Author's notes: Do I have to start with how depressed and devastated I am with what had happened last week on the show? .. No, I'm not going to get over it. They had no right to kill off Jenna, Jalaric, and the future they could have had!
Not that I am going to rant about it here…
So, this is chapter finale of my fanfic, which took me about 10 or so months to finish. Yeah, it had been a while, and I apologize for being so slow. Never expected it to be so long, and it is so far the longest fanfic I've ever worked on. I have to words to say how much I appreciate your patience, and support, and encouragement, and all the night words, guys. You're the best, and it means so, so much! Each and every comment of yours is making me happy. Special thanks to everyone whose reviews I can't reply to for some reason. You have no idea, guys, how much I appreciate you taking your time! Thank you!
Chapter 16
No, this wasn't what Jenna wanted to hear, not at all. In fact, she was kind of hoping they wouldn't go there at all. Speak of wishful thinking. Feverishly, she was trying to figure out what she could possibly do about it now, what with all escape plans quickly going down the drain. Chewing her arm off still was an option, wasn't it? If only she had some time to think…
"I don't understand," she whispered pressing her back harder into the wall and watching the dark form of a figure, wide-eyed. "Who are you? Why are you doing this?"
The woman let out a short cold laugh. "You shouldn't have come back," she said, chuckling coldly, looking at Jenna the way a predator looked at its prey.
Well, maybe she wouldn't have to chew her arm after all, Jenna thought. Maybe someone would do it for her. "Where?"
"To Mystic Falls, of course."
Oh, this was getting interesting. For a moment there Jenna even forgot about her seemingly impending death, too puzzled by this point to process it all at once, because… seriously?
"It wasn't my idea," she said, and really, had she been in a little less dangerous situation, she would have snickered, too. Handcuffs aside, it was starting to look like a big joke. "My sister—"
"Oh, spare me the family drama," the woman cut her off. "Do you think I care?"
Hardly, Jenna thought but kept the comment to herself. She tugged her hand again trying to do it as subtly as possible. It was getting more and more painful each time she tried. Her wrist was swollen and throbbing non-stop by this time, all covered with scratched and swells. She knew it was pointless and that she was only making it worse but it was just as much as she could do in given circumstances, and the very idea of doing nothing… well, it wasn't working with her, naturally. Not when her life was finally starting to make any sense at last. If she was about to die, she'd go down swinging.
If only she didn't feel like crap and could think properly…. How much in trouble she was in in regards of no one knowing where to look for her, again?
Meanwhile, the woman came up to the stand lamp and flicked it on. Momentarily the room filled with dim light making Jenna squint and blink. After the semi-darkness it was too bright for her. And to be honest, aspirin would still be highly appreciated as her head all but exploded from yet another wave of pain.
For a moment, the mysterious lady stayed outside the pool of light, but then she stepped forward and Jenna could finally study her properly. She was young, a couple of years younger than Jenna herself, perhaps. She was wearing black tailored pants, a long-sleeved v-necked dark-purple t-shirt, and her hair was pulled up at the temples and yet falling down her back and shoulders in thick dark, almost black curls.
She was pretty, save for the waves of uncontrolled hatred coming from her, and one didn't need to be psychic to feel them. If only it was physically possible to kill someone with the power of mind, Jenna was sure she'd be lying dead already.
Well, it wasn't what surprised Jenna thought. For a moment there she thought she was seeing things, what with her mind being so fuzzy. Okay, surprise was a huge understatement. Shock was probably covering it much better.
"It's you," she muttered, staring at the woman. "You… you came to have a look at my brother-in-law's office a few weeks ago." Yes, she did recognize her at last. And no, it wasn't making any sense whatsoever.
"And?" The girl prodded her, taking another step forward, obviously enjoying the effect.
And?
"Do I—do I know you?" Jenna asked, utterly confused.
No, the face wasn't familiar in any way that could have assured her they'd met before, not matter how hard she tried to remember.
Her captor laughed. "Well, of course you wouldn't remember, would you?" She inclined her head slightly to her shoulder. "You were so cool and awesome, and so above everyone to look around, Jenna Sommers. You and your troublemaking in-crowd only cared about partying, sneaking booze from your parents, being high and not being caught. Honestly? Never would I understand what he found in you."
"Who?"
Yeah, now she was utterly and completely lost, Jenna decided, feeling like she'd somehow skipped the part of the conversation that was supposed to bring more sense to what she was hearing. Not that it was entirely impossible. No, really, did she actually miss something? It was like she was supposed to know stuff she probably didn't. Oh boy, that headache was making thinking hurt…
Melissa – Melissa Curtis, the name suddenly flashed in Jenna's mind, surprising her – might have as well been speaking Chinese. And no, the name didn't make things clearer. Okay, Jenna always knew there was a huge possibility for all of this to turn out to be some kind of a huge mistake. Well, now she was practically sure of it. Melissa knew her name and it wasn't quite clicking but all in all— It was a mistake, wasn't it?
The biggest problem was that it probably wouldn't be easy to convince her of that since she didn't seem to be particularly reasonable or willing to listen. Or sane – come to think of it.
"Logan," Melissa spat, making Jenna snap out of her thoughts and freeze, her eyes growing wide when the name sunk in. "He was crazy about you. Even when you pulled that drop-out stunt and left, he was still obsessed with you."
Jenna could only stare at her with unblinking eyes. God, what was she talking about? Was she even serious? Logan?
"Logan?" She echoed, feeling endlessly dumb. The name felt wrong on her tongue, and wrapping her mind around the conversation seemed to be practically impossible. What did he have to do with any of this? No, she couldn't believe it…
"It took him years to get over you," Melissa continued in a hiss, standing dangerously close to Jenna now. "It took me years of waiting and trying to finally have him because he'd always been 'Jenna this, Jenna that'," she mimicked sarcastically. "And just when we started finally getting somewhere – bam! – you came back, and everything started all over again. You were like a virus he couldn't get out of his system."
Jenna's mind was reeling now. Was it really about Logan Fell? On her list of things that couldn't have happened under any circumstances this was probably number one. She honestly couldn't believe that his girlfriend of some sort started all of this because Jenna happened to come back to Mystic Falls. Who'd do that? God, she didn't want to have anything to do with Logan! It felt like a very bad dream she kind of couldn't wait to wake up from.
"It's not like I killed my sister and brother-in-law so that I could return here and put a kink in your master plan," Jenna retorted, her voice sharp. And maybe it wasn't the best of "get out of here alive" tactics but, damn it, it was so ridiculous that the whole situation stopped being creepy by the second. For a moment there, the pissed off Jenna inside of her even forgot she was actually dealing with a vampire.
Melissa paid no any attention to it though.
"And then it got worse," she went on, her voice thick with anger and resentment.
When he got turned, Jenna realized. Everything gets heightened, she recalled. Love… hate, obsession. She'd seen the first one before, or at least that was what Damon told her Logan's persistence was about, and now had a vivid demonstration of the other two. Oh, crap…
"Did he turn you?" She asked, astounded. "Why would he do that?"
Melissa's chocolate eyes narrowed when she peered at Jenna, probably trying to burn her down with her glare or something, and maybe it was just a trick of light but for a moment there it looked like a web of thick black veins surfaced underneath them, and Jenna's blood froze as she thought Melissa was going to attack. But then, just like that, they were gone again leaving her wondering if she saw them at all.
"He didn't have anywhere to go, so of course he came to me," Melissa snorted. "He couldn't even enter his own house, for heaven's sake!"
Yeah, immortality definitely had its down sides, but Jenna kept the comment to herself. As well as the one about Logan being a damned gentleman and sharing his happiness with his girlfriend, or who-the-hell-ever she was. It would hardly give her any points anyway.
"I'm not sure how exactly it happened," Melissa rubbed her forehead as if it was something that bothered her as well. "I remember him coming to my place one night, saying you wouldn't let him in, and the next thing I know is that your boyfriend killed him." She ended the phrase rather venomously, making Jenna go all rigid, her heartbeat accelerating momentarily. "I remember driving somewhere in the rain at night after I found out. He wasn't picking up, I knew where I was going to go… and it kind of clicked. And then all of a sudden I wake up in the ditch feeling an overwhelming urge to go on a killing spree. And guess whose name popped up in my mind first?"
The question – however rhetorical it was – registered somewhere in the back on Jenna's mind, although she was pretty sure she went completely deaf after "your boyfriend killed him". Oh god, was it true? Alaric was the one who staked Logan? He… he never told her anything like that… well, to be fair, he never stated the opposite either. Not that she asked… It was Damon who told her Logan was dead and Jenna assumed immediately he was the one who killed him, what with it being so Damon. But Ric—
He was dangerous, and he was after you, Alaric told her once. She didn't remember when, or how they even got there in the first place. Yet, the words stuck in her head.
The news didn't want to sink in though, and it was hard to organize the whole range of craziness in her head. Having Logan's ex after her was insane. But knowing that Ric—oh boy, she needed some time to process it. Except that time was luxury she didn't quite have, and she couldn't say how much she had left right now. Why didn't he tell her?
"Is that why you were doing all of this?" Jenna asked quietly. "To me? To Ric? Is that why you were killing people?"
Melissa snorted. "I was killing them because I had to it. And maybe because it feels great, too," she added as an afterthought. "As for the two of you, you should have lost your mind and left Mystic Falls. Or just lost your mind. Either way." She shrugged. "And Mr. Hot History Teacher should have found out what it feels like to lose someone you love."
Shouldn't have asked that, Jenna thought if a little belatedly. Here's to smart thinking in extreme situations. She scooted into the corner of the bunk as Melissa started pacing in front of her. The air coming from the cracks between the boards on the windows was chilly, making Jenna shiver every now and then despite herself. Yet, her eyes always remained on the vampire before her.
"What a shame it didn't work," Melissa shook her head, somewhat lost in thought, as if forgetting about Jenna for a while. "You practically left me no choice but to go for extreme measures."
And she did, in fact, sound regretful, which made Jenna's skin crawl. Her head was spinning, both from all the information and whatever was causing this horrible headache, as she fought so hard to come up with the way to get out of there alive until panic and fear actually kicked in and she agreed on the Let's die here and now plan, which she had to admit was kind of lame.
Damon pulled over and parked the car in the shadow of the trees at the very end of the gravel drive way that led to a massive mansion hidden in the darkness behind the thick trunks. He killed the engine after a short hesitation and then both he and Alaric climbed out, and were greeted momentarily by the chilly air and harsh gusts of wind that started tearing at their clothes and messing with their hair.
"So, this is it?" Alaric asked in a low voice.
The place looked abandoned and run-down, and it definitely didn't look like anyone used the drive way in the last decade, or a few. Being away from the main interstate roads, it obviously wasn't visited much. And everything around them was so quiet that it made hair stand at the nape of Alaric's neck.
"Looks like it," Damon shrugged. "That's the address. And we will have to walk from here. Even a non-vampire would hear the car coming."
"If they are even here," Ric pointed out.
"Oh, stop it, your optimism is so radiant it's blinding," Damon snickered rolling his eyes. They headed to the back of the car where Alaric kept his stash of weapons in secret compartment in the trunk. "Just don't do anything stupid," Damon warned him meaningfully.
"Define stupid," Alaric muttered, his eyes going up to the pale form of the house despite his will.
"Don't do much, period."
Damon slammed the trunk close, each of them carrying a couple of stakes and loaded crossbows. They looked up when the wind picked up all of a sudden and a faint peal of thunder echoed somewhere in the east where the sky had already started tuning purplish promising the rain. The whole image looked like a decoration for a low budget horror-movie, Alaric noted absently.
"Well, let's hope it's not a haunted house," Damon commented, as if reading his thoughts.
"How did you do it?" Jenna whispered. "All of that… how did you get into my head?"
Keep her talking, she thought. Just keep her talking for as long as possible. Not that she had any illusions about any of that miraculously turning into some sort of a very bad dream which she could eventually wake up from in her own bed and with Alaric sleeping peacefully nearby. Yet, she needed just as many precious minutes as she could get to at least try and come up with something remotely decent in the "staying alive" department, which, to be honest, Jenna wasn't that hopeful about.
Yet, if anything, even if her plan failed, she was still curious.
"You know, it's funny how being into the hypnosis practices make you so much stronger in the mind-messing when you're a vampire," Melissa responded not without amusement, and maybe even pride. "And it was kinda entertaining, too." She studied Jenna somewhat curiously. "Planting all these seeds about Alaric's wife being at fault… Seeing you being jealous. Seeing him being torn. Want to know funny thing?" Asked in that very voice that implied that whatever it was it was hardly funny, and that it was probably the last thing in the world that Jenna wanted to know. Not that it mattered. "Did you know why she returned to Mystic Falls?" Melissa watched Jenna's reaction. "Did you know she offered him to join her?"
No, she didn't, and yes, it was the most shocking news of today, perhaps. Isobel did? Was there anything else that Jenna didn't know? No, wait, she definitely didn't want to know that answer to that question.
"Did you know he discussed it with Damon in the bar? Like maybe he should."
Oh crap. Jenna swallowed. "You're lying," she said firmly, and with more confidence than she was actually feeling.
"Am I?" Melissa's brows arched. "I had an idea of making you stab yourself in your sleep," she went on, obviously enjoying the effect. "In sleep walking, I mean. Wouldn't it be fun? You wouldn't even know, no one would. But it was too simple. Boring even, if you ask me. So I decided it would be more fun if you stabbed someone else instead. Someone like a sweet high school cheerleader."
Okay, really, that was it! Exactly the sucker punch Jenna didn't need.
"No," she mouthed soundlessly, breaking into cold sweat. It couldn't be true. It was just another mind game, was it? It could never be true. She would never—
"Don't you remember?" Melissa arched her eyebrow in close to real bewilderment. "Don't you remember waiting for her outside the gym after the practice? Don't you remember everything, Jenna?" Her eyes were peering into Jenna's, and if gaze could possibly be suffocating, that was it. "That should be one hell of a memory, shouldn't it? I'm surprised it didn't stick."
Dry leaves and grass crunched softly beneath their feet as they moved swiftly through the park surrounding the mansion. Their only cover were the darkness and thick trees, mostly naked this time of the year, their crooked branches reaching out for the low sky. Wind aside, the silence was almost eerie, as if everything stilled and prepared for something, even though the definition of something was still pretty bleak. Oddly, the calm before the storm had a double meaning in their situation.
Another peal of thunder rolled across the sky following the first one, and sounding much closer this time, and thick smell of ozone and rain was hanging heavily in the air now.
The house stepped out from behind the trees, huge, massive and like a definition of creepy. A row of columns was propping up the terrace that seemed to be encircling the entire second floor. All the windows, as well as the front door by the looks of it, were boarded to keep out the curious. White paint was peeling off the walls and porch railing, and the steps that led to the wide front veranda didn't look like they could hold anyone but the cat. The walkway leading to it was all cracked and promised sprained ankles to whoever would dare to use it. So, they decided to stick to the lawn walking on crispy grass, their breaths puffing out in small white clouds, silent – lest they attract unnecessary attention.
Low clouds hiding the moon and thick shadows cast by the trees seemed to be giving good cover but it was impossible to tell if anyone was watching them so they tried to stick to the darkest spots anyway and make their proceeding as inconspicuous as possible.
"Doesn't look like anyone had been here in a century or two," Alaric mouthed almost soundlessly as he observed the house once they were close enough to make out the details.
To which Damon shook his head, put a finger to his lips and pointed at the second floor corner room where thin strips of light were filtering through the holes between the boards.
Alaric stiffened momentarily, his body going completely rigid by the second as his breath caught up in his throat. Instinctively, his hold on the stake in his hand flexed and tightened. Had anyone attacked him that very moment, he would be absolutely ready to beat crap out of them, no weapons needed.
"If she did anything to Jenna—" he began under his breath.
"I'll let you bite her head off," Damon agreed easily. "Can we please get it over with now? I still have that football game to catch tonight." He started walking towards the rear end of the house. "Try not to make too much noise, would you?"
Jenna's blood started to run cold in her veins and her breath hitched in her throat. No, her mind screamed refusing to accept it. It refused to even come close to accepting it. How—no, it was a part of the game. Right. Just a… god, it was something so bad, something so twisted.
"And you know what my favorite part of all of this was?" Melissa's lips formed into a cruel smirk as she relished in Jenna's misery. "Playing with all these little fears of yours. Like the one with you attacking someone in your sleep." She made a theatrical pause. "Or the one where your smoking hot teacher leaves you for his vampire wife. That one was just priceless!" The vampire chuckled. "Well, it was a two sided coin though. On the one hand it worked perfectly. On the other – it was too easy." She shook her head again then. "Almost took the whole drive out of it. Your damned trust issues are not fun!"
All Jenna could do was stare at her incredulously. It was just too much to process and some part of her didn't want to even try.
Truth was, Melissa hit the nail right on the head here. It wasn't like she didn't trust Ric, no. But the whole thing between them… it was too good, it felt so perfect that Jenna simply could help thinking every now and then that it was going to be taken away from her just like many other good things were. Better prepared than heartbroken, right? And Isobel, her ghost hovered over them every bloody moment. Well, maybe it only hovered over her but it wasn't like she could turn it off, not entirely at least. And the bitch had used it as best she could.
Helpfully, Jenna's mind offered her a memory of the dream she'd had a few days ago. A dream about Alaric and Isobel, so vivid that it made her feel sick. It took her a while to calm down when she woke up, shaking all over and refusing to say a word about it to Ric who woke up too disturbed by her uneasiness. He'd hold her then, stroking her hair and whispering meaningless nonsense until she drifted back to sleep. And it was then that Jenna realized that of all the things in the world she'd feared, losing him was on top of the list.
And now she found out that it wasn't even her goddamned dream! God knew how much stuff Melissa planted in her mind in the last few weeks, deliberately driving her insane. The thought was enraging. It made Jenna purse her lips tight. "You're insane," she said through clenched teeth.
Melissa's smile grew wider. "And you are dead."
They circled the house, staying closer to the walls. Going for the front door wasn't an option. It didn't look like it was possible to use it, to begin with. Then, it could have been a set up. And even if it wasn't, vampire hearing assumed, any sound of them tearing down the boards could have easily given them away, and the porch looked so old and unstable that it was too much of a risk altogether. If by any chance they didn't fall down and end somewhere in the basement, they'd at the very least make an announcement of their arrival, which was the last thing they needed.
Alaric's gaze kept flickering up towards the second floor area, and even though they could no longer see the window that attracted their attention in the first place, his heart was still skipping a beat every time an old house emitted any sounds. It totally felt like the whole thing was watching them. He couldn't help hoping despite himself that it was only his overheated imagination and nothing else.
"There should be a way in," he whispered, looking around. "They got in somehow."
Damon waved off the twig of the overgrown bush they had to fight their way through. "If anything, they should fire their gardener."
He did try the boards on a couple of the first floor windows they'd passed by, but they sat tight, and trying to tear them off would probably cause too much noise so they decided to leave it as their back-up plan in case none of others worked. Not that they had any.
"There," Ric pointed to what must have been the back door that led to the patio and the garden behind the house. Unlike the front door, however, it wasn't boarded, and the two of them exchanged a quick look. The problem was that it was rather exposed and they had to cross the open space to get there, plus there was no guarantee it wasn't locked. Yet, it still was their only chance right now.
"I hope you know how to pick the locks with your finger," Damon breathed out.
"I thought it was your thing," Alaric shook his head as he followed the vampire to the door, their progression swift and their feet almost soundless on the gravel.
The doorknob turned easily making them both go rigid for a moment as they waited for something to happen – for someone to jump at them, or for the sirens to howl, or maybe for the whole goddamned place to collapse like a card house. None would be much of a surprise. It was hard to say why, but both were sure it was just… too easy. Like someone was waiting for them Yet, a few moments had passed and nothing changed, and they finally let their breaths out. Then again – the vampire that took Jenna probably couldn't even imagine them finding the place that fast, which of course didn't mean the guards could be let down.
"It is bound to creak," Damon whispered pulling the door open. Surprisingly, it didn't, as if someone kept the hinges oiled.
He opened it just wide enough for them to slip inside as quietly as it was possible, and then they paused, waiting for their eyes to adjust to practically complete darkness. Even the moonless sky outside wasn't plunging everything into absolute blackness, and now they both feared running into something and ruining the element of surprise.
"Check there," Damon nodded to the right after about half a minute when shapes and forms finally stepped out of the shadows.
Ric nodded curtly and moved wordlessly in the said direction, his fingers flexing on the stake. The guns and crossbows were cool, and pretty effective in certain situations, but at the end of the day the stakes remained the most effective weapon, and he trusted them the most. it wasn't like they always had a chance to aim properly.
Alaric swallowed hard as he stepped into what had probably once been a kitchen adjoined with the dining room that he spotted ahead of him in the dimmest of lights falling through the cracks and holes between the boards on the windows. Each of his steps was careful and calculated in case some rotten floorboard creaked beneath his feet.
The air was stale and smelled like dust and old wood, and even in almost complete darkness it was obvious that the house was in as bad condition on the inside as on the outside. It was hard to imagine when was the last time anyone lived there. And he would really, really appreciate it if the windows remained open. Oh well, it wasn't like he expected everything to be easy and smooth from the start.
Slowly, he walked past the kitchen island, coated with a thick layer of dust and into a big dining room. A huge table in the middle was the only piece of furniture left there, and his best guess was that whoever cleared the place just didn't bother to try and move it. Even to Ric it looked too big and solid.
Everything about him was tense and on alert, ready to jump into the fight any moment. Carefully, he let out a long breath he didn't even notice he was holding. Jenna was somewhere here, and everything inside of him was twitching and coiling from fear. He refused to think about the possibility that he could have been late already. It took them quite a while to figure out the location of this place after all. But at the same time it was impossible to block these thoughts out of his mind completely, and his overheated imagination was offering pretty disturbing images at this point, what with all these hours of worry he'd gone through.
Ric fought to stay focused though. Damon was right here. They had to be careful and stay unnoticed for as long as possible. Once their location was detected, the stakes would jump sky high, and the whole idea of coming here was to keep Jenna from being hurt, not the other way around – no matter how much he wanted to rush upstairs and kill each and every vampire who so much as touched her with his bare hands. Speak of hating rational thinking.
Alaric met Damon in the hall half a minute later, catching a glimpse of what must have been a living room or a study of some sort behind the vampire's back, and then they both turned and started up the wide staircase that led to the second floor.
"Nothing?" Damon mouthed. Alaric shook his head. "Let's go then."
Jenna stiffened and her breath caught in her throat when something creaked suddenly in the dark depths of the house, like a floorboard under someone's foot perhaps. Her heartbeat piqued momentarily. Weren't they alone? Could there be someone else in the house? Someone she didn't know about yet? Another vampire?
Was she really that screwed?
Melissa, however, whirled around, going all rigid by the second, all of her vampire senses kicking in instantly. For a long moment none of them moved, listening intensely. Melissa's eyes remained on the shadows. Jenna's – on Melissa as she fought to understand whether strange scary noises were good news or not. Was there such thing in her situation as good news at all?
Well, her captor's reaction was somewhat reassuring, if only because there suddenly appeared a one in a million chance that it wasn't some partner of hers lurking in the house. The house itself was practically ancient, for heaven's sake! It was most likely living its own life, and moving, and breathing, and any gust of wind was probably making it emit all sorts of sounds.
Jenna's eyes flickered between Melissa and where she thought the door was, not that she could see it. In any case, right that very moment the vampire still posed greater danger, or so it seemed to her. At least until the sound repeated. Someone definitely wasn't keeping their presence secret. Barely audible for Jenna, it was probably gun-shot loud for her vampire buddy. On a warning look over her shoulder that promised hell on earth to Jenna had the latter so much as moved – yeah, like she had that choice, Jenna thought grimly as she fought to ignore her throbbing wrist – Melissa disappeared swiftly, finally giving Jenna a chance to heave a breath for the first time in hours.
Yet, the moment of short-lived relief was soon gone, and she looked around feverishly. Just like before the room offered no hope. Plus, it was mostly dark now which wasn't helping the matters. On a sigh, she studied her cuffed wrist again as well as metal frame it was attached to. Well, if the whole thing wasn't nailed to be the floor she might as well try and move it altogether if necessary. Problem was, it was hardly an option.
Jenna slumped against the wall in defeat, looked up fighting to catch any other sounds… and froze when her senses registered a small movement in the depth of the shadows on the other end of the room. No – was the first thing that came to mind. And then her eyes grew wide when the figure stepped into the light, and it took Jenna a moment or two to realize it was Alaric, which probably surprised her a lot more than if it was Easter Bunny. A jaw-dropping moment indeed.
Which was exactly what had happened. She blinked and opened her mouth still thinking that it was nothing but a trick of her mind caused by that excruciating headache, but then she closed it right away when Ric motioned to her to stay silent. At this point of time her shock was so overwhelming that she didn't even bother to question how he managed to find her. With all the possibilities rolling in her mind about mysterious visitors and unexpected guests that might have visited them, the idea of someone actually coming to help her didn't even occur to Jenna, if only because it was way over her optimism level since it was practically impossible to figure out the link between her and… How on earth did they find out about Melissa?
Meanwhile Alaric crossed the distance between them in two big strides and crouched beside the cot. And god, had she ever been more relieved in her entire life?
"Ric," she breathed out.
"You okay?" He asked in the barest of whispers reaching out to brush hair out of her face, his gaze wandering around her features and lips formed into a relieved half-smile, probably reflecting the exact same thing she was feeling. Jenna nodded hastily. Her eyes flickered towards the darkness quizzically. "Damon," he mouthed soundlessly. "Let's get you out of here."
"That could be a problem," she muttered demonstrating him the handcuffs, and making Alaric frown immediately. "And before you asked – no, I don't have the key."
The sound of something falling and breaking somewhere in the confines of the house startled both of them. Instinctively, Jenna's fingers flexed on his, holding tight.
"I'll be right back," Ric whispered after a short hesitation, squeezing her hand back and obviously torn. "Just wait here, okay?"
"Really not an issue," she murmured when he was gone as she looked down at her hand again.
She didn't have much time to elaborate though because suddenly Melissa was back, vampire speed ensued, and before Jenna knew, she was pinned to the wall, a steel-firm hand closed around her throat and holding her tight, basically strangling her. And the world exploded again when the back of her head smacked into the wooden panel. For a few agonizingly long moments all she could see was the dance of white spots before her eyes while she didn't know whether to gasp for breath or simply try to pass out.
"Not going to work," Melissa hissed, demonstrating long bare fangs that suddenly appeared before Jenna's face when she was able to focus again. Hadn't she already been pressed had into the wall, she'd probably attempt to back away even farther now. Well, chances were she'd probably break through it any moment, Jenna thought somewhat sourly. "Should have finished you right away."
"Hey, why don't you try it with someone your size?" A rather lazy voice asked behind them. "Or, say, your biological type?"
On a frustrated snarl Melissa let go of Jenna's throat, pulled back and turned around, leaving her coughing and taking sharp convulsive breaths, and they both stared at Damon who stood with his hands tucked into the front pockets of his jeans as he watched them with amused curiosity.
Melissa's lips twitched, which could have been taken for a smirk perhaps, if it wasn't for the fangs that looked kind of threatening, even though in Jenna's opinion Damon didn't seem that impressed. Everything about her was tense too, and ready for attack.
"Damon Salvatore," she chuckled.
"The one and only!" He beamed.
"You think you're so brave?" She asked him condescendingly, and to Jenna it sounded rather ridiculous for some reason, if only because playing brave with Damon was ridiculous by definition.
"As a matter of fact, I am," Damon agreed easily, shrugging. "You mind if I pick up my friend over there," he poked at Jenna. "Guess exploiting your hospitality is getting rude."
"And funny too, I see."
"Just a side note – your housekeeper sucks! So much dust everywhere," he shook his head with disapproval.
She lunged at him before any of them so much as blinked. Instantly, the stake shot at her from out the dark. One of Alaric's stakes-loaded crossbows, Jenna realized, not quite focusing on the thought. Everything was happening so fast! Melissa's reaction was immediate. She stopped half way across the room, Damon forgotten, to catch the stake and throw it back at Alaric.
Jenna's heart skipped a beat as she watched all of that like in slow motion replay. For a moment there, time seemed to slow down, making everything oddly sharp and clear, and agonizingly detailed. Everything about her went numb from fear and helplessness mixed with rage caused by inability to actually do anything instead of just sitting there and being a passive observer.
But before any remotely coherent thought formed in Jenna's mind, Damon was moving, too. In the flicker of a motion he slammed into Melissa, pinning her to the wall. The board panels cracked at the impact. In the faint light Jenna saw her grimace.
Obviously, Melissa wasn't strong or fast enough, especially compared to Damon. Not only young vampires were weaker physically, they were also less coordinated and not much in control of their newly acquired strength. Rage was pretty much making up for it though but at the same time it was making Melissa act pretty much thoughtlessly and predictably. Jenna knew it. And Damon knew it, too. Yet, his mistake was to take it for granted thinking that his 150-year-old strength would compensate it. In a grand scheme of things, after all, everything regarding the vampires was about the element of surprise, which was exactly what had happened when Melissa suddenly shoved him away, slamming him into the wall with an even loader crack with unexpected strength. If anything, what the hell that flashed across his face for a moment described Damon's reaction perfectly.
Out of the corner of her eye – and unable to tear her gaze away from the commotion – Jenna noticed that Alaric was circling the room to get a better angle for another shoot. Unfortunately, she wasn't the only one who noticed it. Melissa's reaction was immediate. And before Alaric knew, she let go of Damon and bolted at him, tossing him into the corner of the room like a ragdoll, his crossbow and the stakes he carried scattering around the floor.
No, Jenna gasped soundlessly, her heart sinking. No, please. The impact obviously wasn't that bad, if only Melissa's move was more instinctual than calculated. Besides, she had already been weakened slightly. And some rational part of Jenna registered it. Yet, as he disappeared outside the pool of light, she wished she had a vampire vision to see where he landed in the darkness. Crazy race of her heartbeat and adrenaline rush was making her hear spin. Without thinking, she jerked her hand again in desperate attempt to free herself, causing dull pain strike through her entire arm. God, how could she be sitting there and doing nothing? She had to get out, she had to help.
Meanwhile, Damon shot at Melissa knocking her sideways and pinning her to the floor, his hand closed around her throat. "Bad move," he hissed breathlessly. Wait, did he actually have his shoulder dislocated?
"Couldn't agree more," she hissed back, and it was too late for him to notice that she somehow managed to take hold of one of Alaric's stakes from the floor because when he did notice it, said stake was plunged into his side.
"Son of a bitch," Damon growled in pain and frustration.
Instinctively, he reached for the stake letting go of Melissa, which she used to push him away altogether. She rolled away from him and, moving lightning fast, met him in half crouch when Damon regained his position and whirled around tossing the bloody stake away. Jenna didn't notice who did the first shot because it was happening just too fast, and she was too shocked to comprehend it properly. Fangs bares and eyes glaring daggers, they slammed into each other and then Damon emitted another angry growl.
Jenna yanked her hand again, not thinking about how pointless it was, but then Melissa stepped away from Damon with what could have probably been interpreted at satisfied grin hadn't it been for fangs and, oddly, blood on her face, and all but smirked when he looked down and found yet another stake sticking out of his stomach.
"How much of this crap is lying around here?" Damon grumbled, obviously pissed off.
Astounded and speechless, Jenna watched them, and it took her a moment or two to register the fact that her hand was free.
Not even surprised at first because it was suddenly such a small thing compared to what was going on around her, she stared down to her bloodstained and bruised wrist for what seemed to be a very long moment, pondering the realization. And then something clicked in her mind, switching it into action mode. She snapped her head up to find Damon and Melissa too preoccupied with themselves to pay any attention to anything and anyone around.
It's you chance, just think. Just think for heaven's sake.
Which was basically a lot harder than expected. Yet, Alaric was still somewhere out there, she had to get to him. She had to… do something. Anything. God, anything, or she'd go crazy. Be okay! Please, please be okay!
Hastily, Jenna scooted down the cot, not quite sure what she was doing or why, or if she even had any plan at all. The movement made a wave of nausea and dizziness sweep through her once again, making her sway a little and grab for the metal carcass of the cot. For a moment there the whole roomed seemed to float beneath her, making Jenna feel like she was on some crazy roller-coaster. Yet, she swallowed, struggling to stay focused and—
Well, that was pretty much all she managed to do when Damon, weakened by blood loss and pain staggered, giving Melissa a chance to spring at him with all her force, fueled and increased by fury, and all but throw him away. Momentarily, she span around, her eyes growing wide by the second when she saw that the spot on the cot where Jenna used to sit merely moments ago was empty. Yet, her grin widened as soon as she saw her not two feet away on the floor, breathing hard and watching the vampire with genuine horror.
"And where do you think you're going, exactly?" Melissa chucked making one slow step towards Jenna after another.
Jenna's heart sank. No, flashed through her mind as she groped around the floor and the wall behind her, as if waiting for some weapon to appear right there for her, her fingers grazing against rough dusted wood and her attempts to get up rather vain.
And it was then that Alaric leaped out of the darkness on an angry snarl and lunged himself at Melissa. But he wasn't fast enough, what with him not being a vampire, and she met his advance half-way, blocking him and tossing him aside until he hit the wall hard enough to all but break through it, and landed by it in a misshaped heap.
"It's getting too crowded here," Melissa's lips pursed tight with anger and frustration, she aimed at him, eyes blood-shot and thirst glowing in them.
"No!" Jenna sprung up, surprising both of them. Ric. She wasn't thinking, she couldn't. She had to help him, she had to stop her before the vampire did anything to Alaric. No, not Ric. Please, get up, please…
Melissa was right in front of her in a swift move before Jenna did so much as a couple of steps. She didn't even had time to gasp or get surprised when the vampire threw herself at her, fangs bared and aiming for her throat. It wasn't a joke when people said that before death the whole life was flashing before one's eyes. Okay, she wasn't all that sure about the whole life but time indeed seemed to slow down drastically, making it possible for a few episodes to flicker through her mind, although she didn't quite get a chance to actually dwell on them.
Numb, she was staring at the vampire, registering with shocking clarity the unnaturally long fangs and a web of black veins beneath Melissa's eyes. There was nothing human about this creature, nothing sane. And just like that, the fear was gone, as if her mind blocked it out when it became too overwhelming.
So, this is it? was the last question Jenna had asked herself before squeezing her eyes tight… and holding up the hand with the stake she found on the floor, the one that rolled underneath the cot and no one noticed, not daring to hope for anything anymore. She was no Buffy, she had no idea how to stake a vampire. What she knew was that she probably wasn't strong enough for it. Not that it mattered. Not now at least. Just keep her attention away from Alaric. Time did slow down, as though they were all moving through something thick and sticky. I'm sorry, Ric. And the next thing she knew was that Melissa let out some chocking gagging sound, and then the stake was suddenly too heavy in Jenna's hands.
She snapped her eyes open, gaping in disbelief at the grimace of pain and surprise that distorted Melissa's face. Her fingers let go of the stake as she staggered backwards until her back hit the wall again. For a moment something flashed through the vampire's gaze. Something Jenna failed to define. Something that she'd say was a relief.
Heavily, Melissa body slumped down to the floor, her skin turning grey and her eyes staring lifelessly at Jenna, who slid down the wall to the floor, gasping for air and practically suffocating. Her heart was thudding so hard against her ribs that she thought it could break through the ribcage any moment, as her gaze remained fixed on the body at her feet. Adrenaline coursing through her system was making everything oddly clear, yet her mind was blank and unfocused, and all Jenna really wanted was to close her eyes and then finally wake up from this never-ending nightmare.
She missed the moment of Alaric approaching her, and then suddenly his face was right in front of hers as he crouched down beside her, the crease between his brows deep with concern. Not without effort, Jenna tore her eyes away from the dead vampire. Vaguely, she noted that Ric's lips were moving as he was probably saying something to her but she couldn't hear, dumbstruck.
Ric.
"Jenna," he reached out to cover her cheek with his hand turning her face to him. "Jenna, look at me…Jen-"
"There…" she began, stuttering, her lower lip quivering.
His arms closed around her, holding onto her as tight as he only could, given the chance that a couple of his ribs were probably cracked, or so he guessed, if that excruciating pain was any indication. Not that it mattered anymore. All he could think about was that Jenna was alive, she was safe. The rest he would deal with later.
"She… I just…" Jenna muttered in a muffled voice taking one shallow breath after another, her face buried into his chest as she held onto his jacket in a white-knuckled grip, clinging to him as best she could as if he was the only thing that kept her from falling apart. And maybe he actually was.
"Shhh, it's okay," Ric murmured, stroking her back soothingly, his warm breath falling on her ear and neck, tickling her skin. The contrast of it and the cold air of the room sent a shiver through her body. "It's okay, everything's over. It's all over now." He kept repeating again and again.
For a very long moment he simply held her, rocking her like a child and whispering something comforting, the meaning of the words not as important as the voice they were said in. Gradually, the vibration caused by the adrenaline rush started to fade letting go of him, his breath synced with Jenna's convulsive one, evening it too as she attuned instinctively to him, soothed by the touch and the warmth of his body. Absently, he brushed his lips against the top of her head, relived by the fact that she stopped shaking violently in his arms at last.
He looked up when the shadow fell upon them and saw Damon towering over them, flinching and grimacing all the way, his hand gripping his side. He did look pissed as hell, and was bleeding badly too, what with the blood soaking through his clothes and streaming between his fingers, but the healing process had obviously started already, making it slightly better for him. He didn't bother to so much as acknowledge the crumpled body of a dead vampire lying right before him on the floor, only quirked his brows up at Ric in silent You okay there?
Reluctantly, Alaric nodded.
"So, you're saying this was about some extra jealous chick with issues?" Damon summed up Alaric's speech when the latter finished filling him in on the details, his voice pretty much disbelieving.
Injured or not, Damon dropped the two of them at the Gilberts an hour earlier and returned to the boarding house and his blood bags supply to heal properly. Yet, curiosity took over eventually, and apparently he couldn't help dialing Ric's number, not being wrong that despite late hour and overall physical and mental exhaustion Alaric obviously wasn't sleeping yet. Who would have?
"Basically," Ric admitted as he stopped pacing along the first floor hall and looked up the stairs. "Apparently, Logan Fell dumped her when Jenna returned to Mystic Falls. Yet, she remained the only person he could go to when he got turned, and then he turned her."
"What a jerk."
"Not sure he did it intentionally. Which of course doesn't change the fact that she decided to go after Jenna in revenge when I staked him. She posed as a buyer for Grayson's office to get closer and have a chance to keep an eye on Jenna. Tried to scare her first, and when it didn't work exactly as she planned, she decided to go for extreme measures, namely – waited for the moment when Jenna was alone, knocked her out with the blow on the head…. And, well, you know the rest."
His mind was still reeling although the physical pain and the relief from know that Jenna was fine dulled this chaos a little. That and painkillers. And yet, part of his was still finding the whole story unbelievable, and even though Jenna helped fill in blank gaps, it was still weird. Not to mention that his mind just couldn't wrap around the fact that this whole mess could actually finally be over for good. After all this time… well, at some point he truly started to fear that it just wasn't possible.
Damon let out a mixture of a scoff and a snort on the other end of the line. "Too much of a soap opera for me. And let me tell you this, I always knew this Logan Fell guy was bad news!"
Ric pinched the bridge of his nose, not going to debate the latter part. "She told Jenna about Logan," he breathed out.
"About—oh." Damon dropped the amused attitude momentarily, or at least part of it. "How did she take it?"
"I don't know," Alaric responded honestly. "We didn't actually talk about it. She just… she just said she knew."
He replayed the brief conversation they had not half an hour ago in his head again and felt uncomfortable twist in his stomach. Shock probably wasn't quite covering it for Jenna, and he couldn't help wondering if it could make her start looking differently at him. Knowing that he killed her ex – well, killed anyone, period – even for a good cause would hardly make it a "good" kind of different. His eyes darted up again and that annoying pain in his shoulder that just wouldn't go even since he nearly crashed the wall with it – which probably was a very stupid idea to begin with – echoed dully in every part of his body.
"Tell her the guy ran into your stake," Damon quipped. "Which was true by the way," he added. And then after a short hesitation, "She'll come around, Ric," in that serious voice that surprised both of them.
"Yeah," Alaric let out a long sigh, not at all convinced. Yet – to hell with it. She could hate him for it, or for whatever she waned, but she was safe. It was all that mattered. They'd—they'd deal with it somehow. "You okay there?"
"I'll live."
Ric hung up then and returned to the kitchen to grab a mug of tea from the counter. With it and a bottle of Aspirin he headed up the stairs, edgy and somewhat uncomfortable, not knowing what he was about to face. He pushed the half-open door to Jenna's bedroom and found her sitting on the edge of her bed dressed in an oversized T-shirt, her hair still damp from the shower and falling on her shoulders, and her face still bearing the remains of… well, he'd call it What was that? It looked like she couldn't quite believe that what had happened was real. To be honest, he couldn't either.
Jenna looked up when he poked his head in. "Hey." Her smile was tired but warm, and a tight knot inside of Alaric's chest loosed instantly.
"Hey," he called back as he walked in, trying to keep his voice low lest Jeremy and Elena, who passed out soon after he brought Jenna back home, in one piece and mostly unharmed, wake up.
The lights were dimmed and the air smelled of vanilla-scented candles Jenna kept on the dresser, fabric softener from the linen on the bed and curtains, and sweet flowery steam that followed her out of the shower. His entire body ached to gather her in his arms and bury his face in her hair, and never let go.
Instead, Alaric simply walked up to her and handed her the mug. "Here, I thought you might want this."
"Thanks," her hands closed around it.
"You okay?" He asked if a little cautiously a few moments later as he lowered himself down beside her and put his phone away. If anything, she looked distracted and confused.
"I guess," she replied after a short hesitation, her gaze glued to the mug.
Alaric tucked her hair around her ear, making her turn and look him square in the face. His fingers brushed lightly down her cheek.
"Jenna…"
"I'm fine," she assured him and shook her head. Dropped her gaze down for a moment before fixing it on his once again. "I am, Ric. And, by any means, I look better than you," which made him break into smile despite his will.
Alaric winced inwardly. Yeah, he had bruises and scratches all over his body, not to mention blood smears on his clothes and god knows what else. And he didn't feel much better either. Well, a very pissed off and not quite stable vampire was tossing him around like a ragdoll for a while, so that was quite legitimate. "I bet."
"That must hurt," Jenna reached out, her fingers, cool and gentle, touched the cut above his brow.
"A little," he admitted, flinching. "But it looks worse than it feels, so…" He trailed off. "Remind me why I went all heroic, again?"
On a small laugh, Jenna grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him down, smiling at his surprise against Alaric's mouth. His lips felt soft and warm on hers, and her heartbeat quickened instantly to the eagerness with which he responded after only a merest hesitation, deepening her tentative touch. He tasted like Grayson's bourbon and fear, which made her insides flutter and her head spin, and her fingers flexed on the fabric as she held tight.
"Okay, that seems to be a good reason," he breathed out when she pulled back. Come to think of it, it was a damn good reason to go to hell and back, Alaric thought breathing in her delicate scent. "You sure everything's alright?" He asked, sensing some uneasiness to her. Not that it wasn't uncalled for, but—
"Yeah, it's just—" she bit her lower lip, struggling to find the right words.
"A lot?" He suggested ruefully.
"Too much even," Jenna let out a short laugh again. "You know, when crazy gets too crazy even for the crazy department." She made a funny face. "I still can't quite figure out which parts of my life in the last few weeks were real and which… well, weren't."
Slowly, Alaric nodded. "Yeah, that—that can be tricky."
"She told me something… about things I did—things I don't remember doing," Jenna tried to get her thoughts together. Cold trickled down her spine at the thought that some of them could be true. "I don't really know what to think about all of that." To say the least.
"It was all a lie, you know?" He caught her gaze and help it. "She was trying to get to you, to scare you. You shouldn't believe a thing she'd said, Jenna. Not a single thing. All of it was just a mind game," he finished, hoping he sounded convincing enough. Stroked her hair as his eyes searched her face, "You should try to have some rest now." Now that you can finally let yourself sleep, he wanted to add but decided not to.
"I know," Jenna leaned into him on a long sigh burying her face in his neck, and Ric's arm went momentarily around her. His ribs protested painfully making him stiffen for a moment, but in the end he decided he couldn't care less. "That feels better," she murmured tickling his skin with her breath, causing him to smile again. "How comes we never can skip the bad stuff and go right to the good parts?"
"Because life is lame like that?" Alaric offered helpfully.
She chuckled. "Figures." Paused. "Thanks for coming for me."
Ric kissed the top of her head and ran his hand up and down her arm. "Well, it was either that or bowling. Hell of a choice as you can see. Basically the hardest half a second of my life."
She let out a muffled half-snort. "I staked a vampire tonight."
"You did. And please, let's make it a one-time thing."
"I'm a badass," Jenna grinned.
He laughed. "You have no idea." And then called, "Jenna?"
"Mm?"
Alaric sighed, trying to ignore the fact that his heart had plummeted down to his stomach. "Are we good?" Just like that, and they both knew what he meant.
"Yes," She said after a short pause. He could hear smile in her voice, and then saw it on her face when she looked up at him. "Yes, Ric, we are."
Epilogue
Elena knocked on the door and shifted from foot to foot, edgy and uncertain by the second. Nothing was keeping her from actually turning the knob and coming inside like she'd already did so many times before. Yet, something was holding her back from doing it. For a reason she didn't want to think about right now, she wanted to make it a bit more… formal. Or maybe it was an instinct to try and keep the distance this way. Whatever. She'd probably think about it later. Maybe. Or maybe she'd want to try and forget about it altogether.
For a moment there she contemplated turning around and scramming before it was too late. In her mind she even had a picture of getting away behind the bushes lest he sees her out the window. Boy, it was childish! And immature! And so damn tempting that Elena—
Froze half way through the plan when the door suddenly opened revealing a rather sleepy Damon dressed in black pants and black short-sleeved t-shirt, his eyes unfocused and hair rumpled from sleep. Her breath hitched and her heart plummeted down, making Elena regret not getting out of there when she still had a chance, or coming there in the first place, come to think of it.
Meanwhile, Damon gave her a lazy once over and smirked, his lips curved into the crooked half-smile. "Stefan's not here," he told her. "He already left for school."
"I know," she said. Well, she did notice that when she didn't spot his car parked at its usual spot. "I wanted to talk to you." Maybe. Possibly. Or maybe not.
For a moment surprise and curiosity flickered across Damon's features as if he didn't know what to think of it. Yet, he put on his best "I don't give a damn" mask right away. "Okay," opened the door for her and stepped aside. "Please."
"It's okay," Elena shook her head. "I—I have to go anyway. I just… I just wanted to thank you yesterday. For helping Jenna."
Damon shrugged. "I had to get this history teacher out of my hair. Apparently, there was no other way to do so than to help him have his girlfriend back. He's too annoying when he's brooding."
She let a small smile form on her lips. "Whatever your reasons were, Damon."
He rolled his eyes. "Whatever." His gaze locked her hers. "Is there anything else I can do for you, Elena?"
Because he is in love with you. God, if only she could find a way to get Isobel's words out of her head. They were driving her nuts lately, much more than she would have expected, and she had to know! She had to find out—
The problem with it was that once she actually asked – once she knew the truth for sure – there's be no way back. They'd have to face it and deal with it, and there'd be no way to back away and pretend that it never happened. Was she ready for it? Did she want to be a part of this mess? What would it do to all of them? To Stefan, too? Wouldn't it make everything even worse? If only she'd known when she was feeling…
All these questions, and a million of others, flashed through her mind in a matter of seconds. "No," she shook her head half a minute later and stepped back, if a little uncertain. "I guess… I'm already late. Just… just so you know, whatever you say – it still means a lot, Damon."
"Yeah, to me too," he muttered watching her walk down the drive way.
Squinting and rubbing at her eyes, Jenna pulled the front door open and instantly spotted Alaric sitting on the porch landing, his feet propped a couple of steps below and his forearms resting on his thighs. Strong smell of coffee hung in the air, coming probably from the mug that sat on the hardwood floor beside him. The line of his shoulders was relaxed for a change as he sat staring sightlessly before himself, obviously not seeing his own car parked at the curb or the house across the street, for that matter. A wave of warmth rolled through Jenna.
"There you are," she murmured in a low sleep-affected voice when Alaric turned to the sound, and a fleeting smile crossed his face.
The morning air was rather chilly and Jenna was only wearing one of Alaric's dress shirts. Yet, it didn't stop her from walking out of warm confines of the house and padding barefoot across the porch towards him. She sunk down behind him, one leg tucked beneath her butt and the other stretched out along his hip. She wrapped his arms around his waist and pressed herself to his back.
"What are you doing up so early?" Jenna asked softly resting her chin on his shoulder.
Alaric's hand ran gently along her bandaged wrist carefully before closing around her lean fingers. He turned and watched her face for a long moment before planting a kiss on her temple, never tired of wondering how good, and comfortable, and just at home she was making him feel every single moment she was around. Like he belonged. Not that he dwelled much on it, but deep inside he never could have imagined he'd be feeling like that again.
"I have to leave for school soon," Ric said. "Didn't want to wake you up."
His morning stubble was gone, Jenna noticed, and he smelled like soap and aftershave lotion, a familiar combination that for some reason was driving her crazy. Her lips curved placing the goofiest of smiles on her face as he bumped his forehead into the side of her head, his fingers playing lazily with hers. Given a chance, she'd probably be able to spend the rest of her life just sitting like this.
"Do you have to go?"
Ric heaved a sigh. "The parade is in two days. I have to be there to finish some stuff and make sure we're ready," he explained. "Otherwise my cover would blow up, they'd fire me and I would have to hunt the vampires for living. You wouldn't appreciate it, believe me."
Jenna laughed softly. He could feel her breath ticking the exposed skin of his neck and his heart constricted at the warm feeling of her body against his. Something he got used to very fast. Something he wasn't sure he could, or wanted for that matter, walk away from. Even if he had to. Even if he had no choice. That was something worth fighting for.
She looked up to study him. "Yeah, looking like that, you will be a living breathing example of what Confederate soldiers looked like after the battle," nodded with quite a genuine confidence.
He chuckled. "You feeling better today?"
"Much," Jenna assured him, grinning. "That ostrich-egg-sized bump on the back of my head is basically besties with the bottle of aspirin now, but we'll live." And then quietly. "I'm glad you stayed."
It was ridiculous how good he was making her feel just by being there. How good it was to breathe in his smell, listen to the sound of his voice. To just… have him around and know he belonged to her. Feeling the warmth of his body and the weight of his arm wrapped around her every single time she was waking up at night was a hell of happiness, to begin with.
"How could I not?"
"You know, Melissa… she said something to me yesterday, Ric," Jenna said after a short hesitation. Speak of ruining the moment. But she—she kind of had to know, if only to make sure there were no loose ends left. "She said that Isobel returned for you. To… to try and get you back."
Alaric stiffened on a sharp intake of his breath, knowing perfectly that she would feel it too but not able to help it, his body going rigid as the memories of Isobel basically threatening Jenna flashed through his mind. Jenna didn't pull back though like he half-expected, and didn't indicate noticing his reaction in any specific way.
"Yes," he responded if a little unwillingly after a short pause.
She rubbed her cheek against his shoulder. "Yet, you're here," came out as a whoosh of breath as she listened to the dull beating of his heart vibrating through his body and sending slight shiver down hers.
"I am where I want to be," he told her simply, stroking her arm.
Jenna looked up and met his eyes again when he turned. "I would never ask you to choose between us." Which made his lips curve.
"It is not a matter of choice, Jenna. And if by any chance it was, you'd make it that much easier," he told her, amazed by how her face lit up instantly. On a small sigh full of genuine regret, Alaric got up to his feet and then pulled her up after him. "We should probably get back inside." He reached out to stroke her hair and then gave her an appreciative once-over. "As much as I love the outfit, I'd say we should save it for a better weather."
Now that he stood a step below her, Alaric's eyes were almost on the same level with hers. God, she was so beautiful with that mane of soft hair still messy from the sleep and her cheeks flushed from cold air. His heart ached at the feeling, his entire essence not able to believe it was happening for real. And yet, there she was, making it all happen.
On the moments like this he couldn't help thinking that each time he wandered back down the memory lane to the "before" Mystic Falls time, it was getting that much harder to dwell on what he had left behind. The details were getting blurred and unfocused making him wonder which of them were real and which – make-believe of the world he had created in his mind. Like an old ink on the parchment that faded with time, making the words unreadable.
But in any case, one thing was clear to him – he could no longer look forward without seeing Jenna in his future, and a part of him wished he could find the right words to tell her how much she meant to him and how she changed everything just by being who she was. The problem was he wasn't sure such words existed. And, basically, all he could hope for was that loving her as much as he did would be enough to do the job. That he would never get tired of proving. Here, now, he was ready for it. It was all that he wanted, all he needed. His past would always be a part of who he was, of what had made him, but it was time to finally leave it all behind where it belonged.
"Ric…"
"You're the best thing that happened to me in… ever," Alaric said as his gaze wandered around her features, and the affection in his voice made Jenna's stomach flutter. Expression somewhat wondrous, he added, "Guess I should have said it a long time ago."
"Well, glad I could help," she said the exact same thing as on that night when he walked her home after the 50s dance in the Mystic Falls High and told her she made his evening, which definitely made hers, and if by any chance she hadn't already been hopelessly into him by then, that would do the job.
"I'm so glad you're okay. You scared hell out of me last night, you know that?"
She shrugged with fake nonchalance. "It was the general idea. Just for the record."
His lips formed into a half-smile, yet his eyes remained serious. "I would never let anything happen to you, Jenna. Never." The back of his fingers brushed lightly down her cheek.
A lump formed in her throat and she swallowed hastily before she got too sentimental or something else ridiculous, however tempting the idea was for a moment. "Ric…" she started again, fighting oh so hard to find a light witty come-back and failing. Wanted to say that nothing would happen to her now that this whole story was over and none of them was in danger anymore but choked on the words under his gaze. Hell, why would he have to look at her like that? Jenna cleared her throat. "Well, at least you can make some things happen," she teased him watching his face turn from slightly rueful to utterly confused. "You still owe me a date."
"Huh?" Alaric's eyebrows arched. "Really? Since… when?"
She grinned feeling like a five-year old in the toy-store who'd been told something like – choose whatever you like! Not that it was that much far from the truth. "Since when I won you in that raffle lottery thing at the Fundraiser," she reminded him. "You never took me out."
"Oh, right!" He chuckled and then put on his best guilty face. "My bad. And totally unforgivable. So, you want a date?"
"Absolutely."
Ric wrapped his arms around her, pulling Jenna close. "We'll think something out." His mouth brushed lightly against hers, he could feel the smile on her slips.
"And it better be good."
"Absolutely."
~ For the first time you can open your eyes
And see the world without your sorrow
And no one knows the pain you left behind.
All the peace you could never find
Is waiting here to you hold, keep you.
Welcome to the first day of your life
Just open up your eyes
"Open Up Your Eyes" by Daughtry ~
The end
So…. This is it! I hope it wasn't entirely lame. But even if it was, feel free to let me know! The whole Epilogue part was totally unnecessary, and I'm well aware of it since if didn't bring anything specific to the plot. I just wanted to write it.
95% of this chap was finished before TVD 2x21, just so you know. And a bawled my eyes out editing the Jalaric parts in the end, knowing we'd never see them again on the TV. Why couldn't they save her, again?
Before anyone asked – no, there won't be a sequel. If I ever get back to writing about that couple, it would be something different.
Thanks – again – for making it through all of this. My readers are the best, I love you, guys :) Hope you're kind enough to ignore all typos, mistakes, etc. I did my best to eliminate them, but—
And just to remind you of two fanfic-related videos [in case anyone missed them], delete the gaps:
http :/ www. youtube. com/ watch?v=tLWMCUt_k1I
http :/ www. youtube. com/ watch?v=ZdLqFCw3a58
As always, reviews are highly appreciated!
