Disclaimer: I only own my OCs
A/N: Welcome back to the continuation of season 4! I didn't get as much done as I wanted during the break haha, which was not a good thing! But I have worked out where I am going again, and by doing so, I discovered something disturbing, I write better when I am torturing Alexa haha This chapter has a nice mix of general plot, family time and Dalexa time, everyone's favourite things :)
XXX
The next morning, I woke up on Damon's bed, his arm wrapped around my waist. After he returned from New Orleans, we had spent our time searching for answers in the grimoires that Bonnie had leant me. There had to be something, an answer. Anything that meant that I wouldn't eventually be separated from my twin sister.
I let out a soft sigh as I closed my eyes again. Despite the lack of abductions, yesterday wasn't any better than the day before. It was full of unwelcome news and painful thoughts. The only good thing that came from yesterday was my boyfriend's return. The boyfriend who was nuzzling his nose into the back of my neck. I curled back further into his warmth and huffed, "On a scale of one to ten, how much more will today suck compared to previous days?"
"I'm hoping for a solid one," Damon sighed into my ear, his warm breath tickling the back of my neck. "And if we stay in bed, then we might be lucky enough to get that decent day."
"Ugh, I wish I could," I groaned, turning around in his arms. I buried my face against my boyfriend's chest as I mumbled, "Elena has managed to come up with an amazing plan to get Jeremy to not want to kill me every time he sees me. Bonnie and Jenna have taken the kid to the Lakehouse. And Ellie asked me to drive her down there so we can join in."
"Your sister and her plans," I could practically feel Damon's eyeroll. "They never end well for you."
"Yeah, I know. But if there is even a tiny chance that I can spend time with my brother, I've got to take it," I tilted my head back slightly, so that I could look up at him through my lashes. "If you wanna come, you're more than welcome. Might make you feel better too, getting out of time.
"Hmm, why not? At least that way, I can make sure that Elena doesn't get you into trouble. Not that you need help with that."
I rolled my eyes, "Oh come on. I didn't get hurt yesterday. In fact, I kicked ass. Ellie getting abducted by crazy hybrids is not on me. I stayed out of trouble."
"Ally. Tyler told me how practically he had to hold you back from attacking the hybrids. You definitely would have gotten into trouble if given the chance."
"Pfft," I pouted pitifully, before kissing his jaw. "I would have been able to take them. Most of them were whimps, anyway. Kim was the only one with some balls and I definitely could have taken her."
"Sometimes you over-estimate your abilities, baby," Damon snorted as I continued to kiss and nibble his jaw.
"Hmm, I respectfully disagree," I purred, pushing my boyfriend on his back. I quickly moved to sit on top of him, my hands pressing into the pillow on either side of his head. I lent forward, hair draping down to one side. Damon's hands came up to settle onto my hips as he smirked up at me.
"I'm sure you do," my boyfriend chuckled, throaty and deep, as his fingers slipped beneath my top. He stroked the sensitive skin as I leant all the way down, my lips meeting his. Damon tightened his grip on me, fingers digging into my skin, as I ground down onto his crotch. I knew that, while the day would probably end badly, I could at least start it well.
Within a second, Damon had me on my back, his body settling over mine as he hovered over me. He stared down at me with a hungry look, the silvery irises of his eyes practically swallowed up by his pupils. I blinked up at him innocently as I wrapped my legs around his hips. I knew that Damon had a lot of pent-up tension. It hadn't been a smooth trip, for the brothers. Stefan had continued to be bitter over the fact that my sister had broken up with him. And he had taken that bitterness out on my boyfriend. He was just lucky that I was an understand person. And that I was more focused on fucking the frustration out of my boyfriend than I was in punishing the one that caused it.
"You're playing a dangerous game, Alexandria," Damon purred into my ear, nibbling on my earlobe before he turned his attention to my neck. I huffed out a laugh as I tilted my head back.
"I'm not a breakable as I once was, Day," I smirked, eyes fluttering shut as his fingers came up to tweak my nipple through my top. "Do your worst."
That was, apparently, all the invitation that Damon needed. With a growl that had me shivering, he ripped my top in half, pushing that tattered remains from my body. It was so panty-dropping that I didn't even care that I had lost yet another piece of clothing. Nope. Instead, I was busy frantically shoving my shorts and panties down my legs.
Damon pulled his top off before leaning back down. His fingers pinched at my nipples, rolling them between his fingers, swapping between them. When it wasn't his fingers driving me crazy, it was his mouth. He sucked on them, lightly grazing my nipples with his teeth before kissing his way down my stomach.
It wasn't until I breathed out his name, that he stopped peppering my stomach with kisses. Using his vampire strength, Damon flipped me over. I quickly pushed myself up onto my knees as I felt a rush of air behind me. It didn't take a genius to realise that it was my boyfriend getting rid of his pants. Because within a second, I felt his hard cock pressing at my entrance.
I let out a low groan as he slowly pushed into me. My body opened for him, drawing him in further, as I whimpered at feeling so full. It was different, at this angle, I could feel every inch of him against me. With every twitch and movement, he rubbed against that sensitive spot inside me. With every drag of his hips, with every thrust, I let out little whimpers and moans, fingers curling around the blankets. Damon's strong hands gripped my hips as he slowly increased his speed. I pushed back to meet him, needing that friction.
I faintly heard Damon mutter my name as I did so. His rhythm stuttering ever so slightly as I did so. But before I knew it, he was pounding into me. I just gripped onto the sheets and held on, tension coiling inside me. I knew that, at this pace and in this position, it wouldn't take long for me to fall off the edge.
And when I did, it was with a shout. I called out Damon's name, panting and begging for more as my orgasm broke over me. Wave upon wave of pleasure washed over me as I felt Damon's hips stutter. It didn't take long for him to cum either. His hips slowly came to a stop as he collapsed down upon me. I carefully fell to the bed, enjoying his warm weight upon me.
"Now," I smirked lazily, as Damon pressed a light kiss to my neck. "That's one way to start the day."
XXX
After round two, I managed to persuade Damon to let me get dressed. As much as I would have loved to just hide in his bed all day, I knew that I had to go see my family. Like I said to Damon, if there was a chance that I could finally spend time with my brother, I had to take it. I didn't know what my twin's idea was, but it had to something based in fact that it got Elena so hopeful.
Once we were ready, we detoured to my home to pick up Ellie before heading to the Lakehouse. When I had asked her why she hadn't just gone with Jer and Jenna, she told me that she wanted to Talk. I knew what it was about. She wanted to know what Damon had found out about our damaged magical bond. From what I could tell, she hadn't told the rest of our family about it. Probably for the same reason why I didn't want to tell her. If the news had to be shared, it should be done with good news attached to it. Unfortunately, I didn't have any good news to attach. Not yet, anyway.
When my sister slumped onto the backseat, she took one look at me and rolled her eyes, "Ugh, please tell me that you didn't have sex in the car before picking me up."
"No, Elena," I rolled my eyes back at her. "We had sex in bed before coming to pick you up. Is that better?"
"Marginally," she sighed, shaking her head. "But I will still have to put up with your satisfied little looks."
"I don't know what you're talking about," I huffed, rolling my head to look at Damon. "Honestly, this girl is so delusional at times."
"Just like you, then," he smirked at me. I pouted and poked his thigh before slumping in my seat, crossing my arms.
"I hate you both," I grumbled, looking out the window.
"No you don't," Damon laughed, resting a hand on my thigh.
"Oh no you don't," my sister laughed, sitting forward and tapping his hand. "Hands off my sister. I know what that leads to. And I'm not dealing with your flirting by myself."
"Fine, we'll just flirt when we get to the Lakehouse," I smirked over my shoulder at my twin, enjoying the eye roll that I got. "Then you can complain to the others while we have fun."
"Just don't have too much fun," Ellie shook her head, a smile teasing her lips. "Because hormonal Jenna will either cry or curse. And I don't know which one would be worse."
"How is she doing?" I shifted so that I was able to properly look at my sister. "I know that she tells me that she is okay. But I also know that she doesn't want me to worry about her while I'm out the house."
"She's… coping a lot better than she was, but you want to refill our emergency supply of snacky food," Elena sighed, shaking her head.
"She's gotten through all of that already?" I raised an eyebrow, already making plans to make some more. The Salvatore kitchen was large enough for me to make enough for a few more days. And I could store some at the Boarding House, as a backup supply.
"Yeah, she's eating her feelings right now, especially since she can't hit the wine."
"Damn, that must be hard for her," I muttered, before nodding sharply. "Alright, Els. Fancy coming over and having a snack making marathon?"
"Only if you promise not to get too bossy and bite my head off," my sister laughed and nodded. "Although, I don't know what I should fear more. You in kitchen mode or getting abducted by hybrids again."
"Eh, definitely me," I laughed, giving her a wink. "And you don't need to worry about the hybrids, Tyler promised me that he has them in check. And if they do pull anything, I'm allowed to have my fun."
"Of course he did," Damon muttered, rolling his eyes. "He can't say no to you."
"Yep, I have him wrapped around my little finger, just like you," I teased, prodding his thigh. "And just like Elena."
"You're spoilt," Ellie shook her head, fighting to hide a smile. But I could see it forming.
"But you love it," I gave her a wink, rolling my eyes when she gave me a serious look. I could see her rubbing her temples and winced slightly. I had been trying to avoid strong emotions, but apparently, even small ones were enough to cause headaches in close quarters. "You okay, Els?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine," she sighed, giving me a weak smile. "I don't suppose you have some good news for me about that damaged bond?"
I exchanged a glance with Damon before sighing myself. I reached forward and rested a hand on her knee, "Stefan was right, the bond that Esther created between us was damaged. Either by me transitioning or you not. Not that it matters."
"And what did that witch in New Orleans say about breaking it?" my sister asked, looking at me with wide, hopeful eyes.
I winced, hating myself for killing that hope. But right now, it would be crueller for me to lie to her. Elena deserved to know the truth. This could have serious consequences for both of us. I had to tell her. Damon's had settled on my knee as I spoke slowly, trying to phrase it in the kindest way that I could, "It, uh, it can't be broken. Not by magic. The witch said that the only things that will stop the headaches are distance… or death." At my sister's sudden intake of breath, I had to add, "If we don't do either of those things, then the pain will increase, so that just by standing next to each other, the headaches will overwhelm us. And then it could eventually kill us."
"So those are our choices?" Ellie whispered, shaking her head. "I don't want that. I don't want to be separated from you, Lexa."
"Does that mean that I get to kill you instead then?" I teased weakly, wincing at the look that she gave me. "We're looking into it, Els. I promise. We will fix this; I just need some time."
"We'll fix it," my twin corrected me, grabbing my hand and giving it a firm squeeze. "Together."
XXX
As we drove up the long driveway to the Lakehouse, we saw Jeremy outside. He was chopping firewood. The kid was wearing just a wifebeater, showing off the muscles that I didn't realise were so defined. Honestly, where was my sweet little doofus of a brother? He had been replaced by this muscular young man.
He paused while chopping, bending down to pick up a sliver of wood. It was shaped like a rough stake, having splintered off one of the blocks. I watched as the kid stared down at before throwing it back to the side. Was that a good sign? Or did he just reject a dodgy stake? God, I hated thinking like that when it came to my baby brother.
With a shake of his head, Jeremy picked the axe back up and continuing chopping the blocks of wood in half. It wasn't until he heard the sound of the car that he glanced up. The moment he saw us, he froze, his grip on the axe tightening visibly. His muscles tensed as he just stared at us. There was a blank look on his face. And I didn't know what to make of that.
Before he could do something reckless, like charge a car or throw the axe at us, Bonnie made her appearance. She hurried forward, pausing at Jer's side. In the background, I could see Jenna standing on the porch, watching with worried eyes. But Bonnie must have told her to stay out of the way, as our aunt just watched. I could see her gripping the rail tightly, one hand covering her stomach. A part of me wondered if Jeremy and Bonnie knew about her pregnancy yet. But I pushed that thought from my mind. That was a discussion for another time, hopefully one where my brother didn't want to kill me on sight.
Jeremy walked in front of the car, blocking us from coming any further. Luckily, Damon just turned off the engine, watching the kid through careful eyes. But he did reach out to rest a hand on my knee, squeezing gently as he watched the situation play out. He wouldn't interfere, not until I was in danger. And I appreciated that. I knew that he had my back, but I also knew that he would let me do this. Even if he was of the opinion that I was a trouble magnet.
"Jeremy," Bon spoke his name softly, looking up at him. She rested a careful hand on his, the one that was holding the axe. I admired the way that she was handling him. I knew that she had been helping Elena and Jenna. But this was impressive. It was like she had been helping him for years, not days.
"They shouldn't be here," the kid ground out, narrowing his eyes at us. Well, wasn't that nice to hear. I tried not to be too offended. I knew that my brother was struggling with those pesky new hunter instincts of his. The ones that made him hate any vampire on sight, even if it was people that he knew. But it was hard. So, to make myself feel better, I grabbed Damon's hand in mine, giving it a squeeze. My boyfriend immediately squeezed back, thumb rubbing the back of my hand.
"They're here to help you," the witch contradicted softly, keeping her voice gentle. But that didn't stop Jeremy from staring at us. I could see his grip tightening on the axe, the knuckles of his hand turning white. "Do you trust me?"
My brother glanced down at my friend, his expression turning soft at the sweet look on her face. He nodded slowly, carefully relaxing his grip on the axe. Bonnie smiled up at him, a reassuring look in her eyes as she took it from him. The witch carefully placed it to the side before taking his hand in hers. She gave it a gentle squeeze before sighing, "Let's go inside."
The kid nodded, before looking back up at us. Even as Bon urged him back inside the house, a more relaxed setting for our meeting, Jer never looked away. It would have been cute if it wasn't for the cold look in his eyes. I really hated this Hunter thing. It was taking my brother away from me. Which was so not cool. Especially when you factored in the fact that he was only in this position because of me. He went from a potential to an actual hunter to save me from the Hunter's curse. This should never have happened and I swore that I would find a way to stop it.
As they approached the door, a very surprising person walked out. I raised an eyebrow at Professor Shane's appearance. It was… unexpected. What was he doing here? Why was he walking towards my brother?
"What the hell is Professor Shadypants doing here?" Damon murmured, voicing my thoughts.
"I invited him," Elena sighed and I turned around in my seat to look at her. Next to me, I could see an incredulous look on his face. He was clearly doubting my sister's sanity. Not that I could blame him. Was she seriously trusting Shane to help us? He was as shady as shit. Even if he did help us, there would be strings attached.
"Say what now?" I narrowed my eyes into a frown, showing my own displeasure. This was something that my twin should have discussed with me before she did it. But did she? Nope, she did not. I wondered what Jenna thought of this. I mean, her knowledge of Shane came from what we had told her. So she probably wouldn't have been impartial. Not that I wanted her to be.
"Bonnie said that he could help," Ellie shrugged, not looking at all remorseful for her actions. "And I was willing to trust her judgement."
"Damn you," I muttered, turning around and slumping in my seat. "How am I supposed to go against Bonnie?"
XXX
At my urging, Elena went straight inside the house. There was no need for her to linger out here when she could go and greet the others. I knew that I would have to wait to get in, as I would need to be invited inside. But until Jeremy was comfortable enough to do that, I wasn't going to push for it. So until I was summoned, I was content to get the bags from the car. Ellie and I had packed an overnight bag, just in case. We didn't know how long this would take.
"How are you doing?" Damon murmured, resting a hand on my shoulder before we approached the door. I glanced up at him and sighed, shaking my head.
"Seeing him look at me like, it kinda hurt," I admitted, keeping my voice low. The door was still open, foolishly letting out the warmth from inside but I wouldn't complain about it yet. I didn't want them to hear my words. It was more important that they supported Jeremy. I had Damon to voice my worries too, I would be fine.
As I stared up at the door, I caught Shane's eye. He twitched his head, indicating that we head up. I glanced over at Damon, wanting his okay too. I knew that my boyfriend was suspicious about Shane's intentions here. It was a suspicion that I shared. But I knew that my need to be with my brother would outweigh anything. Luckily, I had Damon to watch my back and make sure that I didn't make any stupid decisions.
"Okay, listen, we are ready to get started," the professor spoke, his voice soft. It was always soft. And while that should be reassuring, it was unnerving. With some people, you could tell that they were moments away from snapping. And Shane just gave me that impression. There was something wrong with him. But until I worked out what that was, I couldn't say anything to Bonnie. He was helping her. I couldn't take that away from my friend without proof. "But before we can do that, we need her," at his nod, Jeremy turned around from where he had sat a chair down near the coffee table. Furniture had been moved, creating a small circle. It was probably a way of creating a zen atmosphere or something like that. I assumed that it would help with the hypnosis thing that they were trying. "In here."
"Things are different now, Jer," Elena's voice was gentle as she rested a hand on his shoulder. Jenna stood by her side, looking at me with a soft smile. I gave her a quick thumbs up before focusing my gaze back on my brother, drawing strength from the warm hand that Damon had on my back. "We get that. But to fix it, you need to invite Alexa in."
Jeremy walked closer to the front door, his hands clenching and unclenching. I could see him taking a deep breath and I sighed, "It's okay if you don't feel ready, kiddo. I want you to feel comfortable doing this. Not because you feel forced."
I kept eye contact with my brother and I could see him mind whirring. He was thinking quickly, wondering if he could invite me in. And, I hoped, he was fighting those pesky Hunter instincts. Unfortunately, while I didn't want to push the kid, Shane had no such worries, as he urged, "Go ahead, Jeremy. Invite her in."
There was another moment of hesitation before Jeremy murmured, "You can come in."
"Thanks, Jer," I smiled gently at him as I crossed the threshold. No matter how many times it had to happen, it would always feel weird, being invited in like that. Especially to places that I had grown up in. It definitely showed just how different things were now. How different I was too.
As I passed him, I pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. As I rested a hand on his shoulder to do so, I felt his body tense slightly. I didn't mention it, knowing that it was just his Hunter side fighting against his normal side. God, I made him sound insane when I said it like that. Maybe we were all insane. Driven crazy by the madness of Mystic Falls.
I kept an eye on him as I walked past, placing my bag on the counter. Damon had just dumped Elena's by the door. But I would let them argue about it. Sometimes, it was easier to stay out of this kind of thing. I knew that they did like each other, they just argued over me. It did make a girl feel loved though.
It was a good idea that I had kept a close eye on the kid, as, before anyone could react, he pulled a stake from his back pocket. He spun around, aiming for my back. Everyone called out, and I could practically feel Damon's movements as he went to dart forward. But before he could get anywhere near me, I spun around.
I grabbed Jeremy's wrist, twisting it slightly, enough to get him to drop the stake. Once I heard the clatter of the wood on the floor, I pressed his body down on counter. Resting a gentle hand on his back, making sure to keep him pressed against the wood, I sighed and rolled my eyes, "Honestly, Jer, you know how to make a girl feel loved, don't you?"
"Are you okay?" Jenna asked, stepping forward to rest a hand on my shoulder. I gave her a grateful smile as I let Elena and Bonnie take over speaking to the kid. I heard the witch softly call my brother's name, resting a hand on his cheek.
"I'm fine, Jenna," I nodded, glancing down at the kid pinned down in front of me. "Can't say that I wasn't expecting it really."
"You handled it well," my aunt mused as I carefully let go of my brother. I stepped away from him, letting Ellie and Bon usher him to the other side of the room.
"I have a good teacher," I gave a wry smile as I felt Damon step up behind me. He rested his hands on my hips, grip firm, as I felt him stare down my brother. I knew that his protective instincts were going into overdrive. But as long as he let me take the lead, he could be as overprotective as he wanted to be.
XXX
While Shane got Jeremy ready, I sat on the porch steps with Damon. Not long after my brother's second attempt to kill me, my boyfriend had received a phone call. It was from Stefan and apparently, trouble was brewing back in Mystic Falls. I couldn't say that I was too surprised. That town just invited it. No, what did surprise me was the stupidity of my other brother.
He and his hybrids had found a witch that would transfer Klaus' soul, essence, whatever the fuck you wanted to call it, into Tyler's body. They would then find a way to take him out of action, desiccate him or whatever, and trap his body in concrete. Honestly, if I was at home right now, I would go slap him. It was such a stupid, self-sacrificing plan. Ty had so much to live for, and instead, he decided to give his body up to trap Klaus. Yeah, he claimed that it was only long enough for the hybrids to scatter and completely disappear. But I didn't believe it. Who would want to free Klaus after everything that he had done? No, I knew what would happen. Tyler would forever be trapped in the concrete, housing Klaus within his body.
And that wasn't the only issue. For the cure that I wished could remain hidden forever, Klaus had found the sword. The sword would, apparently, translate the tattoo and lead the way to the cure. In other words, it was important to Stefan. And, while Klaus had shown the younger Salvatore the sword, he hadn't cared to share its whereabouts. Apparently, the sneaky Original had moved it from its original resting spot. He clearly didn't trust Stefan. And I didn't blame him. It was common knowledge that we would do anything to get rid of the Original Hybrid. So he was using the sword and information in his head to guarantee that no one did anything foolish. It was smart, if not annoying.
"Well, he's not walking around with it," Damon rolled his eyes as I rested my head against his shoulder. Behind me, I could hear Shane talking Elena through his plan. It wasn't a complicated one. He was planning on using hypnosis to create some kind of different response to the conditioned one. If I was being honest, I wasn't really paying attention to his words. I knew that Shane would tell me all about it when he was ready. The professor loved explaining just how smart he was, even if he didn't quite phrase it that way. "Check the rest of the house."
"I am," I could sense the frown on Stefan's face. "I haven't found anything."
"Oh no," I muttered, rolling my eyes. I knew that, even though my voice was quiet, Stefan would be able to hear my words. Not that I cared. The more people that knew about my disdain for the cure, the better. Hopefully, then, someone would be able to put a stop to the whole nonsense. I knew that Damon wouldn't. He would find the cure for his brother to take or so that he could shove it down Klaus' throat. Either way, he wouldn't give it to me.
"Try the sock drawer," my boyfriend smirked into my hair, amused by my words. "People leave the sketchiest stuff in sock drawers."
"You would know," I snickered, giggling at the fingers that dug into my ticklish side.
"Guys, come on," Stefan sighed, shaking his head. "I'm gonna need real ideas."
Over the phone, I could hear the other vampire moving things around, opening drawers. I was surprised that Klaus was allowing this. Unless they had found a way to distract him. Which would make sense. Huh, wonder how they managed it. Maybe they had trashed his painting again. That normally worked.
"Here's three," Damon suggested, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and drawing me into his side. I curled into his warmth, content to let him handle his brother. "One: kill Tyler before he goes to Klaus. Two: since Klaus has suddenly become MVP in your relay race for the cure, tell him about the hybrids and he'll kill Tyler. Or three: you let Tyler do what he needs to do for revenge and you give up on the cure."
"I vote for door number three," I mumbled, closing my eyes as I thought about it all. It was a shitty situation. I knew that my adopted brother wanted revenge for everything that had been done to him and his hybrid pack. But I didn't want him to get hurt doing so.
"Nobody's killing Tyler," the younger brother rolled his eyes, sounding distracted. Well, that was reassuring to hear. At least I didn't need to worry about Stefan taking out my bro. Especially because I wasn't around to watch his back. Things went silent after that, and I wondered what Stefan was up to. I knew that he wasn't getting his liver ripped out by Klaus. There would be a lot more noise with Klaus pouting about the betrayal. So what was he up to?
My boyfriend must have shared my thoughts as he impatiently rolled his eyes, "Hello? Stefan?"
"Sorry, I got distracted," Stefan muttered, sounding like he was closing something. "Look, you focus on helping with Jeremy and I'll handle Klaus and the sword."
"Just make sure that you keep Tyler alive," I added, raising my voice slightly. I knew that Stefan would. Despite my issues with him over the past few months, I knew that he was a good man. And he wouldn't let Ty get hurt. I just had to hope that my idiot brother didn't get himself hurt.
"I will," Stefan promised solemnly and I gave a short nod.
Damon must have taken the hint, "Goota go. Bonnie and Elena have enlisted Dr Evil in their plan and I have to thwart him."
"Have fun," Stefan rolled his eyes before the call ended. We sat in silence for a few moments before Damon sighed.
"Can't thwart anyone from out here," he muttered, gently urging me to my feet. "Come on, Ally, let's head inside."
XXX
Fortunately, Shane was ready for us. He gestured for me to sit down on the chair opposite Jeremy. Candles were lit around the room, casting a warm glow. It was a nice feeling compared to the cold look in my brother's expression. The funny thing was, he wasn't even looking at me. His eyes were cold but he was still exuding coldness. Thick straps were tied around his wrists, holding him down. I had thought that it was a bit excessive, but apparently the kid had insisted. He didn't want to hurt me and it was because I respected his wishes that I didn't put up more of a fight.
Shane started up the pendulum of a metronome on the table in front of us. For a moment, the slow and steady ticking was the only noise in the room. It was oddly soothing and I felt myself relaxing in my chair.
"All Jeremy feels when he sees a vampire is a burning desire to kill them," Shane spoke quietly, glancing between me and my brother, his admittedly adorable curls bouncing. "Even if consciously, he doesn't want to. As in your case," he gestured over at me, "it's his subconscious that's calling the shots."
"Persuasion helps reverse your subconscious thoughts," Bonnie nodded, giving me a small smile from where she sat next to Elena. My sister was on the closest seat of the sofa, her hand just itching to reach out for me. Jenna sat on a chair on my other side, between me and my brother. I knew that Damon was lurking in the background, but he kept out of sight. He had muttered that he didn't want to distract Jeremy from this, but I knew that he was just worried about me. It was sweet of him, which was why I let him lurk.
"Think of it as a kind of a conditioned response, right?" one thing that I noticed about Shane was that he gestured a lot when he talked. It was easy to focus on that, and not the tension in the room. "See vampire, kill vampire. What I'm doing is creating kind of a middle step. It's like a detour, where his subconscious learns to recognise you as someone he loves, someone that he wants to protect. And that gives him a choice. He can choose to take the detour instead of the conditioned response." I nodded as the professor sat down on the table, being careful not to jolt the metronome. He gave me a kind smile, "Okay. Talk to him. He'll listen."
"Um, okay," I glanced over at Ellie, a helpless look on my face. "Any ideas on what I should say?"
"Well, maybe Elena can help," Shane gestured for my sister to shuffle closer. Not that she could get any closer to me, but it was a nice thought. "You wanted to do this at your family's vacation house, right? So maybe start with that, it could help Alexa find the words."
My twin nodded, reaching out to hold my hand, glancing around as she spoke, "Every holiday, we came here. This place was family. And when mom and dad died, you made us come here, Jenna, and we all thought that it was an awful idea, but it was like they were here with us. They would have wanted us to stick together, Jer. To fight for each other, for our family, not matter what."
When my sister's words faded, I slowly spoke, choosing my words carefully, "We spent a lot of time here, growing up, Jer. I'll always remember that little dweeb that followed me around the woods. Even when you grew up and pretended that you were too cool to hang out with me, whenever we came here, we went adventuring in the woods. I… miss that, Jer, I miss you. I love you, kiddo. I want my brother back."
When I finished speaking, I cleared my throat and glanced to the side. It felt awkward, saying this in front of Shane. With the others, I didn't mind being vulnerable like that. But he was a stranger and one that definitely couldn't be trusted. I only looked back when Jeremy opened his eyes, staring at me. Bonnie and Elena smiled, looking between me and my brother. I didn't feel as positive. I knew that I had some shitty luck. This hypnosis thing fixing my brother was not going to work straight away. I just knew that it wasn't.
"Jeremy, how do you feel about Alexa right now?" Professor Shane asked, looking hopeful as the kid continued staring at me.
Everyone winced when, in a cold voice, Jeremy said, "She helped to ruin our lives. She's not even my real sister. She just one of the reasons that I've lost so many people. She means nothing to me. I will kill her, even if that means that I die myself."
I could feel my family's eyes on me after that. I just kept a mildly surprised look on my face while, inside, I wanted to cry. Hearing those words come from my brother was horrible. But I knew that it wasn't him speaking. It was those Hunter instincts of his. But I still couldn't let anyone see how it affected me. Because I knew that it would get back to Jer at some point. And I didn't want him to have to deal with that guilt. Not because of me.
To stop the kid from saying anything else, Shane rapped his knuckles against the wooden table. It must have already been noted as a signal to come out of the trance, because Jeremy immediately shook his head. It was obvious that he was back to his normal self, his Hunter side shut back into his subconscious.
He looked from me to Shane and back again, a hopeful look on his face as he asked, "Did it work?"
Everyone just remained silent, looking away from the situation. Because no one wanted to be the one to kill his hope.
XXX
After the failed attempt at hypnotising my brother into not wanting to kill me, I retreated outside. I knew that it would be better if I wasn't there when they worked out what to try next. I also didn't want to make Jer feel uncomfortable. Even if he didn't mention it, I could see the slight tension in his body when I was nearby. I knew that it was his Hunter side, screaming at him that I was a threat, even if he didn't really think that. So, I went outside.
I took a seat on the railing of the deck, swinging my legs in front of me. I knew that if my parents were still alive, they would be scolding me for sitting on here. They would say that it was unsafe and that I could fall off. Maybe that was why I sat there. It was a little bit of rebellion. Something to distract my mind from what my brother just said.
It wasn't until a much welcome voice spoke from behind me that I looked away from the water, "You're not allowed to feel this sorry for yourself unless you're sitting on a bar stool." I glanced over at Damon as he smirked at me, taking a seat on the railing next to me. He faced me, placing a bottle of bourbon down on the wood. "Fortunately, I travel with the bar."
"Knew that I loved you for a reason, Day," I smirked weakly as he uncorked the bottle. I quickly grabbed it from his hand when he held it out. Taking a swig, I closed my eyes at the feel of the burn on my throat. In a weird way, it made me feel better. "God, I needed that."
"How are you doing? After that?" my boyfriend asked, resting a gentle hand on my knee as he looked at me with worried eyes. I sighed and took another drink before glancing back at the house. I wanted to make sure that no one heard me before I admitted how I really felt. I knew that it was safe to tell Damon. He wouldn't tell anyone. It wasn't that I didn't trust my family. I just knew that they would worry. Damon would keep it a secret and would just give me as much booze as I needed.
"Not good," I admitted softly, shaking my head. "I know that it wasn't my brother saying those words, but damn, they were true. Just by being in his life, I have ruined it. His parents died because they adopted me and Elena. John died because we existed. It doesn't take a genius to realise that we aren't exactly good for him. His Hunter just had the balls to say it." I glanced back at the house again before leaning in closer to Damon. With a quiet voice, I whispered, "And I don't think Shane's technique will work. I just get the feeling that all of it will fail and that I'll never get to be around my brother again."
"It does seem flawed," my boyfriend agreed, wrapping an arm around my shoulders, drawing me into his side. He was also kind enough to let me keep the bottle of bourbon. "Shane's whole logic is just wrong. Using a vampire to supress the need to kill another one is not going to work on a Hunter."
"So do you think that Jeremy needs to attach his feelings to someone else then?" I frowned, thinking deeply. "Is that why it isn't working?"
His words made sense and I wondered why no one else had seen it. Of course using me wouldn't work. I was a vampire and he wanted to kill vampires. It was like leaving an open bottle of the finest whiskey known to man in front of someone trying to get sober. It would end in disappointment.
"I think that it wouldn't hurt," Damon shrugged carefully, resting his head against mine. "As much as he loves you, all his subconscious can see is a vampire. If there was someone else that he loved just as much, then that might work."
"Like Bonnie? He loves her, anyone can see that. And she isn't connected to me, like Elena and Jenna are. If he uses her, then it might work," I could feel myself rambling, so I took a deep breath.
"Can't hurt to try," my boyfriend nodded, before tapping my thigh with a smirk. "So which of us gets to be the one to tell Shane that is doing this all wrong."
"Well," I laughed slightly, already feeling better with the new plan. "I know how much you like to torment him. So I'll give you the honours, Day."
"You're too kind," Damon muttered into my hair and I could feel the evilness oozing from him. I rolled my eyes but didn't say anything. If he had fun tormenting Shane, then I would allow it. After all, I went out of my way to wind up people too. Granted, those people weren't trying to help us. But I knew that Damon didn't trust the professor and I trusted his instincts. So if he wanted to keep Shane on his toes, then I was all for it. "Are you going to be alright if I go and put my suggestion forward now?"
"Go have your fun," I laughed, tilting my head back for a kiss. "Just leave me the bourbon and I'll be fine."
"Ah, my alcoholic girlfriend," my boyfriend smirked, tapping my nose. "Just don't drink yourself into the water."
"Don't worry, I get the feeling that as soon as you leave, Elena will make an appearance," I rolled my eyes. "And she will confiscate the bottle as soon as she can."
"Ah, siblings, they can be such a killjoy," Damon sighed dramatically, looking pleased at my giggle, before kissing me goodbye. I watched him walk back to the house, calling Shane's number, a swagger to his stride. With a roll of my eyes, I turned back to the water and took another swig from the bottle in my hands.
XXX
As expected, it didn't take long for Elena to join me outside after Damon left. It was hilarious how much I knew her. I didn't even have to turn around to know that it was her. The smell of her perfume and the way she walked gave it away. She was so predictable. But it was reassuring.
"Hi, Els," I greeted her, only looking her way when she rested a hand on my shoulder. She had an old blanket wrapped around her. It was one that our dad used to tuck around us when we got cold in the evenings. It was another reminder of how much we had lost. And it was painful to see. But I couldn't begrudge my sister the comfort that she drew from it. Maybe, for her, it was a way of remembering the good old times.
"Hey, Lexa," my sister smiled back at me, sitting down on the railing. She kept her feet on the decking, resting a cautious hand on the railing, as she looked over at me. "How are you?"
"Well, I'm feeling better than I was before," I sighed, giving her a small smile, not wanting her to worry about me. "Did you hear Damon's bright idea?"
"Yeah, he mentioned it to Shane," Ellie rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "He sounded so smug when he told Shane that he was doing it wrong. It was almost funny. Once he had called him an idiot a few times, he went in search of Jeremy and Bonnie."
"Yeah, he would definitely enjoy that," I laughed, glancing over her shoulder at the house. I couldn't see anyone through the glass of the sliding doors. So I assumed that they were all further inside the building. "He was almost giddy with excitement at the thought of it. I was kind enough to let him do that part, instead of giving Shane the good news myself."
"Of course he was," Elena snorted, carefully shuffling closer to me. "But at least we have hope now." My sister sighed, "I was worried that this would be hopeless. I mean, it was foolish to put so much hope into reprogramming someone's mind. It was Bill Forbes tried to do to Caroline to control her vampire instincts."
"Fortunately, I think our method is slightly different, with the whole detour thing not revolving around pain. That was where Mr Forbes went wrong for definite," I shrugged as my twin gently urged me to my feet. She gave the bottle in my hand a dirty look but, surprisingly, she didn't try to confiscate it. But, like a good sister, I left it on the railing as we walked away.
I followed my sister as she took me down to the end of the dock. It was like she was searching for a bit more privacy. I almost wondered why but I knew that there was one topic that no one else in the family knew about. I faced Ellie, my back to the water, as she spoke quietly, "Do you think that Shane would know of a way to fix the damaged bond between us?"
"I mean, he does know a lot," I mused out loud, tapping my fingers against my elbows as I crossed my arms. "You can ask him, if you want. Even if he doesn't know of a solution himself, he might know of someone that does."
"I hope he does," my twin whispered into the cold December air. "Because the thought of not fixing it hurts. I can't lose you, Lexa. Especially to something like this."
"Hey," I hushed her gently, stepping forward to cup her face. "You won't lose me, Els. I promise you; I will fix this. And if it does take a bit of time, then I'll search this planet for a solution. You know me, I'm too stubborn for words. I won't rest until I find an answer."
"I know you won't," Ellie gave me a weak smile, grabbing my hands and giving them a squeeze. "I just hate the thought of you being forced to leave town because of this."
"Even if I do, I won't go far," I was quick to reassure her, grabbing the blanket before it could fall from her shoulders and flutter to the ground. I wrapped it around her shoulders before pulling her into my arms. Resting my head against hers, I whispered, "You're never going to get rid of me, Els. I promise. You'll be old and grey and I'll still be there to torment you."
"Of course you will," she laughed into my ear, squeezing me tight. "And I'm looking forward to that."
Elena carefully moved her blanket out from between us before wrapping it around me too. I smiled into her neck as I felt her heart beating against my chest. It was a reassuring feeling and one that I enjoyed.
We just stood there in silence, wrapped in each others arms. It was nice, just being with my twin like this. Of course, an annoying little voice in the back of my head reminded me that I might not have this for much longer. But I told it to fuck off. I didn't want to think about the ticking clock before the damaged bond killed us. For now, all I wanted to do was enjoy being with my sister. To enjoy her warmth and her scent. The feel of her heart beating against my chest and the sound of her blood pulsing under her skin. All the signs that she was alive and okay.
And I was determined to keep it that way. I would give up my life here if it meant my sister keeping hers. She only had her human lifespan to complete high school and college. She needed to have those experiences. I had forever to have them, if I wanted them at all. No, making sure that my sister lived the life that she wanted was more important. And I would do anything to give it to her.
XXX
We stayed that way until Professor Shane joined us at the end of the dock. I stepped out of my sister's arms, but I stayed by her side. While I knew that Shane wasn't necessarily a threat, I was also reluctant to move more than a step away from my twin while he was around her.
"It was good thinking, using Bonnie as Jeremy's emotional touch zone," the professor nodded, a friendly smile on his face as he looked over at us. "Damon is very intuitive." He glanced over at me as he added, "Bonnie told me about your relationship with him, Alexa. I don't mean to pry; I was just curious as to who could get a man like Damon Salvatore to care so much about a Hunter that wants to kill him."
"I'm just special," I shrugged casually, although there was a certain tension in my body. "Besides, Damon was also motivated by the need to prove you wrong. He was very much looking forward to that."
"Ah yes, the ego can be a great motivator," Shane laughed, nodding his head. I gave him a smile as I wrapped an arm around Elena's shoulders. I drew her into my side, trying to make my intentions sly. But from the knowing look that the professor gave the arm wrapped around my twin, he knew what I was up to.
Fortunately, Ellie broke the tension without realising, "Almost as great as love." She gently nudged my side with a teasing look. I rolled my eyes at her but I let her have her fun.
"It is one of the most powerful spells," the professor murmured, casting his gaze out across the water. His voice was soft, full of longing. In the silence that followed, we looked at him with curious eyes. That tone, it was one that spoke of loss and I knew that his story was darker than any of us realised. "You know, in all of my world travels, the one spell that I've never found is how to stop somebody from loving too much. Trust me, I've looked." Ellie looked at him, expression full of confusion while I sighed. Shane glanced over at us before explain in a quiet voice, "My wife and son died. I was just… I was trying to figure out a way not to miss them."
"I'm sorry," I said softly, unable to help myself. "For your loss. That must have been difficult."
His child would have been young. To lose not one, but two loved ones would have been hard. But to lose your child, I couldn't even begin to imagine it. And I didn't want to. I would never want to deal with that pain. And while that discovery didn't make me trust the professor, it made me see the human side to him. Maybe he did truly want to help, unable to see another family split apart.
"Thank you, Alexa," Shane gave me a grateful smile before glancing behind me. I looked over my shoulder before rolling my eyes. Damon was approaching and he had found the axe that Jeremy was using earlier. It was resting against his shoulder, the sharp edge reflecting the sun in the sky above us.
"If your hypno herbs work," my boyfriend smirked, coming to stand beside me. "We should be singing 'kumbaya' around the fire by dinner." As he stared down the professor, he adjusted his grip on the axe, moving it in front of him. He gripped it with the other hand before his gaze turned hard. "So now, tell me why I'm not killing you?"
"Oh lordy, here we go," I muttered, shaking my head. But before I could try to diffuse the situation, because I knew that Damon would relish the chance to take out Shane, my sister rolled her eyes.
"Damon," she gave him a look, one that perfectly relayed her disapproval. It was a look that I had seen many a time. While a part of me was relieved that I wasn't on the other end of it, I knew that it wouldn't work on Damon. He didn't care about her disapproval.
He quickly proved me right when he just gave her a look back, "I'm serious. Why are you after the vampire cure?"
I had to give Shane all the credit that I could, because he didn't look afraid. Instead, he took a couple of steps forward, moving close to us. He accepted the challenge with the same quiet grace that he did everything else, "I didn't say that I was looking for the cure, but I can tell you where to find it."
I frowned, exchanging a glance with Damon before he ground out, "Klaus' sword will tell us where to find it."
There was an enigmatic look on the professor's face as he nodded, "The sword will lead you there, sure, but so can I."
I froze where I stood, the implications of his words hitting me. Surely he couldn't mean what I thought he did? Were we that lucky? Could we find the cure while also taking out Klaus? Because he is was taken out, then we could use that cure on him. Klaus couldn't stop us if he was stuck in a less powerful body.
"What? How?" my sister frowned, looking like she didn't want to connect the dots. I knew that the same thoughts that were rushing through my head were also going through hers. But she didn't look like she wanted to hope, not yet. And I couldn't blame her. Hope could be cruel.
Shane answered her, not taking his eyes off of Damon, "Because I've already been there."
"Oh shit," I whispered while my twin and my boyfriend looked at each other in surprise. Today had taken a turn that I just did not expect. But it gave us hope. While I did not want that cure, like at all, I wouldn't mind using it on certain pesky hybrids. And I knew that, while he was involved in getting the cure, he would take steps to make sure that it wasn't used on him. But if he was taken out during the search, I could shove it down his throat before he could stop me.
XXX
After we demanded answers from the professor, Shane led us back inside. Jeremy and Bonnie were upstairs, working on Damon's new theory. But Jenna was still sitting in the living area. She had a hand resting on her still flat stomach. But it quickly dropped to the side when we all walked through the door.
"What's going on?" she asked with a frown, glancing between us. There was a worried look on her face, one that I wanted to get rid of. So I darted over to where she was sitting and took a seat next to her. Taking her hand in mind, I gave her a small smile.
"Nothing's wrong, Jenna," I reassured her while Elena sat on her other side. Damon stood beside me while Shane disappeared over to the corner of the room, where all of his stuff was. "We're just getting a bit of story time."
"Shane claims that he has been to where the cure is," my sister murmured, looking at Shane through narrowed eyes. "He's going to show us his proof."
"It better be good, because I'm hungry," Damon smirked at the professor, showing a hint of fang.
I rolled my eyes, gently slapping his leg, "You can't eat him until we know that Jeremy doesn't want to kill me anymore."
"How about no one eats me," Shane laughed softly, moving back over to us. In his hand, he held a covered object, which he quickly placed on the table in front of us. As he took a seat on the couch opposite, he unwrapped the object.
"It's a rock," I deadpanned, raising an eyebrow. Seriously? That was his proof? A dirt old rock? Huh, maybe Damon would get the chance to eat him. Because I was not impressed so far.
"It's not just any rock," the professor corrected softly, looking down at it, gently resting his hand on the rock.
"Hm, so it this that silly little wives' tale that you told at the occult exhibit?" Damon snorted, moving to the booze table behind us. I heard him pouring a couple of drinks as I frowned.
"What tale?" I glanced at him over my shoulder before looking back at the professor.
"Ah, that's right, you were too busy going crazy when I heard it," my boyfriend smirked at me, passing me a drink.
"Rude," I muttered, rolling my eyes at him before looking at Shane. "Care to explain?"
"Right, long story short," the professor started, sounding excited. Huh, guess he loved telling this story. "Once upon a time, there was a witch named Silas, who loved a girl, who wanted to be with her forever. So he and his best friend, another witch, made an immortality spell and then Silas' best friend witch got jealous and killed Silas' girl before he had a chance to make her immortal. Well, cursed to an eternity without his one true love, Silas finds a way to reverse the immortality spell and then, before he has the chance to take it, his former friend buries him underground, leaving him and the cure to rot."
"Oh dang, so its like an ancient supernatural soap opera?" I asked, a thoughtful look on my face. "Well, that sounds thoroughly fucked up." When my aunt cleared her throat, I winced and added, "Soz Jenna."
"So, it's a cure for immortality?" Elena asked while I tried to ignore the disapproving look from Jenna. I knew that she didn't always tolerate bad language from me. But it was very dependant on her mood. And, since she was pregnant now, I assumed that it would be a lot more temperamental.
Shane nodded at my sister's words, "Human blood is the life force of an immortal. No more immortality, no more need to feed on blood. You dig up Silas and you've got your cure."
"You're actually telling the truth," I breathed out before looking up at Damon. "You know what that means, right?"
My boyfriend was nodding, already pulling out his phone, "We don't need the sword."
"And we don't need Klaus," Elena finished, exchanging a glance with Jenna. Our aunt had been silent during the story time, listening intently to everything that was being said. I knew that she would absorb all of the information that was being relayed before giving us her thoughts later. But I knew one thing for certain, she still didn't trust Shane. I could tell from the looks that she gave him out of the corner of her eye. They screamed of distrust.
"Tyler can go through with his plan," I sighed before adding, "Although hopefully with a small amendment. I know that Caroline was looking into putting him into someone else's body."
"Hopefully they go down that route," my sister gave me smile as Stefan picked up Damon's call.
"What's up?" the younger Salvatore answered, sounding stressed. I wondered what had happened since we last spoke to him. I knew that Tyler hadn't gone through with anything yet, as he was still answering my increasingly passive-aggressive texts. I suspected that his search for the sword was going poorly. Klaus was a conniving bastard. He wouldn't have put it somewhere that anyone could find it. It would be somewhere discreet and hard to find.
"Don't ask how or why or who, but I just found the answer to all of your problems," Damon spoke, his voice quick, but that didn't stop the smugness from bleeding through. "Shane knows where to find the cure. He's been there before and he has just proven it. Tyler can take Klaus out and we don't need to worry about finding the sword. We have all the information that we need already."
"You're kidding," Stefan breathed out, sounding relieved. "Alright, I'll deal with the situation here and then you can tell me everything."
"Have fun," the older Salvatore smirked before hanging up the call. He immediately looked over at Shane. "Now, is there anything else that you can tell us about the cure? Or can I get rid of you for the evening?"
"Until we know that Jeremy fixed, I'm not going anywhere," the professor shook his head, looking amused. It was quite funny, seeing how much he got under Damon's skin. But I could see why my boyfriend continued to taunt him. Despite his helpfulness, there was still something untrustworthy about the older man. I just couldn't put my finger on it.
XXX
Apparently eager to continue story time, and probably because hardly anyone else would listen to him talk about this, Shane borrowed the drawing of the tattoo. He had been keeping it close, just in case it was needed. He had reluctantly passed it over to the professor before sitting on the arm of the sofa next to me.
Shane laid out the paper on the table, pointing to different parts of the incomplete tattoo, "This is the mark of the Brotherhood of the Five." He pointed to the part that would have been on the hand. "And up the arm, you have the murder of a girl by a witch. The symbols in the vines are your map, which obviously, you no longer need. When this mark is complete, it will contain the spell that we need to dig up Silas."
I had to blink a few times, in an effort not to zone out. Don't get me wrong, it was interesting. It was just the lecturey voice that Shane used. It was one that made my brain automatically not want to listen. It was an incredibly bad habit, but one that I hadn't yet been able to break.
Damon must have known what I was up to, as he gently nudged my back before giving Shane a sarcastic look, "And where'd you say that he was buried? Oh, I forgot, you didn't."
The professor just laughed, "You've threatened to kill me, what, like three times already this week."
"Just three?" I snorted as my boyfriend nodded, looking pleased with himself. "Damon, I'm disappointed. I thought that it would be more."
"Alexa, don't encourage him," my sister sighed tiredly, shaking her head at me. I just shot her a smirk, taking that as a challenge. She must have realised where my mind had gone because she reached across Jenna to poke my thigh.
"The location is how I'm gonna survive your bad moods," Shane shook his head, but he didn't look too phased. Not that I had ever seen him looked phased. The man was always calm and collected. It was actually quite annoying. I was desperate to do something to ruffle those perfect feathers and make him react to something.
"That's fair enough," I nodded, a smirk on my face still. "I'll have to remember that when I egg him on."
"Lexa, hush," Ellie gave me a look before asking Shane, "And what's in it for you? If not the cure, then what?"
Despite my annoyance at being shushed, my sister had asked a good question. Knowing what the creepy professor's motives were was an important piece of information. Just in case he tried to stab us in the back in the future. Because I wasn't ruling that out just yet.
"I'm in this for Silas, alright?" there was a scarily intense look in the man's eyes as he spoke. I felt as though there was more to story, but for now, I would let him hide behind this excuse. There was no point in playing my hand just yet. "Up until this point, he's only been a myth."
"So write a thesis," Damon rolled his eyes. I cleared my throat to hide a snort, not wanting to get scolded by my sister again.
"Would you rather be the guy who writes about Noah's Ark or the one who sails it down the Hudson River?" the intensity was gone again, replaced by that calm, enigmatic look. He stood up before folding up the Hunter's mark drawing. Seeing that he was done with it, my boyfriend immediately held out his hand, eager to get it back. I glanced up when I felt eyes on me, to see that Damon was staring at me.
"I'm not buying it," he frowned as Shane placed the piece of paper in his hand. He immediately placed it in his inner coat pocket before flicking the leather jacket closed. I nodded slowly, trusting Damon's judgement. Because I didn't buy it either. I was relieved that I wasn't the only one.
"You don't have to buy anything," Shane shook his head before looking at me. "You just have to believe that I can fix your brother. And when his Hunter's mark is complete, I'm gonna take you to the cure."
With that said, he walked out of the room. I watched him leave through narrowed eyes before muttering, "Am I being paranoid by not trusting him? Because I just can't shake the feeling that something is off about him."
"You're not being paranoid," Jenna sighed, shaking her head. "I don't trust him either. But until he does something, we can't prove anything."
"We'll keep an eye on him," Elena declared, a stubborn look on her face as she thought. "We'll make sure that he doesn't spend any time with Jeremy. And I'll try to limit the amount of time that Bonnie spends with him. She's using magic again now; she doesn't have to be with him that much anymore."
"And I'll be ready to rip his throat out if needed," I added, tapping my fingers on knee. "Because I get the feeling that only death would stop him."
"You're not going to kill him, Alexa," my sister sighed, shaking her head at me. I pouted and went to argue, but an unexpected voice stopped me.
"She's right," Damon agreed with my twin, rolling his eyes at my outraged look. "Because I'll be the one to kill him. It's only fair, Ally. I've threatened him more."
"Damn, that's a good point," I pouted, screwing up my nose in annoyance. "I hate that we agreed that rule."
"You agreed that the person with the most threats gets to be the killer?" Jenna raised an eyebrow at us. "That… that doesn't actually surprise me as much as I thought it would."
"Well, Damon started off not letting me kill anyone who threatened you lot," I sighed dramatically, shaking my head before throwing it back. "So we had to compromise. That ended up being the best way."
XXX
After being scolded by my sister for enjoying Damon's 'corruption' of me, which I countered by saying that she was jealous of the sex, Elena went to go root through the cupboard. It was full of boxes, decorations for various holidays. This time, my twin was after the Christmas ones. Jenna had made a wistful comment and Ellie had taken that as a command to make everything a bit more festive.
"We should take these holiday decorations home with us," Elena nodded her head sharply as she placed the box on the table. "We could use the holiday cheer. It's been a tough year."
"Look at you," Damon snorted, poking my arm when I mocked him. He was sitting next to me, arm wrapped around my waist, pressing me up against him. "Suddenly poly optimist."
"Despite everything, I think that Shane is going to get Jeremy through this," my sister sighed, opening the box and looking inside. "He needs to prove to use that he can be useful. Even if it is just to survive your bad moods." She gave him a look when she said this, getting an unrepentant shrug in return.
"I think that he is likely to make things worse," my boyfriend scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Oh, he'll put on a good show, but I wouldn't trust the end result."
"Why do you think that?" Jenna frowned, walking over with a mug of green tea. She had been complaining about not being able to have her teas or coffees while pregnant. I had pointed out that herbal teas should be fine. So my aunt had bought a whole load of camomile and green and fruit teas. Even though they weren't caffeinated, you still got the comforting warmth from them.
"Maybe because I think that he blew up twelve people at the Young farm," Damon replied, his body tensing slightly before he slowly stood up. He kept his back to the door but I glanced over to see the professor standing there. If it wasn't for my vampire hearing, I probably wouldn't have heard his approach.
"What?" Elena gasped, not noticing the new arrival.
"Little tip, professor," my boyfriend sneered, turning around to face Shane. "I heard you before you even took your first step."
While the other two spun around to stare at the professor, Shane sighed and shook his head, "I see that we're back to the false accusation part of our relationship."
"Delightful, isn't it?" I smirked, a hard edge to my voice as I stood up, standing by Damon's side.
"What is he talking about?" my sister demanded, narrowing her eyes at the man. I glanced to the side to see Damon looking at me. He made a tiny gesture towards Jenna and I took the hint, moving over to my aunt. I could feel Shane's eyes on me, but when I looked at him, he was looking at Elena.
"Damon discovered that I was in contact with Pastor Young prior to the explosion at the Young farm," he replied, moving to walk over to her. It was only when I cleared my throat that he paused a few steps away from my twin. "And the Pastor was severely depressed. He had lost his wife to cancer and he sought me out for a little supernatural assistance. I tried to help but he was too far gone. I just… I never expected that he would take eleven innocents with him."
Before he could say anything else, Jeremy and Bonnie entered the room. We all looked at them as my brother spoke my name. As the kid stared at me, Damon immediately moved to stand between us. But Jeremy was quick to shake his head, his voice soft in a way that I hadn't heard since he awoke his Hunter side, "It's okay. I think we've got this."
As he spoke, Bonnie walked over to me. She gave me a nod, a reassuring look on her face, "Alexa, don't move, okay? No matter what?2
I went to nod when I spied the stake in Jeremy's hand. Well, I certainly didn't like the look of that. The last time he had a stake, he tried to stab me with it. So, keeping my voice low, I murmured to Bonnie, "Does he get to keep the stake? Because that feels like tempting fate."
Luckily, Shane's voice blocked my own, "Jeremy, remember the detour. Choose the right path."
Jer glanced over at the professor, giving him a nod, before he slowly started walking over to me. But before he could take more than a couple of steps, Damon shifted in front of him. The kid paused, glancing over at Bonnie. Our beautiful witch smiled at him, giving him a reassuring nod. Content, my brother looked down at the stake in his hand before holding it out for Damon to take. There was a relieved look in my boyfriend's eyes as he took the weapon before stepping to the side.
And then, there was nothing between me and my brother.
Jeremy continued walking, only stopping when he was right in front of me. We stared at each other for a second, green looking into warm brown. I didn't see that cold look. Instead, all I saw was love. My brother was back. I knew it then, when I looked into his eyes. But it wasn't until he slowly wrapped his arms around me, holding me tight, that I let myself believe it.
I quickly returned the hug, squeezing the kid tight. As he buried his face in my neck, I whispered into his ear, "I missed you, dweebus."
"I missed you too, Lexa," Jer whispered back, and I could hear the smile in his voice. It matched my own, although mine was bit watery. Not that I would ever admit it. I was enjoying the feel of finally having my brother in my arms again when two more pairs wrapped around us. I adjusted slightly, allowing Jenna and Elena to comfortably join the hug. We were finally a family again.
XXX
Once I had been persuaded to finally let Jeremy go, we all gathered on the sofas with Bonnie. Elena and Jenna started rummaging through the boxes, pulling out various holiday decorations. Jenna was getting all mushy over a small ornament that Jer had made when he was a kid when Damon took a seat next to me. I thought that it was snowman but the kid kept insisting that it was Santa. When he wasn't begging Jenna to stop crying and to put the decoration away.
Luckily, he quickly found a different distraction as he pulled out a string of mistletoe, shooting at smirk at our aunt, "Hey, check this out."
Ellie glanced over and laughed, nudging Bonnie as she, too, laughed at our aunt, "Jenna used that to make out with Logan Fell."
"I hate you children," Jenna muttered, looking longily at the wine bottle on the table. I snorted as I plucked the mistletoe from Jer's hand, holding it above Damon. I smirked up at him before leaning in for a kiss. My boyfriend rolled his eyes at me but he didn't hesitate in returning the kiss.
Of course, that was when everyone started complaining, making disgusted noises. I licked at Damon's lips, enjoying the small growl that I got, before rolling my eyes at the others, "Oh come on, you were the ones that gave me the idea. And besides, I've seen worse from all of you."
"No kissing inside the house," my aunt grumbled, leaning forward to grab the mistletoe from me. I let her take it, watching with amusement as she threw it back in the box. But I didn't mention it. instead, I decided to enjoy spending a bit of time with my boyfriend.
"Okie dokes," I smirked at her before standing up from the sofa. I grabbed Damon's hand, pulling him up. My boyfriend just laughed, knowing what I was up to. So, when he got to his feet, he wrapped an arm around my waist, lifting my feet from the ground. I ignored the teasing from my siblings as Damon carried me from the house.
When we got outside, and out of view of the others, Damon pressed me against the wall, wrapping my legs around his hips. I tangled my fingers in his hair as I let him devour my mouth. I gave back as good as I got, before Damon cheated. He bit my lip, sucking it into his mouth before moving down onto my neck. He tilted my head back as he nibbled on the skin under my ear before huffing a laugh in my ear, "If your family wasn't a wall away, I would be tempted to do so much more."
"Ugh, you know how to kill the mood," I grumbled as he carefully let go of my legs. He kept a hold of me until I was steady on my feet. But I just wrapped my arms around his neck, not wanting to let go of him. Damon rolled his eyes but he let me cling onto him.
"If you play your cards right, I'll take you out into the woods later and we can have a bit of fun," my boyfriend whispered in my ear, causing me to smirk.
"Ooh, forest sex, how scandalous," I wiggled my eyebrows, before giggling as Damon dug his fingers into my sides. "Hey, you love the scandal, just as much as I do."
"I will neither confirm nor deny that," Damon smirked down at me before easing me away from the wall. He moved me over to the railing, making sure that I was carefully sat down before joining me. A rather loud giggle from inside drew our attention. I couldn't stop the smile on my face as I saw Elena teasing my brother. It warmed my heart, seeing them like that. They deserved to be happy. And I was glad that they had each other. Because I knew that they would eventually end up losing me. "It was nice, earlier, seeing you with your brother. Acting all normal again. I'm glad that you got that."
"Me too," I whispered, resting my head against his shoulders. "I'm especially glad that it happened in time for the holiday season. I didn't want to be the one who ruined it."
Damon was silent for a moment before murmuring, "Christmas was always mine and Stefan's favourite holiday when we were kids. Not that I've celebrated it since. I kind of miss that."
"We can celebrate together this year," I smiled softly, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek. "Stefan too. I know that he isn't dating Elena anymore, but she won't begrudge his attendance at Christmas."
"That's very kind of you to offer, Ally," my boyfriend sighed into my hair. "But you should probably check with the others before you extend any invitations."
"Don't be silly, you're my boyfriend, I'm allowed to invite you," I gently teased, giving his hand a squeeze. "And Jenna will appreciate the extra company. It'll… it'll help distract her from the memories of Ric. Matt will be there too, and probably April. I'll make it work, Day. I'll make sure that you can celebrate Christmas this year."
"You're going to be stubborn about this, aren't you?" Damon rolled his eyes, but I could hear the gratitude in his voice. I was willing to be that no one had done this for him since he was a child. I knew about his history with his parents. After their mom died, their dad refused to celebrate Christmas. Damon had told me that Mr Salvatore put on a good show, he went to the town celebrations. But back at home, it was a banned topic. Yet another reason for me to hate the Salvatore Patriarch.
But it made me all the more determined to give Damon a Christmas this year. Stefan too. They were among family now. And family celebrated this kind of thing. No matter what, we celebrated the good times.
XXX
"I want you let me the know the moment that you are home," I used my best pointy finger as I gave my orders. Jenna sighed and shook her head, mumbling her agreement as she climbed inside Bonnie's car. I rolled my eyes, making sure to give her a kiss on the cheek before she fell asleep. I knew that it wouldn't take long for my aunt to knock out. The pregnancy, combined with her worry over us, had taken a lot out of her.
"I promise that I'll let you know," Ellie laughed softly, pulling me into a hug. On the other side of the car, Jeremy was doing the same with Bonnie. The kid was staying here with me and Damon. We were going to help him complete his Hunter's mark. As much as I didn't want him to be killing vampires like that, that cure was out best chance to get rid of Klaus. And Jeremy had insisted upon it. He knew what the stakes were, and the stubborn child had insisted on doing his part. "As long as you promise me that you'll be careful. Don't put yourself in danger."
"Don't worry, Els," I tucked her hair behind her ears, giving her a quick smile. "It's just going to be me, Jer and Damon for a while. Until we're happy that he is properly trained, that kid isn't going anywhere near any vampires."
"I never doubted that," my sister nodded, tapping my nose. "Just try not to drive him crazy, okay? I know how you and Damon get."
"I have absolutely no idea as to what you are talking about," I cleared my throat, looking away, my voice high. We both knew what she was talking about. But my twin let me have my denial. "We'll come back home for Christmas."
"Thank god," Elena laughed, eyes glancing back at Jenna. "We need someone around to cook the turkey."
I rolled my eyes, "As if I'll let anyone else handle the cooking on Christmas Day, of all days. You'll all be lucky if I let you in the kitchen full stop."
"I told Bonnie that you would say that. It's why we've started making plans to keep the alcohol out of the kitchen. That way, we can drink as much as we want without getting scolded."
"Damn, you know me far too well," I muttered, shaking my head. I glanced behind her when I saw Bonnie climbing into the driver's seat. "You'd best be getting in the car, Els. Before Bonnie gets fed up and leaves you behind."
"If someone didn't need to look after everyone back home, I would be tempted to let her," my sister sighed, pulling me into another high. She squeezed tightly, almost as though she didn't want to let me go. I shared those feelings, as I squeezed her as tight as I dared in return. I didn't like it when she left my sight. But it will be even worse, with me here at the Lakehouse. It wasn't exactly close by if something happened back in Mystic Falls. Which was why I had set up tracker apps on both hers and Jenna's phones. While also making them promise to check in every day. What they didn't know, was that I had asked Bonnie to keep me updated too. I had to do everything that I could to look after my family, even when I wasn't in town with them.
"I love you, sis," I whispered in her ear, kissing her cheek.
"Love you too, Lexa," my twin whispered back before reluctantly letting go. She cleared her throat, giving herself a determined nod, almost as though she was persuading herself to actually go. "I'll see you soon."
"Damn straight you will," I smiled, only sheer determination keeping it straight. I carefully shut the car door behind her. "Drive safe, Bonnie. I'll speak to you soon."
"Bye Alexa," my witchy friend smiled at me before she slowly pulled away. I gave them a wave, standing in the darkness until the taillights faded into the distance. I knew that I wasn't alone when familiar arms wrapped around me.
"I hate saying goodbye to them," I sighed, leaning back against Damon's chest. My boyfriend hummed into my hair, giving me his strength. And I loved him so damn much for it.
XXX
A/N: Thank you for all the reviews! I loved reading them and they are keeping me motivated! I hope that you are enjoying season 4 so far and all of my changes. This is the season that has probably changed the most and I get a bit nervous as to how you are liking it haha Friendly reminder that the poll on Elena's endgame pairing is still open :) I hope you enjoyed the chapter, until next time xoxo
