A/N: Thanks for the lovely reviews guys. I don't know how I feel about Vampire Diaries right now, I'm not sure it's as good as it can be. Though there were parts I liked, Stefan's struggle, his fight to keep control of his own mind, it's what makes him loveable.
Damon on the other hand "Bonnie's been texting me," that just made me randomly smile. Although I think the writers made Damon a little dishonest to maximise his commitment to Elena with the "I wouldn't have done it for you," line, of course he would, that is why he's a vampire now. Stefan may have made him drink blood, but he'd drunk Katherine's blood with every intention of becoming what he is now.
In regards to a message I got from a 'dalena' fan quite a while ago now. I have to admit, I'm a shameless shipper, except for incest no one is exempt. I'll write whoever/whatever interests me and develop the character(s) in situations I haven't seen them in to push myself as a writer, because I am a writer first and always. I don't hate Damon and Elena believe it or not, however, I think the writers are doing more than enough with their development and I don't feel the need to add to it. If I do ever get an idea for Damon and Elena, I will write it and dedicate that bad boy to you, kay?
Update: 1/12/11 – I took a month off from Night Crawlers to do Nanowrimo and complete my novel. I was supposed to post this on the 1st of December but I got wrapped up finishing my novel, which still has a little way to go, sorry guys. I can promise that chapter '13' is already half way finished.
And after that huge note, here's another chapter. Enjoy.
Summary – Bonnie is busy fighting herself, Damon is busy fighting Bonnie and somewhere amidst it all is a hostile takeover and the securing of a…
Chapter Twelve – Hostage
The drive home was silent and although things had been left unsaid between Bonnie and Elena, the witch couldn't focus on anything but the tingling sensation of Damon's lips. She traced her fingers across her bottom lip unknowingly.
"I have a surprise for you," Elena said, breaking into the silence.
Bonnie turned to Elena. "Huh?"
"I have a surprise for you." Elena smiled, sighing when Bonnie smiled back. "Caroline called, she misses us, so I said we'd go over there, have a sleep over. We haven't done that in a while,"
"Great," Bonnie sighed, although whether it was a sigh of relief or frustration was something else she didn't know, as untangling her emotions from on another was proving to be more than difficult since her kiss with Damon.
Caroline rushed to the door when she heard the bell and pulled it open, her smile bright and inviting as she pulled her best friends into a tight squeeze. "Aww, I've missed you guys,"
Elena and Bonnie stepped in, smiling and chuckling at Caroline's zealousness and well thought out plans for their girl's night, she had movies, mud masks, hot chocolates with marshmallow and good old boy bashing for a starter topic.
"So, Matt and I have been getting on really well," Caroline sung. "And I love how sweet he is,"
"I sense but coming," Elena said, reaching down to grab a hand full of popcorn.
"I feel like there's a part of him that I can't reach, you know," Caroline's shoulder slumped. "I think he's keeping something from me,"
"That doesn't sound like, Matt," Elena said, brows pulling together.
"Elena's right," Bonnie joined, snuggling into Caroline. "Matt's totally into you,"
An upset Caroline for them felt like the world was ending, though the girls had never discussed it, they shared the same view of what the pretty blond meant to them, with just a smile she could wash away your gloominess and replace it with hope. Caroline balanced them and they balanced her, and without each other, life would simply be waking up and going to sleep with little sunshine in between.
"I know, I'm overthinking things," the bright eyed blond said, her eyebrows arching as she smiled and her eyes sparkled with a renewed excitement for having her girls with her. "Anyway, what's going with you guys, I wanna know everything," she giggled.
"Things are great," Elena said, her voice raising an octave.
Caroline watched Elena intently for a few moments and then turned her attention to her best friend. "Bonnie, I can always trust you to tell me the truth, spill,"
"Ugh," Elena pulled the cushion from behind her, hurling it at her perpetually optimistic friend, fighting a smile as Caroline ducked.
Bonnie chuckled, resting her head on Caroline's shoulder. "Elena and Stefan are mystic falls cutest couple,"
Caroline rolled her eyes. "Oh, barf. They're so deliciously sweet, I have to check my waistline every time they come toward me,"
The trio broke out laughing and for a passing moment Bonnie felt like herself again, the way she felt during their summer break, before Elena's parents died and everything changed forever, she missed the old her. Who used to have fun, keep Elena and Caroline talking, reassure Matt and calm Tyler down when he got hot under the collar. But, even with all the nostalgia Bonnie had slowly began to realize that she needed to be where she was, and embrace who she was becoming.
She was a witch and that didn't happen to anybody, it happened to people who were meant to do something bigger than even they had dreamed, Bonnie was one of those people. It was time to grow up and stop being scared of everything, stop being scared of Damon, she may have gotten over his teeth but it was the desire to be with him that scared her.
"Was Damon a good lover?" Bonnie blurted, eyes growing when the room fell silent. "I mean,"
Caroline stared at Bonnie slack jawed, uncurling her arm to sit up as her eyes flitted from Elena to Bonnie and back again, Elena underreacted as far as she was concerned, unless she knew something she wasn't sharing with the class, again. "I, uh, he…where'd that come from?"
"I don't know," Bonnie muttered, casting her gaze down. "I really meant to ask you both, you know," she shrugged. "What's it like being with a v…Salvatore?"
Caroline opened her mouth to respond but words didn't follow, instead she studied Bonnie and Elena, one was showing shame and the other was biting down on jealousy. Caroline had clearly missed a hell of a lot since she and Matt happened. "You like older sexy danger guy now?"
"No," Bonnie forced.
"Good," Caroline sighed, sinking back into the sofa. "He's bad news. Any girl would be an idiot to trust him. Damon treated me like a piece of meat, he made me feel worthless…" she trailed off.
Elena and Bonnie locked eyes briefly, and then Bonnie refocused on Caroline, rubbing her hand up and down her friend's arm. "I'm sorry I asked. I didn't mean to dredge up old feelings,"
Caroline smiled. "Don't worry about it, I've moved on. I have Matt now,"
Bonnie's lips became a thin line as she smiled, nodding in response to Caroline's words. "I'm glad you're happy,"
"Me too," Elena said, finally. "We're out of popcorn, I'm going get some more,"
"You better, little Miss Piggy," Caroline giggled, her eyes following Elena as she stood up and took the empty bowl to the kitchen. Once Elena was out of earshot, Caroline turned to Bonnie with a cheeky smile, snaking her arm across the sofa. "You know, if I were marking Damon purely on his skills as a lover, rather than his general inability to be a human being, he'd pass with flying colors."
Bonnie lifted her gaze to Caroline's, feeling a flitter in her chest and a smile twitching at her lips as her friend emptied half a bag of Mike & Ike's into her mouth. "Why are you telling me now?"
"I thought it'd be weird for Elena, you know, what with dating Stefan." Caroline explained, talking around a mouthful of candy. "I wouldn't want to hear the sordid details of my boyfriend's brother's love life, it'd be weird,"
Bonnie nodded.
Caroline placed her hand on Bonnie's, curling their fingers together. She may have been blond but she wasn't stupid, contrary to the myths and even without the slightest clue of all goings on, Caroline knew Bonnie was keeping something to herself and that something made her more transparent than she knew. "Whatever it is, be careful, Bonnie,"
"Caroline, I…" Bonnie clamped her mouth shut as Elena walked in and sat down at their feet.
"What were you going to say?" Caroline asked.
"I was just wondering," Bonnie's eyes scanned the coffee table, and then she reached out and picked up a DVD. "What movies you rented?"
Caroline smiled, her brows arching high as her face lit up. "Titanic,"
"Meh," Bonnie and Elena chorused.
"Uh," Caroline picked up the pile. "Tristan and Isolde," she said, the hope in her eyes fading to frustration as they made faces at the movies she'd picked. "You guys love these movies,"
"Yeah, exactly. And, we've seen them so many times that we could split up the roles and re-enact the whole thing,"
Elena glanced at Bonnie. "Plus, I'm not really in the mood to watch any romance,"
Caroline rested her hand above her heart. "Who doesn't love the whole starred crossed, destined for each other against all odds with tragic consequences and epic epicness, like Romeo and Juliet," she groaned as the girls stared at her in stony silence, they'd made up their minds. "Fine," Caroline said, sighing and letting out all the air in her chest, like a deflated balloon. "Well what then?"
The girls were cuddled up on the sofa an hour and some into their movie, entwined in one way or another by arms or legs in front of the TV, fully engrossed and hiding their tears behind their hands and hair.
"Papa, it's me, it's Sarah," Sarah from A little Princess cried, hugging her father around the waist as he pushed her from him. "My God papa don't you remember me, it's Sarah remember?"
The trio couldn't contain their emotions as they watched Sarah plead for her father to remember who she was as the wicked woman walked in with the police.
"Papa, please tell them," Sarah screamed.
"This child has no father, take her away," The woman ordered.
"Ugh, such a bitch," Caroline cried with no arguments from the girls.
Sarah was dragged away from her father kicking and screaming for her him, about to be put into the van when he ran out into the rain. "Sarah!"
Sarah ran to him, crying into his shoulder as he lifted her into his arms. "Papa, don't ever leave me," Caroline, Bonnie and Elena said with the orphan child, Sarah.
"I forgot why we hid this," Elena sniffled, wiping her tears.
"I know," Caroline agreed, biting her lip.
"Is it sad that we still cry over this film?" Bonnie asked.
"Everyone's allowed a guilty pleasure, Bon," Caroline reached forward for the remote, turning it off as the credits rolled.
Bonnie paused, her thoughts taking her straight to Damon and their kiss with Caroline's voice over, she knew what her friend meant but she couldn't help thinking that it coincidently applied to what her and Damon were.
Their bond, their feelings, there was a small doubt that it was because of everything that had happened in the passing weeks, maybe it was him teaching her to let go of her inhibitions to be the witch she was capable of, or maybe their closeness was the mere product of a unique situation and nothing more, and in the end when it was all over they'd go back to being nothing more.
Whichever it was would remain a mystery and Bonnie preferred it that way, at least for now, because maybe she wanted him to be her guilty pleasure, and her his.
Bonnie lay on the edge of the bed wide awake while Caroline settled into slumber in the middle, Elena took her place on the other side; it was a comfort thing they'd gotten used to from young, whoever needed the most love got the middle. Bonnie wasn't going to scare the crap out of her friend with everything that had been happening, and Elena's silence on the matter said she wasn't the only one, that meant Caroline qualified.
Bonnie stared at the ceiling and somehow even in complete silence the witch knew she wasn't the only one awake, she'd grown used to Elena's breathing pattern, and the fact that it was light, almost inaudible with a sigh ever so often made it obvious.
"Tell me," Bonnie said, her eyes still trained on the ceiling.
Elena pulled her ponytail from behind her to rest at the side of her face. "It's nothing,"
"It's something, it's Damon,"
Elena looked across Caroline at Bonnie. "I love Stefan,"
"But you like, Damon,"
"No, I care about him. And, since Katherine, we don't what he's going through, he could lash out at any given moment, and I just…" Elena turned away. "I don't want you to be in the crossfire if it happens,"
Bonnie turned over to face Elena, propping herself on her forearm. "I know you're worried about me, Elena, I do. And, I know you love Stefan, that's why I'm doing all of this, it's why I agreed to help them in the first place, to protect the people I love. I'll always protect you and everyone else I care about, even if it means spending time with Damon."
Elena nodded. "You're my best friend, Bonnie,"
Bonnie reached over and held Elena's hand. "I'll be careful,"
"I know," she sighed.
"Love you," Bonnie whispered.
Elena smiled solemnly. "Love you too,"
Bonnie let go and turned over, facing the window. "Night,"
"Good night,"
Stefan joined Damon in their dining room, he watched as his brother poured himself a drink and crossed his arms waiting to be noticed.
"I feel a diary entry coming on," Damon said, without turning to Stefan. "Dear Diary, today it took me over an hour to get my hair in this perfect quiff,"
Stefan chuckled. "Ha, that's funny, Damon. What happened today?"
"How about we skip the good guy speech for someone taking that crash course, and put our time to better use, like finding Uri once and for all so I can rip his heart out,"
"Okay."
Damon sipped his whiskey. "Bonnie knows where he is,"
Stefan jerked his head back, brows arching. "Come again,"
Damon clenched his jaw, gulping the rest of the hot liquid. "Yeah, she failed to divulge that fact the first time around,"
"I can't say I'm surprised,"
"What?" Damon snarled.
"Bonnie is a good person, she's pure and so are her intentions. If she thought she could save someone she would at least try to, she must have thought Uri…"
"The point is she was wrong about him. Not everyone can be saved, Stefan," Damon swallowed, his words resonating with both them, leaving a long pause that said much more and it had nothing to do with Uri.
"I don't know, Damon. I think if you want to be saved, you can be." Stefan held his brother's eyes, he not only meant what he said but he believed it whole heartedly. "Because of the attack on Bonnie, I didn't get to go to Mrs Flowers, so I'll do that tomorrow, you and Bonnie find Uri's hideout."
"You know, I don't think Uri has found his sister. He had this look in his eyes…"
"The look of desperation," Stefan finished.
"Yeah," Damon muttered, remembering the days of his pathetic quest to free Katherine, he may have wanted Uri dead but he got points for having more of a plausiblereason for his unscrupulous deeds in desperate times, he wanted his family back.
"If we find Lily first, we can bring Uri right to us, we'll be ready for him,"
"If we were to believe him, he wouldn't expect us to look for her,"
"But we don't. He's probably watching our every move. We need to make the right ones,"
"You concentrate on talking to that woman, see if Lily is still here and if an opportunity to get the drop on Uri crops up, I'll take it," Damon glared at his brother, daring him to argue. "This ends, now."
Stefan nodded.
Bonnie sprung forward, the sweat slicking her hair to her face, and looked around the room. It took a moment or two for her to remember that Caroline had organized a sleepover, and that she wasn't really Lily and she wasn't really leaving her brother alone.
There was something that clicked into place though, the girl who'd attacked her last night was with Lily the night she left Uri behind, she watched her write the note and promised to watch over him, her name was Ava. Bonnie flipped back the sheets and stepped out of bed, grabbing her clothes from the dresser when Elena rushed in.
"Bonnie," Elena paused, her brows drawing together. "What are you doing?"
"I need to get dressed,"
"Why, what's happening?"
"I just figured out who the vampire is, the one that attacked me. I have to tell Damon and Stefan,"
Elena crossed the room to grab her phone from the dresser. "Call,"
Bonnie paused, staring at the phone before she returned to dressing. "I can't, it's better if I see them," she pushed a leg through her jeans.
"Bonnie,"
"Elena, trust me,"
"What should I tell Caroline?"
"I'll make it up to her," Bonnie snuck out of the room towards the door and opened it, stepping back as she almost slammed into Damon, there was a beat and then he smiled at her.
"Morning," He said, resting his hand on the door jamb and frowning when he felt himself being pushed away. "What the hell?"
"That's what I was coming to tell you," Elena said.
Bonnie turned around. "Oh,"
"That doesn't sound good, oh, what?" Damon asked.
"I did a spell," Bonnie smiled sheepishly. "I basically entombed us just in case,"
"Great," Damon said with mock excitement. "Wanna dispel it?"
Bonnie closed her eyes, mumbling something that sounded a lot like Latin and when she opened them again, there was nothing keeping them apart.
Damon straightened himself up, his eyes travelling between Bonnie and Elena. "We need to talk," He said to Bonnie.
Bonnie swallowed. "Me too,"
"Breakfast is almost ready," Caroline called out with a song in her tone.
"Let's go," Bonnie said, stepping out of the door. "Please explain to Caroline,"
Elena sighed, her shoulders slumping. "I will,"
Bonnie closed the door and walked down the drive to Damon's car in silence.
"I think she's actually bored not being in the vampire drama," Damon said, watching Elena over his shoulder.
"Ava,"
"What?" Damon pulled the door open for her and walked around to his side.
"The vampire that attacked me last night, her name is Ava, she was Lily's best friend and she's in love with Uri,"
"That explains the cattiness,"
Bonnie swallowed again as she settled in, pulling the seatbelt across her chest as Damon started the engine, she was your cliché conflicted teen with feelings for a boy she had no business having feelings for, and while she'd reasoned with Caroline's words encouraging a guilty pleasure, now she couldn't forget how he'd made Caroline feel.
"Why'd you do all those things to Caroline?" Bonnie asked, noticing his knuckles blanch as he gripped the steering wheel. She'd quite unfairly, caught him off guard.
Damon turned off the engine and looked at her, really looked at her. "Why the sudden interest?"
"I just, the things you did to Caroline, Elena, and even Stefan…"
"You don't get to hate me for them," Damon said through gritted teeth. "I didn't do those things to you,"
"You hurt them, Damon. They're my friends," Bonnie defended weakly, feeling guilty for using them to distance her feelings for Damon.
"And one day I'll have to answer to them, not you. I never hurt you, not intentionally…Emily," He trailed off, his face twisting.
Bonnie swallowed. "I shouldn't use them as an excuse to…,"
"You have a cute little breakfast to attend and I have this…" Damon looked away and started the engine. "I need you to tell me where Uri is so I can end him,"
"I'm coming with you,"
"I think you should stay here with your friends,"
"I'm not letting you go alone," Bonnie turned her body to him. "Uri is old, multiply that by Ava and he'll be the one doing the ending. If I come, I can at least occupy her,"
Damon clamped his jaw tight. "Fine," he breathed, watching her throat as she took off her cardigan and tied up her hair.
Stefan looked around, feeling the hairs on the back of his neck stand to attention, it was the same feeling he'd got when he and Elena were at school, it was Uri but his attention was snatched away as woman opened the door. "Hi. Mrs Flowers?"
"Yes," The lady smiled warmly.
Stefan offered an equally warm smile. "I'm looking for a friend of mine; I was told she was staying here,"
"Wow, it's been years since I've had any visitors,"
"So, there's no one by the name of Lily here," He asked, tilting his head as his eyes darted over her shoulder and into the house.
Mrs Flowers forced a smile, keeping her hands perfectly still by her sides. "No, dear, it's just me,"
Stefan stepped closer, with a glint in his eye. "It would be really nice if you invited me in,"
"Oh, come in, dear, don't stay out there," Mrs Flowers stepped aside, allowing him to pass.
"Thank you," Stefan said, waiting for her to step in before closing the door behind him.
Once he was inside, he scoured his surroundings, his eyes drifting towards the stairs. "It must be lonely here, all by yourself," he walked over to her when she didn't respond, there was a strong chance she'd been compelled, if Lily was running from someone, it'd be in her best interest to stay hidden. "Why don't you sit down and relax, you've been on your feet all day,"
She sat down, letting go of a sigh. "I've been rushed off my feet all day,"
"I'm sure," Stefan muttered. "Could I use your bathroom?"
"Of course, it's up the stairs at the end of the hall,"
"Thank you," he nodded, making his way up the stairs to search the rooms, they all looked untouched and once Stefan got to the last room he was growing convinced that Mrs Flowers was either telling the truth or Lily had moved on, but it was as he'd pulled the door to close it that he saw something in his peripheral.
He stepped in and walked over to the bed, picking up the flimsy white material rolled into a ball, he let it fall open and recognized it as Lily's white dress from the old photo Uri had left behind. "Lily," Stefan stared into the mirror opposite the door and saw a bag behind it, turning around he crossed the room and picked it up. "The grill," he mumbled to himself.
Stefan's head snapped towards the door as he heard the front door click shut. He quickly placed the bag back where he found it and put the dress back at the bottom of the bed before rushing down the stairs. "Who was at the door?" He asked, as she moved away.
"Stupid salesman, trying to sell me blinds," She rolled her eyes and returned to her seat.
Stefan kneeled down beside her. "Ma'am, this is very important. Have you been to the Grill at all?"
"No," She frowned, eyes growing suddenly. "Oh, but there was a lovely boy who brought dinner once,"
"What did he look like?"
"He was quite handsome, blond hair, and the bluest eyes, reminded me of my late husband,"
"Matt," Stefan uttered.
Bonnie caught herself staring at Damon every few minutes, usually he would've made some kind of inappropriate or teasing comment by now but there was nothing, and she feared that she'd ruined things between them.
"We've been driving around in circles, are you sure about this cottage?" Damon asked.
"Yes, I saw it. A little cottage off Mulberry drive,"
"Are you still holding out on me, wasting my time so that your precious vampire can get away?"
"No, Damon," Bonnie growled. "I told you already, I'm helping like I was supposed to. We're in this together,"
"Are we?" Damon watched her with silent anger, without a care for the road ahead or behind, let alone oncoming cars. He wanted to look her in the eyes when she spoke.
"Yes," Bonnie insisted. "I know you're pissed cause I didn't want to kill Uri, I thought there was some kind of connection, turns out that the connection might be to you instead,"
Damon finally turned his attention back on the road. "What does that mean?"
"I saw Uri in 1864, he was here in Mystic Falls in your house, and he was talking to a man. Someone in your family,"
"My family?" How would he even know…?"
"I don't know,"
Damon rolled his eyes. "As if this little tale didn't have enough twists,"
"If knows something we don't, don't you wanna find out? It could be to do with your dad."
"No, actually I don't. My father and I didn't exactly see eye to eye, and I couldn't care less what he was up to,"
Bonnie slumped in her seat. "Ok. Well, that vampire who attacked me knows something Uri doesn't, something about Lily and she kept it from him, I saw it, that's what I was coming to tell you. Her name's Ava, I thought we could use it against her, maybe make Uri question her loyalty,"
"Bonnie Bennett, has the Salvatore charm finally rubbed off on you?" Damon asked, narrowing his eyes on her with a cheeky grin pulling at the left side of his mouth.
He was smiling again, for that she was grateful. "I just want this to be over, I want him gone,"
"Finally something we agree on," Damon muttered, pulling up in front of a broken down cottage, surrounded in weeds and bush.
"This is it," Bonnie said incredulously, as though she hadn't trusted in her dream until now.
"I can't get to the phone right now, you know what to do," Matt's voicemail repeated.
"Argh," Stefan growled, hitting the redial one more time with the intention of leaving a message this time around.
"Hey,"
"Matt," Stefan turned to the woman, making sure she was still sitting down. "Do you know Lily?"
"Um, no, who's Lily?"
"Matt this is really important. Do you have a new friend?"
"I can't talk about that, and you really shouldn't ask me either, it's no one's business who I hang out with,"
Stefan closed his eyes, who was it that Matt had been in the middle of this the whole time and none of them picked up on it? He sighed. "Listen to me, Matt. I need you stay at work until I come get you, can do that?"
"Uh, why?"
"Matt, can you do that?" Stefan said with more authority than before.
"What's going on? Is Elena okay?"
Stefan bit back a growl. "I can't say over the phone, just, will you wait for me to get there?"
"Ok, man,"
Stefan ended the call and speed dialled Elena's phone but it just rung out.
Caroline wandered into her bedroom looking through her draws and growing more frustrated by the minute, Bonnie had bailed on their weekend together and now she couldn't find her damn money that she always hid for emergencies, needing pizza was an emergency.
Caroline let go of a frustrated growl and turned to walk out of the room when she heard the buzzing of Elena's phone on top of her dresser, rolling her eyes, she doubled back and saw Stefan's name on the home screen. "Oh, I don't think so," she said, turning off Elena's phone. "First Bonnie," she whined under her breath as left the room.
"Did you find it?" Elena asked, curled up on the sofa.
"Nope, but I found my mom's secret stash," Caroline smiled, wriggling her eyebrows.
"What are we having?" Elena asked with a cheeky smile that matched her friend's.
"Something that doesn't include burning down the kitchen," Caroline smiled.
Stefan put the cell back in his pocket and spun around, catching Mrs Flowers' wrist just before she filled him up with vervain. He pushed her away. "You're not as inconspicuous as you think you are," Stefan said.
Uri stepped out of the kitchen with an irritatingly wide smile, flipping his long winter coat back as he dug his hands in his pant pockets. "I was sure that would work, don't you have salesmen in this country trying to sell you blinds and kitchen appliances every other day? England is overrun with them,"
"I knew you were following me, I've gotten used to that stalker vibe you have," Stefan smirked.
"You're starting to joy this little game, aren't you?" Uri goaded. "Although, I think calling me a stalker is rather rude. I'm more of an observer," Uri lurched at Stefan, slamming him into the huge grandfather clock behind him. "You've hurt my feelings,"
Stefan breathing was heavy and his head was feeling light after his head connected with glass and wood. "I'm sorry, Uri, if I'd known how sensitive you were,"
Uri chuckled, palming Stefan's face and ramming it into the wood. "You might have noticed how my plan fell to shit, mostly because of my overbearing mate, Ava. I can't see Bonnie wanting to help me now, especially after I roughed up tall dark and bloody cheeky, so, plan B."
"What's plan B?"
"I have Elena, my friend,"
Stefan's smile faded. "I don't believe you," His heart sank when he remembered calling Elena's phone, God knows how long it had been off, how long she'd been in need of help and he wasn't there to protect her.
"She smells divine. You see, Stef," Uri tightened his grip on Stefan's throat. "The greatest motivation for any kind of revenge is love, there is no greater emotion. My family is my motivation, so you my friend are out of luck, because I am always one step ahead, always have been,"
Stefan tilted his head, grabbing Uri's wrists with just as much strength. "One step isn't good enough," he breathed out, coarsely.
"And why is that mate?"
"Because it means you can be overtaken," Stefan looked over Uri's shoulder smiling, and landed on his feet a moment later when Uri fell to his knees with Anna standing behind him, holding the vervain that was meant for Stefan. "I have plan B's too," Stefan's fist rocketed into the side of Uri's face, then he kneeled over the vampire and landed another one for good measure.
"I'm guessing he wanted to say shit but was too stunned," Anna chuckled.
Stefan stepped back, taking in a breath of relief. "Thank you,"
"You're welcome," Anna said. "Um, you're good now, right?"
Stefan flashed a curt grin. "Yeah, you can go," He watched as she blurred out of the house and focused his attention on Mrs Flowers. "Are you okay?"
Mrs Flowers stood up, turning on the porch light. "He said I couldn't scream, he said I had to watch and then turn on the light if Team Uri lost,"
"Who Uri?"
"No," Mrs Flower cried.
Stefan stumbled back as the door splintered wide open with a fist, bringing his forearm up to cover his face to block the flying fragments, the force of the blow sending Mrs Flowers skidding along the floor.
"Can anyone join?"
Stefan moved his hand away from his face, and had his heart been beating it would've stopped at the sight of the man in front of him. "Orlando,"
Orlando unhooked a large picture from the wall and smashed it across Stefan's body, walking over to him as he went flying, then he broke off the wood. "Uri, soimpulsive," he launched plunged it with all his might into Stefan's stomach. "I'm always cleaning up after him,"
Stefan writhed in pain as Orlando checked Uri for wounds, letting out a laugh that would unnerve even the strongest of people when found Uri pretty much unharmed.
Orlando walked back, kneeling beside the younger Salvatore and lifted his head, spinning it vigorously to the left and smiling with satisfaction when he heard the crack, then he flipped the boy over his shoulder, carrying him out of the house.
End Chapter
The End is nigh. What do you think of Orlando? Is Uri still creepy and charming at the same time? Should Elena get in involved regardless? Did Caroline do the wrong thing by turning off Elena's phone? What about Bonnie and Damon, are they satisfying your 'bamon' thirst?