Selcouth: def. unfamiliar, rare, strange, and yet marvelous

Chapter 16: Hey There, Anna Banana.

I take a sip of my coffee as I sit in the car in front of the town library, after dropping Care and Bons off at the Mystic Grill after practice. I had to promise to immediately come back after my little errand to explain it all, and honestly, wasn't looking forward to it. Hell, I'd hurried so fast to try and meet Anna that I was still in my practice get up of a tank top and spandex shorts. I focus back on the old building.

This place was an interesting sort of aesthetic, the same way the rest of the older parts of this town was. It reeked of a dark history, something just waiting under the seems and I honestly was addicted to it. If only the dark history was not one hundred percent supernaturally based.

That thought also reminds me of what'd happened last night after finding Damon in my bed.

*

"Ugh.. Damon! Couldn't this wait till later..?" I groan groggily, very clearly not in the mood for one of his games. I'm okay with a lot of things, but fucking with my sleep isn't one of them. He smirks then pats my messy copper bedhead like I'm an inconsolable child.

"Aw, Aly Cat, don't be like that! You still owe me a present for going along with your weird 'feeling'."

Rolling my eyes and yawning, I stand up, squinting in the dark for my phone and finding it on the night stand. Turning on the lamp, I turn and toss the now unlocked phone over to Damon who catches it with one hand, looking at the picture I've pulled up.

"What the hell is this?"

"A few days ago, me and Bons did a locator spell for other powerful spells in town. You said Kat was trapped in a tomb right? Well, that map location is exactly where a powerful spell is located. Went to go check it out, but, oddly enough, it's the old Fell Church. So, I would recommend we go check it out at some point before the spell to make sure everything's groovy and ready to go."

A bright grin appears on Damon's face as he realizes that he didn't actually need Fell's help. Standing up, he strides over to my very sleep addled self, cupping my cheeks and grinning down at me happily, "God, You're so useful, Aly Cat. You're my favorite little witch ever."

I smack his hands away as I yawn, "You're so full of shit, D. Your favorite witches are whoever can help you most and whoever's the prettiest."

Damon's smile doesn't falter as he not-so-subtly checks me out, scanning me from the legs up, and as beautiful as he is, I can't find myself to feel too shy in my tank top and underwear. Sure, my heart is pounding like a racehorse and my cheeks are flushed a bit, but I was wearing a revealing bikini a few days ago. I'm not nervous about how my body looks, but I am nervous about how he's looking at it.

"That makes you my favorite of my favorites, then, doesn't it, Alessia?"

Welp, sorry heart, he hasn't called me that in a minute and not gonna lie, it feels great.

He moves closer, his tall, muscular frame seeming much more predatory now. Large hands find purchase on my hips, rough thumbs tracing the skin slightly above my waistband as his pretty blue eyes bore into me. Pretty, PRETTY man. It's just not fair. Maybe after Kat is gone.

Moving his hands away and stepping out of his bubble, I hop under the covers, "Nope! Not doing that stuff, D, but if you want a G-rated sleepover, that's fine."

Big blue eyes widen with surprise before they roll, but I can see he's deliberating. After a couple moments of looking at me in my blanket burrito, he sighs before taking off his shoes, "You tell anyone that we did this, I'm going to eviscerate you. Got it?"

I wonder if he's ever had a sleepover before. Huh, weird.

I smile warmly and nod, and find myself suddenly being tossed to the left side of the mattress. Landing with a huff, I'm roughly pulled back over to the right side, bare arms and chest warming my back. Damon's breath is warm against the back of my neck, and while it does send shivers rolling down to my happy place, it's also oddly comforting.

His large arms slide over my waist and he pulls me in closer, and it makes me feel kinda sad.

Poor guy, probably hasn't been offered to actually cuddle someone since Katherine, and I don't really know if she's the cuddling type. All the women he's probably been with were either one night stands, or desperately in love with all the beauty that is Damon Salvatore, so those aren't optional.

The dude needs a BFF. I'm glad he gets Alaric soon.

I smile warmly in spite of myself, enjoying being the elder Salvatore's stuffed animal standee for the evening, and soon find myself drifting into dreamland.

*

It had been genuinely nice to cuddle with Damon. He was very protective in his sleep, always needing to keep me exceedingly close, otherwise he'd wake up and pull me back to him again. It allowed me to sleep through the night peacefully, and honestly it's been one of the best nights of sleep I've had ever. He, of course, pretended like it hadn't happened, but I could tell how much he liked just sleeping next to someone, the adorable bastard.

So, I just hinted that if he ever wanted to have a sleepover again, to let me know. He scoffed before he thankfully drove me home before Elena and Stefan got up. I had no idea how the night had gone, but if they had made up, I knew I didn't wanna be around for the show.

Once I had gotten home, Bons and Care had a reasonable fit at how little information they'd received over the last twenty four hours, but since school started in thirty minutes, we changed the agreement to confessing later at the Grill. But, most importantly at the moment, I needed to see whether or not Anna would accept my deal to get her mother out of the tomb. The full moon would be coming very soon, and I needed an answer before I went and roasted every vamp in that stupid cave.

Thankfully, we still had Emily's talisman. With that, me and Bons wouldn't need Grams to help, and her little feeble body wouldn't die on us. In fact, I should probably run by the witches house one more time to make sure my intentions are clear, because, I swear to god if I feel any kind of push from the Other Side, I'm burning all of her shit to the ground. Her and the rest of the family could find somewhere else to be a nuisance.

Finally, I see little Gilbert approach the library, and soon after entering, a telltale black curly head followed behind. Hopping out of the car, I grab my hoodie and toss it on before walking out to the library.

Let's hope this works out.

*

By the time I find them, they've adorably bumped heads like in a romcom, and honestly I find it pretty cute but I'm on a mission.

"Anna? Is that you?" I ask, blinking in false surprise.

Her pretty black eyes look up and blink at me in confusion, then suspicion. I walk over to hug her like she's an old friend and she hesitantly opens her arms, trying to not let Jeremy know she doesn't know me. As soon as I pull her close, I whisper into her hair, "I've got a deal for you. Meet me in the Science Fiction section in five minutes."

Then, I quickly change my tone and give her a warm smile as we separate. "I can't believe you're here! I'll have to talk to you later though, big project due."

And with that, I promptly flounce over to the science fiction section, pulling out a cherry lollipop I got from answering a question correctly in Ric's class. What a cool dude.

After waiting a few minutes, Anna struts towards me, eyes all mean and business-like, looking much more mature than she did with Baby Gilbert. I smile at her, pulling the lollipop from my mouth.

"Hiya, Anna Banana. My name is Alessia Bennett, and boy, do I got a great deal for you."

Her dark brow raises, "I'm aware, if you don't hurry and spill it, I'll rip your throat out."

I blink tiredly, "Ugh, don't be predictable vamp, no one likes them. Anyway, my deal involves me getting your mom out of the tomb at the next full moon. I'm opening it anyway for another guy, I don't mind letting you grab your mom as well."

Her eyes slightly widen, clearly stunned that I'm being so 'cut and dry', before the suspicion edges in again. "And what exactly do you want in return?"

I shrug my shoulders, "Long story short, things are about to get very spooky in this town. If I call you or your mother for help, I want you both to respond promptly and be here by my side. It's only good for one call, and you guys can totally stay in Mystic Falls if you want. Wouldn't really recommend it though. Also, I'm not sparing any other vamps in there. The rest will die after I open it, it's up to you whether your mom is part of the death toll."

Her brows furrow slightly, but she looks slightly less suspicious and more hopeful, "That's it?"

"That's it."

She gives me a quick half grin, relief painting her features, "You got yourself a deal, Bennett."

Everything is coming up Lessy.

*

Everything is NOT coming up Lessy.

Care and Bonnie are already glaring at me the second I walk in the Grill, and when I sit down, they don't say a word.

"Guys," I whine, "I already said I was sorry! I didn't make any big decisions without you guys, I promise."

"Alessia Marie Maddox," Caroline says heatedly, and I know I'm in trouble when she uses my full name, "You should've called one of us if you were going to be out all night! A text can be sent by anyone who has your phone!"

That.. is a really good point.

"Not to mention," Bonnie adds, clearly not enthused, "You didn't even call later on to let us know what all had happened! We can't afford to wait thirty six hours for pertinent information!"

I quirk my brow at that, "Wait. Elena hasn't told you anything, Bons?"

Her green eyes grow much more worried, "No! Why? Did something happen to her?"

Yikes. If Bons isn't happy with me, she's really not gonna be happy with Doppelena.

"Okay, first, lower your voices. Second, don't interrupt me till I'm finished giving you the deets."

They both nod vigorously, and I sigh as a waiter approaches, quickly ordering a burger before turning back to the rest of the war council.

"Okay, so, after saving Bons from Logan Fell, me and Damon left the house to eat. I had a bad feeling," I glance over at Bonnie and she nods in understanding, "So, I had Damon drive us back to the boardinghouse, and boom! Elena's car is flipped over on their long ass drive way."

They both gasp, but I hold my hand up to tell them to wait till I'm done.

"She's fine, me and D pulled her out. Besides that, there was a vampire in a hood who ran for the cover of darkness when me and Damon pulled up, he apparently stood in the middle of the road and Elena flipped trying to avoid him. Anyhoo, rescued her, brought her to the house, got the hot gossip on Stefan and Elena, then I went to bed. Woke up, Damon's in my bed asking for what I offered him for driving us over there, so I tell him about the Church. Today, I went to talk to a girl who's trying to get her mom out of the tomb, struck a deal up with her."

Bonnie's eyebrows raise, "Wait, I thought we were burning them all."

I look down at the table before crossing my arms, suddenly a bit cold, "We are Bonnie, the rest of them. That girl just wants her mom back, and I'd feel awful if I took that away from her."

Bons nods in understanding, completely getting where my issues are coming from, and I turn to check on my favorite blonde hurricane who's been unnaturally quiet.

She pouts before angrily saying, "You glossed over the juicy stuff!! Like Damon Salvatore being in your bed?? Not to mention, you forgot to spill the Stelena drama!! You know this is what I live for!"

Rolling my eyes, I sigh, glad that my burger has just arrived and planning not to answer until Care snatches my food away. "

"Hey!" I yell at her, and she just smiles evilly at me.

"Drama, first. Then food."

Ugh, I was wrong, I hate her.

"FINE. Damon's been trying to get in my pants as of late, but I'm not trying to deal with his angry vampire lover once she's out of the tomb. So no, Caroline, don't even think about trying to encourage that. As for Stefan and Elena..." I wince just thinking about what Stefan told me, and Bons sighs, folding her hands together thoughtfully.

"I should've known Elena wasn't telling the truth about them. She's just so desperate for everything to go back to being perfect."

Nodding my copper head, I glance up at Bonnie, "You're right, but that's not a good mental state to be in for a relationship. Stefan is awful pretty, but he's not a perfect guy, and if Elena is looking for a Prince Charming to save her, she's looking in the wrong direction. That's Matt."

Caroline's thin blonde brows furrow, "Yeah, but what do you mean by-," she mimics my 'yikes' face.

"Basically, Stefan and her do not have the best communication skills, and Elena is pretty pissed about it. Actually she's pissed off about a lot of things. Some of which pertain to you and me, Care Bear. That's why she was driving away from the Salvatore house in the first place. She found out that she's a carbon copy of his ex, Katherine."

Both Bonnie and Caroline both choke, either on the air or on their words, and Caroline is the first one to pull a mutual 'yikes' face with Bons quickly following.

We all three say, "Oof," before turning back to our food.

*

I finish the last bite of my burger before glancing up at Bons.

"You know the ritual is this next full moon, right? If you've got any plans, cancel them."

She nods, tossing her last bite of salad into her mouth, "Duh. I'm ready whenever you and Damon are to do this."

Oh shit! That reminds me.

"Also, Care, Bons, I want to ask if we can do something together," I quickly add, and they both blink up at me, Caroline wiping her mouth with her napkin before paying attention.

"I want to link our lives together. If we're linked and one of you gets hurt, I can heal you relatively quickly from my end, or, god forbid, if one of us dies, it'll be much easier to bring you back. As long as two out of the three of us are okay, the one who's dead won't stay gone. I don't like thinking along these lines, but with all that's going on right now, it'd be dumb not to plan for the worst scenario."

Bons quickly nods, while Caroline looks down at the table.

"Is that safe for you guys?" She asks softly, "I mean, I'm the weak human in this group, wouldn't I be a constant way of making you weaker? Also, would you guys get any injury that I got?"

Swear to god, most sweethearted person on the planet.

She's not wrong. If any of us are injured significantly, it'll weaken the others as well, just not as badly.

Bonnie shakes her pretty brown head, "No, this would more than likely be a spiritual connection rather than a physical one. Physical ones are generally used for protection for only one of the parties involved. Also, if one of us went missing, it'd make it easier for the other two to locate the one with a spiritual connection."

Pointing my fry at Bons, I smile proudly at the evidence of her studying, "Exactly. Ten points to Hufflepuff, Bons."

She smirks back pridefully as Care nods her head in agreement.

"I'll trust whatever you twitches think is best."

Huh.

"Wait," I thoughtfully add, "Me and Bonnie aren't twins. What would we actually be called? Sitches?"

Bonnie looks pensive, "Sis-witches?"

Care adds seriously, "Witchers?"

We all deliberate for a moment longer before giving up.

Twitches is more catchy anyway.

*

Raising my phone to my ear, I playfully answer, "This is Alessia the Great Big Witch Bitch, how can I help you, Stefan?"

I hear a deep inhale and sigh on the other end, and I quickly get serious.

"Stef? What's wrong?"

A couple moments of silence pass before he answers, "I told her. I told her everything."

My eyebrows raise, trying to capture the tone of genuine surprise, "What do you mean by everything?"

More moments pass before he sighs.

"I told Elena she was adopted."

I blink once, then twice.

"Damn, Stefan. Way to open up the channels of truth. I think it was a good idea, if you ask me. She deserves to know."

"You don't sound surprised?" He asks, clearly confused by my tone.

"Well, Stefan, I knew that Katherine's last name was Pierce and that she looks like Elena. Clearly the only Pierce in town during your lifetime was Katherine, and she was a vamp and not playing with the Gilberts. It's just logical conjecture, Stefan."

My lying skills are getting a bit too good.

Stefan chuckles a bit, before pausing, "Could you.. Maybe come over? Sorry, it's just.. You remind me a lot of Lexi, and I could really use some advice."

Poor baby Salvatore, I wish I could.

"I'm a bit occupied at the moment," I quickly say into the phone as I approach my destination, "How about I come over later?"

"Oh, that's fine. What are you doing anyway?"

Smirking, I turn to face the old witch house, holding a jerrycan of gasoline.

"Oh, you know. Just visiting some family."

*

A/n: Hey all! Hope you're all having a happy holiday and enjoyed the chapter. Much love to you and those you care about in this special time of year!

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