Ravaged Ashes- A Vampire Diaries/The Originals Fanfic

Chapter Sixteen

Levi
Irisa looks around nervously as she knocks on the Gilbert's front door, and when Jeremy answers, Irisa freezes, almost as if she can't handle being around a single human after what she did to that stranger in the woods. I wrap my arm around her, and she relaxes slightly, but Jeremy's eyes narrow when he sees me touch her so freely.
Irisa clears her throat, trying to regain Jeremy's attention. "Hi, Jeremy." She crosses her arms over her chest, and I notice how she breathes through her mouth instead of her nose.
"Hey, Irisa. I was worried about you. Your father said you hadn't gone home at all, said you were with someone named Levi. Guessing this is Levi." Jeremy says, looking over at me, and I nod.
"Hey there, I'm Leviticus de Grèves." I hold out my hand to shake his, and he glances between Irisa and me for a moment before shaking my hand.
"Jeremy Gilbert." Jeremy says, and looks between Irisa and me. "How do you two know each other?"
"We're old friends, Jer." Irisa says. "We go way back." He doesn't seem to like the sound of that, but Irisa doesn't give him much time to think it through before saying, "I'm here to see Bonnie, if that's alright with you and Elena."
"You and Elena aren't on speaking terms are you?" Jeremy asks.
"Doesn't really matter." Irisa shrugs.
"She hurt you-" Jeremy says, and Irisa interrupts him.
"Jeremy-" She pulls away from me, looking him in the eyes, and she steps close to him. "Do I look hurt to you?" She smiles at him, and that's when I see the effect she has on him. Of course, it was ever just Damon and myself, or Matt that was effected by Irisa. Jeremy was effected by everything Irisa as well, probably since they were very young children, and it had never been the drugs and alcohol that made the two of them go crazy that night after the dance. It had been Irisa's nearness, her beauty, the fact that she's reincarnated, and something otherworldly: a pure blood werewolf, and a pure soul on top of that.
Jeremy's brown eyes light up, and he shakes his head. "No, no you don't."
"I'm fine. You need to stop worrying about me, Jer. I can take care of myself. I always have been able to take care of myself. It's best if we give each other some space for a bit."
"Space? Why?" Jeremy seems upset. "We had plenty of that, all of summer!" He exclaims, and Irisa nods.
"I know, Jer. Look, I need to handle some stuff right now, and I really need some clean air, so can you let me through before I do something I will regret?" She asks him, swallowing hard.
Jeremy nods, and lets us both inside after inviting us in, surprising me with how well she handles him without even compelling him. Irisa walks towards the stairs but stops when a woman with auburn-blonde hair and hazel eyes says hello.
"Hello, Ms. Sommers." Irisa says, and I remember this is Elena and Jeremy's aunt.
"Irisa. And who might this be?" Jenna asks, smiling at me.
"Leviticus de Grèves." I say, holding my hand out for her to shake as well. "I'm a good friend of Irisa's."
"Is that so?" She looks at Irisa, and raises an eyebrow. "And how come I've never heard of this good friend before?"
"Because he wasn't in town permanently before this summer." Irisa says without blinking an eye. "Levi saved my life a few times over the years." Irisa tells her, and Jenna nods. "He's staying in Mystic Falls now, so we're finally getting the chance to hang out. My father said it's fine, Ms. Sommers."
"I'll be checking in with him, Irisa. Leviticus-"
"I just go by Levi, Ma'am." I smile reassuringly, and she chuckles.
"Of course you do, Levi. Why don't you stay down here. I'm sure Irisa is here to check on Bonnie, hmm?"
"Yes, ma'am." Irisa answers, taking my lead. She looks at me, and I nod.
"You'll be fine." I whisper, knowing she can hear me. Irisa goes upstairs, leaving me with Ms. Jenna Sommers.
----
Irisa
I knock on Elena's bedroom door, and when she opens it, she seems startled to see me.
"I-Irisa." Elena stammers.
"Elena. A pleasure to see you. May I come inside?" I smile, and wave at Bonnie through the open door. "Hey, Bonnie."
"Irisa!" She exclaims, her sadness turning to happiness in an instant.
"Sure, why not." Elena shrugs, opening her door the rest of the way and stepping back to let me in. "We sort of need to talk, Irisa."
"You mean about what happened? What you did?" I ask, and Elena's face becomes a shade lighter than it's normal complexion. I smile. "Darling, don't even worry about it." I walk over to Bonnie and hug her carefully, not breathing in too deeply in fear of losing control. Bonnie hugs me back and sighs.
"What do you mean, don't even worry about it? Irisa... I-I killed you Irisa. You're a vampire... because of me." Elena sounds like she feels guilty as hell, and I look back at her.
"I feel more alive than ever." I tell her, grinning. "Tell me, don't I look amazing?" I raise an eyebrow, and Elena's mouth drops open. "Come on, Elena. It wasn't the ring making the guys act the way they were acting. Haven't you figured it out?" I walk over to her, crossing my arms. "Rhiannon never existed. It was always me. Me. My soul was just reincarnated over and over again, many times. Rhiannon was the same as me. I have all of her memories now. My memories. I have Lucia's memories. I remember being with both Levi and Damon when I was Rhiannon, Elena. I remember Katherine, the no good bitch that she was." I look over at Bonnie. "I remember sweet, darling Emily, who enchanted this ring to protect me." I hold up my hand, showing off my ring. "Most of all, I remember dying...twice as Rhiannon, as a human, and as a vampire." I look over at Elena. "Katherine set me up... Set Stefan and his father up. Turns out, there was only room for one Queen Bitch back then, Elena. We're not going to have that problem now, are we?" I ask her, letting my fangs elongate. Elena cries out, and Bonnie lightly touches my arm, calming me. My fangs disappear back into my gums, and I say, "Please, I'm not going to hurt you, Elena. It's a warning. Don't cross me. Don't try to kill me again. I'm not the same helpless little girl that died the other day."
"Clearly." Elena says. "You look like you're ready to fight back."
"That's because I did... This morning. With Damon." I tell her, and Elena's eyes reflect her shock. "You can lie to Stefan and Damon all you want, you can lie to your friends, you can even try to lie to yourself, Elena. But I know that deep down, your feelings for him are there. You love Damon, and you're only kidding yourself with Stefan. Believe me, if you hurt Stefan and Damon, in any way, you'll regret it. I'll make sure of it."
"How can you say that?" Elena raises her voice.
"Because it's no secret that they're my family, Elena. I know them. I may not have realized it before you killed me, but I know now. I know when someone is pretending to be something their not. And you're not being entirely truthful to yourself or to Stefan or to Damon. And I hate liars." My voice is a growl. "That makes you just like Katherine. You're no better than her." I turn to Bonnie. "How are you feeling?"
"Better now that you're here." She hugs me again, and I smile. "You saved my life, Irisa. How did you know when to wake up? You were in some kind of trance as well."
"Yes. I was on the Other Side, but in a chambre de chasse. I'd reached the end of my memories." I admit, and look at Elena to see her nearly in tears. I glance back at Bonnie, and gently stroke her hair. "I could hear what was going on, I could feel Damon's anger, and I heard him yelling at Emily, but I knew she had possessed you. She had led me to the cemetery, and she was using me as an energy source, for some reason you and I are connected. It's something we'll need to figure out why. But, apparently I was a very big energy source for her, being what I am, a reincarnated soul as well as a newly transitioning vampire with witch blood and um...something else that I'm not to speak of yet. When I had reached the end of the memories, I finally broke free of the chambre de chasse, and I heard Damon going for you, and I acted. I went after him to help you."
"Well, knowing that you have a history with Damon bu t chose me over him actually makes me feel incredibly lucky, Irisa. Thank you for chosing me over Damon." Bonnie says, taking my hand and squeezing it. I feel something strange then, a small transfer of power--magic being shared through us. "Um, Irisa what-?"
"Sorry." I shake my head, trying to pull my hand away, but Bonnie just squeezes harder, and I feel my hand growing hot. "What the hell?" I murmur, and Bonnie tilts her head curiously.
"I've spoken to my grandmother. Any witch who dies with vampire blood in their system loses the ability to do magic. Elena accused you of being a witch in front of Caroline and Matt and half of the school, Irisa. But you're not exactly a full witch... At least you weren't. You were some kind of witch, at least. Untapped until you learned of the existence of vampires, probably, but some sort I haven't come across. It'd be best if we talked to Grams about this. You somehow have retained your magic, you're drawing some of mine from me, Irisa. It doesn't hurt, really, but it's sort of draining." She loosens her hand from mine, and I pull mine away. Bonnie smiles at me. "I knew there was a reason we were connected. Irisa, what branch of your family does the Lockwood's and the Drake's intersect?"
"Well, given Lucia was born in the 1600's, she married into the Drake family, and her family eventually married into the Lockwood's, so maybe the 1790's?" I ask, and Bonnie nods.
"And sometime in that time, is it possible that the Bennett's became tangled into that?" Bonnie asks, and Elena lets out a frustrated groan. My lips part, and I glance at Elena before looking back at Bonnie.
"What do you mean?"
"Emily used your energy in destroying the crystal. She wouldn't have had you in the circle unless you had some sort of connection to us, not just as some sort of energy source." Bonnie says.
"You think we're somehow related?" I ask and Bonnie nods.
"Distantly, at least." Bonnie admits. "It would make sense."
"I don't believe you two." Elena huffs.
"Shut up." Bonnie and I say together, and Elena looks between us, shocked.
"Give it a rest, Elena." Bonnie says, shaking her head. "Stefan was right. She's a vampire because of you. But then again, she was able to save me from Damon because of it, but it still doesn't make it right what you did. You don't even feel bad about it. Yet you should." Bonnie shakes her head, grabs her bag, and looks at me. "How did you get here?" She asks me.
"Levi drove me." I admit quietly.
"Ugh, are you like screwing him now?" Elena demands. "Or are you having sex with both Damon and Levi now that you don't have to worry about hurting either of their feelings, since you know that Rhiannon screwed them both?"
I smack her hard across the cheek, this time knocking her to the floor with my new vampire strength added onto my werewolf strength. "Elena, dear. Your jealousy is showing. If I were you, I'd learn to keep your big mouth shut." I crouch down on the floor beside her, pushing her hair out of her face. "What I do with Damon or Levi is none of your business. In fact, you should be very worried, Elena. We both know that because of your attitude and your anger, even Stefan doesn't want you right now. He just might be looking around at someone else." I stand up, brush off my jeans, and watch as Elena stands up.
"You leave Stefan out of this." Elena says.
"Darling, I would if I could. But unfortunately, he's already involved and very interested." I cross my arms over my chest, and Bonnie grabs my wrist, pulling my towards her.
"That's enough, we're going." She pulls me towards the door, and we walk downstairs.
Levi sighs when he sees us, and I hear Elena start crying upstairs. Bonnie lets go of my wrist and I rush into Levi's arms. "What the hell was that?" Levi mutters in my ear. "You shouldn't say stuff like that, Irisa."
"She started it." I mutter back.
"Excuse me?" Jenna's voice breaks through our conversation, and I pull away.
I look over at her. "Sorry, we're just leaving."
"Excuse me, but I don't think so." Jenna says, crossing her arms. "What is going on with you, Irisa? I thought you were into Matt?"
"Matt is with Caroline, and I'm okay with that." I shrug, and she looks over at Levi scrutinizingly.
"How old are you?" She asks, and Levi looks like he's stuck in headlights.
"23." Levi says, and Jenna looks back at me.
"Irisa-"
"Levi and I are friends, Ms. Sommers. Now why don't you go make sure your niece is alright instead of quizzing Levi and me about something that isn't your business?" I ask her, staring her in the eyes. "After all, you have some secrets of your own, and we would both surely hate for darling Elena to hear of them, wouldn't we?" I tilt my head to the side, and Jenna's pupils begin to dilate. She nods, and walks upstairs.
"What did you just do?" Levi demands, grabbing my wrist and spinning me around to face him. "She's on vervain, Irisa."
"What?" I ask, surprised.
"You shouldn't be able to compel her, not while she's on vervain!" His voice raises, and Bonnie's gasp reminds me she's there as well, and I let out a breath, looking around. I collapse into Levi's arms, and he looks over at Bonnie. "We need to see your Grams, now."
"Of course." Bonnie says.
-----
Bonnie Bennett
In the car, Irisa's eyes remain on Levi, and I notice the way he takes her hand, their fingers twinned together.
"Can I ask something that might be sort of stupid and obvious?" I ask a short while later.
"It can't be stupid, Bon." Irisa says, her voice quiet as she looks back at me. Her eyes, which once had been hazel, and now are green, have a depth in them I can't understand. It can only be explained as an overwhelming knowing of stuff from centuries of reincarnation that the rest of us could never have or understand. "You can ask anything. Do not be afraid."
"Elena questioned whether you had sex with Damon and Levi. I doubt you would have had sex with Damon, especially after what he's done. But... You and Levi..."I stop and Levi glances in the rear view mirror. "I guess what I'm asking is if, because of the memories, and because Irisa is who she is, have the two of you went that far?" I ask Levi this instead of Irisa.
"We have but not because of the memories or who she is. It's because we love each other." Levi says, "And it wasn't until last night."
"Why last night?"
"I fed, Bonnie." Irisa shrugs. "I wanted to be with Levi, and not just have memories of it as Rhiannon. I guess you can see why, I'm not exactly all grown up, I just wanted to know the age I died at doesn't affect my ability to make proper decisions, and the decisions of others."
"I understand." I tell her with a sad smile. What would it be like? To die at 15 but to wake up as as a vampire, and know your life was forever changed? To be in love with two men who you loved in a former lifetime? Irisa's eyes stare into my own, and I reach forward, gently applying pressure to her shoulder. "I'm here for you, Irisa. We're in this together."
"Did you mean what you said back in Elena's room?" Levi asks. "That you think the Drake's and the Bennett's were somehow connected?"
I nod. "Otherwise Emily wouldn't have had Irisa in the circle. Irisa has to be family, distantly perhaps, but family nonetheless. Irisa was even drawn to the crystal, while I hated it."
"Irisa is highly psychic for someone with so little witch blood." Levi admits. His thumb strokes Irisa's, and I watch as her eyes close under his obviously gentle touch. "But, it makes sense. If she is related to the Bennett's, then it explains why her magic is so strong. The Bennett's have always been a very powerful bloodline."
"You know a lot about my family?" I ask him, and Levi nods.
"Emily wasn't the first Bennett I knew, Bonnie. Damon might have promised Emily she'd keep her children safe in return for saving Katherine, but I talked to Emily after Damon and Stefan died and were in transition, Bonnie. She didn't... She said nothing about saving Katherine or the others. She only said she was sorry about Rhiannon, and she would stay in contact with me as long as possible once I left. But I stayed, only because I needed to stay until I knew Damon and Stefan would be alright. And for a while they were. Then I seeked out the other Bennett's when I left, hoping there was some way for her to come back." Levi admits quietly.
Irisa looks over at Levi, and I see the look on her face, one that looks as if she almost knew this, but couldn't have. "You- But, I couldn't have."
"No, it wasn't time, Irisa." Levi says, and smiles. "And honestly, she wasn't you. I mean, obviously, she was, but Ris, she wasn't. You've really become the light of my life."
I suddenly feel like I'm on the outside looking in, and I see Irisa's face light up. "Levi." Irisa says, and lays her head on his shoulder. Levi seems to relax the closer they get, and I remain quiet the rest of the ride to my Gram's house.
When we pull up outside, I see her open the door, and the three of us get out of the car.