Fool Me Once - Part 3
"It is every witch's duty, as it has been written into their very DNA, to exterminate the Immortalis before they are allowed to reach their peak. No Immortalis has lived past the Transitioning. None."
Damon's blood boiled. Rage filled every inch of him and only one thought ran rampant in his brain:
Shelia Bennett was going to die.
However, before Damon could even move, another one of his group was rushing towards the Bennett house.
Zach Salvatore let out a growl that echoed in Damon's chest and he was up by Victoria's side before Damon could even blink. He was standing in front of Victoria, and Damon could see the tension of his shoulders from the curb. Zach's arms were hanging on either side of his body, but his hands were curled up into fists. When Zach spoke, there was an authoritative level that Damon had only heard a few times.
"Speak to Victoria like that again and I will rip your heart out," Zach growled, his voice low but deadly. If Damon could feel temperatures, he would've shivered at Zach's tone. It was killer.
"Do not act as though you can touch me, vermin," Shelia flaunted, looking down her nose towards Zach. "You cannot enter my home. I am safe from your clutches."
"But I can easily burn it down with you still inside of it," Zach shot back, and Damon's eyebrows rose up in slight disbelief. That was...unexpected. Damon would have expected that level of hostility from himself, but to see it in his nephew was not at all like him. "I would be safe from the fire and yet I would still be able to listen to your screams as the flames licked and tore at your flesh. What about then, Shelia?"
Shelia tensed up, her jaw clenched tightly.
As if the moment couldn't be even more surprising, Elena pushed past Stefan and stomped her way up to stand beside Victoria. The human girl grabbed Victoria's hand, interlacing their fingers. Victoria held on desperately, and Damon noted the little shake in the Immortalis' shoulders. She was doing her best to keep it all together. The information shook her, though. Damon could imagine what was running through her brain.
Witches had killed every single person who had been an Immortalis before her (what was the plural of Immortalis? Immortalies? Immortalises? Immortali?). Victoria was herself supposedly a witch (or the Victoria before this Victoria transferred over) and Kelly, her own mother, was a witch too. Was Kelly secretly planning on killing Victoria?
Damon doubted it. If there was one thing that Damon knew he could count on, it would be that Kelly would move the heavens and Earth to help her daughter. There was no one in the entire world that Kelly loved more than Victoria. There was no way, in any sort of reality, that Kelly would be secretly plotting to harm Victoria, even kill her.
However, it did make some things Damon had seen make sense. The hesitance when Kelly spoke of the Immortalis and their weaknesses. The way that Kelly insisted on helping Victoria learn how to control her magic. Kelly wanted to protect Victoria from the harsh reality of the world.
Elena spoke, interrupting Damon's inner monologuing. Her voice was strong and steady, if not a little harsh, as she spoke to Shelia. "You took care of Victoria, me, Bonnie, and Caroline when we were kids. You babysat us, you changed us. You took care of us when we had needs, and when my parents died and Victoria was in the hospital and none of us knew if she was going to slip away in her coma, you comforted us. She is as much your granddaughter as I may be, or Caroline, or hell, even Bonnie. Nothing about her has changed, Grams. Nothing."
"Do not speak of things you don't even understand, child," Shelia sniffed. "She accepted the darkness. She was the one who said yes. She abandoned her bloodline for filth."
"Let's just agree to disagree at this point," huffed Lexi, striding up the front lawn. She stood on Victoria's other side and wrapped an arm around Victoria's shoulders. The girl hid herself in Lexi's hold and Damon could only imagine the lethal look in Lexi's eyes would make any sane person fearful. Taking that as his cue, Damon made his way forward, and given the footsteps he heard, he knew that Lee and Stefan, the other two who were left, were following him. They all stood around Victoria like a shield and Damon folded his arms across his chest, glaring up at Shelia Bennett. Bonnie was standing behind her grandmother, looking torn and disgusted by everything happening in front of her.
"Listen, Anna is going to keep coming after you and Bonnie again and again until she gets the tomb open," Stefan explained, and he sounded like he was trying to plead with the Bennett matriarch. "She's not going to stop until she gets what she wants. You, Bonnie, Kelly, and Victoria will all be in danger. If we help her, maybe this all will end."
"She kidnapped Bonnie, Elena, and Victoria to try and open that tomb and you think that we should just help her get what she wants?" Lee asked Stefan incredulously.
"Anna will get her mother, Damon will hopefully get Katherine," Stefan rationed out, and Damon blinked back in surprise. Katherine. He had forgotten about Katherine. His worry and fear for Victoria had clouded everything in his judgment. Of course. Katherine. Focus on Katherine. Getting Katherine. "At this point, what other choice do we have?"
"I'll leave."
Two words, spoken softly and with an emotion that sucker-punched Damon right in the gut. Those two words silenced the group as a whole and made everyone look towards the center of their little grouping in surprise. Damon pushed past Elena, breaking the connection she had with Victoria, and moved to stand looking directly into Victoria's eyes. They were watery, but determined. Unsure, but strong.
"What the hell?" Damon demanded, his voice a harsh whisper. He didn't want an answer; he needed an answer.
Victoria didn't look at him. She shoved past his shoulder and stood in front of the entire collection of vampires plus human. She had her whole focus directed onto Shelia Bennett. Victoria continued, her voice growing stronger as she continued, "If you help us open the tomb, I will leave Mystic Falls. You won't have to worry about the Immortalis. I'll leave Mystic Falls, Virginia, the United States, I don't care! I will be so far from your memory that all you will remember is the little witch you helped to raise."
"Tori, no!" Elena yelled, but Victoria just held a hand up, silencing the younger girl.
"Do we have a deal, Shelia?" Victoria demanded to know. "You open the tomb, I will leave."
"Even if you leave, once word gets out that another Immortalis has come into the Transitioning, you will be hunted down and killed," Shelia said firmly. She said it like it was a fact, not just an opinion. "Nothing you do and no one you meet will ever be able to keep you safe."
"Then it's a good thing I don't need anyone but myself to keep me safe," Victoria shot back.
"Tori, but Caroline -!"
"- Do. We. Have. A. Deal?"
"Witches have been pulled down by vampire problems for eons, as much as we have tried to stay out of it," Shelia said, tilting her head. Her gaze seemed contemplative. Finally, after a few tense moments, she added, "I'll open the tomb. You will get whoever Anna wants, the girl, and then you will destroy the rest with fire. You will leave Mystic Falls and never return. Then this will all be over."
"I object!" Elena tried again, but neither Victoria nor Shelia were paying her any mind.
"We open the tomb tonight," Victoria said firmly.
As soon as the words left Victoria's mouth, she slipped around and ran. She ran as fast as her feet would take her and just headed anywhere. The direction wasn't important. The feeling of her feet slapping against concrete, and then grass, and then dirt filled with twigs and leaves, filled her. Nothing was important. It was worse than feeling numb. She could feel anything, everything, and yet nothing mattered. Nothing was important to her.
She staggered to a stop, and it was then that her sobs and pitiful cries of desperation became evident. Victoria's arms wrapped around themselves in a hug and she stumbled up against a tree. She slid down the tree, her back against the bark, until she was on the ground, tears pouring down her face as if it was raining itself.
Leave Mystic Falls. Leave everyone. Leave the people who were her family.
A pained cry ripped its way out of Victoria's mouth and she slapped her hands over her mouth. Victoria brought her legs up to her chest and she buried her face in her knees.
She didn't want to leave.
She didn't want to go.
People were hunting her, wanting to kill her. Permanently.
She wanted her mom.
"Victoria!"
Victoria flinched and immediately tried to pull away from the voice. She scrambled across the dirt floor and only paused when she heard, "Shh, shh, shh, it's okay, it's okay! It's just me. It's Zach."
Victoria blinked, and looked up towards Zach. He was standing a few feet from her, his hands held up in front of him in a gentle manner. Victoria's shoulders heaved and she rapidly tried to dry her eyes with her hands. Zach fell to his knees in front of her and reached out, grabbing her wrists. "Hey, hey, hey, stop that. It's okay to break."
"I don't want to leave," Victoria cried, shaking her head. "I don't want to leave Mystic Falls." She bit her lower lip to try and stifle more tears.
Zach pulled her forward softly, and Victoria just went with it. She fell into his embrace, and she lost it.
She sobbed into Zach's shoulder, wrapping her arms around him. Zach hugged her tightly in return and didn't say anything. Victoria just didn't know what to do, so she cried and cried and cried into Zach, and he just held her. It felt like minutes, it felt like hours.
After what seemed like a millennium filled with tears, cries, and sobs, when Victoria felt exhausted and tired, Zach finally spoke with a gentle whisper, "You won't be alone."
"I'm always alone, Zach," Victoria replied. Her voice was raspy, broken, and dead tired. She was just done. Supernatural life sucked. She wanted to go home. She wanted her mom. "From the moment I was born to the moment that I finally die, I will always be alone."
"No, you are not," Zach restated. This time, his voice was louder and firmer.
Victoria let out a frustrated growl and pushed Zach back, looking at him with slight desperation. Tears started to trickle down her eyes again, and she just let them. How many more tears did she have left to cry? "Yes, I am!" Her shoulders were bobbing like a piece of driftwood in the ocean as she tried to keep her panic down. She wasn't doing a great job. "I got everything I wanted growing up except what I needed most: affection. I was never lonely; I had friends surrounding me everywhere I went, but I was always alone! No one cared about my feelings. I just was a puppet in my parents' stupid game! A-And now, when I've finally found real friends and a real family who I love and who cares about me, I have to leave to keep the peace when people are trying to kill me!"
"You won't be alone because I'm going to come with you."
What?
What?
"What?" Victoria breathed, completely taken aback.
Zach gave her a gentle (dare she say fatherly?) look and reached out, grabbing her hands. He shifted on the ground, getting more comfortable, and Victoria could only watch. "Victoria, in the months that I've known you, you have felt like what I imagine a daughter would feel like to me. I would do anything to keep you safe. I felt it almost as soon as I met you, and those feelings only intensified after I became a vampire. Besides my uncles, there is literally nothing holding me to this town anymore. I would come with you, Kelly would come with you. I doubt that Lexi and Lee could be convinced to stay here if you weren't here; hell, I bet even Damon would pack up and kidnap Caroline and they would come too."
"They can't leave Mystic Falls," Victoria insisted, shaking her head hurriedly. "They can't. This town needs them here."
"But they need you more," Zach retorted gently, giving her hands a squeeze. "Listen, I'm not a Wanderer like some people," Victoria gave him a flat look and he returned the look with a teasing smile, "but I do know that no matter what happens after the ceremony tonight, you won't be alone." Zach shrugged his shoulders. "Who knows? If you're wrong and Katherine is in that tomb, maybe she's chilled out from the way Uncle Stefan describes her and she'll come along."
Victoria let out a slightly hysterical chuckle at that and Zach tugged her forward again, wrapping her up in a hug. Victoria hugged him tightly and rested her chin on his shoulder, looking out into the forest. She let out a little sigh, relishing the warmth that Zach provided her.
"So...can we come out now?"
Victoria let out a laugh, shaking her head in disbelief as she watched Lee and Lexi stride out of the trees. The two were holding hands and Lexi was resting her head on Lee's shoulder. Victoria pulled herself away from Zach and rose to her feet, heading straight for the duo. The two vampires welcomed Victoria into their arms, wrapping her up tightly in a vampire burrito. "I thought that only Zach came."
"We followed him, and he told us to give him a minute to speak with you before we came out," Lexi explained, rubbing Victoria's back with her free hand. The vampiress saw the unspoken question in her eyes and answered, "Stefan took Elena to Caroline's house because Anna can get into her house. Elena promised to explain everything to Caroline. Damon went out searching for Kelly; he figured that you would want your mom."
"There are moments when all I want to do is slap him," Victoria sniffled, a warm smile coming to her lips. "And then there are moments like this when he really just understands me. Do you know what happened with Bonnie?"
Lee's eyes darkened and his jaw noticeably tensed. "She decided to stay at her grandmother's house. Said something about wanting to talk sense into her."
"Bonnie will be safe with her," Victoria sighed. "She'll talk with Shelia. If there's anyone who can get through her thick skull, it's Bon-Bon."
Her phone's ringtone suddenly erupted and Victoria sighed again. She stepped out of the two vampires' arms and grabbed her phone from her pocket. It was Damon's name on the caller I.D., so she clicked answer and brought it up to her ear. She wandered a couple of steps away from the vampires, in the semblance of privacy, and answered, "Hey, Damon."
"Mama Bear, you doing okay?" he asked her.
Victoria smiled softly. "As well as I can be considering everything. I finished crying, so you know, there's that. How's Kelly?"
"That's the thing, Mama Bear. Anna got her. She'll bring her tonight. Her mother in exchange for yours. Those are her conditions."
Victoria met Damon on the edge of the woods later that night. To say that she had been on the verge of a nervous breakdown earlier would be an understatement. It took the combined efforts of Zach, Lexi, and Lee to make sure that Victoria didn't break down in panic and tears again. Instead, they had quickly come up with a plan and put it into action. Under Victoria's advisement, Lexi and Lee had rushed to the boarding house and grabbed Lexi's stash of human blood bags. They each held a handful of blood bags on their person, some for Katherine (if she was still there) and some for Pearl. Some of them might have also been included with Harper in mind, but that was another story for a different time. Victoria had also changed into some clean jeans, a long-sleeved dark blue Henley and Zach's old leather coat (the same one that held a hidden stake in its sleeve. She figured it might come in handy later).
Lexi, Lee, and Zach had dropped her off at the woods, wanting to hit the tomb before the witches and/or Anna got there to make sure everything was prepared. Everything had to go perfect tonight; it was like the most stressful dance Victoria had ever participated in. If even one thing went wrong, then many lives could be lost. It didn't help that one of the most powerful witches at the ceremony hated her guts simply because of the creature she had become. Yeah...Victoria didn't enjoy that much.
"You still with me, Mama Bear?" Damon's voice asked, interrupting her rampaging thoughts.
She blinked, before nodding her head softly. Damon's grip on her hand tightened and he pulled her along faster. The duo were walking, and at a human-speed. With the Duke party just happening just a jump-skip-and-a-hop away from the tomb, neither of them wanted to draw any unwanted attention to themselves. The hand-holding hadn't been a part of the original plan, but Victoria craved comfort against her anxiety. Whenever she had a panic attack, Stefan's touch always helped her calm down, so she figured that Damon would do the same.
It wasn't necessarily true; Damon's touch didn't have a gentle calming effect that Stefan's did. Damon's was more fire than water. His touch spoke of revenge; if anyone or anything hurt you, he would hurt them. Still, it did its job, so Victoria didn't complain about the difference.
"Did Anna say if she hurt my mom?" Victoria asked quietly.
Damon's jaw twitched, and Victoria frowned. That definitely couldn't be a good sign. He let out a short, sharp breath and said, "She just said that if we wanted Kelly alive, we were to go to the tomb tonight and we would release Pearl. Once Pearl left the tomb, then Anna promised not to harm Kelly."
"So basically, no. You don't know if she hurt my mom."
"No, Mama Bear, I don't know if she hurt Kelly," Damon replied. He gave her hand a squeeze. "But I do know that Kelly LeBlanc scares the crap out of me, and I don't scare easily. Anna wouldn't dare touch her."
"Good point," Victoria breathed. She tried to calm herself down. Everything would be fine. It would be fine.
So why did she feel like she was about to walk into the lion's den?
"Tori! Hey!"
Victoria paused and she pulled Damon to a stop. They were skimming around the edges of the Duke party, but Victoria had figured that they were far enough on the side to not be noticed. That evidently wasn't the case. Matt and Caroline were rapidly approaching. Caroline had a look of fear, but it wasn't directed towards Victoria. More like she was fearful for Victoria. Elena must have filled her in on what they were planning to do. On what Shelia Bennett had agreed to. What Victoria had suggested.
Yeah...that was the face of a woman who was pissed but too scared to say anything about it.
"Tori! Where have you been?" Caroline demanded. Victoria could hear her friend's heartbeat pick up as the blonde's mind began to wander. Her heartbeat only fell back down when Matt not-so-subtly slipped his hand into hers.
Despite what was happening and the immense anxiety that was coursing through Victoria's system, she had to use all of her powers to resist the urge to 'awh'. She had thought that the Matt and Caroline romance wouldn't have happened because Caroline had been at the school when Victoria died instead of walking home, pissed at Matt. Shit, had that been what Caroline had wanted to talk about the other night before Stefan had requested her presence at the school with Alaric? It all made sense!
"Long story, no time to tell," Damon interrupted, squeezing Victoria's hand again. He began to tug her away from the group, but Caroline's glare stopped him from moving.
"I wasn't talking to you," Caroline snapped.
"Sure you were," Damon hummed, giving the blonde cheerleader his signature smirk. Victoria rolled her eyes. He was an idiot. If Caroline was willing to slap Stefan Salvatore, the Salvatore brother she actually liked as a person, the human would have no qualms about slapping Damon. The last thing that they needed was an incident on their hands when they had other things to do.
"We haven't met," Matt charmingly slid in. He stuck out his hand towards Damon, who just looked at it like it was a piece of dog poop. "I'm Matt."
"Matt, there's a reason we haven't met," Damon stated directly.
"Be nice, Damon," Victoria snapped at him.
Damon rolled his eyes. "This is ridiculous. You and I are going that way." He gave a single nod to Caroline and said, "Stay safe, Care-Bear. I need my drinking buddy alive."
Victoria's eyes just widened in disbelief as Damon tugged her away. "What? Drinking buddy?"
"What? She can be perky and a pain in my ass but she slams back bourbon with the best of us."
Victoria rolled her eyes. Yeah, that would be how Season 1 Damon and Caroline would bond.
Once they were clear of the party and both their super senses ensured that there was no one around to witness what they were about to do, the two supernatural creatures broke out into a dead sprint, heading straight for the tomb. Victoria relied on Damon's sense of direction; she had only been to the area once and that had been when she was partially knocked unconscious by a sadistic Emily Bennett. The church was not exactly her "happy spot", one could say.
They reached the ruins of the old church in record time (not that Victoria was counting, or anything; she just knew that she beat Damon). They skidded to a stop a little ways away from the church, and the sudden stop caused Victoria to do more of a stumble-step. Damon caught her around the waist before she could completely face-plant and she sent him a thumbs-up for a thank you.
"How you are a dancer when you are this ridiculously clumsy is beyond me," snickered Damon, shaking his head in exasperation.
Victoria frowned at him and gave his shoulder a shove. "Jerk."
"I prefer rugged, handsome sex god, but thank you," Damon replied. The two strode out of the dark woods and towards the church clearing. Through the darkness, Victoria spotted Stefan, Elena, Bonnie, and Shelia Bennett gathered around in the open air. The stairs to the tomb were lit with a soft glow, making Victoria believe that Lexi, Lee, and Zach were already in there, making preparations. "Brother." Damon nodded his head in greeting to his brother, and he quirked an angry eyebrow towards the two Bennett witches and said gruffly, "Witches."
He reached over and gave Victoria's temple a quick kiss before disappearing towards the stairs. Victoria felt a blush rise on her cheeks and was suddenly grateful for the darkness. Damon and his weird antics...
"Everything okay?" Stefan asked Victoria, and she gave the vampire a nod.
"As everything can be, I guess," Victoria said, echoing the words she had spoken to his brother hours ago. "I think I got everything that I need for tonight. You good, Elena?"
"I just want to get this over with," Elena sniffed, huddling in tighter to herself. Victoria could agree with the silent sentiment that it was freezing. Deciding to open a tomb out in the woods in the middle of December wasn't Victoria's idea of a good time. "Are we ready?"
"Almost," Bonnie said.
"Can't get this party started without me."
At the voice, Victoria broke out in an overjoyed smile and she flipped around, throwing herself into the voice's arms. "Mom!"
"Hey baby girl," Kelly whispered, wrapping her up tightly in her arms. "I can't even begin to tell you how wonderful it is to have you in my arms again."
"Why did Anna just let you go?" Victoria questioned, pulling back to look up into her mother's eyes.
Kelly gave Victoria a triumphant smirk, one that Victoria felt like she must have picked up from Damon on the TV show. "Do you honestly think that she could've kept me for long?"
"You never know," Victoria answered honestly. "I was worried about you."
"I was more worried about you," Kelly retorted, reaching forward to gently bop her nose. "Tonight's the night, huh?"
"Yeah, it is," Victoria said, swallowing hard. There was too much light and happiness in Kelly's eyes.
She didn't know.
Kelly didn't know what Victoria had promised to Shelia in return for her help.
She thought everything was still fine and dandy.
Victoria wasn't going to tell her. If it was going to be her last day in Mystic Falls, she wanted to spend it with a mom who was not burdened down.
"Let's get this show underway," Victoria just said instead. She grabbed her mother's hand and dragged her to the stairs. Victoria led the LeBlancs down the curling stairs and into the entrance to the tomb. She let go of her mother's hand and moved to stand beside Zach and Lexi, who were eyeing the torches they had set up (already burning) with slight disdain.
Victoria reached over and poked Zach's stomach, drawing the eyes of the older Salvatore down to her. "Hey, is everything alright?"
"Something's not right," Zach whispered, his eyes narrowing. He gestured nonsensically with hands, as if he didn't know what to say. "I...I can't say what's wrong but something's...something's not right."
"That would be the prejudice that is just raining down in hoards," Lexi mumbled, her eyes flickering towards Shelia Bennett. The Bennett matriarch stepped forward towards the lit torches, Bonnie and Kelly falling into place on either side of her. "What's Kelly doing?"
"Best guess? She's a witch too so she's going to help Bonnie and Shelia open the tomb," Victoria suggested, folding her hands together behind her back. If Kelly helped the Bennett witches, then there was a better chance that Shelia wouldn't be so injured by the events of the night that she died. She would live...
...and Victoria's promise to her would stand.
"Air," Shelia breathed, dragging her hand through the air. She shuffled her foot against the rocky bottom and a poof of dust rose up. "Earth." She then gestured towards the lit torches. "Fire."
"Water," Bonnie added helpfully, pulling out a little water bottle from her pack. She passed it to Shelia and the older woman grabbed it gratefully. She started to sprinkle the water around in a circle.
Elena's brow furrowed from across the room and she piped in, "That's it? Jus water from the tap?"
"As opposed to what?" Shelia asked, standing up and quirking an eyebrow towards the girl.
Elena blushed lightly and shrugged her shoulders awkwardly. "I just figured maybe it would have to be blessed or mystical or something."
"We save that water for the really challenging spells," Kelly joked, and that got a smile out of the doppelgänger.
Stefan coughed, drawing everyone's attention to him. He gestured across the room towards the two plastic bags that Lee was currently squatting by. The Southern vampire was ruffling through them, checking to see if everything was in place. Stefan asked, "What are those for?"
"Katherine, if she's there, and Anna's mother," Lee replied, rising to his feet. He brushed his hands off on his jeans and turned to look back at the group. He gave Victoria a thumbs-up. "We're all good to go." To Stefan, he added, "Gotta have something to get them going if we don't want them snacking on our little humans. Or witches."
"Wait," Shelia ordered, a hand raised, and everyone in the room froze. Victoria's brow furrowed in confusion. This wasn't a part of the script. The Bennett witch took two steps towards where Victoria knew the tomb entrance was and she sucked in a deep breath through her nose. Shelia's eyes fluttered close and then they shot open. "Something has changed."
"What?" Damon demanded, glancing towards Victoria for an answer. She just gave him a helpless look and shook her head, hoping he knew that she had no idea what was going on. "What's happening? What changed?"
"There has been another factor added to the game," Shelia murmured. She approached the wall of the tomb and ran a finger down the stone. Once it was properly coated in dust, she pulled it back and licked it with her tongue.
Victoria did her best not to gag. It was kind of gross.
Shelia smacked her lips and paused, as if contemplating the taste of the dust, stone, and earth. She turned around and planted her hands on her hips, observing the room. "There has been another precaution added to the tomb."
"Excuse me?" Kelly said, blinking her eyes in disbelief. "That can't be true."
"Bonnie tells me that the spirit of our ancestor, Emily Bennett, possessed her and broke her amulet, correct?" Shelia stated, to which everyone slowly nodded their head (even Kelly, though she hadn't been there physically). "While there, Emily did something else. She covered the tomb with a blood-bind. Only the blood of the one who was bound to this tomb can help break the spell; blood for blood."
Immediately, a phrase came to Victoria's mind.
"I bind thee's blood to this sacred ground. Let it be so. Prevent the demons from coming through."
Victoria found herself uttering that phrase, lightly and to herself, "I bind thee's blood to this sacred ground. Let it be so. Prevent the demons from coming through."
Shelia's eyes shot over to her and for once since that morning, they didn't look upset. They were surprised, if anything, and maybe even a little impressed. "That sounds like a blood-binding spell if ever I've heard one."
"Emily said it to me that night," Victoria said, her mind racing. "She spoke those words and then an unbelievable pain hit my entire body. It felt like I was being set on fire. Everything burned. And all of that happened after she cut me. She coated her hand in my blood and suddenly the flames just got higher."
"She bound your blood to this tomb," Shelia commented. Her hands fell to her sides. "Well, if you still want to open up this tomb, then we're going to need to make you bleed."
"Oh, don't look so slap-happy about it," Damon growled, taking a few steps forward. "How much blood are we talking about?"
"Usually I would just say a drop," Shelia admitted. "But now that she is the Immortalis, perhaps we can have some use of her." Shelia looked towards Bonnie. "Run and grab the jar I hid in my backpack."
Bonnie nodded and moved to the side of the room, where her backpack was located. Shelia gestured with one finger at Victoria to approach. Victoria did so, albeit slowly and cautiously, and with a chorus of thinly-veiled growling threats from every vampire in the room. Shelia just rolled her eyes and once Victoria was close to her, said, "How much do you know about your powers?"
"Enough that if you try to hurt me intentionally I can probably rip your spine out with my mind," Victoria said honestly, folding her arms across her chest. "But I think I know the lines that your mind is running along. Booster?"
"Someone has been learning," sniffed Shelia, eyeing her up and down. "That is correct."
"For the people who haven't been gifted a magical teacher in the ways of the Immortalis?" Stefan asked, raising a hand.
Victoria looked back towards Stefan. There was something off about him, the way he was looking at her. It made her stomach flip-flop just looking at him. "The Immortalis' blood is rich in magic. It can be used to boost other magical acts. In addition to using my blood to open the tomb and break the spell, Shelia wants to use it to help strengthen their counterspell. Make sense?"
"And how much more blood do you need to use for your magic steroid?" Lee asked, eyeing Shelia as Bonnie approached the circle of witches, only this time holding a jar full of what looked to be white paste.
"How much did Emily use?"
"She just sliced my arm," Victoria retorted. "It's not like I had time to really think about it."
Shelia rolled her eyes and grabbed the jar of paste from Bonnie. She twirled the jar's lid off as she said, "Well, in that case, then we'll just use that amount too. Now, can you tell me what this is?"
Shelia lifted the jar and held it out towards Victoria. Victoria eyed the jar and reached forward, gently dipping a finger into the paste.
She immediately jerked her hand back as an itching, burning pain danced along the skin of her finger. Victoria hissed and wiped her finger aggressively against her shirt. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out exactly what that paste is. "Wyrmwood."
"Someone has been training you," Shelia mused. "I assume you know what it will do."
"You want me to willingly let you put that stuff on me?" Victoria snapped.
"Of course," Shelia replied. "I am about to try and cut you. Your powers are not going to like that. I would like to live through the night, thank you very much."
"What if I cut her?" Kelly asked, stepping forward to be in line with her daughter.
Shelia shook her head. "You don't know the spell, Kelly; I do. It is to be me or no one."
"And we're supposed to just be chill with the fact that you're going to cut open Mama Bear?" Damon demanded.
Victoria held up a hand, silencing the room before anyone else could say anything. She gave Shelia a hard look and said firmly and loudly, "This is me that we're talking about. It is my decision." She took a deep breath through her nose and let it out. "Alright. I am willing to trust you, but only because there are multiple vampires here who would obliterate you if you try to permanently harm me."
"Excuse me, what?" Kelly demanded, her eyes narrowing dangerously. They flashed from Victoria to Shelia, but neither woman turned to look at her. "What the hell does that mean?"
"I will coat your hands with this wyrmwood paste," Shelia explained, lifting up the jar. "It will burn and hurt, but I'm sure you've felt worse pain." Well, she's not exactly wrong there. "We will have to tie you down so you don't lash out during the middle of the ceremony. Once everyone is out, we will wipe the paste off."
"Alright," Victoria sniffed. She ditched Zach's jacket and tossed it over to the man in question. He caught it easily and slipped it on. She shook her arms and legs and then turned to make eye contact with every vampire (plus Elena, Bonnie, and Kelly) in the room. Her gaze lingered on Damon, and she mouthed silently, "I hope she's there."
The stressed forehead wrinkles that he got when he was worried lightened at that and he mouthed back, "Me too." Victoria turned around and swallowed heavily. Finally, after what felt like a million years, she caught Shelia Bennett's eyes. "Let's do this."
Victoria knelt down in the center of the witches and Shelia directed Bonnie to run and grab some restraints from her backpack. Shelia knelt down in front of Victoria and dipped her hands into the paste. She rubbed her hands together, mashing the paste up and then held her hands out to Victoria. Victoria gave Shelia one hand at a time.
As soon as Shelia began to lather the paste onto Victoria's hands, she had to clench her teeth together. It burned like as if Victoria had stuck her hand into an open flame. An itch unlike anything else dominated the feeling in her hands and it was everything she could do not to rub the paste off on herself. Victoria's breathing grew more audible as Shelia continued. Once the paste was properly applied, Bonnie returned with some lightweight chains. Victoria eyed them carefully, but didn't make any move to try and slip away as Shelia clamped each restraint onto her hand. Shelia anchored the chains into the earth, tightened them so Victoria couldn't touch her hands together at all.
By the time that Shelia was done securing the chains, Victoria's hands had started to feel numb. It was actually a relief, if she was being honest. At least she didn't feel like her hands were going to be burnt off.
Shelia came back around to Victoria's front. She grabbed Victoria's sleeve and yanked it up. Without so much of a warning, the witch pulled out a pocket knife and dragged it against Victoria's right arm. Victoria let out a yelp of pain and squeezed her eyes shut. That hurt like a bitch! She could feel the warm rivulets of blood begin to drip down her arm and the smell of copper radiated throughout the small underground room. When Victoria opened her eyes, the room had lost all of its color and everything was black and white. That had been what, the second, third time that had happened? What did that mean? She had forgotten to ask Henri the last time she had seen him.
"Gather around," Shelia ordered, and Victoria found herself surrounded by Kelly, Shelia, and Bonnie. Each witch, with different levels of reluctance, reached over and coated one of their hands with Victoria's blood. Once that was done, they all connected hands and began to whisper in low voices.
As they spoke, Victoria felt a pulling sensation in the pit of her stomach. She shifted on her knees, and shook her head. It was just the feeling of them calling upon her magic. She was good. To be honest, it hadn't been as bad as she had anticipated.
Through the witches' speaking, Victoria heard Damon ask nervously, "What are they saying?"
"Sounds Latin," came Stefan's reply.
Elena scoffed nervously, and responded, "I don't think it's Latin."
Just then, the sensation of being punched in the gut hit Victoria. She let out a pained wheeze as her eyes flew open and she pulled at the restraints on the ground. They did their job, keeping her from moving anywhere, and Victoria gritted her teeth, trying to breathe properly. Yeah, they were definitely calling on her magic now. She could feel the pulling sensation back in her stomach, but it was stronger than before.
The room seemed to get brighter and she heard Elena squeak, "What's happening?"
A loud rumbling filled the chamber. Through the space between Bonnie and Shelia, Victoria could see the wall of the cave begin to separate and open. Rocks tumbled down, dislodged from the sudden move, and dust filled the air as centuries-old rocks moved for the first time in over one hundred and forty-five years. The sounds of chanting faded as everyone looked towards the cave entrance.
Bonnie was the first to speak. Victoria looked up to her and saw a look of pure, unadulterated surprise and happiness. "It worked!"
"Of course it worked," Shelia sniffed, as if she had no doubts. "Albeit, faster than I anticipated."
"The blood of the Immortalis can be an amazing thing, then," Kelly laughed. She stood directly behind Victoria, so she couldn't see her, but she knelt down and wrapped her arms around Victoria's neck. She plopped a sloppy kiss on her cheek. "Great job, baby girl."
"Thanks, Mom," Victoria breathed. A sudden wave of exhaustion hit Victoria and she slumped down on her knees. "Damn, that...sucked."
"We have some fires to build," Lee commented, directing the statement to Stefan.
Stefan looked towards Elena (or so Victoria assumed, since he was also standing out of her line of sight). "I'm gonna go get the gasoline, I'll be right back."
"I'll join you," Lexi offered.
Stefan must have done something because Lexi sent Victoria a strong look before darting off. The sound of footsteps dragged Victoria's attention away from the stone floor and when she looked up, she was overwhelmed by Stefan. He was kneeling down in front of her, his green eyes flashing with concern. He reached forward and gently cradled her face in his hands, his thumbs stroking her cheeks. Victoria could feel dust rain off of her face and she let out a breath.
Stefan's eyes searched her face as he asked in a low murmur, "You doing good, Tori?"
"I'm good," Victoria told him, licking her lips. She pulled a face when she tasted the large amounts of dust that was coating them. "You know, just bleeding...and I-I can't feel my hands right now."
"As soon as she will let you go, you head straight to the boarding house," Stefan ordered, his eyes flashing up towards Shelia so fast that only Victoria would have caught it. "We'll help you."
"Thanks, Stef," Victoria sighed, another wave of exhaustion hitting her. "I really should have gotten some food today."
His eyes narrowed slightly. "You haven't eaten?"
"Stefan!" Lexi called out from the surface.
"I'll be fine," Victoria reassured him, giving him a firm nod. "Go help Lexi. You'll need it."
Stefan seemed reluctant to do so, but he nodded. However, before he moved away, he leaned forward, resting his forehead against hers. Victoria let her eyes droop shut and she took a shaky breath. Leaving Stefan, as much as he always embraced the Elena blinders, would probably be the hardest thing she was going to do. Her first friend to know about where she came from. The first to not judge her. Her first dance since she died. Her comforter. A warm feeling exploded in her chest and she released a breath she hadn't known she had been holding.
"Please be careful," Victoria whispered to him, not opening her eyes. She didn't want to ruin the moment.
"I should be saying that to you," Stefan replied. The feeling of his touch disappeared and Victoria reluctantly opened her eyes. Stefan was still there, looking down at her with warm eyes. "See you soon."
"See you soon," Victoria responded.
Stefan gave her another nod before he let go of her. Victoria immediately missed the warmth of his touch and watched sorrowfully as he stood up. Her eyes trailed after him and she watched as he disappeared from view.
She turned back towards the entrance to the tomb and rolled her wrists. The chains bit at her skin and she gritted her teeth. She tried to adjust herself for more comfort, but it was honestly hard to do.
"You ready?" Damon called out to Zach and Lee. The two vampires nodded and Damon marched to stand in front of Victoria. He pointed a finger towards Elena and gestured for her to approach him. "Come on."
"What?" Elena asked incredulously.
Damon turned towards Bonnie and Shelia (mostly Shelia) with a glare and chuckled darkly, "You think I'm gonna go in there by myself, with two other vampires, so you can seal us all in?"
"You take her, I'll bring the walls down," Shelia threatened.
"You'll bring the walls down if I don't," Damon shot back. "You think I trust you?"
"As much as I trust you," Shelia barked, her hands tightening into fists at her side.
"Then it's a good thing that she isn't going into the tomb."
Victoria's eyes widened in disbelief, shock, and more so, fear. She turned her head as far back as she could and gasped, "Caroline!"
The blonde marched around to the front of the group, folding her arms across her chest. She stared down at Victoria, bound and bleeding on the floor, and her eyes darkened at the sight. Caroline raised her line of sight to Shelia Bennett. She was still wearing the outfit from the party. Victoria sniffed. There was a faint smell of booze coming from the teenager, but she smelled surprisingly sober.
"Blondie," Damon grunted, glancing at Caroline thoughtfully. "I thought you were partying it up with your boyfriend."
"You really think I was going to leave my best friend to deal with some racist witch?" Caroline snorted, raising an eyebrow towards Damon. "Nuh-uh." She turned back towards Shelia, standing tall and not looking at all afraid. Victoria would need to ask for tips on how she looked so brave. "I'll go into the tomb with Damon, Lee, and Zach. Elena can stay with you guys; ensure that you aren't going to do something stupid."
"I'm standing right here, Caroline," Kelly said sternly, sounding not at-all-pleased to be included in that comment. "And what the hell does that mean?"
"No time to explain now, Kelly-Beans," Damon commented, reaching over and grabbing Caroline's wrist. "Vampires to save and all that jazz."
"Damon," Victoria called out just before Damon could enter the tomb. He paused and turned, his icy-blue eyes catching onto hers. She waited a moment and just did what she could to memorize his appearance. If she was never going to see him...no, Victoria couldn't think like that. She was going to cry if she did. "I..." She licked her lips. Come on, words. Just come out. Say it. "I know I said this before but...I hope that I was wrong."
Damon didn't need explanation. He knew what she was saying with needing to say the words out loud.
She hoped that Katherine was in the tomb. For Damon's sake.
Damon shot her a toothy smile and sent her a flirty wink, one that made Victoria crack a smile. "Don't go having fun without me, Mama Bear. We'll be back soon."
With that, Damon flipped around, ready to stalk off into the tomb. Caroline rolled her eyes and reached over, nabbing one of the torches from the circle without so much as a word. With light in hand, the two marched off, as if they were leaving for war. Zach grabbed another one of the torches and gave a single nod to Victoria, which Lee also replicated on his end. The two headed into the tomb and Victoria prayed for each of their safe return. That Caroline would be safe. That Damon would protect her.
"Now that it's just us girls here," Kelly began, moving out from behind Victoria to stand in front of her. Kelly's hands were planted on her hips and there was a quiet, vengeful rage lingering in her dark orbs. "Let's make this simple: Shelia Bennett, break the other seal or so help me, I will make you rue the day you decided to go against the Salvatores."
Shit.
Shit!
Victoria had forgotten all about the additional seal. The one that kept the vampires in. Damn it, she had been so focused all day on how to get the vampires in, she had forgotten about how to get them out! Damn it, damn it, damn it!
"Break the seal," Victoria ordered, swinging her head up. Shelia just looked down at her with a frown and Victoria's anger spiked. "Shelia Bennett, break the seal!"
"I do not have to do anything," Shelia snapped back. "You really think that I was going to help you?"
"What seal? What other seal?" Elena questioned, rushing up to stand beside Bonnie. Victoria swung her gaze towards the two girls, but instead of answering Elena, her gaze was drawn to Bonnie.
Something was wrong. Victoria could feel it deep inside of her stomach, and it wasn't just the sensation of her magic being used. Bonnie seemed...different. Empty, a blank sheet. She was looking down at Victoria, but it wasn't Bonnie looking down at her...
"Shelia only broke the seal to allow entrance to the tomb," Kelly explained to Elena, but Victoria only heard the explanation in the back of her mind. Her gaze was narrowed at Bonnie's. Why did she seem so off? What was going on? "She didn't lift the seal that allowed vampires to exit. Damon, Lee, Zach, and Pearl will all be stuck inside."
Bonnie's eyes caught Victoria's and a dangerous shiver raced down her spine. There was something in Bonnie's gaze. Victoria squinted, trying hard to see...There! There was a image being reflected in Bonnie's gaze. It was...it was...
Vicki?
"Tori!" the woman screamed. In the reflection of Bonnie's eyes, it seemed as though the mind apparition was standing behind Victoria and Victoria could truly say that she had never seen the girl looked so panicked as she did in that moment. "Get out! It's not Bonnie! It's not her! It's Emily!"
Shit.
"RUN!"
"Look out!" Victoria screamed just as Bonnie's blank look drew back into a deadly smirk.
So many things happened all in that one moment:
First, Kelly and Elena were sent flying. One simple sweep of a hand from Bonnie (or better listed, Emily) and the White Witch and doppelgänger were up against the cave wall, each knocked out. Victoria let out a fearful gasp and surged towards the two. "Elena! Kelly!" Only the beating sound of their hearts told Victoria that they were still alive.
Second, the glittering of Shelia's pocket knife caught Victoria's eye. Before Victoria could say anything or attempt to dodge, Shelia was kneeling down beside Victoria. With a sharp jab, the knife was in her stomach and Victoria was letting out a pained cry, tears immediately jumping to her eyes. Shelia dragged the knife, still inches deep into Victoria's stomach, towards herself; the ripping of flesh and clothes filled the air and Victoria couldn't stop the scream that tore from her throat. It was like the night of her Immortalis death. Tears fell from her eyes as her body threatened to collapse. Everything hurt. Oh gosh, everything was in pain.
The black-and-white atmosphere that surrounded Victoria like a curtain only intensified, and Victoria knew that her powers tried to react. The magic wanted to protect her, but even the mere thought of using her gifts caused her palms to burn. Victoria let out another cry as the burning in her hands raised in volume, matching the burning sensation she felt in her stomach.
"You didn't really think that I would just let you leave, did you?" Shelia asked, sounding genuinely interested. She took the knife and wiped the blood off onto her hands. She offered out the knife to Emily-Bonnie, who took it and wiped the other side of the knife onto her hands as well. "Witches are meant to kill the Immortalis. To be honest, I always dreamed of this moment; every witch wants to be the one to kill the Immortalis. It only makes it sweeter to know that I will be killing a rogue witch."
"What did you do to Bonnie?" Victoria hissed. The room was beginning to tilt. Stay awake, stay awake, damn it! "H-How...?"
"The Bennetts have always been sentimental," Shelia explained, shrugging nonchalantly. "All it took was an afternoon to find an old heirloom of Emily's that I could convince Bonnie to wear." Shelia knelt down and reached forward, her hand snatching Victoria's jaw. Victoria growled as Shelia's fingers pinched her, forcing her to look into the older Bennett's eyes. "You will take your last breath down here. Any last words before you go?"
"Go to hell," Victoria spat, spitting at Shelia.
Shelia recoiled, as if Victoria had physically slapped her. She used the hand not ladened with blood and reached up, gently swiping her thumb to catch Victoria's spit. Her eyes darkened and a crazed look overcame her. "I never thought I would say this, Victoria LeBlanc, but I look forward to your death."
Victoria struggled against her restraints as Shelia and Emily-Bonnie raised their arms. Their voices spoke together at once, whispering words that were beyond Victoria's comprehension. And that was when Victoria was hit with the worse pain that she had ever experienced.
The scream that tore from her throat was guttural; true and utter anguish. Tears poured down her eyes and it felt like her entire body had been set on fire. Victoria could feel every vein and artery in her body; every pump of her heart, every single blood cell. Victoria could feel it.
There was something warm. It trickled out of each nostril. Both of her ears. Out of each corner of her mouth. Her...eyes. Oh shit, it was coming out of her eyes. Victoria blinked and wanted to cry at the pain, but she couldn't. It was too painful.
"Tori, no!" Stefan. Her friend. Save her. Please. Save me, please.
"Stefan, no!" Lexi. Keep him safe; run far away. Please. Save me, please, justsavemeplease.
The chanting from the two Bennett witches grew louder and another scream ripped out of Victoria's throat as the blood continued to pour out of her body. It came out like a river from her stomach, her arm, every hole in her body.
"Stop! Please, just stop!" Stefan again. His voice sounded tight, like he was crying. Sobbing, even. "Stop it!"
"MAMA BEAR!"
DamonsavemepleaseDamonsavemeplease
"Victoria, no!"
ZachsavemepleaseZachsavemeplease
"Let her go, now!"
LeesavemepleaseLeesavemeplease
"Not Tori, please! Please, don't do this!"
Caroline. No, no, no, no, no...
Noble.
Noble, please, if there was ever a time I needed you, now. Please.
Help me.
Save me.
Please.
Anyone.
Save.
Me.
Please.
Henri's voice filled her brain, helping to dull down the pain that was erupting in her entire body. "The Immortalis is the most powerful supernatural creature known to any kind. What we think in our brains happens at our fingers. It doesn't hurt that our blood is rich in magic, and can act as a booster of sorts to magical acts. Given enough persistence, the Immortalis can overcome any obstacle, except the magical blood draining. That is the only thing we cannot resist against."
Victoria's brain worked in overtime. Henri's wording was very specific. The Immortalis could overcome any obstacle, including wyrmwood, if they tried hard enough. They couldn't resist blood draining...but Henri just said they couldn't resist against it. Trying to use the magic to stop the blood draining wasn't the only way to stop it...
Death could do it too.
Victoria's head dropped as the world spun and she had to blink. She was so tired. So, so tired.
Underneath her, a large and rather impressive blood pool was starting to collect. Victoria could faintly see her reflection. It was only then that she realized her black-and-white vision had disappeared. All she could see was red. Red, red...soon she'd be dead.
Vicki appeared in the reflection of her blood, hanging out right above Victoria. Her hands clamped down onto Victoria's shoulders and she shuddered. It felt like she was being touched by a ghost...then again, maybe she was. She was about to become one.
"Don't think that way, Tori!" Vicki hissed, squeezing her shoulders even tighter. "You are Victoria LeBlanc. You have outsmarted your mother, you survived drowning, you saved Caroline, Zach, Lexi, and Lee from all having terrible fates. You are not a victim. You are a survivor. You. Are. The. Immortalis. Now, survive!"
She was the Immortalis.
She was the Immortalis.
Victoria would survive.
I WILL SURVIVE.
This time, the scream that echoed from Victoria's mouth wasn't from pain. It was revenge. It was justice. It was pure power.
Red disappeared from Victoria's sight. Everything was just was enveloped in black and white. With a single determined thought, Victoria could feel pure chaos magic shoot out from her. It hit Shelia and Emily-Bonnie and sent both women flying. Victoria didn't see where they went. The chains on her hands shattered and the wyrmwood paste burned up. The reaction was so violent; more than she had anticipated. That would be her blood acting as a booster it seemed.
I WILL SURVIVE.
The blood-draining stopped and Victoria felt almost all the strength in her body disappear. She collapsed onto her hands and knees, gasping for air. She was no longer desensitized to the pain. Everything hit her again in waves and a sob crept out of her gritted teeth.
She wasn't done. Not at all. Think and so it should be. Victoria lifted her gaze towards the tomb entrance. Caroline, Damon, Zach and Lee...and someone else. In Victoria's pained idled state, she couldn't recognize who it was. It didn't matter.
Victoria's fingers were wet, soaked in her own blood. She sucked in a sharp breath. Physical action was needed. She shoved herself up, letting out a primal war-cry and she slammed her fists back into the blood-ridden ground. From both fists, black and white magic arced out like little lightning bolts. They hopped along the ground, reaching the tomb entrance. Like a dangerous dance, the two magic strands collided with the tomb and it swirled up and around, wrapping around the tomb entrance like ivy.
BREAK IT DOWN.
A shower of sparks.
A loud snap.
"No!" Shelia shrieked. The sound of footsteps. The beginnings of a phrase in a language that wasn't English.
NOT TODAY.
Victoria's hand reached out and grabbed onto the knife that Emily-Bonnie had dropped. With what little strength Victoria had left, she thrusted herself onto her feet and flipped around. Two steps. Two steps was all it took. An automatic response. She barely felt herself doing it.
KILL HER.
The feeling of a knife going through a chest. A weak gurgle. More blood. It splattered onto Victoria's face. She barely felt it. She didn't feel anything as Shelia Bennett looked at her with wide, unbelieving eyes. Victoria released the knife and Shelia went careening down. Her body hit the ground and her heart stopped.
And in that moment, Victoria realized she couldn't feel her legs.
She couldn't feel anything.
She hit the ground like a sack of rice. Her gaze hit the ceiling...and stars twinkled back at her.
That wasn't right.
Wasn't there a ceiling?
"Quick, feed her blood!"
Who was that? Was she supposed to know that voice? Cuz she didn't.
"No, don't touch her!"
A face filled her vision. Victoria squinted tiredly. Everything was starting to go dark. She couldn't tell who it was.
Wait...
"Z-Zath...?" Victoria spluttered, and a glob of blood shot out from her mouth. She coughed and her whole body seized at the action.
"I'm so sorry," Zach, or at least the person who looked like Zach, whispered brokenly. Something grabbed her head and in a quick moment, with a loud snap, the world turned black.
A/N: Longest. Chapter. Ever. I am very surprised that we managed to get it done in time for Friday. A lot is happening in this chapter. I've definitely changed the character of Shelia Bennett a little, and I hope y'all don't mind that. Also, like, 90% of this chapter is Victoria in pain XD. Yay angst! I took some creative liberties when it came to this scene, as is my right. I hope y'all enjoyed it!
THE SHIPPING WARS! (feel free to keep on voting (you can vote for more than one ship!); 1 full point for if you choose one ship, two half points for two separate ships, more than 2, smaller decimals. Anything that is not a full point will be italicized. This will not decide the final pairing; I already know who Victoria will end up with, I just want you all to be able to guess):
ROMANTIC:
Team Stetoria {Victoria/Stefan} (17.5): insert name here XD, sammyleann's dad, TikiKiki, Maistryia, Don't-Say-It-Feel-It, another guest, Lime, herewegoagain, K, emma, just another guest, BookwormStrawberry, heyyeah, Guest (3), guest4ithinklol, Guest (6), Guest (9), guest (1), theappleseed, Anaidiana, Hayden, Takinginspiration1, Serena Salvatore, Prometo, Lolita
Team Datoria {Victoria/Damon} (39.5): Sciave, Guest, ArganRose, CrystalAris, Marine76, Assenavira, CarlaPA, Guest (1), Maistryia, emma, just another guest, Freeshavacahdoh, Guest (3), Guest (4), Guest (6), sabrinaannpierson, Guest (7), Guest (8), Guest (9), guest (1), hfgfgfrdr, lillen20, Yolo, theappleseed, Guest (10), Juko, Bulma, Ellay, V, Ghest, charlievini, Guest (13), Guest (14), Guest (15), TrembleB4DietCoke, dhariti, Hayden, Guest (17), Elyse1821, Dannn, Yukihino-Sama, Dede, 4day, jazica, Guest (20)
Team Vilijah {Victoria/Elijah} (38.5): guest, Guest, SoraLover987142, insert name here XD, sammyleann, Orange keys 25, LoyalElijahFangirl, Hinata Megumi, A. G Herz, Aryabloodlust, ferallahey, AngelColdHeart, BlueDragibus, dreamwalkerlisa, Guest, Stachelbeere, Guest (1), jocillyria, Guest (2), BookwormStrawberry, Ieviheichu, Teghan-Potter1370, karenc0r, Hachiko33200, Guest (11), Anaidiana, Dalia2009, wolfcorgi, Nia, Rory, Teghan-Potter1370, Guest (12), Shiro7, alessandra92, Guest (16), Guest (18), Karina, Serena Salvatore, xrysatsan, Lolita, jazica, Guest (19)
Team Klatoria {Victoria/Klaus} (6): Tayla141, TikiKiki, Guest (9), Mythology216 the Beard King, thisIsNotATest, Guest (10), Tris Hart
Team Koltoria {Victoria/Kol} (2.5): DreamerPop, MelissaMorningstar, Guest (11)
Team Vinn {Victoria/Finn} (1): silentmayhem
PLATONIC:
Vinn {Victoria/Finn) (1.9): LoyalElijahFangirl, Orange keys 25, silentmayhem, Prometo
Varcel {Victoria/Marcel) (1.4): LoyalElijahFangirl, Orange keys 25, jocillyria
Zinn {Zach/Finn} (1.4): LoyalElijahFangirl, Orange keys 25, karenc0r, Prometo
Jol {Jenna/Kol} (1.4): LoyalElijahFangirl, Lime, Orange keys 25, karenc0r
Kelas {Silas/Kelly L.} (.4): LoyalElijahFangirl, Orange keys 25
Koltoria {Victoria/Kol} (1.2): Orange keys 25, Serena Salvatore
Kennett {Kol/Bonnie} (.5): Lime
Autoria {Aurora/Victoria} (1.2): LoyalElijahFangirl, hfgfgfrdr
Vonnie {Victoria/Bonnie} (1): bpopa7110
Vibekah {Victoria/Rebekah} (1): BookwormStrawberry
Datoria {Victoria/Damon} (1): Guest (10)
New Followers!: FroggyGirl1572, Allysum
New Favoriters!: silentmayhem, katieke, FroggyGirl1572, marvelfan2230
Onto reviews!:
kafo521: Aww thank you! As you can see from this chapter, the witches vs. Immortalis battle will be fierce. Just you wait. Oh my gosh XD. Thank you for reviewing!
guest: So many witches are like that. I'm glad that Bonnie changes throughout the seasons and drops the prejudice. Maybe with Victoria's presence, she'll drop it sooner rather than later. Then again, given what happened in this chapter...maybe not. Nothing has happened to Kelly just yet. That makes sense (is that an official vote for Vilijah?). Being a "one-of-a-kind" supernatural creature is something that she really has in common with Klaus, so yeah, I think that they'd understand each other in that way. Victoria versus Shelia reminds me of that one vine (Shelia: You ready to die? Victoria: I'm a bad bitch, you can't kill me).
DBZFAN45: Henri and Mind!Vicki's relationship just brings me so much joy. I loved writing that scene. You can expect more scenes like that in the future. Victoria's struggle as the Immortalis will be a lot of uphill battles, but she's got her friends to back her up. Ooooooh, yeah! I can see that outfit working on her. Ugh, she'd look so good! I'm tired too. I understand. 2nd Amendment: Steroline and Klaroline are honestly two of the best ships in TVD. I think I might have mentioned this before, but your preference for Caroline ship depends on which trope you enjoy. Enemies-to-lovers? Klaroline. Friends-to-lovers? Steroline. Victoria is the epitome of clueless. It's embarrassing, honestly. Tyler and Tori will have an interesting relationship in Season 2, that much I can say.
Prometo: The Immortalis cannot die of old age. If they are of a younger age (child/teen), they'll continue to age like a human until they reach "maturity" (21 years old) and then their bodies will just freeze in time, like a vampire. If they are older than 21 when they become the Immortalis, then things get a little different. I figured that the cheating of death would be against nature's wishes, and so witches wouldn't be jazzed with that. I'm torn between Loki, Bucky Barnes, and Wanda Maximoff, so those three are my combined favorites. Yeaaaaaah...I think moral of the story is no one in this town is perfect XD. Victoria will definitely help be a middle man between Team Mystic Falls and the Mikaelsons.
Guest: I'm sure there are loads of others who would riot with you if that's the case. I hope you keep reading even if they don't end up together (won't reveal if that is or is not the case; I like to see you all squirm virtually!). Wow! That's impressive! It takes me longer than 3 hours to re-read this story XD. They are totally Mama and Papa Bear. I would daresay then that Zach is Grandpa Bear who is just rolling his eyes constantly. (btw, you're Guest (20) if you ever want to change your vote!).
Serena Salvatore: Yeah, prejudice is never fun.
Lime: Whoo! We can have virtual friendship bracelets and everything ;p. I am still obsessive with naps though, nonetheless. I loooooove family bonding. It brings me joy :D. Jeanine will be a fun character to throw in some more. The Tori/Stefan scene talking about feelings will be in the next chapter. Fun times. Aww thanks! I am absolutely loving writing Henri and Mind!Vicki. I imagine it like Henri is a cat who keeps being annoyed by Vicki, the dog, and is just like "Can we take her back to the pound, please?" to Victoria. I was writing that scene and then just literally stopped and was like "You idiot. Kelly has lightning powers. Use her." Yeaaaaaaah, what's your reaction to the ending of this chapter? VPS assemble (fun fact: VPS has the same number of syllables as Avengers, so it works really well XD). Awww thank you! I love interacting with reviewers. I know how it feels to have an author respond to my reviews, so I like giving that feeling to others. When I started this story, I sat down and was like, "What is everything that I haven't seen in other OC fanfictions about this TV show? What are new, unique things I can shove in?" and saving characters and making them leads was one of those things. Thank you again! You are very kind and sweet.
AngelColdHeart: Thank you so much! Shelia is a bit of a...special woman. Victoria's father will show up eventually, but it'll be in Season 2, so yeah! Here's your chapter! Spiderman: No Way Home is lowkey exactly what Three Itsy-Bitsy Spiders was going to be about, so yeah, watch that movie if you want to see basically what I wanted to write a fanfic about.
Eek! 43 chapters in, and we've finally hit the tomb. I can't believe it's taken us this long, and that was with me cutting out a huge storyline from Season 1! It's honestly my goal to make this the longest Vampire Diaries fanfiction on this website. The longest that I've seen is 990k+ words long, and that was a Bonnie/Klaus fanfiction. Can we do it? We're about a 3rd of the way already towards that word count goal! Let's go!
See you all next week!
Stay healthy and stay safe!
BecomingFearless1F