The Vixen & the Fox II

Chapter 207

Davina was distilling the blood quietly, she was shivering a bit as she worked, but she was impressed as she felt the changes in magic. The Dark Magic of vampirism was pulled apart from the blood, while the latent magic of the doppelgängers' blood was slowly resurfacing. It was rather interesting. Davina had braided back her hair as she worked, and she kept making minor adjustments to the distillery. Kol's notes on Alchemy were interesting, and Davina added her own to make minor tweaks to their spell, she also wrote out her reasonings for if she wasn't awake or around Kol would know why she made the adjustments she did. But they were making progress.

Marcel was walking around with Rebekah, and they were discussing their mortality. Davina hadn't countered that it might not happen this trip, but it was a possibility.

There was a soft sound behind her as she worked and she turned to see the brooding hero behind her as she adjusted a few things. Stefan Salvatore, she had vague memories of him, vague impressions, but he was Caroline and Bonnie's friend and Davina just didn't want to deal with more people. Davina was rapidly learning she was an introvert, and she also didn't like new people.

"Hey," Stefan gave her a bit of a smile as he stood there with an uncertain attitude.

"What can I do for you?" Davina asked tiredly.

"I just... we never got off on the right foot," he started.

"You tried to tell me what to do," Davina muttered and blinked a few times at the statement because that hadn't come from her. She didn't really remember Stefan beyond him being a friend of a friend, but there was something in her screaming he had tried to tell her what to do, tried to keep her from Kol. Was it remnants of Big Her?

"Yeah, not my best moment," he chuckled dryly. "Look I just... I wanted to ask how this would work."

"How do you mean?" Davina asked as she crossed her ankles and leaned back on her work station.

"Just... mortality?" Stefan admitted. "I was twenty-two when I was turned, and I've never... I don't know what to do with mortality."

"You can do whatever you want, don't ask me," she said levelly. "You could marry a lawyer, be a novelist, kidnap unsuspecting women, or become a bank robber, or become a serial killer, it honestly doesn't matter."

"You'd give mortality to a guy who could become a bank robber or a serial killer?" Stefan asked her darkly.

"What you do with your life is your business, it's not mine, and if you should decide to become a bank robber or a serial killer you will bear the consequences, just like you have with your immortality. I am not responsible for your actions, because I have to deal with my own consequences," Davina stated firmly. She had to live with her own crap, and Kol's, but that was a choice she was making with Kol because they were a partnership. She would not be guilted by the brooding Salvatore that giving mortality to a few who desired it was a bad thing, she just wouldn't. Marcel and Rebekah deserved happiness, they deserved life without worrying about if their mortality was going to have contingencies or could be revoked. It was stupid.

"That's very childish, Davina," Stefan stated.

"No." she answered softly. "I have to live with what I do, I have to live with my choices and the consequences of my actions, and I have to bear the sorrow and pain those bring about. But I will not be guilted or tormented about the actions of others because there's free will. I am choosing to give you mortality if this works, what you do with it, is your choice. Your actions, your choices, they're on you."

"You will not take responsibility for what could be horrible," he started.

"No, you don't get to guilt me about this."