Stefan leads Elena and Bonnie to Sheila Bennett's house where they meet up with the elder woman to talk about the tomb and about Damon.
"How did you know where we were?" Bonnie questions her grandmother.
Sheila smiles slightly. "Many things can fuel a witch's power. Worry, anger. After Stefan told me that they had taken you, I had a lot of both. A simple locator spell was easy after that."
"I'm sorry. About all of this." Bonnie whispers softly, smiling apologetically.
Sheila purses her lips. "Not as sorry as they're gonna be."
Stefan and Elena enter the room. Elena lets out a deep exhale, glancing over at the two Bennett witches.
"So, what are we gonna do now?" Elena questions.
"Well, for now, you need to stay here." Stefan instructs.
Sheila glances over at Stefan. "A prisoner in my own home? I don't think so."
"I can't protect you if you leave the house." Stefan crosses his arms.
"We'll protect ourselves." Sheila insists.
Elena inhales. "We need to let him have Evelyn back. He's not gonna stop until he gets her. She's his daughter. If we help him, maybe that ends it."
Bonnie shakes her head, looking at Elena. "No. He doesn't deserve to get what he wants." She protests immediately.
"She's my niece." Stefan cuts in.
Everyone turns to him immediately. Bonnie immediately quiets down, forgetting about that detail. She feels guilty for saying it now.
"Yes, Damon may not deserve to get what he wants, but my niece will not be punished for my brother's actions. She's been in the tomb for 145 years. As far as she knows, he's a good man who's been in the war. She doesn't know who he is today. Sheila." Stefan turns to the elder witch, trying to plead with her.
Sheila presses her lips together. "I heard about her. The Salvatore Heretic."
"Heretic?" Bonnie frowns confused.
"A siphoner witch and vampire. A hybrid. A siphoner witch is a witch born without magic but they can practice the art of magic. They just need to siphon it from a power source. Either objects or...other supernatural creatures." Sheila explains.
Bonnie nods slowly. "Doesn't that make her..." She trails off quietly.
"A danger to the witch species? Yes." Sheila confirms.
Stefan sighs. "Evelyn doesn't care about ending the witch species. She holds nothing against witches. And with her, we can hold Damon under control. She can hold him under control. Damon may be a terrible person but he is not a terrible father."
There's a moment of silence in the room.
Sheila inhales sharply. "Witches being pulled down by vampire problems. As much as we try to do to stay out of it." She shakes her head. She slowly looks up at Stefan. "I'll open the tomb. You get your brother's daughter and destroy the rest with fire. Then this will be all over."
"We have to get Damon to agree." Stefan reminds her.
"He already agreed once." Elena argues.
"Yeah, and we double-crossed him. So now he's angry." Stefan tells her.
Elena sighs. "He's hurt. There's a difference. I think I know what I have to do." She tells him in a soft tone.
💙🩸🌕🔮
Elena enters the boarding house as Damon takes his leather jacket on. He turns around, staring at her for a moment before speaking up.
"I'm gonna have to change the locks." Damon remarks. "You stage a jailbreak?"
"Stefan." Elena clarifies.
Damon smiles sarcastically. "Oh, brother. Ever the white knight."
Elena ignores his comment. "I convinced Bonnie to help you."
"I doubt that." Damon states.
"I'm not gonna say that I'm sorry we got the Grimoire without you last night...because I'm not really." Elena walks down the stairsteps to stand closer to the raven-haired vampire.
"Well, at least you're honest." Damon remarks sarcastically.
Elena once again ignores his comment. "I was protecting the people I love, Damon. But so were you, in your own twisted way. And as hard as it is to figure, we're all on the same side, after the same thing."
"I'm not interested." Damon dismisses, lying through his teeth. He doesn't dare to show it, but he would do anything to get his little girl back. Even if it means working with and trusting his brother once again, despite how it ended last time.
"Yes, you are. Because you were willing to work with us yesterday." Elena states.
Damon turns back to her. "Fool me once, shame on you."
"You don't trust us. I can see why. But you will still work with us today when Bonnie and her grams open the tomb." Elena claims.
Damon crosses his arms. "And why is that?"
"Evelyn. Stefan told me about her. His niece, your daughter. I know you care about her. You lied. You don't want Katherine. You just didn't want anyone to know your weak and soft spot. A desiccated teenage girl. But we can get her out. Tonight." Elena tries to convince him.
Damon stares expressionlessly.
Elena is terrified for a moment. She thinks that she said something that offended him for a moment before he nods slightly. She breathes out in relief.
💙🩸🌕🔮
Elena and Damon walk through the party by the graveyard. Elena glances around and wonders why everyone is here but it hits her.
"The Duke party. I forgot. I hope they stay clear of the church." Elena breathes out.
"Your hope, not mine." Damon retorts.
They hear footsteps approaching them, making Damon look up. He grows impatient by seeing Matt and Caroline approaching them. They are so Barbie-and-Ken-coded that it is not even funny.
"Elena, hey." Matt greets.
"Elena, oh, my God. Where have you been?" Caroline questions, grabbing Matt's hand making him look down at their hands. So does Elena before looking back up at Caroline.
"Long story, no time to tell it." Damon tells her, smiling sarcastically.
Caroline glares at him. "I wasn't talking to you." She sasses.
"Sure you were." Damon smirks.
"We haven't met. I'm Matt." Matt holds out his hand to Damon.
Damon stares judging. "Matt, there's a reason for that." He tells him before turning to Elena. He grabs her shoulder. "You and I are going that way." He leads her away from the blonde couple.
"I'm sorry, guys." Elena apologizes softly before letting him lead her away.
💙🩸🌕🔮
"Brother. Witches." Damon greets them shortly when he and Elena approach them. He doesn't bother hiding his impatience. He doesn't care about Katherine, he just wants his daughter back. He wants Evelyn back with him.
"Everything okay?" Stefan questions, approaching Elena.
Elena exhales. "I just wanna get this over with. Are we ready?"
"I guess so." Bonnie expresses.
💙🩸🌕🔮
Sheila and Bonnie prepares the elements outside the tomb so they can draw energy from the elements to break the spell on the tomb.
"Air. Earth. Fire." Sheila speaks as she lights the torches on fire.
Bonnie holds up a glass bottle of water. "Water." She speaks softly.
Sheila takes the bottle from Bonnie, looking down at it in her hands for a short moment. She pours it down in front of the tomb.
"That's it? Just water from the tap?" Elena questions.
"As opposed to what?" Sheila questions back.
Elena furrows her eyebrows. "I just figured maybe it would have to be blessed or mystic or something."
Sheila smiles amused while she continues to prepare with Bonnie. Stefan observes as Damon pulls out a blood bag.
"What's that?" Stefan questions.
"It's for Evelyn. I gotta have something to get her going. Unless your girl is offering up a vein." Damon retorts, glancing back at Elena who swallows nervously. He turns back to the tomb.
Stefan sighs, staying silent.
"Admit it." Damon whispers, leaning closer to Stefan. "You can't wait to get rid of me but at the same time, you don't want Evelyn away from you. Because you are a noble and so very caring uncle."
Stefan chuckles humorlessly. "I can't wait to get rid of you. And I want my niece in Mystic Falls." He repeats, knowing his brother has a point.
Damon hums amused.
"We're ready." Bonnie announces.
💙🩸🌕🔮
"Phasmatos Salves Nas Ex Malon, Terra Mora Vantis Quo Incandis, Et Vasa Quo Ero Signos." The Bennett witches chant in unison repeatedly.
"What are they saying?" Damon questions.
"Sounds Latin." Stefan observes.
"I don't think it's Latin." Elena expresses.
"Phasmatos Salves Nas Ex Malon, Terra Mora Vantis Quo Incandis, Et Vasa Quo Ero Signos." Bonnie and Sheila continues to chant the spell.
Suddenly, the fire on the torches lights bigger and brighter.
Elena grabs onto Stefan. "What's happening?"
They hear a loud crack. The two witches stop chanting. Then they see the tomb door slowly open up. Bonnie stares i awe.
"It worked." Bonnie breathes out in surprise.
"Well, of course it worked." Sheila retorts.
Damon glances at the slightly-open tomb door before glancing back at Stefan. "Don't you have some fires to build?"
Stefan looks at his brother before turning to Elena. "I'm gonna get the gasoline. I'll be right back." He informs before quickly leaving the tomb.
Damon glances back at the Bennett witches before looking at Elena. "You ready?"
"What?" Elena questions in surprise.
"You think I'm gonna go in there by myself so you can seal me in?" Damon questions before roughly grabbing Elena's arm and pulling her to his side.
"So take her in. I'll bring the walls down." Sheila warns.
"You'll bring the walls down if I don't. You think I trust you?" Damon fires back.
"As much as I trust you." Sheila tells him.
"Enough. Both of you. Look, he needs leverage. He needs to know that you're not gonna shut the door and leave him to be desiccated with his daughter. I get it." Elena says. She then looks up at Damon. "I'll go."
Damon lets go of her arm before picking up one of the torches. "May I?"
After picking up the torch, Damon slowly makes his way inside the tomb through the small opening. Elena glances at the witches before following the vampire.
💙🩸🌕🔮
Damon walks further inside the tomb, lighting up the way with the torch. Elena walks behind, holding a flashlight. Elena gasps when she hears whispers in the wall.
"What is that?" Elena questions.
"They can sense you. Now, where is she?" Damon questions before getting out of Elena's sight to look in every corner and hiding spot in the tomb, determined to find his daughter.
"Damon." Elena speaks when he gets out of sight. She exhales shakily.
💙🩸🌕🔮
When Damon finds Evelyn's desiccated body in a hiding corner of the tomb, he forgets all about Elena and crouches down in front of her. He carefully pulls her hair out of her face before gently pressing the open blood bag to her lips.
"Come on, baby, drink. Please. My sweet little girl. Please. Lynnie." Damon strokes her hair and cheek, pleading desperately. He can't let it all be for nothing.
Damon decides to go for tough love for the moment and forces a few sips of blood from the blood bag past her lips. When the brown-haired girl gets the taste, she can feel herself drinking with a raspy grunt. Damon breathes out in relief, stroking her hair gently.
"There you go. Good girl. Drink, baby." Damon whispers softly.
Damon suddenly hears Elena's scream and glances back slightly before looking back down at his daughter. No matter how bad he feels for Elena, he will never choose anyone over his daughter. Evelyn is his first priority, since the moment she was born and forever.
💙🩸🌕🔮
Stefan and Elena watch as Damon carries his daughter out of the tomb. They watch as he walks back to his car, not even giving them a single glance.
"What will he do now?" Elena questions softly.
Stefan wraps his arms around his girlfriend. "Don't worry, Elena, he won't do anything bad now. I know Damon, as a father, at least. He will dote on her and take care of her, even after she gets back to her regular self. Even when is running around and her voice is not raspy anymore. Damon was always an overprotective father. He won't stop now."
Elena nods slightly.
"After she gets better, he will probably leave town with her. But I hope you get to meet her before that happens. She is not Damon, not like he is now. She is sweet, kind, and very gentle. She cares about people. She is introverted but caring." Stefan explains.
Elena smiles fondly. "She seems cool."
Stefan chuckles softly. "She is. Very cool. She just... She doesn't know what Damon is like now. I just hope that she doesn't find out the tough way."
Elena purses her lips, nodding slightly.
💙🩸🌕🔮
When Damon gets back to the boarding house, he immediately puts his daughter to bed. Changing clothes and showering can wait until tomorrow, he decides. The only thing of importance right now is that his daughter is alive and with him.
He has waited for 145 years and the patience finally did it. He has his daughter back. But now he does not have any patience left. He laid all patience on his daughter.
The blue-eyed vampire sighs, brushing his daughter's hair out of her face gently before pressing a soft kiss against her forehead. He doesn't even care that her skin is soil-covered and dirty. He just cares about his daughter.
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Author's Note:
What did you think about the first chapter? I have had this idea for quite a while. I just didn't know how to introduce the book with a decent first chapter. But I hope you enjoyed reading the chapter!
Evelyn will appear fully in the next chapter! She won't be sassy directly since they were well-mannered back in the 1800s. So in the rest of season 1 and the beginning of season 2, she will speak very formally.
Evelyn will have flings with several people. Jeremy, Bonnie, Katherine. The best thing is that she is oblivious to it and has no idea what she's doing. They just enjoy her obviousness.