A/N: I call this my couples chapter...you'll see why. Congrats to Kay Graham and Michael Trevino! Also hi new readers, nice of u to join me : )
Summary: In a world where vampires own witches as their slaves, one witch refuses to give into the stereotype giving one Damon Salvatore a run for his reputation of destruction. Bamon.
Everyone stayed silent waiting for Bonnie to respond to finding out that she was not the only Bennett still alive. That she had a cousin. And that her cousin was standing a few inches away from her with a look of anxiety and fear.
Bonnie wanted to be mad. She wanted to yell at the woman and ask her where has she been the whole time all this was happening to her? Why hadn't she shown up sooner? Why didn't she save her from everything she had to live through since she was five? But she couldn't be angry...not right now.
She rose from the bed and ran to Lucy, throwing her arms around her and holding her as close and tight as she could.
No one moved or spoke when they began to hear the young witch sob as Lucy returned the embrace, equally as emotional. Bonnie was crying and for the first time in her life it was tears of happiness. She had a cousin. She had family.
"Why the hell are all you guys just standing in here..." Damon trailed off as he noticed the scene in front of him. He had come back from about to take his shift on watching Greta but could hear Bonnie's crying from down the hall. When he came to inspect it he didn't expect to find her hugging some woman. Some stranger... "Who the fuck are you?" He snapped at the other witch, not noticing the looks that the others were giving him.
"Geez, Damon, can you take time out of your life and actually be sensitive for once!" Caroline groaned, "Can't you see that Bonnie is having a moment with her cousin..."
"Cousin?" He repeated, looking at the blond in shock. He then turned to look past Bonnie to Mason on the bed. He was unusually quiet. "Ahh...Lucy Bennett." He smirked, "Never really got the chance to meet you but I've heard great stories."
The witches took that moment to break away from each other and stare at Damon in confusion.
Bonnie wiped her eyes, "Heard stories? You knew about her?" she asked.
The vampire shrugged, "I knew of her...kind of. I thought it was just a lie...stories that the werewolves told to throw us off of you being the last Bennett witch. They said there was actually two that survived and that the wolves had her...but no one really looked into it because no one believed that another Bennett survived Stefan's slaughtering..."
Lucy turned to fully look at Damon, tilting her head to the side. "The stories were true. I was 8...and I remember you." She pointed at him. "You were the one who tried to stop your brother but failed...miserably. I escaped when you managed to stop him from getting Bonnie...for that I thank you."
"So you escaped too? I was certain that got you all...I can barely remember it, Lucy...but I saw...I saw them kill you." Bonnie replied, looking up at her. "I saw him burn the house down..."
"I'm a witch, Bonnie. If you know how to use your powers well than the fire doesn't phase you. We produce fire ourselves. Grams was just then teaching me how to control it."
"That's all nice and good but what brings you back here now? Last I remember you told me you'd never return to this place." Mason spoke up finally, getting up to walk past Bonnie and stand in front of Lucy, his eyes cold and emotionless. "You told me there was nothing for you here and that you'd rather die than return to Mystic Falls..."
"Don't make this about you, Mason." Lucy interrupted angrily as she turned to glare at him. "I came back because I heard about what was going on with Bonnie. Rumors were going around saying Klaus had a hard on for the Bennett witch and I'd rather burn than let that son of a bitch have my cousin. She's the only family I have left!"
"And you just now decide to come back for her? Shouldn't have left in the first place! If you cared so much you would've revealed yourself to her years ago and saved her from all this shit! The way I see it...we," He pointed to Tyler, Caroline, and Damon, "are the only family she has now!"
Bonnie could feel Lucy's power getting strong with anger. Mason and her may have had a history but right now was not the moment for everyone to turn against each other. Klaus is what they should be worrying about right now.
"Stop...just stop it you guys." Bonnie said softly. "We are a family...all of us. It's us versus the world and right now I need us all to stay on each other's good sides till this is all over. Klaus is on his way back and when he realizes what we've done to Greta he's going to have us all killed!"
"She's right." Damon spoke up, stepping between Mason and Lucy. "As much as I love seeing the misery in this guy's eyes...we need to put aside our romantic feelings and focus more on how to kill that fucker Klaus because right now my brother is not in his right mind and I'm afraid that what happened to Lexi might revert him back to his old ways."
Mason snorted and pushed away from Damon when he placed a hand on his and Lucy's shoulder. "Hypocrite. When Emily showed up you were a love sick puppy. And let's not forget to mention your little crush for Bonnie..."
"Oh, Mason, it's not a full moon. Keep talking and I'll break your fucking jaw." Damon replied calmly, but everyone heard the anger in his tone.
Lucy rolled her eyes and ran a hand through her long dark brown hair. As much has she had so much hate and resentment towards Mason, she had to make sure she put Bonnie first. She was back to make things right. Teach her cousin what needed to be taught.
"Look, I'm hungry. I haven't ate in forever...what's there to eat around here?" She turned to look at Tyler who looked around in confusion. "C'mon, Ty, this is your house, right? I know you still know how to cook..." She trailed off, hoping the young Lockwood got the point.
"Oh!" He said suddenly, realizing what she was doing. "Well...me and Caroline can cook up some stuff for all of us to eat for dinner..." He looked at Damon. "I'll also get some blood." Damon nodded. Tyler then quickly grabbed Caroline's hand before she could protest and dragged her out the room.
"There you go." Lucy said, grinning at the others. "We're all gonna sit down and have a huge dinner like a family...get to know each other and form a plan. Till then I'm going to take a shower..." She looked over at Bonnie, "Got any spare clothing?"
Bonnie smirked, "I actually found Jules room...she's kinda dead now so I doubt she'll mind if we borrow some of her clothes."
Lucy's jaw dropped as she tried not to stare at Mason, "Jules is dead? How'd that one happen?"
"Long story...I'll tell you some other time. C'mon." She grabbed her cousin's hand and walked out the room, leaving Mason and Damon to stare after them.
"Not one fucking word, Salvatore." Mason said as he watched Damon turn and look at him with that knowing smirk. "Not one word."
Elena was still in the basement. It was big and brightly lit with nice furniture and a gym the werewolves would use to get into shape but the part of the basement she was at was dusty and smelled of old rotten flesh.
She sighed once again and got up to look into the cellar. Stefan remained in the corner, unmoving. The dead bodies of the werewolves didn't phase him at all, she could tell his mind was still on Lexi. It wasn't till her stomach started rumbling did she realize how long she was down there sitting on the hard floor by the door.
"Go upstairs." Her eyes widened as she heard Stefan speak for the first time in forever. She was beginning to think it was just her mind playing tricks with her but she heard him speak again. "Elena...go upstairs. You're tired, hungry...and you smell bad.
She grinned, "Better than those corpses though, right?" she asked, standing on her tiptoes to look at him through the small barred window.
He was still staring at the ground, his expression the same. So much for humor trying to cheer him up...She thought as she bit her lower lip in decision.
"Look, Stefan...I...today I saw a different side of you...with Lexi. You guys had a great friendship and she was a great person. Her death..."
"Don't." He spoke, she could hear the hurt in his voice. "You have no idea what this feels like. I have no one. Damon, though he may be my brother, he doesn't understand me. If he had it his way he would've had me killed years ago. Everyone hates me for the things I did, they only see the bad. Lexi...Lexi brought me back from that darkness. She helped me realize that there were other ways than Klaus' way."
"Then why still listen to Klaus?" Elena asked suddenly. "You still do as he says! You know what he does isn't right! And I know you believe that because I saw the look on your face when Lexi told you he had Bonnie and Damon. I know you feel guilty about everything and you want to prove to everyone...to yourself, that there's more to you than ripper Stefan because what I saw today was real human emotion!"
Stefan went silent again. Elena figured he went back to ignoring her so she rolled her eyes, turned around, and crossed her arms over her chest. She didn't know why this was affecting her so much but she wasn't going to give up on now. Not when he needed her the most.
"I want to change...but I see no need for it. I've never cared about anything so much to decide to say 'fuck it' and rebel like Damon. He was in love with Emily...they killed her. That day my brother changed...for the better. But me...never found anyone truly worth it."
Elena frowned as Stefan's words hit her. "What about Lexi?" she asked, "You loved her, right?"
"I love her but I was never in love with her like Damon with Emily...she was like a sister...she was everything I wanted to be."
"You put people before you and your life becomes about them...you need to love yourself before you can love another." She turned and looked back into the cellar. "Some people may forgive you for what you've done but the real question is...do you forgive yourself, Stefan?"
He finally looked up to her, their eyes locking. "I'll never forgive myself for the lives I took, the stuff I put people through, the stuff I put Bonnie through...I don't deserve anyone's pity and I should just end my life before Klaus does."
"Really though, you volunteer me to cook with you?" Caroline asked as she stared at all the stuff Tyler pulled out and placed on the huge counter in the kitchen.
He chuckled, "Never cooked before?"
"Never had to!" She exclaimed but decided it was best to try and do this for the people who actually had to eat food in this house. It's been a rough couple of days and they all were going to need their energy. "I wish my mom could see me now." She muttered as she got a pan and began to fill it up with water to boil.
Tyler frowned as he looked over at the blond vampire, "What was that?" he asked.
Caroline sighed, "My mom...when I was human she would always call me lazy and say I would never get a man since I wasn't really much of a cook...or cleaner...she said I'm lucky I'm pretty."
"I could always call your mom up now and vouch for you if you want." He grinned. He turned on the stove and pulled out some huge pieces of raw meat. "I could even take a picture on my camera phone for you to show her when this is all over."
"Yeah but...my mom kinda hates me and wants nothing to do with me so I doubt she'd care. If she had the choice she would have me staked and burned."
Tyler paused and watched her as she looked down at the water in the pan sadly. He's never really seen a sad vampire before...well other than that scene Stefan had today. He figured they cared about no one, that they could easily shut their emotions off. That must be a huge myth.
"Not a vampire fan?"
Caroline snorted, "She's the number one fan of anti-vampire...well after Bonnie I think." She looked over at him, "But I think Bonnie's warming up to us. Damon might change her mind."
Tyler shuddered, not wanting to think about Damon having feelings for Bonnie. She was too good for him and the last thing he needed was another Bennett witch girlfriend since the thing with Emily ended so well...
"Yeah...my father wasn't no grand prize but..." He stopped, not knowing where he was going with this. His father was a heartless bastard who abused him his whole life while his mother just sat back and let it happen. "Parents suck." He concluded.
Caroline nodded in agreement, "Majorly. I'm surprised we turned out so well. If I ever ended up like my mother..." She shook her head, "If I had a kid I would love it regardless. I don't care if it was a vampire, werewolf, witch, zombie, gay...I would love it because it was mine." She unconsciously touched her flat stomach. "But thanks to the whole vampire thing I don't need to worry about that."
Tyler watched her gesture and felt his heart almost drop. He never paid much to Caroline in school because even before she was turned she seemed like a superficial bitch. But now, seeing this side to her, he felt her pain.
"You seem really close with Stefan..."
"He's like a big brother to me. I know he's done some horrible things but he really is a sweetheart."
"You think he'll be ok...you know with the whole Lexi thing..."
He watched as Caroline's head dropped as she began crying. Crap, he quickly made his way towards her feeling like a complete douchebag for bringing up her now dead friend.
"I'm so sorry, Caroline." He apologized as he began rubbing her back.
"It's nothing." She replied, wiping her eyes. "It's just...Lexi made me and she was like the mother I always wanted...I just...she saved me and..."
"You don't have to explain." Tyler replied quickly as she pulled away from him. "I...it was stupid of me to bring it up again knowing everyone is still healing from it..."
"Yes...yes it was." They turned to see Damon standing there with a look of suspicion on his face as he eyed the two teens. "Cooking, huh?" he asked, quirking a brow.
"Yeah..." Tyler said as he quickly went back to the steaks he abandoned earlier, ignoring Damon's gaze as he turned bright red. He didn't know why he felt like he got caught doing something bad.
Caroline sniffled then went back to her pan of water, "What do you want, Damon? Can't you see we're trying to make a dinner for everyone?"
"Yeah I just wanted to make sure you didn't burn down the kitchen like you did at my house." Damon grinned. "Or that we don't get poisoned." He looekd over to Tyler who rolled his eyes.
"Poison can't kill a vampire, Damon. I'm not stupid."
"Yeah but you still might try to throw vervain in there." He replied. "But it looks like I interrupted something so..."
"What did you interrupt?" Bonnie asked as she joined them in the kitchen. Her hair was now up in a high ponytail and she had pajamas on. "Steak? Haven't had any of that since I was like...wait...I never had steak." The witch frowned as she watched Tyler prepare the food.
"He didn't interrupt anything." Tyler replied, he grinned at Bonnie. "And I'm going to make sure this meal is the best since it might be our last."
"Don't remind me." Bonnie sighed. She felt Damon's eyes on her but when she looked at him he looked to Caroline. She then watched as they had a silent argument. Ok...something is going on. "I'm gonna go check up on Elena and Stefan...I'm sure she's hungry." She announced, turning to walk out the kitchen but not before Damon grabbed her arm to stop her.
"I'll come too." He smiled, his blue eyes boring into her hazel ones. She hated the way she was feeling every time he touched her now. Damn Emily...
"Sure." She shrugged as she walked away with him close behind her.
Tyler rolled his eyes then looked back over to Caroline, "Ok...we need to plan something huge for dessert because right about now everyone needs chocolate...chocolate fixes everything!"
Mason had volunteered to take over Damon's shift. He needed some kind of distraction to keep his mind off of Lucy returning and shocking everyone, but then again he wouldn't expect anything less from the Bennett witch. She was full of surprises.
He looked over to Greta who remained asleep on the bed, her arms and legs still chained up as bruises and bumps covered her body from the fight with Bonnie. He didn't feel sorry for her but he knew she was brainwashed by Klaus too, but there was something in her that was just so evil.
"Babysitting?" He mentally cursed as he heard the door open as a familiar voice talked to him. He was trying to avoid her but obviously she had other plans in mind. "Greta? You know this is just begging Klaus to drain us all dry...or at least take one of ours to even it out."
"What do you expect us to do, Lucy? Let the murdering bitch go?" He asked sarcastically.
She laughed and entered the room, shutting the door behind her. "Well...I'm just saying. What happened to the rest of the pack? I half expected everyone to be here waiting my arrival...well since Jules is dead I guess they left?"
"They're dead too. Richard, the rest of the guys...Tyler's mom ran off somewhere." Mason replied, shrugging it off like it were nothing. "You witches sure do know how to take down a pack."
"Only to defend ourselves." She said.
Mason got up as Lucy made her way closer to him. "You don't want to talk to me...why are you in here?"
"Believe it or not...I missed you, Mason. I didn't want to leave you but I had to. You think I could take anymore of Jules? Or Richard abusing Tyler? You guys love to feud with the vampires but the truth is you guys are so much alike with your ridiculous rules and hunger for power."
"Oh and witches are any different?" he asked incredulously, "Should;ve came sooner. I bet you would've loved seeing what you ancestor did to people. Such a sweet woman..."
Lucy placed a hand over his mouth, "This is not battle of the supernatural, ok? We all have our flaws and we all have done something we've regretted." She didn't back down as he removed her hand and stepped closer, "We all have to protect Bonnie. We want the same thing...to stop Klaus."
"And what do you regret, Lucy?" He asked.
"I regret not coming for my cousin sooner...and that's it." She replied. She then turned away from him and made her way out the room.
"You seem different...is it because of Emily?" Damon asked suddenly as they walked alongside each other. For some reason Bonnie was no longer emo and angry. He couldn't tell if it was because of Lucy returning or because there were parts of Emily still in her.
"I'm starting to see things differently." She shrugged. "When I hear everyone's stories and see what they've been through I realize I wasn't the only one with a tough life. I mean...look at Caroline...she's a vamp but she is one of the sweetest girls I've ever met. And Stefan...I still hate him but I can see something that Elena holds for him and I'm just beginning to think that my hate being directed at everyone was just...stupid..."
Damon stopped and stared at her, causing her to look at him in confusion.
"What?" she asked nervously, not liking the intensity of his gaze on her. It made her feel a little uneasy and she didn't know why. There was no way that it was Emily feeling this because Emily was always so brave and open around Damon. This was her own emotions.
"That was the greatest thing I ever heard you say." He replied after awhile. "It's good to see something other than hate in you...now only if I could get you to joke around and smile like a real teenager than I'd say we're making progress."
Bonnie tried not to smile but failed, "I'll be happy when Klaus is dead and this stupid law is over."
Damon grinned and walked closer to her, lifting a hand to caress her cheek. "That won't be too long. With this team we're putting together Klaus won't know what hit him...though some of them are complete idiots. I'm talking about the werewolves of course."
She tried to ignore the softness of his fingertips on her face, "Why don't you like Mason and Tyler?"
"Because they're dicks."
"Other than that."
Damon's hand dropped as he thought a moment. His and Mason's rivalry went way back and he had no true reason to hate Tyler. It was just werewolves period. He guessed it was in the vampire DNA to hate them but Caroline had no problem befriending Tyler. "Mason and I never got along and as for Tyler...let's just say I don't like that he sees in you what I do. I don't like the way he looks at you...and I don't like the possibly that he could maybe take you away from me." he admitted.
Bonnie tried hard to not let his words affect her, the bad part is she knew he was actually telling her the truth. But she could not...would not...be Emily's replacement. If Damon wanted to be with her it had to be for her and not what was in her at the moment.
She turned around and lifted the back on her shirt, showing her lower back with the 'D' burned on her. "I'm yours...remember? Tyler couldn't take me if he tried." She said, smirking.
Damon seemed satisfied with her answer for now.
"Good." He placed a hand over her shoulder and they began walking again. "You know...they two of us together finally getting along...I don't think anyone can stop us. Elijah made a mistake giving you to me that day and I think Klaus is realizing that."
"Me too...we just gotta be careful. Because when Greta wakes up...it won't be easy to contain her."