09. O Come, All Ye Faithful
Aria slowly opened her eyes after she felt someone slowly trace her features with their finger.
"Mmm, what are you doing?" Aria whispered, her voice full of sleep.
"Taking you in" Damon replied, Aria didn't say anything, she just placed her head on Damon's chest, "This would be so much more fun if we were naked".
Aria chuckled, "Can't you go one day without sex?".
"I can go one day without sex, I can't go one day without you" Damon replied, kissing the top of Aria's head.
"No more staying away" Aria replied, "When Stefan kissed me, you walked out on me, when Elena kissed you, I walked out on you, now we are even, no more walking away without talking, specially when we both know there are people out there who can't stand us together".
"Deal" Damon said.
"Good" Aria replied, "Now let me sleep a bit more".
"Aren't you and Jeremy going to the lake house today?" Damon asked.
"We are" Aria replied, "But he can wait a few minutes, I need this right now".
Damon sighed, "I need this too".
Damon and Aria closed their eyes, and stayed in the same position for a few more minutes, both taking in each other's presence to the fullest.
***
"Thanks for coming with us April" Aria said, as April and her watched Jeremy cut wood.
"No worries, but may I ask, why did you ask me to come?" April asked, slightly confused.
"Believe it or not, you and Jeremy have a connection, and in case he somehow turns on me, which I know won't happen, but just in case, his going to need you to be his voice of reason" Aria replied.
"I'll do anything to help" April said.
"I know" Aria said, giving April a small smile.
"By the way, where are Damon and Kol?" April asked, remembering that Aria came with them.
"Setting up the fire inside, I thought it was for the best that they observe from far" Aria replied.
"Good idea" April said.
April, Aria and Jeremy looked towards the driveway when they heard a car coming.
"Oh you got to be kidding me" Aria snapped, as her and April ran over to Jeremy, who held a axe in his hand and glared at the people who had just arrived.
"Jeremy" April warned, seeing the murderous look on his face.
"They shouldn't be here" Jeremy said, as Elena, Bonnie and Shane came out of the car.
"They weren't supposed to come" Aria said, "April stay with him", April nodded, and Aria walked over to the trio, "You three are not invited".
"This is my family's lakehouse Aria, you can't stop me" Elena snapped.
"Elena, this is Jeremy's family lake house as well, and he doesn't want you here, you make the murderous hunter in him come out, you need to leave, now" Aria ordered.
"Aria, I told Bonnie and Elena to bring me here" Shane said, "I can help you fix Jeremy".
"Okay first of all, stop saying that I need to fix Jeremy, his not a broken toy" Aria snapped, "And second of all, how the hell do you people find out where we are everytime".
"I used a locater spell" Bonnie admitted.
"So you're stalking me" Aria said, glaring at the witch.
"Look Aria, we don't want any trouble, we just want to help Jeremy, we all want to get to the cure, we all have the same goal" Shane said.
"Why do you want the cure?" Aria snapped, "You're not even a vampire".
"Just stop Aria" Elena snapped, "You can't control us, we are staying, end of story".
Aria smirked, "Is that so? Tell me something Elena, aren't you a vampire now? Meaning you need to be invited inside, I wonder after everything you've done if Jeremy will let you in", Aria walked back to Jeremy, "Jer, let's go back inside".
"Aria you need me" Shane said, following Aria, "You need to get into Jeremy's subconscious and I can help you achieve that".
Aria sighed, she hated to admit it, but the truth was she did need Shane, she bought Jeremy to the lake house to get rid of his killer instinct, but she had no idea where to start.
"Fine" Aria said, "You and your side kick witch can come in, but that" Aria pointed towards Elena, "Stays out".
"No--".
"Deal" Shane interrupted Elena.
"Oh and if my boyfriend and friend, end up killing you, that's on you, not me, okay?" Aria asked, a mock smile on her face.
"Fine with us" Shane replied.
"You're seriously leaving me outside?" Elena asked, as everyone went inside the house.
"Yes" Aria replied, "Maybe that will teach you a lesson, not to go kissing other people's boyfriends".
***
"Is this really necessary?" April asked, as Shane tied Jeremy's wrists to the chair, whose eyes were shut closed, he was in a trance like state.
"It is if we don't want him to attack anyone." Shane said, "All Jeremy feels when he sees a vampire is a burning desire to kill them, even if consciously he doesn't want to".
"But he didn't attack me" Aria reminded.
"And there's a reason for that to" Shane said, "You see, every supernatural creature has something or someone that helps keep them in control, their anchor, but without their anchor, the supernatural creature can spiral really badly", Aria and Damon exchanged a glance, in a sense they were each other's anchor, when they are together they are happy and in control, but without each other, both of them go down a very dark path, "In Jeremy's case, you Aria are his anchor, he will never hurt you because your the only thing keeping him sane".
"Okay, I'm his anchor, but how do I stop him from killing the good vampires?" Aria asked.
"Persuasion helps reverse your subconscious thoughts" Bonnie replied.
"Think of it as kind of a conditioned response, right?" Shane said, "See vampire, kill vampire, what I'm doing is creating a kind of middle step, it's like a detour, where his subconscious learns to recognise the good vampires as people who he loves, people who he wants to protect, and that gives him a choice, he can choose to take the detour instead of the conditioned response, Aria, you need to talk to him, ask him questions, only you can get through to him".
Aria nodded, she sat in the table infront of Jeremy.
"Start by telling him why you chose this place to bring him back" Shane said.
"This place is very special for me and you Jer, it reminds both of us of the simpler times" Aria said, "We used to come here every holiday, every room in this house has some kind of memory attached to it, when supermom and Grayson dad died, we both refused to come here, we were so traumatised, but Jenna forced us to come here, I remember the one time you stopped ignoring me, was when we came here, you and me sat at the deck and cried it out, it was like for a moment we both knew what supermom and Grayson dad wanted from us, they wanted us to stick together, and since then I promised myself that I will fight for you no matter what, you are my best friend Jeremy, and I'm here for you, to be your friend, your anchor, anything you want me to be, just come back as my gaming buddy, please".
"Aria ask him what he feels about you right now" Shane said.
"Jer, right now, how do you feel about me?" Aria asked.
"You're my best friend Aria, you were there when no one was, even when I pushed you away, you stayed, you gave me a reason to fight, you gave me something to believe in, you changed my life, for the better" Jeremy said, "My every good memory is somehow or the other attached to you, I don't know if I'm ever going to get out of my hunter phase, but I do know one thing, I would rather die then hurt you".
Ara smiled at Jeremy, tears welling in her eyes.
"Okay, now ask him what he feels about Elena" Shane said, looking at the doorway where Elena was standing, still not being invited inside.
Aria sighed, "Jeremy, how do you feel towards Elena?".
Hearing Elena's name, Jeremy's expression hardened, "She ruined mine and your life, she's not even my real sister, she's just the reason that everyone you and me ever loved has died, she means nothing to me, I will kill her, even if that means I die myself".
Shane slammed his hand to the table, breaking Jeremy's trance.
Jeremy looked at Aria, a hopeful expression on his face, "Did it work?".
Aria hesitated, "Kind of?".
***
Aria stood at the docks, staring at the water infront of her, when suddenly arms were wrapped around her waist.
"Penny for your thoughts?" Damon asked, resting his chin on Aria's shoulder,
"Wondering if I should be glad Jeremy doesn't want to kill me, or upset that he wants to kill everyone else" Aria replied.
"Glad that he doesn't want to kill you" Damon replied simply, causing Aria to chuckle.
"Of course you would say that" Aria said, leaning the back of her head on Damon's shoulder, "Do you remember the last time we came here?".
"Of course I do" Damon replied, "You ruined the vegetables".
Aria laughed, "You need to let that go".
"Never" Damon replied, "I'm going to be telling that story to our children and their children, everyone deserves to know how the powerful tribrid can't cut vegetables".
"I so can" Aria said, "It's just that day I wasn't feeling vegetables".
"Oh right" Damon said, a small smile on his face.
"Right" Aria whispered, looking at the water, "You know so much has changed since we were here last".
"What do you mean?" Damon asked.
"Last time we were here, me and Elena were only on slight bad terms, you and Stefan were still kind of brothers, and our lives were slightly less complicated" Aria replied.
"Do you miss that time?" Damon asked curiously.
"I don't know" Aria replied honestly.
"You know what hasn't changed?" Damon asked.
"What?" Aria asked curiously.
"You and me" Damon replied, "I was madly in love with you then, and I'm madly in love with you now".
Aria smiled, she turned around and faced Damon, her arms wrapped around Damon's neck, while Damon's hands rested on her waist.
"I love you" Aria said.
"And I love you" Damon said, placing his lips on to Aria's.
***
"Oh my god, that's you guys?" April asked, as Jeremy and Aria showed Aria their childhood photos.
"Yeah" Aria replied, looking at the photo fondly, "Me and Jeremy together were quite the troublemakers, and our favorite hobby was--".
"Troubling Caroline" Jeremy finished, a small smile on his face.
"So, what's the story behind this photo?" April asked, gesturing to the photo of Jeremy and Aria covered in paint.
"We did the mistake of painting Caroline's face when she was sleeping" Aria replied.
"Oh god" Jeremy laughed, "She was not happy with us, so she put all of our paint in two buckets and chased after us, she didn't stop chasing us until we were covered in paint from head to toe".
"Jer, remember supermom and Liz mom wouldn't let us in covered in paint so Grayson dad, he used the hose outside to get rid of the paint" Aria said, laughing at the memory.
"It didn't work though, me and Aria grabbed the hose off of him and sprayed him instead" Jeremy remembered.
"That sounds so much fun" April said.
"It was" Aria and Jeremy said, looking down at all their photos fondly.
"Jeremy" Bonnie said, gaining the trio's attention, "Shane wants to try again".
"No thank you" Kol said, walking over to them with Damon, "Your Professor is doing it all wrong, me and Damon have a better idea".
"Professor Shane has been dipping into the magical herbs a little too much" Damon said.
"We think Jeremy needs another person to attach his warm and fuzzy feelings to" Kol said, "So that person and Ri can work together and put some sense in little Jer Bear's mind".
Damon looked between April and Bonnie, "I wonder who that could be".
"Oh this is going to be so good" Kol said, clearly enjoying this.
April and Bonnie both looked towards Jeremy, but Jeremy ignored Bonnie and looked at April, "You" He said, making April look at him wide eyed, "Recently, if Aria's not around me, your thought calms me down".
"Ouch" Kol whispered into Bonnie's ear, enjoying her hurt expression.
"I'm going to go back on the dock" Aria said, smiling at Jeremy and April, "You two, call me when you're ready", Aria turned to Damon and Kol, "Let's give them some privacy".
"I wanted to watch the show though" Kol complained.
"This isn't a show Kol" Aria said, trying not to laugh, "Come on, you two need to go get more wood for the fire".
Kol groaned, "I swear you've bought me here to do all the labor work".
"Glad you finally realised" Damon joked.
"Let's go" Aria said, pushing both the vampires out the door.
"Don't forget to use protection!" Kol yelled at the two teenagers, making Aria hit the back of his head, "Ow Ri!".
***
Aria sat on the docks reading a book, while Kol and Damon were off getting wood.
Seeing Aria alone, Shane took this opportunity to talk to her.
"Good thinking using both you and April as Jeremy's emotional touchstone" Shane said, sitting next to Aria, making her frown, she didn't like him near her, "Damon and Kol are very intuitive".
"You have no idea" Aria said, giving Shane a mock smile.
"Bonnie told me about the problem you and Damon are facing" Shane said.
"Excuse me?" Aria asked confused.
"About Elena being sired to Damon" Shane clarified.
"Why are you so interested in my life?" Aria asked, "Why not mind your own business?".
"Aria, I mean you no harm, I just wanted to let you know that there is a spell that can break Elena's sire bond" Shane informed.
"You're lying" Aria snapped, "The witches in New Orleans told Damon and Kol that there is no spell".
"That's because the witches over there don't practice this magic, it's not very welcomed" Shane said.
"So it's black magic" Aria realised, glaring at Shane, "You want me to use black magic?".
"It's not black magic, it's expression" Shane replied, "Look Aria, I came here as you well wisher, whether you take my help or not, it's your choice, if you want the spell come to my office, I'll give it to you, even help you with it, you and me both know, as long as Elena's sired to Damon, your relationship is always going to be in jeopardy, your a smart girl Aria, so make a smart decision".
"She will pass", Aria and Shane turned around to see Damon walking towards them, an axe in hand, "Elena is no threat to her, she knows that, so stop trying to get her on your side".
"I didn't mean to offend you" Shane said, giving Damon a forced smile.
"Of course you didn't" Damon said sarcastically, "Anyways, if your hypno herbs work, we should be singing Kumbaya around the fire by dinner, so now tell me why I'm not killing you? Why are you after the vampire cure?".
"I didn't say I was looking for the cure" Shane admitted, making both Damon and Aria frown, "But I can tell you where to find it".
"We don't need you" Aria said, "But tell us, what are you looking for if not the cure?".
"I'm looking for Damien and Silas" Shane replied.
***
Damon, Kol and Aria sat infront of the fireplace, taking to Shane about Silas and Damon.
"It's a rock" Damon deadpanned, as Shane showed them Silas's headstone.
"It's not just any rock" Shane defended.
"Does this have to do with the horror story you told everyone at the exhibit?" Kol asked.
"Right, long story short, once upon a time there was two witches named Silas and Damien, they were brothers who loved the same girl, Adriana Amulet, also known as Adriana Connor" Shane said.
"My doppelganger" Aria whispered, Shane nodded.
"Both of them wanted to be with Adriana forever, so them and Adriana's best friend, another witch, made an immortality spell" Shane said, "Both the brothers went to Adriana with the spell, asking her to be immortal with one of them, Adriana chose Damien, Silas couldn't tolerate that, neither could Amara".
"Amara" Damon whispered, realising his heard that name before, "Oh my god" He whispered, realising Natalie had told him about Amara, she told him that Amara was the first Petrova doppelganger, she was the one who begun it all.
"Whose Amara?" Aria asked confused.
"The girl who was in love with Damien, but he never showed any interest in her" Shane replied, "He only loved Adriana".
"Is it just me, or does this story sound familiar?" Kol whispered to Damon.
"Not just you" Damon replied.
"There are many legends on how Adriana died, there's one saying Silas sneaked into Damien and Adriana's tent the night they were supposed to turn immortal, and he stabbed Adriana to death, according to him, if he couldn't have her then no one could" Shane explained.
"What's the other legends?" Aria asked curiously.
"Another legend says that Amara was the one who killed Adriana, she craved her heart out, saying there was only one heart allowed to love Damien" Shane replied, "And the last legend, was the one I told you at the school, about Silas and Amara teaming up to fill Damien's mind against Adriana, so much hatred that the night they were supposed to become immortals, Damien stabbed Adriana right in the heart".
"No" Aria whispered, "That's not right".
"I'm just telling you what legend says" Shane said.
"Your legend is wrong" Aria snapped, "If Damien loved Adriana enough to be immortal with her, he can't be the reason she's dead, people who love each other don't kill each other, instead they die for each other".
"There's actually another legend, a legend that people usually ignore because they don't think it's true" Shane said.
"Well go on then" Kol urged.
"That legend says, that Amara and Silas both killed Adriana, in the tent her and Damien shared when Damien wasn't there, they ran away before anyone could catch them, not realising they hadn't killed Adriana, when Damien returned he saw the love of his life covered in blood, laying on the floor, fighting for her last breath" Shane said, "She begged Damien to kill her, because it hurt so much, and as a last act of love, Damien stabbed Adriana in the heart, ending her pain, they say that Adriana's best friend saw the scene and misunderstood Damien, but he never tried to defend himself, to a extent he did believe he killed the love of his life, so he took the punishment with a smile on his face, he believed he deserved it for not protecting his love".
Both Damon and Kol knew that feeling, they both had failed to protect the girls they loved, Damon had failed to protect Natalie from Katherine, while Kol had failed to protect Ariana from Tatia, they both knew the pain Damien must have felt, the helplessness he would have felt seeing the love of his life in pain, at that moment both the vampires sympathised with Damien.
"What was his punishment again?" Aria asked.
"Adriana's best friend believed Amara, Silas and Damien were a curse on her best friend's life, so she killed Amara, brutally, and Silas and Damien were cursed to an eternity without their one true love, but Silas found a way to reverse the immortality spell and then before he has a chance to take it, Adriana's best friend, buries him and Damien underground, leaving them, and the cure, to rot" Shane replied.
"So the cure it's really not for vampirisim, it's really for immortality?" Aria asked.
"Human blood is the life force of an immortal" Shane replied, "No more immortality, no more need to feed on blood, you dig up Silas and Damien and you've got your cure".
***
"This is the mark of the Brotherhood of the Five" Shane said, explaining Jeremy's drawing of Connor's tattoo to the trio, "And up the arm you have the murder of a girl by someone unknown, the symbols in the vines are your map, which, obviously, you no longer need".
"I wouldn't be so sure" Kol threatened.
"When this mark is complete, it will contain the spell that we need to dig up Silas and Damien" Shane explained, ignoring Kol.
"And where'd you say they were buried?" Damon asked, "Oh, I forgot, you didn't".
"You and your friend have threatened to kill me, what three times already this week?" Shane asked, both Damon and Kol shrugged, "The location's helping me survive your bad moods".
"Your definitely not helping us from the goodness of your heart, so tell me Shane, what is in this for you if not the cure?" Aria asked curiously.
"I'm in this for Silas and Damien alright, up until this point they'd only been myth" Shane replied.
"So write a thesis" Damon snapped.
"Would you rather be the guy who writes about Noah's Ark? Or the one who sails it down the Hudson River?" Shane asked.
"I'm not buying it" Kol snapped, snatching the paper from Shane.
"Neither am I" Damon said.
"You both don't have to buy anything" Shane said, he looked at Aria, "You just have to believe that I can help you fix your best friend, when his Hunter's Mark's complete, imma take you to the cure".
"You realise we don't need him right?" Kol asked Aria and Damon, after Shane walked away, "We have the hunter's sword".
"We know that Kol, he doesn't, and I think we should keep it like that" Aria replied.
"Ria's right, I don't trust him not to try anything funny" Damon said.
"Neither do I" Kol said.
***
"Found them" Aria said, grabbing the box full of Christmas decorations, "Both of you, get off your lazy asses and help me decorate".
"Look at you, suddenly Polly Optimist" Damon mocked.
"I sat with Jeremy for a while, with both me and April working with him, his slowly getting there, I can feel it" Aria said, a huge smile on her face.
"Yeah, no thanks to Professor Shane" Kol taunted, "Why is he still here? You and April have been working with Jeremy one by one, his done nothing but tell us bedtime stories".
"You both don't trust him" Aria observed.
"Maybe cause we think he blew up twelve people at the Young Farm" Damon said.
"Seriously?" Aria asked shocked.
"A little tip, professor" Damon said, looking towards the archway where Shane was standing, "I heard you before you even took your first step".
"I see we're back to the false accusation part of our relationship?" Shane asked.
"We don't have a relationship" Kol snapped.
"Did you do it?" Aria asked, glaring at Shane.
"Damon and Kol discovered that I was in contact with Pastor Young prior to the explosion at the Young Farm" Shane replied.
"Yes we did" Kol taunted.
"Now, the pastor was severely depressed" Shane said, "He had lost his wife to cancer and he sought me out for a little supernatural assistance, I tried to help but he was too far gone, it's just I never expected that he'd take eleven innocents with him".
Before Aria could say anything, Jeremy and April walked over to the group.
"Aria" Jeremy called out.
"Jer, everything okay?" Aria asked concerned.
"I think you both did it" Jeremy replied.
"Really?" Aria asked.
"Really" Jeremy assured, "I'm standing in this room with two vampires, but I don't have a sudden urge to kill them".
Aria laughed, she ran and hugged Jeremy tightly, "Welcome back Jer Bear".
"It's good to be back" Jeremy admitted.
"Welcome back dick" Kol said, patting Jeremy's back.
Jeremy chuckled, "Thanks jerk".
Aria hugged April, "Thank you for helping me".
"Like I said Aria, I'll do anything to help" April said, hugging Aria back while her eyes stayed on Jeremy, who was looking back at her with a small smile on his face.
***
After Jeremy had gotten better, Kol had kicked both Shane and Bonnie out of the house.
Now the group of five were outside in the backyard, surrounding a bonfire, Aria was sitting between Damon's leg, her back touching his chest while his hand wrapped around her stomach, a blanket over them, while April and Jeremy sat next together, April's head on Jeremy's shoulder, a blanket wrapped around them, while Kol had a guitar in his hand, the group of five sat around the bonfire singing Christmas songs, cups of hot chocolate in each of their hand.
"Happy Holidays" Damon whispered into Aria's ear, "Hope this is enough".
"This is perfect Damon" Aria whispered back, looking at everyone's smiling face, "This is the perfect holiday".
***
Presenting 4x09 of The Vampire Diaries . . .
How was the chapter?
Thoughts on April helping Aria bring Jeremy back?
What legend do you guys believe regarding Adriana's death and why?
Thoughts on April and Jeremy's little moment? I actually adore those two so much, they are so precious 🤭
Thoughts on the group of five having a bonfire to celebrate the holidays?
ANNOUNCEMT! My brand new Caroline Forbes book called They Don't Know About Us is now up, go give it a read and tell me what you think!
p.s jozzyruby08 made ANOTHER edit, this girl doesn't stop and I adore her for that, also this ones a special one, it's so cute ❤