile he gave to everyone, but a genuine smile, which probably not even Elena had seen. He saw Athena laughing with his brother and suddenly, he felt cold and hollow all over. He couldn't understand how Stefan could so easily forget what Athena did with them. He was the one who vowed to kill Klaus's family and to take away everyone he ever loved, so what was with this friendly behavior?
Elena, on the other hand was glaring at Athena hatefully. She couldn't believe that the witch had taken his Stefan away from her. She knew that she made mistakes, but Stefan always forgave her. When she saw him laughing with Athena, she couldn't believe what she was seeing. Stefan almost never laughed, she had seen him laughing when he used to be with Lexi, but apart from that she hadn't seen him genuinely happy and carefree like he was now. Even Damon seemed to like her, of course he would. She was sure it was because of some spell. Damon, who didn't give anyone the time of the day, the one who killed anyone without a second thought was focused only on Athena.
She had seen Athena drinking from the glass and was just glad, that she won't mess up their lives further. She couldn't see his Stefan happy with someone else, so she turned around to go outside and didn't notice, that Elijah took Athena with him somewhere.
.
.
Elijah and Klaus along with Athena went outside to talk. Elijah was sure that Elena had lied to him, but he had no way to find out why and what their mother was up to. Unknown to them, Kol saw them talking in hushed tones and followed them.
"Mother wanted to talk to Elena in private. I asked her to inform me if we should be worried about her intentions towards us. Even though she said that it was nothing to worry about, I know there's something missing. She drinks vervain and I cannot compel her to tell me the truth." Elijah told them.
"We can use her brother and she'll tell us whatever we need to." Klaus shrugged.
"I can make her tell us the truth," She whispered, then she glared at Klaus and added, "but you won't harm her or her family in any way."
Even though Klaus hated it, he looked at her stated casually, "Your no harming policy will mess with my reputation, sweetheart."
Athena didn't say anything, just continued staring at him. If they wanted her help, they would not be harming anyone on her watch. Elijah was watching the two of them with glee. He had never seen Niklaus like this and he was loving every moment of it. Klaus stared at her with his jaw clenched, but finally uttered, "Fine."
Both the brothers heard something and turned around to see Elena staring at them as she turned around to leave hastily, but before she could take another step, Kol blurred in front of her and whispered, "Hello, darling."
"Kol." Elijah said formally.
Kol looked at Athena with a smirk and said, "Do what you have to do, love. I really want to see what our mother is planning."
"Please…" Elena whispered to Elijah fearfully, who was her only hope here.
But before he could answer, Athena said, "No one would hurt you. We'll just see the discussion you've had with their mother."
Athena pulled her wand out from her hostler, pointed it at her before she could scream and whispered, "Imperio."
.
.
Stefan saw Elena lying in the front lawn and blurred towards her. He crouched beside to check on her. Her heartbeat was steady and her pulse was fine. He shook her lightly as he tried to wake her up.
"Elena? Hey! Elena? Wake up!"
Elena opened her eyes blearily and croaked out, "Stefan?"
"What happened?" he asked.
She put her hand on her head and groaned with pain. Her head was throbbing. "I came out for some fresh air. I think I slipped and hit my head." She answered.
"You should go home, rest. You've had a long day." He said as he helped her up.
She looked at him and whispered, "Thank You."
He didn't reply, just turned around to leave, when she called.
"Stefan? Can you forgive me?"
He turned around and looked at her, not understanding what she was asking forgiveness for – kissing his brother, almost having sex with him or falling in love with both of them at the same time. So, he stayed quiet.
"Do you think we still have a chance?" she whispered.
Stefan stared at her and swallowed. He knew what she was asking, but he couldn't go through it again. The animosity with his brother, the roller-coaster of life that came along the doppelgängers, waiting for her to choose him and not his brother, her telling him that she loved his brother. It was all too much and he couldn't live like that again. He looked up at her, and she was staring at him waiting for him to respond.
So, he took a deep breath and whispered with a heavy heart, "No. I'm sorry. It's over, Elena. It had been for some time."
"Goodnight."
With that he turned around and left her standing there, staring at him numbly.
.
.
Damon came towards her staggering, drinking straight from the bottle of bourbon and asked, "Burn! Stefanie hurt you as well?"
Elena turned towards him and frowned. "Are you drunk? And what do you mean 'he hurt me as well'? Who else is hurt?"
"Athena!" he breathed her name so quietly, that she couldn't hear it and asked, "What?"
"You should stop hurting my brother and find someone more durable. Someone broken like you." He almost sang in her ear.
Elena swallowed, but said, "You're drunk, Damon."
"Just a bit." Then he leaned closer to her, their faces inches apart and whispered huskily, "You want to try someone more durable?"
Elena looked at him in the eyes, he was so close to her, staring at his baby blues who used to be full of love for her, but she couldn't find that now. She only saw someone broken and unshed tears in his eyes. There was no doubt that she wanted him. In fact, she loved him. She loved both of them and she already lost Stefan. She wasn't going to let the other person who she loved go.
So, she closed her eyes and smashed her lips to his soft ones and Damon responded with abandon, like he would drown if he didn't hold on to her. And possibly that's why he did it. She was the only one who hadn't betrayed him until now and he knew that she loved him, even though he didn't return her feelings now. He felt it the moment her lips touched his, he wasn't in love with her, but she was there, so he held onto the only thing he could.
.
.
Athena came out to see if someone's taken Elena home, but she froze on spot at what she witnessed. Damon and Elena were kissing. One of her leg was wrapped around his hips and his hand was caressing her butt as they kissed like there was no tomorrow. She saw as he hustled them into his car and drove out of there.
She felt like all her breath had been stolen from her body. Her mind couldn't process what she was seeing. She felt her heart shattering in pieces; the place which held Damon inside turned empty and she laughed, even as tears fell down her cheeks. She should have known. Happiness wasn't for her, but she had always known that he was in love with Elena and she felt like a fool in that moment. She was happy, that at least he found his happiness, but the pain she was in was only because of herself. There was no one else to blame. She fell for someone who loved someone else. What had she expected? She had never felt emptier, not even when Fred had died and she hated herself for it. This was what heartbreak was, to know that he was the reason behind her greatest pain - the one she was in love with and he didn't even know it.
When she finally controlled herself, she felt dead, like there was nothing inside her, but she didn't want to dwell on it. She wiped her eyes and face with the back of her hand and went inside. Her work here wasn't done.
Salvatore Boarding House
He was lying in his bed naked staring up at the ceiling, while Elena was sleeping beside him, her hand was wrapped around his waist and he cringed. Everything was hazy to him and he just remembered making out with her ferociously and ripping each other's clothes off. He felt unimaginable pain and grief after he threatened Athena and saw the pain and tears in her eyes. He hated Stefan for forgiving her, hated him for the bond he had with Athena, while he watched them dancing and laughing together. So, he did the only thing that always helped him – he drank his bourbon. He didn't know how much he drank, but he did until there was nothing left to feel, nothing left to say, nothing left but the void that enveloped his mind in swirling blackness. His hopes and dreams of a future with Athena were annihilated.
All the confusion he had regarding his feeling for Elena had vanished in a single night. There was nothing, but lust. He wasn't in love with her. He wanted Athena in bed with him instead of Elena, but he knew that wasn't possible, for she never loved him. Maybe, he wasn't even a friend to her. He removed Elena's arm and reached for his boxers. Both their clothes were scattered around the room and he closed his eyes, before he went downstairs.
Mikaelson Mansion
Esther and Finn were sitting in her room, when Finn told her that he was ready to die.
"Not so soon, brother." Elijah said as he opened the door and entered inside.
Esther looked at him and asked with a small smile, "Elijah, what are you doing here?"
"Mother." He greeted politely, but the dismay in his eyes were unmistakable.
Esther looked behind Elijah and saw Klaus, Kol and Rebekah standing at the door. Finn moved next to his mother as he stared at them.
Athena entered at last and she closed the door with a flick of her wand as she stared at Esther.
"We heard something interesting from Elena, mother." Elijah stated casually as he looked at her.
The smile dropped from Esther's face and she glared at Athena with vexation.
EN:Yeah. So, this happened and before you plan to kill me, I want to make it clear why this was necessary.
First and foremost, Damon didn't cheat on Athena, because they were never in a relationship. I am sure this is going to be the first thing popping in some people's mind, so here's that.
Second, Athena obliviated Elena.
Third, Damon is still attached to Elena and he and Athena won't have been able to live happily, if Elena was in the situation. So, to remove her entirely from his system, making him realize what exactly his feelings for Elena were, was important. To make him realize that what he had for Elena is lust and not love.
There are still a couple of chapters to go until Damon and Athena get together and the main reason it is taking time, is because Athena doesn't know Damon. She fell in love with him without knowing his true nature. I want Athena to accept him, just the way he is and for that, he'll have to do something cruel and eccentric in front of her, so there won't be anymore issues between them.
In the next chapter, he will do something that will hurt her, but she'll understand true Damon Salvatore then. Be patient with me. They'll have their happy reunion soon.
This chapter was extremely difficult for me to navigate. Adding Athena into the equation wasn't easy, but anyway here it is. Tell me if you liked it or even if you didn't. And I just want to thank you for all your love.
Have a nice day, everyone! 😊
Oct 7th, 2018