Smells Like Teen Spirit
September 6, 2010
Elena lay in bed staring at the alarm clock that reads; 5:15 am, contemplating the events of the past few days with a clarity of hindsight that only her bed could give her. Considering that nothing in her life ever worked out the way it was supposed to, she figured it made some kind of bizarre sense that in the course of getting Stefan back, he would lose his humanity.
Shaking her head, she sat up, swinging her legs on the floor. Her thoughts were a jumbled mess as she got dressed and continued to tumble over each other as she brushed her hair.
Her eyes were drawn to the photos littering her mirror. Immediately, Elena was assaulted by smiling, happy snapshots of her and Stefan - most from that blissful Golden Era where Katherine had been a faceless memory. Looking at them now was like looking at someone else's life, the next doppelganger that could do a better job than her.
Down the hall in the other room, Louise was sat on her window seat, knees pulled to her chest with her journal resting on them as she scribbled in it.
Dear diary,
I can't believe it.
Here I am in my childhood home at 5:30 in the morning, just a few hours before my senior year of high school begins.
I remember the morning of my junior year so vividly, the last morning of my life before the Salvatore brothers were introduced. The Louise I was then — the one who should be here now — was so lost. I didn't feel like I belonged here, or like I belonged anywhere. I was searching for something that was just out of reach.
My bedroom looks just the way it always did, warm and cosy. My bay window gives me a view onto the quince tree outside. Down the hall is my twin sister, Elena and next door my darling baby brother, Jeremy.
Everything feels as if I might break it, it's so fragile. This moment has been gone for years.
Louise stopped writing and stared at her last line, shaking her head. Soon, she'd see everyone, everything, unchanged. They'd been so naïve — in a good way — focused on popularity and high school romances, and unaware of the darkness that hovered just outside their pleasant lives. She'd never appreciated what she had then. This time, she'd know to savour those moments of innocence.
With a heavy sigh, she closed her journal and tossed it to the side before swinging her legs onto the floor. She made her way towards her bedroom door and stepped out, making her way down the hall and toward her sister's room.
Approaching the closed door, she listened intently for any sound of life inside, but all she heard was silence. Knocking once, she waited a few long moments before knocking again and twisting the doorknob, calling out softly. "Elena?"
Her gaze drawn immediately toward the vanity where Elena sat, staring listlessly at her reflection in the mirror.
Louise eased into the room, watching her sister sweep her hair over her shoulder to expose the smooth column of her throat revealing the twin bite marks - angry and red. She probed the swollen wound with trembling fingers, wincing at the slight contact and jerking her hand away as her eyes filled with tears.
"Elena." Louise said quietly, not wanting to scare her. She jumped like a frightened kitten anyway, twisting in her seat as she frantically rearranged her hair to hide the bite marks.
"Louise." she said, blinking furiously to banish the tears. "I didn't hear you come in."
"I knocked twice." Louise said, leaving the door open a crack as she made her way to the foot of her sister's bed and sank to the mattress.
"Oh." Elena replied, her cheeks turning pink as she offered a small smile. "Sorry, I'm a little slow. I haven't been sleeping well."
I can't imagine why, Louise thought as she watched Elena wrap a hair tie around her finger so tightly that the tip turned white. She probably wasn't sleeping at all. As usual, she was doing everything she could to keep it together.
Elena absently tucked her hair behind her ear, inadvertently baring the bite marks on her neck. Every instinct she had warned Louise against bringing it up but her gaze was drawn to the wound and she had to know. "How are you?"
"I'm fine." Elena said automatically, avoiding her sister's eye as she curled her fingers into fists. Her eyes began filling with tears at an alarming rate, revealing just how tightly she was clinging to control and how close she was to an emotional breakdown.
"Are you sure?" Louise asked, prying a little. Moving forward on the bed, she inched closer to her. "Elena."
Pressing her lips together into a hard line, Elena looked toward the ceiling and swallowed. "It...um...really hurts." she finally revealed in a small voice that was beginning to break. "I didn't expect it to hurt so much. Isn't that stupid? I mean, it's a vampire bite, of course it...it hurts."
"I'm sor-"
"Do you think it's going to scar?" she asked as the first tear slipped down her cheek.
"I don't...know." Louise answered honestly before rising from the bed in a sudden burst of inspiration. She couldn't undo what Stefan had done, but maybe she could help erase the evidence. "I could ask Damon for his blood for you. It'll heal the bite, take away the pain-"
"No." Elena cried, leaping skittishly to her feet and backing away from her twin toward the window as she shook her head vehemently. "No, Louise. No more blood, no more biting, please. I don't...I can't."
"Okay." Louise replied, holding her hands in acquiescence as she gave her some space. "Okay. No blood, Elena. It was just an idea."
Elena nodded jerkily, her breathing heavy as she shifted her weight from foot to foot and wiped away the tears that continued to fall relentlessly down her cheeks. Her mouth worked soundlessly, opening and closing on phantom syllables until finally Louise could make out the words.
"Why?" she asked, running both hands through her hair as she paced, her breaths coming in tortured gasps as her chest heaved. "Why did he do this? I know that he was compelled, but why couldn't he fight it? Why couldn't stop? How could Stefan...how could he..." she stopped directly in front of Louise, gazing at her through lashes clumped with tears. "How could he do this to me?"
Louise had a second to flounder for an answer as her heart broke for her twin.
"Here we are. Senior year." Caroline stated she stood with Elena, Louise and Bonnie staring at Mystic Falls High.
Bonnie eyed the school, feeling sort of defeated. "Anyone else think it should feel slightly more empowering?"
"Like we need to feel anymore empowering." Louise muttered with a light scoff. Then she started pointing between her friends. "You're a witch, you're a doppelganger, Caroline's a vampire and I'm a seer/doppelganger...we're pretty much too overpowered for this school."
"But still, it seems as if we've spent forever trying to get here, and now we're here, it's been ruined and pushed aside by something bigger." Bonnie stated.
"Okay. So prank night was a bust. But we are accepting it, and we are moving on." Caroline jutted out her chin and nodded.
"You're right. I mean, why should I let the fact that my boyfriend is seeing the ghost of his dead girlfriends hinder this experience?" Bonnie said sadly, sarcasm dripping in her voice.
Joining in, Louise added. "Or the fact that I had to watch my best friend nearly drain my sister dry and now some ancient hybrid is obsessed with my blood put me in a mood?"
"Yes!" Caroline cheered. "And why should I let the fact that my boyfriend was turned into a hybrid put a damper on an otherwise fabulous day."
The three girls stood in front of their friend with forced smiles on their faces. Finally, breaking her silence, Elena announced. "Today's our anniversary. Technically, Stefan and I met on the first day of school last year."
Louise and Caroline shared an uncomfortable glance before the blonde muttered. "Yeah. You win."
Bonnie raised a brow. "Are you sure you want to be here?"
"I have to be here. I have to put it behind me. New year. New life." Elena nodded confidently as she walked towards the school building. The three supernaturals all glanced at each other. Caroline was the first to follow after Elena. Shaking her head with wry amusement, Louise went to follow suit but a hand dragged her back.
"Oh!" she said, taking a step back to look at Bonnie. Immediately, concern replaced some of her good humour at the serious expression on the witch's face. "What's wrong?"
"I had the dream again." Bonnie explained without preamble, worry creasing her brow. Stifling an exasperated sigh, Louise looked longingly towards the school building. She didn't need to ask her friend for clarification, she'd been hearing about 'the dream' for a week now.
The first time it happened, a day after she'd return from Klaus, Bonnie had called her in a panic, waking her from a deep sleep. Louise had been struggling to clear the cobwebs from her brain as her friend had peppered her with questions, demanding to know if she was still human. Lying next to her, Damon had snatched the phone from her hand and asked Bonnie what the hell she was talking about. After a series of terse reassurances that he hadn't turn anybody into anything, Bonnie had explained the accusation.
"I'm walking through the school, searching for Louise because she's in danger, but I don't know why." Bonnie explained as Damon had put the phone on speaker so Louise could hear as well. "I come to turn down the corridor and my heart starts beating faster and I can't breathe because somehow I know what I'm going to find."
Louise's heart had been in her throat, rending her mute, so Damon had prodded Bonnie. After taking a moment to collect herself, she had continued. "You're lying on the floor covered in blood. I'm crying trying to get to you, but the hallway seem so long and I'm not even half way there when you move. You open your eyes and sit up. I can't speak, but I watch as you start to...to change. You-you were a vampire."
Louise's had been overcome by a heady mixture of panic and expectation. Bonnie's dreams had been prophetic before and this one seemed particularly vivid. Damon, however, had dismissed it as nothing but an overactive imagination, a nightmare brought on by the ordeal with Klaus and the fact that he had given Louise his blood.
Bonnie, however, had refused to let it go, and in the past week, she'd had the dream three times. This latest occurrence brought the grand total to four and Louise was running out of ways to reassure her friend her mortal life wasn't on the line.
"Louise, did you hear what I said?" Bonnie demanded in a low voice as she glanced nervously at the passing throng of students. "I had the dream. Again. That makes four times."
"I know, I heard you." Louise murmured, preparing to explain yet again that she was very much human and - if Damon had anything to say about it - very much going to stay that way.
"That's all you can say?" she asked incredulously.
"What do you want me to say?" Louise countered. Lowering her voice, she inched closer. "It's just a dream, Bonnie."
"But what if not?" she pressed, grabbing Louise's arm. "What if it's..."
"A prophesy?" Louise concluded, raising a brow. "Bonnie, come on, we've been over this. If this was anything other than some kind of trauma induced nightmare it would have happened already."
After a long pause during which the parking lot continued to empty, Bonnie offered a small shrug, mumbling. "I know." A moment later, however, the urgency was back. "It's getting more detailed, though. I can, like, smell the blood and when you wake up, you're-"
"Have you ever heard of a prophetic dream taking so long to play out?" Louise interrupted before Bonnie could further hint what Vampire Dream-Louise had done, driving the point home for what she hoped would be the last time.
Bonnie pursed her lips and took even longer to respond. "No."
"No." Louise repeated, smiling as she touched Bonnie's shoulder. "Look, I appreciate that you're worried about me."
"But-"
"But nothing." she sook her head. "Even if there is some truth to it - some truth that's taking it's sweet time to materialise - Damon's not going to let me turn into a vampire, okay?"
Chewing her bottom lip, Bonnie eyed her with obvious indecision. There were only a handful of students in the parking lot and Louise waited for her friend to admit defeat. Bonnie sighed. "I know he won't. I'm sorry for being such a pain, it's just...it's so real, Louise."
"No, it's a dream." Louise assured her. "Remember that, Bonnie. It's only a dream."
Somewhat, mollified, Bonnie smile and they turn toward the school.
Vivienne paced the small, dark Mausoleum, trying to ignore the way the wall seemed to be closing in on her. Her and Katherine were attempting to coax Mikael awake by offering him blood and animals that he could eat and still he hadn't moved so much as an eyelid. She was growing impatient waiting for the vampire to wake.
"Come on, Sleeping Beauty, wake up already." Vivienne huffed in annoyance as the Original continued to lie there unmoving. She continued to pace.
"Come on, Mikael." Katherine taunted, dangling a mouse in front of his face. "Breakfast." She glanced over at her sister when she heard her phone ring but averted her eyes back to Mikael. "Mm, yummy. Mikael, wake up!" she huffed in annoyance as the Original continued to lie there unmoving.
"What?" Vivienne snapped into the phone once she put it to her ear.
"What? What do you mean, "what"? I've been calling you for two days." Her ex-lover's voice rang through the phone.
Pacing again, Vivienne replied. "Odd, that's exactly how long I've been ignoring you."
"Jeremy Gilbert told me that you and Katherine found Mikael."
"Sort of. He's a little bit out of commission. He won't eat." Running a hand through her hair, Vivienne stalked back to the coffin just as Katherine tossed the mouse onto Mikael's chest in annoyance. "And I've tried everything...Gravediggers, mourners, mice, rats, bats. He's just not interested."
"Well, try harder. We need him to kill Klaus so I can de-rippefy Stefan before he destroys my house."
"Fine." Vivienne hissed as she turned on her heel. Through the crypt door window she saw a man in the cemetery, a bouquet of flowers in his hands, standing in front of a gave. Her eyes darkened. "I'll give it another shot." She put the phone back in her trouser pocket and glared at Mikael. "I'll be right back." She muttered before slipping out the door.
Katherine gave her sister a sceptical look. Not longer than five minutes was Vivienne pushing the crypt door open as she dragged a now dead's man body behind her. She wasted no time moving toward the coffin and held the body above a mummified Mikael. A few drops of blood fell into Mikael's mouth. Normal, human colour returned to his skin, still a bit pale. What took nearly an hour to begin was over in a matter of seconds as Mikael's eyes flew open and stared at the twins, blinking in the dim light.
"No! Get it away!" Mikael ordered as he rattled in the chains.
"You need blood." Katherine grumbled, quickly recovering from her shock.
"Get it away from me!" Mikael hollered.
With a roll of her eyes, Vivienne hurled the body across the room before dusting off her hands. "Happy?"
"Thank you." Mikael replied dryly.
"I remember you. Chicago, 1920s. You were looking for Klaus." Katherine mused and Vivienne nodded in memory just as Mikael closed his eyes once again.
"You're not so scary for a...badass vampire vampire Hunter." Vivienne added.
Louise grumbled under her breath as she opened her locker and shoved her math books inside. Her phone rang and she sighed, knowing quite well who it was - Damon - she had been ignoring his calls for the last two school periods after all. "What?" Louise snapped when she put the phone to her ear, prompting it up with her shoulder as she searched for her history notebook.
"You've been ignoring me."
Louise gasped sarcastically. "Oh, you picked up on that huh?"
"You're still mad." Damon noted.
"Yeah I'm still mad that you left my brother with Katherine and Vivienne!" She grabbed her book and furiously slammed her locker door shut. She held the phone to her ear properly. "You left him with two psychotic vampires who kidnapped him. You hurt him!"
"And it was all for a valid cause! Did you miss the part where Klaus ran the hell out of here when I told him we found Mikael?" Damon sighed. "Yes, I had to rough up your brother to get his ghostly girlfriend to talk but it wasn't personal."
Louise was fiercely protective of her little brother and Damon had to have know she would give him grief for touching him. "I bet you didn't even try asking him nicely." she sneered.
"That would have been a waste of precious time."
"You don't know that."
"No, I don't." Damon admitted. "But Jeremy's perfectly fine. Katherine and Vivienne are waking Mikael and soon Klaus will be dead. It's a win."
"Whatever." Louise muttered.
"I've said I'm sorry, okay?" Damon apologised and when Louise did not respond, he added. "Look, I wouldn't be calling if it wasn't important." he started. "We have a new housemate."
The brunette frowned at Damon's words but it peeked her curiosity. "Who?"
"Barbie Klaus."
"Rebekah?" Louise asked in disbelief and Damon hummed. "She's living with you now? Why?"
"She's stranded. Apparently Klaus left her in the dust after I name-dropped Mikael." Damon told her. "Can you tell Elena not to drop by anytime soon? You know, I don't think it'll be a good idea to have Stefan's exes in the same house."
"Agreed." Louise nodded. "What has Stefan been up anyway?"
"Oh, you know. Draining young girls and leaving them all over the house."
"Great." Louise muttered before sigh heavily just as she spotted Caroline putting up a flyer on the wall that said; Spirit Squad Back-to-school Bonfire. "Look, I have to go." Once Damon replied bye, she hung up the phone. She approached her blonde friend. "I completely forgot about the bonfire."
"You have to go." Caroline insisted eagerly. "It's our first spirit squad event. And it sets the bar for the whole year."
Louise laughed. "Relax, Caroline. I'll be there."
"Thank you. It's just that-"
Tyler cut Caroline off when he placed a passionate kiss on her lips. "Happy first day!"
Louise spotted a red stain on his shirt and her eyes grew wide. "Is that blood?" She shook her head. "Tyler!"
"Oh my God!" Caroline hissed as she caught Tyler's wrist tugging him into the bathroom.
Just as the couple disappeared in the bathroom, Elena approached her sister with a confused look as her eyes darted from the bathroom to her sister. Louise sighed and gave a look that said 'You don't want to know.' First period hadn't even started yet and Louise felt a headache coming on.
"You should probably stay away from the boarding house for a while." Louise told her, confusing her that much more.
"Why?"
"Barbie Klaus has decided to take residency in one of the many spare rooms." Louise explained, glancing down at her phone as if they were having a casual conversation.
"Rebekah is staying there now? Why?" Elena demanded.
"She's stranded. Apparently Klaus left her in the dust after Damon name-dropped Mikael." Louise shrugged.
"Well what about Stefan?" Elena asked. Louise glanced up from her phone, staring at her sister as if the question was completely expect but dreaded all at once. "What's he up to?"
"Oh, you know Stefan." She laughed awkwardly. "Journaling, reading, shaping his hair."
"Come on, Lou. I can handle it." Elena insisted.
Louise shook her head. "No you can't. And believe me, Elena. You don't want to know." Her eyes narrowed when she noticed the younger Salvatore approaching them. "Speaking of the devil." she muttered under her breath. Elena gasped as she whipped around.
Raising a brow, the vampire said. "Hello, Louise." He then looked to the other sister. "Hello, Elena."
Staring at the man she was supposed to love, Elena feared her brain might short circuit. Her lungs seized up, trapped in a vise of shock as her heart beat furiously against her ribs. Stefan's appearance the other night had been such an anomaly, having never crossed her mind that he might just...show up at school.
He stared at her now, betraying no emotion with his piercing gaze, only wary curiosity, and she found she couldn't look away. Standing next to her, Louise grabbed her hand, tension radiating off her body.
"What are you doing here?" Louise demanded.
Stefan's gaze shifted to Louise, the wary curiosity morphing into amusement. "What do you mean? I'm going back to school. Go Timberwolves!" Stefan chanted.
For a second, Elena felt like she was looking at the old Stefan and her paralysis eased. Then he looked at her, the light hitting his eyes.
In an instant, she back in the cafeteria, caught between fear and the memories of a love she was trying desperately to feel. Stefan's flat, dispassionate gaze was the same, hiding a monster ready to flip at the slightest provocation.
"What? Why?" Elena hissed.
"Klaus wants me to keep an eye on you. I'm just doing what I'm told."
"Come on, Lou, we're going to be late for class." Elena took hold of her sister's wrist. She tried to move round Stefan but he grabbed her upper arm, halting her action.
"Oh, class is this way." Stefan said.
Elena looked down at the grip on her arm then back up at the vampire before ordering. "Let go of me, Stefan."
"Do you think I want to be a senior for the 100th time? No. But if I don't have a choice in the matter, then neither do you."
"She said let go, Stefan." Louise spoke up.
"Is everything okay here?" Alaric approached, eyeing Stefan protective of the girls. The vampire turned the tables on him and pushed him back against the lockers, holding him there firmly with one hand.
"Stefan, stop it!" Elena ordered.
"You're not gonna want to get in my way. Okay Ric?" Stefan told Alaric, who stood tall and strong, showing no scenes of fear. "I will see you both in history." He released the teacher, gave them all a sickly sweet smile before he walked away.
Alaric lead them both to class. Once he made sure the classroom was empty, he turned to his two students worried.
"What the hell is he doing here?" he asked.
"Klaus compelled him to watch over me and Elena." Louise explained with a heavy sigh.
"Apparently we're Klaus' assets now that our blood is the only way to create a hybrid." Elena added tiredly, leaning against one of the desks.
"Now he's a bodyguard?" Alaric said, crossing his arms.
"I don't know what he is. But he's definitely not Stefan." Elena retorted just as the bell rang, signalling that it was time for all the students to enter the classroom. Some students began to come into class and Elena lowered her voice. "Look, his being here is not good for any of us. We have to do something."
The two girls move towards the desk, taking their seats. Caroline walked in and quickly sat next to Elena, sending her a small smile. Tyler followed and behind his girlfriend. The rest of the room filled up as Stefan walked in late. He gave the guy who was sat on the other side of Elena a hard stare.
"You're in my seat." He told him firmly and the teenage boy quickly moved letting Stefan take his place. Stefan smiled at Elena. "Hey you!"
Alaric grabbed a piece of white chalk before he began writing on the blackboard; AP AMERICAN HISTORY. He put the chalk back, dusting his hands before turning to his class. "Welcome back, seniors." He announced, silencing his students and drawing their attention to the front. "Let's turn our brains back on, starting with this country's original founders...the Native Americans."
"What about the Vikings?" A female voice thick with and English accent called from the doorway of the classroom, turning everyone's attention from Alaric.
Louise had the urge to face palm at the sight of Rebekah Mikaelson.
"There's no evidence that Viking explorers actually settled in the United States." Alaric explained as the blonde took a seat in front of Elena, beside Louise who barely sent a glance her way despite everyone gawking. "Who are you?"
"My name's Rebekah. I'm new. And history's my favourite subject." She grinned as she searched for her textbook.
"Hmm, I wonder why?" Louise muttered sarcastically more to herself than anyone else; the only people able to hear were the vampires in the room. Stefan snorted while Rebekah rolled here eyes before glaring at her.
Louise had been the one to inform Damon about everything that had happened during their day at school, but Elena was determined to work through her anger. Louise told Damon to meet them at Alaric apartment, and as he wandered in he saw Elena lifting weights.
"What? Are you going to bench press a vampire?" Damon mockingly asked as he moved toward Louise to place a gentle kiss on the top of her head.
"She's pissed because Stefan called her human blood bag." Louise sighed heavily as she glanced over at her sister, who grunted whilst she lifted the weight back in the air. "She's right, though. He's a completely different personal now."
A devilish smirk appeared on Damon's face as he walked over to the weight Elena was lifting. As she brought the dumbbell down, Damon's hand clamped onto the bar holding the weights and pushed. Elena grunted, feeling her muscles scream at the exertion.
"Unh! What are you doing?" Elena exclaimed, irritated.
"Helping you out." Damon replied. Elena didn't even have to look at his face to know he was smirking.
"Damon!"
"Come on, Buffy!" His tone was mocking and it aggravated her.
"Stop it!" Elena pushed with all her might at the bar then finally dropped her hands, breathing hard. Damon easily lifted the dumbbell and placed it on the rack attached to the chair. Elena sat up.
Louise rolled her eyes and sighed. "Don't be a dick."
"Like one obnoxious Salvatore isn't bad enough." Elena muttered, gritting her teeth against the pain in her muscles.
Damon walked over to a table in the room littered with vampire hunting tools and picked up a stake with attached bronze-knuckles. "Louise called. I'm here. What's your plan, oh warrior princess?" He slipped his fingers through the knuckle holes and did a mock stabbing motion.
Louise looked over at Elena for her to answer. A heavy sigh escaped Elena's mouth. "I want to lock Stefan up, at least until this Mikael guy comes, kills Klaus, and the compulsion breaks."
"Compulsion or not, Stefan's high on human blood, Okay? A lot of it."
Elena reached her hand up to release her hair from the ponytail. "You've gotten him off of it before."
"This is different. It's not a stint in rehab, Elena. His humanity's gone. Light's out. No one's home." Damon dropped the stake onto the table, disgusted. He once thought he wanted Stefan to be like this; uncaring, volatile and a complete dick. Now, he just wished he could have his moody, broody vampire brother back.
One thing was certain; Elena doesn't like hearing negative statements about Stefan, no matter how true they rang. He was such a giant part of her now that even thinking that Stefan would want Elena to give up on him makes her chest ache. She knows Stefan, whether Damon agreed or not. Elena's jaw locked, shooting daggers into Damon because it's the only place that her anger could flow easily. She wanted to scream at the man, tell him to mind his business and leave her alone, but it was his brother. Stefan needed Damon just as much as Damon needed Stefan. Daggered gaze stayed pointed towards the elder brother for a beat, before softening.
Yes Stefan was a full blown ripped. She'd seen it - witnessed it - herself but the rose coloured glasses were still on, despite everything. "Every single time I look at him, I feel like I'm going to break. And I'm not going to give him that satisfaction."
Louise experienced a fleeting moment of sympathy for her sister. "Do it for me then, Damon." she spoke up as her boyfriend's gaze landed solely on her.
"I'll do whatever it is you need me to do."
Elena moved quickly to gather her things. "We'll catch him at the back-to-school bonfire. I need to make arrangements."
Louise's legs dangled as she sat on one of the many desks in Alaric's classroom as she listened to the group discuss Stefan and their plan to take him down. The group consisted of her, Alaric, Elena, Caroline and Damon who was currently sitting on the counter by the windows with his head leant against the wall, eyes closed.
"I'll lure Stefan away from the bonfire." Elena said. She looked to Alaric and continued. "Then when he's distracted..."
Alaric nodded and finished. "I'll shoot him."
"Can't Bonnie just ju-ju him or something?" Damon questioned, opening his eyes to regard the people in the room. It would be so much easier if Bonnie could do something and it would save a lot of time.
Louise shook her head. "No can do. Stefan has lost his humanity so he wouldn't give a rat's ass if Bonnie ends up dead."
"So we're keeping Bonnie out of this." Elena agreed then she looked over at the blonde vampire. "Caroline, are you covered?"
"Yes!" Caroline answered from her spot near the door. "I will make sure that the old Forbes jail cell is prepped and ready."
Usually, Louise was all for locking up the bad guy but she had her doubts about the plan to rehabilitate Stefan. Her sister thought she could make him feel again but Louise wasn't sure that was even possible with his humanity being compelled off. And it wasn't like Klaus left Stefan with any options of having feelings even if he wanted them.
"We're forgetting a key player here." Damon said dryly and everyone looked at him confused. He sighed. "Rebekah? Wherever Stefan goes, the blonde ponytail tends to follow."
"Which is why it's your job to keep her away." Elena instructed.
Damon scoffed and furrowed his brows. ""How?! She's an Original. Last time I checked, we're out of daggers."
"So then preoccupy her with your charm." Louise quipped jokingly.
"Might have better luck finding the dagger." Alaric muttered.
"Are you ever not going to be mad at me for a day?" Damon scowled at the history teacher.
"Doubtful." Alaric replied shortly.
"Sorry I'm late." Tyler said as he strolled into the classroom, drawing everyone's attention to him. "What's going on?"
"We need you to raid your mum's vervain supply. Enough to keep Stefan down for a while." Elena told him.
Tyler slightly shook his head and slowly said. "You can't do that to Stefan."
"Why not?" Caroline asked.
"Trust me, Tyler, it's in his best interest." Elena told him.
"Yeah. It's not in Klaus'." He said simply.
"But Klaus is the bad guy, Tyler." Caroline reminded him. "You know, why are you acting like some freaky, hybrid, slave minion."
Damon: Uh-oh." Damon said as he stood up slowly, eyeing Tyler suspiciously.
Alaric turned towards him and asked. "What?"
"Klaus made me who I am, Caroline. I owe him everything." Tyler explained just as Damon moved closer to him.
"Oh, boy."
Caroline turned and snapped at Damon. "Okay, can we cool it on the commentary, please."
"What is going on?" Elena questioned.
Louise drummed her fingers anxiously on the desk as she waited to hear about the new problem. She noticed Damon discreetly grab a vervain dart off Alaric's desk.
"I'm just going to go." Tyler decided as he turned around slowly, making his way toward the door. Damon moved quick, as he rushed over behind him, injecting with the vervain dart. Tyler groaned as he collapsed onto the floor.
"What are you doing?!" Caroline shrieked, grabbing the raven haired vampire's arm.
"He's been sired." Damon announced as he watched Caroline check over her boyfriend.
Alaric's brows furrowed. "What?"
"Sired." Damon repeated. "He feels loyal to Klaus because Klaus' blood created him."
"What? Loyal how?" Louise questioned frustrated.
"He'll seek acceptance from his master. It's really rare. But maybe not so much in hybrids."
"So," Caroline looked toward the older vampire. "How do I fix him?"
"Get a new boyfriend." Damon replied bluntly.
Louise grimaced as she watched Damon activate his part of the plan. He sat close to Rebekah who was sat around the fire roasting a marshmallow. The puffy confection caught flame and the blonde blew it out. Louise wasn't close enough to hear what her boyfriend was saying but that was definitely his suggestive smile as he pulled off the burnt part of the marshmallow. He angled the stick Rebekah was holding until the melty centre touched her lips. Louise watched Damon intently watch her eat it, purposefully licking his fingers.
"What's that look?" A voice came from behind her. She looked out the corner of her eye to see the younger Salvatore brother.
"Is jealousy too obvious of an answer?" She scowled at Stefan.
"No, but it definitely doesn't suit you." He told her and then tapped a plastic red cup against her shoulder.
Without moving, Louise took the cup and gave it a sniff, inhaling the strong alcoholic liquid. She raised a brow. "What's this for?"
"It'll make watching my brother hurt less."
Louise turned around to face the vampire, still with a raised brow. "And you all of a sudden care? Why?"
Stefan opened his mouth to respond but closed it when Elena suddenly walked past, making a bee line to the beer keg. Louise and Stefan shifted their attention to her as she started to fill her own cup.
"Elena, hi." Stefan called but the human girl did not respond, which peaked his curiosity. "What are you doing?"
"I'm having fun, Stefan. You have a problem with that?" she propositioned. Louise chuckled to herself. Stefan cocked his head as Elena raised the cup to her lips in a challenging manner and drank as much as she could, which was very impressive for one tiny human girl.
"All right, take it easy." he instructed condescendingly, but Elena did not stop. "We both know you're kind of a lightweight."
Elena chuckled bitterly as she finished her drink and promptly poured herself another. She threw him a displeased look. "Really? You think I'm going to let a blood addict tell me how to drink?" With that she walked away.
"Ouch." Louise smirked as she put her own cup to her lips.
Louise watched as Stefan watched Elena walk away. He was unaware that the doppelganger had taken off in order to get him alone and out of the way. Stefan then followed the older Gilbert. Just as he did, Rebekah shoved a large stick straight through Damon's abdomen and he doubled over in pain.
"Bitch." Damon grumbled once he got to his feet and yanked the stick from his stomach. His eyes caught a flustered Louise as she came over in an attempt to assist him. "Louise, you good?"
"Me?" she asked, gently lifting his shirt to see the wound had properly healed. "You're the one that just got staked." Damon merely just brushed it off with a light scoff. "You two seemed cosy toasting marshmallows together."
Damon raised an eyebrow as a small smirk suddenly pulled at his lips. "You were jealous?"
Louise rolled her eyes. "What if I was?"
"Then, I'd say my brother was right, it definitely doesn't suit you." Damon said as he extended his hand to cup her cheek. "And you absolutely have nothing to worry about. You don't need to be jealous."
Turned out, Vicki Donovan tried to burn Stefan and Elena alive in their car. Alaric had managed to get them out right before the car exploded. What was worse, was that Elena and Alaric had actually succeeded in their plan. If it hadn't been for Vicki, Stefan would be completely unconscious in a cell right now. At the moment, Louise and Elena were in Damon's room in the bathroom. The elder Gilbert had a small burn mark on her cheek. Louise had a tube of cream in her hand, ready to treat her sister.
"Give it to me. I can do it." Elena insisted impatiently.
Elena reached for the Q-tip and medication, aiming to pry it from her hands, but Louise pulled away in protest. "No, let me do it." She argued.
The elder Gilbert reached for it again. "Louise, c'mon I can-"
"Elena." Louise's tone was fierce and serious. Softly now; "You almost got barbecued. The least I can do is apply first aid. Now be a good sister and stay still!" She looked away, applying the medication to the Q-tip. Elena huffed as her sister reached up to gently dab her face with the goo. Coming into contact with her wound, it slightly stung her but she toughened it out. "There." Louise whispered, satisfied. "I'm sorry, Elena."
"Hmm?" she asked. "For what?"
"For...not being there. I should of known...felt...something wrong with the plan." Louise admitted, brow creasing in guilt.
Elena shook her head. "You couldn't of known. It's alright. I'm fine. Stefan's fine. Even Ric. It was...a crazy mess."
Louise gave her a tight lipped smile as she finished off treating the wound. Once that was finished, Elena excused herself from the room to check in on Alaric as Louise packed away the medication to the cupboards where she found them. She seemed deep in thought.
Damon practically materialised out of nowhere next to her, but she didn't jump at all. She had been expecting him.
"What's going through your head that's got you knitting your eyebrows together like a scarf?" Damon drawled out in his congenial voice.
Louise blinked, his words breaking her concentration. Lifting her head, she caught his eye in the reflection of the mirror. "Nothing, I'm just...trying not to think." She responded and he raised an eyebrow. Louise sighed, turning on to face him as she eased back to sit on the counter. "Bonnie had the dream again."
"What dream?" he asked, stifling a groan. He knew full well what dream Louise was referring to, but he preferred to pretend ignorance. Their relationship was far from perfect and they had their share of fights about random things, but two topic consistently caused problems. One was her bizarre theory that she was too boring for him - a ludicrous notion - and the other was Bonnie's dream.
"You know what dream." she replied. "The one where I turn-"
Damon kissed her before she could say more, pulling her tight against him as he tried to make her forget everything else by the way he could make her feel. Louise put up a token protest before succumbing to his demanding and skilled mouth. He slipped his hand behind her head and slanted his mouth over hers to taste her fully.
She whimpered into his mouth, holding his face between her hands as she eagerly responded. The sounds she made when they were like this drove him wild, egging him on as he turned his attention to the sensitive spot just below her jaw.
"It's not going to work." she whispered breathlessly even as she speared her fingers through his hair in encouragement. "You're not going to distract me with sex."
"Says who?" He challenged, nipping at her neck with his human teeth in a way that he knew made her crazy. "I promise you'll enjoy it."
"Damon." she chided, turning her face away and pushing at his chest in the most half-assed attempt at stopping him he'd ever seen. He could have easily overwhelmed her weak protest, but he knew this Louise. Beneath the breathy moans of desire and the hands grasping at him for more, she was a woman on a mission.
The inevitable fight would only be worse if he continued to avoid the subject.
Muttering in exasperation, he separated from her completed, moving to the other side of the bathroom. Scrubbing his face with his hands, he muttered. "I hate that dream."
"So does Bonnie." Louise reminded him. He felt her studying him carefully like he was some kind of time bomb about to go off and he hated himself for the rushed reassurances that came next. "I don't want to fight about it, Damon. I swear. She's just...I think the dream's getting worse. She cornered me before class and it took me at least five minutes to calm her down. I'm running out of things to tell her to promise her it will never happen - that you'll never turn me."
"You're damn right I won't." Damon vowed, wondering if Louise knew that every time they had this conversation - and it seemed to come up whether Bonnie had her stupid dream or not - her assertions that he'd never turn her sounded more and more like a challenge. Like on some level, she was dying for him to argue and prove her wrong.
She had no idea just how badly he wanted to do exactly that.
Louise was coming around the idea of forever and no matter how many times he told himself that she wasn't serious - not completely - he was finding it harder to believe in the impossibility. He wanted her to turn and if she kept pushing the idea there might come a day in the too near future when he wouldn't be able to tell her no.
And he had to tell her no. She wasn't ready.
She hopped down from the counter and inched closer to him. "Have you ever considered-"
"No." He replied, emphatically.
"Damon, you don't even know what I was going to say." She responded incredulously.
"I don't need to." He declared, finally look at her.
Raising a brow, she continued. "Have you ever considered that maybe...maybe the dream is a prophecy?"
"A prophecy of what?" Damon scoffed as he turned his back. "That I'm going to give you my blood then murder you at school? I know I'm impulsive, Louise, but you've got to give me a little more credit than that."
"Maybe it not meant to be taken literally." she suggested, making her way toward him. He glanced over his shoulder, but didn't move. She's trying to start a fight, so don't be an ass, he thought, trying to keep his temper in check.
"It's not what you want," he stated definitively, turning to look at her like she'd lost her mind for even suggesting it. "You don't want to be a vampire. I know that better than anybody."
"What if you're wrong?" she asked, gauging his reaction carefully. "I know that I want you - today and tomorrow and for as far into the future as I can see. I'm in love with a vampire. I have to at least consider forever."
Damon stared at her wide eyed and frozen, as he worked through the enormity of what she'd just insinuated. Finally, he swallowed, looking away from her for a moment, before collecting himself and uttering. "There's no way..."
"Why?" she asked, amused by the look of almost horror on his fac. "Don't you want me around forever?"
Another stunned silence answered her before Damon responded. "Of course, I want you." he vowed, the intensity of his gaze was overwhelming, making her pulse skitter. "Forever. But only if that's what you want."
He watched her fidget as she mulled something over in her mind. There was a look in her eye he hadn't seen before and he knew whatever she was about to say was going to be big. Tucking her hair behind her ear in a nervous gesture he had memorised, she finally said. "I never told you this, but when I woke up after the sacrifice, I almost, I did wish I had died. Just to get it over with."
The confession short-circuited his brain and for several seconds, all he could do was stare at her. Fighting the instinct to grab her by the arms and shake her until she came to her senses, he spit out between clenched teeth. "I've told you before, you don't have to turn. That's not...it's never been a condition in this..." he paused, swallowing his revulsion at how cliché he sounded before uttering. "relationship."
"But don't you feel like it's inevitable?" she demanded, shrugging helplessly. "Like it's there, between us, just waiting for us both to be on the same page?"
"Yeah." he exclaimed. "But that goddamn witch keeps dreaming about it and putting idea into your head.
Insulted, Louise scoffed as the first real sparks of anger flashed in her eyes. "Bonnie's not putting anything into my head, Damon. I'm perfectly capable of coming up with my own opinions."
Closing his fingers into a fist, he slammed it against the wall in frustration. "Fine." he challenged as, pushing up his sleeve, he called her bluff. "Let's do it right now."
She visibly paled. "What?"
"You want to turn? You want to get it over with?" he demanded as he let his fangs descend and felt the heat around his eyes as his veins rose to the surface. In a burst of speed, he had her pinned to the wall as he brought his wrist to his lips. "I'm tired of arguing with you about it, so guess what? I'm in."
Suddenly panicked, Louise's eyes went wide and her pulse started to race as he mimed sinking the sharp, pointed teeth into his flesh. Gripping his arms, she cried. "Damon, wait!"
The echo of her voice hung in the air between them as she gasped for breath. Her frenetic pulse thundered in his ears, betraying the fear she'd tried to hide. Closing his eyes, Damon rested his forehead against hers as his fangs retracted and the veins around his eyes pulled back.
He stayed like this for a long time, waiting for his temper to fully recede and her breathing to return to normal so they could finish the conversation rationally. After a moment, he opened his eyes and pulled away far enough to brush her hair away from her face with both hands. Her eyes darted immediately to the unmarred skin on his inner wrist and he raised a brow at her surprised expression, shrugging casually. "I knew you didn't mean it."
Crestfallen, she looked away. "Damon I-"
"Louise, it's fine." he promised, relieved beyond the telling that he'd managed to avoid a serious blow up. Make up sex was great, but it never guarantee and he was still waiting for the day he pushed it too far. Gently, he gripped her chin between his thumb and forefinger, forcing her to meet his eyes. "I meant what I said, you don't have to turn. It doesn't change how I feel about you."
"I know, but you want me to." she replied, a frown marring her perfect features as she covered his hand with her own. "And sometimes, I want it, too."
"I know." he said and that was the problem - the fact that day by day, he could see her warming to the idea of becoming a vampire. He knew better than anybody, however, that there was no way to be ready to make that choice. He thought he wanted forever with Vivienne, and look how that turned out.
Still, something had to give. Louise wouldn't let the idea go and since there was no way to make her understand something he could barely put into coherent thought, they were simply destined to fight about it in circles until one of them went too far.
And there was no contest as to who could do more damage when pushed to the breaking point.
Finally, he came to a decision. "I'll make you a deal."
Louise narrowed her eyes. "What kind of deal?"
"I'll turn you." he began, loving the way her breath hitched in anticipation, but terrified at the same time. "When you can look me in the eye and ask me without fear. Then I'll believe it's what you really want."
"Deal." She agreed almost instantly, shaking him to the core because in that moment there wasn't the slightest hint of apprehension in her eyes.
"There's plenty of time." he said, attempting to mask his anxiety over what he'd just promised. The six months had already felt like a gift - one he was certain he hadn't done anything to deserve. The prospect of forever with her was now a tangible promise where it had once been a vague idea and he wasn't sure he could handle that. "You could change your mind or I could-"
"Damon." she warned, taking his face in her hands and turning the tables by silencing him with a kiss. "I love you."
He grinned. I will never get tired of hearing that, he thought, his lips brushing against hers as he murmured back. "I love you too."
"Louise!" She barely heard her name through the haze of desire, but Damon's sharper senses picked up on it and he pulled away. "Ready to get going?"
Louise swallowed and tried to catch her breath. "I'll be right there, Ric." she called, listening to Alaric's footsteps echo off the hardwood floor and fade as he made his way back to the living room.
"Don't go." Damon muttered and Louise looked up at him through her eyelashes. "Stay."
"I can't." She whispered, though she wanted to. "I promised him I would go home tonight. Plus I need to be with Elena right now. So, I'll see you later." Louise said, leaning in to kiss him again, but he caught her face and held her at bay.
"Louise..." he sighed, closing his eyes and burying his fingers into her hair. "If you kiss me again, you'll never get out of here."
Nodding, she took a step away. "I'll call you later."
The couple shared one more long stare before Louise existed the bathroom
With that Louise left him standing in the bathroom with one last lingering glace before she turned the corner and disappeared from his sight. She walked along the corridor before heading down the stairs to see Alaric and Elena waiting for her.
"It's okay if you want to be friends with Damon again." Louise said to Alaric once she reached their side.
"I don't." Alaric replied flatly.
"I think he kind of misses you." Louise told him.
Before Alaric could respond, Stefan walked out of the living room. "Well you got me tonight. Definitely wasn't expecting that."
"That was the point." Alaric said in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Yeah. You know, you can hate it all you want, but Elena needs me. I'll always protect her. I think you're both better off having me around." Stefan informed them as Elena ushered Louise and Alaric toward the door before following behind them. "Elena, wait." Stefan called and the doppelganger, paused and turned slightly. "You could have let me die in that fire tonight. Why didn't you?
"Because I still have hope." Elena replied simply.
"After everything I've done, you...You still think I'll be able to find my humanity again."
"Yes, I do." Elena nodded. "I know who you really are better than anyone, Stefan. And I'm not giving up."
Stefan chuckled a little at her naivety. "Elena, do you have any idea how pathetic that makes you?"
"No, Stefan, it makes me strong." With that she punched his stomach, driving two stakes into it with the sleeve weapon. Elena watched as Stefan grunted, grabbing onto a nearby counter for support, triumph plastered on her face. She ripped the sleeve off her arm and tossed it to Alaric.
Alaric looked at the vampire with a smile on his face.
"Can't say you didn't deserve that." Louise told him snidely.
Katherine lit a candle as Vivienne perched on the side of Mikael's tomb. The vampire hunter's eyes opened and he watched the pair carefully. "I apologize for my outburst. It would have made more sense had you known that I've been denying myself human blood for as long as I can remember. Why is it that you awoke me?"
"We thought you might know how to kill Klaus." Vivienne said, inspecting her chipped nails. "But something tells me that we've been sorely misinformed."
"Would you mind helping me with these?" Mikael asked wriggling in chains that kept him tied down. "I can assure you there's no way I can kill Klaus from beneath them."
"Does that you mean you do know how to kill him?" Katherine asked, a hint of hope in her voice as she moved closer to the tomb.
"I can kill Klaus." Mikael confirmed. "And I will." Vivienne leaned down and broke the chains with ease. He nodded in appreciation, rubbing his wrists. "Thank you."
Vivienne nodded. "A little blood will grease those muscles up real quick. Just saying..."
"I don't feed on living things."
With furrowed brows, Katherine asked. "Then what do you eat?"
Mikael smiled before he reached out and grabbed Vivienne by the neck, pulling her into the tomb and ripping into her neck with his fangs, drinking essence. Katherine screamed and ran to intervene but the older vampire, grabbed her, tossing her sister aside and fed on her instead.
Sitting on her window seat, wide awake, Elena contemplated the day she'd had as she stared out the window. She'd lied about how drunk she was - she hadn't been faking most of it, she'd been faking some of it - apparently a deceptively small some now that the adrenaline of the night had worn off. Feeling simultaneously wired and exhausted, she heaved a sigh of frustration as she lamented the face that she'd long since passed the point of falling into a beer induced slumber.
Pulling her knees up to her chest, she rested her head on them as she continued to stare out the window. The moon was out, high and bright, casting branch-shaped shadows across her bedroom floor as it shone through the trees. She needed to sleep. She hadn't been getting enough in the past few months and she couldn't afford to spend the day in bed like she'd done over the summer. She'd be damned if she let Stefan ruin her senior year of high school like he'd done the past three months of her life.
The thought of her estranged boyfriend made her stomach flip with a combination of longing, regret and euphoria. She'd staked him, driven a piece of wood straight into his gut with all of the strength she could muster. Admittedly, a small part of her felt awful about it. No matter what horrible things Stefan said or did, when Elena looked at him, she still saw the boy who'd helped her find a reason to live after losing her parents - the boy she'd fallen in love with and missed so much it caused her physical pain.
At the moment, however, the overwhelming exhilaration of standing up for and defending herself overshadowed everything else, making her smile despite the guilt.
"Hey," Elena called out, turning her head at the sound of her bedroom door opening to see her sister peering in.
"Hey yourself." Louise replied, as she moved across the room and took a seat opposite Elena. "What the hell are you doing up?"
"What do you mean 'what am I doing up?' You're in my room." Elena said, shaking her head. "Didn't you expect me to be up?"
"I thought you'd be knocked out." Louise said before heaving a sigh. "I mean you had a busy day, what with all of the trap setting for Stefan, the fall of bleachers, the almost getting barbecued...the staking of vampires." Elena felt her cheeks flush as she caught the unmistakeable pride in her sisters words. "Even though, I find staking Stefan incredibly cathartic, I'm concerned about how you're feeling about it."
A smile tugged at her lips. "I'm fine, Louise." Elena assured her, the smile on her lips turning into a grin. "It was actually was cathartic and I'm proud of myself."
"As you should be. Nice work by the way." Louise chuckled. "Stefan's probably still pulling splinters out of the hole in his gut."
The conversation fell into a comfortable lull as the two girls stared out the window, five minutes passed before Elena realised something wasn't right.
"What's wrong, Louise?" she asked.
"Hmmm?" she replied, raising her brows and looking at her sister in surprise for a moment before her expression shifted into one of feigned innocence. "Nothing. Nothing's wrong. What makes you think something's wrong?"
"Something's on your mind."
Biting her lip, Louise played with her vervain necklace for a moment. "Well now that you mention it, there's something I wanted to ask you." she admitted as her gaze darted between Elena's face and her hands. Taking a breath, she continued in a rush. "How would you feel if I were to turn? Into a vampire. Hypothetically speaking because it's an idea and nothing's been decided."
"You want to be a vampire?" Elena yelped as she stared at her twin in disbelief. "Louise! What the hell, are you insane?"
"Elena-no. I'm not insane." she replied evenly, apparently willing to meet Elena's eye now that she'd asked her crazy question. She continued, "Calm down, I told you it was just hypothetical."
"Hypothetical, my ass." Elena resorted. "Did Damon put you up to this? Did he ask you to-"
"Elena, stop," Louise said, putting her hands on her shoulders. "Damon didn't do anything. He didn't ask me to turn. This is my idea and my question and I want an answer. How would you feel?"
Staring at her sister, Elena could do more than gape helplessly as she struggled to pin down a coherent response.
"Louise-"
"You know, what?" Louise cut in, waving her hand dismissively as she let go of Elena's shoulders. "Just forget I asked. It was a stupid question."
Scooting off of the window seat, she started to head back toward her room. Sighing, Elena followed her, not wanted to fight. "Louise, wait," she said, taking her arm and forcing her to stop in the doorway. Tucking her hair behind her ear, Louise worked her gaze up to meet her sister's.
Studying her twin's face, Elena saw the hope behind her tentative gaze. She couldn't speak for Damon, but she'd known Caroline before and after her transition. She'd go to her grave before she admitted it to the blonde, but she much preferred her as a vampire. She may have technically turned into a monster, but in the ways that mattered, Caroline had become more human. If turning amplified a human's strongest qualities, Louise would end up the most compassionate, protective and forgiving vampire that had ever existed.
"You're my sister and I love you." Elena began, hoping it was enough of an answer for her. At the end of the day, she was her family, and that was all that mattered. It was the only thing that mattered. "And that won't change. Ever. Hypothetical or not."
A brilliant smile blossomed across Louise's face as she wrapped her arms around Elena's shoulders and pulled her in for a tight hug. "Thanks, Elena."