Chapter Three
Hello, so glad you liked the last chapter. Thank you particularly to the reviewer that said Teagan was badass – made me grin. Ps – there is a bit of artistic license in this story, just a warning, but nothing majorly effective.
Disclaimer – I do not own the Vampire Diaries but I do own Teagan.
Several more months passed uninterrupted, Stefan and I only growing more attached. Nik believed Stefan was as good as his brother and I had never seen him readily accepting happiness in either my life or Rebekah's, but he did it. After New Orleans, none of us had expected to be alright, not after everything we'd lost. I missed Kol desperately, but asking Nik to take the dagger out was both incredibly stupid and pointless. I had already tried, begged – but Nik was not someone who took betrayal lightly.
Love was as foreign an emotion to me as kindness was an action. The only affection I ever received was from my family, one brother of which was in a coffin and another had vanished. I loved them fully and trustingly, but the feelings I had for Stefan were vibrantly different. They were like a spinning top that never stopped flying, one I didn't want to stop. I felt giddy and light all with the combination of elatedness and worthy of something. It was . . . different in a strangely fascinating way.
"I think I prefer the old Teagan – the one that didn't eye men with such a wistful stare," Nik informed me with a false bitterness to his tone as he sat down. I had secured a booth for our group whilst Rebekah insisted that Stefan danced with her. The two had solidified their friendship in a way that made me very comfortable with watching them together. It wasn't quite the happiness Rebekah craved, but I knew Stefan was good for us all in different ways. He gave Nik the brother he wanted Kol or Elijah to be – Finn was a moot point – and Rebekah a strong friend that showed her the enjoyable things in life. For me, the affection was almost unbearable. I loved him.
"Come now, Nik, you know I haven't changed," I responded liltingly, taking the champagne that he offered. My big brother rolled his eyes at me but smirked nonetheless. He knew I was right.
"What if we have to leave?" he asked rather abruptly and my eyes, previously having drifted back to Stefan, snapped over to Nik to find him eyeing the air thoughtfully. My hazel orbs narrowed at him and I shifted closer, placing a cautious hand on his suit covered forearm.
"Have you heard something? Is Mikael here?" I asked, carefully concealing the fear I felt with unconscious skill. Over the centuries, the switch for humanity could no longer be flipped – you chose to be good or bad and just adapted that way. I learned to conceal my emotions that way.
"It was just a question, Teagan. As far as I know, we haven't been caught yet," Nik reassured me softly, turning his blue gaze to me. I detected his own trepidation about the current subject and gradually relaxed, deciding to answer his question rather than continue questioning him. I worded it carefully.
"I enjoy Chicago, but I am very used to leaving things behind. If we have to leave, I will follow you anywhere," I promised sincerely. No matter who came along, no matter what happened, my first priority would always be my family. Nik, though almost visibly relieved, didn't look quite satisfied. If anything, he looked apprehensive. And, if my brother ever looked hesitant about something, it was good reason to be wary.
"Stefan is too much of a risk." I had suspected as much, Nik never did like leaving a trail. But the sharp twisting in my heart assured me that, whilst the news was no surprise, it was choking me to know I would have to leave Stefan behind. "We cannot bring him, Teagan."
"Is there any point in asking why?" I queried wearily, sipping my drink and leaning back against the seat. Nik stared at me as though surprised at my casual reaction but he knew as well as I that I was burning with pain. Pain quickly turned to anger where I was concerned.
"He'll attract attention, so we have to leave him. I'll compel him to forget when the time comes."
It was always 'when', never 'if'. There was never an 'if' where Mikael was involved – he would always find us, no matter where we were. We had been all over the world, been to every state and still he found us. And Stefan would never remember who I was, never know what we'd shared. But I would. I would remember.
I would remember the times where he almost lost control and I'd pull him back to safety. I would remember the times where we'd both embraced what we were and had our own kind of fun. I would remember the passion, the nights spent naked between our sheets and the whispered words of fondness. I would never forget Stefan Salvatore – but he would inevitably forget all about me.
"I love him, Nik," I breathed against my will, eyes focused on my sister and my lover dancing together. The sadness desperately wanted to transform to rage, but I didn't let it. For some reason, I did not want to transfer that emotion at that moment. I just wanted the misery to swallow me up as Stefan and Rebekah laughed at something I could not hear.
"I know you do, sweetheart. But he'll either lead to our deaths, or die himself. Mikael holds no other choice," Nik reminded me and I gulped the rest of my drink in an attempt to soothe out the wriggling of my internal organs. The discomfort only increased.
"You brought me along, you saved my life knowing I would have to come with you. Why is Stefan any different?" I asked quietly, putting the glass down before I could shatter it between my index finger and thumb. Nik seemed to understand my action and fully turned away from our sister to stare at me, drink forgotten.
"I know what I've done to you, Teagan – I have destroyed your life. I was reckless, but I saved you anyway, knowing what it would do." I continued staring at him, wondering if he would say the truth out loud – truth I had only heard whispered in my ear, centuries ago as I fed on a maid of his household. "I saw you there, and I knew you were like me. And I was ruled by my father for so long – I wanted you to fight."
My eyes were wide as I thought back on the night I had died, the night Nik saved me because I was just like him.
"Father, please!" I screamed, but the whipping did not stop. Disappointment was common under his roof, he was never satisfied with any of his children. It was no secret that I was his least favourite, no change when he beat me more than my other six siblings, and certainly no surprise when he made mine harder, more painful.
It felt like hours, maybe even days, since he had started. It had been a simple mistake – we had picked the wrong berries for mother, and father had been utterly disgusted. They weren't poisonous or dangerous in any way – but they were the wrong ones. With my fresh wounds from only the day before, the leather was even more agonising. And I knew what would follow the brutal beatings. The others were sent away to their bedrooms, whilst I was tossed outside like a sack of flour.
It was cold, fresh snow settled on the ground only one hour previously. It had been pure, white, but stained with the scarlet liquid pouring from my back as I shivered. That had been different, I could sense it. My father was finally done with using me to vent his fury – I was left to die in the snow.
Minutes, hours, days, months – time was unimportant as I watched my fingers turn blue. My insides and outsides were frozen and the thin dress I wore had soaked through within seconds. My hair was stuck to the snow as I shivered violently, feeling my teeth slam together with painful force. I was surprised they had not broken when he arrived.
It was dark outside, dark enough that my distance from the house allowed him to remain unseen by any occupants. To me, on my death bed, he looked beautiful with his shoulder length golden hair and sparkling blue eyes. His face was sharp but his expression concerned and I found myself wondering if he was real.
"Well, what do we have here?" he asked in a soft voice, his accent something I hadn't heard before. He crouched down, thick leather boots likely keeping his feet very warm. His fingers touched my cheek and they felt fiery in my frozen state. He sighed, spotting the blood and another violent tremor racked my frame.
Our eyes met but I couldn't tell what expression he wore as mine began drooping. The heaviness was hard to ignore and I coughed hoarsely, wondering what was killing me and whether the strange man was going to watch me until I was nothing more than a body. When my eyes fully closed, I felt something strange against my lips. It felt like flesh, then there was liquid . . . and then I was gone.
The blood hadn't gotten into my system quickly enough to heal me, as I'd died just after it trickled down my throat. It had been just quick enough to turn me into a vampire and Nik had explained when I was having my necessary human blood why he'd saved me. At the time I hadn't cared, more focused on the glorious, hot blood soaking my insides – but I had processed it later.
"What will he do without me around?" I asked quietly, looking at our table like it held all my answers. Nik's eyes did not leave me and I knew his expression revealed his turmoil over the situation. He liked having Stefan around too, he didn't want to have to compel him then run again. None of us did, but we hadn't wanted to leave New Orleans, leave Marcel who was turned for similar reasons as me.
"That isn't our concern," Nik answered stiffly, eyes returning to the dance floor. The song ended and our sister accompanied Stefan back over to our table. Rebekah quickly started talking to Nik, whilst Stefan's arm slipped around my shoulders. Trying to forget the previous conversation, I kissed him heatedly and gave a tiny moan of delight when his hand trailed down my leg then under my dress.
"You look ravishing in black," he growled lowly in my ear and I giggled, biting his earlobe playfully before pulling away. My favourite dress was a black sparkled number with my diamond jewels and my usual rings – and apparently Stefan appreciated it too.
"Not at the table – take it to the dance floor," Nik scolded from somewhere to my left. Grinning, both Stefan and I slid out of the booth and began dancing smoothly, our hips swivelling in ways completely inappropriate for outside of the bedroom. Nobody complained though, and we continued holding one another close, whispering sweet nothings.
Minutes went by and we did not leave the floor, swaying continuously to the music Gloria sang so beautifully. We stopped talking after the first song, instead staring at each other unwaveringly. I thought back over my conversation with my brother and my heart ached with longing. I had no wish to endanger Stefan by dragging him with us in our running from Mikael, but I was a notoriously selfish person. Letting him go would be hard – though I reminded myself that it wasn't the hardest thing I'd ever gone through.
"Teagan," Stefan whispered and I tilted my head to the side to show I was listening. "I love you." I immediately halted our movement, wide eyes staring into his with surprise and horror. The ache in my heart transformed from a throbbing pain to a flooding warmth that sped through my body and a smile erupted on my face. Nearly six hundred years of being a vampire meant I was well practiced in spotting a liar, and Stefan was strangely telling the truth.
"I love you too," I whispered breathlessly. Stefan grinned before lifting me and spinning me around. I laughed as he put me down, then dipped me and latched his mouth onto my neck in a dizzying kiss. Sighing, I let him have his fun before he righted me and kissed me properly, burning heat between us as we pressed the lengths of our bodies together.
I felt the shift in the air, the small twinge of familiar terror as I jerked away from Stefan, eyes finding Nik's. His were already on me and we shared a brief stare before bullets tore through the room. Screams rent the air and people began running. I pulled Stefan behind the bar as glass shattered around us, tables smashing and the yelling of the Chicago PD filled the air over the dangerous sound of guns firing.
"Wooden bullets . . . they know," Stefan gasped, holding up a sharpened wooden bullet bound in brass. I snatched it away from him and swallowed thickly. Mikael was in Chicago . . . Mikael was tearing Gloria's apart with the ease of walking down the street. I knew it was time to leave Stefan behind.
"I need to get to Nik and Rebekah . . . I'm so sorry," I breathed, unsurprised when confusion coloured Stefan's glorious face. Somewhere, I heard Nik yelling for me and gave Stefan one last kiss. I pushed all of my love, all of the wonderful feelings that he made me feel, into that final kiss before sharply pulling away and dashing for the edge of the bar. Spotting Nik, I sped forward.
"Teagan, NO!" Rebekah screamed . . . but too late. Agony tore through my back as bullets lodged themselves in my skin and I cried out before tumbling to the ground. I didn't know how many there were, but enough to cause ripping pain throughout my entire body. Arms that belonged to Nik swept me up from the ground before wind told me we were outside.
"Look after her," he ordered someone I assumed was Rebekah. My big sister sighed heavily and helped me sit up so that I was leaning my right side against the seat of our luxury car. There was a single second before she started removing the bullets and I cried out again, the pain unfamiliar and unwelcome.
"They have to come out," she told me quietly and I hissed as she dug into one of the holes. We were there for only two more minutes, during which two bullets were removed, before Nik returned and sat across from me.
"You compelled him," I muttered miserably before my face twitched in discomfort. Nik simply nodded and Rebekah's work on my back halted.
"You . . . why did you compel him, Nik? We could have brought him with us!" she exclaimed and I moaned lowly. There were still bullets in my back and I couldn't get them out myself. They were rubbing the skin raw and the blood was soaking my dress unpleasantly. Nik rolled his eyes and looked at Rebekah.
"If Teagan can come to terms with this, then so can you. Now finish getting rid of those bullets – we need to leave," he ordered and I could feel Rebekah's thunderous expression without even looking. An argument erupted between them and I slowly slid down the seat, leaving a trail of scarlet smeared behind me on the leather. I was laid out across the backseat, no longer caring of the nature of my siblings' argument. Stefan no longer remembered me, my back had been shredded by wooden bullets and Mikael was close.
"YOU ARE RUINING US!" I heard Rebekah shriek before a gurgled noise rose from her throat. My eyes jammed shut as I realised another sibling had been daggered and a tiny whimper escaped my tightly closed lips. Somewhere in front of me, a car door opened then slammed shut and I could feel Nik seething in the front seat.
"You . . . daggered her . . ." I gasped out, one of the bullets lodging itself to close to my heart. I knew that Nik could sense my pain, but he could also sense my anger at him daggering Rebekah.
"Are you challenging my decision, Teagan?" he demanded. My eyes had slid shut as a forced tiredness overcame me, but I could tell Nik was glowering darkly at me. "Need I remind you that your life can be taken so much easier?" he snarled as my head slumped to the side.
"Then . . . do it. Get rid . . . of me. I promised . . . you would never be . . . second choice. But you don't trust me," I gasped, trying to pry my eyes open but the amount of bullets digging into my flesh prevented me from moving at all. Nik growled from the front seat and I heard the engine start up. Dread filled me, as I wondered if he was going to let the bullet near my heart kill me – or if he was going to heed my advice and do it himself.
We drove for an unidentifiable amount of time and my pain only grew. With every breath, the tiny little bullet made its way closer to my heart and I feared death as my eyes still refused to open. Eventually, Nik stopped the car and I was vaguely aware of his door opening, but not shutting before he opened mine. When had it closed?
I choked on a sob that went against my nature as he began easing the wood from the holes in my back. One by one, the lethal products were removed from me and each breath was easier. He left the one closest to my heart until last and I let out a sharp gasp as his hand dug through my ribs and clenched around the vital organ instead.
"I could kill you, right here and now, Teagan. I could remove your heart from your chest and leave you here to rot like the insolent woman you are – but I won't." He yanked his hand out and I inhaled desperately as the bullet went with it. His arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me sharply from the car, throwing my on the ground. I stared up at him through the dark, seeing rage cloud his expression.
"Is this where you compel me?" I snapped, regaining proper speech instead of a garbled mess. Nik glared down at me like I was something stuck to his shoe or a particularly vile meal. I stared back as fearlessly as possible; it wasn't my nature to be a slave to emotion.
"No, sweet Teagan, this is where I leave you. I'm not willing to put up with insolence from someone that isn't my family." My expression slackened and I stared at him with muted horror as he walked back to the car and drove away, leaving me in a bloody heap on the grass in the middle of nowhere.
For the first time since Kol had been daggered, I allowed myself to cry. Tears flooded down my cheeks in never ending rivers, sobs cracked my voice and betrayed screams echoed through the air as I pounded my fists into the ground in anger and confusion. I cried relentlessly, sobbing brokenly as I collapsed properly on the ground.
One by one, just like the bullets from my back, the rings came off.
And there you have it – Nik and Teagan's biggest fight to date. Just a small warning, this story uses knowledge from the Originals TV show. It's not glaringly obvious and there aren't major spoilers – but just so you know. See you in about a week. Love, Bianca :) x