Pilot - Part 3
The second day of school.
Whoo (can you sense the sarcasm even through the pages?)!
I'm currently writing this while Caroline is fast asleep next to me. The two of us stayed up way later than we probably should of, talking and chatting. I'm actually starting to believe that the two of us are best friends. While she can be a little bratty in the TV show, she seems to be showing her true colors to me. It's like how she acted when she became a vampire and matured suddenly. I don't know why she doesn't just act this way all the time, but my best guess would be it's some sort of cry for attention. Not that that's necessarily a bad thing! It seems as though not enough people really appreciate her. Her mom, Elena, Bonnie, Stefan...
It was always kind of evident that Bonnie and Elena were closer friends than either was with Caroline (which is really odd considering how many times Elena and Bonnie fought in the show...). It also shows that neither girl have taste. Caroline is amazing!
Just as I suspected, Kelly had no problem with Caroline coming over. In fact, she said that she had figured it would happen the moment she got my text. It, apparently, was a trend for Caroline to stay over after a night out with the friend group. Kelly didn't go into much detail, probably for Caroline's sake, but I could tell what she wanted to say: Caroline got ignored enough as it was from the girls that I would usually supply the rest of the attention she deserved.
But on more important subjects, I need to figure out what I should do about tonight.
The bonfire's tonight. This brings a few important things to note, as my Book of Knowledge reminds me:
1) Vicki & Damon: Vicki's gonna be attacked tonight, which I still need to figure out. Do I try and deter Damon and risk angering him when I know for a fact that I cannot go up against him? Should I just hope that Stefan will fight back enough to throw some wisdom into Damon's head? (Oh, who am I kidding? No one can do that).
2) Caroline & Damon: There is no way in hell that I am allowing Damon anywhere within one hundred feet of my sweet and amazing Care-Bear. I will burn in a forest fire before I allow for that to happen. If I let the attack happen, then I need to follow Bonnie and Caroline to the Grill and make sure that Caroline's attention does not stray.
3) Vervain: If I anger Damon, then I want to make sure that I am not going to get compelled because of it. Which means that I need to get some sort of jewelry soaked in vervain. I was thinking something along the lines of an anklet. Necklaces and rings were easily ripped off (the necklace and the fingers holding the rings {I'm looking at you, John Gilbert}), but an anklet could be easily hidden enough to make it harder for people to find. The only problem is no one is "wise" on the secret of Mystic Falls, so I would have to go to the only person I can think of who might be able to help: Shelia Bennett.
And that's all the problems I had to face for the bonfire. That's not even including what horrors I was going to face in high school, from Mrs. Landstrom to the evil Mr. Tanner.
At least today was the day that Stefan started to piss off Tanner. That's something to look forward to, I guess.
KELLY:
How r u holding up?
Victoria smiled softly at the text message. The hallways of Mystic Falls High were crowded like usual, but today Caroline was proudly charging through them, parting the seas like Moses. Victoria followed in the blonde girl's wake, one hand holding onto her shoulder to ensure that she wouldn't get lost in the masses. So far, the morning had been good. Now that all of her friends were wise on her panic attack yesterday (Bonnie had been caught up to better speed that morning when they all convened at Bonnie's and Elena's lockers), they were making conscious efforts to make sure she stayed calm. Elena told Jeremy to not mention drugs around Victoria, for her own sake, which apparently Jeremy readily agreed to. Victoria hadn't met the fifteen year old just yet, but she hoped she could soon. She hoped she could influence him to stop the drugs. Not feeling was not healthy.
Caroline stuck to her side like glue, eyeing anyone who stepped too close to Victoria without her expressed permission (which was hard, considering the hallways were always packed). And, of course, Kelly had sent a text right after Algebra 2, checking in on Victoria as she had promised to that morning.
VICTORIA:
Actually really well! No panic attacks. Have 2 c about Bio.
KELLY:
B strong, baby girl. No one is ever ready 4 Bio.
Victoria laughed and showed the last text to Caroline, who always giggled at Kelly's overdramatic tone.
To the girls' surprise, Stefan was leaning against the lockers outside of the Biology classroom, a small stack of papers in his hands. As they grew closer, Stefan looked up and spotted the two girls. He smiled an actual big grin and waved them over. Once they reached him, he stopped leaning on the lockers and passed the papers to Victoria.
"Just as I promised; here is a copy of the notes from yesterday."
"You are a lifesaver, Stefan Salvatore," Victoria praised him as she grabbed the notes, rapidly flipping through them as her eyes skimmed the pages. His handwriting was beautiful, perfectly small and printed like it was cursive (but actually readable cursive, so it was functional and pretty). "And your handwriting is phenomenal." She showed off one of the pages to Caroline, whose eyes widened in disbelief.
"This is gorgeous!"
"You guys are too kind," Stefan said. He looked towards Victoria. "You ready to face the beast?"
"Yep!" Victoria told him. She glanced over at Caroline. "I have History next, so I'll just head over there with Stefan. You can head over to your next class. I have an errand to run right after school, but do you want to get ready for the bonfire together tonight?"
"Of course!" Caroline cheered. She glanced towards Stefan, a sly smirk on her face. "See you there." She turned around, flipped her hair dramatically over her shoulder, and sashayed off. Victoria noticed that she put a little extra sway in her hips. When Victoria looked back towards Stefan, she saw an amused smile on his face.
"I did warn you that she can be a little much," Victoria apologized, shrugging her shoulders.
"I know all about people who are a little too much," Stefan offered up and Victoria giggled. Not that he knew that she knew exactly who he was talking about. Damon Salvatore was...special, in his own unique way.
The two walked into the classroom, Victoria's head held high as they sat down, chatting animatedly about anything and everything. Victoria caught Stefan up on all the happenings of Mystic Falls she had heard from Caroline and Stefan seemed engaged with the conversation.
Victoria's good mood didn't last long, however. The moment Mrs. Landstrom walked into the classroom, she clamped her jaw shut and tensed up, hunching over her in her seat in an attempt to make herself seem smaller. It had been a gut reaction, one that she hadn't realized she had done until she was already facing her desk.
"Victoria?" Stefan asked, his voice low. Victoria felt his cold hand on her back and could feel his breath on her cheek as he leaned in to speak to her. "Do you need to leave?"
"N-No," Victoria stammered, squeezing her eyes shut tight. She took a deep breath in and slowly let it out, trying to force all of her negative emotions out with it. She shook herself out and rolled her shoulders. Victoria sat up straighter in her seat and set her eyes on Mrs. Landstrom, who was looking towards the table she shared with Stefan. There was an unamused look on her face, but she looked away quickly to some student in the front row. Victoria did her best to craft a blank look of silent defiance. "I need to do this."
"If it gets too much, just let me know," Stefan said, and Victoria nodded.
And to everybody's surprise (everybody being Stefan and Victoria), Mrs. Landstrom did her best to ignore Stefan and Victoria. They weren't called on for the entire class and after the first unamused look, Mrs. Landstrom barely looked at them. The two shared a glance quite often throughout the class, raising an eyebrow in a silent question of 'Why isn't she talking to us?'. The class sped past without the antagonizing and Victoria found herself actually enjoying Biology.
"Well...that did not go as I expected it to," Stefan commented as the two headed towards History together after Biology had finished.
"Yeah, it was really odd," Victoria hummed, glancing over her shoulder. Mrs. Landstrom stood outside of the Biology classroom, her arms folded across her chest. She looked towards Stefan and Victoria with a glare, before wincing and looking away. It was such odd behavior, considering how she was treating Victoria the day before. And now she was facing the silent treatment, and Stefan had been pulled into that as well by association.
"Here we are!" Stefan said, sweeping a hand to the side to show off the History classroom. Victoria smiled and mumbled a 'thank you' before stepping inside. Victoria couldn't spot Mr. Tanner in the room, but she perked up when she noticed Elena and Bonnie already sitting in their seats. She gave them each a little wave and they waved back.
Victoria noticed that Elena's smile dimmed slightly when she noticed who was standing right behind Victoria, so she headed straight towards Bonnie, allowing Stefan to go say hi to Elena if he so desired. "Hello, my beautiful Bennett friend. How are you this lovely afternoon?"
"Someone seems to be in a good mood," Bonnie chuckled. "What happened?"
"Mrs. Landstrom didn't talk to me or Stefan once," Victoria stated and Bonnie's eyes widened in shock. "Yeah, I know, right? Same reaction on me. I don't know who or what told her to shut her mouth, but she did, and it was awesome. Now, I'm in one of the best moods ever!" She threw her hands up in the air to solidify her point.
"Glad to hear it, Ms. LeBlanc," grunted a voice behind Victoria. Her arms drooped and her shoulders sagged. She, unfortunately, recognized that voice. She turned around, feeling an angry blush rush to her cheeks when she noticed that everyone in the class was already seated. Mr. Tanner stood at the front of the room, his arms folded across his chest in a very Mrs. Landstrom sort of way. He had one eyebrow quirked at her and seemed to take pleasure in her discomfort. "However, we are on my time now, so if you could please take a seat, we can begin."
Victoria blushed even harder and found the first open chair, which was to the immediate left of Stefan. She plopped down and yanked out her notebook, biting her lower lip as she tried to ignore all the new faces staring at her. From one fire to the next, it seemed.
Mr. Tanner taught quickly and had it been any other teacher, Victoria would have really enjoyed the class. The information itself was fascinating and it perked her History-loving brain. She had a feeling she would enjoy this class much better once Alaric showed up. Which made her have to stop to wonder again. Could she allow Mr. Tanner to die? How would she be able to stop Damon from executing him like he was a rabid animal?
Mr. Tanner's familiar quote, the start of the scene from the episode, jolted her out of her daydream. "The Battle of Willow Creek took place right at the end of the war in our very own Mystic Falls. How many casualties resulted in this battle? Ms. Bennett?"
"Um...a lot? I'm not sure. Like a whole lot," Bonnie said.
"Cute becomes dumb in an instant, Ms. Bennett," sneered Mr. Tanner. Victoria's skin bristled. How dare he talk to Bonnie like that? He was supposed to be a teacher! "Mr. Donovan? Would you like to take this opportunity to overcome your embedded jock stereotype?"
Matt, whom Victoria had only met once at the hospital, spoke up from the back of the classroom. "It's okay, Mr. Tanner, I'm cool with it."
This caused a chuckle throughout the entire classroom, and Mr. Tanner simply rolled his eyes before redirecting his attention towards Elena. "Hmm. Elena? Surely you can enlighten us about one of the town's most significant historical events?"
Elena seemed caught off-guard by the question and stammered, "I'm sorry, I...I don't know."
Mr. Tanner jumped on the opportunity for more verbal abuse and snarled in a passive-aggressive tone, "I was willing to be lenient last year for obvious reasons, Elena. But the personal excuses ended with summer break."
"Excuse me?"
Mr. Tanner's head snapped up to glare at Victoria. She hadn't even realized that she had been the one to say those words. She was bristling with anger though. Anger and disgust and pure rage.
"Would you like to say something, Ms. LeBlanc?" Mr. Tanner said, tilting his head to the side.
"Yes, I would," Victoria hissed, her fists tightening so her knuckles turned white. She leapt to her feet beside her desk, standing in the aisle as Mr. Tanner did. "You have absolutely no right in the world to be talking to Elena that way."
"I would argue the opposite of that, Ms. LeBlanc. I am her teacher and I am trying to help her reach a better level of education -"
"- You are verbally abusing a teenage girl who lost her parents only four months ago!" Victoria yelled. "So what? You were lenient for probably about a month of school before summer break. It's the second freaking day of the new school year. The death of a loved one doesn't go away in four months; especially the death of two loved ones. She had lived through extreme trauma and instead of pushing her to get out of her grieving process, you should be offering to help her. Give her time, suggest tutors if the subjects seem too hard and her grades are slipping. You shouldn't be scolding her because she is dealing with her sadness, her grief, in her own time. The people in this class do not revolve around your time!"
Mr. Tanner seemed livid and stomped towards Victoria. Her heart tightened painfully in her chest but she didn't falter, simply glaring at the teacher with all that she had. He stopped when their shoes were touching each other.
"I should have you expelled for that," Mr. Tanner seethed. "How dare you talk to me in that tone of voice?"
Victoria shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant despite the fact that her hands were shaking violently at her sides. "Would you like to tell the administration that you abused your privileges as a teacher to verbally attack two teenage girls, one who lost her parents recently and one who has been in a coma for four months and only woke up a week ago, or shall I?"
Mr. Tanner's eyes burned with a deep fire of hatred, but he took a step back, pushing his shoulders back so he seemed taller and much bigger than Victoria. Victoria let out a small breath, hoping that Mr. Tanner didn't see her physical relief to having the space between them grow. "Alright, Ms. LeBlanc. I won't go to the administration to have you suspended or expelled for your rude and uncalled-for behavior...if you can answer the question: how many casualties resulted in the Battle of Willow Creek?"
"There were three hundred and forty-six," Victoria answered confidently. She praised her love of Vampire Diaries in her head. The moments where Stefan roasted Mr. Tanner were some of her favorite moments for the character. She had watched them so much that she had that answer memorized.
"Unless you're counting local civilians," Stefan piped up, and that thankfully dragged Mr. Tanner's attention away from Victoria. With the teacher's gaze off of her, she slipped back into her desk and tried to calm her breathing. Her shoulders were heaving from how livid she was and her heart was pounding rapidly in her chest. Her heartbeat must be She took a deep breath and released it, repeating the process over and over again as Stefan continued to roast Mr. Tanner.
"That's correct, Ms. LeBlanc," Mr. Tanner grumbled after a delay, but he did not take his eyes off of Stefan. "And you are Mister...?"
"Salvatore."
"Salvatore. Any relation to the original settlers here at Mystic Falls?"
Victoria quietly snorted. Yeah, he's got some relations to those two brothers who just happened to be himself and Damon.
"Distant," came Stefan's reply.
"Well, very good. Except, of course, there were no civilian casualties in this battle," Mr. Tanner stated, seeming rather satisfied with himself.
"Actually, there were twenty-seven, sir," Stefan interrupted Mr. Tanner's self-preening. "Confederate soldiers, they fired on the church, believing it to be housing weapons. They were wrong. It was a night of great loss. The founder's archives are, uh, stored in Civil Hall if you'd like to brush up on your facts, Mr. Tanner."
Mr. Tanner just grumbled and returned back to the front of the room.
"I cannot believe he said that to you!" Caroline gasped in shock, her eyes narrowing in anger as Victoria finished her story of that afternoon's History class. The two girls, like Victoria had suggested, were getting ready for the bonfire that night, picking out cute makeup and good clothes that they wouldn't mind getting smoky.
Victoria had tried to visit the Bennett household after school to get some vervain from Shelia Bennett, only to realize after school that she had no idea where she was going and that she didn't have a car to drive her anywhere. She had given up her little endeavor (after having a small panic about what she would do later that night if Damon caught her without vervain) and caught a ride from Caroline. The blonde ended up staying and the two hung out until Kelly returned home. The three of them then grabbed some ice cream and binged Disney movies until a call from Kelly's advisor sent her to her study and sent Caroline and Victoria upstairs, where they began to get ready.
"As much as I hate to admit it, and this does not leave this room," Victoria added, sending a warning glare towards Caroline. The blonde nodded immediately and pretended to zip her lips, as if that would stop the secret from being spread, "I understand why he did it. Oh, hey, that rhymed! Anyways, Mr. Tanner is the authority figure. It was a douchebag move from a douchebag teacher, but I can see that he didn't want Elena to spiral."
"But does that really give him the right to mock you?" Caroline argued back, plopping down on Victoria's bed. The teenager ruffled through a couple of dresses that Victoria had pulled out as outfit options for herself. Caroline had decided that jeans, a nice blouse, and a jacket were good ways to go. However, she had insisted that Victoria wear a dress to show off her "otherworldly" legs. "You are still in recovery!"
"I'm going to a party tonight where I am more than positive there will be alcoholic drinks," Victoria mused, folding her arms across her chest. "I'm pretty sure the 'I'm in recovery' line won't work for me after tonight."
"But you don't plan on drinking, right?"
Victoria raised an eyebrow at Caroline. "How did you know that I wasn't planning on drinking...?"
"You were never a fan of alcohol," Caroline admitted, grabbing a pretty red sundress from the pile of outfit options. Victoria frowned slightly at the choice. It was cute, she had to admit, but it was a little short, about mid-thigh length. While she wasn't a saint when it came to outfitting options, she preferred something a little longer. It was cute though. "Tried to get you drunk once when we were fifteen and unfortunately succeeded. You threw up so much afterward that you swore off alcohol for the rest of your life." Caroline pursed her lips. "This is cute."
"It's a little short."
"It would show off your legs," Caroline threw in. She jumped to her feet and moved to put the dress up against Victoria. It was cherry red with cute pastel pink roses scattered throughout the entire design. The straps were pretty thick, which Victoria liked, and there was a little criss-cross tie in the middle of the dress that would show off some cleavage if she wanted to. "Yep, I'm thinking this is the one."
"I hope you realize how much I am trusting you with this option," Victoria told her, moving to one of her dressers to find some shoes that would match. As she was kneeling down by her drawers, wading through some shoes for something that would work, she heard a gentle knock on her door. "Come in!"
She heard the door open and a quick glance over her shoulder showed Kelly. She looked exhausted. Her hair, which was usually very much composed, had been taken out of its many braids and now flowed in gorgeous waves down her shoulders. It would look better on Kelly if the woman didn't seem so tired.
"Everything alright?" Victoria asked, looking towards Kelly with concern. "You seem tired."
"My advisor is a man from hell," Kelly huffed. She walked over to Victoria's bed and flopped onto it, her face smashing into the pillows. Caroline sent Victoria a look that screamed 'This is not okay' before reaching over to gently rub the older woman's shoulders. Kelly hummed, letting them know she liked the motion.
"Sounds like you really need some girl time," Caroline said, frowning lightly. A bright smile came to her face suddenly and she cheered, "I got it! Since we're all going to the bonfire tonight, why don't you go hang out with Jenna?"
"Of course, Caroline!" Victoria gasped, nodding her head. "I can't believe I didn't think of that. You two could play 'Pin the thesis paper on the demon advisor'!"
Kelly giggled at them, which caused all of them to erupt into laughter. She pushed herself up onto her elbows and glanced at both of the girls. "That sounds like an amazing idea. Maybe not the pseudo-Pin the tail on the donkey, but definitely the hanging out with Jenna. It's been too long since we've had a true moment to ourselves, what with having minors to take care of..." Her lips pressed together in concentration as she stared at Victoria and Victoria couldn't help but feel worried. What was with that intent look? "If you're looking for shoes to match the dress Caroline has in a death grip in her hands, then you'd want to try your white wedges. Bottom drawer, to the very right."
Victoria followed Kelly's instructions and let out a triumphant cheer as she hoisted the said white wedges into the air. "Aha! Thanks, Kelly!"
"No problem, baby girl," Kelly said, smiling. "Oh! Before I forget!" She jumped to her feet and raced out of the room, leaving Caroline and Victoria to send each other bewildered looks. She came racing back in a few moments later holding a small white box. "I meant to give this to you yesterday, but you were busy writing in your diary and I didn't want to disturb you."
"What is it?" Victoria asked, standing up to grab the box from Kelly.
"A welcome home from a coma and the hospital present. Figured it would be something that you'd like."
Victoria gently cradled the box in her hands. It looked fancy, like the kind that one would put jewelry into. She removed the lid slowly, as to not disturb whatever was inside, and gasped when she saw the present.
On a small, beautiful little cushion sat an anklet. It was silver and looked like it was supposed to wrap around the ankle at least four times. There were many different designs throughout the entire creation, but the little moon pendant drew her eyes. Victoria brought up a finger to touch the little moon. "Kelly, t-this...this is gorgeous!"
"Anything for my baby girl," Kelly said proudly, hands on her hips. "Though, I honestly can't take all of the credit. I ran into Mrs. Lockwood when I went shopping for a present for you and she showed me this and said that you might like it."
"Remind me the next time I see Mrs. Lockwood to tell her thanks," Victoria mumbled, partially to Caroline and partially to herself. She sat down on the edge of her bed and took the anklet out, looping it around her ankle. It fit perfectly and was extremely comfortable. "This is awesome, Kelly. Thank you so much. I've actually been wanting to get one for a little while now. Thought they were rather chic."
"Glad I could be of service," Kelly laughed. "Do you two need anything else? Drinks, makeup, or hair help?"
"If you can somehow coax waves out of this mess I call a head of hair, then I will think you are nothing short of a miracle worker and a saint," Victoria said, gesturing towards her hair.
A devious smile came to Kelly's face. "Oh baby girl, I am absolutely magical when it comes to that."
Suffice to say, Kelly wasn't lying.
Victoria looked hot.
(Caroline's words, not hers).
Time flew and before Victoria knew it, they were at the bonfire, surrounded by tons of kids who were drinking beer out of bottles and red Solo cups. Caroline dragged Victoria through the crowd, like a salmon jumping through a river, and dropped her off by Elena and Bonnie before saying she was going off to grab a drink. Victoria waved Caroline goodbye and looked at the two girls who were giving her a look that she recognized right away. "Hey, Caroline isn't abandoning me. She is allowed to party however she wants. I might as well be designated driver." She froze, a terrible thought coming to her head. "Wait, can I drive here?"
"Yes, you can drive," laughed Elena and Victoria let out a sigh of relief. She licked her lips as she waited to see if either would notice the little slip-up she had. Bonnie and Elena didn't seem to notice as Elena continued, "You studied hardcore for like a month before you took the test and passed it with flying colors."
"Oh, that's good to know," Victoria mumbled, nodding. Her hands moved to grab each other, fiddling with her fingers.
"By the way, Tori, you look amazing," Bonnie said, gesturing towards her outfit. Victoria blushed and quietly thanked her. "I don't think I've ever seen you wear that dress."
"Caroline convinced me it would show off my 'otherworldly' legs," Victoria giggled, using air quotes. "I'm not sure why I would want to flaunt them."
"Because she isn't wrong," Elena said, nudging her. "Maybe there's someone special around here who could really appreciate them." She wiggled her eyebrows and Victoria blushed even harder at the obvious innuendo.
"Elena Gilbert!" Victoria gasped, shoving Elena lightly with one hand as she and Bonnie laughed at Victoria's discomfort. "I am not looking for a relationship right now. Not with everything going on. Plus, have you seen the guys here? None of them are really my cup of tea."
"You looking for someone more pretty?" Bonnie asked, raising an eyebrow as she swiveled her head to look directly towards Elena. Now it was Elena's turn to blush and to look down at her feet. "Just admit it, Elena."
"Oooh, what is Elena admitting?" Victoria jumped in. She was fully aware of what Elena was admitting and knew that the person she was referencing had arrived at the party and was listening in to their every word.
"That she thinks Stefan is pretty," Bonnie replied.
Elena sighed. "Oh, okay, so he's a little pretty."
"He has that romance novel stare," Bonnie insisted. "So where is he?"
"I don't know," Elena said, shrugging. "You tell me, you're the psychic one."
"Right, I forgot!" Bonnie laughed. "Okay, so give me a sec. Grams says I have to concentrate."
"Wait, you need a crystal ball!" Victoria jumped in, saying the line before Elena could say it. She knelt down and grabbed a random beer bottle that was lying just past them and stood up. She gestured for Elena to take it. Elena instead grabbed it, her hand barely overlapping Victoria's hand. The two of them held the bottle out to Bonnie for her to take. The unknown witch grabbed the bottle, her fingers brushing up against Victoria's and Elena's hands. Her eyes gained this glassy look, and Victoria sent a concerned look towards Elena. She needed to keep up appearances. Who knows what might happen should anyone figure out that she knew how events were going to turn out.
Bonnie abruptly jerked her hands back, causing Victoria to flinch at the sudden movement.
"What?" Elena whispered, her eyes searching Bonnie for an answer.
"That was weird. When I touched you, I saw a crow," Bonnie said, directing her statement towards Elena.
"What?"
"A crow. There was fog, a man," Bonnie breathed, her eyes beginning to take on a frightening appearance. Victoria's eyes widened as Bonnie turned to look her straight in the eye. "And you...I saw this darkness. There was pain and...there was more than one person in the darkness. They were outlined in the shadows, but one of them was brighter, purer than the rest. He called out to you the most." Bonnie shook her head. "I'm drunk. It's the drinking. There's nothing psychic about it. Yeah? Ok, I'm gonna get a refill."
Bonnie turned on her heel and marched off away from Victoria and Elena, purposefully ignoring Elena's cries for Bonnie to hold and wait. Despite Elena's insistence, Victoria discreetly heard the small crunch of leaves behind them and reached out to nudge Elena. Elena whipped around, glaring at Victoria. The adult-turned-teen shrugged to the left with her shoulder, drawing Elena's attention to Stefan. Elena jumped a little at Stefan's "sudden" appearance.
"Hi," Stefan said, smiling widely. Elena returned the smile.
"Hi."
"I did it again, didn't I?"
"Yeah."
"I'm sorry," Stefan laughed. His smile fell a little. "You're upset about something."
"Oh, uh, no, it's...it's just Bonnie," Elena tried to placate, gesturing behind her towards where Bonnie had stomped off to. "She's...You know what? Never mind. You're...here."
"I'm here," Stefan answered, nodding his head and smiling.
"Aaaaaand this is where Victoria exits," Victoria laughed, drawing the two teenagers' attention towards her. "Have fun you two. Make good choices, and don't drink too much. Or, make sure you drink enough. One of those two." Victoria shrugged, waving goodbye as she went off to wander through the party.
Victoria had made the decision on the car ride over with Caroline that she was going to try and save Vicki. It was unfair to just let Damon have his way with her. She didn't know necessarily how she was going to do it, but she was determined to not let any harm come to her.
She found herself towards the outskirts of the party when she heard an unwelcomed, familiar conversation through the trees to her right.
"No, Ty. I'm not having sex against a tree." That was Vicki.
"Oh, come on, it would be hot." Tyler Lockwood. Victoria had never liked his character, and especially not after the anger management issues he displayed with Caroline later in the series.
"For who? No, it's not going to happen. It's not going to happen, not here, not like this. No. I said no. I said no!"
Victoria found herself running, as well as she could through the woods in wedges, and bursting through the foliage just as Jeremy Gilbert arrived too.
Jeremy shouted, "Hey, leave her alone!"
Tyler had his back towards Victoria, but he was standing too close to Vicki. Much closer than Victoria was comfortable with. "You know, you're starting to get on my nerves, Gilbert."
"Just go, Tyler," Vicki hissed. Her anger was palpable. "Get the hell away from me."
"Wow," Tyler scoffed. "Vicki Donovan says no. That's a first." The teen flipped around and Victoria found herself staring deep into his eyes. The tension and rage that had been a massive presence in his body when he was talking to Jeremy suddenly left and he seemed lighter than he had before. "Hey, Cuz. Long time no see."
"Excuse me?" Victoria spluttered, her eyes widening in disbelief. Just how in the hell was she related to Tyler? That just seemed wrong on so many levels.
"I gotta get back to the party. Got some drinks that need drinking," Tyler continued, either not noticing the conflict in Victoria's eyes or just not caring. "I'll talk to you later."
And to make things even stranger, Tyler strode up to her, gently kissed the top of her head, and disappeared before Victoria could say anything else. Victoria just stood there, her mouth opening and closing in disbelief as she tried to think of something to say. That was not typical Tyler behavior, especially Tyler behavior for season one, when he was basically a jerk. And yet, he had appeared super tender and loving. Not a romantic love, but platonic. Oh, please say I'm not best friends with him too. I couldn't handle that.
"Hey Blankie."
Victoria was startled at Vicki's voice and looked at the teen girl. She was standing in front of her now, Jeremy Gilbert nowhere to be seen. Victoria stammered, "E-Excuse me?"
"Hey Blankie," Vicki repeated, cocking her head to one side. Her eyes widened slightly and she took a step back. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, I-I'm probably so drunk right now. I forgot about your...amnesia thingy." She straightened up a little. "Hi. I'm Vicki Donovan, Matt's younger sister. You're probably the closest thing that I have to a sister and a decent female role model. Blankie is my nickname for you because I could never say LeBlanc really well as a child."
"O-Oh..." Victoria managed to say. She licked her lips awkwardly and said, "I-I'm Victoria. Amnesiac."
"Should you be here?" Vicki asked, her brow furrowing slightly. "You never really liked alcohol."
"Designated driver," Victoria answered. "It helps to have a friend who refuses to drink alcohol. They come to the party and just make sure their friends get home alright." A small plan hatched in her brain. "You know what? I could be your designated driver as well, if you need one. I don't know if Matt is driving you or anything..."
"Matt's got me covered," Vicki reassured her. She smiled a beautiful, small smile. "Caroline's probably worried sick about you. You should find her."
"Come with me?" Victoria asked, trying to plead just enough that it wasn't too pleady but just enough. She held a hand out. "You can tell me all the stories that I can't remember."
To Victoria's consternation, Vicki shook her head. "Nah. Nobody would really like to see you with me by your side."
"Screw them," Victoria immediately stated and Vicki laughed. Victoria frowned. "I mean it, Vicki. M-Maybe I'm being paranoid, but I don't like the idea of you out here alone."
"The party's literally just right there," Vicki tried to console her, but Victoria shook her head.
"Please, Vick?" Victoria asked again. "If you won't come with me, then I'm going to stay here with you. Just until somebody else arrives."
Vicki laughed again. "If you insist. You're really pushy now, you ever notice that?"
"Clean slate," Victoria answered. She looked warily into the woods and thought she spotted angry, bright blue eyes, but when she tried to find the eyes again, they were gone.
Damon.
Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.
Victoria didn't realize just how stupid she would be for not recognizing that.
She had spent the rest of the party night with Vicki, sitting by the tree that she and Tyler had been making out on, talking about the history that Victoria "couldn't remember". Victoria had laughed so hard; her relationship with Vicki was unexpected but so genuine and loving. In the next hour of the party that followed, Victoria had gained a greater appreciation for Vicki's character.
But the words of Isaac Newton were correct; for Victoria's blatant actions to save Vicki, there was a reaction from Damon.
Victoria and Vicki hadn't been close when they heard Jeremy's cries of distress, followed by Elena's shouts. Victoria was surprised that they had been able to hear such noises over the crowd of people. Nonetheless, Victoria and Vicki had jumped to their feet, running to find out what had happened. Jeremy and Elena had exited the far side of the woods, Jeremy holding a girl's body in his hands.
Victoria didn't recognize her; she seemed to be an extra that had been at the party. Her skin was pale, a deathly pale that made Victoria's heart jump. They all had called 911, hoping to have the ambulance and police arrive quickly.
Once the ambulance and police arrived, already working on loading the girl into the cradle and into the vehicle, Victoria made Vicki promise to get a ride home with Matt and to not let anyone strange into her house. The teen, obviously shocked by the events that had taken place, gave her shaky consent before stumbling off towards Matt. Once Victoria had seen Matt wrap his little sister up in his arms, she turned around and marched towards Bonnie and Elena. Caroline was sitting on a bench nearby, downhearted and obviously drunk as a skunk. Victoria swore lightly under her breath. While she was busy protecting Vicki, she hadn't been able to protect Caroline from a broken heart and a torn apart ego.
"Hey," Bonnie called out to Victoria. Victoria gave a small wave, stopping as she stood by both girls. "Are you and Vicki ok? Nothing strange happened with you guys?"
"We're all good," Victoria admitted, her hands holding tightly to each other. It was starting to become a nervous habit, for her fingers to mess around with each other. "What about you guys?"
"Me and Caroline are gonna go to mainline coffee, wait for news," Bonnie said. "You wanna come with?"
"Oh please," Victoria urged, nodding her head. Anything to ensure that Caroline stays far enough away from Damon.
"I gotta take Jeremy home," Elena sighed, shaking her head in refusal of Bonnie's offer.
"Elena," Bonnie began softly, glancing awkwardly between Victoria and her. "There's no way I'm psychic. I know that." She paused, and an awkward silence came over the three of them. Bonnie added hesitantly, "But whatever I saw, or I think I saw, I have this feeling..."
"Bonnie, what?"
'That it's just the beginning," Bonnie whispered. Victoria couldn't help the nervous shiver that went down her spine. "And now, I've just gone and creeped Victoria out."
"I don't think it takes all that much to creep me out," Victoria mused lightheartedly, and the three girls let out a nervous laugh. "Bonnie, how about you bring the car around and I'll get Caroline, yeah? I also need to call Kelly to reassure her that everything's ok."
"Ok," Bonnie agreed. Victoria said a gentle goodbye to Elena and walked off, grabbing her phone that she had stylishly hidden in the pocket of the biker shorts she wore underneath her dress. She dialed Kelly's number and held it up to her ear.
"Victoria Khalida LeBlanc!" came the sharp reply from Kelly's end of the phone. Victoria physically winced as she awaited the onslaught. "Are you okay? Are you hurt? And why in the name of everything good here in Mystic Falls did I have to hear about some attack on a girl from Jenna Sommers instead of my own daughter?"
"Kelly, I need you to take a deep breath, okay?" Victoria urged. She heard the woman on the other line follow along, although Victoria could hear just how angry she still was from her sharp inhale and exhale. "I am okay. I'm not hurt. I was on the opposite side of the party with Vicki Donovan when everything went down. She and I were talking, having fun. I'm sorry you had to hear about it from Jenna instead of me. I was busy making sure my friends were alright and that Vicki had a ride home. I understand that you're probably worried tonight, but I'm going to go with Bonnie and Caroline to the Grill to wait for some news. If you want, you can meet us there."
"You're damn right I want to meet you there!" Kelly snapped. Victoria couldn't help but flinch. She wasn't used to Kelly's sharp words, especially sharp words that were directed towards her. "And to make one thing clear, baby girl: I am not mad at you. This was not your fault. I am frustrated at the dangerous situation you were put in against your will and I am doing everything in my power to resist locking you in your bedroom to keep you safe. Please have you or Bonnie drive safely. I will see you in five minutes."
With that, Kelly abruptly hung up. Victoria let out a sigh of relief. At least she wasn't mad at her. Just mad at the situation.
Victoria put her phone back in her pocket and helped Caroline stand up. The girl stumbled around a lot, making Victoria have to concentrate really hard on not dropping her. She helped the drunk girl waddled towards Bonnie's car, expertly dodging every police officer that came their way. It would not help Caroline's already sour mood if her mother found out that she was that drunk.
Once safely in the backseat of Bonnie's car, all buckled up and secured, Victoria moved to the passenger seat, strapping in. The drive to the grill wasn't that long, maybe six minutes, and when they parked and got out, Victoria could see Kelly standing in front of the restaurant's doors, arms folded across her chest.
"Uh oh," she heard Caroline weakly mumble behind her. Victoria couldn't help but agree with the sentiment.
"You three, in there, right now," Kelly demanded, grabbing the door and holding it open for the girls to walk through. Victoria weakly smiled at her as they passed, but Kelly's hard look didn't falter. The four of them found a table and Victoria and Kelly sat in the seats opposite of Caroline and Bonnie. Victoria made sure that she was sitting directly across from Caroline. Kelly disappeared for a moment, leaving the three girls in awkward silence until she returned, holding four cups of coffee in her hands.
"Drink up," Kelly said, passing a cup to each girl. They all quietly thanked the older woman and sipped their coffee lightly. Kelly glanced down at her watch and sighed. "If we're going to be here for a while, I'm going to need to grab my laptop from the car. You three be safe, alright?"
"You too," Victoria called out as her mother walked away. Victoria's gaze dropped from her mother and immediately noticed the tall, dark-haired stranger sitting just a few empty tables behind her.
Damon.
Victoria shot back around quickly, not wanting to get caught lingering on his appearance. She was tense now and she knew her heartbeat was beating erratically. Hopefully, Damon would only assume it was because he was "handsome". Victoria loathed to think what would happen if he found out the truth.
"Are you sober yet?" Bonnie asked Caroline, who just mournfully shook her head.
"No."
"It takes more than three sips of coffee to sober someone up, Bonnie," Victoria gently reprimanded.
"Keep drinking. I gotta get you home," Bonnie said. She shook her head. "I gotta get me home."
"Why didn't he go for me?" Caroline muttered weakly, her head hanging low in defeat. Victoria's heart hurt at the look of utter defeat and exhaustion on her friend's face. "You know, how come the guys I want never want me?"
"I'm not touching that," Bonnie argued, shaking her head again in denial.
"I'm inappropriate," Caroline huffed. "I always say the wrong thing. And...Elena always says the right thing. She doesn't even try! And he just picks her. And she's always the one that everyone picks, for everything. And I try so hard, and...I'm never the one."
"It's not a competition, Caroline," Bonnie tried to sway her, but Caroline denied it.
"Yeah, it is."
"Bonnie," Victoria interrupted, knowing that this was now or never. "Kelly and I can take Caroline home tonight. Why don't you head back now?" Glancing to see that Caroline was staring woefully at the coffee cup in her hands, she mouthed to Bonne, 'I got this'.
Bonnie nodded her head gratefully before slipping out of her chair, muttering a goodnight to both of them before leaving the restaurant. Caroline looked up at Victoria with sad eyes and Victoria reached across the table, grabbing Caroline's hands gently.
"Remember yesterday night when we were leaving the Grill?" Victoria whispered softly. Caroline nodded her head slowly. "I told you that one day, there will be a man who loves you and adores you. You will not be second best; you will be first. He will see you are the amazing woman you are and you will be so thrilled to have him in your life. Oh, he'll irritate you," Caroline rolled her eyes at that, and Victoria let out a laugh, "but he'll keep you safe. Protect you. Save your life, even."
"I wish I had your confidence of my love life in my love life," Caroline admitted, slipping her hand away from Victoria's and brushing her hair away from her eyes. "You just seem so...full of faith. Like you know what will happen to me will be good."
"It might take a few road bumps to get there," Victoria giggled. "But yeah, I do have faith." She heard a slight shuffling of a chair behind her and she tensed up again. She needed to put her plan into action. "Caroline...do you trust me?"
"Of course," Caroline said immediately. There was no second-guessing in her answer. It made Victoria's heart warm at the thought.
"Do you trust me when it comes to giving your advice about your love life, even though I'm pretty sure I've never had a boyfriend?" Victoria said. She paused. "Wait, have I had a boyfriend?"
"Yes to the first one, no to the second one," Caroline said with a chuckle. "Your weird 'man-cleanse' has been around for a while. Some kids at school used to think you were a lesbian until you kissed Johnathan Tuckman in freshman year to prove them wrong. And don't worry, he moved like three months later."
"Yeah, I am a lover of men; I just haven't found the right one yet," Victoria said, snickering. "But stop trying to distract me." She leaned forward, bringing herself as close to Caroline as she could. Caroline seemed to understand the severity of the lean (if that was even a thing), and leaned closer as well.
In the lightest whisper she possibly could, to ensure that Damon behind her couldn't hear, she said, "There is a man sitting at a table behind me. Tall, dark-haired, leather jacket. He's been staring at us ever since we've got here and I swore that I saw him at the party tonight." Caroline's eyebrow quirked in interest and Victoria hissed, "Trusting me about your love life?" Caroline's eyebrow lowered again and she looked at Victoria sheepishly. "If you have ever trusted anything I've said, then please: do not talk to him. Stay away from him. You see him coming down the street, you walk the opposite way. He's bad news; the worst news you could possibly have and I don't want to see you get hurt by him. He's not gonna be your one."
"But he's pretty," Caroline said back, an almost whine in her voice.
"Stefan's prettier," Victoria retorted, slightly louder so Damon would hear. She quieted down again and whispered pleadingly, "Please? For me?"
Caroline let out a defeated sigh, but nodded. "Yeah, alright." She narrowed her eyes at her. "You're not doing this because you've already called dibs, right?"
"Caroline, I would rather stab my eyes out before I call dibs on him," Victoria answered honestly. Her friend's eyes widened at Victoria's abrupt statement. "He's bad news." She shivered lightly. "And speaking of which, I'm getting concerned about Kelly. It shouldn't take that long to get a laptop. You stay here and don't. Look. At. Him. Got it?"
"Got it," Caroline said, giving her a mock salute. Victoria laughed and got to her feet. She strode confidently past Damon, not bothering to even look at him, before exiting the Mystic Grill. She glanced around, trying to spot Kelly's familiar car. It was nowhere on the street in front of them and Victoria crossed her arms at the sudden chill that filled the air.
Victoria walked down the street a little, trying to see if Kelly had just parked a little ways away or if something else, something more...sinister...had happened to her.
She had just passed the mouth of an alleyway when she heard a dangerously familiar voice behind her say, "Well, well...if it isn't the little Mama Bear."
Victoria whipped around and her blood ran cold when she saw the guy in front of her. Damon Salvatore. He had his hands in his leather jacket's pockets and he was walking towards her in a nonchalant manner. He was every bit as good-looking as he was in the TV show, but Victoria had meant what she said to Caroline. Stefan was prettier.
"Can I help you?" Victoria asked, pulling her crossed arms tighter against her chest. She lightly cursed Caroline's clothing opinions in her mind. Not only was she in wedges now, but her skirt was much shorter than she was comfortable with. "Are you lost?"
"More along the lines of curious," Damon replied, coming closer to Victoria. She took a subconscious step back and a feral look came to Damon's eyes. "You seemed pretty adamant that your friend shouldn't even meet me."
"Overheard that, did you?" Victoria huffed, raising an eyebrow. Damon gave a shrug and Victoria's hands tightened into fists. "It's true. Let's just say I have a sense for these things."
"Sure you do," Damon scoffed and Victoria felt a wave of indignation crash over her. Just who the hell did he think he was? Yeah, she knew he was Damon Salvatore, yada yada yada, but that didn't give him any right to be rude about it! "Well, little girl, you've certainly messed up my plans twice tonight."
"Call me the Protector Of Innocent Women Who You Want To Manipulate," Victoria snapped back. She took a bold step forward and Damon's eyes flashed dangerously. "I'm not afraid of you."
As soon as the words left Victoria's mouth, she found herself in the alleyway, pressed up against the brick wall of the building behind her, Damon's hand clenched tightly around her throat. She gasped for the sudden lack of air and at how close he was to her. She clawed frantically at his hands, needing him to lighten up around her neck.
"I should just squeeze the life out of you right now," Damon snarled. His eyes were beginning to darken, veins beginning to pop out of his temple and Victoria swore she saw his fangs lengthen. "But I prefer to suck my prey dry of blood." He looked at her intently, a dangerous sparkle in his eyes, and Victoria knew what he was about to do. She couldn't help the tears that came to her eyes when he whispered, "Don't scream and don't talk."
Except, nothing happened.
Victoria didn't feel any wave of compulsion hit her. She knew, intuitively, that she could scream if she wanted to. It was as if his compulsion had no effect on her.
Damon's head grew closer to her neck, and Victoria knew that if she didn't say anything, she would die.
So she said the first thing that came to her mind.
"Katherine."
The word was rasped, as Damon's hand on her throat was slowly crushing her windpipe. But apparently, it was enough. Damon's head snapped back away from her neck, all of his vampiric features gone in the blink of an eye. He had a look of disbelief and skepticism dancing around in his eyes.
"How the hell do you know that name?" he whispered, slightly shocked and his tone beginning to fill with anger.
"Need...throat..." Victoria gasped and Damon let go of her throat. Immediately, she sucked in a sharp breath, wincing at how painful it was to do against her bruised throat. Oh well, she hoped that scarves were in season. Perhaps she better learn way more makeup tips. "T-Thank you." She licked her lips and straightened up, one hand pressed against the brick wall to keep her steady. "I-I know about Katherine."
"How?" The demand was immediate.
Victoria had to quickly come up with an answer that would satiate Damon without leaving her without blackmail. "I'm not exactly an idiot when it comes to things supernaturally related." She reached up, gently massaging her throat. Even without speaking or swallowing, it felt like she had swallowed a bee and it got pissed and stung her. She glanced over her shoulder towards Damon, whose whole posture radiated rage. "I've just been doing research on the town's supernatural history. Particularly on the elusive Katherine Pierce and the Salvatore brothers."
Damon's eyes widened almost comically as he growled, "That's why you didn't cry when you saw my face."
"I know you and your brother are vampires," Victoria said. She licked her lips and swallowed heavily. "I-I also know why you're here."
"And what's to stop me from ripping your throat out right now? Make sure you can't share the secret?" Damon snapped, taking steps towards her so she was pinned against the wall again by his body.
"Absolutely nothing," Victoria rasped, unable to come up with a convincing reason to allow him to let her live. "None at all. Except I know Katherine's name. And that intrigues you. Also, you weren't able to compel me. And that intrigues you."
"So you're saying I'm going to let you live because you intrigue me?" Damon hissed.
"You're going to let me live because I'm willing to try and help you," Victoria answered. Damon's eyebrow popped up in a silent question. "You're looking for Katherine. You love her. If she's somebody that really means that much to you, I'd be a pretty douchebag of a person to not try and help you."
Damon was silent for a few moments. Victoria could feel her heartbeat rapidly pounding against her chest. Damon opened his mouth to say something when the sound of Victoria's phone ringing caused him to pause. Victoria glanced down at her dress and back up to Damon. She wasn't going to answer it if he was still crowding her, and she really wanted to answer it.
Damon seemed to understand her as he took a few steps back, hands held up in the air in a silent, momentary truce. Victoria thanked him and hiked her dress up a little to grab the phone. The caller I.D. read Kelly. She answered it and held it up to her ear, knowing full well that Damon would be able to hear everything. "Hey, Kelly! I was looking for you! You seemed to be at the car a long time. Where did you park?"
"Victoria."
Victoria stiffened up and she weakly murmured, "You never call me Victoria unless it's something bad. What happened? Is the girl from the bonfire party alright?"
"Victoria...Vicki Donovan's in the hospital."
Victoria felt like she couldn't breathe. "W-What?"
"Matt drove her home, but she was found in the woods just outside of her house. They're saying it was an animal attack."
Victoria's head whipped up to look at Damon in shock, but the vampire man was gone.
A/N: DUN, DUN, DUUUUN! Here we have some cute Stetoria (Victoria/Stefan) moments and we get to meet Damon!
You guys are totally corrupting me, because you are all so excited that it makes me excited so I post a chapter way too earlier XD. Who knows when the next one will come out next? I'm getting my second COVID vaccine shot a little later today so I could be out of it this entire weekend.
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New Favoriters!: reigningrain, Vampyrelove21, amblonde2, AnosDT95, Miriam cruz, mimimimm, Gisett
Onto reviews and PMs!:
kafo521: Thank you! It's very much like OC Doctor Who fanfictions where someone comes in and they're like "You're all a TV show but I can't tell you anything or the time-space continuum will burst!". And yes, Caroline will be saved. She is my precious bean and will be protected at all costs. How did Victoria escape the compelling? What do you think? ;)
CarlaPA: You ain't getting ahead, because I'm in the same boat with you. I'm so excited for them to know Klaus. It'll be so much fun!
sam: You're welcome!
DBZFAN45: You're welcome! It was such a sweet review (this one is too). Oh, and I didn't mean critical as in harsh. I meant it more along the lines of you actually took time to read the story in-depth and give a good analysis of the chapter (think like a positive critical review). And oh my gosh, "Toriline"! I love that name XD. Since Mr. Tanner is the bane of Jenna Sommers' existence, I felt like it was only fair to create Mrs. Landstrom for Kelly. Oh, just you wait for Elijah's appearance ;).
AnosDT95: I'm so sorry to hear about your car accident! Oddly enough, I was actually in a car accident at the beginning of May (guess me and Elena are twinsies). I'm not comfortable 100% in a car either, but for me, it comes when braking XD. Hmm, you got a good point. Guess you'll have to wait and see ;)
Jalissa1223: Here's your update!
Hearteyesmf: Aww, I'm liking the cutesy Stetoria moments over the Stelena moments too. I'm glad you like Tori so much to ship her with Stefan!
.seed: Thank you! Maybe Stefan's being nice? (Who can understand the mind of a 145+ year old vampire, amiright?)
I'm glad to see you all are loving Victoria so much. It warms my heart so much to read all your kind reviews!
Until next time, stay safe, everyone!
BecomingFearless1F