Let The Right One In - Part 1
Victoria bolted upright with a loud, pained gasp, her hands flying to claw at her chest. However, before her hands could get very far, someone grabbed her wrists in their hands. Blind panic hit Victoria and she let out a panicked shout as she tried to tear herself away.
"Shh, shh, Mama Bear, it's just me."
Damon.
It was just Damon.
Victoria froze and did her best to keep the paranoia and anxiety from flooding up and over her barriers. She stilled herself and waited, letting her senses slowly come back to her. She was okay. She was fine. She took stock of the room around her.
In front of her were three dead vampires: the two male ones that tried to attack her and then Bethanne. Their skin was grayed and fleshy and the color alone made Victoria's skin crawl. She shivered at the sight of them. The smell of blood was rampant in the room. The window was shattered, and the mantel above the fireplace wasn't doing so hot either.
She looked towards her friends: Stefan, Damon, and Lexi. They seemed okay. They were alright. That was good...
"Where's Zach?" rasped Victoria, wincing at how tired her voice sounded. Her heart panged and she curled in on herself slightly, flinching at the sharp pain. "Ow, ow, ow. That hurts. Sorry, I-I meant to ask earlier."
"He's at Lee's house researching," Damon explained, his hands still holding onto her wrists. His thumbs started to move, getting petting her pulse points tenderly. "You all good now?"
"I-I think so," Victoria murmured. She flinched as a sharp pain hit her head and she squeezed her eyes shut. That helped to keep her pounding head from hurting too horrendously. "My body is not enjoying this session of rebirth."
"Yeah, it looked brutal," Damon commented. She felt him drop one of her wrists and then she felt his hand reach back up into her hair. His palm was warm and tender and Victoria cooed appreciatively, leaning into his hold. The warmth from his skin soaked into her head, acting as a heating pack for her headache. "I drank a ton of coffee while you were out; you're welcome."
"Thanks, Damon," Victoria sniffed sleepily.
There was a knock at the door and Victoria tiredly looked behind her. The front door opened a moment later to reveal Elena. Her eyes widened the moment she took in the scene before her and she swallowed heavily. Her gaze caught onto Victoria and she asked gently, "Did you...?"
"Did I die again?" Victoria finished for her. The teenager nodded. "Yeah, unfortunately. Just woke up."
"Do you need anything? Something I can do to help?" Elena questioned as she shut the door behind her. She dodged the large crack in the entryway and tossed her bag down onto the hallway table. "Didn't you mention that you need food when you wake up?"
"Yeah, that would be awesome," Victoria said honestly.
"I can make some waffles. I know you really enjoy breakfast foods."
"You are a saint, Elena Gilbert," Victoria hummed, turning back towards Damon.
She heard Elena peel off from the group and head towards the kitchen, and she spotted Lexi moving away from Stefan to go and help the teenager.
Damon tapped her cheek, drawing her attention back onto him. She blinked a handful of times, trying hard to focus on his blue eyes. Were they always that bright? They were pretty. "You doing alright there, Mama Bear?"
"Dunno," Victoria slurred. She blinked her eyes a few more times and she scrunched her face up in confusion. "Why'm slurring?"
"When's the last time you had a decent night of sleep?"
"Lav night."
Damon's mouth scrunched up a little but he nodded. "Come on, then, Mama Bear. Up and at 'em." He moved his hand out of her hair and she whined pathetically, not liking the cold that rushed in the moment he was gone. Damon just gave her a tender smile and stepped closer. He slipped his arm underneath hers and then the other under her knees and he lifted her up easily. She let out a little 'meep' of surprise at suddenly being lifted into the air, but she leaned into Damon's embrace. He was warm. So warm.
Damon moved carefully into the living room, holding Victoria close in his arms. They reached the couch and Damon set Victoria down onto the couch. He reached behind the couch and grabbed one of the throw blankets, wrapping it tightly around her legs. He let her go and she frowned. She was acting like a child, and Victoria found that she didn't care. She reached out and made grabby hands for Damon.
He just sighed and leaned forward, dropping a kiss onto her forehead instead. She frowned more. She wanted cuddles, not kisses. Damon pulled back and snapped at Stefan, pointing towards Victoria.
Stefan narrowed his eyes at his brother and just said, "Excuse me?"
"Either you'll be the one to fix up the broken window and move those dead bodies or you will become Victoria's personal heater. Choice is yours."
Stefan just looked at Victoria and then sighed, dropping his hands from his chest. "Where do we keep the wood and nails?"
"Downstairs basement, right next to the vervain garden cell," Damon replied cheerfully, dropping down like a stone next to Victoria. She bounced a little at the sudden change of weight on the couch. She grabbed her blanket, bringing it up around her shoulders, and she leaned into Damon's embrace. He threw an arm around her shoulders and the heat from his body warmed her up even more. She sighed appreciatively and rested her head against his chest. She closed her eyes sleepily and heard Stefan's footsteps retreating from the living room to the cellar.
"You're a real cuddle bug right now, aren't you, Mama Bear?" Damon murmured low, his voice huskier than usual. Victoria just ignored him and snuggled closer. "Leave some for the rest of the world, Mama Bear. Sharing is caring."
"No sharing," Victoria huffed, sighing when she was finally comfortable. "I've had a crappy last week and I just want some physical comfort."
"Alright, alright," Damon sighed, wrapping his arm tighter around her shoulders. "Who am I to deny you?"
Victoria cooed happily and she even enjoyed the way he rested his head down onto her own. She was wrapped in a tight cocoon of warmth and it was just so damn enjoyable. She frowned; she was still not as comfortable as she could be. She brought her legs up and tossed them nonchalantly across Damon's lap. His free hand automatically grabbed her calf and pulled her closer to his chest. Yes...that was comfort. She sighed and she could feel the last traces of her panic disappearing.
"Sorry I wasn't here when you met Pearl and Anna again," Victoria whispered tiredly.
Damon tensed slightly under her, but it was only enough that she noticed it. Anyone else would have thought that he was fine. "I'm glad you weren't here. I don't even think Pearl's fascination with you would have helped you."
"But she hurt you," Victoria mumbled, letting out a big yawn. One of her hands moved on its own accord and she fisted Damon's shirt in her hand. "I-I could've stopped it."
"Don't go down that road of thinking, Mama Bear," Damon scolded her, though it was gentle. "You have your own life to think about. Don't forget to live just trying to save us all from pain. We're strong; we can handle a decent level of pain."
"Doesn't mean that it doesn't hurt me when I see you guys in pain," Victoria replied. She cracked open her eyes as the sound of approaching footsteps and she sat up a little.
Elena and Lexi rounded the corner, a plate of waffles with syrup and a healthy amount of butter on them. Elena's eyes widened at the sight of Damon and Victoria, and she even faltered in her steps. Lexi didn't even break a stride. She snatched up the plate of waffles from Elena and moved to sit down on Damon's other side. She passed the plate and utensils over to Victoria, who grabbed them appreciatively. Victoria set the plate onto her lap and Lexi picked up Victoria's feet, setting them down on her lap.
As Victoria dug into the food, Stefan reappeared with some wood, nails, and a hammer. He moved towards the window and kicked one of the footstools over so he could get up higher when need be.
Damon started to speak as Victoria shoved the first bit of waffle into her mouth. "I say we go to Pearl's, bust down the door, and annihilate the idiot that attacked us last night."
"Yeah," Stefan grunted, shaking his head as he lined up the first piece of wood. "And then what? We turn to the rest of that house of vampires and say, 'Oops. Sorry?'"
"I can't believe you made a deal with her," Elena grunted, shaking her head.
Victoria shot Elena a look of confusion and asked through a mouthful of waffle, "How the hell do you even know about that?"
"I wasn't exactly alone when Pearl and Anna showed up," Damon explained, gesturing with his head towards Lexi.
Lexi said, "I had to leave Damon while he was still healing to be with you and Caroline, otherwise he would have shown up."
"Damon!" Victoria scolded, swallowing her food and turning to look at him with disappointment. "Really?"
"I wanted to make sure you were fine."
"We were fine. You don't want me to worry about taking care of you guys? Then take care of yourselves!" Victoria sighed. "You guys."
"I'll work on it," Damon grunted, rolling his eyes. He looked back towards Elena and commented, "It was more like a helpful exchange of information. And it's not like I had a choice. She's...scary. Besides, we made a good agreement."
"To help get Katherine back?" Victoria stated.
Damon opened his mouth to say something, but Elena spoke before he could. "Of course she is going to help you. Damon gets what he wants, as usual. No matter who he hurts in the process."
"You don't have to be snarky about it," Damon snapped, glaring at Elena.
"I woke up just hours ago to learn that all the vampires have been released from the tomb," Elena spat back, folding her arms across her chest. "I've earned snarky."
"How long are you going to blame me for turning your birth mother into a vampire?"
"I'm not blaming you, Damon," Elena sniffed. "I've just accepted the fact that you're a self-serving psychopath with no redeeming qualities."
"Ouch," Damon huffed.
Victoria set her utensils down, no matter how much she wanted to keep eating. She needed to clear the air first. "Elena."
"Tori, don't tell me you are going to side with Damon again," Elena pleaded, giving Victoria some genuine puppy dog eyes.
"You are being unnecessarily harsh," Victoria said calmly, giving her a steel-eyed look. "Damon has helped us more than not."
"He's hurt you and he's just trying to give himself a happy ending -!"
"- And if you had just tried to help him succeed instead of stopping him, things would be better!" Victoria shot back. "He just wanted to open the tomb and you and Stefan betrayed his trust and tried to steal Emily's grimoire out from underneath him. I'm not saying I've been better towards Damon," Victoria added when she saw that particular glint of betrayal in Elena's eyes, "but I realize that people can be pushed to extremes. We've pushed Damon. Let us have some faith that he can be a good person when he wants to be. And let's make him want to be a good person."
There was an awkward silence that spread throughout the room. Everyone was quiet as they let Victoria's words sink in.
However, the silence didn't last very long. Damon was pushing Victoria's plate of food into Lexi's hands and was standing up, his arms wrapping around Victoria so she was swung up as well (held in his arms in a bridal-carriage style). She didn't even squeak that time around (which Victoria counted as a large success). "Well, this has been lovely, fun, and enjoyable, but I think that dying has exhausted our precious little Mama Bear, so we're off to sleep. Good luck with whatever the hell it is you're doing."
"Damon!" Victoria whined as he started to walk away. "My waffles!"
"Lexi's bringing them up, you beast. Don't even worry your little head," Damon soothed her and she rolled her eyes. She plopped her head down onto his shoulder as he sped out of the living room. He took them upstairs and in front of a door.
Victoria recognized it as his bedroom door. She verbalized this, "Um, Damon, this isn't my room."
"Yeah, it's mine," he responded, nimbly reaching forward and opening the door. He kicked it open with his foot and strode into the bedroom. He tossed Victoria onto the ginormous bed which was very noticeable even in the large room. She did let out a squeak as she landed, bouncing a little on the springy mattress.
Victoria pushed herself up onto her elbows and just gave Damon a flat stare. Her cheeks turned a furious red color when she saw that Damon was unbuttoning his shirt. His toned chest and abs came into view and she spluttered, "D-Damon!"
"Yes, Mama Bear?"
"Stop stripping!" Victoria squeaked, grabbing his large comforter and hiding her face away in it.
"I'm not stripping, Mama Bear. There would be a lot more dollar bills involved if that was the case. I'm getting ready for bed."
"Then why am I here?" Victoria demanded, refusing to look up. She heard a sigh, but it didn't come from Damon. It sounded Lexi. There was a little clink noise, which sounded like her plate of waffles and utensils. Victoria jerked her head up from the blanket and gasped in shock as Lexi shut the door, not even bothering to try and save her. "Lexi, wait! Come back!"
"She has the decency to agree with me that you need rest," Damon said, and Victoria found herself looking towards the sound of his voice. He stood at the foot of his bed and it took everything in Victoria to keep from ogling at his muscles. He was a fit man, she would never deny that, but his pants were slung very low on his hips...like, very low. "Like what you see?"
"D-Damon, why am I here?" Victoria asked, forcing herself to look at his nose. It was just a nose, nothing sexy about it. She would be able to keep her composure if she just kept looking at his nose. Damon's nose. Damon's nose. "I just want to eat my waffles."
Damon snorted, but he turned around and rushed over, grabbing her waffles. The plate landed in her lap and it was only due to her advanced senses that she prevented all the sticky syrup from spilling everywhere. She let out a contained growl of frustration as some of the syrup spilled onto her finger. She glared at Damon and reached up, licking the syrup off of her fingers. The sticky substance was sweet, but it was just a hint too sweet. She hadn't recognized it earlier in her desperate attempt to be fed, but she did now.
Victoria looked back up towards Damon and noticed that his gaze had significantly darkened and his eyes were only watching her finger that had been previously syruped. Victoria's eyes narrowed at the look. The emotion behind him...was something she felt like she should recognize, but she didn't. She cleared her throat to speak, but even then, Damon didn't look at her. His gaze was still glued to her hand. "You almost made me spill."
"Not sorry," was his short, succinct, and semi-dark reply. His gaze still didn't move.
"Okay," Victoria said, drawing out the word as she just gave him a confused look. She shrugged it off and cut up her waffle. She only had one left, and she quickly devoured it, her stomach pleading for the food. Once she was all set, she placed the fork and knife onto the plate and set it off to the side on the closest side table.
The moment the plate was out of her hand, she was pinned to the bed. Victoria let out a squeak of shock as Damon was suddenly all she could see, smell, hear. His hands were on hers, their fingers intertwined. His head was tucked between her neck and shoulder, and she could feel his nose brushing up against her pulse. He straddled her and all Victoria could think of was that dream involving Noble. The closeness. Victoria bit her lower lip, afraid of making a noise that would scare her.
"Finally," Damon breathed. His breath was hot against her neck and Victoria clenched her interlocked fingers with Damon, fighting off the shiver that her body wanted to fall prey to. "I thought you would never stop eating."
Victoria let go of her lip and she sucked in a sharp breath. Making sure she was as steady as she could be, she stammered, "Y-You're really cuddly right now, huh?"
"You were the one who said you didn't want to share," Damon purred and the blush hit Victoria hard again. What the hell was happening to her? "And so here I am, not sharing. Just keeping you all to myself."
"D-Damon..."
Damon let out a sigh and then pressed his lips very tenderly against her pulse point. Victoria squeezed her eyes shut. It felt nice. Really nice. When Damon spoke, his lips brushed against her skin and sent tingles down her spine. "At ease, Mama Bear. Nothing's going to happen tonight. You're not ready for it."
"R-Ready for what?"
"And that's why," Damon stated, pulling his head away.
Victoria quickly opened her eyes and watched as Damon shuffled them around. Now he was lying on his side, her body pressed tightly against his. He grabbed her thigh and moved her leg until it was slung over his. He then took his arms and placed one underneath Victoria's head, like a pillow, and the other went around her waist, keeping her from moving. His fingers danced around the hem of her shirt, as if indecisive, until they made up their mind and slipped underneath. They were hot against her bare skin.
"Shh," Damon whispered, nestling his head against hers. Their foreheads met and Victoria instinctively closed her eyes. "Your mind is racing at a million miles an hour, Mama Bear. Just go to sleep."
"W-Why are you doing this, Damon?"
"Call it jealousy."
"Excuse me?"
"Stefan got to hold you multiple times as you got fell asleep. It's my turn now," Damon grunted, bringing his head up just enough for him to press a kiss against her forehead. "Go to sleep, Victoria. I got you."
"Blankie, if you won't stay still, I will keep you still." Vicki threw a punch so fast that Victoria didn't see it coming, and a wave of black descended on Victoria faster than anything she had ever seen.
The desiccation reached the top of her head and her whole body was gray and limp within Zach's arms. And yet Victoria couldn't help but squeak out painfully, "V-Vicki?"
There was no response.
"No, no, no, no," Logan muttered under his breath. He inhaled deeply and Victoria let out a squeak of discomfort. "There's something else. Something much more...delectable."
Victoria's eyes widened in distress when the feeling of his nose was replaced by the feeling of his lips, brushing just barely against her throat. Tears sprung to her eyes and she took a shaky breath, biting her lower lip again as she struggled not to cry.
"You are a weakling, Victoria. A weakling, and a liar, and a selfish bitch. You're a failure. Everything your mother said was true -"
"- Shut up!" Victoria screeched, and her instincts took over. She pulled a hand back and threw it towards the mirror as hard as she could. Over and over again. She ignored the pain in her hand; she ignored the smell of her blood filling the room more than it had before. Victoria pounded her fist against the mirror, enjoying the way she heard it crack and shatter underneath her fist. "Shut up, shut up, shut up!"
There, sticking directly out of her chest, was the wooden pole-turned-stake that Elena had tried to use on Noah. Except now, it was stabbed into her chest. Her blue velvet dress was already beginning to stain as blood leaked and poured from her chest. Every breath felt like a thousand.
Victoria couldn't hold herself up anymore. Her legs shook and collapsed underneath her. Something tapped her cheek and Victoria breathed in a shuddering gasp, her attention snapping back. She let out a pained sob as her brain began to rapid-fire process the pain she was experiencing. It was the worse feeling in the entire world.
The glittering of Sheila's pocket knife caught Victoria's eye. Before Victoria could say anything or attempt to dodge, Sheila 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. Sheila 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.
Instincts in Victoria told her to dive out of the way. She threw herself to the right, out of the way of the stairs. Before her body hit the floor, she curled in on herself and landed the roll. A loud crack rang through the house and Victoria froze when she arose into a crouch. Her back was to the door and she couldn't move. She didn't try to breathe. She just remained still.
She'sdeadshe'sdeadshe'sdeadshe'sdead, echoed through her brain. It was the only thought that Victoria could think about. There was no heartbeat from Trudie. Besides Victoria's own heart, which was pounding something fierce, she was completely surrounded in silence.
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.
Victoria was screaming before she even realized she was consciously awake. She knew that was true because the moment she realized she was okay, that she was safe and unharmed, she was cowered in the corner of a large room with multiple vampires, witches, and humans looking at her with mixed looks of pity, concern, sympathy, empathy, and downright anger (not anger towards her; she was conscious enough to know they were angry for her). Her screams tapered off and she took many hurried, panicked breaths. She reached up, her hand clawing at her hair. Victoria whipped her head around, counting the collective. She needed to know who was watching her.
Vampires: Damon, Stefan, Zach, Lee, Lexi. Friends. She knew them. They were her allies. They weren't going to harm her.
Witches: Kelly. Her mother. The one who defied what Sheila Bennett insisted was their genetic code to kill the Immortalis since she was Kelly's daughter. Friend. Closest friend.
Humans: Elena, Caroline. Her friends since they were children. They were safe.
Everyone was gathered, it appeared. Victoria felt herself flush red in embarrassment and she dragged her legs up, holding them close to her chest. She was still dressed in her previous day's clothes (jeans and an oversized sweatshirt). Her face felt scratchy and when Victoria sniffed, it was more of a sniffle. Her face also felt wet.
"Tori?" she heard Caroline ask tentatively, asking her if she was still all there.
Victoria swallowed heavily and gave a single jerky nod. "Y-Yeah." She sucked in a shaky breath and let it out. In and out. Focus breathing. Conscious of every breath. She licked her lips and said again, "Yeah, I'm here." She shivered. When had the world suddenly become freezing cold, even in her sweatshirt? "D-Did I hurt anybody?"
"If you're asking if your powers ever lashed out, then no," Kelly explained softly. She took a hesitant step forward and Victoria flinched. Kelly froze and didn't move closer. "We heard screaming and came to this room. You threw a plate at Damon, but he's quick. You were still asleep. You weren't conscious of what you were doing."
Victoria looked up from her legs towards Damon, scanning his face. He had thrown a shirt back on, and his face didn't look injured. Even if the plate had shattered and scratched him, he would have healed by then. She didn't know what she was supposed to say.
There was a presence suddenly in front of her. She flinched and couldn't help the whimper that slipped from her mouth. Zach didn't get any closer, but he still gave her a reassuring smile. It was gentle and calming and almost instantly, Victoria felt herself relax in his presence. When he spoke, his voice was soothing. "Victoria, are you okay?"
Something within Victoria's soul moved to her say, "No. No, I'm not." Tears sprung up to her eyes and she squeezed her eyes shut. Ugh, she hated crying. It was so emotional and pointless. "E-Everyone was just there, behind my mind. Taunting me."
"Taunting you with what?" Zach asked calmly.
"Torture," whispered Victoria. "Death."
"Who?"
"Vicki drinking my blood, Vicki dying, Logan," Victoria explained, her voice rushed and on the verge of being panicked. She couldn't explain Logan anymore. It made her too uncomfortable. "Mind Vicki, Noah killing me, Sheila killing me, Trudie dying, Bethanne killing me."
"What?" Elena asked. Victoria swung her head to look at the teenager. She was wide-eyed and confused, dazed. Victoria cocked her head. What had she said...? "Mind Vicki?"
Shit.
They didn't know about Mind Vicki.
They didn't know.
Shit, shit, shit, shit!
"A-Are you...?" Elena asked, swallowing heavily. "A-Are you still seeing Vicki? T-Tori, she's been dead for two months and you...you've seen her and you didn't even say anything?"
"She isn't an issue!" Victoria snapped. She was on her feet in an instant and crowding close to Elena in the blink of an eye. Elena gasped and staggered backward, surprised at Victoria's sudden closeness. "Don't you dare bring her into this mess."
"Tori, it's okay."
"No, it isn't!" Victoria hissed, flipping around towards Damon's wardrobe. Vicki stood in the mirror that hung on the outside of his dresser, her arms folded awkwardly in front of her chest. She looked uncomfortable and was peering at all of their friends with wary eyes. "You are not an issue to be dealt with!"
"Tori..."
"No," Victoria growled, pointing harshly towards the mirror. "Don't even try to argue with me, Vicki."
"You just had a nightmare about me," Vicki insisted, shaking her head. There was a look of sadness in her eyes. "H-How am I not an issue?"
"Because you are me!" Victoria said frantically, jerking her fingers towards herself. "Because you are me, Vicki, and if I can't trust you, trust you to take care of me, then that means I can't trust myself, and damn it, I need that at least!"
"Mama Bear -"
"- Don't Mama Bear me, Damon!" Victoria cried, flipping around. He was standing in front of the rest of the group, closer to her than any of them were. Damon moved to take a step forward and she lifted a finger, noting how it shook as she held it up. "Don't move. Don't you dare move."
"Victoria," Damon said, his voice stern. "I need you to calm down."
"No!" Victoria shouted, shaking her head. "None of you have a single clue what it is like to live inside my brain. Vicki and Henri are some of the only things keeping me sane, so don't you even dare to assume that she is an issue!"
"No one is saying that she is an issue," Damon stated calmly. Victoria's eyes turned to glare at Elena and Damon snapped his fingers, drawing her attention back towards him. "Hey! Eyes on me, Mama Bear. We can't help you in any way if we don't know all the details. Tell us about...Vicki. Where do you see her?"
"Reflections," Victoria answered, shivering. "She only appears in things that would give reflections: mirrors, phones, eyes." She turned towards the mirror and gestured weakly towards the mirror on his dresser. "She tried to warn me when Emily took over Bonnie's body the second time at the tomb. She got me out of there."
"When did Vicki first appear to you?"
"After the car crash with Logan," Victoria explained. Her bones felt heavy and she felt tired. Was the usual? "She showed up and said...some not nice things. It's...complicated. Sometimes she says things harshly, but most of the time she's calm and...she feels like Vicki."
"And you call her Mind Vicki -"
"- Because she looks like Vicki and she lives in my mind," Victoria whispered, reaching up to press a hand on her temple. Her lower lip wobbled and she sniffed pathetically. "I-I know that sounds pathetic and I-I know that you m-must think I'm crazy..."
"I don't think you're crazy," Damon immediately rejected, shaking his head. "Well, maybe you are, but I know I am, so who am I to judge, right?" He cracked a small smile and Victoria couldn't smile back. His smile fell a little at that, but he turned to look towards the mirror. "Mind Vicki, I presume?"
"Charmed, Damon Salvatore," Vicki said, giving Damon a look. Victoria parroted what Vicki said, knowing that Damon wouldn't be able to see or hear Vicki.
"Why do you exist?"
"Why do you exist, Damon?" Vicki responded. Victoria felt like a translator as she repeated everything Vicki said for Damon. "It is not like I am aware of why I have come to be. I just am. Is that not enough?"
"Cool it with the philosophical crap, Vicki," Victoria hissed under her breath. "You're sounding like Henri."
"Maybe that's a good thing," Vicki hissed back in return, her gaze not leaving Damon's, even though the male vampire couldn't see her. "I'm trying to make a good impression so he doesn't send the two of us to a psych ward!"
"He believed me when I said that I died and came from an alternate universe where he was a character of a television show and numerous fanfictions," Victoria retorted, shooting a glare at Vicki. "You honestly think he's going to put us in a psych ward for this?"
"No outside conversations, please," Damon asked, snapping his fingers and drawing Victoria's attention back to him. "Does she give you any insider information that you didn't know before?"
Victoria's mind flashed back to Vicki's explanation of why she had had such an expressive dream involving Noble. She swallowed heavily and nodded instead. "Y-Yeah. She shows up in my place of peace with Henri. She showed up there after Ben snapped my neck at the school."
Damon narrowed his eyes and stood up straighter, folding his arms across his chest. He directed his next question to Vicki. "Did you give her nightmares?"
"No."
Victoria echoed the statement.
"Are you lying to me?"
"I have no advantages in lying to you, Damon."
"Theoretically then, you have no disadvantages either. I can't hurt you."
"Then I guess we will just have to trust each other," Vicki replied, mirroring Damon's actions. "Now, unless you have more to say, I think that Victoria would probably like to convince her friends that she's not crazy."
"I was wondering where you went."
Victoria flinched as she heard Stefan's voice fill her little hiding spot. She stuck her head out from behind the bookshelf she was hiding behind. He stood by the little desk in the library, his hands folded in his pockets. He leaned up against the desk and regarded Victoria with soft eyes, eyes that spoke of gentility. The same kind of gentle, kind, patient look that had made Victoria start feeling the warm fuzzies for him in the first place.
Stefan's eyes sparkled with amusement as he glanced back towards the doors to the library, which he had apparently shut behind him. Victoria was grateful for that. "Still hiding from Damon?"
"Hiding from everybody, to be honest," Victoria whispered, keeping her voice low. "I haven't even looked in a shiny reflection all morning." She knew there was no way that Damon couldn't know where she was. She was the only one in the boarding house at the moment with a heartbeat.
Her mother, Caroline, and Elena had all left earlier, though Kelly was reluctant to leave Victoria behind with a sea of vampires. Victoria reassured her that she would be fine (she honestly didn't know if she would be, but something told her that Zach wouldn't let anyone throw her into a psych ward). Everyone had been really kind to her about the situation, but Damon kept giving her weird looks that made her stomach clench painfully. Better to be out of his line of sight.
Stefan made a little grunting noise in acknowledgment and cocked his head as he observed Victoria. He licked his lips and narrowed his eyes slightly. She mirrored his gaze, raising an eyebrow to silently ask him why he was giving her a look. He chuckled at her poor attempt to copy his face and said verbally, "Sorry. I know he can be a little...overwhelming. He doesn't like surprises that could hinder his goal, and I'm not sure if your revelation of...Mind Vicki...helped or hindered his advancements to his goal, you know? I don't know if he considers her to be a threat."
"What's his goal? I seriously doubt that there is anything that Vicki can do to seriously damage it," snickered Victoria, shaking her head.
"I'm not sure what his goal anymore is. I thought I knew, but..." Stefan began, shrugging as he trailed off. "Anyways, I did come in here for a specific reason."
"What's that?"
"I'm going hunting now. I want to make sure I'm all prepped before the storm makes walking outside a life or death situation," Stefan explained, gesturing lightly with his hand. "I was wondering if you wanted to come with me."
"To watch you murder Bambi and Thumper?" Victoria asked, raising an eyebrow in disbelief.
"I'd tell you when to look away, obviously," Stefan chuckled, giving her a teasing glare. "We haven't really had time to hang out recently, given all the...issues. Forbidden subject included. I don't know if we can ever have what we had, but I'd like to try at least."
Victoria bit her lower lip contemplatively. "No talks about dead people taking on part of my psyche?"
"No talks about the forbidden subject," Stefan said, agreeing with Victoria's terms and conditions. "Come on; the storm is going to get crazy. Better head out now."
"I'm coming," Victoria mumbled, pushing herself up slowly. She followed close to Stefan as they strode out of the library. He stopped by a hall closet and pulled out two jackets, handing one to Victoria and keeping the other for himself.
As they started to pass the living room, they both heard Damon call out, "Hunting party?"
"Fighting those vampires last night did a number on me," Stefan explained, slipping his arms through his hood's sleeves. "I'm also running low. I want to stock up before the storm officially rolls in."
"I've got two liters of soccer mom in the fridge," Damon commented, and Stefan frowned. Victoria bit her lower lip and rolled her eyes. "No?"
"We'll talk when I get back?" Stefan asked, gesturing for Victoria to follow him towards the door.
"All right. Give my regards to the squirrels. Oh, and Stefan?"
"Yes, Damon?"
"If a single hair is harmed on Victoria's head, I will kill you."
"Feeling the love," Stefan mumbled, rolling his eyes. He opened the front door and gestured for Victoria to run out first.
Victoria threw the hood up on his rain jacket and started to sprint, heading in the direction that led away from the town and the boarding house. She heard Stefan keeping up well with her as the two sped faster and faster into the woods.
Victoria decided to spice things up and ran faster. She leapt over logs and ducked around trees, before sliding to a sudden stop and hiding behind a tree. She held her breath and gave her fingers a little wiggle, calling her powers forward. White magic danced from her fingertips and sunk into her chest. She had practiced the technique all morning with varying results, but it seemed to work well. The sound of her heartbeat was hidden now.
"Tori, seriously? Hide and seek?" she heard Stefan call out. She cracked a grin. When was the last time he had played hide and seek? "I haven't done this since I was seven. Back in the 1850s." Oh, apparently that was when.
Victoria twisted her palm, and more white magic danced around her fingers. Her voice was projected, echoing around the clearing that Stefan was more than likely situated in. "Such an old man. Ever hear of the expression 'Young at heart'?"
"I'm young at everything for the rest of eternity, so no," Stefan sniffed. She heard the crunching of leaves as he turned and then a slow clap. "That's pretty impressive. Now come on out; I need to get hunting."
"Not even one game?"
"Victoria."
"Spoilsport," Victoria grunted, but she dropped her echoing voice magic and stepped out from behind a tree.
Stefan turned around, only a handful of feet from her. He had a large grin on his face. "Not so bad."
"I'm not just dancing in my free time," sniffed Victoria, taking a step towards him. She froze when she heard a loud snap throughout the clearing.
BEHIND YOU.
Victoria's hands flexed and she felt her magic come back. The world descended into black and white and she flipped around, throwing her hand forward as if she was pitching a baseball. A ball of black magic flew forward, colliding against the chest of a hooded man. He hit the ground hard with a loud gasp and Victoria straightened, taking quick account of the people in the clearing. Three more vampires, besides the man she had knocked down. They looked intimidating.
Stefan let out a yell of pain and Victoria flipped around, his name coming out as a cry, "Stefan!"
Frederick stood behind Stefan, a stake in his hand. The stake in question was stuck straight through Stefan's chest, though it was moved just enough that it wouldn't kill Stefan. It would only hurt a lot. Victoria could handle helping others if they were in pain. If they were dead, she couldn't do much for them.
Victoria threw her other hand forward, as if she was throwing a frisbee, towards Frederick and Stefan. The black magic swooped like a discus, swerving around Stefan and smacking Frederick right in the nose. The vampire let out a grunt of pain and staggered away, dropping Stefan. Her friend dropped like a stone to the ground and Victoria raced to his side. She didn't get far though.
Two vampires appeared on either side of her, their hands like chains on her wrists. There was something sticky on their hands. And they burned against Victoria's skin so badly. She struggled against them, but their grips were tight.
Victoria tried to use her magic, but it felt like it was spluttering. Her black and white world was started to regain color. That had only happened once before.
Wyrmwood.
Frederick was in front of her in the blink of an eye, and he looked confused and enraged at her presence. He spat, spit flying everywhere, "You were dead. I watched Bethanne kill you."
"Which means you also watched me kill Bethanne," Victoria growled, breathing heavily. She tried to block out the pain of the wyrmwood but it was difficult. Shit, did they even know that wyrmwood canceled out her powers? It had taken an incredible amount of strength last time to overcome the wyrmwood. Damn it, why hadn't she remembered that the tomb vampires tried to kidnap Stefan? Stupid, stupid, stupid! "Death doesn't stick to me. Call it the vampire in me."
"What should we do, Frederick?" one of the vampires beside Victoria questioned. "I thought we were just trying to get the younger Salvatore."
"It seems we got a two-for-one price," Frederick growled, licking his lips as he observed Victoria's body. She curled her lips into a sneer and resisted the urge to hiss at him. "You cannot stay dead, correct?"
"Give the man a prize, he can listen," Victoria snickered.
Frederick's hand moved like a flash of lightning and an all-too-familiar numbness started to spread throughout Victoria's body. She blinked her eyes as darkness started to set in on the corners.
Oh.
He was holding her heart.
Seriously? And so soon too?
Henri was going to be pissed.
"We will have fun discovering your limits. Consider that a promise," Frederick whispered as Victoria was overwhelmed by the darkness.
A/N: CHAPTER 50 EVERYBODY! WHOO! Celebrate! I can't believe we're here at this point. We'll definitely (hopefully) hit 500 reviews before Ch51, so whoo whoo! I thank every single one of you who have ever taken a risk on this story and those who have stuck with me for a loooooooong time (shout out to Lime, DBZFAN45, LoyalElijahFangirl, and Elyse1821. This chapter is for you four!).
We get some Datoria fluff and sexual tension, which I know y'all love, and then some Stetoria light fluff. And oh no! Everyone now knows about Mind Vicki and Frederick has some plans for Stefan and Victoria. What will happen next? Stay tuned!
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} (41.5): 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, TheLadyO, jjaejjae
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!: krazyraen13, Charlie'sLooney, TheLadyO
New Favoriters!: krazyraen13, Tristanbear32, TheLadyO, NovemberSagittarius
Onto reviews!:
jenniferchase2402: So happy to see people loving the Shipping Wars!
DBZFAN45: We will have a Datoria raffle date, I just don't know when. Probably after this next set of episode chapters. Scarlet Witch did the fighting move in Age of Ultron against Bruce Banner when she, her brother, and Captain America went back to the Avengers Tower to stop Iron Man from finishing Ultron's pet project (which turned out to be Vision). Thank you! It's in two days, and it's exciting and terrifying! I'll have stories to tell y'all next chapter!
Elyse1821: It was stuck in my head for the entire writing of last chapter. Awww thank you! It really helps me feel like I'm doing a good job when y'all review, so thank you. I know how much time it can take to come up with some good words. I put some smutty Datoria flirting in this chapter just for you. Enjoy ;p.
TheLadyO: Your vote has been added! Here's your quick update! (I update every Monday and the occasional Friday if I can get a chapter written in that time).
Lime: I was getting a filling done when I saw your review, so it was much appreciated! Finding Neverland isn't a book, I believe, but it's a musical and it's sooooo good. It's also a movie, but the movie and musical aren't the same I believe. I think the first Hamilton song I listened to was Alexander Hamilton. That or Burn. One of those. I don't remember much. The class was almost a year ago and I have a pretty terrible memory. Oooooooh! The cello! I didn't even think about that! Fun fact that will be revealed later: Kelly can play the violin. I might change Elijah from playing piano and violin to piano and cello. I like that better; it feels more sophisticated. True, true. YES, I will be using that middle name. Okay, here's the Salvatore full name list right now: Stefan Antonio Salvatore, Damon Francesco Salvatore, and Zachariah Joseph Salvatore. It has been written into stone. Well, Zach died long before he could have even have a choice about that, soooo yeah XD. I didn't even realize how similiar their qualities were until I wrote that line and then I was like, "Dang. Lexi's spitting facts" (this typically happens in my writing process. My subconscious is waaaaaay smarter than my consciousness so I'll write something and then go, "Dang! That's amazing!"). We'll have even more impressive fighting coming up. I'm trying to think of the funniest, rudest names to call Vicki through Henri and it's so much fun. I can't reveal who it is, cuz that's not fun, but I will say her first kiss comes after Miss Mystic. Thanks for putting your trust in me ;p.
jjaejjae: Thank you! Your vote has been added!
MelLoveArt: We will have the date! It won't be until after this chapter, but it'll be there. Aw thank you! Hugs are being sent in return. Expect them in one to two Fanfiction days.
Eeek! I can't believe we're halfway to 100 chapters! That's so exciting! It's my goal to make this the longest story on TVD Fanfiction. So whoo! Let's do this! I hope y'all enjoy and I'll see you again on Monday!
P.S. Lots of angst coming up. Grab your teddy bears and comfort characters. You're going to need them. Oh, by the way, who are your comfort characters in this story? I think mine would have to be Zach.
Until next time,
Stay healthy and stay safe!
BecomingFearless1F