"Wake up sleepyhead. We're going out today."
Dana tossed a pillow at Valerie, watching as her sister jolted up. She glanced around the room in a sleep-ridden manner. Her gaze stopped on Dana who was standing at the end of the bed, the look on her face quickly turning into a glare. Dana grinned wildly at the sight of the sleepy fifteen year old.
"Fine," Valerie muttered.
She tossed the covers back and marched to the bag she'd brought with her, ripping clothes from it before disappearing in the bathroom connected to the room she was staying in. While she got ready Dana surveyed the room that the girl had lived in for the past few days. It looked surprisingly lived in. There was a desk in one corner of the room with a notebook and papers sprawled over it. Clothes were strewn across the room, there was even an open book laying on the end table by the bed.
Valerie reappeared, dressing in a pair of jeans and a loose-fit sweater. Her hair was pulled back in a French braid, and she leveled Dana with a look that earned another grin. "What's there to do in this town anyway?"
"Oh, I'm sure we can find something," Dana teased.
The two sisters headed downstairs, Dana's ears catching the quiet chatter of Rebekah and Kol in the other room. However, Dana did not pause. She fully intended on today just being about her and Valerie.
She ushered Valerie outside towards the car of Kol's that she had asked to borrow. He had agreed to let her use the car today (begrudgingly so, she might add). Valerie appeared nearly amazed as she climbed into the vehicle, immediately fiddling with the radio as they pulled away from Mikaelson home.
"What would you like to do first?" Dana asked when Valerie finally settled on a radio station.
Val settled her green eyes on Dana, "Well considered I was rushed out without breakfast…that may be a good start." Dana grinned when she heard Val's stomach rumble. "You're awfully, smiley this morning."
"I'm just excited to spend the day with you."
Val snorted. "Sure, that's what it is."
The two sisters lapsed into silence until they reached a small diner. There they climbed out and walked into the establishment, Dana ordered food alongside Val. The two sat in a booth, one with a glass of orange juice, and one with a glass of water. Val stared at Dana as she stared out the window with a nostalgic look on her face.
"You know," Val started when Dana spoke, "I never would have thought we'd be here today."
"What do you mean?"
"The two of us, a vampire and a witch." Dana's eyes sparkled as she spoke.
Val's smile seemed to falter for a moment. Dana's quick eyes didn't miss it. She carefully watched as Val sipped her orange juice, then quietly added, "It's hard to believe."
"Is it?"
Valerie seemed to give it some thought. She swirled her straw around in her drink. "Not really, I suppose. I always knew there was something different about me. Not something I
can put into words, but it was there."
Dana nodded slowly. She couldn't say she quite understood, as she was not a witch. She remained silent as the waiter brought their food out. She stared down at the blueberry pancakes before her, then glanced at the neck of the waiter as he shamelessly flirted with Valerie. She ran her tongue over her bottom lip, then cleared her throat loudly.
The waiter took note of her annoyance and quickly left, leaving Val with a pink face and not much to say. They ate in silence for a few minutes, Dana drowning her pancakes in syrup while Val pushed her eggs around on her plate. Dana considered asking Val what she would do if something happened to their family. No, not if something happened, when something happened.
"How'd you stumble onto the Mikaelson's?" Val finally asked.
Dana blinked. That was a question she hadn't exactly been expecting from her sister. She smiled as she poured syrup onto the pancakes she'd ordered. "Are you sure you want to know?"
Val shrugged her shoulders, "I wouldn't have asked if I didn't."
"Well, I went to the ball they held. Kol found me upstairs, with um…" Dana cleared her throat, "Anyway he found me and decided that the two of us would be 'friends'. But I met the rest of his family not too long after that."
"Bonnie doesn't seem to like them very much…"
Dana's gaze shot up to look at Val who was staring across the table at her with a strange intensity, "I suppose she has her reasons."
"Yeah." Val's face softened and she turned back to the food in front of her, shoving a forkful of eggs and hash brown into her mouth. The two of them quickly finished up their breakfast before heading back out, Val insisting that they visit a small boutique they walked by.
The two sisters browsed the store, Val taking her time in trying different outfits on, then insisting that Dana do the same. Dana wasn't sure how long the two of them stayed in there, but it felt fantastic to have even that small amount of time doing something so normal. In the end Val ended up purchasing a nice blouse, a blue sweater, and a pair of jeans. She persuaded Dana into buying a few shirts and a new pair of boots (because apparently hers were starting to look a little worn out).
So when they left the boutique she wasn't expecting the call from Kol. In fact, when she saw his name pop up on her screen she considered hitting ignore and continuing about their day. She stared at the screen for just a second longer before hitting answer and putting it up to her ear.
"What do you want Kol?"
Valerie stopped walking. She tilted her head to give Dana a curious look. Dana shrugged her shoulders, completely unsure of what on earth Kol could want. Valerie looked away then, occupying herself by peering into the windows of another store.
"Well love, we may have a bit of a problem."
"A problem?" Dana shifted from one foot to another. Her stomach had suddenly twisted at Kol's words and she could only imagine what this so-called 'problem' could be. It had to either do with Klaus, Elena and her friends, or Dana's parents.
"Your parents got their grubby hands on a dagger and have Rebekah. Seems like they want a trade. Our sister, for yours."
Dana's expression hardened. Her eyes landed on Valerie who was suddenly appearing worried. "We'll be back soon." Then she hung up, motioning for Valerie to get into the car. She hated cutting their day so short with just breakfast and a little shopping, but she felt it necessary to figure something out to keep Val from her parents.
"What was that about?"
"Nothing." Dana's reply was short, certainly not enough to please Valerie.
"Dana you don't have to lie to me."
Dana bit down on her bottom lip hard enough to draw blood. She remembered a time when keeping things from Val had been a necessity. It was back when she was much too young to know what their family did, back when she was just a child who didn't need to know.
Now she was fifteen. When Dana had been fifteen she'd been killing supernaturals left and right. Valerie was old enough for Dana to quit lying to her or keeping things from her, especially if it involved her.
"James and Lauren have Rebekah. They want to do a trade. You for her."
Valerie sat back in her seat. "Well, that's fine then."
"No. It's not. You don't need to go back. They're not right anymore Val, and if they find out you're a witch that'll be it for you."
"No it won't," Valerie argued, "they'll use me like they did Jessica."
Jessica must have been the witch girl. Dana shot Valerie a sharp look, one that Valerie seemed to cringe away from. "I will not let them use you like they did her," Dana's voice sharpened as she added, "and you've seen how Daniel is. Do you really want to be around him if he finds out you're a witch?"
Valerie's facial features twisted. She seemed distraught, almost. Dana tried not to pay too much attention to her, nor the guilt that seemed to nag at the back of her mind. She had to remind herself that Valerie hadn't been raised the same way the rest of them had. The only thing she really had to defend herself was her magic, and she barely knew how to control that.
"How's it been going with Bonnie?"
Valerie shrugged her shoulders. "Okay," she said, appearing displeased with Dana's change of subject.
They fell into an uncomfortable silence. Valerie kept her gaze focused on the passing scenery and Dana kept her eyes on the road. It didn't take them long to reach their destination, the Mikaelson manor. Dana was out of the car and in the house in a matter of moments. She walked around the house to the backyard where Klaus, Elijah, and Kol were gathered.
"I'm not giving them Valerie."
Kol raised a brow. "Darling, Bekah may not appreciate that comment. Besides, unlike Bekah, Valerie can die rather easily."
Valerie walked around the house as soon as the comment left Kol's mouth. She walked around just in time to see Dana flit over to Kol who was conveniently standing close to a tree. Dana slammed Kol into the trunk with a ferocious snarl. Her eyes were dark, veins under her eyes standing out more than usual.
"Don't even threaten her life, no matter how subtle. If you lay a finger on Valerie I'll show you a few trade tricks of the Chasseur that I'm not afraid to resort to."
Kol scowled and in a matter of seconds he had her pinned against the tree instead. "Darling you seem to forget who you're dealing with and the fact that you are a Chasseur. I should kill you just as much as them."
Dana sneered. "Please. You haven't killed me yet, why should I expect you to now?"
Klaus, Elijah, and Valerie watched the exchange. The fact that Dana was daring to confront Kol the way she was astounded even Klaus. She brought her knee up, ramming it right between his legs and sending him staggering backwards. She pounced with the grace of a wild panther, wrapping her legs around him and pinning him to the ground.
There she held a dagger to his throat, one she appeared to have pulled from nowhere. She leaned in close, veins under her eyes dark and a glint in her eyes that hadn't been there in a long time, something cold and unrelenting, something that had been drilled into her since she was a child.
"You can do what you want, but don't you ever threaten my sister. Or else you will see a side of me than can be one thousand times worse than anyone in my family." Dana let her knee remain pressed against his chest for one more moment before she stood, keeping the dagger firmly in her hand.
"I'll help you do whatever to get Rebecca back, but we leave Valerie out of it."
"And what, exactly, do you propose we do?" Kol asked, suddenly standing with fists clenched at his sides, looking as if he was doing everything in his power to keep from strangling the blonde vampire standing just a few feet away from him.
"Simple. We just give them who they really want.
A/N - If anyone is still reading this, I'd like to apologize for the extra long hiatus. I've been considering rewriting the story if anyone is interested. Or if anyone out there is interesting it tag-teaming a new version of this. Just let me know thoughts and message me if you're interested!
