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Chapter 008

Never So Grateful

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Monday, May 31, 2010; around 10:30 a.m.

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Tyler drives Caroline, Bonnie, and Jer in his SUV and Elena and I go with Ric in his SUV since I'm not sure how well my Camaro's paint job would handle the probably little used access road that leads to the mouth of the cave system. That's if it's even still there. We might have to hike a ways to get anywhere near it since most Humans, and really besides a Witch anyone who hasn't seen the caves before, would be deflected to avoid them by copious amounts of spells set on the place.

I was right. We have to hike, and when we arrive, I'm pleased to find the spells are still holding as evidenced by Bonnie's whispered, "Holy shit, how long ago were those spells cast."

I shrug and tell her, "There were a lot of them, actually probably most of them, already in place when Tianna cast her own back about 1,250 years ago, though for all I know her descendants have kept them strong. I know Emily came out here pretty often, well when Katherine would let her slip away anyhow. That's actually how Damon knew about this place. Emily brought me here a few times before I transitioned."

Bonnie nods and places her hand on the rock beside the entrance and says, "There's layer upon layer of spells protecting this cave. I think you're right, it does feel like her spells weren't the first. I think generations of her ancestors came here and placed spells on it too. I'd say the descendants backed her spells up fairly regularly too but hers and the older ones are still probably just as strong as the first time they were placed. Give me a minute then we can go in."

She whispers some words and I physically feel the spells relax, for lack of a better word. They're still there and will definitely keep others away but the others in our group all gasp when the opening of the cave materializes before their eyes as if by Magick.

Caroline pats Bonnie's shoulder and says, "That's pretty cool Bon."

Everybody including me nods in agreement. Bonnie goes to enter, but I put my arm out in front of her, "Please don't take this the wrong way, but I'll feel better if I go first in case any of the descendants after Tianna placed booby traps on the place. I don't remember any from when Emily brought me here but better safe than sorry, and I'm more likely to survive if I set one off than any of you."

Bonnie nods and says, "You're probably right but be careful okay?"

I smile, "Why Sabrina, I'd almost think you care."

I meant it as a joke, as I know damn well she cares, but she frowns and places her hand on my arm as she looks me square in the eyes and says, "That's because I do, Drago."

I inhale sharply at the use of my given name and just nod before telling her, "Then I'll be careful."

She nods back and I lead our merry band into the cave but not before Jeremy hands me a little battery powered lantern that he obviously hopes will light up the whole cavern when we get to it. I'm not sure it'll be strong enough, so I narrow my eyes and raise my eyebrow at him, and he smiles and tells me, "I know you, Care, and maybe Ty don't need it to see but us Humans, yeah we kind of need the light."

I laugh and take the lamp and slowly we make our way through the curving, winding tunnel, deeper and deeper into the ground. Finally, I stop where I know the spell keeping Vampires out was strengthened by Emily and tell the Humans, "This is as far as Care and I can go. I doubt there are any booby traps beyond this point since there weren't any leading down here, and does that seem odd to anyone else?"

Bonnie laughs, "Oh there are plenty of Magickal booby traps but the Magick judged us and found us worthy so it let us pass freely. In fact, I'm pretty sure you can go beyond this point though I'm not sure about Care since one of my ancestors would have needed her down here to make an exemption." She waves her hand in front of where I'm standing and then says, "Here Care try to wave your hand here."

Caroline tries but an invisible wall blocks the downward trajectory of her hand. Then Bonnie says, "Drago you try."

I frown but wave my hand and sure enough, it goes up and down unhindered. I stick my foot out and try to take a step and succeed, so I take a few more and Caroline pouts, "No fair."

Bonnie smiles and says, "Bite your finger and draw blood."

Caroline looks at her for a minute and then does as she's told. Bonnie whispers some words and then has Care wipe her blood all along the barrier top, bottom, and both sides. Then Bonnie whispers a few more words in a rare Demon language I haven't heard in over two millennia, and then she smiles as we all feel the air shift. "You should be good now, Care."

I send up a prayer softly in Tianna's native tongue, "Please Goddess, make sure her trust in us is not unfounded."

As Bonnie turns to me and sees my slightly worried look she says, "Don't look at me like that, Brother. Only you and Caroline can get past the barrier, and that's as it should be for now. But don't worry. If there are any other Vampires in the future that we need to give access to I can do the same thing I just did and grant them access too. I can revoke the access at any time, and if they go evil without my knowledge, the Magick will have already judged them and stopped them long before they make it to this point. Trust me."

I smile, "I do trust you, Bonnie. I'm just worried about what the other members of my family will be like when they arrive."

Obviously discerning my meaning, she smiles and pats my arm as she says in Tianna's native tongue, "I think they'll all be found worthy once the spell has been broken on each of them. But for now Caroline is already trust worthy, but the spell down here is worded such that if she reverts to being, not evil, but the way she was before, untrustworthy if you will, then it'll stop her just like it did before I let her past."

I smile and nod before telling her in English, "Good, and for the record I hadn't realized how much I missed that language. How on earth do you know it?"

Bonnie smiles and wearing a coy smile says, "Magick."

I laugh as just then Elena asks, "What language is that?"

I smile and tell her, "It's a later version of Proto-Norse and dates back to the eighth century CE just before it became Old Norse."

I pause then tell her, "Well I say just before, but really it was a century or two later before Old Norse fully developed."

Elena smiles and says, "Wow that's pretty cool. I think I might need to pick your brain about all the history you've seen since you've already told me a bunch about the 1860s, but now that I know you're older than Humans, well I kind of want to know everything you know."

I chuckle, as that is very typical of Elena and Briseis both, "Eventually, 'Lena, you'll know everything you want to know and so much more."

She smiles and takes my hand as we follow the others down into the cavern. We almost bump into everyone as they stand there in awe of the sight. The space is the length of more than a football field and is four stories high with shelves from floor to ceiling and every bit of shelf space is taken up by a book or artifact, which all become visible when Bonnie whispers a few words and the torches stationed around the room ignite.

Bonnie turns to look at me clearly surprised, "Um, how did Tianna make so many books?"

I chuckle as I lay eyes on the many hundreds of thousands of books and several thousand artifacts and statues for the first time in almost 150 years, "She didn't, she made maybe 14 full books before I was spelled. The rest are from my ancestors and most of my descendants, but especially those in Tianna's line. Some of these date back more than a million years. All the journals of mine and the others' ancestors that I told you guys about reading after we became Vampires are down here. They should be over there," and I point in the direction of the shelves I placed them on so many years ago then I continue the thought, "and I know Emily has a bunch of books down here."

I sort of half smile and half frown as I tell her, "Every Bennett Witch I've known and those who came before the Bennett name was attached to your line made two sets of books each identical to the other. One set was kept here and the other was kept in their homes. I always figured your grams knew about this room and would have told you, which is why I never mentioned it before yesterday when it dawned on me that you didn't have any knowledge of this place."

Jeremy turns to look at me and asks the obvious question, "Why two sets?"

I frown while my chest tightens painfully as I remember Tianna's response to my asking the same question, "When I asked Tianna she said accusations, hatred, fear, and Trials would come and most of the books outside this room would be burned beneath the pyres our descendants would perish on. I promised to keep as many of them alive as I could."

I sigh as I remember the look on her face when I made that promise and tell them, "I think she had already decided it was time to place the spell on us though, so she knew I wouldn't be able to keep my vow no matter how much I wanted and intended to. I did manage to save a few through the years though unfortunately Emily ultimately wasn't one of them. She died a few months after I completed the transition at the hands of the Founding Families. I always regretted that I couldn't save her too."

Bonnie smiles and takes my free hand, "You saved her children though right?"

I nod and tell her, "And her sister, Amelia, who was the woman your great grandmother was named after, and her three small ones. Their descendants are in Baton Rouge now a days."

She squeezes my hand slightly as she smiles wider and asks, "Do you mean Lucy and her family?"

I smile back and shrug, "Yes, I didn't realize who she was until I followed you both outside and heard her tell you she's your cousin. I was honestly a little surprised I didn't notice the resemblance to Amelia, because she looks just like her."

Bonnie's eyes are big as she says, "Wow." She pauses then asks, "Okay so two sets of books, one that Tianna knew would be used as kindling to burn your descendants and the other stored here for… safe keeping?"

I smile, "Stored here for and I quote, 'the Bennett Witch who will restore our families' mutual love, cooperation, and loyalty to each other and ultimately and permanently unite the families back into one.' Before you ask she actually used the name 'Bennett' when she told me that, of course after the spell was placed I forgot everything so I'm not really sure how it is that I knew to protect Emily, Amelia and their descendants."

Bonnie's eyes wander the room as she thinks for a moment and then she says, "She didn't take away your subconscious memory only what you consciously remembered so you would have instinctively known that you should protect them. And I think she did it that way because she knew if she didn't her part of your family would perish and you would never forgive yourself once the spell was lifted. And I agree with her assessment, you would have blamed yourself for having needed to be taught a lesson and it would have eaten you alive for the rest of eternity."

She pauses and closes her eyes briefly before she continues, "I can feel the love in the spell that lets you pass through the barrier, she loved you like a brother and knew you returned the feelings. She knew as I do that you wouldn't have been whole if you hadn't been able to save at least some of us. Oh and by the way, as a descendant of Emily and therefore Tianna, for all of us, thank you, I wouldn't be here without you."

I turn my back and discreetly wipe my eyes to hide the tears that I can't keep from escaping. I miss my friends and the honest gratitude in Bonnie's voice as she thanks me lets me know that whatever issues we've had in the past all has been forgiven and she truly appreciates the effort I put in to keep her line alive. I also realize that now I have a new sister, who while she definitely won't replace Tianna, Emily, or any of the others before them will definitely have her own place in my heart and my life, hell she already does if I'm completely honest with myself.

I obviously don't fool her as she retakes my hand squeezing it softly before moving away to check out the shelves of books.

Maybe five minutes later Jeremy breaks the easy silence that follows when he says, "Hey, Damon, this has your name on it."

He hands me an envelope with my name written on it in handwriting I recognize as belonging to Emily. I take the letter and go sit in one of the many chairs stationed at one of several tables. I take a deep breath and center myself before I carefully open the letter that is probably about 150 years old since Emily was killed a few months after Damon became a Vampire.

I slide my finger under the flap of the envelope lifting the wax seal and somehow managing to keep it in tact. I take out the page, which turns out to be from my Father, Giuseppe's, personal stationary set.

"Dearest Damon,

If you're reading this that means you finally broke the spell my ancestor placed on you. Welcome back, Brother.

I'm writing this because I want to apologize, and I know that while you only have Damon's memories you won't understand or even be willing to listen.

I know when you finished the transition and I finally mentioned the tomb beneath the church that you were very angry with me for not telling you sooner. Since I know the barrier will keep you out of this space until you have Drago's memories and have returned to yourself I will tell you that I know Katherine is not beneath the church.

I did not want you to choose immortality based on a lie. She made a deal with George Lockwood and he helped her sneak out of the church before it was burned. I know how you feel about her as Damon and I wished I could tell you the whole truth, but I know there is a very powerful Vampire hunting Katherine, which is why she wishes everyone to believe she is dead.

Until you are Drago once more, you will be no match for this Vampire, so to protect you I have decided to keep the fact that Katherine is not trapped in the tomb to myself.

You are the brother I always wished for and I know that you will stop at nothing to free her so I know eventually you will know the truth. I only hope that you will one day understand that I kept this from you to protect you.

Our descendants, Shelia and Bonnie, will eventually open the tomb for you and you will discover that Katherine is not trapped inside. The spells our descendants will cast that night will cost Shelia her life and your relationship with Bonnie will be strained for some time. However, I am hopeful that if you are reading this now that she has done the memory spell I made my children all promise to copy into each of their Grimoires. They also promised to have their children and their children all write it in their books so that one day Bonnie will have that knowledge and be able to discover the truth of her family and her connection to you.

She is the one foretold to you by Tianna. She will reunite the families and help you restore those you love into the loving and caring individuals they were before Fontina cast the spell making you all immortal.

She will also serve as the glue that will hold your family, which will dramatically increase in size, together, and when the time comes you all will be stronger and happier than ever.

I want you to know I love you like a brother and wish only for your happiness and continued wellbeing. Have hope Brother it is all coming together as it is intended to, and soon you will have all of your prayers answered.

I miss you and hope you find the peace you so rightfully deserve sooner rather than later.

Blessed be.

With love,

Emily."

I wipe more tears away when I finish reading. I figured Emily kept the truth about Katherine from me to protect me but I appreciate that she left this letter for me to explain in her own words. I softly say, "Thank you, Sister, for everything you ever did for me. I hope you are also at peace."

I sit quietly just feeling the love that is so obvious in her every word before Bonnie walks up to me and asks, "If it's none of my business tell me so, but who's the letter from?"

I smile and tell her, "Emily wrote it to explain why she didn't tell me Katherine wasn't trapped. You might be interested in her words though."

I hand the letter to her and watch her face as she reads. I grab her free hand and hold it when a tear slips down her cheek, "She knew Grams would die helping you and Stefan escape the tomb."

I just nod. When she finishes reading she hands the letter back to me and says, "Thank you for letting me read that. I hope I manage to live up to her great expectations of me."

I smile and tell her, "Oh I have no doubt that you will do everything she wrote and so much more for our family."

She smiles and leans down to kiss my cheek, "As you said yesterday, 'From your mouth to the Goddess' ear'."

I smile at her and nod as she returns to exploring the cave. I just sit and watch the newest members of my family and some older members who don't remember yet as they explore the cave I first brought Hali to when she was but a child. She always loved this cave and I wasn't shocked when she set up the spells to protect it and began keeping her Magickal items and Grimoires in here. I also wasn't shocked when her descendants followed in her footsteps and continued using and protecting the cave.

I'm brought out of my thoughts by Jeremy asking, "Hey Bonnie, how are these all in such good shape, I mean it's pretty damp out in the tunnel, but in here it's like a climate controlled storage space. Damon said some of these things are over a million years old yet there isn't a hint of mold, decay, or aging on any of these books or the statues and other things."

Bonnie smiles and winks at him as she says, "Magick."

Jeremy chuckles and tells her, "That's pretty cool. So what are you going to do with all these books? You obviously don't have room for all of them at your dad's house, since this room is way more than ten times as big and twice as high as his house. Plus, you had to take over the spare room in his house and add wall to wall bookcases to hold all the ones Luka's dad collected and you still have piles of them on the floors of your room and the spare room that didn't fit on the shelves."

Bonnie nods and turns to me, "Caroline says back at the boarding house there's a whole other floor of empty rooms both in and beneath the basement everyone knows about. Do you think all of this would fit? And if so, would you be willing to let me move all of these there? It will save us a trip anytime we need info out of them especially since we might need multiple books all in the same day and not know it until we've read the first set."

My jaw is practically hanging open, and my eyes could pop out of their sockets they're open so wide. I try to talk and sputter and stutter for a minute and then finally collect myself enough to say, "You-you would trust them in my house where I could access them anytime?"

Bonnie smiles sadly but confidently tells me, "Yes Brother, I would, of course I would have to set up the same barrier at the entrance to the sub-basement to keep others out for the time being but you and Care would have free reign down there provided you don't turn all evil on us."

She winks so I know she's kidding about me turning evil, then she continues, "Honestly, there isn't anyone else I'd trust more to keep them safe. Before you say it, I can place a spell on the whole house to prevent it from burning or flooding, and this book here has the spell used in here to keep the books and artifacts from decaying or aging so I can place that at the boarding house too."

She pauses then seems to remember something and says, "Oh and Tianna told me in a dream last night which book to look for to make a barrier that will keep out all Supernaturals that should be kept out and we, that is our little family, will be the ones to decide who can enter. You and Care will be exempt just as you are here, and we can add exceptions as necessary and if I understood her correctly we'll be able to temporarily invite folks in, and if they are judged worthy they can enter, but they'll be judged each time, so if their loyalties shift they won't be able to get in."

I smile, "Thank you for your trust Bonnie, be sure and look for that book first because I'm really worried about Klaus and even Stefan if he's gone Ripper again entering and harming those I care about, which for the record most of them are in here right now and, all due respect, kind of fragile at the moment."

They all smile at me, so I know they understand my worries. I take a breath and then I continue, "But to answer your questions, there are four wings in the house that sort of form the arms of an 'X' off the center of the house, however, the basement and sub-basement are rectangles and cover from the farthest corners of the yard to include the whole yard. Honestly, they're both gigantic and the yard, gardens, driveway, and even some of the forest behind the house cover the underground rooms in addition to what's beneath the actual house. Everything here should fit in the sub-basement with a bit of room to spare, and you are more than welcome to use the space anyway you see fit."

Bonnie nods and smiles before she marches up to a wall and grabs a book off the top shelf, and then she walks up a staircase and down the corridor to another shelf and grabs another book. When she has both books in hand, she turns to Jeremy and says, "I need the bag."

Jer takes off his backpack as Bonnie returns to the bottom floor and then moves some things around on the floor before revealing the pentagram I helped Hali carve into the stone floor when she was still in her 60's. As Jer hands things to Bonnie and sets up I ask, "So obviously you're going to do a spell but what will it do?"

She smiles and says, "The first spell will move everything including this pentagram and the tables and chairs to your subbasement and then when we get back home I'll do the spells to protect against fire, water, mold, decay, and Supernaturals."

She smiles and says, "I also have a spell that will make anyone we choose able to fluently read, speak, and understand all the different languages in the books to make research much easier. That's actually how I was able to speak Proto-Norse earlier. You whispered a prayer in it so I suddenly knew it as though I had been speaking it my whole life. I found the spell in one of the Grimoires Dr. Martin collected so now I'm fluent in every language I encounter in some form be it written or spoken.

Anyhow, just to warn all of you, I'll need blood from each of you for the anti-Supernatural spell so that you'll all be able to invite people in provided the Magick agrees they're safe. Although only Damon and I will be able to invite people in on a more permanent basis since I'm the Witch and he's the oldest of the descendants of the one who built the house."

I smile and tell her, "Uh Bonnie, I am the one who built the house."

She pauses moving things into place and looks up at me with wide eyes before she smiles and says, "Oh um, okay that's even better."

Elena chooses that moment to ask, "Damon do you want to me sign the house back to you since my being the owner doesn't serve the original purpose anymore anyway?"

I pause, on the one hand I kind of like the fact that it's really her house, but if Bonnie thinks it's better defensively, "Bonnie, defensively would it make a difference?"

As she kneels on the floor, she pauses, opens the book she placed on the book-stand resting on the floor earlier, flips to a page, and then reads for a minute before she looks up and says, "Whoa, this spell is actually better than the one I thought Tianna meant. This spell will actually keep out all those who mean any in our family harm and the spell will be sealed by blood, specifically your blood, Drago. It has to be freely given and it won't be breakable unless you again freely give your blood to break the spell and even then you'd need me or one of my descendants specifically to do the breaking. Though there will be a loophole that only you will know in the event that I permanently die and my direct line ceases to continue."

I nod to show I understand her use of the words 'permanently dead', and it gives me hope that she's at least considering the possibility of transitioning and becoming a permanent part of my family. I offered to Tianna too, but she said it would be generations before one of her line would again accept my offer to join my immortal family.

I say a quick prayer, "Please let Emily's letter mean what I think it means, and it'll be Bonnie who says yes and not one of her descendants."

A warmth spreads through my body when I whisper the last word of my prayer, so I know it was heard then I turn back to Elena who has patiently been waiting for my response and tell her, "Since it doesn't matter safety wise I kind of like the fact that it belongs to you. It seems right that it be yours now since you're part of Stefan's and my family. We wouldn't have given it to you in the first place if we didn't feel that way since we could have just as easily bought a new house closer to town and put that in your name. No, Stefan and I both agreed it should be yours, so unless you want to change that it will remain yours."

She wipes a tear from her eye and then walks over to me giving me a hug and whispering, "Thank you," in my ear.

I hold on for a minute longer taking the time to breathe in her scent that even millennia later still smells like blooming jasmine and the faintest hints of peeled oranges and fresh mint, and then I step back and smile at her telling her, "You're welcome."

Bonnie is still kneeling on the ground and now looking at us as if she's waiting for our moment to be done so I walk over to her and ask, "What do you need from me for this spell, anything?"

She nods, "Your blood since it was you who built the house." She pauses then asks, "Out of curiosity did you literally build the house or just pay people to build it for you."

I smirk, "Does it matter?"

She nods but says, "Only because I'm curious."

I laugh and tell her, "Yes I, and a bunch of towns people, personally built the house. I was hiding out from Stefan for a few years and he was far enough away that I felt comfortable returning home for a bit. Our original house was burned to the ground during the search for Stefan. Eventually I allowed my half-brother's son and his family to live in the boarding house and he and his descendants did so until Zach died a few months ago."

Elena turns away from the statue she was looking at and asks, "Wait, what search? When was Stefan missing?"

I sigh unnecessarily and after looking at each member of my family to try to ascertain how they'll take this story I decide they'll handle it fairly well for the most part and tell her, "Um you do know how we became Vampires? He did at least tell you that, right?"

She nods though most everyone else shakes their heads no, so she says, "Yes you both shared blood with Katherine and when she and the tomb Vampires were taken you both tried to rescue her and were…"

She seems hesitant to complete the thought so I finish for her, "Shot, we were both shot and killed, as it turns out it was our father who did the shooting. After we woke in transition both of us decided not to finish the transition."

I shift my weight from foot to foot and tell them, "Stefan went to talk to our father, maybe to say goodbye. I've never been entirely sure what he hoped to accomplish by going to see him. Then again, after my mother died, my father and I were never close, and he actually seemed to hate me more and more as I grew older, and when it came to me he had a tendency to talk with his fists more than his mouth, so I personally had no desire to see him ever again. Stefan did though so he went to see him."

I look at Elena and say, "Anyway, as I understand it, Father attacked Stefan, and Stefan defended himself by pushing Father away. Unfortunately, when he fell his stake landed in his gut. Stefan ran to him to help and then noticed the blood."

Her eyes are wide and have unshed tears in them but I continue undaunted, "I honestly believe he tried to resist, but he'd been denying the hunger all day since as I said he had planned to die rather than complete the transition. Anyway, long story short his hunger got the best of him and he fed from and killed our father."

I sigh and shift my weight again, "I didn't know any of this was happening until later when Stefan came back to the quarry where we had been hiding with Emily's help. He told me how amazing he felt and how wonderful it was."

I close my eyes as the memories of that night play out behind my closed eyelids, "Honestly, I didn't care since the only woman I thought I had loved was as far as I knew burned alive. I had actually woken soon enough to watch the church burn to the ground, and Emily didn't tell me about the tomb until after I had finished the transition saying she didn't want to influence my decision."

I sigh and then admit, "At the time, I hated her for that, but over time, I grew to understand that she had been right to do so. Though, I can admit that that realization and understanding only fully set in recently. I figured and now I know for sure from her letter, that her real motive was that she already knew Katherine wasn't inside and that I had been played, and therefore she didn't want me to choose immortality based on a lie. She was another Sister looking out for me the best she could.

"Anyways back to Stefan. He left witnesses, servants who told the Founder's Council that it had been Stefan who killed our father. To make a long story short he was seen returning to the house often enough over the next few days that they burnt it to the ground with the hope that he was inside."

I stuff my hands in my pockets as I say, "Fortunately for me, I had already removed most of my mother's things shortly after her death and had hidden them away in a secret location as our father hated reminders of Mother. There wasn't really much that I wanted that burned, plus by the time they burnt it to the ground I had already gone back and collected my personal belongings that I wanted to take with me."

I open my eyes trying to let go of the memories and shrug, "The house burnt to the ground and obviously Stefan wasn't inside. He didn't feel the same apathy I did about the house though, so he went on a rampage and killed most of the Founding Families, well the adults anyhow. Mostly he left the children be."

I sigh deeply then tell them, "I probably shouldn't be the one to tell you and Jeremy this but I'd rather you hear it from one of us than find out some other way, so I'm just going to say it. Stefan killed Jonathan Gilbert. He was wearing the ring Jer now wears so it didn't stick, but Stefan didn't know about the ring and believed for decades that he had killed all of the members of the Council."

Elena is nodding and I realize that she at least knew that part of the story, still I continue, "Jonathan made sure the children never forgot what and, more importantly, who had killed their parents and he rebuilt the council. By the time Stefan found out, Jonathan had been truly dead for a little more than a decade. Nevertheless, the children remembered because they recognized Stefan when he came back to figuratively piss on Jonathan's grave and they ran him out of town."

I sigh and tell them all, "For whatever reason, they apparently didn't pass that knowledge down through the generations since Stefan returned a generation later and no one recognized him despite him using his real name. And no one, Jonathan Gilbert included, seemed to know I had turned, so they never seemed to recognize me and honestly, until recently, well the 1990's really, I'd never killed anyone inside Mystic Falls."

I pause then add, "Well that is, except for the girl Stefan forced on me to complete the transition. I tried to stop in time but I had been fighting the hunger all day and half the night so it got the best of me. I tried to use her death as a lesson and from then on tried to keep myself satiated as much as possible so I'd be able to stop before I killed my meals if I wanted to. I'm actually not sure why Stefan has such a hard time with it since I actually, all things considered, took to this life fairly easily."

Frowning I tell them, "Don't get me wrong, as Damon I was a bad man at times, okay actually most of the time. I killed way more than my fair share of innocent people while my switch was off. However, I didn't enjoy the kill anywhere near as much as Stefan apparently does when he's on Human blood, and unlike Stefan I wasn't sadistic and therefore never tortured my victims."

I smile and look at Elena as I tell them, "Now it doesn't matter since Elena effectively broke my switch in the on position anyway, and now that the spell has been lifted, well as I told some of you last night, once you reach somewhere between 200 and 300 years old the switch has this nasty habit of breaking.

"Elena just sped the process up for me and fortunately, it was on when it broke. I know it usually turns itself back on before it breaks for good, but I've also known a few handfuls of Vampires through the years, including the seven younger Pervonachalnyue, whose switches broke while off and they never regained their Humanity. So thank you for turning it back on and helping to break it."

I pause then I say, "I hadn't realized how much I missed the good emotions while the switch was off. Though don't get me wrong the bad emotions suck, and since I'm a Vampire, I feel everything stronger. However, now that I have family again I'm finding that the love I feel for all of you far outweighs the shitty feelings associated with the so-called bad feelings."

Frowning again I say, "Though guilt is definitely still a bitch, which by the way I know I already apologized Jer but I'm really sorry about killing you."

Jeremy looks up from the herbs he and Bonnie are mixing and nods but hesitantly asks, "Can I ask what made you do it?"

I really don't want to bare my soul like this even to my family but I know he and the rest of them deserve to know the truth so I suck it up and tell him. "Earlier that night Katherine had been by to see me and tried to get me into bed. Before I agreed to sleep with her I asked her if she loved me promising to forget the last 150 years and her deceit if she answered right, but she just laughed and told me that she loved Stefan and it was and always would be Stefan."

Elena gasps and bursts into tears. I speed over to her and take her into my arms, "It's okay you had no way of knowing, and I don't blame you. I really set myself up for what you said and I think a tiny part of me knew it, but I couldn't stop. It was like a train wreck."

She holds on tight and nods against my chest as I hold her while she cries. I look up and see nothing but curious faces so I finish the story. "I told Elena I had feelings for her and that we had something. I went on to tell her that she was lying to me, Stefan, and most importantly to herself if she denied it. She took my face in her hands and looked me right in the eye and told me that she cares for me but that she loves Stefan and it will always be Stefan."

I pause as remembered pain blooms in my chest then tell them, "Since the woman I had pined away for during the last 150 years had not an hour before said the same words the new woman I loved just said I snapped."

I pause and make a snap decision to be brutally honest so I say, "I wanted in that moment to hurt Elena as much as I was hurting and I think I did."

I look Jer in the eyes and nod ever so slightly as I tell him, "The minute I did it I realized my mistake and understood exactly the kind of monster I had become in that moment. I knew I was far worse than Katherine ever was, and I have never been as grateful as I was when Stefan came home and told me you had been wearing Jonathan Gilbert's ring."

Frowning again I continue, "I actually broke down and cried right in front of Stefan, which as I'm sure you realize is not something I would ever willingly do. I'd never open myself up like that in front of him, but I was so relieved that I hadn't permanently killed you. I knew your death would have destroyed Elena, and I can admit I had already grown fond of you from our little bonding moments every now and then."

I pause and take a moment to breathe then tell him, "So basically, I didn't want to kill you, but I snapped and tried unsuccessfully to turn the switch back off. I just didn't want to care anymore, obviously that didn't work out so well and the pain actually got worse. Anyway, you just happened to be the person in the wrong place at exactly the wrong time. I really can't tell you how sorry I am to both of you for the pain I caused you with my reckless actions."

Jer smiles reassuringly and nods as he says, "I forgave you almost as soon as you did it, though I do appreciate you being up front just now and as you said laying yourself open like that in front of us. Did you at least learn from it?"

I chuckle a humorless laugh, "Oh yeah, I learned to calm the fuck down before I go making declarations I know aren't going to be returned. And I can honestly say now that the spell has been lifted I feel like an even mix of the good parts of Drago and Damon with minimal amounts of the bad parts of both, so I don't think I'll ever be as impulsively reckless again as I was that night. Now I also know the switch is permanently on and honestly, I wouldn't want it to be off ever again anyway."

I smile, "Anyhow, as Drago, I was fairly level headed and thought everything through looking at all the angles before taking action. I feel like that part remains intact now and only my severe dislike for all things fun has really changed."

At their doubtful looks, I laugh and tell them, "No seriously I learned as Damon to find fun in the little moments and enjoy them while they're here. While I can admit, I had fun as Drago, over the years I kind of lost the ability to truly appreciate the good things mostly because I think my family, at the time, was so busy terrorizing others and trying to drown their own guilt in blood. I was constantly trying to clean up their messes and stopped finding joy in the little moments."

I shrug a little and tell them, "Now I feel like even if shit comes, and it has already with this Stefan and Klaus bullshit, I feel like I can still find the good mixed in with the bad. For the record most of that good stuff is directly linked to all of you, so thank you for that."

I look Jer straight in the eyes and tell him, "I feel like I needed to kill you to realize just how fucked up I had become, but I think Tianna, Emily, and the rest of our line, since it was Emily who made your ring, ultimately saved me from making the worst mistake I could have ever made. Or that's not right, I made the mistake, but they allowed me to learn from it without irrevocably destroying the family I was unknowingly building for myself."

Suddenly a wind blows through the room and the voice of Tianna echoes through the space, "You're welcome. Be at peace, Brother."

Then Hali's voice says, "Be at peace Father," followed by thousands of voices echoing their words on the wind only instead of calling me 'Brother' or 'Father' some of them call me 'Honored Ancestor'. Emily's voice is the last voice to echo the words and she like Tianna calls me 'Brother'.

I drop to my knees and hang my head as I quietly say, "Thank you."

It's Elena who also dropped to her knees with me and has her arms wrapped around me who asks, "Was it just me or did you all hear that?"

Bonnie and the rest of them nod as she tells Elena, "I think that was Tianna, if I'm not mistaken and the rest of my ancestors, his descendants."

I nod and tell them, "It was. The first voice was Tianna's, then my daughter Hali's followed by all of your ancestors that I've been blessed to know and love through the years and the last was Emily's. I miss Hali, Tianna, and Emily, well, all of them really, but I was especially close to Hali, Tianna, and Emily, and just hearing their voices, however fleetingly, brings me a sense of peace I haven't felt in a millennium, longer really."

Bonnie smiles despite her tears that began falling during my sad tale of woe and tells me, "You deserve it, Brother. You obviously learned the lessons you were meant to learn from the spell, so I think you're going to be okay from now on."

I smile and help Elena off the floor, but she continues to hold on to me, so I give in and hold on to her too as Bonnie resumes getting ready to apparently transport everything from this space to the cavernous space I built below the boarding house.

I never knew why I built a sub-basement. They were standard when I was a Demon but few that size have ever existed especially in these parts. The last one I personally knew of being built was built over 500 years ago and it was in Europe. Anyhow my subconscious must have known we'd need it when the spell was lifted. Either way I'm grateful once again.

Bonnie waves me over and hands Jeremy a goblet to hold onto and then grabs my hand and holds it over the goblet before slicing my palm with the dagger Lilith and Balthazaar's daughter used to feed me my first meal as a Vampire and that I made sure was passed down through the generations from oldest daughter to oldest daughter. I squeeze and release my hand over and over allowing the blood to flow more freely as I force the wound to stay open as long as possible through my control over my body, which is suddenly stronger than what it was a thousand years ago and not as weak as it was three days ago.

When Bonnie nods I allow the wound to heal, and then she lets go of my hand. I know to stay in the circle though, so I remain where she placed me. I watch and listen as she erects the circle and then after mixing some herbs into my blood she drinks it and recites words Emily once read to me telling me it would be an important spell someday in my future, and as usual, she was right.

The candles ignite and then burn hotter and the wind is back before all of the lights including the flashlights and the lantern go out. I hear several gasps and I can sense Elena's fear as her heart rate picks up speed and her breathing comes in short bursts so I tell her as confidently as I can, "I'm right here 'Lena, no one will hurt you while I'm near I swear it to you, to all of you, you are all safe with me." As I utter the last word so does Bonnie and suddenly the lights turn back on though the candles and torches remain out.

As the wind dies down I whisper, "So mote it be."

Which causes Bonnie to smile and say, "So mote it be," and then she adds, "Blessed Be."

I kiss her cheek and reply, "And you as well."

Then I hear everyone else gasp, so I look away from Bonnie to find that all of the shelves, tables, and artifacts as well as the books on the shelves are now all gone and the cave is once more just a cave. Bonnie smiles and tells me, "I'll keep the Magick up protecting this place so if we ever need it either to store things or hide in we'll have it."

I nod, "That's a good idea."

She smiles and nods as she starts cleaning up the items she and Jeremy brought with them, which along with the knife she used to cut me are the only items that didn't move as a result of the spell. Jeremy asks a moment later, "Do we need to head over to your house later with Ric or Ty's SUV and grab the other Grimoires and things your grams left you?"

Bonnie shakes her head and tells us all, "They're already at the boarding house as well as some other items all of our ancestors have hidden through the years. The spell didn't so much as move the items in this space to the boarding house as it moved all Magickal, historical, or sentimental items intended for me and our family into the subbasement. Well mostly the Magickal and historical items are in the basement including all of the Founders' journals, which the other founding families will figure have been somehow misplaced since they were all kept under lock and key. They'll probably never figure out how someone broke in and stole them without breaking the locks or there being any other evidence of a break in. Furthermore, since they all know Vampires require an invitation and only Care's mom knows about Damon none of them will think a Vampire had anything to do with the disappearances. I'm also pretty sure they won't mention the disappearances to the other families for years to come so they won't realize that all of the Founders' journals are now 'missing' or that their disappearances are related."

She smiles then says, "Anyhow, in addition to the journals I think Damon's going to find several things in his room, that he hid away through the years or that were believed lost, have been returned to him."

She shrugs then adds, "When Stefan gets back he will too, Emily did a similar spell to remove those items from the burning house that the two of you would later want or need but it's dependent on your spell being broken. And items that were wrongly sold or given away through the years have been returned to you as well, not just from your life as Damon but your lives as Drago, Draco and all the Human lives you lived before being born Damon Salvatore. As you now have all of those memories you will again have everything that is rightfully yours."

I smile but then my jaw drops as Elena asks, "Will the same happen when Stefan lifts his spell?"

I turn to look at her, and she places her hands on her hips as her eyebrow shoots up, but she smiles when she says, "Don't look so surprised Damon. It only makes sense if he was spelled too and maybe Katherine since you brought her up at breakfast yesterday and asked Tyler to try to avoid biting her. Her being one of the spelled ones is the only reason I can think of that you would want to prevent her death. So yeah, since last night when you were distracted you wondered how Stefan's lack of control teaches the lesson I figure Stefan and Katherine are two of your original family members."

I glance at Bonnie who nods, so I tell Elena, "There were six of us total, the ones I told you about last night, who were spelled. I can't tell you who some of them are only who they were, but yes Stefan is one of them as well as Katherine and Elijah. However, it is imperative that none of you tell any of them anything about the spells on them as it might impede each of their ability to break them."

Bonnie nods and speaks up and only lies a little, "He's right, we can't emphasize enough how disastrous it could be if they find out before their spell is broken. Since right now none of the ones we need to worry about are around it should be good but when they return mums the word. In fact, we should only probably talk about any of it with the people in this room until further notice and the Humans and Witch should be super aware of the hearing range of Supernaturals whenever we decide to talk about this stuff."

She pauses then smiles and says, "I think we'll be safe at the boarding house as I plan to put up a number of spells one of which will keep what we say in the house inside and make it only hearable by those whom we want to hear it, that is if that's okay with you Drago."

I smile and tell her, "That's more than okay Bonnie. I can't thank you enough for all the things you have done and plan to do for our family. We would not be nearly as safe as we are if it weren't for you."

Everyone else nods deeply and a tear slips out of Bonnie's eye, "No problem, that's what you do for the people you love, your family."

Elena steps towards her and hugs her as Jeremy and Caroline join her in hugging Bonnie. I'm not really comfortable with a group hug so I grab Bonnie's hand off Elena's back and hold it tight. I notice Ric has his hand on Jer's back and Ty has his resting on Caroline's back and I smile to myself.

My family's not yet completely whole but it's well on its way to getting there, now we just have to rescue Elijah and Stefan and hope that everyone who needs to figure out the true meanings of love, loyalty, and honor do it sooner rather than later.