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Chapter 004

I Remember

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Sunday, May 30, 2010 (con't.)

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I spend a good chunk of the rest of the night standing in the doorway to Bonnie and Jeremy's room watching over them. They both moan in pain a number of times but I know from the previous times I saw this spell used that there is nothing I can do to help alleviate the pain.

Their eyes are constantly moving behind their eyelids, so I know images are flashing through both of their heads very quickly, but I also know that given a little time to process everything when they wake for the most part they'll remember and understand everything that they're seeing and hearing now.

I go to sleep around four and sleep in for once though I still wake before Elena and Caroline. As I'm cooking their breakfast and chatting with them about random rather unimportant stuff the doorbell rings and Care gets up saying, "That should be Ty."

As soon as Tyler enters the room, I reduce the heat on the stove-top so I don't burn my omelet, wipe my hands on a towel, and walk to the younger man who's shifting his weight back and forth on his feet and looking everywhere but at me. This is the first time we've actually seen each other since I died.

I smile what I hope is a reassuring and friendly smile and tell him, "I just want you to know that I know you didn't mean to bite me or Care. I don't blame you or hold you responsible. Klaus kidnapped you, and if he hadn't you would have been locked up tight and none of us, you included, would have been in any danger."

I smile wider and tell him, "We have some of Klaus's blood in the freezer downstairs, so we have at least a couple doses of the cure since for whatever reason Klaus filled the whole bottle to the rim, so no hard feelings. I don't want you to worry about putting us at risk because we have a few bites worth of the cure as backup if something goes terribly wrong again. Okay?"

Tyler looks shocked, but then says, "Yeah, thanks. I… I hated that I put you at risk, but I see what you mean about that situation not being my fault so thank you. While I'm at it, thanks for stepping between me and Care too. I don't know what I would have done if I had killed her."

He pauses then adds, "I think I might ask Bonnie later if there is any Witchy way to stretch that cure."

I smile as I say, "I actually have an idea about that but Briseis has to break her spell and get her powers back. So long as we have some of Klaus's blood when that happens she'll be able to become the permanent cure." I make a little oops face when I realize I may have said more than I should have and definitely more than anyone else in the room knew before I spoke.

Tyler looks shocked but happy to hear there's hope as he asks, "Uh Briseis is who? And how will she be a cure?"

I cross my fingers that the spell on them will keep Care and 'Lena from figuring out who they are as I tell them all, "Briseis, was my wife and she was born a Demon like me. Only she and her brother Balthazaar are a very rare kind of Demon called Elementals. They're actually part Fire, Earth, Water, Air, and Spirit Demon. They're all five subspecies in equal parts."

I smile and continue the story, "The men with that distinction have very powerful Magick. In fact, when some of the members of the species slept with Humans, well that's essentially who Witches are descended from, but the women Elementals are even more powerful than the men. They're what're generally called Mimics. If they touch someone they gain all their knowledge, memories, know-how, abilities, strengths, powers, pretty much everything including Supernatural powers, senses, strengths, and speed. Their bodies essentially make a permanent copy that they get to keep for all time. After a while that power accumulates and as I'm sure you can imagine the women by the time they reach even just a few centuries old are incredibly powerful."

I frown at the memories of entire families being wiped out as I tell them, "The species is pretty rare though, especially since the women were hunted and slaughtered by the other sub-species of Demons due to how powerful they could become."

I walk back over to the fry pan and go back to adding the ingredients I want in my omelet as I say, "Anyway, despite what Klaus thinks, he's not actually the first Hybrid. Though the two I know of that came before him never had curses placed on them so they could both shift at will and create progeny. They and their progeny were hunted and slaughtered several millennia ago by hate mongering Humans whom another Vampire named Lilith encouraged long before Klaus's parents were even born."

I smile, "Now touching Klaus or his blood might not be necessary as Briseis has touched both previous Hybrids in the past but if she were to touch Klaus or even just some of his blood, she could at will turn her blood to mimic his and would therefore be the same cure his real blood is."

Everyone's jaws drop open at that so I know they understand what I'm implying but I tell them, "Anyhow, I've seen a Mimic successfully cure three different Werewolf and two Hybrid bites on different occasions."

As I turn to the counter to pick up a handful of chopped black olives I say, "Still Briseis was the strongest Mimic I'd ever heard tale of. Once she returns she'll be a millennium stronger at that, so just try to keep the biting to a minimum, so that when she does return to herself she'll be able to drink his blood and definitively make us all safe eternally."

He nods so I add, "Also, I'm pretty sure she'll be willing though maybe I shouldn't bring it up yet until I can run the idea by her first, but I know how much you hate shifting. Did Care mention that Klaus plans to build a Hybrid army?"

When Tyler nods, I continue, "Right I'm pretty sure it's not going to work mostly because a dream I had makes me think he needs to feed them the Doppelgänger's blood instead of Human blood to finish the transformation, which is why I fully plan to keep 'Lena being alive a secret."

As I add spinach to my omelet I tell them all, "Now since Briseis touched a previous Hybrid it might work without Elena's blood but if 'Lena stores some blood then no matter when Briseis comes back if it's next year or 100 years from now she'll be able to touch/drink Elena's blood and definitely have the abilities necessary. If it happens while you're still alive then she could theoretically turn you into a Hybrid using Klaus and Elena's blood within her own, and then my friend you would no longer be a Servant to the Moon."

Everyone's jaws are on the ground, but it's Elena who speaks up, "Damon as soon as we finish breakfast I want to store some blood away just in case since I'm such a trouble magnet."

She pauses as though she's thinking about it then adds, "And I want to give fresh amounts periodically so it'll last as long as possible in case Briseis doesn't get back before I'm dead."

I nod glad that she suggested it since in order for Briseis to return Elena's blood will change back into Briseis' blood, so the only way for the idea to work is for Elena to store blood away for after the change happens. The idea of her dying though makes me sick to my stomach and my jaw is ticking at the thought.

I recover a moment later and turn back to Tyler, "Good, so see hope is not lost and someday hopefully you'll have control over your beast and helping you isn't and will continue not to be an automatic death sentence if you bite one of us. Incidentally, I'm now immune to your venom at this point due to my becoming a Vampire through a spell instead of through siring. Oh and if you're wondering the same is true of all of the Originals. Anyway the only ones you really need to be mindful of your teeth around are Caroline, Stefan, and if she shows up, Katherine."

Tyler looks like he's high but he nods and says, "Thank you for letting me know there's hope. You didn't have to do that especially after what I put you all through. I know Care and 'Lena both honestly thought they lost you. While it might not have been my fault exactly, it was still the venom from my mouth that killed you. And while I'm at it thanks for not trying to make me dead back."

I chuckle and nod as I flip the back half of the egg onto the front half and smile a genuine smile at Tyler before I say, "No problem, truth is you're kind of growing on me, Wolf-boy, and I know you've helped Care deal with her issues just as much as she's helped you. Therefore, since my sister thinks of you as family I'm kind of stuck with you. But like I said you are growing on me, like a tumor, but I'm getting used to having you around, and I know our family wouldn't be quite the same without you in it, Brother."

He smiles at that and says, "You're kind of growing on me too man, though you are definitely an acquired taste."

I laugh and nod as I plate up my own omelet, which is a little more well-done than I would have liked since I was distracted by our conversation, but oh well.

As I put my plate on the counter, I ask him, "You hungry? I can make you an omelet too."

He smiles but shakes his head no and says, "Thanks but I ate before I came over."

I just nod and sit down to eat my breakfast. Once we've all eaten, Elena and Caroline clean up my mess and then I take a quick turn as Elena's phlebotomist before I leave the three teens in the living room to converse among themselves and head back up to stand guard over Bonnie and Jeremy.

Is Bonnie surprised that I told her the truth? Oh not the whole truth but she should also know that I couldn't, not with Elena and Caroline within hearing distance.

Is she surprised that I, as Drago, swore to protect her ancestors and all of their descendants who are actually mine and Briseis' descendants through our oldest child, a daughter named Hali? Balthazaar and Lilith's descendants came into the line a little farther down through the years too, well about 35,000 years after Hali gave birth to her first child or there abouts so about 10 or 11 generations later.

Anyway, Balthazaar and Lilith thought being their ancestors gave them the right to kill them when they displeased them so I promised to protect Bonnie's line and I kept my word. I even protected Emily and her descendants despite not remembering my original pledge.

Well at least I did until Bonnie, then I tried to kill her after I thought she had destroyed the only way to save Katherine. After I bit her, I deeply regretted it as though some part of me knew we were family and that I had just broken my twice given word, which prior to that I had always kept if I was able.

I actually almost killed Dante, Asya, Lilith, and Balthazaar in the past. They had no respect for my vow of protection or my sense of family and I literally held their hearts in my hand and promised to end them if they didn't stop toying with or otherwise trying to hurt Briseis' and my descendants.

That is in part why Tianna spelled us I think. I'm sure she didn't think of it as a curse. It was merely a spell to try to teach them some lessons they desperately needed to learn and in most cases still do. Briseis and I were the only ones with any real honor back then, though I can admit there was still room for improvement as evidenced by my attacking Bonnie.

Are Bonnie and Jeremy seeing all of our hidden memories as well as all the memories of our current lives or are they just seeing my memories? The last Witch who completed the memory spell, another ancestor of Bonnie's, remembered the memories of all six of us despite only one of us being part of the actual spell. Since that's pretty much how it played out this time too I'm guessing Bonnie and Jeremy are getting everything from all six of us.

My eyes cut towards Bonnie laying in the bed as I pace a little just inside the door of the room. I wonder if Bonnie is going to see all the bad things, in some cases really, really bad things, I did before Damon's switch broke in the on position and further condemn and hate me. She's prone to passing judgment and I find I want her to realize that my bad behavior now weighs heavily on me, and in most cases, I regret the pain and death I've caused.

On the other hand, I wonder what she'll think of Stefan if she's getting his memories too. Stefan though plagued by guilt is not the saint he portrays himself as, and I know Klaus knows that and is planning to turn Stefan back into the monster he's fought so hard to bury.

I still believe Stefan needs to find moderation not abstinence otherwise, he'll fall off the wagon every couple of decades and a ton of lives will be lost. Sadly, I've seen it happen often enough. Will Bonnie recognize that eating bunnies and squirrels really isn't the answer or will she believe, as Stefan does, that he can't possibly learn to control himself?

I mean he's one of the strongest people I know, and his willpower is strong too since he surrounds himself with Humans day in and day out and then denies himself what his body needs and craves. It's no wonder he breaks down and kills every few decades, but still I don't think I'd last even that long if it were me.

Close to midnight the night after I died, I hear Tyler sneak back into the house. When he left to go home he told us, "I'm going to say goodnight to my mom, then sneak out, and come back over once my mom goes to sleep."

I nodded and told him "That's fine, just come on in when you get back."

He smiled and nodded as he left the same time Care and 'Lena left to go grocery shopping at the 24-hour Walmart, so I'm not surprised when a moment later he walks up the stairs and joins me in the doorway.

He looks at me and after a minute of looking back and forth between me and the pair on the bed he asks, "Any change?"

I shake my head, "No but they should wake any minute now as we're quickly approaching the 27-hour mark from when Jeremy lay down, which is when the spell should finish itself."

We watch Bonnie and Jeremy sleep for maybe ten more minutes before Bonnie's heart-rate picks up and we see her eyelids flutter a moment before her eyes finally open. She turns her head away from the doorway seemingly not realizing we're here and looks at Jeremy lying beside her in bed fast asleep.

She raises the hand not holding his to rub at her eyes and Jeremy's eyes pop open at the movement. He smiles as he turns his face to look at her, then his eyes widen, and he asks, "Are you okay? I think we've been asleep a long time."

They've been asleep for exactly 27 hours, but how does he know that since neither of them has woken even once during that time? She nods, "I'm fine," his brows draw closer together and his lips thin out as he looks at her, so I'm not surprised when she moves to reassure him, "I mean it. I'm fine. I just got bombarded by six or twelve different sets of memories but I'm fine."

He looks to the door and she follows his gaze to find Ty and me leaning against opposite sides of the door jam.

I'm mostly relaxed as I look at them though I'm sure concern flashes in my eyes for a moment before I slip my usual disinterested mask back on, "Hey there Judgey, how do you feel?"

She frowns but before I can tell her I was just kidding about calling her Judgey she surprises me by saying, "Damon, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have judged y—"

Her look is heavy as her eyes hold the knowledge that she didn't have all the facts when she judged me, and that I'm a different man than I was even from as recently as when I came back to Mystic Falls. So I interrupt her, "Don't worry about it, you weren't completely wrong about who I was at the time and I did try to kill you. I'm sorry for that, I never should have—"

She interrupts me back, "You didn't break your word, it's Tianna's fault that you didn't remember your vow or that we're family."

I sigh and my shoulders slump just a tad before I catch the movement and straighten up again, "But I made the same vow to Emily and I definitely remembered that one when I bit you."

She rolls to her side so she can look at me without turning her head and tells me, "I know, but I forgive you, and I kind of understand where you were coming from now that I have most of your memories. You honestly thought I had just destroyed the only way to rescue the woman you loved from starving for all of eternity. We should all love so deeply."

I frown then rather suddenly smile ever so slightly, "That's still no excuse as far as I'm concerned but thank you for forgiving me. Know this however, I remember both of my vows now, and I will not break either one again. Furthermore, I now remember that you are descended from my oldest child, so I will protect you and yours from this moment forward."

Despite how long she's spent hating me I can tell she believes me as her body's tension seems to evaporate into thin air and her eyes brighten. I truly want to be a better man, and I used to be very trust worthy and wish to return to that behavior now that I'm myself again. She must be able to see all of that in my eyes or something since she tells me, "I know, thank you."

I nod and then Ty and I enter the room. He sits at the end of the bed but I stay standing a few feet away as she says, "Hey can I call you 'Gramps' since technically you're my great-great-a-thousand-times-removed grandfather."

I laugh and tell her, "It might be suspicious in public, but in private you can call me whatever you like, though don't be surprised if I start calling you something like 'Childe' in response."

She laughs back and says, "I'll have to think about whether I can live with that or not."

I nod and laugh back then after a few seconds, I calm down and tell them, "Caroline and Elena went to the 24-hour Walmart to pick up groceries since I was running low on Human food. If you have any questions you want to ask now's the time as I'm sure you realize they can't know what we know until they break their own spells."

She nods as Jeremy sits up and kind of sputters as he and Ty both ask, "Wait Caroline and Elena have the same spell on them that you did?"

I smile reassuringly and nod, "Yes and Katherine, Elijah and Stefan also have the spell on them."

Ty's eyes are wide as he sort of shakes his head in wonder but Jeremy practically bounces despite sitting in bed as he shouts, "Holy Shit! So you're like all way older than even they know?"

I chuckle as a wide smile slowly grows on my face at Jer's obvious happiness at this news, "I'm the oldest at a little under 490,455 years old, followed closely by Stefan, whose name was Dante back then, and Elijah, or Balthazaar, who are just over 100 and 255 years younger than me, respectively. Elena whose name was Briseis is just a few months over 135 years younger than Balthazaar and Katherine, or Lilith is the first Human so she's about 35,250 years younger than me and then Caroline, or Anastasiya, though we usually called her Asya, is just under 100 years younger than Lilith though her maturity has always made her seem much older than Lilith even when Asya was a child."

Bonnie laughs and turns to look at Jer as she tells him and Ty, "He's not kidding. Lilith is a billion times worse than Katherine while Asya in comparison despite her many flaws makes my grams look like an immature, entitled, and spoiled brat and we all know Grams was pretty much the exact opposite of that."

We all laugh at that and I nod seriously as I agree, "You're right about that. Katherine is nowhere near as bad as Lilith used to be though, and I'm hoping once the spell is broken that will still be true."

Bonnie smiles reassuringly before telling me, "It will be though she'll be better than she currently is too."

I nod once, "From your mouth to the Goddess' ear. So any other questions?"

Jeremy sputters and then says, "Hey how do I know... Bonnie did I somehow see everything you saw?"

I smile as I realize I was right, so I tell them, "I expected as much when you passed out moments after you both lay down holding hands. I imagine the delayed memory is a result of you having had to see it through Bonnie."

His eyes are wide but they are still sparkling and he's bouncing so much I'm afraid he'll vibrate right off the bed so I tell them all, "You'll both need to stick close to the rest of us for a few days as you might have bouts of... well you'll probably get lost in memories and that could put you at risk, especially if you're driving or if there's some other kind of danger. Klaus has me worried."

Bonnie frowns and grabs my hand, "He should but I think he daggered Elijah, so we need to help him first then he can help us get Stefan back."

I can't say I'm surprised that Klaus betrayed Elijah. Everything I've learned about Klaus both from personal experience as well as massive amounts of research before the sacrifice played out says he's incredibly untrustworthy and an all-around asshole to almost everyone. I sit on the edge of the bed when Bonnie tugs on my hand a bit and then ask, "Any idea where to look for Elijah?"

She pauses as though she's sifting through memories and she probably is. Then she says, "I think he shipped him to Chicago this morning and if we get there before Klaus we should be able to undagger him and get back here before Klaus and Stefan even think to head to Chicago."

I don't question how she knows these things as I ask her, "Okay, do we have a few days or do I need to run up there now and do it."

She frowns and then tells me, "I honestly think we have three or four months before they'll head up there and it might take that long to figure out where he's stashed the coffins."

I nod then sit up straighter as her words sink in and I ask, "Wait, coffins, plural?"

She nods back slowly and tells me, "Yeah all the other Originals, I'm not sure what to do about them. On the one hand I think they need to have their hearts ripped out before they do any damage to anyone, but I'm not sure how well that would help us to getting Elijah on our side. I mean if he was willing to betray us once to save them, our killing them might destroy his willingness to help us even if he is Balthazaar."

I think for a moment and wonder if the spell Tianna used on my family to freeze us so she could do the other spell would work and if so would it be included in the tomes housed in the cave she and her ancestors as well as her descendants, including Emily, inherited from Hali. They all took me there fairly often through the years, even Emily took me a few times when I was Human, so I know exactly where it is and how to access it. I sit up straight when it occurs to me that Bonnie probably doesn't even know about the cave or she would have mentioned all the books before. Then again, we weren't exactly each other's confidants so maybe she does know. Regardless I ask her, "I have an idea, Bonnie, did your grandmother get a chance to show you the cave where your ancestors' Grimoires are hidden?"

She shakes her head no, so I continue, "It's your birthright, so I'll bring you there tomorrow."

She nods with wide eyes, so I tell her, "Anyway, when Tianna placed the spell on us, she held us immobile for a good long while as she prepared and then forced us to drink her potion. If the spell to immobilize a Vampire is in one of the books we could theoretically undagger them all and give them a choice, help us or at least follow our rules and live or we'll kill them then and there."

She nods and pauses obviously thinking things over for a minute and then Tyler asks me, "Care said Elijah is supposedly really into keeping his word right? Any idea if any of the others are as into keeping their word as Elijah is?"

Before I can really ponder the question Jer shifts on the bed beside Bonnie and then somehow he seems to vibrate even more as he asks, "What if we do what you said with just Elijah and give him the details we can share and then ask him what he wants us to do with his family. If he's on our side when we talk to the other Originals it might help sway them to our side and also help keep them loyal to us or Elijah at least, especially if Klaus daggered all of them."

Bonnie smiles and says, "Yeah I can't imagine they'll be too pleased with him when they come to."

Ty agrees, "I bet they'll be pretty pissed off and gunning for Klaus too."

My eyes narrow and my brow furrows before I sigh and say, "That's true, but we have to remember he's their brother. Brothers forgive or at least overlook a lot of shit just because it's their brother that did it."

My frown deepens as the memory of Stefan biting Damon's first victim and practically throwing her at me while I was in transition enters my mind.

Bonnie is apparently remembering the same thing as she says, "You mean like you not killing Stefan when he forced you to complete the transition against your will?"

Despite my time as Damon being infinitely shorter than my time as Drago, the pain from my life as Damon is still very real even though my lives and memories have merged. The merging didn't take away any of the pain from previous betrayals. After a moment, I refocus on the present and with a grim expression on my face say, "Exactly like that."

Jeremy and Ty both frown and with wide sad eyes ask, "He forced you?"

I nod, "Neither of us planned to complete the transition, but he found himself in the same room as an open wound and he fed and then tried to convince me to do the same. I still didn't want to finish it, so he bit a girl and pretty much shoved her at me, and my instinct to survive took over. That's why I've been spending the last 150 years tormenting him. That night I literally promised him an eternity of misery for forcing me to complete the transition."

Their frowns deepen and they both whisper, "God that sucks."

I nod back, and we all just sit for a few minutes. Jeremy's vibrating seems to have stopped for the moment. Then Jeremy brings the focus back to the Originals as his excitement returns and he once again practically vibrates off the bed as he talks with growing speed and asks, "Well you could take the Originals right? You've said before that being older translates to being faster and stronger than anyone who's younger than you, right? And if Bonnie can over power them then they might just fear us enough to stay in line."

I smile a rare genuine smile as I nod at Jeremy, "You might be right about that, Little Gilbert."

We all sit in silence for another minute then I clear my throat, "Look, I know Caroline and Elena know this but I just want us all to be on the same page. Despite how I might have acted before I uh I consider you all family and I protect my family, so I just want you to know that. I know all three of you have lost loved ones and I'm sorry for your losses, but you need to know that you're not alone, we're kind of forming our own little ragtag family."

Bonnie smiles and leans up to hug me, "We know but thank you for saying it. I think I might actually like the real you, go figure."

I hold on for a second then pull away before turning to look at Ty and Jeremy and putting my hands up defensively which causes Jeremy to laugh and assure me, "Don't worry man I'm not going to try to hug you, I know better."

Ty smiles and nods as my eyes sparkle with mirth and I laugh before telling them, "Good, just so we're clear."

A moment later, I smile and cock my head to the side as Ric finally gets out of his car that he's been sitting in for ten minutes. Despite the very late hour, he spent the time speaking on the phone with his landlord who was calling to find out who the person staying in Ric's apartment was. Ric told him it was a friend who was in town for a few weeks but who should be leaving any day now. The landlord has nothing to suggest there is any damage done to the apartment, but once Ric promised that he'd pay for any damage his friend might have caused the landlord seemed satisfied and ended the call.

A moment later, we all hear a knock and then Ric loudly says, "Hello, anyone home?"

I stand and walk to the door of the room before shouting, "Upstairs Ric." A minute later, we hear his footsteps on the stairs, and then I'm shaking hands with him as he looks at the three teens sitting on the bed over my shoulder.

"Tyler glad to see you're okay after everything that happened with Klaus. Bonnie, Jer, glad to see you're finally awake. You guys okay?"

She gives me a questioning look before she smiles and nods so I tell them, "I went to the Gilbert house last night while Caroline and Elena stayed here to keep an eye on both of you and told Ric everything so while he doesn't have any of my memories like you two he's been told the basics like Ty. Feel free to talk amongst yourselves whenever so long as Caroline, Elena, Stefan, Katherine, and Elijah can't hear you. I think for now the two you need to focus on are Caroline and Elena."

They all nod, but then Bonnie frowns and says, "I hate keeping secrets."

I frown back and tell her, "I know, Bonnie, but look at it this way; we don't know what damage we could do by telling them any of this. It's too risky, and I firmly believe they'll forgive all of us for keeping this secret once their spells have been broken."

She plays with the blanket in her hands as she looks down and slowly nods again, "I know. I just really hate keeping secrets, especially from Caroline and Elena. I couldn't even keep being a Witch from the two of them despite Grams' warnings."

I walk to her and then squat beside the bed so I'm eye level with her and gently tilt her face up with my finger so I can look in her eyes, "I know, Childe. Your loyalty and moral compass are, amazingly enough, two of the things I admire most about you. You're a good friend Bonnie. Try to look at it more as you're protecting them and less as you're keeping secrets from them because let's face it the only reason any of us would keep a secret is to protect someone we care about and this time is no different."

She chuckles when I call her 'Childe' and then smiles at my words, so I smile back and tell her, "Honestly I think now that one of us broke the spell it's probably more likely that others will follow suit quicker. Not to mention I think Elena and Caroline are the most likely of the other five to give up their lives for their loved ones so hopefully it won't be too long now."

She nods as much as my hand on her chin will allow and tells me, "I hope so, Gramps."

I laugh back and then let go of her face and pat her hand before giving it a gentle squeeze as I stand back up and say, "I can hear Caroline and Elena driving towards us. They'll be here in five or so minutes so we need to stop this discussion for now."

Ric's eyes pop open just as wide as everyone else's do at that news, but he's the one who gathers his wits first to ask, "Wait they're five minutes away by car and you can already hear them?"

I chuckle and tell them all, "I've been listening to them the whole time they've been gone. They've mostly been switching back and forth between gushing about how happy they are I didn't die for good and worrying that I might be dead when they return. They've mentioned not wanting to wake up if my being alive again is a dream a dozen or so times."

I pause then frown slightly as I tell them, "I've been trying to zone them out, so I'm not eavesdropping on their private thoughts about me. However, I seem to zero in on Elena's voice automatically if I don't actively work at ignoring it and since my range has dramatically improved over night I'm finding it harder to focus on zoning everyone out. Though I have to admit their obvious worry has left me feeling loved."

All four of them stare at me with wide eyes and slack jaws before Ric asks me, "How?"

I shrug and look at each of them as I say, "If I were standing in the geographic center of Mystic Falls I'd be able to hear just about everyone in Mystic Falls and probably eighteen to twenty-two miles outside of it too. Since we're on the far side of town, I can hear all of Mystic Falls and about twelve miles in the opposite direction and about twenty-four to twenty-eight miles in this direction going out towards the Walmart.

"I mean I already knew how to focus on specific voices and zone everyone else out, but my range improving so drastically and so quickly is making it harder to get it completely back under control. Fortunately, it only took an hour or two for me to really remember how, but as I said it's taking more work than I recall since not only can I hear father away but everything seems infinitely louder too. I'm hoping it'll return to being second nature within a few days and then it won't take so much effort and concentration to zone everything out."

They're nodding so I smile and add, "I'm faster now too, and my sense of smell is drastically improved. Last night I could smell someone's shampoo and body wash well enough to identify the user as their car pulled up to the house while I stood in the doorway to this room."

Their eyes widen even further at that news so I continue, "I've found I can also see things from much farther away not to mention see more detail closer up, and my night vision is vastly improved, none of which I thought was really possible but it apparently is."

At their shocked faces I keep going, "I mean think about it, by way of modern time keeping I'm a little over 9,545 years shy of 500,000-years-old give or take a century. Think about how strong and fast Elijah is and he's only just over 1,000 right now. If you multiply his power and abilities by 500,000 you might get some idea of where I'm at right now. Plus, it's as though all of my powers and abilities not only returned to where they were when Tianna placed the spell making me a Human but they've also improved drastically since I'm now 1,234 years older than I was, which in terms of age and power acquisition is a long ass time."

All four of them look at each other in awe and say, "Wow," at the same time with wide eyes.

Bonnie seems to get over her awe first as she refocuses on my face and brings the conversation back to the cave her ancestors used to hide their books, "The cave where the Grimoires are, how easy is it to get to it?"

I stop and think for a moment, "Well it's by the falls, and it shouldn't be too hard to get to. I was always able to enter the cave but my Vampire family, with the exception of Briseis, wasn't able to get past a certain point. If I recall correctly Emily strengthened the Vampire free zone and I know she talked about possibly moving it closer to the entrance and farther away from the actual cavern, but if she actually did move the barrier, it didn't happen until after I transitioned. Anyhow, we'll need to bring Ric, Elena, Little Gilbert, and Tyler to help you carry anything you might want to take home with you. I mean Caroline and I can carry shit once you hand it over but well I'm sure you get the idea."

She nods so I continue, "First you've both been asleep for 27 hours so you need to eat, and Caroline and 'Lena are pulling into the drive now with groceries, so I'll cook and then tomorrow morning we can go since it's already after midnight and only Care, Ty, and I can see so well in the dark."

They all nod, and I nod back then say, "I'm going to go help bring everything in from the car, come down when you're ready."