*Strong language*
Enjoy! 💜
(Damon, third POV)
"Come on. There's gotta be another way." Damon said frustrated, locking his glare onto Bree who was behind the bar serving drinks.
"After all these years, it's still only Katherine. How do you know even know she's alive?" Bree's gaze flickered behind Damon. Whilst he was draining another Bourbon, she mimed cloaking a spell.
Before the Salvatore vampire step foot inside the bar with his dark-haired friend, she sensed a magical aura surrounding the Protectress, definitely no witch. No, but one has placed a binding spell upon her. It reeks of ancient opaque magic. Its chains wrapped tight, enclosing the girl with a blazing shield. Her core tingled to delve inside the girl's psyche and seek what was so special about her. Whatever it was, she was going to find out.
"What about your little friend? Not enough of a distraction for you?" She jabbed, her incentive probing causing Damon to snap his head up, glare turning into slits.
"Don't drag her into this. Darcy is not to get involved."
"With you around, she'll get burned."
He waved his hand, brushing away the matter. "Then, I'll deal with it... Now, you help me into that tomb, and we'll find out." He finished, bringing back the critical topic.
"I already did. Twenty years ago, remember? Three easy steps. Comet. Crystal. Spell."
"There's a little problem with number two. I don't have the crystal." His jaw ticked.
"That's it, Damon. There is no other way. It's Emily's spell."
"What about a new spell, with a new crystal that overrides Emily's spell?" He suggests, arms flying around.
"It doesn't work that way, baby. Emily's spell is absolute. You can't get into that tomb." Bree paused, turning away to deal with a customer further down the bar.
While Damon's frustration grew, slamming his clenched fists down on the bar, the witch scrutinised him with cautious eyes before subtly looking over Darcy and Elena in the car park. She disregarded the whispered warnings and imitated unknown verses, akin to Latin. The whispers grew louder as she attempted to poke into Darcy's mind, pushing them away. She continued to dig deeper only to gasp in pain, clutching her head as she hit a concrete wall, barricaded tight with iron shackles. Growing more determined, she ploughed on attempting to pry, melt away the heavy chains, wincing as the sensation of flames licked her arms. Whispers raised to chants; warning consequences will pay the price for meddling.
Damon's head turned to the side, picking up Elena's panicked voice, and then he smelled it. Blood. Not any blood. Darcy's. An intoxicating fragrance: Clean and pure with a sprinkle of sweet candy. Should be appetising, right? Imagine his and Stefan's surprise when they have no desire to sink their fangs into her flesh. Instead, they would rather luxuriate in the comforting aroma and flush out the reek unpleasantry of other humans roaming the world.
Damon dashed outside as Bree halted her misgivings feeling stumped when she touched those chains every time her veins felt like they were cooking on the inside.
He halted in surprise, seeing Darcy grip onto her head, screaming in pain, blood flowed from her nose, smearing around her chin. "What the hell happened?" He demanded while rushing over to Darcy's side and stabilising her with his arm wrapped around her waist. He glowered at Elena as if she were responsible.
Elena released her hold on her sister, backing away raising her trembling hands at the glare on his face. "I don't know. It happened out of nowhere."
"Come on, let's get you inside, yeah?" Damon murmured, brushing past Elena. "Bad idea, telling you it's safe outside, huh?"
Darcy snorts, resulting in coughing as blood tickled her throat. "Karma, Salvatore. Karma." She said as Damon ushered her to the restroom.
Once inside, he led over to the sink ripped out a few paper towels out of the dispenser on the white tiled wall and handed them over to her, figuring she'll kick his ass if he started cleaning her face: Darcy eludes independence. "What happened?"
Switching the taps on, Darcy scrubs off the congregated blood off of her face. "Fuck knows. All I know my head felt like it was being split apart. Killed like a bitch."
Damon hummed leaning on the tiled wall, observing as she cleans herself. "Odd, no?"
Turning off the taps, Darcy dried her face with the blue paper towels. "No, I get them often."
The Protectress did not want to tell him about her dreams when she doesn't know much herself. Would Damon think she's strange having dreams about an old fashioned family? Darcy has no clue about them; only they are mysterious, magnificent outdated folks. Ever since the first dream, visions of herself appeared with this particular clan, flashes of them together. Some contain joy and laughter, others Darcy would wake up with tears streaming down her face witnessing the father abusing one of the children. Then they would flip to her running off giggling, holding hands with a brunette boy a year or two younger than herself and an older blonde young man. However, they would always end in blood, teeth and claws: Darcy and the young boy lying on the ground with the older boy crying over their lifeless forms.
"And what? You drip blood like a tap?" Damon asked sarcastically.
"Yep, except I'd be asleep." Darcy shrugs carelessly.
When you've experienced what she has practically all of her existence, it becomes the norm. Yes, she knows she should be taking it more seriously. None of it was normal. But what can she do?
"This one was worse. It felt like something was trying to invade my head." She left out the part that felt like another force was ramming, bubbling and searing against the influence.
Damon straightened his posture upon hearing the last words 'Invade my head.' What the hell?
"What, do you know something?" Darcy questioned, noticing his erect stance.
"And it stopped when I got to you?" He probed. Darcy was screaming when he came out of the bar and then abruptly cut off as he got closer. Damon rubbed his chin, then walked over and sniffed her.
"Are you a dog now?" She asked, looking at him as if he's gone mad.
"You're not wearing vervain, and I can't smell if you've ingested any."
Darcy stepped away in realisation, slapping her face out of frustration. "Shit, I forgot. I rushed after Elena. I've not stocked up in days."
Damon tsked, shaking his head. "I thought you were smarter than this? Especially now, more vampires are roaming around."
"Hey, don't be a dick, okay? I just forgot!" Darcy said, pushing past him and exiting the restroom.
"Well, maybe you-," The oldest Salvatore halted outside the bathroom door and inhaled. His nose wrinkled in disgust as the unpleasant smell of rotting flesh attacked his senses. Trying to shake it off, he made his way over to the bar following behind a hasty retreating Darcy. That attempt was futile as the aroma got strong the more he closer.
"Woah! Are you okay?" Darcy asked Bree in concern noticing her weak appearance. She side-eyed Damon as he slipped on the stool beside her, silently asking him what the fuck happened since they were gone. The vampire shrugged his broad shoulders and narrowed his icy eyes, looking over his old lover. To put it not so nice she looked and smelt like shit.
The witches head jerked up, hearing the huntress's feminine voice. Darcy held back the sudden need to gasp as the woman settled her skittish dull gaze on hers. The once beautiful melanin pigment paled drastically to pale and chalky, limp hair stuck to her sweaty sunken cheeks.
Bree raised a shaking hand brushing away the coarse strands from her face. "I'm fine, darling." She said, averting Damon's suspicious analysing when he hummed resting his chin on his hand, never once removing his unnerving stare.
Darcy chewed on her lip and nodded in acceptance. She wasn't going to pry or beg to differ. Shifting a stray strand of inky hair behind her ear, she chuckled lowly at Elena's squirming form sitting on the other side of her. "You look so out of place."
"Huh?" Elena asked, prying her stare away from Bree. "Oh. It's not every day we come to a place like this." She glanced at the drunk and rowdy pubgoers. "Or ever." She mumbled, nibbling on a chip from the plate of food in front of her.
'Rude. I never got offered food.' Darcy thought bitterly, eyeing the burger and chips.
A short while later, Elena finally loosened up for once, even shocking her sister and partaking in shots. She gathered the courage, questioning Damon about Katherine. "Let's say that I'm descended from Katherine. Does that make me part vampire?" She asked.
"Vampires can't procreate. But we love to try." Damon smirked at Darcy's unimpressed face, then pouted when he didn't receive any acknowledgement. "No. If you were related, it would mean Katherine had a child before she was turned."
"Did Stefan think that he could use me to replace her?"
"Kinda creepy if you ask me." He jested, finally getting the dark-haired girl's attention when she elbowed him in the gut. "Ow!"
"Stop being a dick."
"And she's back!" He exclaimed happily, which she grumbled 'shut up.' in return. Turning away, he looked down at the leftover food. "Come on, what? You don't like pickles? What's wrong with you?" He said as he took the pickles off Elena's plate.
"How can you even eat? If you're technically supposed to be..."
"Dead." He whispered jokingly. "It's not such a bad word. As long as I keep a healthy diet of blood in my system, our body functions pretty normally."
"So what? You're not like the vampires from Twilight? You know, puke up whatever you eat and drink?" Darcy questioned out of interest.
"Twilight, really?" Damon looked at her as if she attacked him.
"Come on! You can't tell me you've never read the books." She chuckled.
"Why would I want to read about vampires that light up like disco balls?"
"Aww, are you salty they sparkle, and you don't?" She pouted, which soon veered into a burst of hilarity as Damon pointedly ignored her existence.
Elena once again brought attention to herself. "This nice act. Is any of it real?" She asked, earning a smack on her hand from Darcy.
She rubbed the sting away as Bree came over, setting a beer in front of Damon. "Here you go, honey." Each laced word accompanied a rattling breath that never went undeterred by the vampire, once again looking at her questionably. His stare turned into a glare seeing the witch eye the Protectress with a look of hostility.
"Thank you." He said, bringing the attention to him.
"I'll have one too." Elena requested, making Darcy look at her with approval.
"What happened to we're not old enough?"
"You said, time out, remember? For 5 minutes? Yeah, that 5 minutes is gonna need a beer." She said as two more bottles are handed to them.
"Hell yeah! Baby Sis finally growing some balls." Darcy said, giving her a high five.
"Baby? I'm a few months younger." Elena looked at her, offended.
"Which makes you baby sis." She said as she took a deep pull of her beer.
💜🖤💜
A few hours passed the trio started doing another round of shots.
"Ready...Go!" Bree said as they all threw back their shots. Darcy was the first to finish, followed by Elena, lastly Damon.
"Ha!" Darcy sniggered at Damon's disbelieving expression. "What? Can't your vampire reflexes keep up with two human girls?"
"Sorry, I can't unhinge my jaw like a snake to consume alcohol," Damon replied.
"Funny, huh? You have no problem guzzling human blood."
"Whatever. All right. Who's next? Another round, Bree." Elena said, drumming her hands on the bar.
"Honey's, you should be on the floor." A lady commented, who was standing next to them.
"I'm not even drunk. My tolerance is like, way up here." She said as she raised her hands and jumped, showing how high that tolerance can go. To Elena, she felt sober; others could see her stumbling on legs like a baby dear gaining its first steps.
"Elena, darling, you're fucked!" Darcy laughed like a hyena, earning a shove to which she nearly fell on her arse if Damon wasn't behind to prevent the low blow.
"All right. Here you go." Bree said as she filled another round, sliding Darcy's over sharper than necessary, causing the golden liquid to splash up on her shirt.
"Bitch, you might wanna check yourself before my fist meets your face." Darcy straightened up, preparing to jump over the bar and demand what was the woman's problem. Hours ago they were all laughs and talks now she's being treated like shit on the bottom of her shoe. Don't think she missed the uplift sneers and heated glares because she never. The moment she stepped foot out the restroom, Bree's attitude turned sour. For what? She doesn't know.
Damon rested his large palms on Darcy's shoulders, steering her away from the bar away from the now vengeance witch. He murmured soothing words, as Elena followed like a lost lamb. They paused by the pool table. "Calm down, yeah?"
"Calm down? Like hell, I am. Bitch looking at me like I'm the cause of her problems." Darcy huffed crossing her arms, locking her cold gaze on Bree, who returned the look.
'Ahh.' Damon hummed everything clicking into place. He went to open his mouth, but Elena's phone ringing halted his actions.
Elena showed her sister Jenna's name flashing on the screen. Darcy groaned plucking the phone, and the two exited the bar.
"Hello?" She said as they pushed through the door.
"Elena?" Jenna questioned.
"Nope, the better and hotter sister." Darcy teased, she grinned, hearing her aunt laughing but didn't deny or correct her taunting.
"Where are you and Elena? Everything okay?" She asked after recovering from her laughter.
"Yeah, we're good." Darcy looked at her sister and frowned, not seeing her. "Hold on, Jenna." She said, spinning around only to meet with a male dragging her sister away. She didn't care as she tossed the phone on the ground and ran after the two. "Hey, asshole! That's my sister! Give her back, and you won't get your ass handed to you."
The man ignored her flashing over to a metal staircase. 'Oh, fuck sake! Not another bloodsucker!' He ordered Elena to stay there and sped back over to Darcy, with his vampiric features on display."
"Darcy!" Elena yelled in fear.
"Nice boy. Why don't you put your fangs away and we talk like real adults, yeah?" Darcy said, taking cautious steps backwards.
"Why don't you shut your mouth."
"That's not very nice, is it now?" She sang.
"Or I kill you, your sister and your boyfriend." He hissed, black veins wriggling under the surface.
"Boyfriend? I think you've got the wrong gal. I mean, have you seen this?" she said motioning to herself. "My hotness is too much to handle."
'Oops. I guess he didn't like that.' Darcy thought as he picked her up and tossed her away. She landed on the rough gravel with a grunt. He stomped over to her in a rage. "Hey, dude. You might want to untwist your pants. Seriously, it can't be good having them wedged so tight up your ass."
Mr cranky pants went to pick her up again but paused when the door to the bar opened, and Damon strolled out. He sped over, seeing the vampire standing over Darcy.
"Damon, Darcy. No!" Elena yelled in a panic as Damon got attacked, while Darcy pushed herself between the two trying to be the pacifier yet again getting thrown aside.
"What the hell?" Damon said as Elena ran over and helped her sister up.
"Oh hell, no," Darcy said after pushing her sister behind her. She dived jumping on the vampires back, ceasing his brutal beatings on Damon, arm locked around him in a chokehold. "You messed with me once. You don't twice." She gritted maliciously, squeezing his throat with each venomous word.
"Darcy! Stop it!" Elena cried out, covering her mouth in despair for her sister's life as the vampire attempted to hurl her off him.
"The fuck I will. This fucker gonna die." She said, wrapping her legs around his waist as he swung them around, scratching and clawing at her tight grip. When that never worked, he resumed kicking Damon, jostling the Protectress.
"Who are you?" Damon asked.
"That''s perfect. You have no idea." He gasped out, followed by a wheeze as Darcy punched him in the throat. Finally having enough he used all his strength dislodging her hold and threw her on top of Damon.
"Bitch!" She gasps out, feeling the breath betting knocked out of her. Rage ignited her veins; she attempted to push herself out of Damon's protective hold.
"Stop it! You're gonna get us killed." He hissed, halting her movements, straddling his midsection.
"What do you mean? What did he do?" Elena questioned fearfully.
"He killed my girlfriend." He started down at Damon, "What did she do to you, huh? What did she do to you! Nothing!" He yelled.
Darcy looked at Elena, confused. 'Girlfriend?'
"Who?" Darcy called out, causing him to shoot her a hateful sneer.
"My girlfriend went to visit Stefan, and Damon killed her. Got it?" He said as he lifted the can of gasoline, pouring it on Darcy and Damon.
"Wait! Lexi was your girlfriend?" Darcy whispered, feeling the gas splash upon her body. Her heart clenched, hearing the blondes name. She strangely wasn't scared about dying. If it meant protecting the people, she loved the most, then losing her life was worth it. She turned around, her back draping over Damon's form.
"She told me about you. She said you were human." Elena said as tears trailed down her cheeks, witnessing her sister's brave act. Darcy was truly special. She rarely loved, but when she did, she loved with her heart and soul.
"I was."
"Lexi turned you?"
"If you want to be with someone forever, you have to live forever." He said as he lit a match.
Darcy doesn't know what emotion she was feeling but seeing the orange flame had her jumping out of Damon's grasp and standing between him and the heartbroken vampire. "Wait! Please, stop! Kill me, not him. I'm the reason he's still alive. I talked Stefan out of killing him. You don't want to do this."
"Why would you save him and surrender yourself?" He asked, perplexed at the girl's bravery.
"Because he could have been dead, paid the price for Lexi's death. Yet, I went against my instincts and let him live. He's walking the earth because of me. If anything, I am the one you want. So kill me!"
"Darcy!" Damon shouted, his dead heart pounding for her life. 'What the hell is she thinking?'
"No, Darcy!" Elena whimpered. "Why would you hand your life over for someone like him!"
"Because Elena! I feel guilty. I knew he had a hidden agenda, yet I did nothing to prevent Lexi's death from happening." She said, looking at her sisters crying face. Turning back to the vampire, she stared deep into his eyes. "I'm just as at fault as he is. Let him suffer an eternity of misery. It's what he deserves. But for me? I deserve this punishment for letting an innocent person die."
He ignored her, pushing her aside as he stood, match lit hovering over Damon. " Please don't!"
"I'm doing you a favour."
"No, you're not. He's not worth it. If you kill him, the pain and anguish will still be there. You will have proved nothing...This isn't what Lexi would want. She was a good person, that means you're too. Don't be him. Be the person whom Lexi loved."
He stared into Darcy's shining blue eyes and shook his head at her nobility. So full of light and a gold heart, yet surrounded within the darkness. She would rather die and save the person who killed his girlfriend. He sighed and dropped the match. Darcy's signed in relief as the amber light went out.
"Deep down, you didn't want this. You just want your love back. This...wouldn't bring her back. I'm sorry it had to be this way."
He nodded, agreeing because she is right. This isn't who he is. And his Lexi would never want this suffering on his hands. Spinning on his feet, he walked off into the night, leaving the three at the spot he once resided.
Elena ran, throwing her arms around her sister, and sighed in relief, feeling the safety of Darcy's arms rubbing her back. She honestly thought she would lose her sister. She couldn't bear it if that were to happen. Without Darcy, there would be a gaping hole in her families lives. She's what keeps them going. And maybe it's time to show their appreciation.
Damon picked himself up off the ground, his face a picture of astonishment. "Thank you." He said sincerely.
Releasing her hold on Elena, she spun around wrenching her arm back and punched him in the face.
"What the hell?" He staggered back holding his bloody nose in shock.
"Don't thank me. You dick!" She yelled, her facial features rapidly changing from relief to pissed.
"What? What is it?" Elena said, confused with the fast-paced emotional shifts.
"I didn't do this for you. I did this for Stefan! Your actions shouldn't require him losing his brother. No matter how much of a dick you can be."
"Wait! Slow down. What are you on about?" Elena questioned.
Darcy wasn't finished releasing her aggression and grabbed him by the ear, twisting, resulting in him squealing like a pig.
"Ahhh, fuck! That hurts...Ow! Let go! Darcy!"
"Tough shit. Deal with it!"
Damon's expression changed to 'oh shit.' "Has anyone told you how hot you look when you're pissed?"
She twisted again. "Try again, asshole. Next, I'll be twisting something else."
He yelped, gripping onto her wrist, "Ow! Ahh. Okay, okay. Shit just let go." Darcy let go ignoring her sister's burning gaze, keeping her furious sneer on the vampire.
"You're one lucky son of a bitch. Maybe you will use this today to remind your actions, how much pain they can cause others. I could have lost a friend. And regardless of your history. Stefan could have lost his brother. For good. "
"And you know what this all over? A woman...who turned you both against each other. Yet, it's the same bitch you want to bring back into this world...Stefan told me how you used to be best of friends. Do you want to know what I think? It's family before anything else. I'd literally die for my brother and sister, we may have fights, but at the end of the day regardless if we don't share the same blood. It's them before me. Not because it's what I've been trained to do. But because I love them. I hope you can use this day as a reminder of what you still have at home; you will have him in your life for eternity. An eternity that could be happy instead of misery, blood and carnage, and that's what will happen if you let Katherine out of that tomb."
Stepping away, she walked back over to Elena, throwing her arm around her shoulder, they walked over to Damon's car. "I think you should take us home. I think that's enough drama for one day."
Damon stood their speechless her words flying around his mind, along with the different rising emotions. All unfamiliar to him. Grateful: For coming across an amazing woman like Darcy. Admiration: For risking her life to save his ass- which no one else has done except Stefan. Amazement: Her love for her family. Sadness: Deep down, he wants his brother back. Sceptical: The reason he came back to Mystic Falls was to get Katherine back and cause hell for Stefan. That all went down the drain when Darcy walked into his life unexpected and swiftly put a big full stop in his plans. How can one little human change everything?
The rage pervaded his senses, remembering Bree and putting the pieces together. The bitch did something to Darcy and phoned someone to get them killed. Turning around, he stalked into the bar, looking around he couldn't see her, but he could smell the scent of death had increased.
He followed the smell behind the bar, where he found her lying on the ground. Black shrivelled veins travelled up her arms, face and neck. Open eyes stared up lifeless at the ceiling, mouth ajar with an expression of fear and pain. Damon chuckled with mirth. "Karma got you good, huh?" He tutted down at her fast decaying corpse. "Someone didn't like you messing around with the Protectress. Hmm. Too bad."
"Makes it easier to do this, I guess. Can't have you coming back in any way, can we?" He plunged his hand into her chest and ripped out her heart. He placed it upon of her chest, then walked back out of the bar. With one thought on his mind
'Who are you, Darcy? Who's protecting you to such lengths?'
~
Hey, guys! I won't be updating for the next week or so. I want to move forward, so we're closer to season two. That's when the storyline starts to come alive. As always, let me know your thoughts! 🖤