"I want you to crash at my place tonight," Damon suggests after we make it back to the car, "Ya know, considering it's Rebekah-free and all."
I stay quiet, my eyes glued to the passing town outside the car window. I really wish tonight would have gone better. I feel so pathetic in thinking that we could have any sort of relationship after everything that has happened between us. She will always blame me; it's just how it is now.
I wonder if Rebekah had been playing us that whole time, even when we had that familiar moment of friendship. She was my sister again, my confidant. The fact that she openly hates me now is heartbreaking to say the least.
"You're the reason Niklaus is the way he is."
The words echo around in my mind, haunting me. It pains me to know that Rebekah would blame me for everything Klaus has done since then, but there was no way I could have known the effect my death would have on him. After Michael killed me, I could have returned and all of this could have been avoided, but I chose to follow my own path. Rebekah would say I ran away and took something that wasn't mine to take, but I only ever wanted to protect them.
"Only if there's bourbon." I finally reply with a defeated sigh.
He smirks, "Always."
The Salvatore boarding house is just as elegant as Damon had mentioned long ago. He described it as an overzealous bed and breakfast, but I think the mansion itself looks much more like a fancy cottage that is beautifully tucked into the surrounding trees more than anything else.
"Home sweet home," he hums as he links our arms to lead me inside. "Girls night in? I'll even throw in a pillow fight."
His tone is playfully suggestive, but I know him better than to call it flirting. He tries to hide his worry behind jokes and mockery, but I see right through the effort.
"How about we drink a lot and not speak a word about what happened tonight."
He smiles, "That's my girl."
The inside of the boarding house is bewildering compared to the outside. As soon as you step through the grand entrance, the roaring fireplace welcomes you in, making you just want to grab a good book and curl up in its warmth. It'll have to keep that in mind next time I build another house.
Damon and I separate so he can go make drinks for the two of us. I throw myself onto the enticing sofa and embrace the heat coming from the open flames.
"I can't believe you're here." He professes, as he gazes at me from the dry bar. "When I heard Klaus and Stefan were in Chicago, everything in me told me to call you. It just seemed right."
"I'm happy you did," I admit.
He raises an eyebrow in question of how I could possibly feel that way. I really don't believe it either, but I know that I would have given anything to reunite with my best friend again.
"I'm serious, Damon." I claim, "Our time together in the twenties was epic, and I've really needed something like that lately. I don't think it would have been very long before I came knocking on your door for something to do."
Damon comes around the couch with two glasses of bourbon. He hands one to me and takes a seat opposite of me on the other sofa. I lay my head back on the cool leather, letting the alcohol relax me with every sip.
"I'm not very epic anymore, Clara," he says, "I'm... parental now. It's absolutely horrifying."
I laugh obnoxiously, "I'm not sure parental is the word I would use."
Our back and forth camaraderie goes on for another hour or so. In that time, we each have a few more drinks and enjoy the other's company.
Times like these are precious, especially with Damon and I as it has been decades since we have met in person and I'm not sure how long this is going to last. If it were like this every night, maybe I wouldn't have a problem staying, but that is very unrealistic.
Just as Damon is about to tell the punchline of a story, the front door opens to reveal a tattered Stefan, who is carrying Elena, and an unscathed Alaric trailing behind them.
Damon disappears from his seat in front of me and reappears in front of Stefan. They barely make it through the door before Elena reaches for him.
"Damon," she sighs in relief.
I jump up from my seat and follow Damon's path at a much slower pace. By the time I get there, he has Elena stood up and leaning against his shoulder.
"Come on, I have a First Aid kit upstairs." Damon's eyes flicker to mine to make sure it's alright that he ends the party early, but I wave a hand instantly to let him know that he doesn't have to worry about anything other than Elena right now.
Stefan follows them when they start walking toward the staircase. I hear him explaining that there was an explosion, but I don't catch much more than that.
With the Salvatore's distracted by the same girl, Alaric gets himself stuck with the slightly intoxicated version of me.
"Would you like a drink?" I offer, moving to the dry bar.
He nods, following me in, "Yes, please, anything to distract me from such a sucky day."
Alaric sits on the opposite side of the couch I had been occupying just before he arrived. I hand him his own glass of bourbon and sit in my spot near the fire.
"We can talk about it, if you'd like to." I say softly.
He swirls the liquid in the glass with his wrist, thinking. The alcohol is having its own little party inside of me, but I try to ignore it and pay attention to the man before me. I guess it doesn't help that I have yet another full glass in my hand.
"Actually," he begins, after a moment of silence, "can we talk about you?"
I furrow my brows, "What is it you would like to know?"
He takes a sip of his drink quickly, switching his position so that his arm is resting across the length of the sofa and his body is turned towards me. I also notice that he doesn't react to the burn of the whiskey, which is something strange we have in common.
"You told me the other night that you are probably two thousand years old." He pauses. "How is that possible?"
"I don't even have the answer to that, Ric, just theories that I have come up with over the centuries."
"Okay. Why are you unsure that you are that... old?"
I feel myself smile, "I don't remember much before a thousand years ago. I sometimes get glimpses, and I've heard stories about myself of things that I have no recollection of, but I really can't remember a thing."
"So, you're a mystery." It's not a question, but I think it's meant to be asked as one.
"Pretty much. My body hasn't changed, much like the vampires you surround yourself with."
He shakes his head, "It's not intentional. I just can't leave Elena and Jeremy to fend for themselves after what happened to their family."
There is a lot of information new to me in what he just said. Jeremy must be the younger brother of Elena's that I saw in her family pictures. Also, with her family gone, it explains their untouched bedroom at the end of the hall that I had noticed when I stayed there.
Alaric hangs his head, realizing why I have fallen silent, "I hadn't realized you weren't filled in on what happened to Elena's family."
His expression is pained, impacted. I cover the hand he has draped over the back of the couch with one of my own to provide him some comfort. He pauses and I worry that I may have overstepped, but he doesn't pull away.
"I know pieces, nothing worth talking about right now." I smile, eager to change the subject to something lighter, "You were asking me questions. I'm sure as a history teacher, you may want to pick my brain a bit?"
He nods, moving on with me, "Actually, yes."
His eyes flicker between our hands and my face quite often while we talk. He asks about every major historical event he can think of off the top of his head, which is a lot even for a history junkie. From the French Revolution to the JFK Assassination, he questions the hidden supernatural impact on anything and everything. I don't leave out a single detail.
I absolutely love talking openly with him about my experiences as I have never been in a conversation like this before. He's so eager to learn and I have to warn him multiple times that he can't slip up when he teaches the human version to his students, but I trust him with all of it anyway.
I am struggling to read him, both with my magic and with pure instincts. I can't even tell if he's flirting with me, or just happy to be in my presence. Am I really so out of the loop in the men category that I don't know the hidden meaning behind touching palms across the couch? Even worse, am I flirting back?
Blame it on the alcohol, my heart tells me, you deserve to feel wanted by a man every once in a great while.
We sit like this for a long time until Damon brings Elena down for Alaric to take home. As soon as we hear them conversing on the steps, we split apart like two rebellious teenagers who are about to be caught making out.
But it wasn't like that. Alaric is my friend who just happens to be extremely handsome and an all-around great guy. What more do I need to say?
-----------
When I wake the next day, I find myself in an absolutely beautiful room that I'm pretty sure I didn't fall asleep in. It's midday, and the hangover behind my eyes is fierce and ready to revolt if I look directly into the light. It's a fitting punishment, considering Damon's going to need a new dry bar.
After Alaric and Elena left, Damon and I stayed up another hour or two drinking and talking. From what I can remember, our conversations went from coherent to completely separate simultaneous monologues of topics that we must have been pretty confident about.
Elena, Elena, Elena. That's all I remember from Damon's side of things. He must feel pretty confident about openly talking about her with Stefan in the house now that he doesn't have emotions. I can't imagine he would be exactly content with it normally, but I guess I don't really know him.
I do not have any recollection of what I dragged on about last night. I hope it wasn't anything too memorable. Maybe if I cure this headache, I'll be able to get some memory back.
Opening my eyes to the light of a new day was a struggle, but I was able to do it. At one point, I felt my temperature spike drastically as if I suddenly have a fever, but I ignore it the best I can. My room has its own bathroom, so I shower and do my usual spell to instantly transport an outfit onto my body from the suitcase I stashed in Chicago.
When I make it downstairs, I feel refreshed, but not exactly cured. I follow the fresh scent of daisies and Stefan and Damon's voices to the parlor, eager to join in on their rivalry.
"Holy shit," I curse as soon as I see the two brothers. "Damon, you should know that it's kind of weird to show your kinky side outside of the bedroom.
In the center of the room, Damon is tied to a chair with a fire stoker impaling his stomach. Stefan leans against the wall, his expression satisfied and unwilling to help.
"Ha. Ha." Damon wheezes, "One of you, get me the hell out of this chair."
No humanity Stefan puts his hands up playfully, showing that he has no intention of helping. He leaves the room with a low chuckle.
"Clara!" Damon growls, regaining my attention.
"Oh, yeah."
I snap my fingers and the chains fall off of him at once. With his hands free, he pulls the skewer out of him and quickly picks up his daylight ring, which I hadn't noticed was laying on the floor a few feet away from him.
"Thank you," he breathes.
I don't miss a beat, "What the hell happened to you?"
My first thought is that Mikael came looking for me and found Damon first. It's entirely possible as I don't know the timeline that Elena and her friends have in bringing Mikael here. Then again, I don't think Damon would have come out of this alive if it really had been the immortal hunter.
"Mason Lockwood is haunting me from the great beyond," he explains.
I shake my head in confusion, "I have no clue what any of that means, Damon."
"I think I do, actually." Stefan announces from behind us, reappearing again. "I need Clara's help to fix it, though."
"Absolutely not." Damon declares.
I ignore his overprotectiveness, "What do you need me to do?"
Damon lightly hits his hand against my arm. He gives me a look that I interpret as, 'what the hell are you doing?', but I take no notice of it.
Stefan obviously doesn't care either way, "Both of you can come."
"Where exactly?"
"Well, the town festival is tonight. Try not to piss anyone else off before I meet you there." He rubs his hands together. "Maybe they will have something fresh to eat. I'm starving."
-----------
When Damon and I arrive in the town square, the festivities are well underway. The area is absolutely packed with people I've obviously never seen before, but I am able to pick out a few familiar supernatural teenagers.
"You see Stefan?" I ask Damon who is also scanning the crowd.
He shakes his head, "Not yet. He left before us, though. There's Ric."
I follow his eyes to where Elena, Alaric, and the brother, Jeremy, who is holding hands with a young black-haired girl. Damon starts towards them and I go to follow, but somebody grabs my arm.
I don't bother reacting as I'm not very worried about who it is. Stefan moves in front of me, revealing himself before moving a finger to his lips. He points to a spot in the shade that is out of Damon and Alaric's sight. I follow him there, on guard.
In the background, someone takes the stage and begins explaining the historical significance behind the festivities tonight. I tone it out completely—I could really care less.
"I wasn't sure you were going to show." Stefan says in a low voice once we are semi-alone.
"Get on with it, Stefan." I sneer. "You said you needed my help?"
"Ah, yes, Klaus warned me about your petty wit. He also said you have a mind of your own about your protection. Trust me, I hate this as much as you do."
"Um, excuse me?" I retort. "I don't need a babysitter, Stefan."
He smiles wryly. "He told me you'd say that too."
I let out an exaggerated breath. I should have known better than to think that Stefan was here only to keep an eye on Elena. It's humiliating in itself to be compared to the helpless human let alone be given protection by my ex-lover.
Suddenly, I feel too hot for comfort again. I put a hand to my forehead to feel it covered in sweat just like it had been this morning. Stefan watches me intently as I pull my hair back with the hair tie that magically appears on my wrist.
"What's going on with you?" He questions, reaching up to feel my forehead for himself.
I swat his hand away instantly and take a seat on the cool grass. I don't feel sick or in any sort of pain, it just feels like I have spent the last hour or so slaving away in the sun.
Thankfully, a short breeze finds its way to me in the shade. I breathe in deeply and am hit with the smell of fresh daisies. My eyes scan the busy square around us, but nothing fits the scent.
"I'm fine," I decide, suddenly feeling reminiscent. "Run along, Stefan. Your services are not going to be needed anytime soon."
"There you are, Clara." Damon's voice echoes as he slowly comes into view, "I see you found my worst nightmare. Stefan."
Stefan rolls his eyes instead of acknowledging the hello. I reach a hand in the air for some assistance to get up, but don't find any as they verbally fight each other for the responsibility. I shake my head and stand on my own.
"So, this is what it's like to be Elena Gilbert..." I mumble sarcastically, knowing they can both hear me.
I feel my body cool down as soon as I stand again. I try not to dwell on the possibility that something may be wrong with the world now that I am getting sudden fevers again. This is all too familiar and understandable considering what happened to Damon this morning.
The once arrogant squabbling between Stefan and Damon has now grown to sound a little more like a full out confrontation. Strangely enough, their voices actually lowered drastically to a point where I can only make out words like Klaus, Elena, protection and finally, Clara.
With them distracted, I take my chance to move back into the sunlight to search the crowd for Alaric and Elena again. I come up with nothing, but I instead find the source of the daisy smell from earlier. Across the street, a building labeled the Mystic Grill has a garden surrounding their outdoor patio that seems to be filled with beautiful white daisies.
My mind runs blank as my feet carry me to the scene of flowers. Damon calls my name from behind me, but I am too far away from him to turn around now. I don't hear either brother following after me, so I don't bother going back to explain myself to either of them.
Up close, the garden itself is actually riddled with weeds and the dirt looks untouched for the most part. The daisies, however, seem to be freshly grown instead of planted and a little out of place amongst the perfect bouquets that are littered around the town for tonight's celebration.
"Um... Hi, Clara." I hear Elena say from the restaurant's patio.
I blink and suddenly realized that I had been staring at the garden like a crazy person. Even worse than that, Alaric and Elena are sitting at a table directly across from where I am standing.
"Yeah, sorry. I just got lost in how beautiful these daisies are," I explain.
They both look down at the flowers and then back at me. After exchanging a strange glance with Elena, Alaric gestures to the open chair next to him.
"Why don't you come sit. We could use your brain." He smiles politely, but I can see the concern behind his eyes.
I make my way onto the patio and take the empty seat. The waitress automatically brings me a water and I notice that I've started sweating again.
"Clara, we've been curious about Lexi. In Chicago, it sounded like you knew her?" Elena asks.
I shake my head, too quickly, "I knew of her."
My water is gone all too soon. Alaric switches his full glasses with my empty one, his expression worried.
"Do you know how she did things? How she helped Stefan?"
"Um, yeah. She dried vampires out... um..."
Alaric puts a hand on my arm, "Clara, are you alright?"
In a blink, I'm suddenly standing, and Alaric pulls away instinctively. I think I excuse myself before wandering away from the Mystic Grill and my two very confused friends. Well, Alaric is my friend.
I end up behind the restaurant in some sort of back alley. The smell of daisies is overwhelming now, but my fever seems to be subsiding. I take a seat on the cool concrete, close my eyes and press my sweaty face to the wall. This is all too familiar.
"Enough, Adalynn." I whisper to the empty alley in hopes that she can hear me, "It's too much now."
"Yeah... I can't really control it, you know."
My eyes fly open at the sound of her voice. Our eyes meet instantly.
"Oh my god." I breathe, finally feeling the effects of her spells fade. "Adalynn."
*******
Chapter 12: 4/09/17 -- 2:16pm
Okay, you guys have every right to be mad at me considering it's been four months without an update. :/
I'M SO SORRY PLEASE FORGIVE ME.
It won't happen again. I mean, I love this too much to ever leave it.
I hate it when he's not in Mystic Falls :(
Like and comment please! I absolutely love hearing your feedback!
Much love for you all!
Mae