I smiled and walked into the living room to see Damon standing in front of the fireplace. The curtains were pulled over the windows, making the room dark, other than small specs of light that filled the room from the sunlight that broke through them with the help of the fireplace. "This is nice." I stated softly, putting my arms around Damon's torso from behind.
"It is nice." He agreed in a gentle voice. I smiled and kissed his back before I let him go and moved towards the couch.
"Quiet, still, peaceful. I mean, I can't disagree with much when our life is like this." I pointed out in amusement and he chuckled and looked at me before walking towards me.
"But it is our life and it disagrees with us just as much as we do it." Damon countered, sitting beside me before he grabbed me and put me in his lap, making me chuckle and wrap my arms around the back of his neck as his wrapped around my waist. "Which means that someone is probably going to walk through that door and shatter it." He added, gently kissing my chin and I rolled my eyes and groaned lightly.
"C'mon.. don't say that." I say in defeat as I looked down at him and he smirked.
"In ten.. nine.." Damon replied in amusement as he looked up at me and I scoffed, shaking my head.
"Can I just enjoy the moment?" I asked, running my hands through his hair gently as I let out a deep breath and looked into the fire in front of me.
"Six.. five.." Damon added and I rolled my eyes and looked down at him as a smirk was plastered on his lips.
"Damon, today is the day that we're going to bring Bonnie back. It is a good day." Elena stated with optimism as she came down the hall and I rose an eyebrow and looked at her before back at Damon.
"See?" I asked in a matter of fact tone before Damon pulled me closer and kissed my shoulder gently.
"Three.. Two.." Damon continued, moving kisses up my neck as he counted before I rolled my eyes and pulled his face away from me.
"Damon, it's a good day." I argued, kissing his lips finally as Elena moved herself towards the kitchen before the front door opened and we all turned towards it as light came in.
"Greetings.." Silas stated in a singsong voice as he walked in and I furrowed my eyebrows and untangled myself from Damon while Elena rose an eyebrow and remained faintly in the hallway.
"One." Damon sighed in annoyance from next to me as Silas walked into the living room.
"Good morning, frenemies." Silas said with a wide smile, waving his hands towards the curtains on both sides of the fireplace before they flew open, letting light in. I sighed in some defeat and looked between the curtains and at Silas before at Damon who gave me a look of 'I told you so'. "Ahh.. You know, I'm only a few hours into my old life as a witch, but somehow the sun feels warmer." Silas added as he walked towards the window behind the couch that Damon and I sat on. "Probably because I'm not cursed to outlive it anymore." He stated , chuckling in amusement as he stared out the window in tranquility.
"What's with the home invasion, Silas?" Damon asked sarcastically towards him from where he sat beside me.
"Well, Damon.. After two thousand years of a miserable existence.." Silas answered, leading off as he turned towards Damon. "I finally get to die." He finished, letting a smile plaster itself on his face.
~~~
"Okay, so we all know that Tessa was a real vengeful bitch. Your doppelgänger, Amara, died at her hands. But today, after two thousand years, Amara and I will finally reunite." Silas stated with a smile as he stood in the living room, in front of Elena, Damon and I.
"Alright, skip the mushy parts. Look, my girl and her sister here, are just trying to good a nice day—" Damon stated, putting an arm around me and I tilted my head at Silas as Elena crossed her arms over her chest. "—and there are promises they're expecting you to keep." He added and I nodded in agreement at him.
"Oh, you don't think that I keep promises?" Silas asked, furrowing his eyebrows as his eyes looked between Elena and I.
"You said that when you were a witch again, you would bring Bonnie back from the other side." I pointed out, narrowing my eyes at him.
"I did and I can." Silas agreed, nodding back at me.
"And you promised Damon, that you would do that if he helped you. But you're kind of evil—no offense—" Elena added, cutting herself off and he nodded back at her.
"None taken." He replied with a slight shrug and I sighed, shaking my head.
"I'm just trying to figure out how I can trust that one of your last acts in this world, will be used to bring back my best friend." I pointed out in annoyance, eyeing Silas who rose an eyebrow.
"Did you want me to pinky swear?" Silas countered in amusement as he held out his pinky towards me and I scoffed and looked away from him.
"We're trying to have a good day—Just tell us how it's going to go down." Damon stated in annoyance at him.
"I just want to destroy the other side so I don't get stuck in that pit of a purgatory when I finally do kill myself." Silas pointed out as he looked between Elena, Damon and I. "Before I do that, I'll bring Bonnie back, and being the amazing and incredible and all-powerful witch that I am, I can totally do both things. I just have to find the anchor first and destroy it." Silas shrugged and I rose my eyebrow and looked at Elena who stood beside me.
"The anchor?" Elena asked, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion.
"It's the object Qetsiyah used to bind the other side together after she created it. Destroy it and the spell is broken. No more supernatural limbo." Silas elaborated and I nodded in agreement and folded my arms over my chest.
"Okay.. where is it then?" I asked, raising an eyebrow and tilting my head at him.
"New Jersey, I think is what you're calling it now." Silas answered, looking between the three of us again and Damon scoffed.
"New Jersey? The supernatural other world is bound by an object in Snooki's backyard?" Damon countered in amusement as he folded his arms over his chest and I smirked.
"It's in a shipyard and it's being shipped out so we really need to—hello hunter." Silas stated, cutting himself off and looking towards the library doorway to see Jeremy holding a crossbow towards him. "Banner day for you, huh? Didn't you and the Bennett witch use to—tch, tch?" Silas asked in amusement, clicking his tongue before whistling and I rolled my eyes at him.
"Hey, Knock it off, okay?" I warned, narrowing my eyes at him before looking back at Jeremy who clenched his jaw.
"It's okay, Jer. We all want the same thing today—Silas dead, Bonnie alive." Elena reassured, nodding at him as Damon ran his hands over his face in irritation but Jeremy still narrowed his eyes at Silas.
"A.K.A, put the damn crossbow down, Pocahontas." Damon stated in annoyance towards him and Jeremy lowered the crossbow before walking forwards.
"We're just supposed to believe that he's gonna bring Bonnie back out of the goodness of his heart?" Jeremy asked doubtfully, making Silas scoff and I sighed.
"Well, I hope not. I am kind of a monster." Silas countered in defeat, eyeing us before Jeremy put the crossbow back up towards him and I narrowed my eyes at him.
"You know what, guys? I'm feeling really ganged up on, right now, okay? I would hate to lose my temper and do something..." Silas stated, leading off as he held up a hand and ignited fire on the tips of his four fingers. "..crazy." He warned, eyeing all of us carefully. Jeremy quickly put the crossbow down and I waved a hand towards Silas, blowing the fire out, making him raise an eyebrow at me as Damon stepped in front of me protectively.
"How about we stop with all of the threats, hmm?" I asked in annoyance as I looked between Silas and Jeremy. "Look, you're not some supernatural Madonna, okay?" I added, looking back at Silas who tilted his head at me. "You're not the shit. You're not a badass.. You're just a guy who needs to hurry up and die so I can get my friend back." I stated emotionlessly and watched as he smirked and slowly nodded, looking back at Damon.
"Alright, We got to get going." Silas stated, ignoring me and walking towards the front door. Damon, Elena and I followed as Jeremy put down the crossbow on the small table beside him. "You." He added pointing at Jeremy who furrowed his eyebrows. "Grab a crowbar or two from the garage." Silas demanded and I rose my eyebrow.
"What for?" Jeremy countered in confusion and Silas rolled his eyes.
"Does it matter—And you two.. are not going." Silas added, turning towards Elena and I once he made it to the door. "Men only." He stated emotionlessly and I rose my eyebrow.
"Are you serious?" I asked, scoffing at him in disbelief as I exchanged a look with Damon in confusion.
"He's not serious." Elena added in annoyance from where she stood beside me before Silas rose an eyebrow.
"No, he's not serious." Damon agreed, about to walk out the door before Silas cut him off.
"Actually, I'm one hundred percent serious. They both look like a freaky carbon copy of my one true love, Amara. You can understand why I don't want to stare at their imposter faces all day." Silas pointed out, looking at Damon before turning back to Elena and I.
"That makes no sense." Damon argued, furrowing his eyebrows at him as I folded my arms over my chest in agreement.
"It makes complete sense if you were ever in love with anybody who looked exactly like either of them." Silas countered in annoyance and I watched as Damon's face slowly changed before he looked over me with guilt. Katherine.
"This is ridiculous." Elena stated with a scoff. "We're bringing our best friend back from the dead. I'm going." She added, narrowing her eyes at Silas. Silas sighed deeply before he waved his hand in front of her and the crossbow that sat near us, launched an arrow towards Elena's leg. Elena groaned loudly in pain as the arrow shot through her quad and she fell to the floor.
"Hey!" I said angrily before I waved a hand towards the crossbow and shot another arrow easily, aiming it towards Silas. Silas rose an eyebrow put his hand up towards me in protest before I stopped the arrow an inch away from his heart. Silas looked between the arrow and me before I let the arrow drop and he tilted his head as I knelt down towards Elena who pulled the arrow out of her leg.
"Fine. We're not going. But don't ever try anything like that again." I warned, narrowing my eyes up at him and he slowly nodded.
"I'll let that one go. But next time, I won't be so generous." Silas threatened before he looked at Damon whose eyes didn't leave mine. "Let's go." He added, walking out of the house and I scoffed as he left.
~~
I walked into the kitchen as Elena put her phone to her ear and listened to the line ring. "Stefan's phone." A woman answered, and I rose an eyebrow at the familiar voice.
"Who's this?" Elena asked, furrowing her eyebrows and exchanging a look with me as I jumped onto the counter and grabbed an apple from the bowl beside me.
"Uncanny.. Your doppelgänger voice sounds just like Amara's. So whiny." Tessa replied in disbelief and Elena clenched her jaw.
"Tessa. Where's Stefan?" Elena asked in annoyance as I bit into the apple and pulled out my phone, listening in closely as Elena started pacing in front of me.
"He's here—well, not here-here. He hopped in the shower. Between us girls, he works up quite the sweat. But I guess you know that." Tessa stated in amusement from the phone and I rolled my eyes and dialed a number into my phone as Elena scoffed. "May I leave him a message?" She added and Elena slowly nodded.
"Yeah. Remind him that you're a crazy bitch." Elena answered quickly and Tessa chuckled from the other side.
"I would.. But I think that's maybe his type." Tessa countered, making Elena hang up and I rose an eyebrow as my phone dialed Damon's number.
"Hey." Damon answered, sighing from my phone and I watched Elena run her hands through her hair in frustration.
"Hey—You okay?" I asked, answering Damon before focusing on Elena, knowing that her mind was reeling at the thought of Tessa and Stefan together.
"What's going on?" Damon asked in confusion from the phone and I sighed, putting it on speaker.
"Stefan's with Tessa. Why does he keep going back to her?" Elena asked in frustration as she sprawled her arms out on the island counter beside me.
"Who knows. Amnesia Stefan's a fickle little fellow." Damon answered and I scoffed in agreement.
"Wait.. You didn't tell Elena—let alone Mariana, what you did to Stefan?" Silas asked in disbelief towards Damon from my phone and I rose an eyebrow and exchanged a look with Elena.
"Tell us what?" I asked, looking down at my phone in confusion as silence came through for a few seconds before Damon sighed.
"Well, Silas needed his psychic juju to get into Tessa's head, and the only way for him to temporarily reactivate his ability was to break Stefan's neck." Damon answered and I scoffed in disbelief as Elena rolled her eyes. "A couple times." He added in annoyance.
"Okay, as if he didn't hate us enough." Elena stated in annoyance and I rolled my eyes at her. "I'm going over there." She added and I opened my mouth to agree before Silas cut me off.
"She should, really. Tessa's bad business." Silas agreed from the phone and I rolled my eyes at him.
"No, just let Stefan have his space. It's like you said, he's mad enough." Damon added and I rolled my eyes and looked down at my phone in annoyance.
"Sounds like he's more mad at you." I pointed out and Damon sighed in response. "Maybe we will find some common ground." I added before I hung up on him and looked at Elena in annoyance.
"You're coming?" Elena asked, furrowing her eyebrows at me as my phone buzzed and I rose an eyebrow and looked down at it.
'The Diner on 24th outside of Mystic Falls. Meet me. -K.' I rose my eyebrow down at the text before looking back at Elena.
"Something came up.. Text me how it goes?" I countered and she slowly nodded in agreement and walked out of the kitchen as I slid off of the counter.
~~~
I walked into the diner and saw Katherine's head full of curls as she sat in a booth. I took a deep breath before I walked towards her as a waitress put four plates of food on the table, making me raise my eyebrow as I slid into the booth across from Katherine. "You sure a little thing like you can eat all that?" The waitress asked Katherine, eyeing her doubtfully.
"I'm celebrating." Katherine replied with a sly smile. "I thought I was going to die. I didn't. So now, I'm free to be whatever I want to be.." She added cheerfully, looking at me and chuckling before looking back at the waitress. "It's a good day." She stated and I sighed, folding my arms over my chest.
"I love the hair by the way. Bold choice." The waitress replied with an awkward nod as she walked away. Katherine and I exchanged the same look before she picked up the napkin dispenser in front of her and looked at her reflection through it. I eyed her hair curiously before she almost dropped her jaw and grabbed a strand of her hair.. That had turned gray.
"Okay.. so you're aging." I pointed out, tilting my head at her as she looked back at me in shock. "It's because the cure is no longer running through your veins. You have no ties to being human anymore, therefore.." I added, leading off before Katherine scoffed and let the hair fall from her fingers.
"Wow, captain obvious." Katherine countered emotionlessly, I clearly hit a nerve and I smirked a bit.
"You're the one who summoned me here. I came. Now, tell me what you want." I stated in boredom as I slouched in the booth.
"I'm guessing you didn't know that Damon planned to feed me to Silas until it happened." Katherine pointed out, piercing a piece of fruit with her fork and eating it. "You seemed shocked. Maybe even worried." She added, smirking a bit before putting her fork down and I rolled my eyes. "Why?" She demanded, narrowing her eyes at me as she folded her arms over the table.
"You're right." I replied and watched as Katherine got a very pleasing look on her face. "Why, is a very good question." I added and was very amused to see the same pleased expression fade from her face. "I mean, you tried to kill my sister more than once. You did kill my brother. You also like to put me in between the people who have been with me most of my life vs. you.. So 'why' is an excellent question. But I'm afraid I don't have an answer right in the top of my head." I stated in annoyance, making her laugh dryly.
"Yes, you do." Katherine countered and I furrowed my eyebrows. "You have a reason for why you wouldn't let Elena, Stefan or Damon hurt me. I'm your mother." She stated and I just stared at her quietly as she sat back in her chair.. and for a second, it was like I was looking into a mirror. "Let me tell you a secret, Mariana—when I got pregnant with you, your father or whatever he was, made a deal with me." Katherine added, making me raise an eyebrow. "I give him what he wanted and he gave me something in return." She finished and I scoffed lightly at her.
"Yeah—he wanted sex, and somehow managed to knock a five hundred year vampire up. So, you wanted a child in return." I countered and watched as she tilted her head at me curiously.
"I didn't just want a 'baby'.. I wanted a reflection.. A doppelganger. Someone who would grow up to look exactly like me; Have my attitude. Maybe my sense of style. Someone—" Katherine started before I cut her off.
"Someone to act and look like Katherine Pierce.. So whoever it was you were running from, caught me instead of you." I stated emotionlessly, eyeing her as she put her elbows on the table and crossed her arms. "But that's not what happened, is it? The minute that Klaus came—even before he did.. you warned me about him." I added, furrowing my eyebrows at her in confusion and she sighed.
"Yeah.. Well, maybe I'm not as evil as some people take me to be." Katherine suggested with a shrug and I scoffed back at her.
"No.. that's not it." I countered and watched Katherine furrow her eyebrows. "So what was it? What made you warn me?" I added, tilting my head at her curiously as I watched her carefully.
"I watched you grow up into this.." Katherine started before she cut herself off and shrugged. "Well—me. And I saw and heard all about how Elena acted towards Isobel after she found out about her. I watched—in small amounts of pleasure, Elena's heart break into tiny pieces as the expectation of her birth mother fell apart." She added, narrowing her eyes at me and I rose an eyebrow.
"If I don't recall.. You're part of the reason Isobel acted the way she did." I argued, shaking my head at Katherine who rolled her eyes.
"Okay, besides that small fact—I didn't want that for you. I didn't want to turn you into myself." Katherine stated in a serious tone and I stared at her, clearly a little taken aback. "When I saw how you reacted after Isobel brought up that she knew your birth mother—I wanted to make it better. All of this better. I wanted to be someone that you might one day be proud of." She added with a small shrug and I scoffed dryly.
"Why are you telling me this now?" I asked, shaking my head at her in disbelief. "Because you're dying?" I added furrowing my eyebrows. Katherine narrowed her eyes at me and looked away in silence.
"Because I had a daughter who had to live with the mistakes I made a long time ago." Katherine answered emotionlessly and I felt myself stare at her in confusion. "I don't plan on making the same mistakes." She added, turning back to me as silence fell over both of us. "That and because I'm desperate, okay?Damon kicked me out, you don't want to see me and Stefan doesn't remember me. And, I just spent my last twenty dollars on this mean that I don't even get to enjoy." Katherine admitted, making me roll my eyes in some annoyance before we both became silent again.. Until an idea popped into my head.
"Maybe.. I can find you a place to stay." I suggested and watched as Katherine rose an eyebrow. "Elena and Caroline are moving out of their dorm. Dr. Maxfield—a professor, threatened to expose them.. So, I'm thinking in exchange for a place to stay and Elena's meal card.." I added, leading off as Katherine nodded quickly in agreement. "Maybe you could use your scheming mind.. And help." I pointed out, watching Katherine smirk back at me slyly.
"I think you got yourself a deal." Katherine answered, tilting her head in amusement and I opened my mouth to speak before my phone started ringing. I furrowed my eyebrows and grabbed it, looking down at the caller I.D before I answered.
"Hey, Damon told me what happened last night. How's your neck?" I asked into the phone as I folded an arm over my chest while Katherine looked at me curiously.
"A little tense but nothing to worry about, thanks for asking." A familiar voice replied.. Clearly not Stefan's, and I rose an eyebrow. "Since I'm a little occupied at the moment, I need you to get word back to Damon to go ahead and kill Silas for me." Tessa stated in boredom and I scoffed dryly.
"Well, knowing Damon, he would gladly take you up on that offer. But Silas is such a control freak that he wants to off himself.. himself." I informed, making Katherine raise an eyebrow and sit back in her seat once again.
"You mean after he destroys the other side? Yeah, that's not gonna happen—plus, I want him dead before he has the pleasure of finding the anchor." Tessa replied with a sigh and I rolled my eyes in annoyance.
"Yeah, Damon might need a little more incentive." I pointed out in annoyance, making Katherine smirk back at me.
"Mariana—" Elena's voice started from the background and I furrowed my eyebrows, noticing the warning in her tone before Tessa chuckled.
"Did I mention I lured your sister here? I used the oldest trick in the book—jealousy. Of Stefan." Tessa pointed out in amusement and I rolled my eyes. After a second, the sound of Elena's yells came through the phone and I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion.
"Tessa! Stop it!" Stefan's voice added from the background in anger and I clenched my jaw, knowing what she was doing.
"Stop it.. Stop it!" I snapped quietly, looking at the people around me while Katherine rose an eyebrow. Elena's yells become louder and I rolled my eyes in annoyance. "Damon can't kill Silas yet. He has to do something for him first." I pressed before Tessa laughed dryly again.
"Is that something more important than Elena? Because Silas put a spell on this house and bound it to the sun, which means that we're trapped here until sundown. Which means Damon has then to kill Silas.. or I kill Elena." Tessa threatened and I clenched my jaw. "With a face like Amara's, it might be cathartic. Bye now." She added in amusement before hanging up and I scoffed and looked back at Katherine.
"Well.. Can't say I don't miss you being the only crazy bitch I had to deal with." I stated in annoyance as I got out of the booth while Katherine rolled her eyes.
~~~
"We can't kill Silas!" Jeremy stated in frustration from the phone and I sighed. "Silas is the only one that can bring Bonnie back, and he's not going to bring her back until right before he destroys the other side." He added and I nodded in agreement as I parked my car.
"Yeah, well Tessa wants to do it now." I pointed out in annoyance before I got out and slammed my car door.
"Something tells me patience isn't her strong suit." Damon added from the phone and I rolled my eyes in agreement.
"Damon, you promised. You promised Mariana and Elena that they would see Bonnie again." Jeremy argued and I groaned loudly as I walked through the woods.
"He's aware of that, Jeremy." I countered, sighing in defeat as I walked.
"But if Tessa kills Elena, guess who's not going to make it to Bonnie's welcome back party?" Damon added in anger, making Jeremy quiet down. "I'm sorry, Jer.. Plans off. Bonnie's not coming back." He added emotionlessly and I slowly nodded.
"I just got to the cabin.. Keep me posted." I stated quietly into the phone before I hung up. I put my phone in my pocket and looked towards the cabin in front of me. I put my hand up towards the front door and clenched my jaw, pulling off of its hinges and throwing it to the side beside me. I walked towards the doorway but didn't walk in as Elena stood up from the floor beside the doorway while Tessa and Stefan stood from the couch across from us.
"Mariana.. The least you could have done is knock." Tessa stated in amusement and I rolled my eyes at her.
"How did you get here?" I asked emotionlessly, folding my arms over my chest.
"Excuse me?" Tessa countered, furrowing her eyebrows and I shrugged, gesturing around me.
"Here. Alive; the other side. How did you come back to life?" I asked again, slightly more annoyed than I was the first time. Tessa slowly nodded and sighed before she walked towards me, handing a cook book of some sort to Stefan.
"Oh, yeah.. That. You can blame your friend Bonnie for that." Tessa answered and I tilted my head at her. "She opened the door and then distracted herself when she brought your little brother back to life, so I just walked right through when she died." She added and I slowly shook my head as I narrowed my eyes.
"Well today, Silas was going to bring her back to life after he got the anchor." Elena pointed out emotionlessly as she looked at Tessa with anger. "But you told my sister, who has never put anyone's life before mine—including her own, to have Damon kill Silas before he could do that." Elena added, and I watched as Stefan furrowed his eyebrows at Tessa from where he stood behind her.
"So no. I don't think you deserved a 'knock'. Or the pleasure of torturing Elena without going through me first." I stated emotionlessly before I walked into the house, now standing beside Elena. Tessa smirked at me as silence fell between the four of us before Stefan took a deep breath and cleared his throat.
"What do you say to me making something? Maybe something to get our minds off of this entire mess?" Stefan asked as he changed the subject, looking more at Tessa than Elena or I.
"Why not." Tessa replied with a smirk before she walked back towards Stefan who chuckled. I looked at Elena in confusion and she gave me a saddened look in return, making me sigh in defeat.
~~~
Elena and I sat at the table while Stefan and Tessa stood in front of the oven. "Try this.. and let me know what you think." Stefan suggested, stirring the sauce for the pasta he was making.
"Okay." Tessa agreed in a flirty tone as Stefan tapped the spoon on the side of the pan before gesturing it towards her. "All right." She added, tasting the sauce and raising an eyebrow. "Mm. That's good." Tessa stated, biting her lip as she looked back at Stefan and smiled.
"Yeah?" Stefan asked with a smile before he stirred the sauce again and she chuckled, putting a hand on his arm.
"Yeah." Tessa agreed as she flirt with Stefan. I looked beside me at Elena who stared between the two and slowly shook her head, obviously hurt.
"Okay.. I get it." Elena stated in annoyance before Tessa and Stefan looked at her. "You hate me." She added, staring directly at Stefan who looked down. "You might not have any memories, Stefan but I do. This person, she's not the type of person that you would like." Elena pointed out in a bitchy tone as she looked at Tessa who furrowed her eyebrows and gave Stefan a questioning look.
"That's not very nice." Tessa replied in an amusing tone as she looked back at Elena who folded her arms over the table. "Especially considering I've allowed you to stay alive until sundown." She added in a threatening tone, making Elena and I exchange an amused glance. "Oh.. Almost sundown." Tessa pointed out as she looked out the window closest towards us and I gave Elena a worried look. Tessa grabbed Stefan's phone and walked away from us, making me roll my eyes at her.
"Elena, don't say a word.." Stefan's voice warned quickly and I rose an eyebrow and looked towards him as he remained at the stove, slowly stirring the sauce. "I know you think I hate you, but I don't. I won't let her hurt you or Mariana.. I promise." He added reassuringly and I looked at Elena and watched as she smiled at him gratefully before my attention went towards the sound of a line ringing.
"Why isn't he picking up for—" Tessa started in annoyance from where she stood away from all of us before the ringing stopped.
"What?" Damon answered in annoyance, making me smirk.
"Is he dead?" Tessa asked in a cheerful voice, making Damon scoff from the other side of the phone.
"No he's not dead yet. I was just ambushed by some of your inbred cousins. Any idea why travelers who hate Silas would want to stop me from killing him?" Damon asked sarcastically and I furrowed my eyebrows as I listened.
"They probably want his blood." Tessa answered in boredom as she folded her arms over her chest.
"For what?" Damon countered, making Tessa sigh loudly in annoyance.
"Silas drank the cure from Katherine. Now his blood is the cure." Tessa pointed out and I looked at Elena beside me as she looked down at her phone, ignoring Tessa completely.
"But they're not immortal. So who do they want it for?" Damon asked, getting annoyed by the tone in his voice.
"Think about it, Damon. The travelers aren't fans of immortality.. and I had to bind the other side to something. Something that would last forever, something that Silas couldn't destroy." Tessa stated with a slight smirk and I furrowed my eyebrows as I thought it over in my head.
"What, his favorite childhood sled?" Damon countered sarcastically and I felt my eyes dart towards Stefan who gently and silently grabbed a knife from the counter beside him.
"Something a little closer to his heart. Two thousand years old. Immortal.. indescribable.." Tessa replied with a smirk as she lead off and I scoffed lightly at her in realization. "You're a big boy Damon.. Figure it out." She added, hanging up. Tessa scoffed lightly and turned back towards us as Stefan vamped towards her, plunging the knife into her stomach.
"Mariana, Elena—go, run!" Stefan yelled loudly as he looked at us. Elena widened her eyes but didn't move, making me groan in annoyance and pull her up from the table by her shoulders. I looked back at Stefan as he took the knife out of Tessa who held her hand out towards Elena and I angrily. I quickly vamped out of the cabin, pulling Elena behind me as Stefan followed also.
-Time Skip-
Stefan, Elena and I walked into the boardinghouse as Damon and Jeremy sat in the living room and I smiled, going towards them. "Well, uh.. have a good night." Stefan stated, turning towards Elena and putting his hands in his jean pockets.
"Uh, yeah.." Elena replied with a smile before slowly shaking her head. "It's weird.. you have no memory but you're.. still you." She stated, eyeing him questioningly as I sat on the couch beside Damon who put a hand on my leg and ran a thumb over it gently.
"Well, Tessa was going to kill you, and you don't seem like you deserve that." Stefan pointed out with a soft chuckle. "So I was just going on instinct, that's all." He added and Elena slowly nodded back at him.
"Exactly, that's what I'm saying.. you're instincts were always to protect me. So thank you.. For just being you." Elena said with a small smile. Stefan stared at her for a few seconds before he slowly nodded and looked away.
"Have a good night." He replied, looking into the living room and I gave him a small smile as Damon looked up at the ceiling, remaining silent as he held the bottle of bourbon in his hand.
"Night." Elena agreed quietly before Stefan walked down the hall and she turned towards the living room.
"Stefan Salvatore sleeps in his own bed tonight. Does that mean he stopped hating us, or did the power of the doppelgänger universe push him into the car with you?" Damon asked sarcastically from next to me and Elena sighed, sitting on the opposite couch, beside Jeremy who sat in the lounge chair, drinking as well.
"Well, he uh, saved my life so I'll take that as not hate." Elena answered as she crossed pulled her legs towards her chest.
"Well, victory in a day otherwise marred by failure." Damon replied in annoyance and I eyed him in confusion confused before him and Jeremy raised their alcohol towards each other and Damon clicked his tongue, drinking from the bottle.
"We couldn't get Bonnie back. I get a pass." Jeremy stated quietly as he looked at Elena who sat beside him.
"Did I say anything?" Elena countered, raising her eyebrow back at him and I slowly nodded as a shiver ran down my spine and a coldness went through me as Jeremy scoffed and turned his head to the side of him.
"No—No, I won't because it's not." Jeremy stated in an argumentative tone, making Elena, Damon and I furrow our eyebrows at him.
"What?" Damon asked in confusion before Jeremy sighed loudly and looked at us, shrugging in annoyance.
"Bonnie's here." Jeremy pointed out and I watched as Elena furrowed her eyebrows and looked around the living room curiously. "She wants is not to worry." He added in defeat.
"We're gonna keep trying Bonnie, okay? It's not over. We've dealt with much worse." Elena stated reassuringly as she looked towards me and I slowly nodded in agreement.
"So the anchor.. Was Amara, right?" I asked, looking between Damon and Jeremy before Damon sighed loudly.
"Bingo. As of now, Silas is M.I.A and out and about, which is pretty bad. And Amara has been cured—which is even worse.." Damon stated as he got up and stood in front of us. "Because now, she's easy to kill. So the fate of the other side, where Bonnie currently resides—rests on a living, breathing, human being that we now need to protect." Damon stated in annoyance before he drank from the bourbon bottle again and I furrowed my eyebrows.
"We need to protect?" I countered, looking between him and Jeremy again as Damon finished the rest of the bottle before smirking down at me.
~~
Damon opened the trunk of the S.U.V we got before the sound of muffled groans and heavy breathing came from inside. I furrowed my eyebrows at the woman that was tied up with rope that bonded her legs and arms, along with the piece of cloth tied around her mouth as she struggled to get free from the trunk. I rose my eyebrow at her as her eyes fell on Elena and I, completely taken aback. "Mariana, Elena—meet Crazy pants. Crazy pants, meet Mariana and Elena." Damon introduced sarcastically. Elena and I stared at Amara's familiar long hair and old clothing while she stared back at us in shock.. before she let out a loud and muffled scream.
"Close it, close it, close it." I said frantically, shaking my head before Damon closed the trunk and left Amara in it to freak out alone. I slowly sighed and exchanged a look with Elena who looked like she had just seen a ghost. "We're now officially screwed." I pointed out in annoyance before I turned back to the trunk.
-Elena-
I pulled the curtains in Stefan's room back away from the window, making him gasp and sit up in bed, panting heavily. "Morning. I made coffee." I pointed out with a smile as I looked down at the cup I held. "How'd you sleep?" I added curiously, walking towards him before he sighed deeply.
"Not great." Stefan answered with a dry chuckle and I nodded as I stood beside his bed.
"First night back in your own bed. Not as comfy as Tessa's couch, huh?" I asked in amusement and Stefan scoffed.
"If we're gonna talk about Tessa, I think I need that caffeine." Stefan pointed out and I chuckled, handing it to him before he drank it. "So, uh.. What's with the wake up call?" He added, looking away from me and I took a deep breath.
"I miss you." I answered and watched as he looked back at me in silence before I sat on the bed in front of him. "I feel like when you lost your memories, I lost a friend. And I was thinking, instead of describing how much we meant to each other—maybe we can just start fresh." I suggested with a small shrug as I looked him over before I gave a small smile. "Hi.. I'm Elena." I stated and watched as Stefan furrowed his eyebrows and looked away from me.
"I was driving to Portland." Stefan stated emotionlessly, making me furrow my eyebrows.
"What?" I asked, tilting my head at him as I looked him over carefully.
"The night I took Silas to the quarry.. I said goodbye to Lexi and then I decided to keep driving West.." Stefan informed in a monotone voice and I slowly shook my head.
"Wait—how do you remember that?" I countered, completely taken aback as I watched him.
"Because my memories are back." Stefan answered emotionlessly, looking to the side and I widened my eyes.
"Really? Are you serious—How?" I asked, shaking my head as some excitement overcame me.
"Tessa came here last night.. And she undid whatever spell fried my brain. And it's all back. I can—I can remember everything." Stefan answered, furrowing his eyebrows as he thought about it in his head and I chuckled excitedly.
"Stefan, this is great!" I said cheerfully before I pulled him into a tight hug, wrapping my arms around his neck. "This is amazing." I added, shaking my head as one of his hands gently hugged me back.
-Mariana-
"October 1852." Damon quizzed, eyeing Stefan curiously as he sat across from him in the library.
"You.. broke my nose trying to teach me how to throw a right hook." Stefan answered with a soft nod.
"But not on purpose—just to be clear." Damon countered, pointing a finger towards me from where I leant over the couch behind him and I smirked. "How much did you pay for that hunk of junk motorcycle that you ride?" Damon asked again with a smirk as he looked back at Stefan.
"That's a trick question. You bought me that motorcycle.. Although, I'm guessing it was pretty expensive." Stefan answered again with a shrug and Elena smiled at him.
"So Tessa just gave you back your memories—no stings attached?" Damon asked doubtfully, furrowing his eyebrows.
"Well, it wasn't exactly a gift." Stefan pointed out as he let out a sigh. "It was a lot to take in all at once. Everything from blowing out my first birthday candles to..." Stefan led off as he looked away from us. "Drowning in a safe." He whispered emotionlessly and I watched as his mind went someone else completely and the grip he had on the glass of bourbon in his hand, tightened as well.
"Stefan?" Elena asked softly towards him before the glass he held shattered and I jumped and stood up fully now.
"Whoa.. Easy there, buddy." Damon warned, eyeing his brother in concern and I watched Stefan furrow his eyebrows at his now, bloody hand.
"Stefan.. where did you go?" I asked quietly, going towards him as he looked between me and the now broken glass.
"Uh.. all of that and I still can't remember my own strength." Stefan stated in amusement before showing a small smile towards the three of us, making Elena, Damon and I exchange confused glances. A loud thud came from the downstairs cellar and I watched as Stefan furrowed his eyebrows at us. "What was that noise?" Stefan asked looking up at me before towards Damon who cleared his throat.
"Uh, well that is—" Damon started, about to lie to him before I cut him off.
"—We have a situation." I pointed out with a nod and grabbed Damon's shoulder reassuringly.
"Of the doppelganger variety." Damon added honestly and Stefan furrowed his eyebrows at us.
"Yeah." Elena stated with a sigh as another thud came from the cellar.
"Katherine?" Stefan asked in confusion as he looked between the three of us again.
"No—nope. Not Katherine." I answered in annoyance and folded my arms over my chest. Stefan looked more confused than ever and I slowly sighed and exchanged a look with Damon.
~~
"So how long do you think Stefan will keep up this act??" Elena asked as the two of us remained in the library alone while Damon and Stefan were in the cellar with Amara. "You know.. the act of pretending he's okay for someone who's been locked in a safe for three months?" She added, raising her eyebrow at me and I sighed deeply and got off of the couch.
"We'll just have to cross that bridge when we come to it. And we'll be there to help him get over it." I answered with a small nod as Damon and Stefan's footsteps came from the hall before they came into the room, looking heated.
"So new plan. Silas decided to help us not bring Bonnie back. Even better news—He's on his way via bus and coming for Amara." Damon warned in annoyance, making Elena scoff and pace back and forth from in front of us.
"We need to buy some more time, protect Amara. We need to put her somewhere safe." Elena pointed out with a sigh and I rose my eyebrow at her.
"How do you suppose we do that? Silas is a living, breathing, GPS. He'll track her wherever we take her." Damon informed sarcastically and I nodded in agreement.
"We can't let him anywhere near her until he brings Bonnie back." Elena stated in defeat as she looked between Damon and I.
"Haven't you been listening? He's not going to bring her back." Stefan countered in annoyance as he leant against the doorway and Elena looked at him in confusion.
"So what? I should just give up?" Elena asked as she slowly walked towards him. "Come on, Stefan. You got your memory back. You know me. Probably better than anyone else—Do you really think that I'm going to give up?" She asked with a light scoff as she eyed Stefan.
"You're right, I do know you." Stefan replied, stepping forward and standing an inch away from her now. "You put all your hope in all the wrong places and sometimes, even the wrong people." He added, looking towards Damon and I sighed. "Silas needs to die and put us all out of our misery." Stefan stated in annoyance as he looked back at Elena.
"So long as he's alive, I'm holding out hope that he can still help us." Elena argued, rolling her eyes and turning away from him.
"Well, as someone who just spent the last three months at the bottom of a quarry because of the guy, I wouldn't hold your breath. Pun intended." Stefan stated in annoyance and I rolled my eyes at the two. "Silas needs to die and I need to be the one to kill him. End of story." He warned coldly before walking out of the room. Elena scoffed as she watched him before looking at me for an answer but I sighed, shrugging back at her in defeat.
~~~
"Amara could see Bonnie and Bonnie could touch her. They made physical contact, it's like Amara's got a foot in each side or something." Jeremy pointed out in disbelief from where he sat beside Damon and across from me, making me furrow my eyebrows.
"Amara exists in both places at once? Here and the other side?" Elena asked in confusion from beside me and I slowly shook my head as I wrapped my head around it.
"Then she's not crazy, crazy. She's just talking to supernatural beings roaming around in our basement." I replied, rolling my eyes at the thought of it before Jeremy nodded back.
"The point is, if Silas isn't going to help us, what if Bonnie could be the same thing?" Jeremy asked, raising an eyebrow between the three of us and I furrowed my eyebrows back at him. "What if she existed in both sides at once—" Jeremy started before I cut him off.
"—what if she became the anchor?" I asked, looking at Damon who narrowed his eyes at the thought.
"So all we need is for someone to do that spell.. Someone who knows the spell—" Elena started with hopefulness before Damon cut her off and sighed loudly.
"Oh, please do not say who I think you're going to say." Damon pleaded and closed his eyes in annoyance.
"Damon, think about it. Silas wants Amara to die and Amara wants Amara to die.. So who besides us—is the one person with the biggest stake against letting that happen?" I asked, raising my eyebrow at Damon as a smirk played on my lips. "And I know a charming someone with blue eyes and a smirk, who can possibly make a bargain." I added, tilting my head at him. Damon rose an eyebrow and looked back at me in annoyance before he scoffed lightly and looked away in defeat.
~~
I silently walked into Stefan's room to see him standing in front of his window, gazing into the trees as his arms were folded over his chest. "Haven't you heard it's bad luck to kill your doppelganger?" I asked in some amusement as I stood inside of the doorway.
"Yeah, Well.. if I don't kill him, he wins." Stefan replied quietly, not turning towards me and I slowly nodded.
"And what if he kills you first?" I countered, raising my eyebrow as I took another step towards him. "Witches aren't exactly easy to take down." I added in amusement as I smiled a bit but he still didn't look at me. "We just got you back, Stefan. Don't do anything crazy." I added quietly, shaking my head at him in disappointment. "You and I have been down the revenge road.. and it's not worth it." I sighed, tilting my head at him.
"You know, there were these moments in that safe.. a stillness in time; When I was dead and right before I was about to come back to life." Stefan stated quietly and I furrowed my eyebrows at his back. "I would think about things in the past, that made me happy. Things that gave me hope." He said, slowly turning towards me and I watched him quietly. "All these things kept me sane. They pushed me to hold on when all I wanted to do was give up and turn off my humanity. But eventually the pain, took those moments away from me too." Stefan stated in defeat and I watched as his mind wandered, just from talking about it.
"Stefan, I'm so sorry." I whispered, shaking my head at him in defeat and he stepped towards me, closing the space between us.
"Now, every time I close my eyes, I can see Silas stabbing me. I can feel myself drowning." Stefan stated emotionlessly and I tilted my head at him. "I need to make it stop, Mariana.. If I don't kill him, I'm gonna lose my mind or I'm gonna turn off my humanity—or both." Stefan added quietly and I slowly sighed at him before I took his hands in mine reassuringly. Stefan looked away from me, probably from embarrassment but I didn't care. He needed to know someone—anyone, was here.