There Goes The Neighborhood
Victoria bolted upright in her bed, a gasp tearing its way out of her throat as her hands flew up to claw at her neck. Her shoulders heaved; her breathing was faster than was healthy as she tried to get the much needed oxygen deep into her lungs. She felt a cold sweat drip down from the base of her neck to the small of her back. She blinked her eyes and reached her hands up, rubbing her face aggressively. She dropped her hands and looked around her bedroom. Nothing seemed out of place. In fact, everything looked like it was where it had always been. Nothing seemed moved or touched. The only thing that was different within the space was the fact that her heart was beating faster and that there was a noticeably damp spot in between her legs.
"I-It..." Victoria whispered, blinking her eyes in disbelief. She licked her lips and swallowed heavily, her throat dry as the desert. "I-It wasn't real?" She rubbed her eyes with tight fists and threw herself out of her bed.
Stumbling blindly through the darkness, she raced to her bathroom. She patted the wall awkwardly as she searched for the light switch, and when she found it, she flipped it on. She hissed and a few non-child friendly words fell out of her mouth as she was momentarily blinded. Victoria blinked her eyes rapidly, trying to get desensitized to the sudden light change, and once she was, she quickly looked towards her reflection in the mirror.
Her makeup was smeared down her cheeks, but her lips didn't look swollen like she had just been kissed all night. When Victoria checked her wrists, she couldn't find any marks that indicated that Noble had grabbed her there. She looked up back towards the mirror. No marks on her neck or collarbone either. Her eyes were wide and wild and her hair looked like a right proper mess, but that was more than likely from not taking a shower before falling asleep.
Falling asleep...
Did she fall asleep when she got home? Before or after Harper? When?
That wasn't possible. It had to have been real. It had to be. Her mind couldn't have made something that...something like that up.
"Vicki!" Victoria hissed, looking away from her own personal reflection. She kept her voice low. She had no idea how late it was and she didn't want to wake up Kelly accidentally.
Popping out from a spot in the mirror where part of the wall hid some of the room, Vicki stuck her head out. She looked equally disheveled and equally, if not more so, pissed off. There was a flicker of anger in her eyes as she grumbled, "Trust me, Tori, I'm not exactly slap-happy about any of this either."
"It was all a dream?" Victoria growled incredulously, her hands moving up to pull at the roots of her hair. She spluttered, "T-That is such a fanfiction move! My first kiss and it wasn't even real? I-Is that what my life is going to be now? Just a series of fanfiction moves? Seriously!"
"You passed out the moment your head touched the pillow," Vicki grunted, folding her arms across her chest. She gave Victoria a narrow-eyed glare. Her outfit was identical to the one that Victoria was wearing (red tank top and sweatpants) and her hair rivaled how disastrous Victoria's was. "So yeah, Tori, it was all a dream."
Victoria let out a sigh of frustration and put her weight on her hands on top of the counter. She shook her head and gritted her teeth, letting out a sharp breath through her nose. "Well then, do we know why we just had a rather expressive dream about Noble?"
"You mean a sexy times dream about Noble?" Vicki clarified with a sarcastic smirk, and Victoria couldn't fight the blush that jumped to her cheeks.
"I-It wasn't like that, Vicki!"
"Stop being humble, Tori. You two did a lot more than just kissing -"
"- V-Vicki -!"
"- And now we know you like someone who is domineering in bed, you little minx."
"Vicki!" Victoria hissed, glaring at at her mind's representation. "Please, just don't. For the love of everything holy, I am trying to not freak out or panic right now and I would really appreciate it if you took this seriously!"
Vicki was silent for a moment as she observed Victoria. The reflection licked her lips and she nodded her head slowly. "Of course, Tori. I'm sorry. I-I don't know what came over me. Do you...Do you even like Noble? Is he attractive to you? Maybe this is just a normal thing that happens to people?"
"B-But it felt so real, Vicki," Victoria mumbled, shaking her head. "And I don't have hot and heavy dreams. I'm not that kind of person. Hell, the first person I ever fell in love with was Stefan Salvatore, not Noble, and look how that turned out! I-I mean...I..."
"Victoria, take a deep breath for me, okay?" Vicki pleaded, looking worried. "M-Maybe call somebody who is better at handling this than me."
Victoria rolled her eyes at the request, but she did it anyways. She sucked in a large breath for four counts, held it for eight, and then let it all out in a move that sounded more like a groan. She repeated it a few times, and the panic began to fell away. She was still anxious as hell, but at least she was more focused on what she needed to do.
Victoria darted back into her bedroom and grabbed her phone, which was lying down on her bedside shelf. She scrolled to the number of the one person who she knew wouldn't judge her. She dialed and held the phone up to her ear, darting back into the bathroom. Victoria shut the door behind her.
"Hello?"
"Caroline, thank goodness you're such an insomniac that you're awake right now," Victoria whispered, sending up a quiet prayer of thanks. "I have a problem and I need to talk with you about it right away."
"Hold on, I'm getting up," Caroline mumbled on the other side of the line. There was some ruffling as Victoria listened to Caroline toss her blanket off of her body. She heard the blonde shuffle off of her bed and then Caroline asked, "Is everything alright? You didn't die or anything again, right?"
"This isn't an Immortalis problem," Victoria reassured the teen. She winced, then added weakly, "Well, I don't think so, but at this point I don't know so I can't really say. It's more along the lines of a teenage girl problem."
"You've had your period for three years now, Tori, and you live with a single mom, so I doubt that you're out of pads or tampons," Caroline mused tiredly. Victoria heard her best friend yawn loudly and then there was a beep. It sounded like she was making coffee. "Is it about the date? You really don't have to go on it if you don't want to..."
"Date? What date?" Victoria asked incredulously.
"Uhhhh...did your mom not tell you?"
"I was probably dead asleep. What date, Caroline?"
"Kelly won both Damon and Zach for dates at the event last night. She said she was giving Damon's date to you. I'm sure she'll explain later, so anyways, what's up? What's happening that requires you calling at some ungodly hour?"
"That was a really bad switch of topics, but I will let it pass just this once," Victoria sighed, shaking her head. "I-I don't know how to explain it to you without just ripping off the band-aid."
"Then rip off the band-aid. I can take it."
"But I know you, Care-Bear, and I know that the moment I tell you this, you are going to scream and probably wake up your poor mother."
"She's working the graveyard shift right now; won't be back for probably a few hours," Caroline argued in return. She sounded almost whiny. "Come on, Tori! I can take it! Just tell me!"
"I had a sex dream about Noble!" Victoria blurted out, and she slapped a hand over her mouth. She couldn't believe she just upped and said it.
Silence.
There was dead silence over the phone.
And then, silently, calmly, came one phrase.
"I have been waiting for this day since we were thirteen."
And then the phone let out a noisy click, signifying that the call had ended.
Victoria pulled the phone away from her ear and gazed at it in disbelief. She looked back up and towards Vicki, who seemed as equally as confused as she was feeling. "What...the hell...just happened?"
"I think you unleashed the great Care-Bear," Vicki commented, giving Victoria a dumbfounded look. A moment later, Vicki bit her lower lip and it looked as if she was trying to hold back a smile and laughter. As she started to disappear from view, she snorted a quick, "Good luck."
Victoria was starting to freak out.
Like, really, genuinely, promptly freak out.
Why, one might ask?
It had been a whole ass week since her dirty Noble dream and Caroline hadn't said a word about it.
Victoria's lovely period had come and gone, now allowing her to come out of her self-placed isolation. She was able to be around vampires without them giving her saucy looks at the smell of her blood (though most of those looks had come from Damon, oddly enough). When Caroline had shown up at her house the morning after the dream, nothing happened, and Victoria truly meant that nothing happened. Caroline helped make breakfast, they went to school, and she never acknowledged the dream. At all. It was confusing and weird for Victoria and she didn't know how she was supposed to deal with a Caroline who didn't want to gossip about boys.
So, the next time Victoria went to school, she set out to find Elena, someone who knew the depths of Caroline's oddities. She happened upon the girl in question and her boyfriend as they were finishing up their conversation.
"I'm sorry I brought it up," Stefan chuckled, shaking his head.
"It'd just be nice if we could get through one day without having to deal with any of it," Elena sighed. She caught Victoria's eye and gave her a little wave which Victoria returned. Elena gestured for Victoria to approach and then she turned back towards her boyfriend. "No vampire mother or brother or witches or people who want to kill my friend."
"A lot of people want to kill a lot of your friends, so you might need to specify that last one," Victoria giggled, and Elena gave her a playful glare as she shoved her goodnaturedly.
Stefan licked his lips and gave Elena some bonified trademarked puppy dog eyes. "No vampires at all?"
"No vampires but you," Elena laughed, reaching over to pat his shoulder. "And maybe Zach and Lexi. I like them; they're kind."
"What about Lee?" Victoria interjected, feeling slightly offended on the Southerner's behalf.
Elena shrugged. "Haven't talked with him enough to really know. He's kind of sassy like Caroline; I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing. I just want us to get back to normal stuff like school and homework, and here's a thought: fun."
"Oooh, that's dangerous thinking right there," Victoria gasped, pointing her finger towards Elena in fake shock.
"But it sounds good to me," Stefan snickered. "When do we start?"
"Well, you two can start later," Victoria interrupted, gesturing between the two. She needed to break them up before they got too lost in their lovey-doveyness to notice her. Victoria settled her gaze onto Stefan. "But unfortunately, I need to borrow your girlfriend for a little bit. You'll get her back by History." She reached over and grabbed Elena's hand and started to drag her down the hallway.
Elena followed Victoria's lead, not really questioning it until Victoria tugged Elena into the library, which was basically abandoned since it was the start of the morning. Elena adjusted her bag's strap on her shoulder and looked curiously at Victoria as the adult-turned-teen dropped her hand. "Hey, what's going on? Barely anyone uses this library. It's pretty much useless."
"Which is why we are going to use it today," Victoria explained. She ducked her head out into the hallway and strained her ears to hear. Nothing. She couldn't hear any footsteps from Stefan or even the familiar pattern of him breathing (not that he needed to breathe but it seemed to be more of a subconscious thing to do). Victoria stepped back into the library and shut the door, striding up to Elena. "I need your help and I need you to not judge me about it."
"O-Of course," Elena stammered, obviously taken aback by Victoria's insistence. "What's wrong?"
"I told Caroline something really personal and she hasn't talked to me about it for over a week," Victoria said, gesturing wildly with her hands. "She's talked to me about other things, but she's avoided this subject at all costs, despite the fact that she has made it very obvious that she's been wanting to talk about it for a while and now I'm confused!"
"You're confused? I'm confused," Elena sniffed, gesturing with her fingers. "Back up. What's going on? What did you tell her?"
"It's embarrassing," Victoria sighed, rubbing her eyes with the palms of her hands. "Do you promise not to look at me differently?"
"Yeah, yeah, of course. What happened?"
"IhadasexdreamaboutNobleandnowI'mterriblyembarrassed," Victoria mumbled quickly.
Elena raised an eyebrow and chuckled lightly. "That's some genuine Caroline-speak right there, but I don't speak it as fluently as I once did. Slow down. It's going to be alright. Tell me slower."
Victoria took a deep breath and spoke slower, but not without a giant red blush on her cheeks, "I had a sex dream about Noble and now I'm terribly embarrassed."
Elena's eyes widened in disbelief her mouth opened and closed like she was a fish out of water. She stumbled over to one of the tables and she flopped down into the available chair. She blinked her eyes once, then twice. Victoria followed her, her hands clamping onto one another. She started to fiddle awkwardly with her wrists: her nervous habit. "Please say something, Elena, because I already can't stand having Caroline refuse to talk about it."
"I-I'm sorry; it's just a lot to p-process," Elena stammered, moving a hand up to feel her forehead. "Y-You had a...about him?"
"Yes!" Victoria groaned, falling into the seat opposite of Elena at the table. She rested her elbows onto the tabletop and set her face into her hands. Her words were slightly muffled as a result. "You are the second person I've told and I just don't understand what is happening and...yeah."
"And you're confused as to why Caroline won't talk about it because this situation has never happened between this you and Caroline, or probably even the other you and Caroline," Elena finished. Victoria gave the teenager a weak nod. "Okay. Given what I know about Caroline, I can say that she is probably just trying to think of the perfect getaway for the two of you. She'll want you to feel super comfortable so it doesn't feel like you're pulling out teeth when you tell her all the details. And trust me, that girl is going to want to know all the details."
And so, Victoria went through the rest of the school day on the edge of her seat, waiting for Caroline Forbes to pop her perky little blonde head around the corner and scream, "Surprise! Tell me all about it!" It didn't happen, obviously, but still, Victoria was ready for it.
It almost came as a relief when Caroline cornered her at the end of the school day and sequestered her into a car for some "S&F" (shopping and food, she later explained). It was in preparation for the double date that was supposed to take place later that night between Caroline and Matt (Maroline? Matoline?) and Stefan and Elena (Stelena, obviously). Caroline wanted everything to be perfect for her date, because as she put it, she was "going to test Matt to see how much he was still in love with Elena".
They drove out of the boundaries of Mystic Falls and into Grove Hill. It was the closest town around that had an indoor shopping mall. Victoria made sure to text Damon where they were going for safety (she had considered briefly sending the same text to Noble, but memories of her wild dream convinced her not to). She also made sure to tell Damon that if he wanted his...ahem, machinery...working by the end of the night, he would not try to seduce Kelly Donovan for an easy lay and he would not bring her back to the boarding house. His response to her text was sweet.
DAMON (1):
The skank? Eww.
DAMON (2):
She was rude to you and Kelly-Beans. I do have some taste, Mama Bear.
DAMON (3):
I can still mess with her, right?
VICTORIA:
I would pay you to mess with her and record it.
DAMON:
Tempting, but I work for free. Find me tonight for some results ;p
"If that's not Noble, then you can shove that phone back into your pocket," Caroline huffed, folding her arms. Victoria blushed at the mention of Noble's name, but she did as Caroline requested and put her phone away in her pocket. "Now, you might be wondering why I've brought you here today."
"Into a H&M?" Victoria sniffed, glancing around the store. She planted her hands on her hips and pretended to look thoughtful. "Cuz it's not like you didn't just tell me in the car ride here...I'm thinking monetary manipulation, perhaps?"
"Haha, very funny," Caroline grunted, rolling her eyes. "You're a regular comedian."
"I try."
"You, my friend, have had a revolutionary thing happen in your romantic life," Caroline continued, ignoring Victoria's previous statement. "And thus, as your best friend, it is my duty to make sure we are in the proper environment to have such a discussion."
"So you thought that I would want to talk about my dirty dream with my vampire stalker-slash-protecter-slash-guardian-angel that I had over a week ago in a public shopping mall while I help you get ready for your double date tonight?" Victoria stated, just to make sure she understood Caroline's reasonings.
Caroline opened her mouth to retort something, but she paused, closing her mouth and blinking a few times. She quickly turned red and turned around, perusing a clothing rack full of shirts that she wouldn't be caught dead in. "Well, when you put it that way, it does sound weird."
Victoria frowned lightly and stepped up beside Caroline, placing a hand on her friend's shoulder gently. "I know you mean the best, Care. This is a new step for all of us. Thank you, nonetheless."
"You're welcome," Caroline murmured meekly. "D-Do...Do you still want to talk?"
"As long as we keep from using descriptive language, then sure," Victoria sighed. She brushed her hand over a pair of brown suede high-rise pants. She cooed appreciatively and rubbed the fabric between her fingers. It was unbelievably soft. "Where do you want me to start, I guess?"
"How far did things go in your dream?" Caroline asked, peeking her eyes above a cute floral print blouse.
Victoria swallowed heavily as a deep blush jumped to her cheeks. Images of her dream came racing back to her head. Strong hands holding her, reaching, petting, touching. Soft, tender kisses, going down, down, down. She croaked out a simple "Far" and hoped that sufficed as an answer.
"Damn," Caroline whispered, her eyes widening. In an instant, bold and carefree Caroline was back and she asked, "You and Noble did the deed, then?"
"Caroline!"
"What? I just want to know if you and dream stalker vampire man did the horizontal refreshment -"
"- Excuse me -?"
"- Some bow-chick-a-wow-wow -"
"- Care-Bear -!"
"- The no-pants dance -"
"- Caroline Elizabeth Forbes!" Victoria screeched, not caring if she drew any attention to the two of them. She dropped her voice and narrowed her eyes at her best friend and hissed, "We are only twelve minutes away from a town that is full of vampires who know that a group of supernaturals are out to kill me, which means that they more than likely sent someone to watch over us as we go shopping, so please, for the love of everything good and holy, keep your voice down!"
"Too late, Vee-Bee," Lexi snorted, suddenly sidling up beside Victoria. Victoria didn't bother hiding the groan of embarrassment as she buried her face into the faux-fur coat in front of her. "Hey, be grateful it's me! Damon wanted to come instead, but I managed to convince him that Girl Time is sacred and that he could not interrupt."
"You are a miracle worker, Lexi," Caroline sighed in relief. "That would have been such an awkward conversation to have if Damon was here instead of you."
"I can be a savior when the time calls for it," Lexi laughed, sending a playful wink Caroline's way. She turned towards Victoria, who had just started to poke her head back out of the coat. "You didn't answer Caroline's question, Vee-Bee. Did you and Noble get that far in your dream?"
Victoria couldn't speak, too worried that her voice would crack and she would be more embarrassed than she already was. So, instead, she settled for a meek nod.
Lexi and Caroline shared identical expressions of disbelief and awe. They glanced at each other in shock and then swung their heads back towards Victoria, saying, "Vee-Bee!" and "Tori!" at the same time, respectively.
Caroline dashed around the clothing rack and grabbed Victoria by the shoulders. "This is amazing, Tori!"
"How is having a sex dream about Noble amazing?" Victoria asked seriously, reaching up to grab onto her hair with one hand. "Because I don't see how it is. I'm going to be a stuttering, hormonal mess the next time I see him and complicate things to an extreme that I didn't want to go to!"
"First off, Care-Bear means that it's amazing because it means that you aren't still hung up over Stefan," Lexi mused, reaching forward and gently patting Victoria's hand on her head. With steady fingers, she pried Victoria's hand out of her hair and rested it gently down by her side. "I mean, you may still care a lot about him and I doubt those feelings will go away anytime soon, but it means that you aren't just looking at him anymore."
"Secondly," Caroline continued, taking over the conversation, "it means that you, Victoria LeBlanc, are becoming a true woman."
"I'm four years older than you," Victoria insisted, gesturing wildly with her hands. "If we are comparing, it should be me saying that to you."
"Well then tell me, Victoria: did you have this kind of dream back in your world?"
That shut Victoria up quickly and Caroline wouldn't wipe off the self-satisfied smirk that came to her lips.
Lexi spoke again, her voice softer than it had been before, "This isn't necessarily a bad thing, Vee-Bee. It can mean growth and it can mean that you are discovering new things about yourself. But, I have to know: do you find Noble attractive? What qualities about him make him attractive to you?"
"I-I mean, I can't say," Victoria stammered, shrugging one shoulder as she bit her lower lip. "I mean, I've never seen him so I-I can't say for sure if I find him physically attractive, but...he's strong. He's protective, respectful, kind. He helps more people than just me. He got you, Lee, and Zach all daylight rings and he even gave you guys Christmas presents too. He managed to find my phone from the future, which I really need to ask how he did that, and he is really good at comforting me when I panic. H-He's also a really good hugger. Oh, and his voice is really nice even if it's not his real one."
"And in what ways do you find Stefan attractive?"
Victoria blinked awkwardly and coughed, clearing her throat. That was an abrupt switch in the conversation. "Oh, um, well...he was there for me when I had a lot of panic attacks. He helped with my homework, he danced with me. He's kind to my friends and my mom, and he listens, most of the time, to my judgement. He respects me. He also has a really nice voice and he is also a really good comforter."
"Sounds like very similar reasons to me, Vee-Bee," Lexi commented nonchalantly, as to not put any pressure onto Victoria. "But here are some things to ponder. Stefan's occupied, but Noble is free. But Noble is mysterious and Stefan is known. Were your feelings really for Stefan or were they for someone else?"
Victoria and Lexi, after they had helped Caroline prep and preen for her double date, spent the rest of the day and most of the evening lounging around at the LeBlanc residence with Kelly. The three of them even busted out some board games. Suffice to say, hundreds of years of real-life experience with housing and banking did not make Lexi a great Monopoly player. After about the third time Lexi went bankrupt, the girls decided to call quits on that game. Coincidentally enough, Lexi "suddenly remembered" that there was something at the boarding house she had forgotten to grab when she and Lee moved into their new place. Victoria volunteered to go with her, wanting to make sure that Damon had truly kept his end of the bargain. That was how the two of them ran into Elena, Matt, and Caroline. There wasn't a trace of Mrs. Donovan in sight, which Victoria silently fist-pumped the sky for. Matt didn't look enthused, though, so that wasn't a good sign. However, when she caught Caroline's eye as they passed each other, the blonde gave her a thumbs-up. Victoria returned the gesture, but with a concerned expression. Something obviously hadn't gone according to plan.
She stepped into the boarding house and Lexi called out, "I'll only be a second." Victoria gave Lexi a skeptical look and motioned for Lexi to run off. The elder vampiress moved towards the stairs and Victoria was positive she was mumbling something about Monopoly strategies. The adult-turned-teen rolled her eyes, but let the woman go. She needed all the help she could get for the next time they played Monopoly.
Victoria moved towards the living room, her hands moving to clench into fists. Damon was lounging out on the couch, a drink in one hand, and Stefan was standing across from him, a disapproving look on his face.
"Please tell me that look of Stefan disappointment isn't because Damon tried to hook up with Kelly Donovan," Victoria begged, looking worriedly between the two brothers. "Because that's gross."
"I did not try to hook up with her, Mama Bear," Damon grunted, throwing back his drink. "Have a little more faith in me."
"He did, however, screw up her car so badly that she had to convince someone to give her a ride home," Stefan grumbled, his brow pinching in distaste. "And that somehow resulted in them ending up in our driveway, making out in the backseat of their car as Matt and Caroline returned back from their drive."
"And Matt saw all of that," Victoria finished, wincing.
"That's not the worst part. The guy she was kissing? Your age, Victoria."
"Yikes," Victoria said, gritting her teeth. She glanced towards Damon and gave him a baby nod. "Nice job with the car, though. You have a video?"
"All ready for a movie night with my favorite Mama Bear. And thank you; it's good to be appreciated around here."
"Damon -"
"- Don't look at me like that," Damon groaned, rolling his eyes at Stefan.
Victoria's ears pricked up. It was almost time. She had to get the timing just right. One wrong move and somebody was going to be a whole load of pain that she didn't mean.
"Are you crazy?"
Just another second. She uncurled her hands and flexed her fingers. Her world faded away into a black-and-white world and she sucked in a sharp breath. Almost there...
"Save the lecture," Damon moaned. "Look -"
NOW.
Victoria threw her hands towards the side, gesturing wildly towards the fireplace. The window across from them shattered and the vampire who had just tried to jump through, Frederick, was sent flying through the air, hitting the mantel above the fireplace hard. The shard of glass that had been in his hand went flying and it hit the wall beside him, shattering into a million pieces. Damon and Stefan were on their feet in an instant. They didn't let the shock of a random vampire flying through their living room distract them from the fact that a vampire had just flown through their living room. Damon rushed toward Frederick, murder in his eyes. In through the window jumped another vampire, a female. A little voice in the back of Victoria's mind cooed that her name was Bethanne and that she was Frederick's girlfriend. She would die during this fight and no matter what scenario Victoria came up with, there was nothing that she could do to save Bethanne.
Stefan blitzed Bethanne and the woman ducked as Stefan swung, his fist flying so fast that if he had connected the punch, he would have shattered a human's skull. Bethanne met each of Stefan's hits blow for blow. Out of the corner of Victoria's eye, she spotted Damon keeping up good with Frederick. Each vampire was being dealt with well.
So why did Victoria feel like something was terribly wrong?
There was a crack of broken glass and her attention was drawn back towards the broken window. Her eyes widened in shock. Two more vampires, males. She didn't recognize them as tomb vampires, but then again, many of them weren't named or even shown for long periods of time. What Victoria could tell was that they were twice her size and they looked pissed off, and all of that anger was directed straight towards her.
"Shit."
The vampire on the right raced towards her, moving fast. The way he was angled, he was going to overshoot her and end up behind her. She couldn't be surrounded. She was more confident in her powers, but not that much.
Victoria threw a hand out and a black inky cloud wrapped itself around the charging vampire's ankles. The cloud stopped his legs from moving and the man let out a shout as he hit the ground hard. The other vampire moved and Victoria let out a grunt as she turned her attention to him. When she gestured towards him, she made a closing sensation with her fist. The vampire stopped and didn't move, and made it known that he was pissed about it. He let out a snarl and Victoria rolled her eyes. She wasn't that intimidated.
An arm suddenly appeared out of nowhere, wrapped tightly around her neck. Victoria was able to let out a gasp as the arm squeezed. The vampire from the floor. Her concentration must have broken on his restraints. Black dots danced in her vision and she let go of the vampire in front of her. Her hands flew towards the arm around her neck. She clawed at it desperately as she began to flail. The man just squeezed tighter in return. She gagged. She couldn't breathe. Oh shit, she couldn't breathe!
No, no, no, no, no! Not like this! Please, not like this! Get off of me! Get off!
GET OFF!
Victoria took one of her hands and clenched it into a fist. Pulling a move that she had only seen once in a movie, she held her fist as far away from her chest as she could and then Victoria dragged her fist back, hitting her sternum as hard as she could. Victoria could feel chaotic magic course through her, passing through every molecule in her body before it solidified behind her and punched the vampire. She heard a shout and a loud crack as the vampire was sent rocketing away.
The first breath back into her lungs hurt. She wheezed painfully and fell to her knees the moment the choking vampire was gone. She heard the thundering of footsteps and squeezed her eyes shut tight. The second vampire was approaching. Her brain pounded inside of its cage and the room was starting to spin from the lack of oxygen. She was going to die again. Dang it. She had been doing such a good job too.
The footsteps paused. Victoria risked a glance upwards.
Lexi stood in front of her, her arm sunken deep within the other vampire's chest. Given the angle, Victoria could see the faint glowing redness of a heart on the other side of the vampire. Lexi's eyes were dark and veins were prominent on her face. Somehow not slurring her words at all with her fangs on full display, she hissed, "Do not touch her."
Victoria opened her mouth to thank Lexi when she was suddenly tackled to the ground. She let out a shriek of surprise as her head hit the wooden floor underneath her. There was a loud crack of wood and Victoria heard it splintering. Hands moved fast and Victoria couldn't do anything to retaliate, too stunned to even realize what was happening.
Something physical dug itself into her chest, hitting her heart. Her eyes widened and she let out a terrified scream as her nerve receptors finally registered the pain.
In a quick jolt, everything turned numb.
Victoria could see, but not see, you know?
Everything was starting to blur, but if she was correct, there was a heart being held above her. Her heart, Victoria supposed. It would be weird if it was anyone else's. A woman was holding it, but it hadn't been Lexi. Who was it again...?
Ah yes, Bethanne. Bethanne was holding her heart.
"Good luck in hell, vermin," Bethanne hissed, looking rather pleased with herself.
KILL HER.
Victoria didn't know how she was operating without her heart, but she, in her last moments of consciousness, remembered digging her hand into Bethanne's chest. She ignored how her fingers strained under the pressure of digging into a vampire's body, how the way Bethanne's muscles felt juicy around her fingertips. With a jerk, Bethanne's heart was held in Victoria's hand, but Victoria's arm was cut clean through the vampiress' body.
Bethanne made a squelching gasp and just looked down at the arm through her chest. She looked back up towards Victoria, her eyes wide in stunned belief. And as the gray started to set in on Bethanne's face, and the darkness completely surrounded Victoria's vision, Victoria whispered, "Tell the devil I said hi."
Victoria sat up with a shout, her hands flying to grab onto her shirt. She panted, her shoulders heaving. Her heart panged and hurt and ugh. She reached up and covered her eyes with her hands as she tried to calm her panic. She was fine. She was fine. She. Was. Fine.
"You're not fine, Tori, and don't even try to pretend you are."
There was a warm hand on her shoulder and Victoria unfurled herself just enough to latch onto Vicki, who was suddenly at her side. She snuggled deep into Vicki's open arms, resting her head wearily on Vicki's shoulder. Vicki brought her into her side warmly, reaching up to pat her head. They were silent as they did so, Victoria just moving to get comfort and Vicki moving to give comfort.
Once they were situated on the ground of the meadow, all comfy cozy, Victoria whispered, her voice slightly scratchy, "Where's Henri?"
"Around, I think. I'm not quite sure."
"Really? I thought you two were always on each other's backs...in some cases, quite literally."
"A healthy relationship is about boundaries," Vicki said sagely, nodding her head as if she had just discovered the secrets of the universe. "He goes where he needs to and I stay here...or in reflective things. I really enjoy appearing in mirrors. Call it the narcissist in me."
Victoria huffed and sighed, snuggling deeper into Vicki's embrace. Vicki allowed her, but asked Victoria in a calm, not-at-all judgmental voice, "Be honest with me, Tori: how are you?"
"Scared," Victoria whispered, holding on tightly to Vicki. "I-I've had my heart ripped out of my chest before, but this time it was different, you know? It's not an easy sensation and I-I...let's just say that I do not enjoy it."
"It makes you powerless," Vicki supplied, and Victoria nodded weakly. "That numbness that creeps in. I doubt that it'd give anyone the warm fuzzies."
"If it does, then they are seriously messed up," Victoria murmured, frowning deeply.
"If anyone finds pleasure in the pain of others, then they are in need of a deep, philosophical journey to discover what truly pains themselves."
"Found Henri," Vicki snorted, rolling her eyes. The two girls heard an indignant scoff from behind them and they both giggled.
Victoria glanced over her shoulder and patted the grass beside her where Vicki wasn't. Henri, dressed now in a t-shirt and jeans, took the cue and moved, taking residence besides her. The three of them sat in relative silence, watching as the grass flowed and little dragonflies danced in the warm sunlight.
"Am I wrong to assume that you are facing relationship issues with some of your friends?" Henri asked quietly, not turning to look towards Victoria.
She let out a little sigh, but nodded. "You would not be wrong. As Lexi puts it, I'm 'discovering new things about myself'." Victoria let out a chuckle that held more weight than it portrayed. "I don't know, Henri. Guys are a lot of work."
"I cannot say that I understand fully what you are going through," Henri began, shrugging his shoulders. "But I know from personal experiences that relationships take work. Sometimes...Sometimes that work can feel unappreciated. Unreciprocated. It takes strength to continue even when everything seems to disapprove of you. You have that strength. Don't forget that."
"Well, that got really philosophical real fast," Vicki huffed. Victoria caught Vicki rolling her eyes and had to smother a grin. "Oh! Before I forget and before you disappear again leaving me with Chuckles here -"
"- I am one step from smiting you, beast -"
"- I think I figured out why you-know-what happened."
Victoria's brow furrowed. "You-know-what...?"
"Adult nap time dream?" Vicki stated, raising an eyebrow.
Victoria's eyes widened in realization and she blushed a strong color, clearing her throat. "O-Oh yeah. That. D-Don't we know already?"
"Yeah, but it was heightened because of your menstruation cycle," Vicki explained wisely, nodding her head rapidly. "Henri and Zach aren't the only ones who can do research." She flipped her hair over her shoulder dramatically and Victoria giggled. Smiling widely, Vicki continued, "Because the Immortalis is only limited to what they can do with their powers, strong dreams can be a result. Since you were starting a new cycle, shedding away the old...I'm gonna be honest, Tori, I don't understand much of what I learned, but let's just state it simply: your dreams are strong because of your powers and you were horny AF because of your period. Thus, sex dream. You're welcome."
"You haggard wraith, you could have stated it more gently and with a little tact," grumbled Henri, and he sounded like he was fighting back a blush. "Good heavens. Have you no shame?"
"No, Henri, my boy; no, I do not."
"That much is obvious, thank you."
"All of this Immortalis stuff would be much more helpful if I could actually find something written by a previous Immortalis," Victoria groaned, shaking her head. "Henri, before me, were you the Keeper for any of the other Immortali?"
Henri licked his lips and reclined a little in his spot. He was silent, contemplating something deep inside of his mind. After another moment of silence, he said softly, "There were three, besides yourself, that I was a Keeper for. It...It has been many years since I've last seen any of them. They all died young in their lives. I remember Mrs. Bennett mentioned to you that none of the Immortali have lived past their Transitioning?" Victoria nodded her head. "That is true for all except myself. I made it past Transitioning, but I was hunted down for the rest of my life on Earth because of it. My three charges before you did not share my luck. Two of them died young into their Transitioning, but one almost made it past."
"What was their name? Did they keep a journal?"
"She did; she was very studious, that one. Made sure to write down everything so she would never forget anything. I believe she, besides myself, lived the longest. She was just shy of two hundred and fifty when she was wrongfully killed. Look for a journal by Octavia R. Larsen. That should help you."
A/N: Hey everyone! So sorry I didn't post on Friday. I had to finish up my second weekend of shows (they were fabulous, thanks for asking ;p) and then I got another concussion on Friday, so staring at screens was difficult. I also low-key rewrote this chapter because it didn't flow in the original. Only one chapter for this episode, cuz I didn't know any other great way of inserting Victoria into it.
And yes, the Noble kiss was a dream! Don't hate on the glaringly obvious fanfiction move! So theoretically, Victoria has not had her first kiss yet. I have her first kiss planned out, and it is much more romantic than what happened last chapter. Trust me, I think y'all are really going to like it!
Oh, heads-up: lots of angst coming soon, but there will be fluff to soothe 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, heyyeah, Guest (3), guest4ithinklol, Guest (6), Guest (9), guest (1), theappleseed, Anaidiana, Hayden, Takinginspiration1, Serena Salvatore, Prometo, Lolita, MoonlightMiracle-SakurianaHime
Team Datoria {Victoria/Damon} (45): 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), Unnisa, MoonlightMiracle-SakurianaHime, Tik, 00esoteric00, Hariana Halone, jenniferchase2402
Team Vilijah {Victoria/Elijah} (39.5): 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), MoonlightMiracle-SakurianaHime
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
Team Vioble {Victoria/Noble} (.5): Shiro7
New Followers!: LightFun27, reaganwaldrep13, farane, Juli Greenthorne, CarolinaHS, EWFH
New Favoriters!: reaganwaldrep13, ClaraBoardman17, CarolinaHS, Saint102, Cindy Swan18, eya001, EWFH
Onto reviews!:
jenniferchase4202: Your vote has been added! Thank you!
Sciave: Aw thanks! They definitely do seem flirtatious at moments. I don't particularly enjoy writing slash, so unless it is already canon, it's not going to make an appearance within my story. Apologies about that.
grapejuice101: Awww thank you! Sorry that it was all just a dream! (cue Nelly's "Just A Dream" song here).
Shiro7: I gave you a vote for Elijah and Noble. Let me know if you only wanted one or the other.
xrysatsan: I literally laughed when I read your comment XD. Yeah, Damon's not going to know about the dream for a while.
theappleseed: I know, right? So many things happening.
Stachelbeere: Hello! I do understand that; that makes sense. It's entertaining to me that more people are thinking that he's not Elijah right now because of the fact that he didn't wear a suit rather than he was domineering in bed with Victoria last chapter (before everyone knew it was just a dream). Ooooooh, that's such a good thought, the idea of Kol being Noble. And the mysterious woman potentially being Tori? Hmmm...good ideas. Mhmm. That's the truth about Lucien.
DBZFAN45: Oh my gosh XD. Let the Kissing Wars begin. That's so funny. It is such a boyfriend move to give the girl you're talking to your middle name during the middle of an argument, isn't it? I loved the idea of Harper and Piero LeBlanc being friends. You'll learn more about their history too. It was some very 50 Shades of Grey action right there. Hmmm, maybe. I can't give too much away, but there is a kiss coming up hopefully soon. But from which male leading man, no one but me knows.
Elyse1821: I can't lie, I was convinced people were going to think it was Damon at first because he hadn't made an appearance and that comment that Lee made at the Grill before Tori went home. Yay! I've never really written a "hot" scene before (even if it is just sexual tension leading up to a kiss) so I'm glad you enjoyed it!
AshlynV: Thank you! And theoretically, you were right about the period thing.
Lime: Heyo! Ayyyy, it's such a good album. I find that shows that talk about real world events but just flipped on their heads are soooo much fun (Six: Henry the 8th's six wives, Hamilton: Alexander Hamilton, Finding Neverland: J.M. Barrie writing Peter Pan). They're much more entertaining. The first song I ever listened to was Ex-Wives, cuz it popped up on my musical radio, and ugh, it was so good. I just sat in shock and listened to it. I took a whole college course about Viking History, and yes, the women had pretty decent writes (even wrote my final paper on the cultural and societal impact that Mjolnir had on the world). Oh yeah, I take that headcanon and I raise you a fluffy scene that will definitely happen with one of my Mikaelson brothers braiding Tori's hair. And yeah, it counts as a headcanon. I have a headcanon that Elijah can not only play the piano, but also the violin, so there's that. Oh yeah, I would not want to walk into that awkward waters. I understand the reasonings behind the suit, but if Noble is Elijah, maybe something that the mysterious woman did helped change him for the better? Who knows? (Sometimes even I don't). Eh, Elena's kind of useless and always in the way, so it's not really that mean, just the truth. I need to come up with Zach's middle name, cuz I'm sure at one point Victoria will need to learn it. Zach does have a favorite uncle! Who it is, I don't know quite yet. Again, the whole concept of "family is more than blood" is really evident in the Donovan household. There is one story that I can't remember for the life of me that deals with girls being on their period in this universe, and let's just say that Damon is horny AF (more than usual) in that story when the time of the month comes around. Stefan probably goes on sabbatical. We'll learn more about the Harper and Piero relationship in a later chapter. No problems!
Dragon Khatayin: Thank you so much for taking the time to read this! I'm so honored. Yeah, I know it's a lot, but I honestly don't know how to write it shorter and get all the juicy details in there. Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy this chapter!
CarlaPA: No one, besides myself, knows who Noble is. That's the mystery of it all.
I really hope you guys have enjoyed this chapter. Hopefully we'll have a chapter out by next Friday (number 50, whoo whoo!), but if not, it'll definitely be there on Monday. I have a wedding to prep for this next week (not my own, but a friend of mine) so that'll take up some time.
Until next time,
Stay healthy and stay safe!
BecomingFearless1F