Ryan wakes up on the couch with a groan, her body aching. She smiles at the fresh memories from the night before and she goes to shower, and get dressed in some black skinny jeans, an egg white blouse with a floral lace over it, some ankle boots, two rings - one on each hand, and her vervain necklace. Ryan adds a leather jacket before leaving the house and going to her Dodge Charger.
<<<!>>>
Ryan sits beside her dad at the booth he's at with Damon and Andie. She lays her head on the table and it lets out a bang.
"Your night go bad?" Alaric asks.
"Mm-mm," Ryan moans and shakes her head, before sitting up. "It was actually really good. I fell asleep on the couch and woke up freaking stiff."
"I warned John not to move you when you fall asleep," Alaric says. "I had a black eye the last time and a swollen cheek the first time."
"Ah, there's Jenna with her new boyfriend," Damon muses.
"Hey, guys," Jenna greets.
"Hey, mama Jen," Ryan greets as she shrugs off her jacket.
"So, I hear you two had quite the meeting of the historical minds today," Damon says.
"Yeah," Jenna replies, "I guess you could say that."
"Well, as much as I would like to continue this, I've got papers to grade," Alaric says and he puts his money down to leave.
"You know what? We should continue this," Andie suggests. "Let's have a dinner party."
"Ooh, my girl. Full of good ideas. I'll be happy to host," Damon days. "Ryan, would you cook for us?"
Ryan smiles. "Is that okay with you, Andie?"
"Perfect!" Andie replies. "I've heard good things."
"Say tonight, maybe?" Damon suggests.
"It's good for me," Ryan shrugs. "Got nothing to do."
"It's good for me, too," Andie replies. "Jenna?"
"I don't know if tonight works..."
"Yeah," Jenna cuts Ric off, "I'm free."
Elijah glances at Ryan and back to Damon. "It'd be a pleasure."
"Yay!" Ryan cheers. "More Elijah."
They all look at her and Ryan's face grows redder than a beet.
"Sorry," she mutters and looks down, letting her hair hide her face.
Elijah smiles at her form and he looks around the Grill before he goes outside for some air; he had promised not ton care for another doppelgänger but Ryan wirh her quirky personality that reminds him of his family, he can't help but feel a pull toward her. A pull to care for her, to protect her.
He glances in the window and he watches as Ryan talks to Andie, even though he knows she likes Damon. It's obvious she's hurt by it but she keeps on a happy face to go along with her strong act. Elijah honors that, Ryan putting on a smiling mask to appease the others around her. Elijah frowns as he even thinks of the emotions underneath her mask, and he looks out onto the square.
<<<!>>>
Ryan goes to the tomb and sees Katherine fed and changed.
"Who came to see you?" Ryan asks.
"Damon," Katherine says. "He love me."
Ryan smirks and holds out her wrist. "Feed on me, but not too much. I have a dinner to cook."
Katherine grabs her arm and she bites into her wrist, not saying anything about Damon's plans to kill Elijah. If Ryan knows, Elijah will kill her. And for the first time since Katherine killed her elf and became a vampire, Katherine cared for the life of another and that person's life is Ryan Marie Gilbert-Saltzman's.
<<<!>>>
Ryan and Myra head to the boarding house a few hours prior to the dinner party to start cooking. Ryan is making some chicken as the meat, some good ole' poultry. Oddly, this is a recipe her mom taught her.
"Whay ingredients do we need?" Myra asks after she gushes over out beautiful the Salvatore's kitchen is.
Ryan writes all the ingredients down on paper Stefan keeps in the kitchen for Ryan and she hands it to Myra. Myra vamp speeds around the kitchen for the items as Damon strolls in. He pauses at the doorframe at ingredients mysteriously appear on the island. Myra finally stops.
"Hi ya, hottie." Myra greets.
"Hey," Damon greets. "Ryan."
Ryan nods in greeting and she goes to the stove. She preheats the oven amd she has Myra grab the aluminum foil. Myra does this and Ryan lines the baking sheet and she pushes ur to the side. Ryan toasts some bread to where it's beautifully golden on each side and she uses a four inch round cookie cutter her mom got her bone Christmas and she coats them and a half of a teaspoon of melted butter.
She places them ones a rack so they can crisp up, and she makes the crust into bread crumbs for garnish. She grabs a large sauté pan and she hopes it's nonstick. She simmers some slices of ham in it for about a minute until they're lightly brown, Damon watches in amazement as Ryan cooks. She sets the ham aside when it's finished.
Ryan seasons her skinless chicken breast and she puts it in the already hot sauté pan, and adds oil. She cooks it for about a minute and a half on each side and she moves it to the baking sheet and puts it in the oven, Ryan dusts her hands off and looks at Myra.
"Do you remember how to make the sauce?" Ryan asks. "I need to get ready."
"Is it the recipe Isobel taught you?" Myra asks and hand nods. "I remember. How long should the chicken take in the oven?"
"Twelve to fourteen minutes," Ryan says and she goes upstairs.
"Damon, come and learn something," Myra says. "This is one of very few things Isobel did teach Ryan and it's really good."
Damon nods and he raises his sleeves as he crosses the kitchen. "Alright, Myra LandBurger, where do you want me?"
<<<!>>>
Ryan ends up making some store bought rolls, baked beans, salad, and some meatballs to go with the chicken. And for dessert, she makes a carrot cake with white icing and some chocolate-raspberry whoopie pies. They're Ryan's favorite type of cookie, it's also a recipe her mom taught her.
Ryan goes to answer the door when the bell rings and she sees John. "Father! Hi."
"Hey," John greets.
"Hohn. Surprise. Leave," Damon says as he walks up behind a dressed up Ryan.
Ryan's wearing a dark teal dress with thin straps and a thin black belt around her waist, some gorgeous black heels that have a strap around her ankle, some red lipstick, some black hoop earrings, and her vervain necklace. Ryan has done her hair in a nice updo hairstyle and feels really damn good about herself right now.
"When Ryan mentioned a dinner part for Elijah, I decided I couldn't miss out on all the fun and games," John says and Ryan smirks.
"There are not going to be any games tonight, John," alaeic says as he walks into the foyer. "It's just a friendly party."
"Why do I have a feeling you're lying?" Ryan asks Alaric.
John looks at Damon, who simply agreed with alaeic.
"Father, come look at what I cooked," Ryan says and she drags him into the house.
Ryan and Alaric agreed it'd be okay if Ryan started calling John 'father', but Alaric will always be 'dad'. John understands that and he accepts it, he is just glad that Ryan is willing to give him a chance with Elena won't.
<<<!>>>
The doorbell rings once more while Ryan helps Andie amd Jenna place the food on the table. Damon goes to open the door and it's Elijah. Ryan smiles at the original and Jenna notices. She grins to herself.
"Ryan!" Elijah beams as he walks into the house after threatening Damon; Elijah walks up to Ryan and he caresses her cheek with his thumb slightly. "You are exquisite."
"You look good as well, Elijah," Ryan compliments. "You get to taste more than just my baking this evening."
Elijah smiles down at her. "I look forward to it."
...
Ryan ends up between Elijah and John towaed the end of the table. Alaric is beside Jenna on the other side of Elijah, then it's Andie, Damon is sitting on the other side of the table, directly across from Elijah.
"I hate to break it to you, Damon," Jenna says as she pours him some more wine, "but according to Elijah, your family is so not a founder of this town."
"Hmm," Damon hums, "do tell."
"Well, as I mentioned to Jenna earlier, a faction of settlers migrated from Salem after the witch trials on the 1690s," Elijah explains. "Over the next hundred years, they developed this community where they could feel safe from persecution."
Jenna hums at this. "Because they were witches."
"Yeah, but there's no tangible proof that there were witches in Salem," Andie says.
"Andie's a journalist," Damon says. "Big on facts.
"Please. I read my mom's research and books on lore," Ryan speaks up, Elijah looks at her with interest. "The lore says that there was this wave of anti-witch hysteria. It broke out in the neighboring settlement, so the witches were rounded up. They were burned on shakes together in the middle of a field."
"They were consumed by fire, you could hear their screams for miles," Elijah adds. "Could you pass me the rolls, miss Ryan?"
Ryan smiles. "Certainly." She grabs the serving bowl and holds it out. "You're welcome."
"Yes, thank you," Elijah says.
"I wouldn't repeat that go the historical society," Jenna comments.
"Lord, I know," Ryan laughs.
"It's starting to sound a little like a ghost story to me," John says.
"So, why do you want to know the location of these alleged massacres?" Damon asks.
"You know..." Elijah gives him a look. "A healthy historian's curiosity, of course."
"Of course."
Elijah looks at Damon, who smiles nervously. "Ryan," Elijah looks at her, "did you bake as well?"
"I did!" Ryan replies. "I made whoopie pies and a carrot cake."
"Oh, those whoopie pies are good," Alaric points out. "What flavor?"
"Chocoalte-raspberry," Ryan replies. "My favorite."
<<<!>>>
Ryan sits on the couch in the living room after dinner, the men have went to the study for some drinks. Ryan knows Damon's up to something, but no one included her. Should she feel hurt? She doesn't. If it comes to hurting an original who could easily kill every single person in this house, Ryan's relieved she's being kept out of the loop.
Jenna hasn went to get the dessert but she's taking forever.
"What's taking her so long?" Ryan asks. "It was on the counter."
She catches the look in Damon's eyes and she narrows her eyes before she walks away, her heels clicking the entire way. When she returns with the cake and cookies that were behind the stuff in the fridge, Elijah's gone.
"Where's Elijah?" Ryan asks. "Damn it, Damon."
Ryan goes to her room.
<<<!>>>
Ryan is suddenly agaisnt her bedroom wall and Elijah's hand is wrapped around her throat. Ryan's eyes widen.
"I... I didn't know!" She gasps. "They... they kept me out of the loop, Elijah!"
Elijah uses his other hand to rip the necklace off of Ryan's neck and he bites into her neck, tasting no vervain. Then he compels: "did you know of the plans of the evening?"
Ryan's eyes dilated as the compulsion works. "No," she replies in a monotone. "I had no idea. I'm sorry."
Elijah removes his hand from Ryan's neck, and he dusts off his suit. "Where is your sister?"
"Elijah...."
Elijah grabs the back of Ryan's neck and he compels her, "where is your sister?"
"Gilbert family's lake house," Ryan replies in a trance as her eyes dilate.
"Elijah..."
"I apologize, Ryan," Elijah says as he places a hand on her cheek. "Truly, I do." And he is gone in a flash."
Ryan takes her heels off, grabs a stake from her arsenal, and she storms up to Damon, who's in the living room, pacing. Damon goes to check her but she slaps the hell out of him before shoving a stake into his stomach. Damon groans in pain as he grips at the stake.
"That's for nearly getting me killed," Ryan growls. "And now he's after my sister. You better hope Elijah doesn't kill her because if he does, that stake goes in your heart next. Got it?"
Damon looks at Ryan through his pain-glazed eyes and nods. "Got it."
Ryan ripsthdbstake from Damon's stomach, and she goes upstairs.
"Damn," John muses. "She wasn't kidding about her temper."
Alaric smirks. "Nope, she wasn't. But John, thst was nothing compared to what she can do. She'd really kill Damon. If he messes up right now, about anything, he's as good as dead."
John and Damon hard a look before growing nervous. Alaric pats both their shoulders before he goes to check on Ryan.
<<<!>>>
With a robe wrapped around Ryan's very nude, she goes down to the cellar. Elena had a part in Elijah's death and Ryan's upset. She's not mad, but she's upset. She looks in at Elijah from the doorframe and she sighs.
"I'm sorry," Ryan whispers. "I had no part in this."
Ryan goes upstairs to steal Damon's shower and Katherine opens the curtain.
"Oh!" Katherine gasps and pulls the curtsin closed and pokes her head out. "Hey."
"Do I have thst nice of a body?" Ryan asks and she smirks. "How'd you get out?"
Katherine grins. "When Elijah died, his compulsion wore off. I came here."
"Well, burry, Kat, I need a shower," Ryan says and she sits on the counter.
"Will do, RyRy," Katherine says befofe she gets back in the shower... until Damon turns and the turns the water off, making Ryan smirk, she opens the curtain, revealing her naked body to himself.
Ryan sees it daily when she looks at herself. It sucks being the double of another, but she doesn't feel repulsed by a naked body of someone who looks like her replica.
"Hello, Damon," Katherine purrs. "Do you have a robe?"
"How did you get out?" Damon asksn
"When Elijah died, the compulsion wore off," Ryan says from the counter and she goes to the shower as Katherine steps out; Ryan shuts the curtain and throws her the robe and turns the water on.
"And you knew," Damon says to Katherine, he wants to complain about too many naked doppelgängers, but he doesn't.
"And I'm still here," Katherine says. "I didn't run. I meant what I said; I'm going to help. Ryan's by friend." She looks at thr tone on her. "Ry, thanks for the robe."
"You're welcome!" Ryan says and she pokes her head out. "Can I have one of your shirts?"
Damon groans befofe he speeds ou and returns. "This work?" He holds up a black button down.
"Thank you," Ryan says.
Ryan finishes here shower when Damon leaves the bathroom and gets out, she puts on his shirt and she leaves the bathroom.
"Hey, Andie," Ryan greets.
"Hey, Ryan," Andie greets. "Can I use your strawberry shampoo? I ran out last night."
"Go for it," Ryan replies and she looks at Damon as Andie goes to have a bath. "Thank you, Damon."
She goes over to his bed and kisses his cheek before going to her own room.