the butterfly effect
ATHENA KNOCKS ON THE DOOR, SHIFTING UNCOMFORTABLY ON THE FRONT PORCH. Almost hesitantly, the front door opens and Bonnie peaks her head out, eyebrows furrowing when she sees Athena standing before her.
Wiping her cheeks, Bonnie stepped into the doorway. "Athena, what– what is it? Is Damon okay?"
Athena nods, struggling to find her words. "He's, uh, confused, I think. I haven't talked to him a lot, honestly."
Bonnie nods knowingly, leaning against the doorway.
"I, um," Athena swallows through the thickness in her throat. "I just wanted to say sorry, Bonnie. I shouldn't have made Grams push herself that hard, I was just scared, I couldn't– I never meant for any of this to happen, I was just–"
"Athena," Bonnie lays a hand on her arm, eyes watering again at the nearly hysterical girl. "It isn't your fault. She would've killed you if she hadn't stopped when she did."
"I was so scared, I knew Katherine wasn't in the tomb, I knew it wouldn't be that easy and I just thought if she channeled me, we could keep the tomb open for you guys to get out, and she stopped– I didn't want her to stop, but I just– I'm so sorry, Bonnie,"
Athena inhales sharply, feeling hot tears spill over her flushed cheeks. She'd barely been able to keep her tears at bay for the past two days, it seemed.
Bonnie shakes her head, tears of her own sliding down her cheeks. "It's not your fault, I promise. It isn't your fault."
The brunette shakes her head, lunging for Bonnie and encasing her in an almost painful hug. "I'm sorry. You don't deserve this."
Bonnie startles at the girl's outward comfort, but her shoulders begin to heave and Athena just holds her tighter, letting her cry into the fabric of her sweater.
Athena holds the girl against her, her own tears falling silently as the girl grieves for her grandmother. And even if it was only for a moment, the past remained in the past, and the two teenage girls began to understand that if they were going to be in this life, they were going to have to work together.
The thought didn't seem so bad.
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Her boots scuffed along the dirt as Athena came to a stop outside of the tomb door. She sat on the folded blanket she'd brought days ago, clearing her throat slightly as Stefan came into sight.
For a moment, the ache in her chest dwells, only reappearing when she is reminded of his imprisonment. "Hi,"
Stefan smiles slightly, mirroring her position on the ground. "How have you been?"
Athena's forced smile falters, and Stefan catches the pain that floods her face before being shoved away. It pains him to know she's feeling an inkling of what he's feeling. "I went to go see Bonnie today, uh, the funeral was yesterday."
"Is she doing okay?"
"She's as good as she can be right now. Grams practically raised her, so it's going to be hard no matter what," Athena shrugs, glancing at his folded hands. A pang of longing hits her like a ton of bricks, even for something as simple as holding his hand again. "She's going to help get you out of here."
"Athena," He shakes his head. "I don't want you guys to get hurt because of this. I'm– I'll be fine."
"Stefan, I swear to god, if you sit here and try to convince me not to get you out, I'll do it just to have the ability to slap you."
He huffs a laugh as she scoots forward slightly, leaning her shoulder on the wall so she doesn't have to hold herself up.
"How is Damon doing?"
Athena heaves a sigh, folding her hands into her lap. "I don't know. He's been quiet. And drunk."
"He's hurt," Stefan murmurs, concern for his brother seeping into his tone. "I mean, Katherine strung him along more than she ever did to me. She promised him everything."
"I wish I would've stopped him from doing any of this. If I could've convinced him she wasn't in here,"
"He would've found a way to open the tomb no matter what, Athena. That's what Katherine does to him, she gets in his head and warps his reality. He wouldn't have stopped."
She shakes her head, gesturing to the ruins of the church above them. "How would Katherine have even escaped the tomb if Emily was killed shortly after everything that happened? There wouldn't have been a witch to break the spell, let alone a Bennett to do it."
"It wouldn't surprise me if she wasn't ever in the tomb to begin with," Stefan scoffs, but his words seem to strike something in Athena that makes her sit up straight again.
"That's it," She says, eyes lighting up. "Katherine was never in the tomb, or else she'd still be in here. That means when Damon asked Emily Bennett to make sure she was safe, Emily was most likely helping Katherine escape from Mystic Falls altogether."
Stefan's dark brows furrow, skepticism showing. "Yeah, but I was there. Every inch of the town was covered, looking for vampires. My father had over half of the men in the town hunting down every person that reacted to the vervain, especially Katherine."
"But from what you and Damon have said about Katherine, she always managed to get out of things. What would stop her from getting out of town before she was killed?"
"They– they captured Pearl, Anna's mom, right after they caught Katherine. If she got out, Pearl would know how."
Athena's eyes flicker to the dark tunnel of the tomb not lit by the torch above them. "I don't know how cooperative they're being after what happened, but would it hurt to ask?"
Stefan sighs, following her gaze. He'd barely gone past the first few feet, never wanting to miss Athena if she came down. And, he probably had a few enemies awaiting his return. It was safer for him to stay where the weaker vampires couldn't reach.
"I can try, but I can't promise anything."
Athena instinctively reaches for him but stops short when the barrier prevents it. She and Stefan both falter, but she just forces a small smile and shakes her head. "It's just a start, no matter. Bonnie, Damon, and I are going to keep looking for something that might get you out of here. We're not just going to sit and let you rot in here."
Stefan nods quietly. "I know."
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"You know, Stefan killed Ben,"
Athena looks up at Bonnie from the floral-printed carpet in her living room. "He said he was out of control, most likely because he was freshly turned."
Bonnie nodded, rolling her lips slightly. "He threatened you. Ben said once he killed me, he was going to go after you for whatever you did to him in the motel room."
Her eyes widen and she sits up on the couch, looking at the witch. "He– he threatened me? Stefan killed him because he threatened me?"
Bonnie confirms her stuttered question with a hesitant nod. "He was trying to talk him down, see if they could come to an agreement, and just let Ben get out of town before the sun came up. Stefan even offered to get a daylight ring made, but Ben wanted nothing to do with it. As soon as he threatened you, Stefan kind of just,"
She trailed off, recalling how brutal Stefan had become in the blink of an eye. He'd slammed Ben against the wall of the tomb and whispered something low enough that only Damon overheard it. Whatever it might have been, it seemed to worry Damon, which is when he seemed to recover from his shock at Katherine's absence and push Bonnie towards the exit.
"He was right behind us," Bonnie whispered, her voice haunted. "I wouldn't have left without him, Athena, I promise."
She shakes her head, trying to clear her mind of the implications of Stefan's actions in the tomb. "It's okay. Damon and I are going to look for a way to get the barrier down."
"I'll do whatever I can to help," Bonnie sits up, brushing her brown hair out of her face. "Stefan and Damon saved my life in that tomb, it's the least I owe them."
"I think we should stop keeping tally on who saves who, otherwise we'll be here all day."
Bonnie huffs a small laugh, making Athena give a ghostly smile that is more forced than Bonnie thought possible. She eyes her classmate concernedly, wringing her hands together. "Are you okay, Athena?"
"I'm fine," Athena nods, trying to tell herself that more than anything. "I came over here for you, not for me, anyway."
"It's hard to understand right now, but I know I'll be fine one day. And just because she's gone, doesn't mean she isn't still helping me. That's the plus side of being a witch, you never lose your ancestors."
Bonnie leans forward, her dark eyes narrowed on Athena's hunched posture. She's got a large, dark sweatshirt on and Bonnie assumes it's Stefan's just from the light scent of cologne coming off of it. It looks like she hasn't slept in the three long days Stefan has been stuck in the tomb, and the thought concerns Bonnie more than she would've thought.
"Have you been sleeping? Or eating?"
Her doe eyes widen slightly, but she simply shakes her head at Bonnie's question. "I, uh, I can't. I'm restless. Every bite of food makes me nauseous, and every time I close my eyes I just can't shut my brain off."
"Athena,"
"I don't want pity," Athena cuts her off, trying her best to keep her tone easy. "I just want Stefan out of the tomb. I can't just sit around while he's trapped in there, starving to death."
"He wouldn't want you to do this to yourself," Bonnie shakes her head. "And I know that I've been bitter in the past because of Elena, but I see the way he looks at you. He killed for you, Athena, and I know he'd do it again if he thought you were in danger. All he wants is for you to be okay, and he would want you to take care of yourself when he couldn't."
Athena bites her tongue, her sight of Bonnie blurred by hot tears. "I'd rather be rotting in the tomb with him, than up here without him."
"Athena, I can't imagine what you're feeling right now, but Stefan loves you. And when we get him out of the tomb, you have to be okay, or else he won't see any point in being free. If something happened to you up here, he would stay in that tomb."
The brunette wipes her tears away with her sleeve, sighing shakily. "Damon and I will need your help getting Stefan out of the tomb,"
Bonnie furrows her brows at the change of subject. "I– I know,"
"But until then, you should get out of town."
"What?"
"You just lost your grandma, and if you busy yourself trying to get Stefan free, you'll never give yourself time to really grieve for her. I don't know if you have family out of town, but maybe you should just go see them for a couple of days and just breathe, you know?"
"Athena, I have to be here to help you, I– I can't leave."
Athena sits forward, resting her hands on her knees. "As soon as Damon and I figure out how to get Stefan out, we'll call you, I promise. You won't be left out of anything, but I think that you should just take a few days to yourself and get a break."
Bonnie looks at her confusedly but seems to resign to her idea. "You're probably right. I've been so busy trying to think of how to help Stefan that I've barely stopped and taken a breath. I have an aunt that lives a few hours away, I'm sure I could go stay with her."
Athena lets out a grateful sigh at Bonnie's agreement.
"But you swear that you'll call as soon as you find a way to get him out?"
"I swear, Bonnie."
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"Have you been sleeping?"
Athena raises an eyebrow, not bothering to open her tired eyes. Comfortable silence had fallen between her and Stefan, and she'd lost track of how long she'd been down there. "Are you implying I look tired?"
"You look gorgeous," His comment makes her peek at him, meeting his knowing stare that pierces her soul. "But I know you, and I know you forget to take time for yourself when you're stressed."
She huffs, rolling the loose fabric of the sweater over her cold hands. "How on earth would you know that?"
"Because I know you, Athena. I know you like more creamer in your coffee than actual coffee, and your nose does this scrunchy thing when it's too bitter. You roll your eyes every time Caroline mentions that you have to come to some school function because you're a cheerleader. And you never wear your hair up unless you're reading something, because you always get a headache."
Athena looks at him with wide eyes, unable to stop the way her heart races in her chest at his words. She huffs a stubborn breath, blinking back tears she had barely contained the past few days. "Do you remember,"
A short laugh leaves her in her tired state, but even the faint sound makes Stefan smile. "Do you remember when I ran into you and called you a speed bump?"
Stefan laughs incredulously, his head tipping back with laughter. "Of course, I remember! My first impression of you was horrendous, Athena,"
She echoes his laugh, her lashes fluttering against her cheek in a way that never fails to make Stefan's pulse stutter. Quieting quickly, she gives him a fond, tired smile. "It seems like a lifetime ago, honestly,"
"Yet it's only been a few months," He nods, eyes widening as he recalls the first few times he spoke to Athena. He wouldn't take anything back, he realizes as he reflects on it. Every decision he's made has led him to this girl, this goddess of a woman, and he wouldn't change it for the world.
He doesn't need to when he's got his world right before him.
"You know, you're a lot more charming than I assumed." Athena hums, exhaustion seeping into her tone once more as she leans against the doorway of the tomb.
"Oh, am I?"
She nods, though there's a slightly taunting smile on her face as she flutters her fingers at him. "Butterflies, baby. Butterflies."
He sighs, ignoring the butterflies that she gives him. "You should get home and get some sleep."
She hums quietly, letting him know she'd heard him. He rolled his eyes, exasperatedly fond of her even as she lulled to sleep on the other side of the barrier.
"Stefan?"
"Yeah, Athena?"
"Will you stay here? So I can sleep?"
He nods, despite her eyes being closed. "Of course I will. I won't leave."
She nods, confirming his words once more before she seems to lose all strain of consciousness before him. He watches her tense shoulders relax and figures there's no harm in letting her get a few minutes of sleep before she goes home.
Unbeknownst to him, minutes become hours and he loses himself in watching her sleep and tracing mindless patterns in the dirt beneath him while he tries to think of any way to approach Pearl about Katherine about that fateful night.
Footsteps crunch on the ruins and his gaze shoots up defensively, only relaxing when he sees his brother stand before them.
"I figured this is where I'd find her."
Stefan nods quietly, watching Damon step towards Athena. He hesitates, but clears his throat, drawing Damon's eyes to him. "I'm sorry about Katherine, I, uh, I know you–"
"You're locked in a tomb, doomed to starve for all of eternity unless we find a way to get you out without killing anyone and you're apologizing to me?" Damon looks at him incredulously. "It's no wonder Athena's got a thing for you."
"Damon,"
"Stefan, I'll get over it," Damon gives him a sharp look. "I always get over it, okay? It's kind of my thing. I'll eat a couple of tourists and move on. But if I don't find a way to get you out of here, she will never move on. Do you understand that?"
Stefan nods, despite it being a rhetorical question.
"Katherine will show up one day, I'm sure. She could never stay away for too long. But until then, I'm going to find a way to get this tomb open without killing any more Bennetts."
Damon kneels, scooping an arm beneath Athena's bent legs and using the other to hold her back. He picks up the sleeping girl gently, giving Stefan a reassuring look. "Try not to get yourself killed in there. She'll be pissed."
"Yeah, I know," He hums, watching Damon adjust her gently as he turns to leave. "Just keep her safe. Don't let her get in trouble because of me."
Damon shakes his head at his little brother, a taunting smirk growing on his face. "You're such a sap, Stefan."
"Damon,"
"Yeah, yeah, keep her safe, don't let her get into trouble, I got it."
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author's note; i am sooo sick for this like wow
originally published; 12.1.20. (what the fuck)
edited: 11.28.23. (what the fuck)
- liz