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"What would I do without your eyes, the way they look at me and mine."
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I HATE holidays. Any holiday really, especially thanksgiving. I haven't really even celebrated holidays since I was a child, which was more than one hundred years ago. I mean, during the two years Theo and I spent alone, the only two things we partially celebrated were Christmas and his birthday. But even then, I only put up a small two foot tree, the size of Theo just for the fun of it.
I've never been a big fan of holidays, mostly because of my childhood. Holidays were spent with yelling, furious family members, and my father was almost never there due to his vampire council duties. Not that I was bothered by his absence, but still it didn't make the holidays feel right. Holidays back then were nothing but a reminder of the broken family I had.
"Remind me again why we're going to 'friendsgiving'?" I ask flatly, resting my head on my hand against the window of James's truck.
"Because it's what friends do on thanksgiving," James replies succinctly, giving me a teasing smirk.
"Yeah, well we could have had our own thanksgiving." I point out. "You could've cooked us an amazing turkey, since you know, you wanted to be a chef."
James chuckles as he pulls into the driveway of Jo's house, only a few minutes away from Whittmore College. He hops out first, going to the back to unbuckle Theo as I stare blankly at the house in front of me. Several cars are parked outside already, meaning there are people already inside. Damon's car however is missing which is slightly concerning.
"Hey," James says, opening the passenger door with Theo in his arms. "You coming?"
I sigh and take a deep breath. "Do I have to?" I whine childishly, causing James to laugh.
"Come on. It's not that bad, trust me. Blair Salvatore, I'm going to show you what a real thanksgiving looks like," he assures me, holding out his hand for me to take. I stare at it for a few seconds before giving in, taking it and climbing out of the truck.
He takes my hand and holds it until we get to the door, allowing Theo to press the doorbell. He lets out a giggle as he does so, causing the two of us to laugh. Seconds later, Jo opens the door with a friendly smile.
"Hey!" she greets. "Welcome, come on in."
She smiles, standing off the the side to allow us in. I force a smile as I walk in as I slip off my shoes. James sends her a kind smile and nod before he does the same, setting Theo down.
Jo leaves and takes our jackets just as Caroline spots us and proceeds down the long hallway toward us. "Thank god you guys came! We were running out of friends!" she jokes with a laugh, embracing me in a tight hug.
"What do you mean?" I question her, as she gives Theo and James a welcoming hug.
"You didn't hear?" She furrows her brows, standing up straight. I shake my head eagerly, motioning for her to continue. "Oh, well Stefan, Damon and Alaric aren't coming."
"What? Why the hell not?" I spit out, suddenly angered my brothers aren't going to be here. They're part of the reason besides Caroline I agreed to come. The three of us Salvatore's haven't had a holiday meal together in over a hundred years.
Caroline stares at me as her lips slowly curl upwards into a huge grin, obviously keeping something from me. "What is it Caroline?" I push in aggravation.
"It's Bonnie, she's alive," Caroline squeals.
"W-what?" I whisper, not sure if I heard her correctly.
"Damon found her stuffed bear last night, meaning she sent it over using magic. That means she's alive, and the three of them are in Portland now to look for some ascendant thing to unlock the prison world!" Caroline says in excitement.
"Bonnie's alive?" I ask again, in disbelief. "There's a way to get her out?"
"Yes." Caroline nods, embracing me in another hug. However, she lets go quickly as a very distinct burning smell hits all our noses. "Oh shoot," she gasps, turning to James in a panic. "James, I need your help or this turkey is a goner," she says frantically, grabbing his hand and leading him down the hallway.
Before they disappear down the hallway however, James turns to me. "Don't worry love, just because your brothers aren't here doesn't mean we won't have a ravishing thanksgiving," he assures me, his voice gradually getting quieter before they disappear around the corner to the kitchen.
I glance down at Theo with a wide smile on my face, taking in a deep breath. Maybe, just maybe this holiday dinner won't be so bad, just maybe. Before I enter the dining room where everyone else stands however, I pull out my phone and make an important call. As the line rings, I clear my throat, preparing for an argument.
"Yello?" Damon greets.
I let out a growl, clearly audible which only makes him chuckle. "Okay for one, don't ever greet anyone with that word again. Yellow is a colour, not a greeting word," I scold him. "And two, you better give me a damn good reason you didn't invite me on your little mission impossible," I snap at him, glancing down at Theo to give him a reassuring smile as if that will make up for my profanities.
"Happy thanksgiving to you too!" he cheers sarcastically, only aggravating me more. Damon is quite literally the only person who can annoy me so much I want to strangle them to death, but then again he's just as witty and sarcastic as I am which makes me fee bad for the people that have to put up with me. Frankly I don't know how they do it.
"Damon I'm serious! I hate thanksgiving and I was really looking for a way out of it. You know I hate thanksgiving. Remember what father made us do?" I ask him, my mind flashing back to the thanksgivings when our father was actually around.
"You mean when he forced us to go outside, catch a turkey and chop its head off only to watch it run around for a good ten minutes headless, with blood squirting from it's neck? Because yeah, I remember Blair." he sighs deeply, his recollection of the memory clearly hurting him too.
"I swore to god I would never let his ways affect me, but here we are, more than 100 years later and I find myself haunted by his existence," I mutter broodingly.
"I know," Damon says quietly, the line going silent for a few seconds. "But that doesn't mean you can't start new thanksgiving traditions with your new family, people like Caroline, Elena, even James. That's why I didn't invite you Blair, because I knew you would want to come. But you have to realize you have a little boy who needs you, and a man that loves you. You should be spending thanksgiving with them, not running around chasing some witchy ascendant."
Damon isn't one to go soft very often, so when he does I know he means it. His words hit me with a mixture of sadness and gratitude, realizing he's right. "Well what about you and Elena? Shouldn't you be here now that you've got your memories back?" I ask him.
"Trust me, I would much rather be anywhere but here in Portland with Romeo and Benvolio," he mutters. "But, we're closer than we've ever been to getting Bonnie back, which is the only thing keeping me going. So, can you do me a favour and try to enjoy thanksgiving? I think it would make James and Theo very happy."
"Ugh," I moan to myself in annoyance.
"Do you think you could do that?" he presses.
"I guess," I give in, staring down at my feet.
"Good. Now go socialize," he snickers.
"Don't push it," I growl, before I end the call.
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The one thing I'm thankful for at the moment is Theo, as his constant whining and complaints about being hungry keeps me occupied from having to converse with people- people including Tyler Lockwood and Liv, the witch that was partially responsible for Damon's death. Her and her brother Luke were the ones that stopped the spell early, trapping Damon over on the diminishing other side.
It's even more awkward as dinner is served as I have to sit across from her.
"Alright, would everyone please go to their assigned seats," Caroline instructs, standing at her seat at the end of the table. Theo sits beside me while James sits on the other side of Theo. I quite literally growl as Liv takes her seat across from me, Tyler by her side. James glances over at me with narrowed eyes, as if he's telling me to behave. He knows me well enough that if I don't get a reminder, I'll break from reality. If it weren't for James, I probably would have lunged across the table at her by now.
"Okie dokie!" Caroline claps her hands together. "Now that we're all seated, I thought it'd be fun to share one thing we're each thankful for," she says excitedly.
"Hey! Do you guys wanna see some baby video of Liv and I when we were kids?" Luke suddenly interrupts, causing Caroline to freak out. Before she has a chance to say anything, I decided to intervene first.
"Are you kidding me right now?" I growl. "I am starving."
"It will only take a few minutes," Luke waves me off, as Tyler and Liv crowd around him.
"Listen dipshit, my boyfriend and best friend have been cooking this turkey all afternoon. The least you can do is show some respect," I snap bitterly, causing everyone to glance at me. Caroline however sends me an appreciative nod.
"Yeah, and I'm sure it'll be delicious when I taste it in a few minutes," Luke laughs casually, not really showing any care.
I scoff and glance over at Caroline wide eyed only to realize she's in the same disbelief as I am. "Screw this. I'm not waiting," I snap, going to reach for the bread rolls. " Caroline can you pass the stuffing please?"
"Blair," James warns, sending me one of his looks.
"What?" I snap. "I'm not waiting for some guy that locked my brother on the other side."
"Remember what I said about having a good thanksgiving?" He raises a brow, reaching over to touch my shoulder gently. "This is what it's about. Family requires a lot of patience." He smiles, giving me a wink.
I sigh and nod, realizing he's right. I decide to give thanksgiving a chance and listen to James. In real houses, thanksgivings are never peaceful. There are always distractions and annoying people, but it's just something I'm going to have to deal with.
I lean back in my chair and stare at the food in front of me, as if it's calling my name. In the mean time, I focus my attention on Theo but I can't help but notice the sound of the video playing from across the table- the video on Liv and Luke's childhood.
"What are you playing?" Jo suddenly asks, standing up out of her chair.
"An old video," Luke says innocently.
"Sounds like you Jo," Elena laughs, watching over Tyler's shoulder at the video.
"That's because it is me," Jo revels, staring at the twins in shock. "I took that video 18 years ago at a birthday party for the twins."
Suddenly the whole room goes quiet, everyone silently putting the pieces together. I watch with careful eyes, observing Jo as her face lights up in recollection, gaping at the witch twins. "Lucas and Olivia?" she questions hopefully, her eyes slightly watery.
"Jo, as in Josette?" Luke questions.
"Wait, you two know each other?" Elena asks, staring back and forth between the twins and Jo. It takes everything in me not to make some bitter remark about her lame ass, obvious question.
"I'm their sister," Jo informs us, a smile growing on her face.
I almost let out a snort, but I contain my shock by covering it up with a cough. Theo glances over at me and smiles, giggling at me. "Mommy you funny," he giggles, causing James to crack a smile.
"Thanks buddy." I smile, ruffing up his hair. He giggles some more, filling the silence in the room before everyone begins talking again. Frankly I feel out of place watching people reunite, but it's entertaining none the less.
"So, if you don't know each other, how did you end up at the same school?" Caroline asks the question on all our minds.
"We had a family friend, Sheila Bennett. She took me under her wing," Jo explains, my ears instantly catching on the famous Bennett name.
"You knew Bonnie's grams?" I question her, joining the conversation.
Jo nods, giving me a smile. "She also helped my family put Kai away," she says, making my mouth quite literally drop open.
"Wait a minute... Kai? As in prison world Kai?" I blurt out, suddenly intrigued in the whole story.
"Yes, Kai, my twin. Our brother," Jo nods, turning to glance back at Liv and Luke who have become strangely quiet.
"You have two sets of twins in the family?" Caroline questions in shock.
"Yeah there were. Until my coven put Kai in a prison world," Luke adds.
"And why exactly did Kai get put in that hell hole?" I ask, my detective instincts seeking clarification. However, it appears my question has hit a soft spot, as Liv leaves the room.
"Because in our coven, at the age of twenty-two, the set of twins merge against each other to determine which one gets to be leader. The winner absorbs the other's magic, and the other one..," Jo takes a pause. "Dies."
I furrow my brows in confusion, taken back by the fact.
"Kai wanted to wipe all of us out so he would be destined to be leader. Now that he's gone, it's up to me and Liv to face off," Luke says, glancing down at his shoes in a brooding stare.
I take a second to glance over at James, leaning in close so only he can hear me. "Is this the kind of family drama you had in mind at thanksgiving dinner?" I tease.
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[completed & edited: 10/11/2021]