"Hey." Aurelia said, walking into Alaric's hospital room. "Congratulations on attaining literal, physical humanity." She said with a smile, placing flowers on a table. "And since you're human, I realize you are pretty hungry." Alaric nodded. "So, I brought my special comfort food that I give no one." She said. He grinned.
"Yay." He said. "You're in a good mood."
"Because I fed right before coming." She said. "After about three days."
"Woah, isn't it dangerous?" He said. She shrugged.
"Safety precaution, since I'm in a hospital." She said, looking around. She walked towards him and popped a chocolate in his mouth. "It's dark chocolate, by the way." He frowned.
"I don't like dark chocolate."
"Well, it's healthy, so chew." She said, when Damon suddenly walked into the room, and began to fidget with all of the buttons. Aurelia frowned. "What are you doing, Damon?"
"I really don't think you should be playing with all that stuff." Alaric pointed out. The vampire simply ignored the human.
"Keep going, we are on a roll. All the terrible things I did to people that Elena cared about. Let's see. I turned Caroline into my personal blood juice box, I turned Matt's sister into a vampire and threatened to kill Bon-Bon a couple times." Damon said.
"More than a couple." Aurelia said.
"Subjective. Sometimes, I was being funny."
"And you killed Lexi at Stefan's birthday party." She added.
"Unfortunate coincidence."
"And you snapped Jeremy's neck after Elena said she'd never love you." Alaric said.
"On second thought, let's focus on all the charming, heroic things that were obliterated from my girlfriend's mind." Damon said.
"God, if I could take it all back, I would." Alaric stated, guilty.
"I know. And listen, despite my long list of dastardly deeds that involves killing you, I'm glad you're alive."
"Thanks, man." Damon tapped Alaric's shoulder harshly, making him groan in pain. "Although, had you actually died a vampire instead of becoming human again, your compulsion would've gone away, and Elena would've been mine again."
"Really heartfelt." Alaric stated sarcastically. "Appreciate it." Damon continued to play around with the machines.
"Hey, Damon, a little advice: you kill Ric this time, he's gone for good." Aurelia said. Damon pulled off the heart monitor from Alaric's finger, making the monitor flatline.
Jo walked in, confused by the constant noise. "Good Morning, Alaric. Aurelia." She greeted.
"Hey, Jo." The blonde said with a smile. "Heard you're a witch."
"I heard you're the Original Heretic." The black-haired doctor said. "You're pretty popular." Aurelia nodded, when she received a text.
Caroline:
COME ON WE NEED TO SORT OUT YOUR DRAWERS.
"Okay, my sister's calling." She said. "I gotta go."
!
Aurelia huffed, shutting her drawer as she finished sorting out the last of her things, when she heard a knock on the door. She turned her head to look at Stefan, who was leaning against the doorframe. "What are you doing?" She asked, turning around to lean against the dresser. "When I clearly told you that I want nothing to do with you, that includes not having you show up here unannounced." She walked towards the door and began to shut it, but he slid into the room.
"'Rel, you're not safe. Tripp's men have your name." She raised an eyebrow.
"So, you're here to protect me?" She asked. "Well, just a reminder, I have magic, and I'm a vampire. I don't need your help, but more importantly, I don't need it." Her phone suddenly rang, and she answered it. "Aunt Liz, can you give me a second? I'm trying to swat away a fly." She said, staring at him.
"Actually, sweetie, this can't wait. Do you have any idea where Tripp Cooke might be?"
"No, I have no clue. Why?"
"One of his men just ran me off the road, and they're gonna kill me if they don't get him back." Her eyes widened in horror.
"Okay, Aunt Liz, please, whatever you do, do not tell Caroline this."
!
"Enzo, answer your phone right now!" Aurelia exclaimed, keeping the phone down. She groaned. "I promised that I'd meet up with her today, but I canceled, and of course, this happens."
"Well, don't worry. We're almost there." Stefan said, his eyes on the road.
"Almost there?" She asked. "You said to kill Tripp after two hours. Do you even remember how long ago you set that?" Her phone rang. "Please tell me that Tripp is still alive."
"Tripp is still alive. Surprisingly torture resistant, but still alive." She let out a breath.
"What took you so long to answer the call?"
"My fingers were covered in blood, and the touch screen wouldn't work." She rolled her eyes.
"Just don't kill him. One of his guys took my aunt slash mother figure, so don't touch him until I get Aunt Liz back, okay?"
!
Aurelia walked into the cabin with Stefan. Her eyes moved to see Matt, before looking at Tripp in surprise. "Hello, gorgeous." Enzo said.
"Ugh, dear God, what did you do to him?" She asked, making a disgusted face at the man's state.
"Oh, he's fine. Just a little blood loss." Enzo observed. "I think he may have an iron deficiency problem."
"Knock it off, her aunt's life on the line." Stefan said.
"Hang on." Enzo said, raising his hand to tell them to stop. He looked at Stefan. "Just so I'm clear: All dear 'Lia had to do to get you to treat her with respect was to get over you and stop paying attention to you."
"3 chains? Why?" Aurelia asked in disbelief, gesturing to the number of chains around Tripp. She looked between the two vampires nervously, praying for the conversation to stop. "Who is this guy? An Original Vampire?"
"Well, I didn't restrain him." Stefan defended. Aurelia glared at him.
"No, but you let your sidekick Enzo, who you're all suddenly buddy-buddy with." She added, facing him. "Because that's what the right thing to do? Teaming up with your sworn enemy?"
"Oh." Enzo suddenly said, as if in realization of something. "That's brilliant."
"What are you going on about, huh?" Aurelia asked him.
"Of course, that's why you hate him." He said, making her look back at Stefan, who was looking at Enzo. "That's how you worked her into such a state in Savannah."
"Enzo, don't." The blonde said, licking her lips.
"She hates you because she doesn't hate you at all." Those words left his lips, making her close her eyes as Stefan looked at her in disbelief.
"Enzo, I will rip your heart out and shove it down your throat." She said. "There's nothing like that."
"Then what about the close proximity?" Enzo asked. She opened her eyes and looked up at Stefan, realizing that she was too close. She pushed him away, before spinning around. Enzo looked at the younger Salvatore. "She's got a thing for you, mate."
"No, I don't."
"Tell your apparent aunt that I send her my best." With those words, the youngest vampire left with Matt, leaving Aurelia with Stefan.
"Aurelia-" She shook her head, turning her head slightly.
"Come on, I can't lose Aunt Liz." She stated. He sighed, raising to keep his arm on her shoulder.
Before he could, she was out the door.
!
Aurelia impatiently drummed her fingers on the screen of her phone, waiting outside the border with Stefan, Tripp and Matt. She leant against the car, before quickly standing straight as she saw a car pull up towards the other side of the border.
"Aunt Liz!" She cried, spotting the head of short, blonde hair. Liz had a gun pointed at her head, as Tripp's men got out. Matt pulled Tripp out of the car, and Aurelia sped towards the edge.
Stefan held her back, however. "Aurelia, the border."
"You're bleeding." She observed, before angrily looking at the men. "What the hell have you done to her?!"
"I'm fine." Liz assured, as Matt stepped up.
"Okay, hand her over, and we'll give you Tripp." He said. The man with the gun shook his head.
"Tripp first." Aurelia growled.
"I'm gonna kill you." She threatened.
"Aurelia, sweetie, it's alright." Liz said. "Stefan, let Tripp go." Stefan obliged, and Tripp was allowed to walk to his men, past the border. They let go of Liz, who walked towards Aurelia. The latter pulled her into a tight hug, relieved.
When she pulled away, she looked at her. "Are you hurt?"
"No-"
"What's happening to me?" Tripp suddenly asked, making all heads turn towards him.
A large cut on his throat suddenly opened, blood dripping down his neck as he choked and gagged, before falling down, dead.
"What the hell did you do?" Matt asked.
"It wasn't us. Enzo must've turned him into a vampire before we got there." Stefan said.
!
"This is completely unnecessary." Liz said, as Aurelia raised an eyebrow. "The Whitmore Medical Center? Really?"
"You could have a concussion, and you won't drink my blood, and I'm gonna hear it from Caroline, and I also know that you're not gonna get yourself checked up at home, so..." Aurelia trailed off, before huffing.
She turned around, facing Stefan who innocently looked at her. "What?"
"You can go now." She said. "We can take care of ourselves."
"Aurelia, can you go see how long the wait is gonna be?" Liz asked, Aurelia looked at her and gave her a quick smile before leaving the room.
"I see that she's giving you the cold shoulder." Liz said to who let out a breath. "Strange, considering she'd get all emotional talking about you."
"She would?" He asked. The mother nodded. "Well, she's mad now. And I wanna fix it."
"I'd help, but I'm basically her mom. I'm not allowed." Liz said.
"Right." Aurelia walked back in with a nurse, before giving Liz another smile.
"I'll be right out if you need me, okay?" She said, holding her hand.
"Okay." She walked back out into the hall, Stefan behind her.
She took a seat, looking away from him as she frowned. "What?" Stefan asked.
"Didn't have to ask her for opinions." She mumbled.
"You were listening."
"No, duh." She said sarcastically, folding her arms. He sighed, sitting down next to her.
"Why?" He asked. She looked at him.
"Why what? Why was I listening in?" She guessed. "Because I-"
"Why do you have a thing for me?" He cut in, making her stop as she began to fiddle with her rings. Unfortunately, she couldn't because her second one had disappeared. "Don't have anything to distract you, do you?" She pressed her lips together. "Fine, then, I'll assume you don't have a thing for me. Why did you have a thing for me?"
"What instance are you talking about?" She asked softly. He hummed for a second.
"All of them. Starting from the beginning." He said. She closed her eyes, tilting her head back as she thought.
"I shouldn't; it's not-"
"Please, Aurelia." He said. "Just talk to me. I want to know how I just-"
"When I stepped out of the carriage and saw your pretty home for the first time, I was afraid." She said. "I hadn't ever been away from Klaus, at least without Rebekah, or Elijah by my side for some time... and then I saw you." She stated. "I did stray away from you because I was shy, but then we started talking, and got closer, and I realized that I could talk to you. You would help me whenever I needed it, you would gift me things, tell the Lockwood boy to stop following me..." She listed, making him chuckle at the last thing. "When we finally got together, I felt that click in my heart, as if an old pit was filled. When you confessed you were in love, I felt so lucky, and so happy. You were the perfect man for me, then."
"And then?"
"And then we died." She continued. "I resurfaced in your life after over a century, and we went on with it as if nothing happened. As if we weren't in love... but it was hard, so..."
He delicately kissed her soft lips.
"Then, we still stayed friends, even though it was hard not to fall in love with you."
"Why?"
"Because I trusted you, so much." She answered. "I felt safe and I felt in control of myself when I was with you. Complication after complication came, and you left."
"I'm sorry." He said. "I promised you that I wouldn't leave, after we kissed and everything, but I did."
"You didn't feel it back." She assumed.
"No, no, I didn't say that." He said. "I didn't know what I felt, and I thought I was going to die, and it hurt that I wouldn't get to see you, and then Damon died. My head was all over the place. I am so sorry for the way I treated you, Aurelia. I hurt you, and you were in pain. What I did was selfish, because healing with my friends was something that would work out better than leaving it all."
"I know what you felt, Stefan." She said. "If you felt for me, then you wouldn't have walked out." She paused. "Strangely enough, I don't hate you for that. I obviously don't hate you for mourning, and I also don't despise you for being such a prick along the way. So, I'm accepting it. Your apology has been noted."
"But you still hate me."
"Hate... is a strong word, as many would say. Still, I do. I do still hate you, because if I don't for ruining what we had, then, I'll turn it on myself." She said. "I just don't think I could handle any more of that." She finally stood up, before realizing that he was holding her hand.
When she looked at him, she saw him looking at her, hope filled in his eyes. She bit her lip, before pulling away from him and walking away.
~