A/N: Welcome back to 'A Thousand Years'. If you've kept up with the story so far, thank you for sticking around for so long. 😁
I am writing this story for my own pleasure, but reviews are desired. But no flaming, please 🙂
I don't own The Vampire Diaries. All characters (except for Grace) are owned by author L.J. Smith.
Enjoy 😍
GETTING EVEN
"Fear is the path to the Dark Side. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate… leads to suffering." ~Yoda.
I've always viewed myself as a bit of a pacifist, and I was proud of it. But there have been a few times in my life when I've been tempted to just bend that classification a bit.
This was one of those times.
My change of heart occurred soon after I had found Mason and learned of his ulterior motive against both Damon and Stefan, by default. I was wondering around, trying to find a hint or a whisper of Mason's current whereabouts; before finally spotting him helping an older blonde woman in her late 30s, early 40s with a project. I came over to where they were standing, and once again eavesdropped on another private conversation.
I am honestly surprised that I haven't been caught yet.
"Thanks, Mason." The blonde told Mason who waved it off like it was nothing. He was about to turn and walk away, when he paused and seemed to hesitate about something before giving in.
"Hey Sheriff, you've got a second?" I blinked. So this was Mystic Falls' town Sheriff. I was surprised, as I had expected that it would've been a guy. The newly revealed Sheriff, smiled at Mason with bemusement.
"I'm out of uniform. Let's go with Liz." She suggested. Mason (and I) nodded in agreement.
"Alright, Liz." Mason went straight to the point. "I was hoping to talk to you about the council." Mason stated, and almost immediately, Liz dropped the smile.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Liz said, clearing her throat discreetly and returning back to her assigned project. Mason rolled his eyes. He had obviously expected this kind of reaction from her.
"I know you and the other founding families have a secret council." Mason stated, firmly. Liz paused and turned to look at Mason with a hard expression on her face.
"If that were true, then you'd know it's a secret and isn't discussed with non-council members." I ducked out of the way, hoping that neither of them had spotted me. Mason huffed in frustration.
"I know I rejected all that but it's only because I wanted a life outside of this town, but not because I was a non-believer." He told Liz. "Look I know vampires exist, and you have two of them living right under your nose." My eyes widened, and I felt red hot anger bubbling up inside me.
"Really?" Liz sounded sceptical, but to my dismay; also a little bit curious.
"Yeah." Mason confirmed.
"Who would they be?" Liz asked, quietly.
"Damon and Stefan Salvatore." Mason replied promptly. My hands clenched into fists so tightly, I almost broke the skin.
You son-of-a-bitch! I seethed.
Thankfully, Liz immediately shut down the 'theory'.
"That's impossible. I know Damon Salvatore." She told him, sounding angry. "Do you know what he's done for this town?" She demanded.
"I know it's a lot to digest." Mason reassured her.
"No. I watched him kill vampires. He's an ally; he's part of the Council." Liz insisted. I looked around the bush I was ducking behind, and saw Mason looking extremely determined to make Liz see the truth.
"Think about it. When did the vampire attacks begin?" Liz seemed to pause, taking this in. I started to panic. "When Damon and Stefan Salvatore moved to town?" He hinted. Liz shook her head.
"They walk in the sun, Mason." Liz insisted.
"They've evolved. It's not 1864. They figured it out, Liz." This time Liz looked a little doubtful of her own words. I cursed underneath my breath.
"No. Damon Salvatore is my friend." She insisted, stubbornly. I grinned triumphantly.
Good! Hold onto that thought! I thought desperately. Mason looked frustrated, but then a calculating smile spread across his face. I knew that it wasn't going to amount to anything good.
"What if I can prove it to you?" Mason asked, casually.
Wasting no time, I immediately ran straight for Damon who was looking around for something or someone. He looked relieved the second he caught my eye, and I knew that he had been looking for me. I frowned, realising that I must've been gone longer than I realised. It appeared that Mason really liked to talk, or at least hear the sound of his own voice.
"Where the hell did you go?" Damon demanded.
"I was listening in on a conversation between Mason and the Sheriff." I explained hastily. Damon's eyebrows rose.
"Liz? What were they talking about?" He asked, curiously.
"Mason basically revealed your status to Liz. Stefan's too." I told him, not bothering to sugar-coat it. Damon immediately went stony faced. "But I don't think Liz believed him though." I reassured him. Damon didn't look very reassured.
"He needs to be put down." Damon stated, probably unaware that he had made another tasteless 'dog joke' again. I hesitated.
"I think Mason is going to attempt to prove to Liz that you are indeed vampires. So beware." I warned him. Damon nodded and his eyes clapped onto Liz. He and I strode determinedly over to her, trying to act natural and not give away any hint that we knew what had been discussed between her and Mason. I could tell that Damon was not happy.
"Hey!" Damon greeted Liz. We could tell straight away that Liz, despite defending Damon fiercely to Mason, was having doubts and was eying Damon warily. Damon, bless him, ignored this. "We saw you with Mason earlier." He stated, casually.
"We?" Liz glanced at me, curiously and a bit worried when she saw that he was holding my wrist. I immediately took it back, realising how this looked and didn't want it to raise Liz's suspicions higher. Damon seemed to realise this.
"Oh, sorry. This is Grace. She's just moved here a few days ago." He introduced me to her. Liz shook my hand warmly.
"Nice to meet you." I replied. Liz gave a tentative smile back.
"Are you friends with my daughter, Caroline?" Liz asked, gesturing over to where the blonde vampire was painting with Elena and deep in an earnest conversation with her. I smiled.
"I guess we are. We only just met a couple of days ago. At the Carnival, actually." I confirmed. Liz looked relieved.
"That's great. She's been a little down lately…" Liz trailed off. I frowned at her with concern, as did Damon. But first things first.
"So back to the Mason question. What was that about?" Damon asked, getting right to the point. I nodded eagerly as well. Liz came back to life and waved her hand dismissively.
"Oh, I ah, I just asked him to help with the clean-up in the woods." Liz answered, sounding a little flustered and avoiding direct eye contact with both of us. Damon and I exchanged a look between us. Liz was lying, which meant that Mason had obviously planted some sort of seed of doubt in her thoughts.
"That's what I'm here for. Put me to work." Damon volunteered his services.
"That goes for me too." I chimed in, smiling. Liz looked at us calculatingly.
"Should I go help him?" Damon asked, practically itching to go after Mason and confront him once again. I subtly elbowed him in the side.
"Oh no. You know, he's … I'm sure he's fine." Liz said, unconvincingly. I frowned; clearly Liz was more upset about something else other than whether or not Damon and Stefan were both vampires.
"Liz, if I may call you that? Are you okay? You seem really upset." I asked her, concerned. Damon seemed to agree with me, but Liz seemed reluctant to respond.
"It's Caroline." She admitted. "We had a moment." She said. I tutted sympathetically.
"That's too bad. Anything we can do to help?" I asked. Damon glanced over at where Elena and Caroline were still talking together, and frowned at the blonde.
"No, but thank you." Liz smiled sadly at me. Damon turned back to look at Liz with empathetic eyes. "It's just horrible parental skills paying off in spades." Liz explained, sounding defeated and she walks away. I looked at Damon, deciding that at least one of us could confront Caroline and ask what's up.
"Odds or evens?" I asked him. Damon looked at me strangely.
"Sorry?" He asked, looking confused. I smiled patiently at him.
"Who wants to go confront Caroline?" I explained. Damon simply pushes aside my hand, and holds it; squeezing it a little.
"You're adorable. I'll go and talk with her." Damon confirmed before going to do just that. I decided to go and fill Stefan in on what was going on. But that plan derailed when I saw Elena break away from Caroline and head over to Stefan herself. I slowed down and came to a stop, as I knew that I would be potentially interrupting a moment between them. I waited until Elena broke off, looking both upset and frustrated. But Damon returned unexpectedly and intercepted me before I could resume course. "Best not. My dear brother and Elena just had a lover's spat. He's probably not in a very talkative mood right now." Damon suggested.
I raised an eyebrow.
"Since when would that stop you?" I asked him, sceptically.
"It wouldn't. But I'm less breakable than you are. If you catch my drift." He replied.
I did, unfortunately. We decided to go and make nice with Mason instead.
We found him accepting a cup of lemonade from a little girl operating the stand.
"Thank you" He said to her. The girl smiles at him, with a toothy grin.
"You're welcome." She says brightly. Mason smiles back at her before turning and taking big gulps of the tangy drink but immediately falters when Damon and I approach him.
"Well, Mason. Working hard?" Damon asks him, looking like he was barely containing his anger. I maintained a blank face.
"Doing my part." Mason agreed, as he nodded at me.
"I heard you talked to Stefan." Damon stated. Mason nodded, not giving away any emotion; although it was obvious that he didn't trust him at all.
"Nice guy." Mason observed, referring to Stefan.
"Nicer than Damon." I agreed with Mason's description. He didn't smile, but instead frowned knowing on some level that I was helping Damon.
"Nice is overrated." Mason was dismissive, making Damon grin triumphantly.
"That's what I thought. Huh!" Damon grinned. I studied Mason's mannerisms closely. He seemed a little too calm for a guy who had a bone to pick with Damon. No pun intended, of course. Mason smiled politely at us both.
"You have a good day." He walks off just as Stefan comes over to us. I was still trying to work out what Mason was up to as Stefan folded his arms across his chest, studying his brother sternly.
"Please tell me that you were just bonding." Stefan asked Damon with a tired tone. Damon sidestepped the question as I went to grab a cup of lemonade. I was baking a little underneath the warm sunlight.
"So what's up with this faux drama in your relationship?" Damon wanted to know. I turned to study both brothers, as I took a sip of the lemonade. There was a strange taste that burst on my tastebuds, and I frowned at the flavour.
What the?
I was pretty sure that lemonade did not taste like this. Neither brother noticed my reaction.
"What are you talking about?" Stefan retorted as Damon sneered.
"Oh come on, Stefan." Damon studied his brother, curiously. "You and Elena don't fight. Especially over me." He pointed out the obvious.
Stefan immediately frowned. "Drop it, Damon."
"With pleasure." Damon smirked, and turned towards the lemonade table.
"Would you like some lemonade?" The same little girl Mason had been talking to moments ago, smiled up at Damon as she poured him some lemonade and offered it to him. Damon gave the little girl a genuine smile as he reached for the cup. My eyes widened when I realised what I was tasting and immediately moved to stop him, tossing down my own cup.
"Thank you, sweetie." Damon said. I darted towards him, and put my hand over the rim of the cup. Just in time to feel Damon's lips touch the back of my hand.
I grimaced.
"No, Damon! Don't drink that!" I said, alarmed. Damon and Stefan looked at me strangely.
"What's wrong?" Stefan asked, looking at me with curiosity. But just before I could respond, somebody brushed past me; knocking me straight into Damon and spilling the lemonade onto him. Almost immediately he hissed with pain and his skin started smoking where the liquid splashed on him. I glanced over at Liz, whose mouth dropped open in shock.
Oh shit!
"Somebody slipped vervain in this lemonade!" Damon shouted through gritted teeth, and grimacing from the pain. I scowled dangerously.
"Yeah, Mason." I stated, angrily. "And now Liz knows the truth." I thumbed over my shoulder as I swiped a bottle of water from a nearby booth and grabbed Damon by the arm to lead him somewhere discreet. "Here! Rinse off." I thrust the bottle of untainted water at Damon who immediately snaps off the cap and pours the water on the affected parts of his skin. He is very angry.
"I'm gonna kill him." He vowed, and immediately goes to find him. I didn't make an attempt to stop him, but Stefan did.
"Listen to me! Sit! Sit!" He drags his brother towards a nearby bench and pushes him down onto it. But Damon immediately gets to his feet.
"No! I'm not listening to anymore of your 'give peace a chance' crap. He's dead!" Damon snarled.
Stefan looks conflicted.
"Okay. I don't like this." He stated. "He's making threats. He could expose us." He said. I turn on him.
"He already has, Stefan. Liz remember?" I told him. Stefan groans. Finally, he reluctantly agrees that Mason had gone too far. "We need to put him down." I looked away, feeling guilty for condoning their attempts to put Mason down permanently.
Damon got to his feet.
"Alright. Let's do it." He spots something behind me, and I turned to see what caught his attention. It was Mason going into the woods by himself. A malevolent grin spreads across Damon's face, while Stefan looks grim. "Woods. Trash duty." He gestures at Stefan. "Come on." Stefan nods and takes off towards the woods. I go to follow, but Damon stops me. "Uh no. You stay here. It'll be safer." He tells me firmly. I didn't protest as I watched my two friends follow Mason into the woods. However, after the brothers disappear into the woods, I spot Caroline and Elena heading there as well.
My eyes widen in horror.
"Elena! Caroline!" I sprint over to them, trying to grab their attention, anything to stop them from heading towards the danger.
"Grace? What's wrong?" Elena turned and looked at me with concern.
"Don't go down there, it's gonna get dangerous." I warned them. Caroline's eyes narrowed at what I said and she immediately headed for the woods.
"Caroline, where are you going?" Elena yells at her, then turns to me for an explanation. "What's going on?" She demanded. I grabbed her hand and took off after Caroline.
"Caroline, stop!" I said, firmly. The blonde vampire scowled at me in annoyance.
"I need to able to hear better." She insisted. Elena was confused.
"Hear what?" She asked, urgently. I was getting very worried for both Damon and Stefan. I had no idea what Liz and Mason had in mind, but the fact that Damon made me stay behind meant that it was going to be dangerous for them. Which meant if I had of gone with them, I would've been as defenceless as a cat toy. Caroline closed her eyes, listening intently. After a few minutes her eyes snapped open and she looked stricken.
"Something's wrong." She tells us. I swore underneath my breath grabbing Elena's attention.
"Caroline…" But the blonde raised her hand, silencing her.
"Shh." Several moments passed then Caroline looked horrified. "Oh god." I snapped my head towards her.
"What is it?" Elena demanded.
Just then Henrik materialised in front of me.
"Grace! You better come, it's bad!" He looked frantic and immediately took off in a random direction. I wasted no time following him as I heard Caroline answering Elena's question behind me.
"Stefan and Damon."
I followed Henrik through the trees, nearly losing sight of him a couple of times. Just then I nearly crashed into someone who immediately grabbed me and pulled me into a nearby set of bushes before I could get a good look at their face.
I jolted in shock. That was extremely familiar…
"Oh, not now…" I muttered in anxiety, and began to feel that same familiar bout of dizziness.
~:FLASHBACK:~
I was running through the woods, just like I had been moments before when I was following Henrik. It was night, and I out of breath, tired and could feel my lungs burning due to the lack of oxygen in them. I could feel the adrenaline pumping through my system as I continued glancing behind me, frantically searching for a glimpse of something or someone who was apparently following me with malicious intentions. At least, that's what I assumed was the reason why I was fleeing.
"Father, stop! She doesn't understand!" A deep familiar, and yet not familiar European voice echoes from behind me.
I ran faster.
"Mikael, she is innocent!" An older female's voice chimes in, echoing like the first voice.
Who the hell is Mikael? Is he the one chasing me?
I was so intent on running, that I wasn't expecting somebody with a blurred face to be right in my path. I nearly crashed into him; but before I could move around him and continue to run away, his strong but unusually gentle hands grabbed my shoulders to prevent me from fleeing.
Niklaus? I immediately started attacking him, trying to fight him off as he pulled me down into the bushes, clamping a hand over my mouth.
It was almost exactly like what happened before the flashback. Niklaus' blurred face looked at mine.
"Hush, love. I'm trying to save you…" He whispered, urgently.
~:REALITY:~
"Grace? Are you alright?" I blinked and refocused upon the faces of both Elena and Caroline, who had obviously vamp sped in the same direction I had taken off after Henrik in. Caroline was frowning at me with concern, while Elena; who had been the one who had spoken, grabbed my shoulders to get my attention. "Grace, you're scaring me. What happened?" She asked me, frantically. Something was moving out the corner of my eye and I noticed Henrik trying to grab my attention. Without answering Elena, I immediately got to my feet and sprinted over to Henrik's position.
"Grace, what's wrong? You're as white as a sheet." Henrik observed, urgently. I reacted to his deep European accent and his eyes widened in realisation. "You had another flashback, didn't you?" He guessed.
"I'll discuss it later, where are Damon and Stefan?" I demanded urgently. Henrik got serious and pointed towards what looked like a couple of basement doors. The kind you'd disappear into to avoid being blown away by a hurricane or a tornado. I made to go into it, but Henrik stopped me. "I wouldn't. There's a lot of violence going on down there." He warned me.
"Thanks, Henrik."
"Henrik?" I jumped and turned to see Elena looking at me with realisation. "He's here?" She mouthed. I nodded, just as Caroline frowned with confusion. Both girls looked a bit windswept. It looked like Caroline had used her vamp speed to get both she and Elena here. Caroline also looked pissed off.
"Who's Henrik?" She demanded.
"Never mind." I said quickly, forcing myself not to look in Henrik's direction, and hoped he understood. I changed the topic. "Damon and Stefan are down there." I said, pointing towards the basement doors. Elena and Caroline were immediately alert.
"How do you know that?" Caroline wanted to know. A loud gunshot was heard, answering her question. We quickly scrambled as silently as we could down the staircase. Henrik suddenly called out to me.
"Grace, listen!" He sounded extremely alarmed. I stopped both Elena and Caroline, and they both took the hint and fell silent. Neither Elena nor I could hear what was going on, but I looked over at Caroline for the answer.
"What is that?" Elena hissed. Caroline had to relay it to us.
"It's Mom. She's speaking to somebody else." Caroline sounded dismayed.
"Is it Stefan?" Elena asked, hopefully.
"Or Damon?" I added. Caroline shook her head. She closed her eyes, craning her head to listen clearer. Her blue eyes snapped open in horror. My heart sank at her expression.
"Caroline. Caroline, what is it?" Elena demanded. Caroline was finding it hard to answer.
"My mom. She's killing them…" She mumbled. Elena's face paled.
"What?!" She whisper-shouted. My face darkened with anger.
"Like hell." I growled, and both Elena and I started motioning forward; Elena to rescue Stefan presumably, and me to rescue one of my best friends. But Caroline grabs our arms, locking her grip.
"No, no, no, no!" Caroline whisper-shouted herself, frantically. Elena turned to her, a desperate look on her face.
"We have to stop her!" Elena struggled against Caroline's grip. I winced, she was going to be black and blue if she keeps this up.
"No, I can't. Elena, she's gonna find out about me." I managed to wrench my arm out of Caroline's grip and thundered down the rest of the staircase. "Grace!" Elena used Caroline's distraction to break free and run after me. "Elena!" Caroline yelled after us frantically. Henrik was running alongside me, looking disapproving.
"Grace, think about this for one second!" He said, sternly.
"Henrik, Damon's the closest person I have to somebody resembling Niklaus right now. Plus, he's my friend. I'm not gonna just stand there and let him be killed!" I growled at him, softly enough that Elena couldn't hear me.
Henrik sighed, in resignation.
"Just be careful, Grace. Niklaus will never forgive you if you get hurt or killed." He warned me and I nodded curtly. Elena and I reached the bottom step, and overheard Liz's stern, commanding voice giving out her orders to her deputies.
"Let's do this. Each with a stake in the heart, then burn them both." She instructed. Elena let out a horrified squeak and was about to charge in without thinking, when I wrapped my arms around her waist.
"Wait, Elena. Use your head!" I hissed. Just then a metallic creaking sound came from behind us, causing both of us to jump. There was silence for a couple of seconds. Then…
"Check it out." Liz's voice rang out.
Elena spotted a plank of wood lying nearby, and poked me in the arm. She gestured towards it and I nodded. We heaved it up together and when one of Liz's deputies appeared, we swung the plank as hard as we could at him; knocking him out. We tossed it aside and dashed into the main room. Liz trains her gun on us both, and reacts in surprise.
"Elena! What are you and your friend doing?" Liz looked horrified. Elena bravely stepped closer, and I followed a little more cautiously.
"You can't kill them. I'm not gonna let you." Elena vowed.
"We're not gonna let you." I corrected Elena. Somebody pushes me forward and I stumbled into Elena. I grabbed her, and pushed her behind me as the deputy we had hit before with the plank points his gun at us. Elena clutches to me in fright when the door closes by itself and something blurs behind her.
It was Caroline.
"What was that?" The deputy stammers. Liz looks at us, sternly.
"Who else is with you?" She demands. Caroline makes her move as she vamp speeds around, closing in on one of the deputies and takes a bite out of his neck. I dived over Elena, shielding her as the first deputy fires wildly at Caroline.
"GRACE!" I hear Henrik shout in horror. Elena cringes from underneath me, as the deputy continues firing. However, when he stops shooting, Caroline rushes him from behind and knocks him to the ground.
"Hi mom." I hear Caroline greet Liz meekly.
Liz's eyes widen in horror when she sees the blood smeared all over Caroline's face.
I get up off Elena and dust myself off, then I reach over to help Elena to her feet. Caroline and Liz were off to one side, sitting quietly and not looking at each other.
"Are you alright?" I asked her, quietly. Elena looked at me incredulously.
"Me? Are you alright?" She emphasised. I shrugged.
"I think you know that I'm used to life or death situations." I told her, looking meaningfully at her to help jog her memory. Elena nodded, understanding. We both hear two groans, and glanced over to see that Damon and Stefan have woken up.
"Stefan!" Elena rushes over to her boyfriend's side, while Damon immediately seizes one of the unconscious deputies and starts feeding on him. I calmly walk over, and wait until he is finished before crouching beside him.
"Be careful, Grace…" Henrik warns me. I nodded to let him know I understood.
"Feeling better?" I asked Damon, feeling slightly nauseated watching him feast. Damon draws his thumb all around his mouth to wipe away the remaining morsels of blood around his lips.
"I'll live." Damon said, shortly. I winced; he was angry with me and Elena for putting ourselves in harm's way. Well, tough luck. If it hadn't been for Elena, Caroline or myself, he and Stefan would be staked and charbroiled by now. Damon turns and checks on Stefan and Elena, who was sitting beside him. "You need to drink some deputy blood." He told him, firmly.
Stefan shook his head.
"No. I'm gonna be fine. It's just gonna take a little bit longer." He insisted. Caroline waded forward, trying to help.
"Damon's right you know. If there's ever time to break your diet…"
"He said he didn't want it, okay?" Elena snaps at her. I scowled at her tone.
"Hey!" Elena looks at me, fiercely. I wasn't intimidated. "There's no need to be like that. She's only trying to help." I defended Caroline, who smiled at me looking thankful. Damon looks over the two corpses of Liz's deputies.
"This is a most unfortunate situation." He said, his voice was silky smooth. "Two deputies dead and you." Damon looks at Liz, who looks him back in the eyes defiantly. "What am I going to do with you?" He wonders casually, using the same tone of voice, but his ice blue eyes were hard and flinty. Caroline reacts.
"You won't tell anyone, will you?" She asks Liz, who doesn't say anything for a moment. "Mom? Mom? Please." Liz still refuses to respond to Caroline. "Look, I know that we don't get along and that you hate me." Liz flinches at the assumption. "But I'm your daughter and you'll do this for me, right?" Liz remains silent. Caroline's eyes begin to fill up with tears. "Mom, please. He will kill you." Caroline begged her.
Liz looks away.
"Then kill me." She murmurs, quietly.
"No!" Caroline screams, fearful tears forming in her large blue eyes. Liz's eyes fill up with tears too.
"I can't take this. Kill me now." She begs. Damon bends down to look her in the eyes.
"But you were going to drag it out so painfully." Damon replied, unsympathetically. Then he suddenly grabs her, forcing Liz to stand up quickly. Caroline squeals with fear.
"No, no, no, no, no, no, no!" She screams. Stefan struggles to his feet with Elena's assistance.
"Damon, don't!" He growls.
"Damon, please!" Elena begs him.
I came over and got into Damon's face. I was furious that he would even THINK of taking away a mother from her child, no matter how old the child was.
"Damon Salvatore, if you even think of following through with this. I swear I will knock you on your arse!" I promised him, seething. Damon raised an eyebrow at my threat.
"Relax guys. No one is killing anybody." He said, calmly. Damon looks at Liz, reassuringly. "You're my friend." He tells her. Then he looks at me with a slightly hurt expression that takes me aback. "You both are." He reminds me, sounding a little vulnerable. I was shocked; Damon had managed to stop himself once again from ruthlessly killing somebody. I couldn't help it; I let out an incredulous laugh, which earned strange looks. Damon releases Liz and turns to look at the deputies. "We've got to clean this up." He announces, and Elena and Stefan looked just as dumbfounded as I did.
"Nice threat, Grace. I look forward to seeing you calling your bluff one day." Henrik told me, smirking from the doorway behind me.
Once we had disposed of the bodies, Damon and Stefan led the rest of us back to the Salvatore Boarding House to regroup and figure out what to do with Liz. Caroline briefly made a detour home to pick the essentials for her mother.
Elena was getting a little worried. She had been gone for a while now.
"Elena, you need to relax or you're going to make yourself sick." I reminded her. Elena merely scowled at me. I personally didn't really care what she did as long as she sat down and waited like the rest of us. "Caroline probably needed some time to let it sink in that her mum knows she's a vampire now. Wouldn't you?"
Elena paused, before nodding and taking a seat on one of the red couches in the parlour. But even then, she still fidgeted something chronic. I sighed. Well, at least she was sitting down and not pacing like a stressed out animal stuck in a cage. Suddenly there was a knock at the door, and Elena was the first one up to answer it.
I sighed, and got to my feet to follow her.
It was Caroline. She was carrying an overnight suitcase.
"Hey, sorry that took forever." Elena stepped back so that her visibly upset friend could come inside. "I just didn't know how long my mom was gonna be here." Caroline explained. I smiled and came over to comfort her.
"It's the thought that counts, sweetheart." I reminded her. Elena nodded in agreement as she closed the door behind Caroline, and led her to where Damon was standing guard with Liz.
"Damon says it'll take three days tops for the vervain to leave her system. Maybe even sooner." Elena told her.
Caroline nodded solemnly.
Stefan came into the room and joins up, giving Caroline a friendly, supportive smile which she returns. I couldn't help but see a spark of genuine interest in Caroline's eyes when Stefan came in. But just as quickly as it was there, Caroline immediately and firmly buried it deep into her subconscious.
I wasn't sure if I approved of this or not. It was obvious that she liked Stefan a lot, and it's not like the relationship between Elena and Stefan would last, no matter how much Elena fights to keep it alive.
However I shrugged; it wasn't my problem. Now to the situation at hand.
"Hey! You get some bunny in you?" Caroline asks Stefan who smiles, appreciative of her concern.
"Yeah, I'm feeling much better, thank you." He responds, wrapping his arms around Elena who had come over to hug him. I stepped in the direction of the cellar, which was where Damon had taken Liz.
"Shall we see what's going on down there?" I asked. Stefan, Elena and Caroline nodded and we made our way down the stone staircase and into the basement; which I was surprised to see comprised of dungeon-like rooms. Damon was standing in front of one of the open doors, observing Liz who was sitting in the room talking on the phone with somebody. "Hey Damon, you feeling any better?" I asked him, politely.
He glanced up at me but didn't smile.
"I've suffered worse in my time." He reassured me, before turning back to Liz.
I winced; yep, still mad. I walked over to the door and peered inside.
"A stomach bug." Liz was saying. "Yeah, it came on fast. I'll definitely be out tomorrow…" Damon cleared his throat in warning, and Liz looked up at him warily. "Or longer." Liz amended. "I'll text you." She listens to the person on the other line for a few minutes. "Yeah. Good night." She hangs up and hands the phone to Damon who straightened up and takes it. He smiles kindly at Liz, who doesn't return it.
"Thank you. It's not exactly the Ritz, but it's secure. Brought you a good thread count. Once the vervain's worked its way out of your system, I will compel you, you will forget everything and you will be a free woman." Damon explained to her.
Stefan, Caroline and Elena walk into view, but only Caroline stays outside listening in while Stefan and Elena walk into the room. I frowned and approached Caroline, concerned.
"Caroline, are you okay?" I muttered. She shakes her head, her blue eyes were wide and vulnerable. I was about to ask her why, when Liz suddenly spoke up.
"Can you keep Caroline far away from me, please? I don't wanna see her." Liz requests. I see tears develop in the poor girl's eyes and I glanced back into the room. Damon was frowning disapprovingly at Liz.
"She's your daughter, Liz." He reminded her.
Liz instantly hardened her face.
"Not anymore. My daughter's gone." She insisted, turning away.
"You have no idea how wrong you are about that." Damon told her, quietly. He glances over at Caroline who is now crying over her mother's rejection. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and pull her into my arms, as Elena approaches her.
"Come on." I cajole Caroline. Elena and I lead her back up the stairs, as Caroline clings to me and sobs into my shoulder. I rub her arm in an attempt to soothe her, but halfway up the stairs Elena suddenly turns back. When Caroline and I reach the top of the stairs, I lead her back over to one of the couches and sit her down on it as I take a seat on the coffee table in front of her. "I know it's hard, Caroline. But you and your mother will get through this eventually." I said, attempting to calm her down while Elena was out of the room.
Caroline looks up at me, scowling a little.
"How do you know that?" She demanded, her voice a little bit harsh. "She hates me! My mom hates me!" She yelled, and I immediately get up and sit beside her on the couch. Instinctively, Caroline moves into my arms; seeking comfort.
Surprised, but understanding; I wrap my arm around her, and cup my hand behind her head stroking her hair. Something my mum used to do for me whenever I was really upset.
"Your mum doesn't hate you. She's just really scared and upset at the moment." I explained. "Learning that her only daughter had become a vampire was just the cherry on top of a crappy cake." Caroline sat up and wiped her eyes, as she looked at me. It was clear that she didn't believe me. "Give her time. She'll come around eventually." I reassured her. Elena comes back into the room and comes over to her friend's side. I got to my feet. "I'll leave you two alone." Caroline smiled weakly and I went off in search for Damon to let him know I wanted a lift home.
I needed to face a probably angry as hell ghost wishing he could touch things so he could strangle me.
In Damon's car on my way back to my apartment, the atmosphere in there was tense. I glanced over at Damon, who was staring straight ahead and stubbornly refusing to look at me and then at Henrik in the backseat.
He had red-rimmed eyes; a sign that he had been crying, and I had no idea that ghosts were capable of crying. But I guess I shouldn't have been surprised. If they could sleep, they could cry. I really must have scared him. I immediately felt guilty; I had scared the hell out of both my best friends by going into that basement and risking my own neck in the process.
I had some serious grovelling to do.
"Listen, Damon. I'd just like to apologise to you for what happened today. I was selfish and didn't think things through before going down there with Elena." I paused, looking out of the window at the scenery rushing by in a multi-coloured blur. I noticed out the corner of my eye, Damon white-knuckling the steering wheel. I stiffened, feeling the guilt grow. Eventually, when Damon pulled up outside the apartment block, he still hadn't spoken a word. "I guess, that's just what I wanted to say. I'll talk to you soon. Bye, Damon." I went to let myself out.
"You're an idiot, you know that?" Damon's harsh voice spoke up. I froze and turned to see him, and was shocked when I saw fresh tears threatening in his angry ice blue eyes. "You could have been killed. Did you realise that?" He stated. I opened my mouth to speak, but he immediately continued before I could. "Can you even imagine how I felt when I woke up and saw you lying across Elena like that? I thought that you had been shot, for fuck's sake!" He yelled at me.
"I was trying to save you, Damon. You and Stefan. Call me crazy, but friends protect friends." I retorted, feeling tears welling up in my eyes too.
"But not at the cost of your own life, Grace!" Damon stated.
"He's right, Grace. You were too reckless today." Henrik supported Damon. I forced myself not to look at him.
"Up until you actually moved and got up from the ground, I was out of my mind with worry. You're the first friend I've ever actually given a shit about. So don't ever do that again, or I'll kill you myself!" He promised me. I was speechless. The big bad Damon Salvatore actually values my friendship. I guess that talk we had that day in the Library really got through to him. The next thing I knew, I was wrapped up in Damon's arms; with his face pressed into my neck. "And if you ever tell anybody that I cried like this in front of you, they will never find your body." He threatened; his warm breath tickling my throat.
I laughed, and held him closer.
"The thought never occurred to me." I whispered back. Eventually, I had to thud hard on Damon's back. "Uh, Damon. Breathing's becoming an issue…" I croaked. Damon released me and I sat back, gulping in lungful's of air. I got out of the car and stretched out my sore limbs.
Damon followed.
"So, uh, I'll call you tomorrow. We'll figure out the 'Mason Lockwood' situation then." He suggested.
I nodded.
"Sounds like a plan." Henrik slouched against the wall behind me. He still looked pissed off, and I knew that it would be his turn to tear through me like a packet of salts.
"So what did you see?" Henrik asked, the second we were in my apartment, and I was free to talk with him without people believing I had lost my mind completely.
I looked at him strangely. "What?"
Henrik had his back to me, staring out of the window.
"The flashback you had. What did you remember?" He reiterated. I frowned at him.
"That's it? You're not going to confront me about what I did? You've got nothing to say?" I demanded, feeling surprised. Henrik looked confused.
"Did you want me to yell at you?" He asked, puzzled.
I shook my head.
"What person likes being told off? I was just surprised that you didn't have any choice words to tell me regarding how you felt or how stupid I was." I explained.
Henrik frowned.
"I think Damon pretty much summed it up back in the car." Henrik responded. "Besides I'm just a kid; I've never had to tell somebody that they acted foolishly and impulsively before." He admitted. "That was the job of my mother, father, brothers and sister to do." He said.
I smiled.
"You could've just said that I was. That's all you had to do, if you wanted to." I explained. Henrik smiled.
"Then pretend I did, and get on with explaining the flashback you just had." Henrik asked me, a little impatiently. I rolled my eyes at him, fondly.
"If you insist." I responded. "All I remembered was that I was running through the woods at night time. I was being chased by someone or a group of people; as there was more than one voice." I told Henrik. He nodded. "Two of the voices were pleading with someone; I'm assuming the person who was chasing me, to stop. That I was innocent and didn't understand." I said, looking confused. I glanced up at Henrik's face for an explanation and saw shock.
"You were remembering the night mother, father and my brother placed the Hybrid's curse upon Niklaus." Henrik explained. "What you described was Gráinne fleeing from the scene." Henrik frowned.
"That explains why I also remembered Niklaus appearing from out of nowhere and pulling me down into a bush; explaining to me that he was trying to protect me." I added.
Henrik was still frowning.
"What sparked that?" He wondered. I shrugged, just as confused.
"While you were leading me to where Liz had Damon and Stefan hidden, something or someone grabbed me and pulled me into some bushes." I told him. "That's when I suddenly blacked out." I revealed. Then I frowned. "By the way, there was one other thing that the flashback revealed." I confessed. Henrik looked interested.
"What?"
"Who's Mikael?" I asked. The second I asked this question, Henrik went rigid. "What?"
"Mikael is the name of my father." Henrik revealed.
A/N: One step closer. Grace finally knows the name of her ancestor's murderer. The plot thickens.
TTFN 😋