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CHAPTER TWO
Rebirth:
November 14, 2001
Chicago, Illinois
Motel 6
Stefan was officially concerned.
Vampires experience sensations and feelings much more intensely than humans do, and as a result, they have a much more difficult time controlling their emotions, all of which are tied to their hunger in some way – which has been the historic norm for all to a vampire's amplified senses and feelings, their hunger cravings are much stronger and harder to control than the mundane hunger for food that they felt when they were humans, and this hunger will often be connected to and amplified by powerful emotions.
Evidently, Désirée was the exception to the rule, and therefore, Stefan felt out of depth.
From the very moment the euphoric aroma of blood infiltrated the confined room, an in-transition Stefan lost his inhibitions and succumbed to the bloodlust. The moment the liquid touched his lips, Stefan was desperate for more; he became an immoral monster – a Ripper. Whenever he stood in close proximity to a human, all he could hear was the sound of their heart pumping blood through their body, and after the nth time he fell off the wagon, Stefan widely became known as the Ripper of Monterey.
Much of Stefan's personality as a human transcended into his vampire personality, and he became darker in nature. He had a blood addiction and if he ever consumed copious amounts of human blood, his entire attitude shifted; the bloodlust made him unstable, volatile, unpredictable, rash, reckless, carefree and highly destructive. And then, by chance, he met Alexia Branson – "call me Alexia and your blood problem will be the least of your problems. It's Lexi…" – and his immortal life no longer looked bleak. Damon promised him an eternity of misery, but Lexi promised him an eternity of joy. Lexi relinquished his older brother from his role, and she became his anchor, his best friend, his companion, his guide, and the person he trusted the most. She brought him out of the darkness and taught him control after recovering from their unseemly introduction.
Stefan yearned to be his distant niece's 'Lexi', and took up the mantle as her self-appointed guide. Although in retrospect, Stefan's blood addiction probably made him an unfit guide, but Désirée was family, and he sired her, therefore, he felt it was his responsibility to train her and look after her until she could stand on her own.
Ever since Stefan pulled Désirée from her grave, the personality of the twenty-two-year-old vastly shifted. Stefan prepared himself to deal with the accustomed emotions: hunger, rage, a hint of savagery, tears, confusion, anything! Vampirism had an unexpected change on Désirée, she adopted a phlegmatic personality; a far cry to the girl he had been watching for the months that led to her untimely demise.
The hunter turned vampire was so unsettlingly and eerily calm, completely apathetic to her surroundings, and showed a certain disdain to blood – the main component of a vampire's diet, a necessity to maintain eternal life. However, after a lengthy lecture, the newly-turned vampire and ex-Ripper reached to a compromise;
"Désirée, you have to feed!" Stefan implored, a goblet of blood in hand.
After Stefan pulled her out of her grave, he whisked her off to Gloria's apartment situated directly above her bar.
In order to make Désirée's death by the hands of a werewolf convincing, the witch and the vampire depleted the blood from her system and recreated the injuries she received in Tennessee; Gloria then proceeded to perform an illusion spell to convince her parents that she was truly dead and then placed an intricate protection spell on her bloodied corpse. Gloria was in attendance at Désirée's funeral, and after the last mourner departed, the powerful witch cast a resurrection spell that was only made possible due to the protection spell previously cast, and she rose from the ashes.
Désirée was weak and pale, and her body was marred with deep lacerations and ugly bruises, and yet, she ignored the blood Gloria benevolently donated – since a witch's blood is more potent, revitalizing and filling in comparison to human's – denying to satiate her appetite and heal the purposely inflicted wounds on her body.
Acknowledging Stefan's silent plea for help, Gloria approached her best friend's daughter, "Star, I won't pretend to understand what you are going through, but I will tell you this; the longer a vampire abstains from blood, the more likely the vampire will become feral …until they are eventually unable to resist feeding on whomever they come upon. I know you. You don't want to be a killer. No matter what species you are, you are and will always be a hunter, and you must learn control."
Gloria's statement finally garnered a semblance of life in her currently dull blue eyes, and she sadly fixated her gaze on the only two people in the entire universe she was allowed to interact with. "I'm scared," she whispered, her voice coarse and raspy. "I don't-I don't want to be a-a monster. I'm a Colt, Gloria. A COLT! I have a duty to uphold, I am supposed to live up to the legacy of my ancestors, of my father! But now? I am the monster my father taught me to hunt and to hate and to kill. I am terrified that if I drink blood, I'll lose my morality, that I'll lose my way and end up killing and inevitably hunted by my own family!"
"Désirée," Stefan ambled closer, sympathy marring his handsome features, and he trained his pitying green eyes on her. "I may not be an upstanding example of control. I used to be a Ripper, and I have a blood addiction. But I had a friend, who helped me and taught me differently. Since then, I only drink animal blood. I'm not going to lie to you and say that you won't lose control or end up killing someone, but I promise that I'll always be there for you, that I'll help you to the utmost of my ability. I won't let you become a monster. I promise."
Gloria presented the blonde with a daylight ring, and after she slipped it on, she proceeded to hand over the goblet of her blood, "Stefan and I discussed the best approach, and we decided that you should learn control by drinking human blood. I worry that if you adapt to animal blood, if you ever taste or smell human blood then you'll become feral and a Ripper. So, drink up, Star. Drink or I'll force it down your throat."
After that, Stefan poached a cooler stacked with blood bags from the hospital, and compelled themselves a room at Motel 6, at close range from Gloria's Bar. Désirée was quite vocal in her preference to remain in the same city as her parents, and after their first day at the motel, the only time the blonde responded to her surroundings was when Stefan offered her a blood bag.
Living for two weeks with an unresponsive, unemotional and unmoving vampire, and Stefan reached his limit.
"Désirée, you think this is helping?" Stefan roughly demanded, and the abrupt change in routine succeeded in gaining the corpse's attention. "You haven't showered in two weeks, you haven't spoken a word, you have shown no intention of ever leaving this room. You can't do this to yourself. How do you expect to acclimatize to your new life if you are unwilling to see people, to live!? Learning control isn't only drinking out of blood bags, you need to surround yourself with people, train yourself not to lose control and satiate your bloodlust, you need to leave this room!" Receiving no form of response, Stefan let out an aggravated sigh and fished for his cellphone, ready to call Gloria for help.
"I've been trying to compartmentalize my thoughts," Désirée revealed in a hush, prompting Stefan's astonished gaze to narrow in on her. "You told me that all my emotions would be heightened, but… these emotions, they're so alien to me. When I think of the werewolf that killed me, I feel murderous rage. When he ripped my baby from my womb, I felt that murderous rage, but now? Now, when I think about it, I itch for blood. I feel the urge to sink my teeth into someone's neck and rip them to shreds to blow off steam… and that-that terrifies me, Stefan."
Stefan felt relief upon noticing the rivulet of tears cascading down her face – it being the first human emotion she portrayed after two weeks!
"And then… I think of Dean. My Day. The love of my life," she adopted a wistful look that tugged on Stefan's heartstrings. "You know… I think I've loved him the moment we had our first fight and stopped talking for two years. I love him more than life itself, and I'd do anything for him. It came to a point that if he asked me to jump, I'd answer with "how high" because I trust him with my life. I've known him since I was eight; we were best friends for nearly a decade, and then we dated for five years! And now?" Glassy blue eyes collided harshly with forest greens, "I feel nothing but pure, unadulterated hate when I think about him! He brutalized not only our love, but our entire history! Our childhood! Everything. If he didn't cruelly dump me, then I wouldn't have run away until I gave my child up for adoption, I wouldn't have become a hermit and defenseless. I wouldn't have stumbled on the werewolf's path and I wouldn't have died and become a vampire. And I hate him Stefan, I hate him with every fiber of my being-" She broke out into tears, prompting Stefan to hold her in his calming embrace until her tears abated two hours later.
Wiping her tears away with the pad of his thumbs, Stefan summoned all the compassion he had and softly explained, "I already told you this before. When you're a vampire, everything's heightened. Just a little bit more intensely. You love more powerfully. Anger becomes rage. When you're sad, you're in despair. Grief. Loss. It can cripple you. That's why so many of us turn our emotions off. It just becomes… too overwhelming. But… also, it all changes into one thing. Hunger. You have to learn to adapt, become more attuned with yourself and the change. You won't find any answers quarantined in this motel room. But out there. Among people. When you activated your transition into a vampire, the moment the blood touched your lips, you accepted a new life, and it's time to live it. Live your life, Désirée."
That night, Stefan and Désirée packed their bags, left Motel 6, said goodbye to Gloria, and hightailed it out of Chicago.
As Stefan drove past the city limit, Désirée bid a silent goodbye to her birthplace, her hometown, her parents, and her previous life.
Désirée Stella Colt left Chicago, Illinois and finally welcomed her rebirth.
December 3, 2001
David City, Nebraska
David City Elementary School
Guilt and grief can do funny things to people. It changes them, changes their perspectives… makes a person more reckless, more self-destructive.
For sixteen-year-old Jo Harvelle, the amalgamated grief and guilt eating at her conscience evoked unlimited self-condemnation and a lack of fear of consequences; her sense of morality became a muddy morass.
Désirée's death was her fault!
For the past month, those words constantly revolved in the recess of her mind, like an interminable mantra. Jo was the only person aware of Désirée's pregnancy and therefore, vulnerability; Jo revered and idolized her cousin; the elder girl inspired Jo to do great, to be better, and whenever anybody asked the youngest Colt, 'where do you see yourself ten years from now?' or 'who do you want to be in the future?' Jo Harvelle's answer never wavered, it remained unchanged: she wanted to be just like Désirée. Therefore, when her greatest idol trusted her with a deep secret, Jo didn't hesitate to lock it up in the vault and throw away the key.
And therein lay her overwhelming, crushing guilt.
Since Jo was family, despite her age, she was one of the chosen few allowed to see her cousin's mutilated corpse, and unlike her mother, her uncle and aunt, Jo immediately added two and two together. The cavernous wound in her stomach was a telltale sign; the werewolf exploited Désirée's weakness, and the horrible picture that was painted was a crushing blow to the sixteen-year-old, the grief and guilt paralyzing her. Her brave cousin had gotten so big and therefore, slow, she couldn't escape the monster that pursued her, and it preyed on her vulnerability by ripping out the fetus from her womb in a display of utmost brutality. Unbeknownst to her family, they didn't only lose Désirée, but her unborn child.
That gruesome fact prompted Jo into skipping the stages of grief… screw acceptance! Jo wanted vengeance! She wanted to become the best hunter she could be and annihilate all the abominations from the universe. Especially werewolves!
Blinded by her solemn vow of vengeance, when Gordon Walker – a hunter that was rough around the edges who happened to be her friend of four years whom she harbored a huge crush on – waylaid her on her way to school, claiming he needed assistance in killing a rawhead, Jo didn't hesitate. Jonever fit in with the rest of her peers and therefore disliked attending school; for the past month, she regarded it as a total waste of her time and had no friends as they all viewed her as the freak with the knife collection.
Jo's need for revenge and her lack of fear toward the consequences of her action, consolidated with her deprivation of perception, judgment and reason, and her blind faith in Gordon, had her blindsided to his true intentions and his subtle manipulation. It was only when Jo stood exposed in the basement of the elementary school, did she finally comprehend what Gordon truly meant by "need assistance".
Rawheads were a type of hairy, ragged-looking humanoid with leathery skin, and clawed hands and feet that lurked in basements and preyed upon children; no-brainer why this certain rawhead chose to creep around in the basement of David City Elementary School.
Jo however, was meant to act as its bait.
She felt like a complete idiot for actually believing Gordon recognized her as an equal. To the older hunter, she was nothing but a kid playing dress up, despite the fact that she came from a family of legendary hunters. Jo was just a child in his eyes, convenient to lure the monsters over for him to kill, endangering her life in the process. She was his inferior.
However, as the rawhead inched closer to an impuissant Jo, all her anger and thirst for vengeance faded away, only to be replaced by raw fear.
Unbeknownst to Jo, she wasn't alone.
…
Ever since she departed Chicago, and after brushing up on her cajoling skills and flashing her secret weapon: her puppy-dog look, Désirée managed to convince Stefan to temporarily maintain a close residence to Harvelle's Roadhouse. The hunter turned vampire strongly indicated her inability to move on and start a new life without ensuring her baby cousin was safe. Although she knew her family took her death badly, and won't be getting over it anytime soon, Désirée sensed Jo would have a harder time in moving on and accepting her death, as the teenager had been the only person informed about her pregnancy, and therefore, would be burdened by guilt – one of the most destructive emotions to mankind.
As a show of trust and having faith in her hunter instincts halting her from killing any innocents, Stefan allowed Désirée to follow Jo to school by her lonesome.
The pungent aroma of blood hit her the moment she stepped out of the motel, and with her enhanced hearing, the cacophony of a plethora of hearts beating loudly and pumping blood into their owners' bodies was deafening. Désirée took a leaf out of her yoga sessions and briefly meditated; she held in her breath, and taking advantage of her uncanny speed, Désirée flashed over to Jo's high school.
The first thought that passed her mind, was that Stefan chose the wrong day to let her head off on her own.
The second thought was her great desire to rip him apart, limb by limb.
Unlike Jo, Désirée disliked Gordon Walker with a passion. The moment twelve-year-old Jo introduced her idol to her crush, Désirée recoiled, her 'instincts' screamed the dude was bad, bad news – that was the excuse she sold to her father. Her mother however, was a different story, as she knew the truth. Désirée may not have personal magic, but she still had magical genes, and it warned the hunter was a threat. Cameron Colt shared Jo's awe, claiming the man was a phenomenal vampire hunter, but Désirée didn't care about his hunting skills, she cared about who he was as a person, and how his moral compass looked like.
Four years later, Désirée obtained an answer. Gordon Walker's moral compass pointed south, and Désirée Colt saw red at her baby cousin being used as bait.
Deftly hidden in an alcove in the basement, Désirée burned a hole in the back of Walker's head – the man stoically stood in front of a terrified Jo, looking the perfect picture of calm; the little shit! His hands clenched and unclenched in a casual manner around the taser, waiting for the rawhead to creep closer to a frozen Jo, and that more than anything, threw all common sense out the window.
Red dots infiltrated her vision, and just as Désirée prepared herself to pounce on Walker and whisk Jo off to safety, the ceiling-mounted lighting erratically blinked before it hissed and inexplicably collapsed… In slow motion, the light fixture sizzled angrily, spitting electricity as it fell downward and crashed on the rawhead.
The rawhead wailed and screeched.
For all intents and purposes, Walker may be a despicable excuse of a human being with unconventional hunting methods, but the man had excellent reflexes. Immediately recovering from his shock, he released the taser and grabbed a bottle of holy water from his duffle bag, splashing the rawhead with it and watching as it got electrocuted to death.
"Jo-"
"Screw you! No!" the blonde hysterically yelled, creating a large distance between herself and the hunter, "I thought you were my friend, I thought you respected me! Clearly you don't, as I'm only useful as bait, huh!?" she sneered, and not sparing him a backward glance, Jo rushed out of the basement.
The sight of the man cynically rolling his eyes at her cousin's retreating back provoked Désirée into abandoning her hiding spot. An overwhelming sense of morbid pleasure hit her at Walker's reaction upon seeing her – something she'd later blame on her amplified emotions.
Gordon recovered quickly, dark eyes scrutinizing her, "Didn't peg you to be the type to return as a ghost, Colt."
"But I'm not a ghost, Walker," she sneered, derisively. As if to prove her point, she used her burst of speed to collide against him, and curled her fist around his throat, slamming him against the wall. "You used my baby cousin as bait! You risked her life and you demeaned her! That is unforgivable!"
Desperately clawing at her hand, pure fear marred his features and he choked out, "Wh-at a-are you?"
Electric blues blazed with fury and she squeezed his throat, applying more pressure, "That's none of your concern. Stop. Struggling!" It was the first time Désirée used compulsion, and it was easier than riding a bike. The hunter may have obliged to her command, but the confusion and fear fought for dominance. "Now, you're going to take my warning to heart. Stay the fuck away from Jo. Otherwise I'll come back for you and next time, I won't hesitate to kill you. Got it?"
"Y-Yes," he unwittingly complied.
Releasing the hunter, Désirée straightened her Black Sabbath T-shirt and briskly nodded; she compelled him to forget he ever saw her and sped away like the wind. Locating an innocuous mother of three, she compelled her to drop Jo off at the Roadhouse and quickly departed, trying to control the war waging in her head: a battle between Désirée the Hunter and Désirée the Vampire.
December 3, 2001
Central Nebraska
Back alley of Grey's Pub
Désirée was late, but Stefan reigned in his concern and tried his hardest not to jump to the worst conclusion. The sun set and night fell and Stefan's concern became harder to control; and then, an hour before midnight struck, he received an S.O.S. from the girl in question and alarm bells started to ring loudly in his head.
He bolted from the motel room in a jiffy and sped over to her side using the coordinates she sent him and he paused at the scene that met his eyes – which were widened in horror.
He blamed himself. He should've seen it coming. No vampire in history had a clean slate; no matter how moral they were, or compassionate toward human life, every vampire succumbed to bloodlust sooner or later and had a few victims in the ledger, it was inevitable… like a rite of passage. Stefan had hoped – wishful thinking – that he might be able to spare Désirée the pain, but the only way to achieve such a miraculous goal, would be to hold her hand throughout their eternal life and not let her out of his sight – an impossible endeavor.
"Désirée…" he cautiously approached the weeping blonde who currently sat by the dumpster, hugging herself.
"I killed him. Oh my God! I-I k-k-killed hi-him," she sobbed, violent hiccups splitting her words.
Forest green eyes studied the corpse by her feet; he looked to be around seventeen-years-old, a pair of brown eyes staring at the vast sky, lifeless and glassy, mouth gaping open and anguish clearly written on his frozen face. Stefan closed his eyes in sorrow at the glaring sign – Désirée didn't compel him to relax or to stay still, or even that it would be painless. She ferociously fed on him, losing herself in the haze of bloodlust and abandoning all sense of compassion.
"Désirée, what happened?" he crouched by her side and got to work on wiping the crusted blood that stained her lips and chin, his concern over his distant niece eradicating the euphoric smell of blood pervading the air.
Sniffing in despair, Désirée shakily informed him of the events that transpired between her cousin and some hunter called Gordon Walker; how she had been able to quash her fury and spare the hunter's life despite her bloodlust and her desire to rip him apart. How she tried to calm down by taking a leisure stroll through the empty alley in hopes of controlling herself before meeting him at the motel, only for the drunk teenager to stumble out through the backdoor of the pub. Désirée poised herself for a moment and was ready to take off into the night and create a gap between herself and the teen, but when he stumbled out, his knee scraped against the pavement; the tantalizing odor of blood overrode her senses and the next thing she knew, she was covered in his blood and he was dead by her feet.
"Hey, hey, listen to me. Listen to me!" Stefan forced her chin upward to meet his eye, and radiated utter calm, "This is not your fault. You're just over a month old, Désirée. Vampires older than you wouldn't have been able to control themselves once they've worked themselves into a rage. The fact that you let that hunter go and didn't slaughter a building full of children, it's remarkable. I know, I know, you had high hopes, I did too, but you were bound to kill somebody sooner or later, and honestly, the fact that you lasted a month is astonishing!"
Désirée didn't feel comforted when she met the glassy eyes of her first kill. "How am I supposed to live with myself? How, Stefan?!" she asked, desperation heavy in her tone.
"You learn from his death. You learn, so that next time, you'll find that control to stop yourself from killing the next one. You'll remember him, and it'll motivate you to save the next one, to leave the next person alive. To walk away."
She adamantly watched Stefan burn her victim's corpse as he didn't want to bring attention to them, especially with a Roadhouse packed with hunters nearby. Désirée didn't deserve to close her eyes; she forced herself to watch the gruesome procedure as punishment. Once Stefan was done, he placed a comforting arm around her and escorted her back to their motel room to pack their bags and leave town.
"Where are we going?" she finally asked.
Dumping their bags in the trunk, Stefan smiled, "We're going to visit a close friend of mine. She'll be able to teach you control better than I ever could."
Making herself comfortable in the passenger seat, Désirée's lips slightly curled into a small smile, "What's her name?"
Stefan never mentioned any vampire friends… in fact, he only spoke about his older brother, and the information shared was frugal at best.
"Lexi. Her name is Lexi."
Once Désirée surrendered to sleep, Stefan allowed his composed façade to slip, and he scrutinized his distant niece in worriment. Throughout her narration of the eventful day, one factor stood out and elicited concern out of him. Désirée unwittingly used magic…
A witch was nature's servant. A vampire was an abomination of nature…
Désirée can either be one or the other, never both. But then, if that were the case, how could Désirée be both?
December 31, 2004
Porto, Portugal
Avenida dos Aliados
"Five minutes 'til midnight!" A Scottish woman with a strong brogue in audible range ecstatically shrieked to her gaggle of friends.
Striking blue eyes beheld the vast navy blue sky, the scattered stars winking down at the innumerable tourists and locals congregated at Avenida dos Aliados in front of the City Hall for the largest party in Porto on New Year's Eve.
"Four minutes!"
At that moment, many pairs of eyes started to imitate Désirée's, all of them slowly flickering upward, impatiently awaiting the showcase of brilliant fireworks. Unlike the partygoers however, the blonde bombshell was contemplating the last three years…
His name was Bryan. Bryan Dobbs. The unfortunate teenager who so happened to minimally scrape his knee in a drunken haze a few feet away from a recently turned vampire who had been trying to control her rage in an empty alley. Bryan Dobbs was Désirée Colt's first victim… her first kill.
Stefan had taken her to his best friend, Alexia "Don't you dare call me that!" Lexi Branson; the mantle of tutoring Désirée in the life of vampirism and control was passed onto the compassionate vampire who was well over three-hundred-and-fifty-years-old and held a certain dislike to bloodshed and brutality. After Lexi had been updated on Désirée's identity and why she currently resembled a zombie, Lexi literally slapped Désirée out of her depression, snapping her back to the present.
"This won't help you. This vacant look in your eye and the self-deprecating attitude… it's not gonna do you any favors. So you killed someone, tough! It happens. What you're gonna do, is calm the fuck down, accept the fact that you killed someone, and learn from it!" Lexi was blunt, not bothering to sugarcoat her words, "Stefan told me about you, and he's my family. Which makes you family, too. Now, I promise I'll help you, but you won't learn with this attitude."
The next day, Lexi beckoned a groggy-eyed Désirée over to her side, and jutted her chin toward the laptop screen, allowing her to finally put a name to the teen she killed. Lexi believed that, in order for Désirée to move on, she had to own up to her mistakes and accept responsibility for her actions – in other words, Désirée shouldn't remember her first kill as some nameless, faceless, drunken boy who had the misfortune to cross her path. And that, helped. Désirée read Bryan Dobbs' entire background, sent his family flowers and finally, finally found herself capable of moving on with her life.
Stefan and Lexi, while both having boatloads of compassion and respect to fleeting human life, had completely different methods when it came to educating her on Vampire 101. While Stefan treated Désirée like a fragile porcelain doll that was easily breakable, Lexi was a devout believer in tough love. Stefan religiously stuck to animal blood, fearing the resurgence of his Ripper side and the consequences it evoked; Lexi on the other hand, always had a phlebotomist on speed dial, supplying her with blood bags, and every decade or so, she'd compel herself a new one to avoid suspicion and exposure. However, despite the fact that Lexi drank from blood bags, at times, she indulged in drinking directly from the vein, and a month after Stefan and Désirée moved into her – compelled – villa, Désirée's tutelage in "snatch, eat, erase" commenced.
It wasn't perfect, not by a long shot. In fact, Désirée added more red to her ledger. And while Désirée was the reason behind more deaths, she took Lexi's advice and embraced it, accepted her mistakes, learned from them and moved on to become better. Four months after the introduction to Lexi, and Désirée had more control over herself, enough that she didn't need a babysitter on call.
To show her appreciation to Lexi, she dragged the two vampires over to the one place she vowed never to step foot in for at least a decade – maybe even two – as it was unhealthy: Chicago.
The moment Gloria had been informed of everything Lexi had done for her quasi-niece, she didn't need any persuasion to fashion Lexi a daylight ring – a token that reduced the supercentenarian to heart-breaking tears, having long given up the chance to see the sunlight again.
Now being able to roam under the sun instead of the stars only, Lexi wanted to rediscover the world again, which was how the three vampires became jetsetters.
They started off at New Zealand – Désirée hyperventilated, fan-girl crushing over the pastoral setting for the first Lord of the Rings movie, the preternaturally beautiful place of sheep and hobbits equivalent to heaven for the aficionada. Essaouira known as the Wind City in Africa – the Moroccan beach city was a breath of fresh air with its strong breezes; pun unintended. Essaouira famed as the world's top windsurfing and kite-boarding spit, Lexi and Désirée immediately signed up, taking advantage of the sun and the sea, and by the time they moved on to their next destination, the three vampires sported impressive tans. Maldives treasured by tourists for its translucent waters and home to some of the world's most luxurious resorts was next on their schedule, followed by the French Riviera town: St. Tropez. Costa Rica beckoned them soon enough, home to four percent of the planet's wildlife species, and the three vampires donned secretive smiles during the entirety of the trip, knowing that the danger some of the animals presented didn't apply to them.
Hearing about a concert taking place in New York City, the jetsetters returned to their country. That was when Lexi met a human that enthralled her. Wanting her friend and mentor to find happiness, Désirée urged her to remain in the city and familiarize herself with Lee, leaving Stefan and Désirée to globetrot without her. They visited Napa Valley and Valencia before the two vampires split ways; Stefan decided vacation time was over for him and went to follow a hunch, trusting Désirée by her lonesome.
"Two minutes left!"
When Désirée was human, she had many phenomenal traits that made her stand out amongst her peers. Since the age of two, Désirée Stella Colt was a rambunctious sprite; confident to boot, adventurous and spirited – full of life. Her presence was infectious, especially her smile and her laugh. Désirée never shied away from people and without even trying, always ended up being the center of attention. It was hard not to love Désirée. However, the girl was faithful and a romantic at heart. Throughout her human life, she only had two boyfriends, and while her first relationship had a quick expiry date, her second was inspired from the myriad of fairytales her mother always read to her as a child. Dean Winchester was Désirée Colt's everything; to the blonde, Dean hung the moon and the stars. She lost her virginity, just like she did in her hopes and dreams: to the boy she loved and saw a future with.
But as a vampire, Désirée's personality amplified; every trait became more enhanced, and the few changes greatly surprised her. Having missed out on a lot during her childhood, Désirée's vampire side took advantage of the opportunity. After Stefan and Lexi parted ways, Désirée welcomed the life of depravity and debauchery, indulging herself with what life presented her; Clothes. Boys. Food. Hotels. Parties. Alcohol. Blood. She spoiled herself to her heart's content – but one line she never crossed, was murder – not if she could help it. Dean Winchester became not even a blip on her radar and Désirée shone brightly, finally enjoying vampirism and looking upon it as a gift.
Bora Bora… The Hamptons… Santorini... Brazil…
Her wanderlusting heart knew no limit.
However, it was in Tanzania, in the heart of the wilderness, that Désirée was introduced to a new chapter of her life. A coven of wild witches and warlocks – servants of nature and not created through demonic deals – who lived amongst the wildlife in their natural habitat, sensed her approach. Unlike Europe and America, vampires weren't common to them; they inquisitively waylaid her, itching to decipher her 'unnaturalness'. They matter-of-factly explained that a creature of the night cannot be blessed by the spirits, and yet, she was a controversy to the Laws of Nature – for an abomination cannot wield magic.
Despite Désirée's nature, the coven sensed the righteousness oozing from her essence, recognizing a certain kinship in her, which only intensified once she illuminated them on her background and her desire to continue hunting and protecting the innocent, irregardless of her vampire nature. After communing with their ancestors – who were surprisingly more accepting of vampires and of strangers – they shed light on the incongruousness of her existence.
Due to her inborn magic defect that made her a Siphoner, upon becoming a vampire, she was a full-fledged witch – a hybrid to be exact. They revealed she hadfallen victim to the loophole in Nature's Laws, which allowed her to not only retain her ability to siphon magic, but to channel the magic of her own vampirism, essentially giving her a limitless source of power.
Désirée befriended them and accepted their gracious invite into their coven; they honed her powers, educated her in using magic to her benefit and months later, she was an honorary member in their mind and heart. She left a prodigy with an open invite, more than excited to return to both, society and life as a hunter with a new and unique weapon in her arsenal.
"Ten… Nine… Eight… Seven… Six…"
"Darling, you look like you're a million miles away."
Désirée found herself pirouetting on her heels, flushed against the chest of her boyfriend of two months, hazel eyes twinkling mischievously at her. She shook her head, a bubble of mellifluous laughter escaping her lips as the countdown ended.
"Happy New Year, Luke."
The skies in Porto were magnificently lit by the spectacular display of fireworks at the stroke of midnight, and the couple lost themselves in a passionate kiss, signifying the beginning of 2005.
January 22, 2005
Raleigh, North Carolina
Salvatore Mansion
For fourteen months, Stefan searched tirelessly. When he parted ways with Désirée in Valencia, it was because he decided to dedicate himself to search for answers that mystified him for so long. When it came to family, Stefan had an honorable loyal streak; he needed to know why Désirée was a vampire and a witch.
The event that solidified his decision occurred in Museo del Patriarca. After wandering the halls and appreciating the historical factors, Désirée felt drawn to one specific masterpiece, the 'Kiss of Judas' painting by Caravaggio. Entranced by its artistic beauty, Désirée reached out to lightly caress the brush strokes when all of a sudden, some form of red energy emanated from the painting and into her glowing hand. Stefan immediately comprehended there to be some sort of magical protection and if he weren't mistaken, Désirée siphoned it away. Ensuring there were no witnesses or evidence of their presence, the two vampires fled the vicinity and one week later, Stefan parted ways, vowing to locate the answers needed to protect his distant niece.
Stefan was no fool; he had been a vampire for one-hundred-and-forty years, and during his time as an immortal, he met his fair share of witches and had enough knowledge to know that if a zealot witch caught a whiff of Désirée's existence and her ability to practice magic, she would be hunted. Not all witches were like Emily Bennett – forced into servitude or not, she aided him and Damon, and made them a daylight ring, even after she was set free by Katherine's death – and Gloria, who presented Lexi with an enormous boon just because she helped Désirée adjust to a life of vampirism. Therefore, Stefan felt it was in his duty, not only as Désirée's sire, but as her family – the only member of her family that knew she still lived – to protect her from all who wish her harm.
Fourteen months he searched and searched and came up blank. In the end, he had no choice but to return to Mystic Falls, hoping answers would be found in the many archives hoarded by the generations of Salvatores. Zach, while he preferred Stefan's visits over Damon's, kept his distance, sequestering himself in his office for the duration of his short visit. But it wasn't until he perused the Salvatore Family Tree, did the obvious course of action hit him like a ton of bricks, making him feel foolish for having taken so long to arrive at his current conclusion.
Every generation, the tapestry was meticulously updated; Anthony Salvatore updated it when he married Ava Hildegard, and again when he gave birth to Beatrice and then Zachary. Inspecting the tapestry further, it was modified in Anthony's script, portraying Beatrice's marriage to Cameron Colt, and the latest member to the Salvatore line, Désirée Colt – 'Deceased' recently scribbled in between brackets. There was no mention of her daughter, as only he knew of her survival.
Ava Salvatore!
Stefan should've thought of her sooner. According to Désirée, the unfathomable siphoning ability she inherited originated from the Hildegard line.
Fourteen months of tirelessly rummaging around for answers, Stefan stood by the front door of Salvatore Mansion in Raleigh, patiently waiting for Anthony or Ava to bid him entry – for unlike Beatrice and the family she married into, them and Zachary have never been ignorant of the secret the Salvatore family harbored since 1864 of their two vampire ancestors, and from what Désirée informed him, the hunter community were blissfully unaware that a different species of vampire – and even witches! – existed.
The front door slowly slid open. The shrewd, penetrating eyes belonging to Ava Salvatore's collided with his forest greens, a flare of recognition in her green depths. For a woman on the cusp of seventy, Ava appeared to be in her early forties; no wrinkles marred her face, in fact, her golden complexion was seamlessly flawless, and with his uncanny sight, Stefan couldn't spot a hint of grey in her roots, chocolate curls robustly cascading to her ribcage. Stefan kept his suspicions to himself – but he was almost certain Ava used magic to maintain her youth and health, like Gloria did.
"Stefan. Salvatore. Look at you," Ava smirked, her husky, honeyed tone radiating warmth as opposed to hostility. "The last I saw you was May 11, 1994. To what do I owe the honor?" and although her posture and her dulcet tone was warm and welcoming, Stefan flinched at the subtle barb; Ava was subtly letting him know that while she appreciated his actions, Damon was a different story, and despite their differences, Stefan hoped Damon never found out that he failed to compel Anthony and Ava of Gail's death. Unlike Damon, Stefan knew that they were a formidable couple and didn't fear evoking their wrath like Zachary did. In fact, if it weren't for Stefan, Anthony would have hunted Damon down long ago and swiftly put an end to him.
Stefan genuinely smiled at her; he had saved her life once, two years before encountering Anthony, and it was Stefan who introduced the two, prompting the two hunters to ignore his status as a vampire and welcome him into their lives.
Nodding his head in gratitude, he followed Ava into the drawing room and gladly accepted the proffered cup of tea.
"Now, enough suspense. Tell me, are you in any dire need of my assistance?" she bluntly inquired, setting her teacup on its respective plate. Stefan fidgeted uncomfortably, a nervous chuckle escaping him, "Why would you say that?"
Ava arched one eyebrow, a biting retort on the tip of her tongue, "Because the last time you showed up on my doorstep, you tried to have Anthony and I compelled to forget the existence of our future daughter-in-law and unborn granddaughter. If it weren't for the fact that without you, I would have died and never met Anthony, as well as your efforts in saving my son from further grief and saving Sarah's life, you and Damon would have met the end of a stake long ago. So, tell me, why have you come?"
"I met a vampire recently," Stefan vaguely disclosed. "She was recently turned, and I took her under my wing… She adjusted to vampirism quite well and is in control of her bloodlust. We travelled together for a while until I discovered she has the ability to generate magic-" Ava, who had just been taking another sip of her drink, choked on the lukewarm liquid. When Stefan went to help, she took a gulp of water to put an end to her coughing fit and impatiently waved for him to continue. "I asked about it. She told me that when was human, she could siphon magic. Naturally, I knew that if this knowledge fell into the wrong hands, her life could be in danger. After months of searching and getting nowhere, you're my last hope as I know you and Anthony are quite versed in the supernatural entities in existence."
He was very vague, knowing that Ava had always been more than just a pretty face. If he revealed his knowledge of her being a Siphoner, then Ava might correctly assume Désirée was the vampire in question, never mind the fact that she attended her funeral and had been part of the few allowed to see her body before it was 'cremated'.
"I see," Ava pursed her lips, her searing gaze making him nervous. "Your friend, is what the witch community christened, a Heretic. Siphoners are considered an abomination due to their lack of personal magic, but Heretics? They are viciously targeted by certain powerful covens. There are recorded to be six Siphoners who died with vampire blood in their system, transforming them into Heretics. Heretics retain their siphoning abilities; thereforethey channel the magic of their own vampirism, giving them an unlimited supply of power. One coven in particular sought to eradicate them, and in the year 1903, they punished them to a fate worse than death." Ava stabbed Stefan with an imploring gaze and emphatically proclaimed, "If this girl is truly important to you, Stefan, then it is imperative you keep her ability a secret, because if the coven receives word of another Heretic walking amongst them, she will be in grave danger."
A strange look overcame Stefan's features, leery upon hearing the potent emotion that laced Ava's warning.
When Anthony returned from a trivial salt-and-burn case, it was well past midnight and the only source of light available in the interior of the mansion was the dying embers in the fireplace in the drawing room. He cautiously entered the room, not wanting to alarm his wife who sat rigidly on the armchair by the fireplace, striking green orbs gleaming with tears as they bore into a picture frame.
"Ava? Honey, wh-" the nominal light shining on the subject in the picture frame that his wife was miserably gazing at had all the air emptying out of his lungs and his electric blue eyes shuttered. The contagious, breathtaking smile was emblazoned to the back of his eyelids and a paralyzing grief grasped his heart. For the past three years, every January, Anthony ensured he took on an abundant of cases, not wishing to dwell on the birthdays his beloved granddaughter was absent for. This time tomorrow, Désirée would have been turning twenty-six…
Exhaling a shaky breath, Ava interrupted her husband's depressing reverie and returned the miniature portrait of their Star to its rightful place, on the fireplace mantel.
"You can't keep doing this to yourself, Ava. Désirée is gone, has been for over three years now," Anthony declared, though like Ava, his eyes were suspiciously wet. However, much to his surprise, Ava's stunning eyes rekindled with hope, and her lips curled into a genuine smile, "I'm not sure about that, Anthony."
His forehead puckered in confusion, "What? Ava, tell me you haven't overindulged in wine again…"
"No. No. Anthony, I think… no, I strongly believe Désirée is alive!"
February 1, 2005
Brussels, Belgium
Radisson RED Brussels
Spurred by a cryptic text message Stefan sent a week ago, Désirée secretly began the arduous task of boxing up all her belongings accumulated over three years of travelling and shipped them off to Lexi's villa in New York. Left with only a few necessary possessions and the items from her one-month-shopping-spree at Belgium, the moment Lucas left their suite, Désirée sprang into action, packing her suitcase in peace while rehearsing a break-up speech in her head.
Once done, she positioned two of her suitcases and her carry bag by the door and patiently waited for her soon to be ex-boyfriend to arrive.
"Stells! I made a reservation tonight at…" the words died in his throat as his eyes travelled from suitcase to suitcase before lingering on her form, casually dressed for travel with her passport in hand. He slammed the door shut, the force of its thud ringing ominously in her ears as his hazel eyes blazed, "What is this? Why are you packed?!"
Arranging her face into an expression of indifference, Désirée defiantly retorted, "I'm leaving, Luke. Vacation time is over."
"So what then?" he humorlessly chuckled, his face looking as though it had been carved out of stone. "You decide we're done by jumping to another country. How'd you think it'll go, huh, Stella? We had a nice romantic dinner and then fucked each other's brains out as a sweet, silent goodbye and the next day you just pack up and leave?! It doesn't work that way! I deserve a damn good reason!" he snarled, fists clenching and unclenching as though he were itching to throttle something.
Shaking her head sadly, Désirée steeled herself for the oncoming blow as she tucked her passport into her handbag and threw a couple hundred dollars along with her keycard on the table. "You talk as though we've been dating for years, Lucas! It's only been three months. I'm just not feeling it anymore. This…us," she emphasized her point by gesticulating her hands from him to her. "I just think a clean break's in order before either one of us gets too attached."
A long-drawn-out whistle emanated from his lips before a sinister laugh permeated the room. "I'll give you something, Stella. You would have made one hell of a politician. Know how to let someone down easy. But what you actually mean, is that you want to end our relationship before I get more attached. Just fucking spit it out. I'm not a fucking child. You don't have to sugarcoat anything, darling," he sneered.
"Funny," she retorted with a scoff. "'Cause you're fucking acting like one."
Before Désirée could even blink, the back of her head was roughly slammed against the wall, cracking the marble with the force of the blow. Lucas had one hand curled around her neck in a chokehold, compressing her airway, but what terrified Désirée most of all, was his other hand clenched tightly around her heart.
"I'd watch the way you speak to me, Stella! I'm older than you, which makes me stronger. Show some respect," he sneered, allowing his vampire face to emerge.
Désirée closed her eyes for a moment, willing her magic to relax as it thrashed wildly, attempting to protect her from the threat; what made Stefan's message so cryptic in the first place, was the firm warning: do NOT use magic, unless it's a life or death situation. Current circumstances definitely fell into the category of "life and death"; opening her eyes, electric blues boldly pierced his hazel eyes, the sclerae an ominous blood-red. Ignoring the agonizing pain of having her heart squeezed in somebody's hand, Désirée gripped the hand around her neck with both of hers, but just as she was about to siphon away his vampirism, he abruptly released her, allowing her body to violently collapse onto the ground.
She greedily inhaled the oxygen and massaged her throat, her eyes burning with hatred and prickling with tears as she watched Lucas casually wipe his hand with a handkerchief as though threatening heart extraction was an everyday occurrence for him.
"You know, I've met a lot of guys that can't handle rejection, but you? You take the fucking cake!" she sneered. Désirée was a Colt, and Colts never cower! "Is this what you do? Kill girls that dump you? I don't even want to think of the bodies amassed throughout the centuries. You make me sick and I never EVER want to see you again!"
She grabbed her purse and used her vampire speed to reach the door, wanting to create a large distance between them as quick as possible. Opening the door, she shoved her suitcases into the hallway, hesitated for a moment and turned around to face him over her shoulder.
"Don't act so heartbroken, Lucas," she sneered, inwardly cursing her smart mouth and current lack of self-preservation as she took notice of his vampire face reemerging. "I know all about that redhead you're in love with. You know, the one who's picture you carry around with you in your wallet, the one you cannot stop gazing at with lovestruck eyes whenever you think I'm not around." Lucas's hard jaw slackened, eyes widening in shock, obviously taken aback by her sharp perception. "The break-up was inevitable, you're just pissed 'cause I initiated it."
Parting him with one final loathsome sneer, Désirée slammed the door shut, which was immediately followed by a thundering crash that echoed from inside. "He is so paying for that vase," she muttered to herself before quickly catching her reflection in the mirror beside the elevator.
In a flash, she donned her leather jacket and zipped it up, covering the blood and the impressive hole in her shirt…
I fucking loved that shirt!
February 4, 2005
Manhattan, New York
Lexi's Villa
"Whoa! I'm sorry, rewind! You went to Nana Ava?! Are you crazy?! Or are you trying to get me killed!" Désirée shrieked, barely processing Stefan's lengthy speech.
Just as Stefan opened his mouth to respond, Lexi cut him off, her incredulous expression matching her tone of voice, "No you! rewind! Your boyfriend-, sorry, ex-boyfriend nearly ripped your heart out because you broke up with him! Am I the only one disturbed here?"
"No, I am too," Stefan frowned, his forehead overcrowded with lines. "We really need to have a talk about your taste in guys, Dez."
"Yeah, how about we have that discussion oh, how about in, uh, hmm… never o' clock, which so happens to be after you explain what the fuck was going through your head when you decided to approach my Nana!"
Lexi rolled her eyes, "You're being dramatic. Just like your ex was when he-"
"Okay! Enough," this time, Stefan interjected, not in the mood to skate through a plethora of subjects. "We'll discuss Désirée's unappealing taste in men later," he fixated a stubborn Désirée with a solemn expression. "I was trying to help you, Dez. Look, I knew your grandmother before she married Anthony Salvatore."
He elaborated upon seeing the palpable interest coloring her features, her tensed posture relaxing a smidge. "There was this witch in Indiana. She dabbled in dark, sacrificial magic. I was passing by when I overheard a struggle and when I showed up, the witch had the upper hand. I rushed over and snapped her neck. Since then, Ava and I formed a friendly acquaintanceship. She didn't care I was a vampire as long as I didn't harm innocents. Two years later, I was at Mystic Falls for a visit, like I always am every few years to make sure my descendants were safe. Ava called me when I was at the Boarding House. She told me there was a nest nearby and that she was outnumbered and in need of assistance. Anthony overheard and insisted he tag along…at that point, he was still wary of me, didn't quite believe I meant no harm. After the nest was killed, Ava and Anthony clicked and a year later, they got married."
Lexi snorted in amusement at the comical expression of shock and amazement written all over Désirée's face. She spluttered, absently brushing a few strands that fell onto her face, "Wow. You're like… Batman… Vampire-Man? Whatever! Without you, my Mom wouldn't have been born, heck, I wouldn't have been born-" Her mouth abruptly snapped shut, agony vivid in her striking blue eyes, confusing Lexi. Stefan however, grimaced, the unspoken words simultaneously echoing in their heads: without Stefan, her daughter wouldn't have been born.
"Look," Stefan jumped right back to the subject in hand, brushing past the sudden tension the reminder inflicted upon them. "We needed answers. Unlike you, Ava grew up in a house where magic was a gift, where practicing it was acceptable, where it was a part of them. Until she ran off, she was part of a coven that all Siphoners happen to be offspring of. She had vital information we needed."
"If you bothered to update me before you went rushing in, guns blazing, you would have known that I ran into a Tanzanian Coven. They taught me a lot… how to use my magic, why I have magic despite being a vampire-"
Stefan smugly interrupted, looking irritatingly pleased with himself and Désirée was itching to tear off his damn smirk. "Bet they didn't tell you you're what witches call, a Heretic."
"A what now?" Désirée and Lexi intoned, gaping at Stefan in confusion.
"A Heretic," he enunciated. "According to Ava, there were once six of them. Over a century ago, six children from the Gemini Coven ran away because they were Siphoners and coincidentally-" the tone used was an obvious indication that Stefan didn't believe it was coincidental, like at all, "-they all died with vampire blood in their system, activating their transition into Heretics. The Coven viewed them as worse than an abomination and they felt threatened by their existence. Ava wouldn't share the details, all she said was that they were sentenced to a fate worse than death."
Lexi grimaced, not liking the fact that her friend was a huge target for some tyrannical coven, "Meaning, you can't show off your nifty skills unless you're prepared to leave no witness behind."
Désirée was unusually silent as she processed the overload of bad news.
"It's bad enough that I'm a hunter, and not just any hunter, but a fucking Colt, turned vampire. And that all hunters would hunt me down the moment they discover I'm somehow still alive. No, let's make things worse, Dez! You're not only hunted for being a vampire, but a freaking witch-hybrid by some egotistical coven who believes they are some sort of God. Fan-Fucking-Tastic. Any more bad news you guys are willing to share? 'Cause the ball is rolling," Désirée snarked, inhaling and exhaling sharply at the end of her furious rant.
Lexi rolled her eyes – again, "Jeez, tone down on the sarcasm, Dezzy."
Stefan adopted his signature compassionate look that never failed to calm her down. Clasping her hands in both of his, he softly, yet determinedly said, "Honestly, if I were you, I'd go to your grandparents. Anthony and Ava have been keeping Damon and me a secret for a long time. They won't treat you differently-"
"No," Désirée firmly put her foot down, shaking her head stubbornly. "I can't risk it. Na-uh. The world's better off believing I'm dead. I'm not opening that can of worms."
October 31, 2005
California
Stanford University
A photo frame was plucked from its customary spot on the dresser. An index finger lovingly caressed the contours of the gorgeous blonde's face – twinkling, merry blue eyes forever frozen, and her impish grin infectiously smiling back at him; glossy caramel curls framing her face and tumbling down to her waist. He remembered the day that picture was taken; she just wouldn't stand still and pose for the camera, her wild, boisterous nature wearing him thin, until he finally had enough and captured her in that moment, forever frozen in her natural state: carefree, mischievous, energetic and full of laughter.
"Sam! Get a move on, would you?"
He tore his gaze from the laughing face and met his girlfriend's gaze, appreciatively taking in her attire; Jessica looked ravishing in her sexy-nurse costume, and his lips curled into a small smile when she flashed him a cheeky wink as she adjusted her hat.
"Hey, Sam, woo-hoo?" she snapped her fingers in his face, garnering his attention, "We were supposed to be there like, fifteen minutes ago. You're not even dressed… Wait. Why aren't you dressed, babe?" Jessica was taken aback, not knowing how she failed to notice her boyfriend still wore his sweats and shirt.
He exhaled a loud breath and gently returned the photo frame to its designated spot before taking her wrist and pulling her over to his side, "Jess, I'm not going. Last year your mother came for a visit so I never told you this, but I don't celebrate Halloween. I haven't for four years now."
Jessica scrunched her brow in confusion. Sam and Jessica have been dating for nearly eighteen months, and their first Halloween together was interrupted by her mother's spontaneous visit, therefore, Jessica remained oblivious of Sam's aversion to Halloween, which made her feel bad – this was essential information one should know about their boyfriend, right?
"Do you mind telling me why?" Jessica hesitantly inquired, effectively hitting pause on her mental rambling.
Sam responded by jutting his chin at the picture frame by his bedside.
Despite the solemn ambience, Jessica was inwardly jumping in joy and relief – she won't lie, but while Jessica knew Sam loved her and would never cheat on her, when they moved in together a few months back, she felt a stab of jealousy when she first noticed a picture of a strange breathtakingly gorgeous girl that gave Barbie a run for her money! Whenever Jessica asked after the girl's identity, Sam would automatically clam up, his face would contort into utmost agony and he'd vaguely mutter "somebody" before leaving the room without another word or backward glance. After receiving the same response three more times, Jessica gave up and decided to patiently wait for Sam to confide in her.
That day finally arrived.
"Her name was Désirée."
"Was? As in…" Jessica gasped, covering her mouth, unable to put a label to it. Sam desolately nodded, looking the epitome of depression. "She died four years ago. Halloween is the anniversary of her death. I just…I can't celebrate and drink and dance and have fun on this day. It's an insult to her memory. It's the day I mourn her," his voice was rough with tears, but he stubbornly kept them at bay and Jessica felt her heart clench in grief.
Looking at the girl – at Désirée – she was full of life, even captured in a frozen picture as opposed to the moving ones in Harry Potter Universe… Jessica couldn't imagine the girl, who radiated with such sunshine and laughter buried six feet under, stone cold and decomposing in a grave somewhere.
"I've known her since I was a kid," Sam continued. After four years of keeping his emotions bottled up, he finally had the opportunity to purge, and he couldn't imagine anyone but Jessica to help relieve him of his burden. "My Dad knew her Dad, they were… business partners. They had this business trip to go to, so my father dropped me and my brother at their place. I was four at the time, she's the same age as Dean – actually, they share the same birthdays," he smiled sadly, shaking his head as though jolted to the present. "She was a sister to me. Is a sister to me. Always have been. Despite the age difference, she never turned me away or felt irritated by my presence. She was just, she was always there for me, whenever Dean was off somewhere or in a mood, and my Dad was away at some bar or on business trips, Dez was always there. She was my inspiration, you know? She uh, went to Stanford and studied law; I'm following her footsteps. Then, one day, after five years together, Dean and Dez broke up, and he never told me why. Three months later, she disappeared, and around four months after that, we got the call that she was dead. Mauled by an animal."
"Oh my God!" Jessica gasped, her eyes were bloodshot, tear lines etched on her face, "Sam, I'm, I'm so sorry. I can't, I can't imagine how you must be feeling. I wish you told me sooner." They sat in a comfortable silence for a while. "I wish I had the chance to meet her. I think we would have gotten along," Jessica couldn't imagine anybody having any difficulty getting along with the girl in the picture, despite never having met her, the possibility was laughable. The girl was the embodiment of sunshine.
Sam chuckled, "She would've loved you. Well, first she'd've given you the shovel talk, terrify you to death and then her mood would change three-sixty, she'd flash you her famous megawatt smile and ask you out for coffee."
Jessica ended up skipping the stupid Halloween party, preferring to spend the night with her mourning boyfriend, unable to stomach the idea of dancing and laughing on the night the vibrant and awe-inspiring girl that Désirée was, had been put to rest.
October 31, 2005
California
Stanford University
In retrospect, maybe Dean shouldn't have barged in through the window after two years of no contact with Sam, but he was desperate. Dean planned on calling Sam early in the morning and stop by to ask for help at an acceptable hour, but for the first time in four years, Dean didn't want to fill the giant hole in his heart by drinking himself under the table and then escorting some scantily-clad chick to his motel room…Dean needed his little brother.
Therefore, he killed two birds with one stone.
"You're not hearing me, Sammy," Dean snapped, cutting into Sam's whining about him breaking into his apartment at the middle of the night. "Dad's missing. I need you to help me find him."
Sam wasn't impressed. Rolling his eyes, he fixed his hoodie and folded his arms together, portraying complete nonchalance, "You remember the poltergeist in Amherst? Or the Devil's Gate in Clifton? He was missing then, too. He's always missing, and he's always fine."
Dean stopped burning a hole on the ground and turned to face his brother with a solemn look, "Not for this long. Now are you gonna come with me or not?"
Sam chose a different tactic; he wasn't thinking, the words just naturally flowed out from his mouth. "Did you call Cameron and Beatrice? I'm sure they've heard from him and you're freaking out for noth…ing," he drifted off, the pain hitting him hard, and no matter how hard Dean tried to hide it, he easily saw through the stony façade that masked his true emotions.
Désirée may be gone, but Cameron and Beatrice never cut any ties with the Winchester brothers.
Beatrice religiously called Sam once a week, sometimes twice, and if Cameron was around, he'd join the conversation; it felt good to talk about Stanford and his life without hunting to parental figures in his life. Unlike John, the Colts were actually proud of him and showed interest in his day-to-day activities. In fact, Beatrice has been quite vocal about meeting Jessica and "seeing if she deserves our little Sammy."
Dean, on the other hand, didn't feel comfortable keeping in touch with them, unless it was related to a hunt. Dean felt nobody was to blame but himself for Désirée's death; the way he cruelly broke up with her, it was the catalyst that put the motions into effect – he was a coward, and his cowardice pushed him into doing the stupidest thing in his life that he'll eternally regret, and she ran away and ultimately died because of him. Cameron and Beatrice were stubborn, and no matter what, Dean was family to them – after one year of ignoring their calls, Cameron tracked him down through GPS and bodily hauled him to Chicago where he was on the receiving end of a two hour tongue-lashing that culminated with him making a promise to at least visit once or twice a month if he didn't want to answer his phone.
"I did," Dean mumbled, surprising Sam. "Cameron's hunting werewolves at the moment-" both Winchesters winced at that; for the past four years, werewolves were being brutally hunted by the hunter community, led by Cameron. They should be nearing extinction, but apparently they kept popping up like gnats and were hard to get rid of. Where else would Cameron Colt be on the anniversary of his daughter's death? "-but Beatrice said last she heard of Dad, he was in Jericho."
"I swore I was done hunting. For good," Sam weakly informed Dean, returning to their previous argument. But even to him, the argument sounded weak. The last time he saw Dean, was at Désirée's funeral, and he stopped picking up his calls two years ago… at first glance, Dean resembled his usual cocky, laidback self, but to Sam, he easily detected the misery radiating from him, and with Dad out of the picture, especially on this day, Sam knew his brother needed him, now more than ever. Not just to find John, but to keep him company.
"Fine," Sam huffed, cutting Dean off from whatever he was rambling on about. Dean paused, confused that Sam was giving in so quickly; he expected to spend a few more minutes cajoling him into accompanying him.
"Fine?" Dean repeated, uncertain.
Sam nodded, "But I have to get back first thing Monday."
STARRING:
Désirée Colt - Rosie Huntington-Whiteley
Stefan Salvatore – Paul Wesley
Dean Winchester – Jensen Ackles
Sam Winchester – Jared Padalecki
Ava Salvatore – Vanessa L. Williams
Anthony Salvatore – Mark Harmon
Lexi Branson – Arielle Kebbel
A/N: Due to the great feedback, I decided to continue with this story! XD
(1) Désirée was a girl who had everything. Unlike most hunters (the Winchesters especially) she wasn't raised the typical hunter life. She had a stable home, two loving parents and grandparents, two uncles, an aunt and a cousin. She had friends, and went to one school (although she probably had a lot of absences if any hunts came up) and she was raised in a hunter community. However, she was an adventurous girl, confident, energetic, rebellious… so those traits magnified when she became a vampire. (2) About the whole traveling gig – it's kind of personal. You see, I've always wanted to travel the world and with Désirée's adventurous side, I had her carry out my dream, LOL (although she didn't travel the world yet). Let's be honest here, we all thought 'what-ifs: what if vampires did exist & what if I actually became a vampire' let's be honest, no matter how moral you are, most people will abuse their compulsion ability. If I were a vampire, I'd use my abilities to travel the world, LOL. So that's where the idea of Désirée's adventures came from. (3) About her jackass vampire boyfriend Lucas (Luke), we haven't seen the end of him. He's a little plot-twister in the story, which is why I didn't add much background to him and kept his parts vague. And about him calling Stella (her middle name), that'll be explained later on. Be patient! XD (4) Anthony and Ava Salvatore … if I were to roughly calculate and estimate their age, Ava would be around 71 years old and Anthony would be maybe 74, 75… but if you recognize who they are portrayed as, you'd notice how young and smoking hot they look… hint: magic is an important factor into the why, and I'll press on that later as the story progresses. (5) Heretics are introduced early to Stefan (TVD-Verse)… got a lot of plots surrounding that and the Gemini Coven (which – BTW – hate them!). (6) As you can see, I got Lexi a daylight ring early on… I mean, it's kind of ridiculous if I didn't give her one, right? With Gloria in the picture, I cannot imagine Lexi not having one after all she did and being her honorary niece's friend. (7) In my opinion, Caroline Forbes as a vampire was very Mary-Sue (I adore her and she is my fav. character so NO I am NOT bashing her, like NEVER)… but she is impressive and a natural when it comes to being a vampire. Désirée on the other hand, will have many difficulties. She didn't just kill one person, as you read, she killed quite a few. Désirée is first and foremost, a HUNTER, vampire or not, she is dedicated to protecting innocents and killing off monsters who act like monsters, however, as time passes by, she will go through a lot of tribulations and her morality will get a little skewed. This isn't a spoiler alert or anything, I'm just trying to convey that Désirée won't be a Mary-Sue vampire. And who knows, (HINTING A TINY SPOILER ALERT) maybe there will be a couple of times that Désirée turns her humanity off… maybe… ;) (8) The end of this chapter: We have reached Season 1 of Supernatural. TVD begins 2009, which coincides with Season 5 of SPN (right? If I am wrong, please correct me in a review). To end my note (rambling), I won't be showing every single hunt Dean and Sam went on, 'cause that could get boring. I will be deviating from canon, so if you see things happening differently, or things that don't add up, I did it on purpose…
Question: Should I kill Lexi off like in canon, or would you prefer she survives?
And surprise for next chapter; a fan-favorite character will be introduced! ;)
Happy Reading!
R&R.