The next time Estella had awoken, she was faced with the passing image of trees and other cars on the highway. She groaned at the uncomfortable position she was in and turned towards the driver's seat seeing Stefan with a hand on the wheel and the other hand slightly out of the car window.
Estella took a moment to admire her boyfriend who hadn't noticed she was awake yet. After he had told her that he was coming with her on this trip to Portland, he quickly packed and put their bags in her impala.
He had a relaxed look on his face, one that Estella had noticed had been on his face a lot these past few months that they had been together. Stefan wasn't brooding or stressed due to trying to save everyone he cared for, mostly because they were already safe.
"You know, you look really hot when you're driving." Estella flirts shamelessly as she smirks in his direction making Stefan turn to her with a matching smirk on his face.
"Oh yeah, maybe I should drive you around more often sweetheart." Stefan says placing a hand on her thigh that was bent towards her chest almost in a fetal position.
Estella laughed at his words sitting up straighter in her seat but still looking at him with eyes full of adoration, "My own personal chauffeur."
Stefan gives her a smile and reaches for her hand where she intertwines her fingers with his. Their silence only lasted a few seconds before Stefan spoke up, "So when we get to Portland what are we going to do?" he asks her curiously.
Estella turns to him completely before she starts to explain. "Okay, so there is this coven of witches called the Gemini Coven. It is this known thing that when a set of twins are born, they have to partake in this event called the merge. It's when the twins hit their twenty second birthday where they essentially battle it out to become the next leader of the coven. One lives, the other dies."
Stefan turns to her confused, "So you're saying that one of the twins will kill the other." Estella nods sadly.
"Yeah, basically. Anyway in 1994 the twins at the time were called Josette and Malachai Parker, or Jo and Kai for short. Kai wasn't like the rest of his coven, instead of being able to do magic on his own he would have to siphon it." Estella says and Stefan interrupts.
"Wait i've heard about Siphons, they're known as abominations in the witch's eyes. Monsters made for stealing their magic." He says and winces slightly when Estella gives him a glare for interrupting.
"Stop interrupting. Even though you are right, they aren't monsters just a little different. Kai was mistreated and often abused by his father leading him to be cast out to a prison world. He's been stuck there ever since and I'm getting him out." Estella ends in a determined tone.
Stefan makes sure that she wasn't about to say anything else before speaking up, "But if Kai is in a prison world how are you going to do it?"
"That's why we're going to Portland, Kai's father keeps the one thing I need to get him out, an ascendant. I also needed Bennett blood but I just got a bit from Bonnie." She explains as Stefan nods understanding before facing towards the road again passing the welcome to Oregon sign.
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Back in Mystic Falls, a certain brunette enters the Salvatore Boarding house without a care in the world. She makes her way into the parlour until finding who she was looking for, "Hey blue eyes." she says throwing herself onto the couch and pulling her feet onto the coffee table.
Damon turns smiling slightly at Kiara before making his way to sit on the armchair opposite her. "So what did I do for you to bless me with your presence today." he says as he watches her turn her head slightly so she was looking at him.
"Well Ella is gone to Portland with her boyfriend and Caroline is busy with hers and I'm bored." she says with a pout before putting on a slightly whiny voice, "Entertain me."
Damon couldn't stop himself when he looks down at her lips with a sigh wishing he could feel them on his own but he didn't know if she felt the same. He tried to look away before she would notice but she did, a faint blush lined her cheeks when she noticed where his gaze was. She brought her bottom lip between her teeth before standing up and heading towards the door.
"Come on, you're buying me a burger from the Grill." she says making the blue-eyed Salvatore grab his jacket and follow her out without hesitation.
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Estella stretched her arms up into the air as she got out of the car in an empty looking field in Portland. She turned around when hearing a car door close, seeing Stefan look around with a confused look on his face.
"I thought you said the house was nearby." Stefan said going around the car to step in front of the Santos girl.
"I did also tell you it was a house owned by a leader of the Gemini Coven, you really think it would be too easy to find." With that she grabbed Stefan's hand whilst using her other to send a wave of red tendrils of magic in the direction in front of them.
Her magic made it's way through the open field wrapping it self around the hidden home that faced them. Red outlined every brick on its walls and the wooden porch that led to the front door. "Come on." Estella beckoned her boyfriend forward with a tug of his hand and them made their way up the steps to the door.
Estella reached forward ringing the bell rocking on the balls of her feet as she waited for someone to come and answer. The door suddenly swung open revealing a person Estella wasn't really in the mood to meet.
"Joshua Parker." she announces making the man look at her strangely before turning his eyes to Stefan who was stood behind her with a hand on the small of her back.
Joshua didn't step out of the comfort of his home which Estella won't admit but was a smart move. "You know my name the least you could do is offer me yours." Joshua said looking back at the girl.
"This is Stefan Salvatore, and i'm Estella Santos. We're here to get something that we need." she says making the man furrow his eyebrows and she sighs in frustration. "The ascendent perro. Hand it over."
Joshua seemed to straighten up in defence as she said the word ascendent. "What do you need the ascendent for?" he asked only wanting to confirm his suspicion.
"To get your son out of course. Someone has to get poor Malachi out of that hellhole you put him in. So are you going to be difficult and I'll have to rip this house apart to find it or will you just hand it over." she threatens lightly making his eyes harden.
"You can't unleash that abomination out in the world, he would destroy all witches." Joshua sneers making Estella's eyes shine red in anger.
"Hard way it is." she says before flicking her wrist allowing a flow of red magic to encase the man and pull him towards her on the porch.
Estella's hand twisted into a choking motion and Joshua was pinned onto the opposite wall scratching at his throat to try and release the tension.
"You know I really believe in not invading people's privacy but I don't really care when that person is an asshole." she warns before her fingers press onto the man's temple and her eyes shut going through his mind.
There were flashes of Kai killing his siblings and the merge that was about to happen between himself and Josette. Then there was the lack of magic when Jo had gotten rid of her own and the whole Gemini coven banishing Kai to the prison world.
And there it was in Joshua's hand, the ascendent placed in a box under the man's bed like it was an old artifact that he would just throw away to collect dust.
Estella opened her eyes and gave the man a deadpanned look, "Under your bed, really?" she snaps her fingers causing Joshua's eyes to roll back and he falls in a deep sleep on the porch when she lets go of him.
Estella turns to Stefan who looked completely unbothered by the display of violence. "Just give me a moment, my love. I'll be right back." she says before making her way into Kai's childhood home finding the ascendent exactly where Joshua's mind had sent her.
She made her way out of the home, showing the intricate piece in her hand to Stefan who smiled wildly at the fact she had found it. "Time to go on our rescue mission."
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