Hey people! I have been sick. Here I am though with the next chapter of Breathless. Hope you like it. It's more than 3,000 words. :) Thanks for the reviews, favorites and follows.

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Chapter 20: We are the Champions

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Her smile twitched and before she knew what she was doing, a gentle laugh spilled from her lips. For the first time in what seemed to be many years, she actually laughed. Beside her older brother. Who she spent years thinking was dead. In response to the sound, the corners of Damon's eyes crinkled with delight; for it had been soo long since he last heard that sound. "You, on the other hand…" He teasingly trailed off before reaching a band blindly down to grab another shot of Bourbon and offered it to her, "I have a strong suspicion that you know damn well how to have fun."

She playfully winked then - not confirming or denying his assessment and it only made Damon's smirk to grow into a smile - before snagging the offered shot glass and pour it's contents swiftly down her throat. The burn that accompanied the liquid curled through her system, appreciated by Ava after the frustration she had at home. She spoke before she even realized she opened her mouth, "Thanks. You absolutely have no idea how much I needed that..."

Damon gave her a side glance at that, giving her his sole attention after signaling the bartender to get him a few more shots. "Tell me." He requested of her in an almost carefree manner, not willing to show his hand so soon and ask her the questions that were assaulting his mind. He continued when the bartender, a blond human with eyes too far apart in his opinion, placed two more shots in front of him. She left them after eyeing him coyly and pouting when he didn't offer her much attention, you know - aside from the dry look that told her to get lost. Nothing was going to get in the way of spending time with his long lost sister - nothing.

"Come on, Ava… Don't you dare leave me in suspense!" The corners of Damon's smile curved as he eyed her with those piercing blue orbs, mischief danced within him and it seeped into his tone that was almost pleading. "...Inquiring minds want to know."

Ava froze up immediately in response, at his tone as well as the strong feeling gripped at her heart for she somehow knew that Damon wouldn't let it go. She could have given him some mediocre reason as to why her day went so badly, and had gotten away with it too if she were human. That was the thing though, she wasn't and Ava promised herself that if either one of her brothers' attempted to take the time to understand… that she would try her damnedest in return to explain it to them. It didn't come much of a surprise that Damon was the first one to start to question her about it, given how close Stefan was to the equation… to Elena. The fact was that if Damon found the bread crumb trail first, it meant that there was one to begin with. It meant that Stefan overlooked it and wouldn't be too far from them if he was trailing after Damon. Metaphorically, of course, and who knows? Maybe physically as well.

Now, Damon… He probably had plans to interrogate her for information regarding something, and it was probably the real reason why he wanted to spend lunch with her. To sort through the pieces and decipher what was the truth and what wasn't. Something more than what she knew to be pain clenched her insides and twisted them into different directions, pulling in ways that they were not meant for. She should be happy that he wanted to meet with her, to give her a chance to explain, but Ava also felt the sting of the ulterior motive. Which was fucking comical to her given what she was doing. She couldn't help but feel that way though, but the only thing that was slowly settling that feeling was the knowledge that he loved her. It also seemed he was more curious than anything - something Ava couldn't fault him for - and the tone he used wasn't judgemental in the slightest. In fact, it was playful, as if this was all one big trivia game. So there was always that… Maybe this could work, maybe. Ava just felt so terrified to lose him for all the secrets she chose to keep. If Damon knew about it all, if she forced herself to lay it all out for his eyes to judge… would he?

"Helllooo. Earth to Ava?" Damon waved a hand in her face to try and get her attention and when she refocused, Ava noticed that even though his tone was playful it was those blue eyes that gave way to how he really felt in that moment. Concerned. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad. Maybe things will get better. She smiled gently at him, trying to keep back the tears that threatened to sting in her eyes as he continued with urgency, "Where the hell did you go, hmm? ...Are you okay? You are okay, right?"

She tried not to laugh at how confused he sounded towards the end, how uncomfortable he was around emotional women. This is nothing, I was so much worse when I was pregnant… God, how I wished you were with me in that time Damon. Even if it was just for a mere second. It would have meant everything to me. Ironically the reoccuring thought of how her brother's weren't with her in such a life changing time, how they still didn't know about Aria, made her even more emotional. Even though she knew within her heart that she needed to protect her child from anyone; keeping this from her brothers was proving to be so much more difficult than earlier when she asserted herself against Elijah. These were her brothers, for crying out loud. "I'm fine." She responded back by default, as she didn't want to worry him of how close she was to an emotional break down. Today alone, Ava saw her husband with their baby; was held protectively in his arms or the first time in what seemed to be such a long while. She went back home, grudgingly, and came face to face with one from her past. One that she hadn't been on equal footing with since the night that was fine before it all went to hell… before he had died. She got long well with Elijah; his mannerisms, his code and how he viewed his family was something to be admired. Something that she had always counted on even when things were at their worst. She just didn't make it a secret how she thought about what he said about Aria.

In a way, Aria's birth was as surprising to Klaus and Ava as much as it was to everyone else that knew. It shouldn't have happened, she was a vampire but it did anyway. Even though she was technically dead, and to find out how one needed to ask the one that already passed on. The one whom gifted Ava with such abilities… the one she had to have that conversation with was Emily Bennett. They loved Aria, no matter what her bloodlines were. She was their child, their miracle child. Of course it didn't start off with an upbeat attitude like that, nothing was ever perfect… but the fact still remained the same.

Ava sighed, the huff of air escaping her lips softly, because she could hear for herself that her emotions leaked through her words. She looked at him, truly looked at him and when she opened her mouth to speak Ava knew she had to give him a head's up on where this conversation was going. In an attempt to prepare him, mentally, for the conversation Ava knew that they needed to have. "...Womb to tomb, right?" It was a figure of speech that fit this scenario: Bound together more than just blood; will you, my sibling, always be with me? Will you love me though it all?

Damon's face fell sharply, his eyes narrowing in on her own before he spoke, "Yes… I am astounded that you even have to ask." And hurt, Ava heartbreakingly deterred from what slowly bled out of his blank expression. "Listen, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that you have secrets and hey to each their own. I can't blame you for that, I wasn't there with the the majority of your vampire years. Literally just realized you were alive at all when you popped up in Mystic Falls. ...But whatever secrets that can and will involve me, whatever gets too much to handle? I'd like to know about. Even if it is out of self-preservation and protecting you." She didn't know why, maybe it was the idea of him still protecting her even with him knowing all that she had done… but as his words sunk deep into her, Ava's chest warmed with emotion. Now, all she could truly do was stare at him. Ava could easily tell that her stare unnerved him in some ways but he also didn't complain. The right side corner twitched upwards in response, he didn't back down. There; that was yet another thing that she could respect of Damon.

"...Your right Damon, I am keeping secrets. Though that doesn't seem to surprise you at all." She finally admitted to him, still locking his eyes with her assessing ones as she observed that the second half of her statement rung true. "Be that as it may, I do need to ask that of you. These secrets that I have kept from you... from Stefan, only a select few know of. I wanted to tell you as soon as I found out you were here, as alive as could be expected but I couldn't let my emotions blind me, Damon. I still can't. I couldn't tell Steffy, not when he was visibly so wrapped up in Elena... and until recently, I thought you were too."

That was because up until recently I was. Damon silently amended, tearing his eyes away from her as something close to shame filled him. He hadn't been able to break the doppelganger spell, not until he saw how Elena had treated the one person he gave a damn about besides himself to date. What she was leading up to though made him wonder what she got herself into hundred plus years that they had been apart. Ava obviously was protecting something - someone? - special to her and she forced herself not to tell anyone because of it. It stung a bit before he actually took the time to understand where she was coming from; they hadn't seen each other in awhile. 'As alive as could be expected-' so Ava didn't know that he was alive at all… she had to have heard of Stefan's Ripper days though right? It wasn't like either of them went off the grid. Adding all of that with whatever she had been through made her wary to trust... and god, if he himself didn't understand that. He would be lying if he said that he hadn't been hoping that Ava had a good existence, he felt that she deserved that much. Hearing her talk though made Damon want to wrap his arms around her and just give her a hug. However, bit of good news: Stefan didn't know either. And damn, if that didn't do his ego some good.

"If any of my enemies -" Ava had enemies? Plural? Damon blinked in response before he contemplated if he should be proud of such a fact or even more on edge... probably both. Hey, it happens to the best of us. "were to hear any of these secrets and all of them are underhanded enough to use any bit of information against me and mine..." Ava looked away from him for the very first time since she started to speak, in an effort to collect her thoughts and after a moment she looked to Damon with a plea in her eyes for him to understand, "It's not just my life that will be on the line, brother."

So, she is protecting someone. Damon assessed her words quickly, but at the same time more questions arose. But why? Who would be worthy enough to protect? She had protected Bonnie with a fierce edge, that was for sure.. But this? This seemed like an entirely different ball game. What he had seen before was the minor league version and Damon couldn't help but wonder if he was even ready for this. "And you think that I would tell anyone when it's obviously so damn important to you? Really, I'm hurt." Damon scoffed with an edge that wasn't quite playful, before looking at her with serious eyes, "Ava, I wouldn't ever betray you. You're my sister, damn it, so stop with the theatrics and just tell me."

Ava sighed in response, "...I can't do that." She only got the first two words out before Damon groaned in response, he turned his head away and because he did so, the older Salvatore sibling didn't see the mischievous smile curling on his sister's lips. "But… I can show you." Damon's head spun around so fast that if he were human, he would certainly have whiplash. His blue crystallized eyes frantically found her dark ones, taking in her smile that was sincere. "Yeah… I think I want to introduce you to someone very special to me." She hopped off the bar stool in one fluid movement, before turning back and downing the shot of alcohol that was in front of her. He hesitantly followed her movement, watching her with observant eyes as she scanned the Grill before she took notice of Caroline, "Hey Blondie!" The cheerleader corrected her pose with interest from where she was almost slouched in her seat at one of the tables; trying and failing to come off as not being an eavesdropper of their little conversation no doubt. "You are coming with. I tend for you to be a present for a certain little witch that is currently bored out of her 'ever loving mind'."

Caroline Forbes, no doubt concluding that Ava was talking about Bonnie, jumped out of her seat with brightly lit eyes. After grabbing her jacket that was hanging off the back of her chair and clutching at her purse, the blonde mysteriously was in front of them faster than any human could recognize. Damon glared at her after quickly observing that no one had taken notice, but Caroline's attention was centered solely on Ava's face; the younger vampire's body positively vibrating with glee. Ugh, I swear that I can almost see the little hearts hovering around her body. As if that weird twinkle wasn't enough.

"Seriously?!" Caroline asked her, a smile wide on her lips and when Ava slowly reflected it, Damon inwardly cringed. Please don't let there be two of them. Ava seemed to understand what Caroline was going through though and nodded her head firmly once. As they all made it out of the Grill, Caroline of course reaching the door before either of them, Damon reflected about how he got here. All the trials and errors, all the bloodshed and pain… and he couldn't help but hope that Ava had a better life than he.

"Ava." Stefan started in relief as soon as he came crashing into the parking lot with his restored, older car - ha, still has nothing on my beauty - and the women in question paid him little mind as she unlocked her vehicle and told them to hop in. "Have you seen Elena?"

"No." Ava answered without pause, as she moved around in attempt to make it to the driver's seat at human pace. Conviction and truth laced in that one word. Damon listened intently to the answers that Ava had to Stefan's questions, mentally comparing his list of things he himself needed to ask to what Stefan was asking. He quickly got in the front passenger seat with Blondie seated behind him, and ignored Caroline for now in favor of concentrating on every word that was spoken between the two siblings.

"Elijah, then? She is probably with him. Surely you have at least heard of him." Stefan seemed desperate, even after Damon told him not to question her about this.

"Stefan." Ava's voice reflected to anyone listening that she had enough, it was bad enough that the first thing he said to her wasn't how her day was going - but 'Have you seen Elena?' He wouldn't bother to listen right now… Ava thought to herself before turning her body to finally face him, "I don't know anyone that actually knows their history to not know about Elijah. What makes you so sure that I know what he even looks like? But from what I do know, I am going to ask you one question and if you have the answer, I will stand here all damn day and you can bug me to your dead heart's content. I will drop everything important that I need to do today if you just answer me this one question. Ready?" Caroline visibly leaned forward to gravitate to the conversation opposite of her and ironically, so did Ava to Stefan.

"Elijah is a thousand year old Vampire. If you were a thousand year old vampire... Steffy," Ava borrowed his nickname for Stefan, making Damon's smirk widen before she continued without pause, "Tell me, where - exactly - would your lair be?" Damon had a hard time smothering his chuckle as Stefan stood before their sister, dumbfounded, and she gave him a full minute to respond before silently getting in the car. With a blank face to Stefan's protests, Ava put it in drive and left the parking lot with ease, it was only then did Damon release his laugh. Caroline had more reserve and tried not to laugh, though he could have sworn that a snicker came from her.

She has a point. Multiple points, actually. Damon gleefully thought as he blissfully recalled Stefan's expression to the question, and before fiddling with the radio to blare what was sure to be their new theme song - "We are the champions" by Queen - he was sure that a corner of Ava's lips quirked up for a second as well.

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How sassy Ava is. Technically she didn't lie, if you read carefully. Example : "What makes you so sure that I know what he even looks like?" See? Underhanded and all, Ava didn't lie to Stefan… she just didn't tell him anything useful. I don't think he is even ready for that at this stage. He will get there… eventually. -_- Thanks for reading. Please leave a small review. *The author does this in her free time and would like to hear what you think… even if it's just a one word review. Please and thank you.*

You all can take a guess as to what happens next chapter, right? ;)