Hello Vampire Diaries archive :)
So this is my first attempt at a Vamp Diaries fic. I had been trying to avoid writing for this series for a while, and I couldn't figure out why; then I started writing this. I only started watching at about the mid-point of the season, so I couldn't do as much as I would have liked to with this, but I think I did...ok.
I was basically unable to deal with Anna's death in the finale and so, what we have here was more for the sake of my sanity than anything else. On that note, please go easy on me ;)
Without further ado, I don't own TVD ;)
Alive and Well
She shouldn't have felt the pain of the stake that resided in her chest. It should have simply brought an end to her existence, just as the flames that danced about her flesh should have. But she did feel the stake. She did feel her skin boiling as the fire ravaged her. As a consciousness flowed back into her veins, Annabelle weakly pushed herself upright through the blaze. The very flames that had caused the horrendous blisters on her skin extinguished before her eyes, and pain she'd never known coursed through her as the half-burnt stake seemed to eject itself from her chest. She choked through her agonizing cries and slowly at first, then rapidly, her skin healed to its natural state and color.
She had no idea how, but she was not only alive, but in perfect physical condition. Completely engulfed in her thoughts, she was brought back to reality by the sudden crackling of the floor above her. In an instant, she was on her feet, and before the weakened structure could crash down on her, she was up the smoldering staircase and through the side entrance to Gilbert's building.
Free of the flames that consumed the building, Anna stood in the alley to collect herself for a moment. She raised her hands to her view, examining them for burns, yet no such evidence presented. Her fingertips delicately passed over her face, which was also free from burns. Over and over she wondered, "How is this possible?" Adding to the confusion was the matter of the vervein injection; its effects had vanished in seconds, leaving her invigorated. It was as though she came out of that basement as clean as the day she was born child.
Through all of the thoughts and mysteries over the past five minutes, the image of the man who had killed her mother, and taken such satisfaction in his attempt to kill her, came to her. Her hunger for Jonathan Gilbert's blood appeared on her face, as did a look of pure rage. A slight growl emanated from her lips, and with no further care or concern for how she had come to rejoin the living, she headed to the one place she knew she would find her enemy.
As she proceeded to Jeremy and Elena Gilbert's home, her pace slowed for a moment. Just as she had been overcome with rage, a calm poured over her as Jeremy reentered her mind; his face, his touch, his affection for her. If only he had allowed her to turn him earlier, they could have left Mystic Falls hours ago, none of this ever would have happened. She quickly shook the thought from her mind. This was the furthest thing from Jeremy's fault, and as she closed in on his home, she was once again focused on her ultimate goal, regardless of the ripples it might have caused; kill Jonathan Gilbert.
Just as her feet touched the rear patio of the Gilbert's home, another vampire fled at a surreal pace, even for Anna. It wasn't Stefan or Damon; that much she could tell simply by observing the creature's proportions. Now on alert, she carefully proceeded up the steps and into the kitchen. On the floor of the kitchen, not more than six feet from her, the man who had killed her mother and attempted to kill her, lay dying. The fingers on his right hand severed, and a mortal wound to his abdomen. She slowly walked over to him, his terror stricken eyes following every step she took.
He struggled to create words through his internal injuries, "A…n…na?"
She knelt just a few inches away from the odious man who lay dying before her. She made no attempt to help him, nor did she make any attempt to drink from him. She didn't smile, nor frown; she merely watched as he died. Listening carefully to the pulse of his heart, she asked within a few moments of its final beats, "Who did this to you?"
"How…are you…alive?" he asked.
"Answer me," she demanded.
His head began to drop to one side as he weakly replied, "Katherine…" and just like that, Jonathan Gilbert was gone.
Having gotten lost in her moment of vengeance, the front door slammed closed, startling her. She shifted and bumped into the center island in the kitchen, knocking a knife to the ground.
"Jeremy?" Elena called from the hallway as she approached the kitchen.
She knew Elena would absolutely blame Jon's death on her. She could have been out the rear door before Elena ever saw her, yet she stood fast. As Elena rounded the corner of the kitchen, the blood on the island was the first thing she saw. Next was Anna, standing and staring right back at her. Finally, there was Elena's unfortunate father, dead on the floor.
Any other day, Elena could barely stand the sight of him. The very thought that she was of the same flesh as him made her skin crawl. However, as he lay dead just a few feet before her, she completely lost it, and as predicted, she went straight for Anna.
Elena's voice was full of anger as she spoke, "What did you do?"
"I didn't do this," Anna calmly defended.
Now awash in tears, Elena again spoke, "And I'm supposed to believe that?" Acting on pure impulse, Elena quickly grabbed a knife from the island in hopes she would at most shed Anna's blood, and at least, put up a fight before she was drunk dry. At the sight of her retrieving a weapon, Anna moved at a blinding pace and forced a hand to Elena's throat, pinning her against the wall behind her.
While she had her in her grasp, hurting Elena was not Anna's intention. Instead, she spoke the language she knew would get through to the young girl, "Listen to me, Katherine is back…" Elena's eyes doubled in size as Anna continued, "…she's the one that did this, and believe me, she is a problem you don't want to deal with on your own."
Having made her point, Anna relinquished her grip on Elena. She walked passed her towards the stairs, and Elena turned, never leaving her back exposed to the vampire that had entranced her brother. As Anna's hand wrapped the newel post, Elena managed to break her only thought from her lips, "Katherine's back?"
As her foot touched the first step, Anna replied, "We'll go for Damon and Stefan in a minute. Your uncle--"
"He was my father!" Elena shouted.
At hearing that Jonathan was Elena's father, Anna stopped in her tracks. She remembered how hurt she was to find her mother slain, even if it was by the bastard Elena now mourned. She took a step back and into the hall so that she may look Elena in the eye as she spoke, "I'm sorry."
Elena smiled sarcastically through her tears, "I'm sure you are."
Anna took a few steps closer to her and asked, "Your father believed that all vampires should be destroyed. Do you agree with him?"
"Of course not, I--"
"He killed my mother," Anna interrupted. Elena was again stuck as she absorbed Anna's words, "He killed my mother, he tried to kill Damon, and tonight he succeeded in killing me," Anna replied.
Now confused even further, Elena asked, "Wait he killed you? Then--"
"Don't mistake my point, Elena. I understand your pain and I'm sorry for your loss. But if Katherine hadn't done what she did tonight, I still would have."
It was terrifying how simple it was for Elena to completely understand Anna's plight. Lucky for her, years of pent up hatred for her would-be father made it all-to easy for her. She nodded and quietly asked, her tears still steadily flowing, "So what do I do?"
Anna again proceeded to the stairs as she replied, "Someone broke in, and this is how you found things."
"Where are you going?" Elena asked.
Anna smiled slightly and looked back to Elena, "I died tonight. At least let me kiss my boyfriend goodnight."
"You don't mean…"
Anna looked to her, than to the upstairs. She smiled slightly as she replied, "If he asked me to."
"Only if he asked?"
"I love him, Elena," Anna replied warmly. "Nothing would make me happier than for us to be young and in love forever, but I'm not going to turn him against his wishes."
Elena nodded and turned towards the kitchen while Anna continued up the stairs to Jeremy's room. Jeremy lay on his bed, his eyes now closed, whether by sleep or by the overdose that flowed in his veins was anyone's guess. A gentle gust of air blew his hair off of his face, and when his eyes opened, she was beside him. He smiled weakly as he asked, "Am I dreaming?" Anna shook her head 'no' and again Jeremy spoke, "Damon told me you were killed."
Her eyes averted slightly as she replied, "I was." It was in that moment it dawned on her that Jeremy had no idea his uncle had been killed. "Jeremy--"
"I drank the blood you gave me," he weakly interrupted.
"What?" Anna asked.
"He said I could turn the pain off, but now I don't have to."
His eyes closed and Anna immediately panicked as she asked, "Jeremy?" She reached down to him and gave him a gentle shake to try and wake him up. His eyes cracked open and again she begged, "No Jeremy, no; not like this…"
He offered no response and the broken child in her crept to the surface. Tears ran from her eyes as she again reached down and shook him, "Jeremy?" She quickly collected herself and pressed her fingers to his throat; his pulse was weak but he was alive. Stronger than she'd ever let on; Anna collected Jeremy's form from his bed and draped him over her shoulder. She quickly made her way downstairs to find Elena just rounding a corner after having made the call. At the sight of Jeremy in her arms, Elena immediately rushed to Anna and asked, "What happened?"
"No time for that, we need to get him to a hospital right now," Anna replied.
Without a thought, Elena grabbed Jenna's keys and they rushed out to the car.
Damon crossed the threshold into his brother's home, and immediately his eyes locked with Stefan.
"Hey," Stefan offered. He knew the likelihood of an argument would be rather low this evening as they had both been through quite a bit.
"Hey," Damon replied simply as he walked further into the home. He was in endless thought of the spectacular kiss he had shared with Elena, and while he truly savored tormenting his brother, his guilt over what he had done consumed him. If only he had known that his conscience was clear.
Taking note of Damon's unusual silence and anti-typical brooding demeanor, Stefan asked, "You okay?"
He looked about for a moment before speaking. He had been coming clean with everyone this evening, why should his brother be any different, "Stefan--"
Lucky for him, he was interrupted by the ringing of Stefan's phone, "Hello?"
"Katherine's back," Elena barked into her phone.
Stefan's face paled even further at her words. Having heard her from across the room, Damon's head perked up and his vision scattered about the room as he put together what had actually happened tonight.
"She's back and…" tears ran down her cheeks as she continued, "…she killed my father, she killed Jon."
"Elena--"
"We're on our way to the hospital," Elena interrupted.
"I thought you said--"
"Not for him, for Jeremy," Elena again interrupted.
From across the room, Damon was snapped out of his thoughts by mention of Jeremy, "Wait, Jeremy? What happened to him?"
"Please, can you meet me at the hospital?" Elena begged of Stefan.
"Yeah, we'll be right there," Stefan replied.
"Thanks." Elena checked the rearview mirror only to find Anna gently holding her brother. She looked back to the road and finished her thought, "I love you, Stefan." She hung up her phone and again looked back to Anna. Her eyes once again turned to the road and she asked, "How long have you two been--"
Anna interrupted with a slight smile, though she never took her eyes off of Jeremy's unconscious form, "Just a few days, but he'd say I've been stalking him for months."
"Stalking?" Elena asked.
Anna looked up to the mirror to look Elena in the eyes as she spoke, "It's a long story, Elena. I'm not proud of what I did and why. All you need to know is that I love him. I've been alive just as long as the Salvatore's, and in all these years, Jeremy is the first person that made me feel whole. I can't lose him now."
Elena upped the pace, now blatantly breaking the speed limit as she rushed them to the hospital.
Stefan slipped his coat on and filled Damon in as he approached the door, "Katherine's back and she killed John Gilbert."
"Oh yeah, how'd she manage that?" Damon asked as he followed his brother.
"She cut off his fingers and the ring went with them," Stefan replied.
"Yeah that sounds like her," Damon replied. "What happened to Jeremy?"
"Anna found him--"
Damon stopped them in their tracks and interrupted his brother, "Wait; Anna?"
"Yeah, why?" Stefan asked.
"Oh nothing," Damon replied nonchalantly. "Well except for the fact that I watched Jon Gilbert put a stake through her, and she was already on fire when you came in to get me," Damon replied.
"Are you sure?"
"I might have had a double-dose of vervein in me but I know what I saw, Stefan," Damon replied.
Stefan pondered the scenario for a moment before focusing his thoughts, "Never mind the 'how', lets just get to the hospital. We can figure out what's going on with Anna later."
Stefan and Damon ran through the double doors of the emergency room to find Elena and Anna pacing the vacant waiting area. Immediately Elena perked up at the sight of Stefan and they ran towards each other, meeting in a tight hug. While Damon observed his brother and the woman he would never openly admit to being madly in love with, Anna slowly joined them. Still baffled as to how she was walking and talking, Damon offered her a nod and asked, "Is he alright?"
Elena pulled away from Stefan and explained, "They're pumping his stomach. The doctors said we got him here just in time."
Stefan sighed lightly in relief and replied, "Glad to hear it."
A brief silence fell on the room, and Damon would be the one to break it with his trademark wide-eyed grin, "So who saw this coming; three vampires in the ER worried about the life of one human."
Elena rolled her eyes while a doctor walked through the double doors into the lobby. "Elena Gilbert?" he asked, immediately grabbing both Anna and Elena's attention.
The doctor slowed as he came within a few inches of them and introduced himself, "I'm Doctor Mathias."
"Is he going to be alright?" Elena asked.
"We found a mild overdose of anti-depressants in his stomach. We flushed it out and we have him on fluids to keep him hydrated. Other than the pills however, we found something else that is making us scratch our heads," Mathias replied.
"What's that?" Stefan asked.
"We found just over an ounce of blood in his stomach."
"Blood?" Elena asked receiving a nod from the doctor. Damon and Stefan's gaze drifted to Anna while Elena again asked, "Is it something internal?
"As far as we can tell, he ingested it orally."
Looking for a way to end the conversation as quickly as possible, Elena cut to the chase, "Is my brother going to be alright, Doctor?"
The doctor offered her a slight smile that relieved her stress before he even spoke, "We'd like to keep him overnight just to keep an eye on him, but I'm confident that he's going to be just fine."
Elena sighed deeply and replied, "Thank you, Doctor."
As the doctor walked away, all eyes were on Anna. Stefan would be the one to ask the question on each of their minds, "Any idea whose blood was in his system, Anna?"
Knowing full well she wasn't getting out of this without a thorough explanation, Anna began, "He asked me to turn him weeks ago."
"What?" Elena asked. A look of shock came across her face as she asked, "He fed off you?"
Anna quickly shook her head 'no' and continued to explain, "Three days ago, your father…" Elena's skin tightened at mere mention of Jonathan, "…killed my mother--"
"Wait a minute, Pearl's dead?" Damon bluntly interrupted.
Anna struggled to maintain her composure and offered him a nod before turning back to Elena, "I knew I was running out of time. I was going to leave Mystic Falls for good."
"Why didn't you?" Elena asked, a subtle anger to her tone.
Before she could even respond, Damon came to her defense, "Anna's the one who told me the tomb vamps were in the crowd tonight. Let's try and focus on the problem at hand."
Elena turned back to Anna and asked, "So how did he end up with your blood in his system?"
"I gave him a vial of my blood this morning. I'm done with the games. All I want is to live my life."
"So what, you just gave it to him and left?" Elena asked.
She looked away slightly as she replied, "He said he didn't want to turn anymore. Truth was, the only reason he wanted to in the first place was to be with that girl who turned up dead."
"Vicki," Elena replied.
Anna nodded and continued, "It was only after I saw that he was using me to get to her, after he'd hurt me so badly that I realized how much I cared for him. I can only imagine what you must think of me Elena, but I swear, I'd never do anything to hurt your brother."
Elena looked away slightly and asked, "So why did he--"
"You were dead," Damon interrupted as he stared down Anna. Elena turned to Damon and he continued, "I saw Jeremy tonight."
"When?" Elena asked.
Stunted by the memory of kissing the likeness of the girl asking the question, he paused briefly before answering her question, "After the fire…" he cleared his through, "…before you came home." Again he turned to Anna and continued, "I spared him the details, but I told him that I saw you die." He turned to his brother and Elena and finished his thought, "Then when I was leaving he asked if being a vampire made dealing with the pain easier."
Stefan turned to Anna and completed the scenario, "So he drank your blood and took a bunch of pills to kill himself so he could turn."
"He didn't want to suffer the pain of losing you," Damon offered her, bringing a few tears of happiness to Anna's eyes. Caught off guard by his kindness, Elena and Stefan shot him an odd glare. Seeing their reactions, he quickly changed the subject to a more pressing matter, "Touching as all this is, we do have a serious problem."
"Katherine," Stefan replied.
Just as the conversation was about to ignite, Elena's phone rang. She checked the display and commented quietly, "Oh god, Jenna." She looked to Stefan for comfort, but all he could offer her was a look of solace. She stepped away from the group and answered the call, "Jenna…"
As she spoke with her aunt, Stefan addressed his brother, "Damon--"
"I know; we're out of here," Damon interrupted. He turned to Anna and she could easily tell what he was about to ask of her.
Elena rejoined the group a second later and addressed them, "I need to get home." She turned to Anna just as Damon had a moment earlier.
Anna smiled slightly, almost as if to question whether or not they were serious in what they were asking of her. Finally she replied aloud, "Of course I'll stay with him."
"Thank you," Elena replied, finally willing to accept that as there was more to Damon, there may have been more to Anna than a pair of fangs.
As Elena and Stefan headed for the door, Damon approached Anna and quietly spoke to her, "If Katherine's back and Jon Gilbert's dead, who knows what the hell else is going on in this town. Keep your guard up." Anna nodded and Damon finished his thought, "Tomorrow, you and I are paying a visit to our resident witch; see if she can shed some light on how you're walking and talking."
As he backed away from her, she offered him a nod.
Now by herself, Anna walked to the nurses' desk in the ER. She waited for a moment, though the nurse failed to acknowledge her. Finally, Anna asked, "Excuse me?"
"Yes," the nurse replied without taking her eyes off her paperwork.
"Could you please let me know when I can see Jeremy Gilbert?" Anna politely requested.
"Are you family?" the nurse asked.
"Girlfriend," Anna replied.
"Family only I'm afraid."
"Please I--"
Finally the nurse offered her a look, "Look sweetie, I--"
As she struggled to lead a normal life, Anna had developed a distaste for using compulsion, however, desperate times called for desperate measures.
Their eyes locked and again Anna asked her, "May I please see Jeremy Gilbert?"
The nurse's response was delayed slightly, and then it came with a smile, "Certainly. First room on the left."
"Thank you," Anna replied as she stepped through the double doors to the ER. She looked around briefly to observe any potential dangers before slipping into Jeremy's room. He was hooked up to a few machines, and the steady ring of a heart monitor brought a smile to Anna's face. She pulled a chair up beside his bed and sat down. She reached up to his hand and delicately took it into hers. Within seconds, his eyes weakly opened and again he asked, "Am I dreaming?"
She smiled as she replied, "Stalker girl returns." He slowly shifted upright in the bed and immediately Anna stood and gently pushed him back as she ordered him, "You need to rest."
"What happened?" Jeremy asked. "Damon told me you were…" Anna's smile faded and Jeremy continued, "…was it a lie?"
"You're uncle tried," Anna replied. "He staked me, and left me to burn along with the others they took."
"But if he…" he struggled just to get the words out, "…killed you, how are you--"
"I don't know," Anna replied sincerely.
"Does he know you survived?"
"Jeremy…" keeping her humanity intact made moments like these so difficult, "…something's happened."
Jeremy's eyes narrowed slightly and he asked, "Something like what?"
Anna collected her thoughts and began, "One of the oldest vampires in the history of this town is back. She's held a grudge against your ancestors for decades, and now that she's back…" she looked away for a moment before finishing her sentence, "…your uncle was her first target."
"Jon is dead?" Jeremy asked, his tone not entirely broken. Even after all that his uncle had done to her and her mother, Anna couldn't help but shed a few tears for Jeremy's sake. He took notice of her tears and asked, "Why are you crying?"
"Because I know how bad it hurts to lose someone you love," Anna replied.
Jeremy smiled weakly and placed a hand on her cheek, "Listen to me, Anna. The pain I feel over losing my uncle doesn't compare to the pain I felt when I thought I'd lost you. He was family, but he was also a murderer. He knew how much you meant to me and he tried to kill you, because he thought it was best for me."
"Jeremy--"
"I love you, Anna. My relationship with my uncle has only ever been distant at best, and after this…" he lightly tightened his grip on her hand bringing her eyes to meet his, "…I'm not gonna cry over the guy who tried to kill the girl I love."
Anna smiled through her tears and got to her feet. As she leaned over to give him a kiss, she quietly spoke, "I love you so much."
After several soft kisses, Anna slowly pulled away from him and sat back once again. He smiled slightly as he asked, "So this vampire that's come back; are we gonna make it?"
Anna smiled slightly at Jeremy's not-so-subtle allusion to their future together. She sewed her fingers into his and with a warm smile on her lips, she replied, "I think we're gonna be just fine."
And that's that. If you made it this far I hope you enjoyed it :)
A part of me really wanted to keep going. There is still so much I could have done (In particular, explaining just how Anna survived not only a staking but immolation as well), without even getting into the numerous story arcs this series already has. But, I'm not totally confident in my characters or my knowledge over the source material. I figured what I did here allowed me to bring Anna back, and finally get some sleep. Believe me, I need sleep.
Anyways, if you made it this far, thanks for reading :)
-jm