After the bistro, Damon, and Elena each went his own way. He ran to Nicolae at the clinic, while she went to the company to talk to JJ, who in turn informed his father. The matter is too serious for Stefan and the others to stay out of it.
Besides, they need wise advice on how to deal with Margaret, and the best person to do that is the professor of the pack. Of course, they've kept the elders in the dark. At least for the moment.
So, after a few months, the second and third generations gather for a meeting.
~ FAMILY LAND ~ LOVE'S NEST ~
~ a.k.a HOME OF STEFAN, JASON, JOHNNY, AND THE GIRLS ~
Although once again a new threat hovers over their heads, threatening the well-being of the pack, our heroes are happy to be back together in the same room as before. Of course, the parents aren't there, but until they know more about what this is all about, they'd better stay out of it.
JJ is lying on the couch with his head on Artemis' lap, who is lovingly stroking his hair. Stefan is sitting next to them with his arm around her shoulders. Johnny and Lucida sit in the big armchair, while Jason and Cecilia squat in front of the burning fireplace.
Matty and Eva sit on the other couch, while Damon, the only one standing, paces, trying to fight the urge to find this Elliot and torture him until he reveals everything he knows. Nicolae, sitting on the divan with Elena, senses this urge in his cousin and rushes over to calm him down.
Nicolae: Calm down, Damon. Torture isn't the answer. At least not yet.
Damon: Get the hell out of my head!
Nicolae: Not if you don't calm down.
Damon: You're not helping me, Nic.
Johnny: Hey, you two! What now? Are you going to keep fighting, or are you going to do us the favor of telling us the reason for this secret meeting?
Stefan: I asked for it. There's a problem we need to solve and the only one who can find the solution is you, buddy.
Stefan turns to Jason, who looks at him questioningly.
Jason: Me? Why me?
JJ: Because you, my dear godfather, after Uncle Alex, are the one who knows the lore better than all of us.
Jason: Okay, my dear godson. I'm all ears. Who's going to speak?
Stefan: Elena. Since she discovered the problem in the first place.
All eyes turn to Elena, who once again recounts everything she overheard. During the narration, at the point with the witch and the spell that blocks Elena's visions, Jason makes a sign to Cecilia to follow him.
The couple stands up and walks to the ceiling-high bookshelf on the other side of the room. Jason begins to browse through the large and heavy books. Cecilia whispers to him.
Cecilia: What are we looking for, Mr. Big?
Jason: The book that Gabriel gave us. The dark book with the embossed cover.
Cecilia: The Book of the Damned?
Jason: Yes. Where is it?
Cecilia: What do you need it for, baby? Gabriel says it's dangerous.
Jason: Only if it falls into the wrong hands. Anyway. The spell that blocks Elena's visions is really bad mojo. In order to reverse it, we have to understand it first. Now tell me, have you seen the damn book?
Cecilia: I hid it in the crypt. I didn't want it here. If you give me a minute, I'll go get it.
Jason: Thanks, baby.
As Cecilia leaves the living room, Elena has finished her narration and now everyone's attention turns to Jason, who continues to search the bookshelf.
Stefan: Hey, Professor X! Are you going to inform the other X-Men or not?
Jason: In a moment, Pyro. Now I want you, Hybrid, to take down for me the third book from the left on the top shelf. The book with the Enochian symbol.
Damon: You've got wings, dude. Why don't you use them?
Jason: Too much trouble. You'll do it faster.
Damon: You can say that again!
Damon looks up for a few seconds and immediately the heavy book Jason asked for falls down ... on his head!
Jason: Ouch! I said put it down, you idiot, in my hands. Not on my head!
Damon: I'm sorry. I just missed the target.
The others laugh as Damon shrugs apologetically while Jason bends down and picks up the book, cursing.
Suddenly, both Damon and Elena involuntarily show their fangs.
They try to hide them, but fail. They look at each other in wonder, mixed with a little fear. They speak, but the teeth make the words lisp.
Damon: What the hell?
Elena: What's going on here, Damon? I can't ...
Damon: Neither can I. Something ... Something's affecting us.
Elena: Yeah, but what?
Cecilia: It's probably that thing.
Everyone turns to the door, where Cecilia stands with a disgusted face. She holds the squiggly book in her hands. It's large and quite heavy. The hard cover is brown and printed with various magical symbols. It's spiral-shaped, wrapped with thick wire, and the leaves inside are made of human skin. And finally, the red ink with which it's written is - what else? - human blood.
Damon and Elena do their best to stay away from it. The book is like a magnet that draws them in. It invites them to touch it and sink into its darkness. It makes them thirsty.
Damon: Fuck! What is that thing?
Jason: It's the Book of the Damned.
Damon: Damn it! Does that really exist?
Elena: I thought it was just a fairy tale dad told us. How did it get here?
Jason: Gabriel gave it to us to keep a while back. It was accidentally found in a convent, buried with one of the nuns. Normally it should be kept in the Celestial Vault, but it's too dark to pass through the pearly gates.
The fight that takes place in the two hybrids is brutal. A strange pain spreads through their bodies and the thirst for warm human blood grows. The two siblings have never experienced anything like this before and they're ready to give in to their thirst. Fortunately, there are no humans around, because otherwise there would be a serious problem.
Elena walks up to her brother and takes his hand. He hugs her and holds her tightly.
Damon: Fight it, sister.
Elena: It's very strong, Damon. This thirst ...
Damon: Shit! Get that damn thing out of here!
Cecilia turns and heads back into the crypt, but Stefan, blindly trusting Jason and his belief that they need the Book of the Damned, stands up and yells first at his sister and then at his son.
Stefan: Ceci, wait!
Cecilia: Don't you understand, Stef? This damn book is tormenting them.
Stefan: JJ, can you do something?
JJ: I'm not sure, but I can try.
JJ leaves his mother's arms and walks towards Cecilia, who is still holding the book.
JJ: Give it to me.
Cecilia: Watch out!
Cecilia hands the book to JJ, who carefully takes it with one hand and holds the other out to his father.
JJ: Dad, give me some fire.
Stefan snaps his fingers and a small ball of heavenly fire appears and bounces onto JJ's open palm. Then he closes his eyes and concentrates for a while. Suddenly, he slams his fire hand down hard on the cover and immediately a golden sparkling fiery bubble envelops the book.
Immediately the hybrids relax and finally manage to hide their fangs. JJ opens his eyes and looks at his handiwork.
JJ: I'll be damned! It worked! Right, guys? You feel better, right?
Damon: Yeah. Thanks, JJ. Its influence is gone.
Elena: What did you do? What is this bubble?
JJ: A heavenly fire energy shield. It'll keep the evil influence of the book in check.
Stefan: Well done, my son. Well done!
Damon: Indeed. Very clever trick, Nephilim, but why did this thing only affect me and Elena and none of you?
Jason: The book contains black magic spells and curses, Damon. It only affects ...
Damon: The evil hybrids.
Jason: The darkness in someone, Damon. Just the darkness.
Damon: It's okay, Jason. Really. You don't have to try to pump the sun up our asses. We know what we are.
Nicolae: Will you stop with the stupid shit already? You just have a little darkness in you. You're not evil.
Damon: Whatever.
While Nicolae is arguing with Damon, Elena, who basically shares her brother's opinion but doesn't say anything to him so as not to add fuel to the fire, walks up to Jason, who has already taken the book from JJ and is now flipping through it with Cecilia.
Elena: So, John-John? What do you think? Are you going to be able to reverse the spell?
Jason: If I find out what it's exactly, I think so. But I need time. The book is encrypted. I've to find the codex that breaks the encryption first, and then translate it. Then we'll know.
Elena: When you say time, how much do you mean?
Jason: I don't know, sweetie, but I promise I'll do it as soon as I can.
Cecilia: I'll help him too, Elena. Don't worry. We'll have answers for you very soon.
Elena: Thanks both.
After that, Elena returned home with Nicolae and JJ and continued to pretend to Margaret that they didn't know about her betrayal and secret plans. Damon went to Alice's house. First, because that's all he wanted to do, and second, because he's sure that when he sees Margaret, he won't be able to pretend that nothing is wrong and will confront her.
And already we're in Damon's office at the Lair that night, with Alice waiting to talk to Margaret. Let's see how this meeting goes ...
~ DAMON'S OFFICE ~ LAIR ~
Damon has just come out the back door, while a knock on the front door informs Alice that Margaret is just outside. So, she adjusts her clothes and better secures the gun in her belt. Do you really think she's going to need that ...?
Alice: Come in.
The door opens and Isaiah enters the office with Margaret behind him.
For some reason, Isaiah didn't like Margaret from the first moment he met her. It's one of those cases where you meet a person and dislike them from the first moment for no reason at all. Of course, he never said a word about it to Damon, but when she left, Isaiah was relieved and he was overjoyed when his boss chose Alice, whom he likes and admires. Therefore, he winks at Alice and bows ostentatiously, just as he does to Elena.
Isaiah: Your visit, my Lady.
Alice: Thanks very much, Isaiah. You may go.
It seems that Isaiah has achieved his goal, because Margaret looks at him with her mouth open.
Margaret: I'm sorry, Isaiah, but how exactly did you address her?
Isaiah: My lady.
Margaret: How come? I thought that ...
Isaiah: I'm not obliged to answer you, but the boss told me to. When he and Miss Elena aren't here, Miss Alice is in charge.
Margaret: You never called me that when I was with your boss.
Isaiah: I had no such instruction for you, but if you have a problem, I can inform the boss.
Margaret: No. No. It's OK. You got me covered.
Isaiah: As you wish. And now, if I may ... My Lady ...
After another bow to irritate Margaret even more, and a quiet "thank you" from Alice, Isaiah leaves the office and closes the door behind him. Alice sits down in Damon's chair behind the desk and signals Margaret to sit in one of the chairs in front of it.
Alice: Please, Margaret, sit down. Would you like something to drink? I can call Edy to bring you anything you want.
Margaret: No, I don't drink much.
Alice: Then let's get on with it. What did you want to see me about? What can I do for you?
Margaret sits down in the armchair and crosses her legs.
Margaret: I want you to leave Damon alone.
Alice: Wow! You're getting right to the point, aren't you?
Margaret: I don't have time to waste. I want Damon back.
Alice: And why is that? Do you love him?
Margaret: As much as you can't even imagine.
Alice: If that's true, how could you leave him? How did you manage to live a whole year without him?
Margaret: Even if I explain it to you, you can't understand.
Alice: Maybe, but there is something I can understand.
Margaret: And what is that?
Alice: That you're a selfish bitch who wants him back just because he doesn't want you anymore and chose someone else over you.
Margaret rises with fierce intentions. She hisses and shows her fangs, but Alice isn't afraid. Quite the opposite. She stands up as well and slams down on the desk with a force she never thought she possessed, rattling everything on it.
Margaret: How dare you?
Alice: I dare, you bitch, because I was the one who took him in my hands broken because of you and fought to make him whole again. He crawled into my arms for comfort. I was the one who heard him cry at night. I was the one who collected the empty whiskey bottles he drank to forget. I tended to the wounds he made to help him feel alive. It tormented me to see the man I'd loved since childhood grieving for another woman. But I didn't leave his side for a minute. I endured his every outburst, every madness. He pushed me away, but I stayed with him. I stayed with him and with my love I managed to help him. I healed him and made him smile again. I bled for that smile and I'll not let you or anyone else take it away from him. Did you hear me, bitch, or would you rather I write you a letter?
Alice almost shouts her words in Margaret's face, but she doesn't move at all. She looks at Alice smugly.
Margaret: Do you really think I'm going to be moved by the whiny crap you throw at me?
Alice: If you're even a little bit the girl Damon thinks you are, you should be.
Margaret: Wrong. I no longer have anything to do with the girl whose whole world revolved around Damon and who fought with her father because she insisted she belonged to him. I don't belong to him anymore. Maybe I never belonged to him. I was forced to be with him, but I was never asked if that's what I wanted. But I was patient, because I had to convince him to change me. And when he did, when he gave me immortality, I chose my own path and now I'm much better than before.
Alice: Why are you telling me all this? You're not afraid I'll tell Damon?
Margaret: Not at all and do you know why?
Alice: Why?
Margaret: Because you won't remember any of this when I'm done with you.
Alice: No matter what you do, I won't give you what you want. I'M NOT LEAVING HIM!
Margaret: We'll see about that!
Margaret stands up and approaches Alice at super speed. She stands menacingly in front of her and forces her to sit back down on the chair. She leans forward and holds Alice in the seat with her hands on the armrests. Alice looks at her and blinks a few times.
Alice: What are you going to do now?
Margaret: You're impossible to talk to, so I'm going to compel you do what I want.
Alice: Why are you doing this?
Margaret: I want Damon to become weak and the only way to do that is for you to leave him.
Alice: Please, Maggie ... I'm begging you! This is going to kill him.
Alice's sweet face contorts in fear and Margaret laughs smugly.
Margaret: You pathetic little human.
Alice: Please, Maggie ... Have pity on him!
Margaret: Shut up and listen!
Margaret leans down a little further and looks Alice straight in the eye. Her pupils dilate and her voice comes out of her mouth hypnotically.
Margaret: You're going to find Damon and tell him that I came to beg you for him, but you threw me out. You'll swear to him that you'll never leave him and then you'll let him fuck you. After that, as soon as he falls asleep, you'll quietly get up, pack a small suitcase, disappear and leave him a letter saying "I'm sorry, but I can't anymore. I don't love you and I never will. You'd better go back where you belong, to Maggie, who really loves you."
Alice stares at Margaret unblinkingly and repeats the last words, a sign that the compulsion is working.
Alice: ... to Maggie, who really loves you.
Margaret smiles even more smugly and pats Alice kindly on the cheek.
Margaret: Well done, my girl! I'll go now and wait for the glad tidings of your disappearance. Goodbye and I really hope I never see you again, because then I'll have to kill you.
Margaret leaves the office, certain that she has achieved her goal. She can hardly wait to see Damon so desperate and weak that she can move on to the next step in her plan. But she's counting her chickens before they're hatched, and when I say "chickens," I mean Damon's blood in Alice. What do I mean? Let's see ...
As Alice is left alone in the office, she gets up from her chair and looks at the door Margaret has just walked through.
Alice: So, that's your plan, bitch. You want to weaken Damon because you're afraid of him. I'm sorry, but I won't do you that favor. I'll protect him even if I have to sacrifice my pathetic little human life to do it.
At that moment, Damon, who has been informed by Isaiah of Margaret's departure, bursts into the office through the back door. He runs and takes Alice into his arms. She hugs him and wants to say something, but his kiss changes her plans. Not that she's complaining!
Damon's kiss isn't much different than his bite. His lips, tongue and saliva have an addictive taste that once you taste it, you get hooked and it's impossible to escape that addiction. The same happens with the bite, except that the venom secreted by the fangs immobilizes the victim and gives him a feeling of absolute euphoria and pleasure comparable to that of an orgasm, or perhaps even more intense.
As the kiss continues, feeding Alice's addiction, Damon grabs her ass and lifts her up. She wraps her legs around his waist and presses her body even closer to his. Even through the thick fabric of her jeans, she feels the hot pressure of his hard shaft between her legs.
The things on the desk, a phone, a lamp, several folders full of papers as well as an empty glass, are scattered on the floor before he places her on the hard furniture and climbs on top of her.
As his mouth leaves hers to travel down her neck, she musters all her discipline and willpower to be able to say two words to him. If she's going to talk to him, she needs to do it now, before he bites her and all her self-control is lost forever.
Alice: Damon ... I have to tell you.
Damon: You will, baby. But not until later.
Alice: Maggie tried to make me leave you.
He freezes on the spot.
Damon: When you say she tried to ...?
Alice: She tried, but she couldn't. You were right. Your blood didn't make the compulsion work.
He rests his head on her chest and sighs in relief. She runs her hand through his hair.
Damon: What did she do when she found out the compulsion wasn't working?
Alice: Who told you she found out?
He raises his head and looks at her questioningly.
Damon: What are you talking about? What did you do?
Alice: I played something for her and made her think I was going to do what she asked me to do.
He bursts out laughing.
Damon: I don't believe this!
Alice: You're laughing.
Damon: Yes, I'm laughing.
Alice: That means you think what I did was good, right? I mean, you aren't mad at me or anything?
Damon: Be mad at you? Why would I be?
Alice: Because I was messing with Maggie.
Damon: You're kidding now, right?
Alice: What does she want from you, Damon? Why does she want you to get weak?
Damon: Is that what she told you? That she wants to weaken me?
Alice: Yes.
Damon: Tell me everything, baby.
Alice tells Damon everything Margaret told her because she thinks the compulsion will work and she'll forget.
Damon: That's the reason she left me in the first place. That bitch! It was all a well thought out plan.
Alice: What do you mean by that?
Damon: I'm going to tell you. You should know what's going on. I'll tell you everything but not here.
Alice: Then let's go home.
They jump up from the desk and get ready to leave. At one point, Alice chuckles.
Damon: What's wrong, baby?
Alice: Nothing. I just ... It's weird to even think about it.
Damon: What?
Alice: Maggie's belief that you'd break down if I left you.
Damon: That's the only thing she's right about, baby. I couldn't bear it.
Alice: You mean ...?
Damon: Yes, baby. That's what I mean. You've become indispensable to me. Your presence is vital to me now and to answer your next question ... No, this has nothing to do with Maggie running away. I don't suffer from abandonment syndrome. I know how I feel about her now and how I feel about you. I ...
Alice: Wait! Don't say it. Not now. I can't wait for you to say it, but don't do it now when everything around us is crap. Please, just wait for the right moment.
Damon: Okay, baby. When this crap is over.
Alice: Yeah. When this crap is over.
Damon: Let's go home now.
Alice: Let's go.
~ SAME TIME ~ FAMILY LAND ~ LOVE NEST ~ LIVING ROOM ~
Stefan helps Artemis find the right menu to cater her restaurant for a health department charity event. Johnny talks to Eva about her upcoming surgery on a dog with cancer. Lucida studies the details and evidence of a recent case in which a girl was kidnapped and raped by her stepfather, while Matty helps Cecilia with some school papers. Jason is literally engrossed in the books. He's absorbed in the translation of the Book of the Damned.
At some point, he leaves the position he's sitting in and walks toward the others.
Jason: Guys, we have a problem.
They all turn around at the same time and look at him.
Stefan: What's going on, buddy?
Jason: I found the spell.
Cecilia: Good job, baby. Did you translate it?
Jason: Yeah. I know exactly what the witch did.
Johnny: And what? Can you reverse it?
Jason: That's exactly the problem. The spell is irreversible. The magic used is very powerful. The bitch knew very well what she was doing. Damn it!
Grave silence descends over the room. Jason goes and sits down next to Cecilia, who puts her arms around his shoulders.
Jason: How are we going to tell Elena? Damon?
Eva: It can't be, John-John. There has to be something. Daddy says no spell is irreversible unless it contains archangel blood.
Matty: Like the spell that changed us?
Eva: Yes.
Lucida: I heard Daddy Alex say something similar.
Jason: If that's the case, then there must be something to it. That spell has nothing to do with angels. Let alone anything archangelic.
Artemis: Then what are we waiting for? We can't call the elders, but we can always call our beloved archangel.
Lucida: Of course. Why didn't I think of that first? James.
Lucida immediately takes out her cell phone and dials the number of her supervisor, who picks up three rings later. The devil's deep and sexy voice sounds happily through the device's speaker.
James: Hello, sexy daughter of the sexiest angel in heaven. You call me at such a time and even off duty because your daddy finally decided to apologize for cussing me out for telling you about our foursome?
Those who don't know, the girls and Matty, are somewhat surprised by what they hear, while those who do know, Stefan, Jason and Johnny, grimace and bite their lips.
Lucida: Your WHAT? What the hell are you talking about, James? What exactly did you do with my fathers?
Cecilia: He said "foursome." Four people. Who was the fourth, James? My father?
James: Whoops!
Stefan: Good job, you jerk.
James: You didn't say anything to the girls?
Jason: No, you idiot. We didn't say anything at all.
Johnny: But you made sure that changed. Bollocks!
James: Crap! Matt is going to torture me mercilessly for this. I'd rather hide in the deepest dungeon of hell for a millennium or two.
Jason: Do that, but tell us something first. How can we reverse a powerful spell that was supposed to be irreversible?
James: Hmmm ... Do we know who cast the spell?
Jason: A witch. We don't know her, but I think we can track her down. Isn't that right?
James: Yes. All we need is a simple tracking spell. Even a kid can do it.
Stefan: And if we find the witch, what are we supposed to do?
James: That's even easier, Stef. You have to kill her!