"don't ever think i fell for you, or fell over you. i didn't fall in love, i rose in it." - Toni Morrison
She hadn't slept very well, every movement she made tugging on the tender, bruised skin of her arms. So when she'd woken up, finally, it was at the crack of dawn.
Thea turned slowly in bed, her blood-bonded's arms wrapped around her loosely. Her body wasn't quite as tender as it had been yesterday, the bruising having faded throughout the night. Damon's face came into her view, relaxed and peaceful, a very different expression from the one he'd worn yesterday.
She slowly raised her hand, fingers running softly over the line of his jaw, grazing the slight stubble growing there. She followed the contours of his face with her eyes, watching as he breathed in his sleep. Peaceful. Restful.
His hand suddenly grabbed onto hers, drawing it to his lips and pressing a soft kiss onto it, before he opened his eyes.
"Hi," she whispered, a ghost of a smile sliding on her lips.
"Hi back," he mumbled, voice still raspy with sleep. She loved the way he sounded when he'd first woken up, groggy and soft. The slight rasp in his tone never failed to send shivers trailing down her spine, since this was the same tone he had when he spilled into her, passionate and low.
"Whatever you're thinking about, keep doing it," he growled lowly, rolling on top of her, body pressing into hers. His face sunk in the junction between her neck and shoulder, and his lips began pressing soft, open-mouthed kisses onto the skin. The girl moaned under her breath, arms coming up to wrap around his neck, fingers softly running through his hair.
"You, always you," she murmured softly.
He didn't reply, but his hands began roaming over her body, tracing their way up her stomach, before he came to a sudden stop. "What's this?" He asked, tracing over the scar on her side.
She could feel his confusion through the bond, and sighed slowly, closing her eyes in realisation. "It's from the spell it did to bind myself to Katherine," she replied.
His weight left her, and she opened her eyes to find him sitting on his haunches in front of her, before he reached over and pulled her shirt off. Damon glided his fingers softly over the faint scar.
"It's big," he mumbled under his breath, raising his eyes to hers and continuing in a stern voice, "Just how much did you have to bleed for that spell Thea?"
She could feel his anger, sliding across their bond like the dull edge of a serrated blade. Thea swallowed harshly, whispering, "A lot."
"How much, is a lot?"
"Enough to fill a big bowl, I think? I didn't exactly take the time a weight the volume." She replied, beginning to feel her own frustration. Reaching over to him, she grabbed her shirt back, and quickly pulled it over her head, needing some form of covering against his unwavering eyes.
"So not only did you bind yourself to Katherine, knowing you were going to get hurt, but you also had to hurt yourself in order to perform the spell, a spell which, may I add, involved leaving bruises all over your body the next day." He'd begun pacing, running his hands frustratedly through his hair, before stopping and turning back to her, angrily saying, "and all of that, without telling me!"
Thea rolled her eyes, before mumbling, "guess you're still angry then." She sighed, joining him on the floor, and looking directly in his eyes, "I know, and that was wrong of me, I can admit that. But I was too scared that you'd refuse, and then I'd have to directly lie to you to do it anyway, and I didn't want to do that."
"A lie of omission is still a lie, Thea."
"For fuck's sake, maybe if you and Stefan had been more willing to listen to my ideas, ideas which all turned out to be very true, by the way, I wouldn't have felt the need to go to such extreme measures!"
"I already told you that wasn't my intention! You put yourself in danger, Thea, and more than that, you blocked me off. I couldn't feel your pain, couldn't tell that something was wrong until I saw it." He'd stopped screaming, his voice dropping to a pained whisper. The raven-haired girl closed her eyes, feeling the hurt she'd caused him by her actions, before she herself whispered, "I'm sorry Damon. In my effort to keep you from hurting, I'm the one who wound up hurting you."
She stepped closer to him, hesitantly placing her hand on his cheek, scared that he would reject her affection, her apology. But he didn't. Instead, he nuzzled into her palm, lips kissing it softly, before he looked at her and chuckled.
"What?" She asked, her own small smile pulling at her lips.
"Nothing, I just realised that this was our first fight as a couple, and it's about how protective we are of each other. I didn't want to involve because I wanted to keep you safe, and you blocked me off because you wanted the same."
"How about this, then," she began, stepping closer to him, wrapping both of her arms loosely around his neck, as his came down to hold her hips.
"We talk it out. We discuss every decision, and listen to each other's input, and if one of us vetoes something, then we figure something else out." She continued.
His head dropped to hers, foreheads resting against each other's, "Deal," he mumbled, before adding, "And no more blocking the bond off. I don't care if it's physically going to hurt me, I can't bare the thought of not feeling you."
"Deal," she whispered, before his lips descended onto hers, and they sealed their promise with a kiss.
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Apparently, an uninvited guest had made their way to the boarding house while she was asleep last night, and it was someone she did not wish to see again.
Currently, the blood-witch was on Damon's lap, having been pulled into it the minute they noticed her female kidnapper's presence in their living room. He was holding onto her tightly, while glaring at the woman in warning, as though to let her know that if she even attempted to hurt his bonded, he would kill her.
"And here I thought that once you kidnap someone, you just kinda never want to see them again," mumbled the witch into his ear, sighing slightly.
"That's typically the idea, but some people are more stupid than others, I guess." He replied.
"I don't want any trouble, I promise." Said Rose in an understanding tone.
Thea snorted slightly, replying, "Listen, I already told you yesterday, but I think your friend's head rolling to your feet may have erased that, you don't scare me. Like, at all. So you're gonna stay quiet until Elena gets here, then you can tell us what you need to, and go on your merry way."
Rose's eyes narrowed slightly in warning, but before she could retort, the doorbell rang, and Elena's voice called out, "What's happening? Stefan called. He said it was important."
"Living room, El." Responded the witch in a loud voice.
The human made her entrance, stopping at the doorway, and staring at their guest with furious eyes, "You," she muttered.
Chuckling in annoyance, Thea parroted her words, "Her."
Stefan had joined them, taking a seat next to his ex-girlfriend, placing a hand over her thigh in a similar show of protection.
The woman inhaled deeply, before beginning, "Okay, you have to understand I only know what I've picked up over the years and I don't know what's true and what's not true. It's the problem with all this vampire crap but Klaus, I know he's real."
"Who is he?" Asked Elena.
Damon responded to the question in a nonchalant tone, but his arms tightened around his bonded, and Thea could feel the waves of worry emanating from him. "He's one of the originals, he's a legend."
"From the first generation of vampires." Elaborated Stefan.
"Like Elijah?" Wondered the human.
Rose shook her head, "No. Elijah was the Easter bunny compared to Klaus. He's a foot soldier. Klaus is the real deal."
"Klaus is known to be the oldest."
The witch cleared her throat obviously, waiting for everyone's attention to turn to her, "He's not the oldest, he's just the most powerful. I believe age-wise, Elijah may actually be older. Y'all need to read-up on your mythology." Taking breath, she continued her lesson, "The earliest mention of vampires across history was in Scandinavian tales, as the draugr, or revenants. So we can assume that was their place of 'birth'. Furthermore, these tales date back to at least a millennia, so again, we can safely assume that they're around a thousand or so years old. And based on Elijah's strength alone, I'd believe it. Also, most myths mentioning Klaus. Refer to him as the 'Demon King', and state that he's accompanied by his brother, which again, I think we can safely guess is Elijah."
She could see them all staring at her in bewilderment, and she rolled her eyes, "Honestly, it would do all of you some good read up on vampire mythology, and the occult in genera. It's a little embarrassing for a 17 year old witch to know more than you."
"Anyway," she continued, looking at Elena, "What she means, is that one of the oldest, if not the most powerful, beings on the earth is coming after us."
"Exactly," stated the woman, at the same time as Stefan said, "no."
"What they're saying is, I mean if what she's saying is true..." interjected Damon, before being interrupted by Rose's vehement, "which it is."
The blue-eyed man turned to her in exasperation and said, "And you're not saying it so I don't kill you."
"Which I'm not." She nodded.
"Then we're looking at a solid maybe." He finished with a winning grin.
Both girls looked at him unconvinced, as Stefan softly added, "Look, Elijah's dead, right? So no one else even knows that you two exist."
"Not that you know of." Interjected the vampire woman.
Damon snarled at her slightly, "That's not helping."
"Look, I've never even met anyone who's laid eyes on him. I mean, we're talking centuries of truth mixed with fiction. We don't know if he's real. For all we know he could just be some sort of stupid bed time story." Continued Stefan, ignoring the other two bickering adults.
"He's real and he doesn't give up. If he wants something, he gets it. If you're not afraid of Klaus, then you're an idiot." Stated Rose, a certain finality in her voice.
Thea shook her head softly, making eye-contact with her brunette friend. Elena nodded, and the two stood up at once, "Where are you going?" Asked Stefan.
"School. We're late." Replied the human.
He stood up as well, "Let me grab my stuff, I'll go with you."
The brunette shook her head, replying, "It's okay, I know where it is." Before turning on her heels and leaving.
AS she was about to follow, she felt a familiar hand wrap around her arm, before she was pulled into a different room. Looking up, she was met with Damon's concerned gaze.
"You okay, Angel?" He asked quietly.
Thea nodded slowly, before swallowing and answering, "I don't. know. Physically, I'm fine. Mentally, I'm fine. Emotionally, I'm still processing. It's a lot."
His hands came to cradle her face, thumbs stroking softly over her cheekbones as he murmured, "Nothing's gonna happen to you, I'll make sure of it."
"I know," she nodded, before continuing, "But there's something else..." at his concerned expression, she bit her lip and continued, "I'd completely forgotten until I saw her again, but she referred to me as 'the prophesied Chaos-Wielder', said that I would become immeasurably powerful. And Katherine's witch also mentioned me becoming something powerful. It's just too many mentions at once, and it scares me."
"Why?"
"I don't need anymore power, nor do I want it. I don't need another reason for people to want me dead, or something else that differentiates me from the rest..." She lowered her eyes to the floor, before whispering sadly, "I just want to be normal. To be able to go to school, and love you and graduate and eventually have you turn me. To have an eternity of memories, without a fucking guillotine constantly hanging over my head."
"You will baby," he whispered lovingly, raising her eyes up to his, and continuing, "You and I are going to have the best eternity, with as many memories as we want, and as much love as we can give. That much, I promise you. No one is going to hurt you, Thea, or they'll have to get through me first. And nothing could ever make you weird or strange. Your differences are who you are baby, they are a part of you, and that alone makes them perfect."
He wiped the small tear that had made its way out of her eye, and she giggled wetly, before laying a loving kiss on his lips. "I love you," she mumbled.
"I know, I love you too."
Pulling away, she smiled and told him, "Elena and I are ditching school today. We're gonna go talk to Katherine, figure out what she knows. And before you complain, I promise I'll be safe, and I'll keep El from doing something stupid."
Damon chuckled, nodding his head, "Alright. I trust you. Let me know what you find out."
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She was currently heading towards the tomb, with Elena and Caroline following behind her. The brunette was explaining to the blonde their current plan, attempting to get a reluctant Care to go along with it.
"Tell everyone I wasn't feeling well and Thea took me home from school." Stated the human.
Caroline sighed, "I can't believe I'm agreeing to this. I'm a terrible liar."
"And keep Stefan busy. I don't want him to know what I'm up to."
"I'm even worse at duplicity and you know this."
The blood-witch interjected with a small laugh, "you succeeded in keeping El busy with Kat paid Stefan a visit,"
Caroline looked at her with a small smile, "Yeah, because she threatened me. Not that I'm saying that you should use that as a tactic, it's...Stefan's gonna see right through me."
Thea shook her head softly, before saying, "Caroline, as my best friend/ sister, do you promise or not?"
"You had to break out the girlfriend code. Okay. I promise."
Looking at the human, the witch asked, "Anyway, why don't you want Stef to know?"
"Because he would never be okay with me doing this." Stated Elena, as the three of them headed into the darkened tomb.
Caroline stopped them at the entrance and asked, "Are you two sure you want to do this?"
Elena nodded, while Thea elaborated, "Yeah. She's the only one who has personal experience and information about Klaus, more information than my books do. She's the only one who may have an inkling on how to stop him."
"But you're asking for the truth from someone who's probably never giving it. Are you sure about this?"
"She won't lie to me. She knows I'll spot duplicity immediately, so she won't risk it. Besides, she's made it clear before that while she may not care about El's well-being, she doesn't want me harmed." Laying a reassuring hand on her sister's shoulder, she continued, "Besides, we can't just sit back and wait. Bear. Please."
The blonde nodded, and slowly opened the door. The two girls headed inside, before Elena turned back to their friend and reassured, "We'll be okay from here."
Meanwhile, Thea headed into the darkened chamber, stopping just before the magical boundary. She could see it, threading across the floor, in small iridescent fibres. Looking through it, she called out, "Kat?"
A rustling noise is heard, before Katherine sped towards them, stopping just at the boundary. "Hello, Elena," turning to look at the raven-haired girl, a soft smile made its way on her face, "Little witch, come to watch me wither away?" Steering her gaze beyond Thea's shoulder, she added a mocking, "Goodbye Caroline."
"As long as we stay on this side of the door, she can't hurt us. Please." Whispered the brunette to their blonde friend urgently. Thea didn't turn back to them, but knew care had left by the slight breeze she felt blowing against her back. She kept her gaze on Katherine, who was looking rather pitiful. Throwing a backpack at her feet, she said, "i brought your a change of clothes, from my wardrobe. I'm a little taller than you, but I'm sure you'll make it work. No need to spend the rest of time dirty and in a torn dress."
The vampire gave her a grateful look, before she whispered, "blagodarya slanchitse,". The young with responded in kind, with, "pak zapovyaday," watching as the brown-haired woman disappeared into the darkness, only to reappear minutes later, looking much cleaner than before.
She looked at her doppelgänger, before asking smugly, "Stefan know you're here?"
Elena ignored her words, only pointing to her own bag and saying, "I brought you some things."
Katherine chuckled mockingly, "You came to bribe me? Is that your big plan? At least with the little witch, I know it's genuine, but what do you want tikvenik?"
Thea giggled slightly, laughing at her friend being called pumpkin-head by her look-alike, while Elena replied, "I want you to tell me about Klaus."
"Hmm, you've been busy."
"I also brought you this." She added, ignoring the older woman's mocking tone, pulling the Petrova book out of her bag, explaining, "It's your family history. It says in here that the family line ended with you. Obviously that's not true."
Kat raised her brow, "You think that if you brought me some family keepsake that I'd open up?"
Sensing that the vampire will continue being reluctant to their wishes, Thea interjected, "Please Kat, he's after me too. We just need to figure out how to take him out, and then you could stop running. You could be free."
"He's found you?!"
The blood-witch's brows raised at Kat's worried tone, before she explained, "No, but Elijah did, and you know that where one roams, the other is sure to follow. Besides," she added, a small smirk making its way to her lips, before she pulled out a small bottle of blood, "This may incentivise you even more."
The woman rushed towards the barrier, stopping just before she was flung away by its magic, as Thea added in a amused tone, "You don't look so good. How long before your body shuts down? 10, 20 years? It must be painful to desiccate and mummify. I can't even imagine."
Kat took a seat across from her, and she nodded slowly, sending her a smile. The blood-witch responded in kind, pouring some of the blood into a cup, and sending it across the barrier to the starving vampire.
Draining her cup, the brunette woman said proudly, "We may not be related, but you certainly have more Petrova fire than my own doppelgänger does."
Elena rolled her eyes, before asking in an offended tone, "More blood?"
Nodding, the woman began talking, "It's a long story, Klaus and I. It goes all the way back to England, 1492, after I left Bulgaria. Or was thrown out."
Sitting across from her, Thea remains quiet, watching as the two doppelgängers conversed, but as Elena began struggling with understanding Katherine's innuendoes, the witch asked softly, "You gave birth out of wedlock, didn't you? That's why you were thrown out, and why the bloodline officially ended with you."
Closing her eyes softly, she nodded, before adding, "Mhmm. My baby was given away. I was banished to England and I had to learn to adjust. So I quickly became English. It was there that I caught the eye of a nobleman named Klaus. I was taken with him at first, til I found out what he was and what he wanted from me. And then I ran like hell."
"So what did Klaus want?" Wondered Elena.
Katherine titled her head at her, before turning an insulted eye to the witch and asking, "Was she dropped one too many times on her head as a baby? He wanted the same thing he wants with you, I'd assume. To break the curse."
Ignoring the insult, the brunette human said, "By sacrificing the Petrova doppelgänger."
"He wanted to drain every single drop of blood from my body."
"What does the Petrova bloodline have to do with Klaus?" Continued the human.
Thea rolled her eyes slightly, before interjecting, "Remember what I told you about doppelgängers? How they were nature's way of ensuring balance in the event it was broken in a large way?" At the human's nod, she continued, "Well, the curse was probably bound using Petrova blood, the blood of the originator of your matriarchal line. Nature had to find a way to undo it, and so it allowed for the re-emergence of the same blood, over and over again. Witches are finicky like that."
"Precisely. You truly are incredible, little witch." Agreed Katherine.
The girl threw her a winning smile, before stating, "I'm assuming you turned and ran in order to avoid that particular fate."
"Something like that."
"Rose never ended up taking you back to Klaus, did she?" Questioned the human softly.
Kat sighed, before she answered, "No, but not because she had a change of heart." Explaining how she'd ingested Rose's blood, then hung herself. Therefore cursing the other two to a lifetime of running from Klaus.
"You killed yourself?!" Exclaimed Elena, horrified.
"Klaus needed a human doppelgänger. As a vampire, I was no longer any use to him."
"But it didn't work. You didn't really escape, you've been running from Klaus ever since."
"Life out of a suitcase is far better than having your blood spilled over a silly little rock, to break a curse that was more than likely fake. It's what I would have done." Interjected Thea in a strong voice, before turning to Kat and saying, "For what it's worth, you're a survivor, one hell of one. And although you're still manipulative, I understand you better now, and probably respect you a hell of a lot more skapa."
Katherine tilted her head downwards in gratitude, before looking at Elena and raising her brow at the girl's ill expression, "What's wrong? Afraid I'm right? You don't want to die? There's another way out." She drew her nail over the skin of her wrist, tearing it open, and watching it slowly bleed, "Better hurry. Your opportunity is going, going, going and gone. I made the other choice."
Elena maintained her scandalised look, as she added, "Rose and Trevor spent the last 500 years running because you used them. Trevor just got killed."
Katherine simply shrugged in response, "I never thought he would last that long."
"You don't even care that you ruined their lives."
Laughing indignantly, the blood-witch turned to her brunette human friend, "And what about them? They would have gotten her killed, to save their own skins. At least she cursed them to the same fate she gave herself. Why is she suddenly the bad guy, and they're saints. The saints who were so willing to sell us out as well, to stop running. Everyone looks out for their own skin when fighting to survive Elena. I told you this before. When the cost is your life, you'll do anything, sell out anyone, to stay alive."
The vampire nodded, "I was looking out for myself, Elena. I will always look out for myself. If you're smart, you'll do the same. Slanchitse gets it. "
She looked back to Thea and asked, "I don't however, understand what he wants with you."
The raven-haired with shrugged, "Apparently, I'm the prophesied mystical Chaos Wielder. Spilling my seemingly powerful blood during the ritual, would add to his own power."
"That's what they meant, when they told me you were to be protected at all costs." Whispered the vampire reverently.
"What do you mean?"
"The Chaos Wielder is said to be the single most powerful creature on earth, one whose power goes far beyond the realm of possibility. Witches have been awaiting her return for millennia."
Thea snorted slightly, before shaking her head, "No. I'm a blood-witch Kat. Witches don't respect me, nor do they want to protect me. Most of them are deathly afraid of me, and the rest think I'm an abomination who should be killed. I would know, I lost everything because of them."
"You haven't reached your full potential yet, little witch. And I have a feeling you're going to become even more awe-inspiring once you do." She retorted sadly, before grabbing her family book and disappearing inside the tomb, allowing the darkness to swallow her form whole.
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It was only ten minutes later that the human began talking g to her vampiric counterpart again, but Thea ignored them. She was stuck inside her own head, too overwhelmed by everything she's learned today, by all the information she'd gotten.
She hadn't lied when she'd told Kat that she thought she was brave and a true survivor. It was true. The woman had spent the past 500 years on the run because of her fierce determination to remain alive, to die on her own terms and not for someone else's benefit. It was admirable.
And true, she'd torn more than her fair share of hearts along the way, and probably destroyed countless lives, but Thea more than anyone one knew how the determination to survive could turn one into a monster, could make you take the most devastating decisions, and lose yourself along the way. But she wasn't hopeless for the woman, she saw the care and respect Kat had for her, saw it in the way she spoke to her, and in the admiration and slight pride she held in her eyes whenever Thea uncovered something, or treated her with respect. Perhaps Katerina Petrova wasn't gone, after all, simply lost.
But those lost could always find their way back.
Her train of thought was interrupted when Elena asked, "What else do you need to break the curse?"
"Look who's getting smarter. Perhaps your friendship with Thea is influencing you for the better after all." Hummed the woman skeptically.
Thea chuckled slightly, before clearing her throat and stating, "Knowing what I know of witches, and the insane amount of ingredients they require for the simplest spells, I'm gonna assume this one's list is a little heftier. A werewolf, probably, otherwise you wouldn't have had to force Tyler's curse, and probably a vampire too, since they're directly involved in this curse. And obviously, you would need a traditional witch to perform the spell. Combine all of those elements, with the blood of the doppelgänger being spilled over the key, aka the moonstone, and that's probably it." Raising a winning brow at the woman, she asked smugly, "Right?"
Kat laughed slightly, nodding. "Once again, you are very correct slanchitse, proving how much smarter than the rest of us you are."
"Well, you already knew that Kat, since you got access to my medical and psychological evaluations and all. My IQ results alone would have told you how smart I am." retorted the witch with a grin.
Her smile however, dropped as Elena asked, "So you were gonna just hand us all over to be killed?"
Katherine shrugged nonchalantly, "Better you die than I."
The three had gone quiet after that, before Elena began gathering what remained of the blood, and stuffing it in her bag, preparing to leave.
As the two girls begin heading towards the entrance, Stefan made his way through, "Elena," he said through gritted teeth.
The brunette gulped nervously, before she replied, "Stefan, what are you doing here?"
"I could ask the both of you the same question."
Snorting, the blood-witch stepped up to him, "I'm gonna assume Carebear snitched."
He shook his head in disappointment, "No, she kept your secret but it didn't take long for me to figure out what was the important that you'd have to keep it from me." Looking directly at Thea, he added, "And I wouldn't be so smug, if I were you, Just wait until Damon finds out you came here willingly."
"Oh, he already knows." She shrugged.
At the two's bewildered expressions, she explained, "just because you too can't communicate, doesn't mean Ace and I don't. I told him before we came here, and he agreed. We don't keep secrets, my bonded and I. It's why our relationship is not toxic."
The human nodded, before looking at her ex sadly, "I knew that you'd stop me."
"Listen to me, whatever she said to you is a lie. Do not listen to her. She's a liar, Elena."
"What if she isn't? You didn't hear what she said."
"You don't have to worry, neither Damon nor I are gonna let anything happen to either of you."
The blood-witch sighed sadly, saying, "We know that. You'll both die trying to keep us safe, but how in the hell is that any better?"
Suddenly, Kat's voice piped up, "There's nothing you can do, Stefan. I haven't even told you the best part of the story."
Glancing at both girls pityingly, she explained that Klaus had attacked her family in retaliation for her deception. "He killed them, my entire family, just to get back at me for running. Whatever you do to escape Klaus, he will get his vengeance on your friends, your family and anyone that you've ever loved." She said sadly.
Thea inhaled softly, fear flowing through her entire body, spreading through her veins like noxious magic. She could hear Stefan reassuring Elena and her, but she didn't want him. She needed her bonded. She needed Damon to hold her, and reassure her that everything would be alright, and that they would still get to have the future they'd planned.
And as though she'd called to him, she felt a wave of love and reassurance flow through their bond, fainter than normal due to their current distance, but still enough to fill her with warmth and appreciation for him.
Opening her eyes, she looked at Kat with a small, sad smile, and stated, "Lucky for him, I guess, someone's already beaten him to the punch and killed my entire family. And all of my friends are supernaturals who are more than capable of protecting themselves."
The vampire woman. Nodded at her softly, replying, "then I wish you the best of luck, slanchitse. If anyone could pull it off, I have a feeling it would be you."
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Stefan had driven Elena back to the Gilbert Household, while the blood-witch had headed back to the boarding house, eager to see her blood-bonded. Walking quietly through the foyer, she could faintly hear him talking to Rose, but as she stepped closer to the doorway of the living room, she came to a sudden stop.
They were sitting close, too close to one another. Damon needed to put some distance between them before she ripped the woman's heart out of her chest. The girl breathed in slowly, leaning her shoulder against the doorway, remaining out of sight and in the shadows, waiting to see what would follow.
"Because if you want to survive, you need to not care about anyone." Stated Rose softly, leaning closer to the man.
"Caring gets you dead, huh?" Chuckled Damon softly. The blood-witch pressed her hand against her lips, feeling the stinging of tears in her eyes at his apparent agreement. She channeled all of her magic towards blocking her emotions, keeping them from flowing into him, and waited some more.
"Thea makes me stronger. My care, my love for her, is one of the few reasons I keep fighting, because I'm not just fighting for her life, but for the future we're gonna have. So no, caring doesn't kill you, it keeps you alive." He continued, pulling away form the woman with a small smile.
Rose shook her head, stating, "It might just be time to turn the switch off on your emotions." Getting even closer to him, she whispered enticingly, "I will if you will." Before laying her lips over his.
A shock ran through the blood-witch's veins at the sight, anger and betrayal flooding her system, but just before she could react, Damon did. He threw the woman across the room in a rage, his beautiful features twisted with his anger, as he screamed, "How fucking dare you?" Lowering himself to her level, he hissed menacingly, "Let me make myself clear. You do not come near me, and you do not touch me. Ever. We may have become friendly today, but now, all I want to do is rip your heart out of your chest, so don't tempt me."
Inhaling sharply, Thea stepped through the doorway, before she cleared her throat and said, "let her go, Damon."
The blue-eyed man sped to her, noticing the sheen in her eyes, and rushing to explain, "Angel, it's not—"
"I know," she interrupted him softy, allowing her emotions to caress his. Keeping her gaze on the woman, she felt her eyes flash crimson, and saw the strange, still-unexplainable scarlet smoke forming around her fingers.
The woman's eyes widened in fear at the sight, but before she could open her mouth, she found a gag made of red smoke surrounding it. "Don't speak, your voice will only serve to piss me off." Retorted the blood-witch, voice casual, but holding a menacing intent, like the sharpest of blades.
Kneeling to the woman's level, she stated, "Just so we're clear, the only reason your heart isn't resting in my hands right now, is because I'm fairly certain you know more than you've told us. Your information is the only reason you're alive Rose, but come after my blood-bonded again, attempt to manipulate him in anyway, and my mercy will run out. I will make what happened to Trevor seem like the sweetest of daydreams to you, are we clear?"
Rose nodded furtively, tensing in complete terror. Thea followed her movement, a small smirk making its way on her lips, before she stood up, and quickly closed her hand into a tight fist. The woman's jerked in response, eyes closing in immense pain, mouth opening in a silent scream. "I pulverised your ribs, most of the shrapnel went into your heart and lungs. Consider this your warning. Oh, and find someplace else to sleep tonight, I can't guarantee your safety otherwise."
Releasing her form her magic, she watched in feigned amusement as Rose sped out of the boarding house, the door slamming shut behind her speedy exist. The witch dropped her shoulders, inhaling a shaking breath, before turning to her bonded, and raising her hand in exhaustion, "Please, don't admonish me. I told you I was equally as possessive over you, so if you'd like to avoid people dropping dead, I'd recommend warning them of your maniacal girlfriend in advance."
"I wasn't going to admonish you, Angel." He whispered, stepping closer to her, and drawing her into the circle of his arms.
The girl held onto him tightly, closing her eyes in bliss at the comfort of his embrace. His hands came to cup her cheeks lovingly, before he murmured, "What's wrong Angel? What happened today?"
Thea shook her head slowly, tears welling in her eyes, before she closed them tightly, allowing a few to escape. "Hey baby, what's wrong? What happened?" Cooed her blood-bonded softly, wiping them away, before pulling her into his arms and carrying her to the couch, where he sat down and placed her in his lap.
She didn't reply, only burrowed deeper into him, and allowed a few sobs to escape her her lips. Damon's arms tightened around her in response, hand digging into her hair, running through it softly.
Once she was done, she raised her head, chuckling embarrassingly, as she whispered, "Sorry, it's been a long day. I didn't mean to cry on you."
"Hey no. None of that." He shushed her lovingly, before joking, "besides, it's always been a dream of mine to become a human-sized tissue. Thank you for letting me achieve that."
The girl giggled wetly, nuzzling her face into him, before placing a soft kiss on his neck. His hands came to cup her cheeks once more, and pulling her eyes onto his, he allowed his worry to flow between them as he asked, "What happened Angel?"
"Kat explained everything. He's not gonna stop Damon. He's gonna keep coming after us, and if we somehow manage to escape, he'll come after everyone we love." She whispered. Shaking her head slightly, she added, "I can't put you in danger, I...please I can't."
"I'm okay baby. We'll figure it out. I'm not going anywhere, and neither are you, okay? We're gonna figure this out, and then we'll get to live. You'll graduate, and I'll turn you, and then marry you, and we'll get to spend an eternity making new memories. Ones that belong solely to us."
"But what if we don't? What if we don't succeed, and he keeps coming after me?"
"Then we'll run. Just you and me."
"What about Stefan and the rest of your life? You can't give that up for me, I won't let you."
He leaned his forehead against hers, before whispering, "You are my life. Stefan will understand, because nothing and no one matters more to me than you. And if running away together is the only way I get to keep you with me, then that's what we'll do."
"I couldn't ask you to do that," she mumbled sadly.
"You wouldn't be asking. I'm telling you that I'll do it, gladly. That's what the bond is, remember? Eternal. Forever. Two people connected for the remainder of their lives."
He'd remembered. He'd remembered what she'd told him that night that felt like ages ago, when she'd first told him she loved him. She smiled through tear-filled eyes, whispering, "there you go, using my own words against me. Again."
"Never said I played fair, Angel." He replied, a small smile making its way on his face.
Raising her lips to his, she murmured softly, "Kiss me, please. I need to erase the image of Rose's lips on yours."
Pulling her closer, so she was straddling his lap, he mumbled, lips grazing against hers with every word, "Gladly," before he kissed her, deeply, lovingly, their bond pulsing between them with all the emotions they carried.
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She was cuddled naked under their blankets, her head against his heartbeat, when his phone rang suddenly.
Groaning, he rolled over and picked it up, before groaning even louder once he saw who was calling, "It's Rose." He explained.
Raising a surprised brow, the blood-witch nodded towards it, "Answer it. It's gotta be important fo her to call you after I put the fear of God in her earlier."
He agreed, and answered with a gruff, "What?"
Suddenly, he tensed underneath her cheek, before snapping his phone closed wordlessly. Placing his hand into her hair, he said, "Rose's contact came through. A witch can destroy the curse from the moonstone."
Thea furrowed her brows, replying softly, "let's keep it in mind, but I doubt it. I've never heard of anything like that before." Nuzzling deeper into him, she mumbled, "for now, I just want to cuddle you and sleep this horrific day away."
A soft kiss was pressed to the top of her head, as he replied, "Deal, Angel."
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Bulgarian Glossary:
-blagodarya (благодаря): Thank you
-slanchitse (слънчице): term of endearment, often meaning sunshine or sweetheart
-pak zapovyaday (пак заповядай): you're welcome
-tikvenik (тиквеник): an insult meaning 'pumpkin-head', often used to describe someone who's empty-headed or stupid
-skapa (скъпа): term of endearment, often meaning dear or darling