If you recognize it, I don't own it! I own the OCs and an average amount of student debt.
Thanks to everyone who reads what I write! The fact that you take the time to read this is still so amazing to me! People are following and favoriting this story, and I'm in awe. Thanks to everyone who reviews and comments on this story!
I upped the rating for this chapter. Several reviewers thought it would be safer, and I agreed. So, here you go.
*Tosses this chapter at you like a grenade then ducks beneath my bed*
TW: S*xual assault attempt during Caroline's POV.
MIRIAM
"Before you kill me, you should know that Stefan gets out of the tomb tomorrow," Miriam said to an irate Damon. He had tracked her down in the local grocery store in the early morning after Stefan had trapped himself in the tomb under the church with Katherine Pierce. Miriam would have laughed at the stupidity of Stefan's actions if she wasn't afraid that Damon would rip her throat out.
Damon's ire froze on his face. "What?"
"He gets free. He'll be alright. I already told you," she glared at him as she picked out the cheapest bread the store offered, "I'm on your side. I am trying to keep as many people alive as possible. I'm not the enemy, you paranoid man-child!"
He was quiet as he followed her around the grocery store. After a few minutes, he said, "We went to Slater's apartment. Apparently he moved to Vancouver. Anyway, while we were there, Elijah showed up. Did you know?"
"Yes," Miriam was happy that Slater was alive. She had wondered if Elijah was going to listen to her suggestion of being less violent. He had even sent Slater to her suggestion of Vancouver!
"Was he the one that destroyed the coffee shop? Was he the person you met up with?"
"Yes and yes." Canned corn was only 85 cents, so she grabbed four.
"Are you really his mate?" Damon was staring at her, an inscrutable look on his handsome face.
Canned beans were the regular price, so Miriam only put two in her basket. "Yes, though in my version he had no mate. I'm unsure how that will change things."
"Rose wants to kill you," Damon said.
"Rose can shove it where the sun don't shine," Miriam said brightly as she grabbed a bag of flour. "That reminds me, though. I need some sort of weapon. Preferably a gun."
"Why?" Damon said suspiciously.
"Because I'm going to need to protect your ass tomorrow night," Miriam answered. She wanted to save Rose- ungrateful, angry Rose- from being bit by Jules the werewolf and dying. But she needed some way to help besides waving her arms around like a lunatic.
"What happens?" Damon asked wearily.
"I'll tell you tomorrow night, before it happens," she promised. "I just need a weapon."
"Fine," Damon sighed. "Come over around sunset."
"Perfect!" she grinned up at him.
He rolled his eyes and left. She finished shopping and carried her groceries back to her apartment. After Damon's compulsion, Mr. Boggs had left her alone for the most part. She had paid him her rent the day before, so he definitely wasn't going to bother her for another month.
Miriam was unlocking her door when she heard, "Hello, neighbor!"
She turned around and faced a couple in their early thirties. They were both tall and strong-looking, like they worked out in their free time. He looked like a lumberjack hipster, with his flannel shirt, boots, and his dark brown hair in a bun. She looked as intimidating as a middle-aged white woman thought she looked. She had dirty blond hair, dark blue eyes, and a sharp smile.
"Hi," Miriam set her groceries down and greeted the couple. "Are you moving in?"
"Yep! We're in the apartment next to you," the woman said, her voice low and husky. "My name's June, and this is my husband, August."
"Nice to meet you both. I'm Miriam."
They shook hands.
"Have any restaurant recommendations for us?" August asked. His voice was as deep as Miriam thought it would be.
"There's not a lot of chain restaurants here, unfortunately. There are a lot of small places at the town square, which is adorable, by the way. If you want anything super fancy, you might have better luck in Richmond," Miriam suggested.
"Oh, we're not picky," June waved away Miriam's words. "A hole-in-the-wall does sound nice, though. We might go check one of those out."
"You should. There's a place on 9th Street that sells the best blueberry muffins ever," Miriam said.
"I love a good muffin. Well, we will let you put your groceries away. It was nice to meet you! Hopefully we'll see you around."
"It was nice to meet you, too! Welcome to the building!"
They said their goodbyes, and Miriam went into her apartment.
It would be nice to have new neighbors, she thought absentmindedly as she put away her groceries.
ELIJAH
"We made contact with the girl," August said.
"Good," Elijah smiled. August and June- fake, non-creative names- were the best bodyguards for hire. August was a witch and June was a vampire. Together they were a force to be reckoned with. August was not the strongest witch Elijah had ever met, but he had been trained by Hera, who was one of the strongest witches out there. August had more knowledge of protection spells than most witches. June was an ancient vampire. She had been turned by Aurora Martel not too long after Aurora herself had been turned. The fact that she had survived in medieval Europe and the centuries that followed was impressive. Elijah was unsure if August and June were lovers or not, but it didn't really matter. All that mattered was that Miriam was protected.
"What are our standing orders?"
"Follow her unobtrusively. For the time being, I don't want her to know that she is being guarded. There are other magical creatures in Mystic Falls; several vampires, a werewolf, a witch. Stay away from them, unless Miriam's is in danger. I don't want you and June getting tied up with the Klaus business. Protect Miriam Sanchez at all cost," he ordered.
"Yes, sir," August said.
"Report back every day," Elijah said, then hung up.
Elijah might not be able to protect Miriam himself, but at least he could have others watch over her. August and June would do, for now.
Though it was impossible to suppress his feelings for Miriam, he tried to as he contacted Mystic Falls mayor Carol Lockwood. He claimed he was a writer doing research. She was thrilled that was interested in "our sleepy little town!" She got him in touch with a Jenna Sommers, who was reluctant but helpful.
"My late sister held most of the archives for the town. If you want, you can come over tomorrow and look at them?" she offered.
"I would love to, if it isn't a bother," he said, his tone slightly more Americanized so as not to draw too much attention to himself.
"It's no bother at all!" Miss Sommers said, too brightly.
They made plans for him to go over to her house, the doppelganger's house, the next day.
He made a lot of phone calls and wrote a lot of emails that night. The not-so-glamorous part of moving a lot of pieces on the board was trying to remain in contact with each piece. Some people were only contacted through special emails. Others would only interact through a compelled person. The people under Elijah each had their own part to play, but Elijah still needed to check-in and make sure that everything was going smoothly.
Elijah was also slowly shifting his plans. If his siblings were alive, he needed to find them and free them. He sent someone to find Niklaus's monetary records. If his siblings were hidden in a storage locker, or something similar, there had to be a money trail. Compelling only went so far. If Klaus compelled some poor human to rent a storage locker somewhere, he still needed to check-in with that human to make sure nothing had happened to the storage locker. If the coffins were with a witch or vampire, Klaus would still make infrequent trips to visit. He was too paranoid to trust that a witch or vampire wasn't working with his enemies.
Slowly, so as to not draw attention to the action, Elijah contacted some of his spies in Klaus's organization and asked for Klaus's whereabouts. He could only contact a few at a time, otherwise Klaus would figure it out and kill the contacts. If that happened Elijah would have less spies.
As he worked deep into the night, he realized the full moon was the next night.
The next day Elijah contacted Jenna Sommers again. She still lacked enthusiasm for his fake writing venture, but he knew that Mayor Lockwood had pressured the younger woman into catering to Elijah's wishes.
He arrived at the Gilbert house a little after dark. It was a charming little house. Elijah wondered what type of dwelling his mate would want to live in. According to August and June, her current apartment was pathetically tiny. The landlord was a creep, June had said, and a racist. Elijah needed to move Miriam out of that place, and soon. He was wondering if he should place her in a house, like the Gilberts', or have her live with the Salvatore brothers. Each option had its pros and cons.
He rapped lightly on the door. Jenna Sommers answered.
"Hi, you must be Elijah," she said. "I'm Jenna. Come on in."
It was probably his easiest entrance into a house, ever. "Thank you. Is it just you here?"
"Nope! My niece, Elena, and my nephew, Jeremy, are around here somewhere. I'll snatch one of them if we need an extra pair of hands."
They walked deeper into the house.
There was a closet under the staircase, and Jenna opened it. Inside was a collection of jackets and a stack of cardboard boxes.
"I'm not sure what's important and what's not," Jenna admitted.
"Oh, I can figure that out later," he smiled at her. He grabbed a couple boxes and went around to the other side of the door. He heard Jenna begin to dig around in the closet, pulling out boxes that had been deeper in the closet.
Absentmindedly, Elijah began flicking through one of the files. Most of it would be unimportant. That was the way research went. A scholar could read an entire book and only a small passage would be useful to their thesis.
As he was perusing, he heard the doppelganger come down the stairs.
"Hey, what are you doing?"
"Perfect timing," Elijah heard Jenna give her niece a box of documents, which she fumbled.
"What is this stuff?"
"Your mom's files from the Historical Society. I got roped into helping Mrs. Lockwood," Jenna paused for a moment, probably realizing that Elijah could hear her lack of enthusiasm, "and by roped, I mean very excited to participate."
She closed the closet door, revealing the doppelganger to Elijah's gaze, and Elijah to the doppelganger's. She gasped. She nearly dropped the box she was holding in shock.
He grinned. He enjoyed frightening her. "Hey. I'm Elijah."
Jenna took the box from Elena and explained, "Elijah's in town doing research on Mystic Falls."
He moved closer to the doppelganger, who only gaped at him. "It's a pleasure," he held out his hand for Elena to shake. It was an action meant to challenge her and test her. Could she act normal in front of her aunt? Could she touch him without shuddering? Would she spill the truth?
She was either braver than Elijah thought, or more concerned with keeping her aunt innocent. She shook his hand. He was mildly impressed.
"So, you're welcome to stay here and rummage through this stuff, or Elena and I could help you load it into your car," Jenna offered, oblivious to the tension between her niece and her guest.
"Or I can get someone to pick it up tomorrow," Elijah countered. He didn't want to deal with the files, he just wanted to converse with the doppelganger.
"Also a good plan," Jenna smiled.
"Thank you so much for inviting me into your home, Jenna; and Elena… I hope to see you again sometime soon," he pinned her with a knowing look before following Jenna to the door. "Well, thanks for your help, Jenna."
Jenna opened the door for him. "Anytime."
He nodded politely at her and started to walk away from the house. When he heard the front door close, he zoomed around the house, through an open window. He reached the doppelganger just a couple of seconds after she knocked on her brother's door. Elijah grabbed her wrist and put a finger to his lips to tell her not to shout.
Elijah had to press himself into the corner when the boy opened his bedroom door. "What is it?"
The doppelganger collected herself. "Jenna was just asking me to get you to help her with the boxes."
Either oblivious to his sister's discomfort, or just lulled into a sense of complacency in his own home, the teenager just shrugged, "Okay," and went downstairs to help his aunt.
"A wise choice," Elijah commented.
The doppelganger was not amused. "What do you want?"
"I think it's time you and I had a little chat."
Scowling, she motioned towards her room. Elijah entered like he owned the place. "Forgive the intrusion. I mean your family no harm."
Elena closed her bedroom door then pinned him with a look. "Why did you kill those vampires when they tried to take me?"
Elijah settled on the window seat. "Because I didn't want you to be taken. Klaus is the most feared and hated of the Originals, but those that fear him are desperate for his approval. If word gets out that the doppelganger exists, there'll be a line of vampires eager to take you to him and I can't have that."
"Isn't that exactly what you're trying to do?" It was a valid question.
"Let's just say that my goal is not to break the curse," Elijah wanted all the pieces of the puzzle to force Klaus to see reason. Currently he was so blinded by mistrust and his quest to become whole that he didn't realize that he didn't need to lock his siblings in coffins to keep them all together.
"So, what is your goal?"
"Klaus's obsession has made him paranoid. He's a recluse. He trusts only those in his immediate circle," Elijah doubted Klaus trusted even them, but he had to say something to the doppelganger.
"Like you?" Elena asked.
"Not anymore," Elijah admitted. To be far, that had been his fault. He had been the one to turn on his half-brother when he believed his siblings to be gone forever.
"You don't know where he is, do you?" Elena realized. "So you're trying to use me to draw him out."
That was exactly what Elijah was doing. Niklaus wouldn't answer his phone calls. He wouldn't answer his emails. Two of Elijah's spies had been killed earlier that day because they had gotten too close. Elijah needed Klaus to face him out in the open, so that they could talk.
"Well, to do that I need you to stay put and stop trying to get yourself killed."
"How do I know you're telling the truth?" she questioned.
"If I wasn't being truthful, all your family would be dead and I'd be taking you to Klaus right now. Instead, I'm here and I'm prepared to offer you a deal."
"What kind of deal?" the girl was rightfully suspicious.
"Do nothing," Elijah got up from his perch and began to look around her room. "Do nothing, live your life, stop fighting, and then, when the time is right, you and I shall draw out Klaus together and I shall make sure your friends remain unharmed."
"And then what?"
"Then I kill him." That was a lie. Regardless of what happened between him and Klaus, the fact was that Klaus hadn't killed their siblings. Elijah had been resigned to killing Klaus before Miriam had talked to him, but after she had revealed the truth, Elijah knew he would never be able to kill his brother. However, he had to tell the doppelganger something to get her to believe he was on her side.
"Just like that?"
"Just like that," he repeated. "I'm a man of my word, Elena. I make a deal, I keep a deal."
"How are you gonna be able to keep everybody safe?" It was another valid question.
"I notice you have a friend; Bonnie, is it?" The Martins had told him everything he needed to know about Bonnie Bennett. "She seems to possess the gift of magic. I have friends with similar gifts."
Understanding dawned on the doppelganger's face. "You know witches."
"Together, we can protect everybody that matters to you," he stepped closer to her and said seriously, "So, do we have a deal?"
He could see the cogs turning in her head, and a light going off when she thought of something. "I need you to do one more thing for me."
"We're negotiating now?" he smirked.
She raised her head, confident. She looked more like Katerina when she did that. The two women, while sharing the same face, had very different mannerisms. Katerina was confident and self-serving. Elena was more reserved and self-sacrificing. Self-sacrifice wasn't necessarily a positive trait, in Elijah's opinion. She caused her friends more trouble with her constant attempts to give herself up then she would if she had even a fraction of Katerina's self-preservation.
"My friend, Stefan, he's trapped with Katherine in the tomb," Elena said. "If your witches get him out I will stop trying to contact Klaus."
The spell would be nothing to the Martins. If he freed the younger Salvatore, Elena would gain another protector, he would gain Elena's trust, and Katerina would continue to suffer. Everyone would win.
"Deal. He shall be out later," Elijah said.
Elena looked relieved.
He nodded to her, then left. He had to talk to Dr. Martin.
MIRIAM
"Shit shit shit!" Miriam swore as she ran down the road that led to Damon's house. He hadn't answered his phone all day. He had been busy at the Grill, trying to trick Jules into drinking Wolfsbane. She should have told him the previous day at the grocery store. She should have warned him to not provoke Jules. But she was so worried about the precious fucking timeline that she had completely forgotten about the Jules subplot (she had been more focused on the Originals before she became half-friends with Damon). Now Rose was still in danger and Miriam was risking her life to correct a mistake that could have been easily ironed over the day before.
Miriam didn't knock when she reached the Salvatore Boarding House, she just burst inside. It was already dark. Tonight was the full moon.
"Rose!" she shouted as she slammed the door shut.
"W-what?" Rose rushed into the hallway. "Miriam? What-"
"No time! Weapons. Sharp, pointy things, or things that shoot sharp, pointy things. We need them!" Miriam tore through the house, looking for weapons. Rose followed, looking apprehensive.
They found several weapons in the basement. Miriam grabbed a shotgun and checked it for shells. She loaded it frantically, talking to Rose the entire time.
"Damon's coming here, and a werewolf marked him for death. She's gonna burst through a window in the living room and attack you and Damon. You push Damon out of the way, but you get bit. At first it's fine, you heal. Then later you feel the bite return. You go insane and Damon has to mercy-kill you. I'm trying to stop you dying and Damon reverting back to a darker Damon. Grab a fucking sword, don't just stand there!" Miriam exclaimed when she saw Rose gaping at her. "Do you want to live or not?"
Rose snapped out of it and grabbed a pirate sword- Miriam was pretty sure they were called cutlasses- and an old revolver. She loaded it while Miriam locked and loaded her shotgun. All the weapons were vintage, but Miriam hoped they worked.
She and Rose raced upstairs.
"Go to the library. Wait for Damon. I'll be in the living room. Keep that ready to go," Miriam nodded at Rose's cutlass.
"Alright," Rose agreed, obviously nervous.
Miriam went into the living room and looked around. She thought she knew which window Jules was going to come through. She positioned herself in the shadows and aimed the shotgun at the window.
Damon came home. Miriam heard him close and lock his door, before going into the library. She heard him talking with Rose, though she was too far away to make out their words. Miriam ignored them and focused on her breathing. She could do this. She could.
Suddenly the window Miriam was aiming at shattered. A werewolf jumped through the window and Miriam nearly pissed herself.
TV shows often portrayed werewolves as huskies, or other similar dog breeds, because it was cheaper. TV shows only had so much money in their budget for special effects, so it made sense for them to use cheats.
But in real life… the creature in the Salvatores' living room looked nothing like a husky. It resembled a dog: it had the facial structure of a canine, shaggy hair, and four legs that it stood on. But that was where the similarities ended. Its hind legs were longer than its front legs. Its lower jaw protruded, giving it a massive underbite. Because of this, Miriam could see it's long teeth.
This werewolf, quite simply, was the most terrifying thing Miriam had ever seen.
It- She! It was Jules- didn't even look around the room. It just growled and glared at the living room doorway.
Damon and Rose rushed in. Damon grabbed a sword off the wall and hissed, "Miriam!"
She stayed quiet. She didn't want to bring attention to herself. Jules was too busy stalking the vampires to notice her.
Rose was the first one to see the werewolf.
"Damon!" she shouted, and pushed him out of the way. She used too much strength, and he went sliding across the room. Jules jumped on Rose, snarling. Miriam heard Rose's pirate sword fall to the ground with a clang. Rose screamed and fought with it, trying to keep it's teeth away from her body. She couldn't reach the revolver that Miriam knew was in her jacket pocket, and Damon was too far away.
Miriam fired.
The werewolf snarled and jumped off Rose. It looked around for the source of it's pain. It's yellow eyes locked on Miriam. Miriam fired again, hitting the werewolf for a second time. Damon jumped up and stabbed it in the side, making it whimper and rush out of the house.
There was silence except for Rose's heavy breathing.
"What. The fuck," Damon said, helping Rose to her feet.
"Uh, 'thank you, Miriam'. 'We're so lucky to have you on our side, Miriam'," Miriam huffed. She gingerly set the shotgun on a nearby chair. She went to the wall and turned on the lights. She walked around the room, turning on lamps.
"You saved my life," Rose said in wonder.
"Yeah."
"Thank you," Rose said sincerely.
Miriam blushed and looked away, unused to the recognition.
Damon marched up to her and grabbed her shoulders. "Are you okay?"
"Yes. I'm not the one who almost got mauled," she nodded at Rose, who still looked shaken up. "The bite would have killed her, by the way. It would have been a very painful way to go."
Now Damon looked shaken.
Miriam brushed imaginary dirt off her clothes. "You guys need each other tonight. I'm going to head out."
"Hell no, M&M," he grabbed her arm before she could take two steps towards the front door. "You're staying here tonight."
"She won't come back," Miriam insisted.
"She?"
"Jules, the woman from the bar today."
"You could have told me that," he said between clenched teeth, but Miriam could see him forcing himself to be calm. "Whatever. You're staying here tonight. You said it yourself, things have changed since you've been here. She might come back. I want you safe, Miriam."
She wavered at the nice words.
Damon saw her weakness and pounced. "We have, like, ten spare rooms. You can even keep the towel, like in a hotel."
Miriam wanted a fuzzy towel. She was currently using a threadbare beach towel with a Disney princess on it. "I'm taking two towels with me when I leave. Also, I need something to sleep in."
Damon grinned. "Deal. I'll show you to your room."
August and June stood in the woods outside of the Salvatore Boarding House. They had just witnessed their charge throw herself face first into danger for people she didn't seem to fully like. She had almost been mauled to death by a werewolf!
"Not it to tell Elijah!" August put a finger to his nose.
June sighed and pulled out her phone. She had thought watching Elijah's young mate would be an easy job. She should have known better. Any mate of Elijah's was bound to cause trouble wherever she went.
"Elijah, it's June. There's been an… incident."
MIRIAM
The night had calmed down once the werewolf left. Miriam made herself dinner in the kitchen, and then Damon showed her to a guest room. The room was larger than her current apartment, and ten times as nice. She had borrowed shampoo and conditioner and had taken a bath in the glorious tub. She hadn't had a chance to relax and just pamper herself for a long time. It was nice. After her long bath, she dressed in the sweats and t-shirt that Damon had lent her. Both articles of clothing were too big for her, but they were clean and comfortable. Miriam fell asleep on a bed that felt like a cloud and wrapped in sheets that were definitely a high thread count.
Elijah was waiting for her in her dream.
They were in a brightly lit library. It was early morning and chilly, and Miriam was dressed warmly. There was a fireplace that produced heat and added to the comfy atmosphere.
Elijah was spread out on a couch that was in front of the fireplace, his head in Miriam's lap. She stroked her fingers through his hair. The strands were soft. She could hear a purring sound, but she thought she was just imagining it.
"Tell me what you did today," Elijah encouraged, but Miriam sensed the trap underneath his words.
"I saved Damon and Rose from a werewolf," she said, and tried not to feel too guilty about it.
"You knowingly placed yourself in danger to help people who aren't very nice to you?" his tone was changing to something dangerous.
"I saved Rose, who has spent the last 500 years running from danger. She deserves to enjoy her life without looking over her shoulder," Miriam continued to stroke his head. "I don't regret it, especially since I didn't get hurt. Not even a scratch."
His anger was still present, but diminished slightly at her even tone and explanation. "I don't want you getting hurt."
"You can't wrap me in bubble wrap and lock me in a tower. That's not living, Elijah. I want to live. I want to make decisions that impact people. I want to save lives. If I get hurt while doing so, then so be it."
"No," he growled. Faster than she could track, he got up and pinned her underneath him. "You are not getting hurt while I still have life in my body. You also aren't allowed to martyr yourself to save those that are unworthy of your affections!"
"Elijah, I'm not Elena Gilbert. I'm not running head first into danger without a plan, willing to die at the first opportunity," she soothed. "I have a plan. I don't want to die."
They stayed curled up on the couch for some time.
Finally, Miriam pushed at him to get his attention. "I remember our last dream encounter perfectly. Do you?"
He nodded.
"Good. Then I have a plan for your reconciliation with Klaus, if you're willing to listen."
"I am."
"The Historical Society Tea Party is in three days, right? Later that night you're going to save Damon from werewolves. Don't kill them all. Capture one as a gift for Klaus's ritual. He's going to try to use Tyler Lockwood and Caroline Forbes as his werewolf and vampire. Besides the fact that they are children, they still have some innocence left in them. But the werewolves in Jules' pack are bloodthirsty and willing to kill anyone in their way," she shivered when she thought of Caroline being tortured. She was going to stop that from happening if she could.
"I will try," he promised her.
"Thank you," she kissed his cheek. "There's one more thing."
"Which is?"
"You need to hide the moonstone after you save Damon. They will try to kill you, and Elena manages to stab you with a white oak stake. You've got two options with that one. Either you keep Elena's deal and not confront her, or you allow her to think that she staked you. Either way, you probably should hide the moonstone before they attempt to kill you."
Elijah kissed her forehead. "I will think about my options. Thank you for warning me, Miriam."
"I want you to live," Miriam insisted. "I'm going to do everything in my power to make that happen."
Elijah didn't agree with her methods, she could tell, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he wrapped his arms tight around her. They stayed that way until they woke up the next morning.
Miriam went home the next morning. She snuck out early in the morning. Damon and Rose were locked in Damon's room, and Miriam didn't feel like bothering them. The walk back to town was peaceful. Sometimes she enjoyed living in rural Virginia. It was beautiful, and on occasion it could be serene. Miriam didn't know where she was going to settle down after she helped Elijah and Klaus, but she wasn't opposed to small-town living.
She worked all day. Some days sucked, but some days, like today, were just average, unmemorable days. Her feet ached and she smelled like cleaner, but she had a home to return to, and she knew that was worth something.
She wasn't prepared for the sight of Damon leaning against her door.
"Hi," she said cautiously. She was pretty sure she hadn't messed up, but Damon never visited her for the hell of it.
"Oh, don't look so scared, M&M," he smirked. "Grab a change of clothes, you're staying with me tonight."
"Why?" she waved to June and August, who were coming up the stairs, and unlocked her door. She and Damon went into her apartment.
"Because Rose left," he looked sad. "She went to go visit Slater in Vancouver. She said that she couldn't stick around Mystic Falls any longer. She wants to enjoy her life."
"Good for her. She deserves to enjoy her life without looking over her shoulder," Miriam said. "But I'm sorry you lost your friend."
Damon shrugged like he didn't have a care in the world, but Miriam could see the pain in his eyes. "I now have an opening for the position of 'Damon's friend'. You're going to fill it. Grab your shit, we're watching movies tonight."
Deciding not to fight, Miriam went to her closet and grabbed a change of clothes and a backpack. She packed her clothes and the toiletries she would need for the impromptu sleepover. "What movies are we watching?"
"Star Wars, the original trilogy," he smiled as her face lit up.
"Baby Miriam had a plastic lightsaber and loved playing with it," she revealed. "After I broke the third picture frame my Abuela took it away until I got a little older."
"Well, I don't have the real deal, but I do have a collection of swords that we can use on priceless artifacts," he enticed.
She laughed. "Maybe later. Let's go!"
They spent the rest of the night watching movies. Miriam tried to keep the mood light, because she knew he was hurting. He was missing Rose, pining after Elena, and dealing with trying to keep the doppelganger and his brother alive after each attack they faced. Miriam didn't want to add to his angst, so instead she made funny comments about the movies they watched and strategically threw popcorn at his face whenever he started to gaze off into the distance.
They weren't friends, not really. Miriam didn't fully approve of how Damon chose to live his life and how he seemed to be sucked in to another doppelganger's web. Damon didn't fully trust Miriam. She kept too many secrets from him for him to fully open up to her. But they weren't enemies.
That had to count for something… right?
CAROLINE
Caroline's day sucked so far.
Like, it really sucked. Tyler found out that his uncle Mason was dead, and that Damon had killed him. He also found out that the Salvatore brothers were vampires like Caroline. Now Tyler was in danger of Damon killing him, and Caroline and the Salvatores were still in danger of Tyler accidentally biting and killing them.
It was a whole mess.
Every now and then Caroline would think about the stories Miriam had told her when she had still been human. The picture she had painted of a strong, beautiful woman who was equal parts courageous and kind seemed so far removed from the person Caroline currently was. Sometimes that person Miriam told Caroline was her seemed like a dream. But she wanted that! Caroline wanted to be strong, and courageous, and kind. She also wanted Matt to stay her boyfriend.
She was in town walking towards her parked car. She had just unlocked it when she heard Matt call out. She didn't really want to talk to him, but she turned around regardless. "Hey."
"I haven't seen you," it wasn't accusatory, but it still felt like an accusation.
"I'm not avoiding you, I swear." It was a lie.
"Yeah, you're avoiding me a little," he pointed out, not unkindly.
"Okay, maybe a little," she admitted.
"Can we talk later? I mean, I'm heading to work right now, but maybe after, to clear some of this weirdness?" Matt's face was just so genuine, that she had to cave.
"Yeah, yeah, I'd really like that. I'll just swing by when you're closing?" she offered, half hoping he would say no.
"Sounds good." Drat.
"Okay, bye," she smiled at him as he left. He was a really sweet guy, and he didn't deserve the mess that was her life.
She started to walk the rest of the way to her car when she heard her name being frantically called. She turned around to see Miriam jogging towards her.
"Miriam? What are you doing here?"
"Looking for you. By God, there are a surprising amount of streets in this little town," Miriam huffed as if she had been running for a while. "I'll explain later. Can you come with me, back to a brighter street with more people on it?"
"Why?" Caroline said suspiciously.
"Excuse me!" Another voice called out from behind Caroline. It was a blond woman with blond hair and a cold gaze. "Caroline, right?"
"Yeah…" Caroline said suspiciously.
"No. We were just going," Miriam insisted.
The woman- the werewolf- Jules, turned to Miriam. Her eyes widened. "You were there the other night. You stopped me from biting that vampire bitch."
"Wrong girl," Miriam smiled wanly. She stepped in front of Caroline. "We were just leaving."
"Not yet. I'm looking for Tyler, and that girl knows something," Jules accused.
"How do you know that? Is that one of your little wolf tricks?" Caroline taunted.
Jules smiled, sharp and canine. "Actually, it is."
Caroline smiled back, just as sharp. "Well, I have a trick, too."
She vamped out and sped toward the werewolf, but Jules sprayed her with vervain. Caroline howled in pain and spun around as she was blinded. She heard Miriam shouting for help and the sound of flesh hitting flesh. Miriam went quiet.
Scared for her friend, and now healed, she turned around, intent on getting to Miriam then getting the hell out of there.
The last thing she was conscious of was a loud bang and her head feeling like it was on fire.
Caroline woke up suddenly. The pain she felt upon waking nearly incapacitated her. Her head. It felt like it was being split in two. Something moved in her head, and she screamed. Frantically, she dug her fingers into her forehead. She felt something small and hard and pulled it from her flesh.
It was a bullet. She dropped it from her shaking hands and whimpered. She could feel the hole in her head closing, and tentatively touched the wound. She wiped away the blood as she realized she was in a cage.
Caroline spotted the latch on the outside of the cage. She scooted over and slipped her hands between the bars. She stretched her hand out, but couldn't reach it.
Out of the corner of her eye she saw the outline of a person. She gasped and pressed herself into the corner of the cage, making sure to keep her eyes on him. He was the werewolf that had shot her, she was sure of it.
He was handsome, unfortunately. His hair was buzzed short. He had scruff along his jaw and she could see the outline of muscle beneath his shirt. But his eyes… they were soulless.
"I see you got the bullet out. That was…" his eyes lit up with sadistic malice, "Nasty."
Caroline whimpered and looked around for a way out.
"I've got lots of wooden bullets, other toys," he smirked as she began to cry. "It's going to be a long night, sweet pea."
He raised his gun, took aim, and shot her in the right breast. She screamed.
"Stop it!" Caroline looked up from her cowered position on the floor. Miriam was on the floor of the RV, her hands wrapped in duct tape. She had a gash on her forehead, but otherwise looked alright.
"Quiet, vamp lover," the werewolf said. He shot Caroline again. Caroline screamed as the bullet lodged in her chest.
"She's just a girl! Stop it, you bastard!"
"She is a vampire," he turned away from Caroline to look at Miriam. Caroline took the moment to pry the wooden bullets out of her skin.
"She's a seventeen-year-old girl, you sadistic dog! She was turned, like, a month ago. She hasn't done anything to you. Just let her go!"
"She doesn't need to do anything to me. She is a vampire. That's enough," he snapped. He surged to his feet and grabbed Miriam by her bound hands. "Jules said that you were ready for her the other night. How did you know that she was going to break into the vampire house?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Miriam hissed. He back-handed her, hard. She fell to the floor.
Caroline whined deep in her throat, pained by the violence her friend was experiencing. She wished she could help her, but the bars were too strong. Miriam crawled to her knees and winked at Caroline before glaring defiantly at the werewolf.
"Is that the best you could do?" her words slurred around her split lip. "My dead grandmother can hit better than you."
He snarled and grabbed a fist full of Miriam's hair. He dragged her over to Caroline's cage.
"She may look like Malibu Barbie, but that thing in there would tear your throat out if given the chance," he seethed. He smashed Miriam's face into the bars. "Look at her! She's an abomination!"
Miriam smiled at Caroline and mouthed, "It's okay."
How could any of this be okay?! "Let her go!" demanded Caroline. "She's human. You don't need her!"
"No," without warning he shot Caroline again, this time in the lower stomach. She screamed as she felt the bullet tore through her body. "She's important to the other vampire filth, so I'm keeping her."
He sat down in his previous spot, but pulled Miriam down on his lap.
Jules walked into the RV, holding Caroline's phone. "He needs proof."
Caroline was shot again. Her arm burned from the bullet and her throat hurt from screaming. Miriam was shouting at them to stop.
Through the pain of the bullet Caroline could hear Stefan on the other end of her phone: "Hurt her again and you're dead."
If Stefan knew she was being hurt he would come for her. He might be broody but he was loyal to his friends. She felt a spark of hope.
"I hurt her again, and she's dead. Bring Tyler to me, the clearing by Wickery Falls. Oh, and tell your brother I have his pet human with me. You have 20 minutes until the vampire dies."
Jules hung up. "Brady, you've got fifteen minutes before I need your help out there."
Without a second glance at Caroline or Miriam Jules left the RV.
"You hear that, vampire? We got fifteen minutes of play time left," he shot her in the chest again.
Caroline screamed and sobbed and curled up into a tight ball.
"Hey, I can feel you getting hard from watching her pain, you sicko," Miriam sneered. "You think you're a big, tough guy, shooting at a vampire from the safety of outside the cage. She can't fight back… but I can."
Through her hair Caroline could see Brady push Miriam off his lap.
"What are you talking about?" he asked.
"You want to hurt someone, hurt someone who can hurt you back!" without warning Miriam grabbed a baseball bat from Brady's box of weapons and hit him over the head with it. The hit barely affected him. He jumped to his feet, smiling a sadistic smile.
"You wanna play? Fine, let's play," he pulled out a pocket knife and released Miriam's hands. She immediately tackled his knees, bringing him to the ground. He laughed and from his position on the floor he kicked a leg out. It hit Miriam in the stomach and she fell backwards with an audible oof.
"What are you doing?" Caroline rasped.
"Getting his focus off you," Miriam whispered before crawling to her feet. "That's all ya got, big guy?"
What followed was one of the most painful things Caroline had ever watched. Miriam teased and taunted the werewolf. She called him names, she insulted him as a person and as a werewolf. He responded by hitting her, kicking her, and throwing her into things. Caroline could smell his lust, but it was tainted, dark and twisted. He was getting excited by Miriam's pain and the pain she managed to inflict upon him.
What made the whole thing even worse was how unfair the fight was. Brady was bigger, stronger, and more experienced in fighting than Miriam. She weighed nothing to him. He treated her like a rag doll, throwing her wherever he wanted. But after every time she fell down Miriam pulled herself to her feet and fought back.
Brady hit Miriam, sending her flying. She landed roughly on the thin couch the RV came with. She clawed at him, but it didn't deter him. He crawled on top of her.
"Just a quickie," he said as he ripped Miriam's shirt off.
The realization of what he was planning to do hit Caroline. "Stop it!" She screamed. She banged into the bars, hoping to get his attention. "Get off her!"
Caroline was ignored. She heard Miriam's jeans tear. Her underwear and bra were thrown on the dirty floor of the RV. Miriam was screaming now. Caroline could tell she was panicked, and the human girl fought hard. Brady hissed as she raked her nails down his face. The smell of blood permeated through the air.
"Oh, yeah, just like that," his lust went up. "You're giving Jules a run for her money."
"Stop!" Miriam shouted, fear in her voice.
Caroline heard the sound of a buckle being undone, and both she and Miriam started making a lot of noise. Caroline kicked the cage repeatedly, trying to get the sadistic werewolf to focus on her. She was a vampire, she could heal. Miriam could not. She kicked the bars, again and again and again, hoping that they would give way.
"Hey!" Jules poked her head in. "Shut them up! We need you out here, Brady. You can continue with the girl after we kill the vampires."
Brady groaned. "You're such a spoilt sport."
He stood up and buckled his pants.
Once situated, he reached down and grasped Miriam's right leg. "One last parting gift," he said evilly.
Caroline heard the snap as Brady broke the bone.
Miriam slumped, obviously passed out from the pain.
Brady left without a glance back.
"Miriam?"
The older girl didn't answer. Caroline could hear her breathing, but it was shallow and raspy. She was seriously injured. Frantic, Caroline tried to reach the latch again, but it was too far away. She needed to get to Miriam. She needed to keep her safe. She needed to get out of this damn cage!
After a few minutes of struggling, she heard a commotion outside the RV. Stefan and Damon must have arrived with Tyler.
The door to the RV opened and Caroline jumped in fear. Tyler met her eyes. He saw she was in a cage, he saw the blood on her clothes. His eyes went wide.
"Tyler! Tyler, there's a latch on the door but I can't reach it."
He just stood there. Why was he just standing there? Did he not see that she was stuck in some cage like an animal?
"Tyler?" she pleaded.
WHAP.
Tyler crumpled to the ground.
In his place stood two people Caroline had never seen before. One was a tall man who looked like a lumberjack. The other was a blond woman who looked like a physical trainer. They looked around the RV before laying eyes on Miriam.
"Shit!" The man shrugged out of his long jacket. He went to reach for her.
"Don't touch her!" Caroline shouted. "Don't you dare touch her!"
"Don't worry, Caroline, we mean her no harm," the woman assured her.
Creeped out that this random person knew her name, but wanting help for Miriam, Caroline said, "Her right leg. He broke her right leg."
"I'll be gentle with her," the lumberjack said. He wrapped his coat around Miriam's naked body.
The woman walked over Tyler's unconscious body and knelt down in front of the cage. With little effort she undid the latch and pulled open the door. Strength like that could only come from a vampire. Caroline crawled out.
"Thank you!" she said sincerely.
"It's no problem, young one," the vampire woman said. She went over to Miriam and picked up her broken body. Caroline saw her cell phone on the counter and snatched it up. They all went outside.
All of the werewolves were covering their ears, screaming in pain. One by one they fell to their knees.
"What's happening?"
"A witch is happening," the lumberjack grinned.
Dr. Jonas Martin appeared. His hands were held out and it was clear to Caroline that he was the one casting the spell on the werewolves.
"Elijah made a promise to Elena. I'm here to see it's upheld," Dr. Martin said.
Damon and Stefan got up off the ground. Damon saw that the new vampire had Miriam and zoomed over, only to bounce back off an invisible barrier.
"Not too close, Salvatore," the Lumberjack man said, holding up his hand. So he was a witch, too. "We are here to protect her. Elijah hired us."
"Dr. Martin, when you're done here, we will need your help at the secondary safe house," the vampire holding Miriam said.
"Wait, aren't you Miriam's neighbors?" Damon asked, brushing dirt and leaves off his clothes.
"Dr. Martin ignored Damon. "I'll meet you at the house. You all need to go. Now."
"I'm going with you," Caroline told the other female vampire.
"Why?"
"Because she got hurt trying to protect me. Please?"
The woman narrowed her eyes at Caroline. She looked at her friend, who nodded.
"Fine. Come on," the new vampire said. She walked to a car that had been haphazardly parked. She waited until the Lumberjack was situated in the back of the car before handing him Miriam. Caroline got into the passenger seat. The woman got into the driver's seat and started the car. In no time they were rushing through backroads.
"Give me a sit-rep, August," the woman said as they drove.
The backseat lit up with bright light. Caroline twisted in her seat to see what was happening. The witch's hand was glowing and he was waving it over Miriam's body.
"Several broken ribs. A punctured lung. Multiple bone bruises. A mild concussion. A broken tibia and fibula. She has defensive wounds on her hands and skin and blood under her nails."
"He was going to rape her," Caroline whispered. "Jules stopped him so he could fight Damon and Stefan."
"That is going to cause some psychological trauma," the driver said matter-of-factly. She pulled out a cell phone and dialed a number.
"June?" Caroline could hear the suave accented voice on the other side.
"Elijah. There's been another incident," the vampire, June said.
"What kind of incident?"
"One that requires your immediate attention. You should return to Mystic Falls immediately."
"I will be there in a couple hours." He hung up.
"He's pissed," the Lumberjack, August, noted.
After another half an hour of driving they drove off the main road and onto a dirt road. Ten minutes of confusing, winding dirt roads later, they arrived at a beautiful farmhouse. August went in first. He turned on all the lights before motioning for the women to enter. June carried Miriam to the master bedroom. Caroline placed a towel on the bed and June lowered her down on it.
June bit her wrist and dribbled her blood into Miriam's partially open mouth. Her wounds healed slowly. June had to feed her twice more to speed up the healing process. Caroline and June tended her body; they gave her a sponge bath and dressed her in a clean pajama set. After she was settled in, Caroline took a shower of her own.
It felt nice to wash off the pain, fear, and anger that had settled on her skin. She held in her tears as she scrubbed her body red. When she got out of the shower, there was a fresh set of pajamas waiting for her. She put them on before walking on bare feet to the kitchen. June and August were there. A pot of soup was on the stove, and it smelled wonderful.
"Drink this," June handed Caroline three blood bags. "Drink all three before going in to see her. Elijah would not be happy to find that his mate had survived being tortured only to be drained by a baby vamp."
"Mate?" Caroline questioned as she drank her first blood bag.
"Soulmate. Other half of your heart. The person that was created to compliment you. Miriam is Elijah's mate," August explained.
"Elijah? Like, Elena's bargaining, super powerful, kinda half friend, half villain, Elijah?" Caroline clarified. She drained the first bag and moved on to her second.
"The one in the same. He was out of town today, otherwise he would be here now. He charged us with her protection," June said, then frowned. "Hopefully he won't kill us."
"We acted as fast as we could. As powerful as we are, we couldn't have taken on the pack without Jonas' help," August noted.
Caroline set her finished blood bag down and started on her third. "She distracted Brady, got him to stop torturing me. Elijah won't kill me for that, will he?"
"If Miriam risked her health to keep you safe, Elijah wouldn't dare hurt you," June reassured.
Caroline finished her last bag and held it up as proof. "Can I go see her, now?"
"Yes," the word had barely passed August's lips before Caroline vamp sped across the house. She entered the room quietly, unsure if Miriam was still sleeping.
The girl in question was just waking up. She looked around the dimly lit room before spotting Caroline.
"W-Where are we?" she asked.
"I'm not sure. Some safe house in the middle of nowhere," Caroline hesitantly approached the bed. "Are you okay?"
"I feel fine. Why am I here… oh," Caroline could only watch as Miriam remembered the events of earlier. She sat up in the bed and pulled her legs up. She wrapped her arms around her legs, making herself as small as possible. "How did we escape?"
"Dr. Martin incapacitated the werewolves. A witch named August and a vampire named June got us out. They're your body guards, apparently."
"They are my neighbors," Miriam said faintly.
"Elijah hired them to protect you. They are in another part of the house. How are you feeling?"
"Fine, but I know I shouldn't feel fine. My body really hurt before I passed out," Miriam admitted.
Caroline sat down on the edge of the bed. "You were really hurt. I was scared for you. You should have let him hurt me."
Miriam grabbed Caroline's hands. "I couldn't let that happen. I know you're a vampire now, but you are only seventeen. Life has dealt you such a bad hand, and I wanted to change that, just a little bit. I'm sorry you still got hurt."
"I'm sorry you got hurt," Caroline's eyes welled up with tears.
Miriam opened her arms and Caroline gratefully accepted the embrace. She wiggled under the covers with Miriam, and they stayed holding each other for a while.
They both wept from all the pain and fear they had experienced that night.
When they had calmed a bit, Miriam encouraged Caroline to place her head in her lap. She began to stroke Caroline's head. The sensation was soothing, and Caroline was lulled to a place between awake and sleep. She had almost crossed over that line when she felt tears land on her head.
Miriam's voice, soft and wobbly, sang a song Caroline didn't recognize, but the meaning resonated within her soul.
"I know, I know, people like me
Get written out of history
And though it takes all the fight out of me
I will be king. I will be…"
After Miriam fell asleep Caroline got up and left the room. She called Stefan and told him she was okay. Once he was reassured that she hadn't been kidnapped by Elijah, she called her mom to let her know she was sleeping over at Bonnie's. After she called Matt.
"Hi, Matt. Sorry I didn't show up. Something came up."
"Are you okay?"
"I will be. A kinda friend, acquaintance person got really hurt. I'm at her house right now."
"Is Bonnie with you?"
"No, just me. It's a long story, but I'm going to stay with her until her boyfriend gets here. Can I see you tomorrow?"
"Yeah, sure. I hope everything works out. Good night."
He hung up. She sighed. She knew he wasn't super happy with her, but she wasn't leaving Miriam.
Caroline turned around and flinched.
A vampire Caroline could only assume was Elijah stood there, an unreadable look on his handsome face.
"Hi," she squeaked. "Are you Elijah?"
"Yes. Where is Miriam?" His British accent and no-nonsense tone made her think of a professor of a college.
"In there," Caroline pointed to the bedroom she had just come out of.
He didn't say another word to her. He rushed past her and into the room.
Caroline was about to leave, but she was curious to see what a mated pair looked like. She peeked into the bedroom.
Inside, Elijah had taken off his jacket and slipped off his shoes. He climbed into the bed with Miriam, who stirred at the disturbance. She woke up and saw Elijah. She let out a sound like a wounded animal and wrapped her arms around him. He shushed her and murmured sweet words into her ear. He gathered her into his lap and rocked her like a baby as she sobbed into his shirt. He stroked her hair and back, and made soothing sounds until she quieted down.
Satisfied, Caroline went to the room that June had assigned as hers. She sat down on the borrowed bed, dressed in borrowed clothes, and stared out the window. Her day had been long. It had totally sucked, in several different ways. She wanted to analyze the day, where she went wrong, what she could have done better, what she needed to do if it happened again. But she couldn't focus. She was tired, so tired.
As Caroline settled in bed, she thought back to the song Miriam had sung, and the lyrics that had settled in her soul.
"Boys will be boys, girls will beat boys
I won't lie still for you
I won't be weak, I'll shut it down
I'll scream out loud, the world will belong to
Me...
The world
Will belong
To me"
AN: *Peeks out from underneath the bed* Do you still like me?
OK, so I compromised on what I was going to do with the torture scene. Originally it was going to be more serious for Miriam, but I felt like I had bullied her enough. It was still traumatic, but not as bad as I was going to make it.
This chapter was Miriam's low. In the future it's not going to be all sunshine and daisies, but I do realize I've been kinda light on the comfort part of hurt/comfort. It gets better for Miriam, I promise!
Song is "Girls Will Be Girls", from the musical Oceanborn. The song deals with the concept of sexual assault. The song and the musical are amazing, highly recommend.
Some of the dialogue was taken from the episodes.
Let me know what you guys thought of this chapter!