―❅―
𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐄 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐈𝐂𝐄
[ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴛᴡᴇɴᴛʏ-ᴏɴᴇ - 𝘭𝘪𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦]
"now i wish we'd never met,
cause you're too hard to forget"
✧✦✧✦✧
Thea awoke the next day with a killer migraine. Maybe the 8 beers were a bit too much, she winced as she turned over, attempting to go back to sleep before the shrill tone of her cell phone emitted around the room. Groaning, Thea answered it without opening her eyes, "what," she spat into the phone in annoyance, her face scrunched up in pain at the drumming she felt in her head. A laugh sounded from the other side of the phone, "lovely to speak to you too, little wolf," the voice said causing Thea to sit up in alarm, pushing the pain to the back of her mind as she realised who had called.
"Nik?" the wolf breathed out, her heart hammering in her chest at the sound of his voice, "the one and only," he stated causing Thea to roll her eyes as she imagined him stood there with his obnoxious smirk on his face. "What do you want, Klaus?" she questioned as she rubbed her head, the pain returning though this time she wasn't sure if it was caused by her head or her heart. "Well, the last time that I saw you, you insisted you hated me for ruining yours and your friend's lives. So imagine my surprise when I awoke this morning to two text messages from you stating how much you missed me and my kisses," he mocked her, his smirk practically shining through his words.
Thea winced, memories flooding her brain as she thought back to last night. After Rebekah had dropped her back at home, the brunette drunkenly messaged the number the blonde original had stupidly given her. Thea blamed Rebekah for the mess she was currently in, the blonde knew she was wasted and still allowed her to text to Klaus. "I was completely wasted, it didn't mean anything," Thea insisted rolling her eyes as she heard the hybrid's amused laughter, "you know what they say, love. The drunk mind speaks the sober heart," he retorted mockingly.
Thea huffed in frustration, "I'll be back soon, little wolf. And you can have plenty of my kisses," he flirted before ending the call. The dark haired teen groaned in irritation, burying her head further into her pillow, wincing at the horrendous pain in her head. Her phone beeped, the screen illuminating with a message from 'the hot psycho hybrid' that simply read, 'I miss you too, little wolf,' and the brunette caught herself smiling in joy as her heart fluttered wildly. I am so screwed, she thought as she closed her eyes, face planting the pillow once again.
✧✦✧✦✧
A couple of hours later, Thea was hanging lanterns with Bonnie and Caroline in the town square, her mind free of pain but clouded with thoughts of the smirking hybrid and their earlier conversation. "So, when you did the spell to send Vicki away, did it get rid of Anna, too?" Caroline asked unexpectedly, dragging the wolf's attention away from the thoughts in her head, causing her to sigh in relief. Bonnie sighed in annoyance, "I wish. All I did was block the magic that was helping Vicki get a physical foothold here. Jeremy's still got a direct line to the other side, and as long as he wants to see Anna and she wants to see him, she's still here," she explained in frustration.
Thea looked at her friend in sympathy as Caroline shot her an expectant look, "okay, you don't think I can actually resist commenting on that," the blonde vampire said causing the wolf to nudge her, attempting to get her to shut her mouth. Caroline only wanted what was best for her friends, but sometimes she was a little too judgey and went a little too far. "There. You commented," Bonnie mumbled, continuing to hang up the lanterns, ignoring the look the vampire was giving her.
"Bonnie," Caroline trailed off with a knowing tone in her voice, making Thea wince as Bonnie's head snapped towards the blonde in irritation. "What do you want me to say, Caroline? I went against the balance of nature when I brought Jeremy back to life, and now I'm paying the consequences," the witch snapped causing Caroline to sigh, "I want you to say you're not okay with it," she pushed.
"I'm a thousand times not okay with it. I just don't know what to do about it," Bonnie admitted, sighing in sadness causing Thea to hug her in comfort. The wolf was about to speak up before she was interrupted by the sound of a revving engine. "Greetings, blondie, witchy," Damon said as he pulled up at the side of them, his window rolled down as he leant against it, "sex on legs," he stated flirtatiously as he glanced at Thea, the brunette offering him a wink in reply. "I think your voodoo wires all crossed when you got rid of Vicki Donovan," he smiled sweetly as he looked back at the witch, and though his face may have looked sweet and innocent, his voice held nothing but supreme sarcasm.
"What do you mean?" Bonnie asked, crossing her arms as the three girls stared at him in confusion, "I'm pretty sure I just got spit-roasted by Mason Lockwood's ghost," Damon replied, causing Thea's head to perk up in interest. "Uncle M's back?" she spoke up with hope as she looked at her raven haired friend as he smiled at her nodding bitterly as he recalled what happened to him earlier. "Wait, why would you even think that?" Caroline asked, still confused.
"Maybe because he chained me to a chair and shoved a hot poker in my chest. Let's just say I'm having déjà vu," Damon explained causing Thea to smirk, "go Uncle Masey," she muttered in amusement as Damon rolled his eyes at her. "I thought you said ghosts couldn't physically interact with people," Caroline said to Bonnie as the witch stared in confusion, "they can't" she answered, her voice barely above a whisper as she realised she had screwed something up.
"Yeah, well. I don't have time for a vengeful Lockwood. When I kill someone they're supposed to stay dead," the raven haired vampire stated causing Thea to narrow her eyes at him, "kinda like how I wish you had," she told him, smiling sarcastically. Bonnie and Caroline snorted in amusement as Damon scoffed in annoyance, "get in the car, Lockwolf," he said, Thea doing as he said as he turned to look back at Bonnie. "Whatever you screwed up, fix it," he demanded before speeding off.
✧✦✧✦✧
Damon and Thea walked into the Grill, making their way over to the bar as they spotted Alaric, "you know, I've had enough vampires today, thanks," the history teacher sighed as he began to get up. "Oh, come on. Have a drink with me. We've got trouble," Damon said as he and Thea sat on either side of the ex-vampire hunter, the vampire compelling them all a drink. "No. you've got trouble. See, we're not a team. You tried to kill me. All right? We're not friends. I don't like you anymore," Ric explained blankly causing the wolf to giggle softly, covering her mouth as the elder Salvatore shot her a glare.
"Ah! But remember back when you liked me and we conspired to kill Uncle werewolf Mason Lockwood?" Damon questioned with a smirk, wincing as he noticed the harsh glare the wolf was currently giving him. "Yeah, and?" Alaric replied, only half paying attention as he sipped on his drink, "I think he's still a little pissed," the Salvatore said causing Thea to arch a brow with an exasperated look. "Guess it runs in the family," she muttered to the raven haired vampire as she raised her glass to her lips, about to take a drink when someone snatched it away from her.
"God, I missed whiskey," Mason sighed before downing the contents of Thea's drink, smashing the glass into Damon's head once he had finished. Thea watched in disbelief, tears gathering in her eyes as she looked at her uncle in shock, "Uncle Masey," she breathed as she stood from her stool, "hey baby T," the elder Lockwood smiled before Thea jumped into his arms, hugging him tightly. "I've missed you so much," the dark haired teen cried as she pulled away from her Uncle, beaming at him as she realised he was really there.
Mason smiled back before smirking at the young girl deviously, "enough of this mushy crap. Let's do some shots" he said as he sat on the stool next to Alaric, ordering a round of shots. Thea laughed, shaking her head slightly, "I'm 18," she told him as she sat on the stool on the other side of him. "When has that ever stopped you?" the elder Lockwood asked, smirking as he placed a shot in front of his niece, daring her to take it. Thea smirked back at him, "one of you will pay for this, right?" she asked as she looked between Alaric and Damon before picking up the glass and turning to face her uncle, "cheers," they both grinned as they clinked their glasses before throwing the shots back.
Thea's face scrunched up at the bitter taste causing Mason to laugh at her, "let's go to it. I killed you. You want revenge. Get in line," Damon said, grabbing the werewolf's attention. "Actually, I want an apology," Mason corrected causing both Ric and Thea to laugh, "good luck with that," Thea scoffed as she downed another shot. "Don't you have family members to haunt? Your nephew has turned into a mindless hybrid minion and your niece is the original hybrid dick's soulmate," the Salvatore stated, rolling his eyes at the dead werewolf.
"That's why I'm here. To help Tyler and Thea," Mason answered, smiling at his niece as she glanced at him in confusion, "how? Tyler can't be helped, at least not while Klaus is alive. Which is like, always. And even if there was a way to kill him, our souls are connected so I'd die along with him," the wolf replied. The elder Lockwood shook his head, "not necessarily. Not if you found a weapon that could kill him. There's always a loophole baby T, we just gotta find it," Mason assured her as he took another shot.
"There is no weapon that...what do you know?" Damon demanded, suddenly interested in what the Lockwood had to say. If there was a way to get rid of Klaus without losing his best friend in the process, he wanted to know. "I know you need to apologise," Mason said with a sarcastic smile causing both Alaric and Thea to laugh once again as they saw the frustration wash over Damon's face, "you have got to be kidding me," he groaned. Alaric suddenly sighed in annoyance, "are you incapable of remorse? Just apologise!" he shouted at the raven haired vampire, pissed at the fact that Damon still hadn't apologised for killing him either.
Damon clenched his jaw, turning to face Mason who sat with a mocking smile on his face, "you're right. I didn't have to kill you. I do a lot of things I don't have to do," he gritted out angrily, causing Thea to laugh at his lame apology. "Good enough," Mason chuckled with pride before stating up from the bar, "meet me at the old Lockwood cellar. Bring a shovel," he told the vampire, glancing at Ric before continuing, "come alone." Thea frowned, as she glanced between her best friend and uncle, "why can't I come?" she whined in disbelief causing the two males heads to snap towards her.
"You're not coming," Mason told her sternly before turning to walk out of the bar, causing Thea to scoff. If her Uncle thought for a second that she was going to do as he said, then he was surely mistaken. In truth, she had no interest in going with the two at first, not wanting to be surrounded by their constant bickering- she had had enough of that with Klaus and Stefan over the summer. But, as soon as her Uncle had mentioned killing her soulmate, something inside her had snapped. She was scared- not for her own life, but for Klaus'. If it was true that there was in fact a way to kill Klaus without causing her any harm, then the gang would definitely not hold back- and a part of her didn't want Klaus to die, even after all the heartache he had caused her and her friends.
"What, are you planning on burying me alive?" Damon called out as Mason continued walking, "don't tempt me," Mason smirked as he left the bar. The Salvatore shook his head in annoyance before turning to the wolf, "want me to pick you up before I go?" he asked his friend with a small smirk. Thea smirked back at him, "you know me so well Dames," she said deviously, the raven haired vampire smiling before ordering them another drink.
✧✦✧✦✧
Damon and Thea arrive at the Old Lockwood Cellar a few hours later, "I'm surprised you showed," Mason said without turning to face the pair as he lit a lantern. "You put a snag in my only other Klaus lead. So I'd say I'm highly motivated," Damon replied with a sarcastic smile, passing Thea the shovel he held causing the young wolf to scoff. It was at that point Mason finally turned round, his eyes landing on his niece with a furious glare, "I thought I told you that you weren't allowed to come," he seethed in disbelief, throwing his hands up in exasperation as the dark haired teen smirked at him.
"When has that ever stopped me, Uncle Masey," she replied with an innocent smile on her face, recycling his earlier words causing Damon to snort in amusement. Mason shook his head, knowing he wasn't going to win and turned back to face the vampire, "yeah, I heard about Mikael. That didn't turn out so great, did it?" the dead werewolf taunted causing Damon to scowl, "how do you know so much?" he questioned the wolf in annoyance. "There's not much to do on the other side but sit around and watch other people screw things up," the elder Lockwood retorted, throwing a subtle dig at the raven haired vampire.
Rolling his eyes, Damon stared at the werewolf blankly, "what are we looking for?" he asked boredly, quickly losing interest in the whole situation. Mason smiled, grabbing the shovel from his niece before answering, "there's an old Lockwood family legend about a weapon that can kill an original vampire. Like the rest of their secrets, they kept it buried," he said before trying to break the wall in front of him with the shovel. Thea and Damon watched the wolf, both laughing quietly as nothing happened, "oh, come on, give me the thing. Move," the vampire insisted as he took the shovel from Mason, using his vampire strength to break the wall.
Damon and Mason both peered inside the dark hole before glancing at one another, "go for it," Mason told the vampire with a smile, his hand held out to let him go in front of him. The elder Salvatore smiled back, "you first," he retorted with a false polite smile, neither one trusting the other to be the one to go in first. Mason snorted, "what, you think I'm leading you into a trap?" he asked in disbelief causing Damon to stare at him with a sarcastic smile, "the thought crossed my mind." Thea rolled her eyes in annoyance, fed up with the males' constant bickering, knowing it would get them nowhere, "move over, pansies," the wolf sighed in frustration as she walked through the hole, Mason and Damon both sharing a look before following her.
Damon, Mason and Thea walked through the hidden part of the cellar in silence before the vampire disrupted it, "I'm still waiting for the other shoe to drop. Your motives are deceptively pure," he said as he looked at Mason in puzzlement. Mason let out a small laugh, "you talk the talk, but I know you'll do anything for your brother. You won't screw me over as long as we have the same agenda," the wolf replied causing Damon to scoff, "I'm supposed to believe you're not going to screw me over?" he asked in disbelief. Thea groaned in frustration once again, annoyed at the two bickering adults, "look, can you both just shut up? You're giving me a headache," she snapped a glare on her face as she looked between her uncle and best friend.
Turning back around, the wolf noticed there were two different tunnels "all right, which way?" she asked aloud as Damon and Mason stood on either side of her. The vampire looked across at the elder Lockwood expectantly causing him to shrug, "I don't know, flip a coin," he stated making Damon narrow his eyes in irritation, "aren't you supposed to be all-knowing?" he asked causing Thea to laugh. "I'm a ghost. Not God," the werewolf replied as he stared at Damon blankly, "go left," he told him as he grabbed a hold of Thea's arm, the two walking to the right.
Damon nodded as he started to walk towards the left tunnel before stopping suddenly, not trusting the dead werewolf, he had killed him after all. "Or not," he said causing Mason to scoff, rolling his eyes as he looked at the vampire in irritation, "you have trust issues. Anyone ever tell you that?" he sassed causing Thea to groan once again, leaving the pair and heading down the right tunnel, fed up with their arguing. Damon rolled his eyes before continuing down the left before he was stopped by vervain soaked stakes shooting through his body causing him to groan in pain, "yo. Help a brother out? Mason?" the vampire pleaded as his face scrunched up in discomfort, but Mason simply ignored him, walking away.
Thea came back around the corner with a smile on her face, ready to tell Mason and Damon she had found what they were looking for. However, as she neared where she had left them her eyes landed upon her friend who was stood with his head thrown back against the wall and several stakes pushed through his body, her uncle nowhere in sight. "Damon?!" Thea called in worry as she rushed towards the vampire, shaking him awake causing him to groan in pain, "oh, I'm having a bad day," he groaned out as his head fell forward. Suddenly, Mason returned with the shovel they had used to break the wall earlier, "sorry, thought you might need this," he said before breaking the stakes with the shovel, him and Thea removing them from the vampire's body.
"You're welcome," Mason told him before walking off down the path Thea had just returned from, "what's your game, man? I killed you. I jammed my fist into your chest. I ripped your heart out," Damon said as he stared at the dead werewolf's back in confusion. The younger Lockwood winced as she heard the gory details of how her best friend murdered her uncle, tears gathering in her eyes as she realised at some point she would have to say goodbye to him again. "There's no way this whole buddy-trust act is real," the Salvatore stated causing Mason to stop in his place before turning to face him, "you know what the other side is like? We're all one. We watch the people we left behind and we regret our decisions. That's it," the werewolf told him as a sorrowful look washed over his face.
Thea looked down towards the floor as the tears she held fell freely from her eyes at the thought of her uncle stuck on the other side all alone. He didn't deserve that, he deserved peace and she was going to help him find it, no matter what it took. "Look, I can't change what happened to me. But maybe I can change what happens to Tyler, and Thea. I don't need revenge, Damon. I need redemption," Mason finished, walking over to hug his niece as he noticed her tear stained face, the Salvatore watching them in remorse.
✧✦✧✦✧
After the mini heart-to-hear, Thea continued to walk through the caverns of the Old Lockwood Cellar with Mason and Damon in tow, the two finally having stopped their bickering. As they reached the end of the tunnel, Damon was forced backwards by an invisible barrier, unable to carry on as Mason and Thea walked through it with ease. "God! This is not happening," the vampire muttered as he slammed his hands on the barrier in frustration, "what now?" Mason sighed, looking back at the vampire in annoyance as Thea watched in confusion.
"I can't get through, it's like I'm not invited in," Damon replied causing both Lockwood's to smirk before continuing on the path, "wait!" the Salvatore shouted as he watched them both leave without him. "I'm not stopping just cause you're stuck. I'll let you know what I find," Mason mused causing Damon to stare at him in disbelief, still not fully trusting him, "yeah, but" he trailed off as the werewolf carried on walking, "looks like you're gonna have to trust me," Mason smirked before disappearing around the corner.
Damon sighed in irritation, banging his head against the wall before his eyes lit up in realisation, "hey, T, invite me in," he said to his friend causing her to laugh softly. Thea smirked at the vampire from the other side of the barrier, "yeah, no," she refused making Damon stare at her in disbelief, "you've already been invited into my home. I'm gonna need somewhere to hide if you decide to start murdering more of my family members," she sassed before turning to follow her uncle, laughing as she heard Damon groan in frustration once again.
Thea walked into the cave, staring at the wall in front of her in amazement as she noticed the drawings. Mason turned to look at her, tears gathering in his eyes as he knew he didn't have much longer left with his favourite niece, "I am so proud of you, baby T," he told her honestly causing Thea's head to snap towards him in surprise. "You've always been the strongest one in the family, don't forget that," he told her causing tears to well in her eyes, "look after your dumbass of a brother," Mason finished, making Thea laugh sadly as she hugged her uncle tightly. "I will," the wolf promised as she closed her eyes, savouring the moment knowing it was the last she'd ever get with her uncle.
Mason sighed in relief, knowing his niece and nephew were going to be fine, before leaning down to whisper in Thea's ear, "listen to your heart, Thea. It knows things that your mind can't explain. Do what you feel is right, not what you think" he told her quietly so the vampire couldn't hear them. The elder Lockwood didn't exactly want his niece to be with the most feared vampire in history, he didn't really want her to be with anyone, but he had watched them both from the other side and even a fool could see how much Klaus Mikaelson cared for the young wolf.
Thea nodded as she pulled away from her uncle in slight confusion. Hadn't he just lead them to a weapon that could be used to kill her soulmate? Why the sudden change of heart now? "So? What'd you find," Damon called out from behind the barrier interrupting the moment the two Lockwood's were sharing, causing them both to roll their eyes. "It's in," Mason started to say before he suddenly disappeared, returning to the other side.
The young Lockwood sobbed as she watched her Uncle leave, knowing she'd never see him again. "No, no, no, no. Where'd you go? Mason, Mason!" Damon shouted as he banged his fists on the invisible barrier, annoyed that his answer to killing the hybrid had slipped from his grasp. His actions came to a stop as he noticed his best friend round the corner with tears flooding from her eyes, "he's gone, Damon," she cried as she buried her head into his chest, sobbing quietly. The Salvatore held her tightly in remorse, knowing it was his actions that caused her heartache and hating himself for it.
✧✦✧✦✧
Thea left the old cellar soon after, not having the energy or the heart to be there much longer. As she entered her room she remembered what Mason and Rebekah had both told her. Follow your heart. Be happy. The dark haired teen sighed as she wiped her tears away in determination before picking up her phone and texting the one person that had not left her mind all day. It was time for her to be selfish. For her to put herself first and get what she wanted.
"They're looking for a way to kill you. Don't trust any of them."