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"Sage will you please explain to these two lovely ladies' what a Trickster is again?" Damon tried to keep his tone gentle, but where they only hearing what they wanted to hear?

For the past hour they had grouped inside the large Dining Room trying to figure out what to do next. The Trickster Devil had really thrown a spanner in the mix and quite frankly nobody could figure out where to go from here. The same ideas and suggestions where being repeated time and time again; It was beginning to grate on Damon's nerves.

"We heard what Sage said Damon" Elena responded by glaring at him past Stefan.

"Well then you would of heard the part that stated we cannot bargain with them" Taking his glass in hand he drank what was left in the bottom before refilling it with one of the many bottles on the table that he had provided. Running out was not an option.

"Damon is right Elena; Trickster's are finicky creatures to deal with. No amount of Gold in the land or Gems and Jewels that you make will matter, once they have made a play against someone, they will not undo it." Sage stood and walked to the window before continuing "There rules as they call them to you or I, are Laws to them; unbreakable laws. The laws are bound my magic, only a single act can beat a Trickster. But even then they have not lost because it is them that has wound that said act as the key"

"But what do they achieve by doing this in the first place?" Meredith watched her other half stand by the window, realising in this moment just how knowledgeable of all the different creatures he was. She had so much to learn from him.

"We become stronger the older we get and with the blood we drink, their strength is in their tricks and the size of their horns." Sage turned to the others "We have to abide by their rules on this one; No amount of force will change anything."

Silence ascended upon the group. Damon realised that Red still hadn't joined them and he hadn't seen her since he walked away from her yesterday. Reaching out he sensed her in the main living area curled in front of the fire.

Stefan was the first to break the silence.

"Ok, so let's say we play by the rules, what do we know?" Stefan reached across and placed his hand against Elena's thigh. She looked at him with a smile before replying.

"Well we know Bonnie is the target of the Trickster. What we don't know is where she is, I mean who knows how long that Trickster Bitch has been playing as Bonnie." Elena looked across at Meredith for confirmation.

"It has to be since your wedding Elena or just before. That's when she started being un-Bonnie-like. Bonnie could be anywhere"

"I don't think so. Remember what the Trickster said; if Bonnie is what we have lost then she has hidden her and we have to go seek." Damon leaned back into his chair thinking "But she wouldn't have hidden her in plain sight nor make it too difficult to be found."

Sage came back standing behind Meredith's chair "You speak sense old friend, so what changed when Bonnie first left?"

"No not what's changed, what is new?" Stefan rushed to say.

"Brother you may be right" All three men looked towards Elena and Meredith awaiting them to tell them the vital answer they require. Both rolled their eyes at their lack of attention.

"Me and Stefan got married" Elena provided for them.

"No Elena that's a change not something new. Matt getting a wife and having a daughter is new." Meredith corrected.

"Something else" Damon snapped unsure why.

"But Damon what if..." Stefan began to say but was interrupted.

"Bonnie is neither Mutt's wife in a different body nor his daughter in a different body, something else" He refused to accept that that was where the Trickster had hidden Bonnie. There was just something wrong with that possibility that it made Damon's skin crawl; Bonnie was not with Mutt.

Getting up from his seat Damon made his way towards the main Living area leaving the others to discuss possible ideas. Stopping at the door he looked towards Red and watched her for a while. She wasn't asleep and her breathing picked up slightly; she knew he was there. Yet she never lifted her head to him or acknowledged his presence.

He made his way over to her and sat in front of her but she still didn't look at him. Taking a deep breath he leaned down and whispered against her ear.

"I'm Sorry Red. You scared the living shit out of me" Damon looked at her but she looked away. He threw his arms in the air. "What to do you want me to do?"

Red tried to stand to move away from him but pained lanced up her hind leg causing her to crumple and whine out loud. Damon eyes widened with concern and moved towards her forgetting his apology in an instant. Red was licking her leg with urgency.

"Hey hey, let me see" Damon spoke softly above a whisper. As he went to touch her, she growled showing her teeth. "Red I'm not going to hurt you, let me see." She lifted her head to look at him, watching him warily as he slowly reached for her once more. As gently as he could he brushed her fur to the side causing her to whimper and jolt her leg.

"Shhh I know I know" He whispered as he managed to move enough fur to see what her problem was. "Oh Red" Her leg was slashed down to the bone five inches across; not bleeding due to the infection that was taking hold of her. Damon could only stare at the horror that was her leg before closing his eyes and shaking his head. If he hadn't have ignored her yesterday and took a closer look at her leg he could have prevented the infection from spreading and saved her so much pain.

"Sage I need your assistance" Within seconds he was there.

"What is it old friend?" He asked walking closer to Damon.

"Have you ever given your blood to heal an animal?" Damon glanced up at him from his position on the floor to Sage who was eyeing Red's leg with horror.

"No, the risk of side effects is too great."

"Then what the Fuck am I suppose to do?" He couldn't help but raise his voice as panic began setting in. If he didn't help her soon the infection will spread into her blood and kill her. A hand came to rest on his shoulder.

"Easy Damon, we will help her. Sage is right; your blood could do more damage than good." Stefan spoke softly as though talking to a child. Kneeling next to him without taking his hand from his shoulder he continued "Do you have any medical kits?"

Damon nodded "Red I'm going to pick you up ok, I'll be as gentle as I can." After a pause he added "If I hurt you, you have my permission to nip me" Seeing her relax slightly he went to pick her up whispering in her ear "That's my girl"

As gentle as he could he placed his arms beneath her and lifted her to his chest taking extra care around her leg. "Remember a nip not a bite" Whining slightly she rested her head on his arm. Ignoring the shocked looks from the others he made his way into the kitchen.

Elena whipped into the kitchen getting a fresh clean towel and laying it onto the centre counter before Damon laid Red on top. Meredith found his medical kit and handed it to Sage.

"Meredith, Elena; I'm going to need you to keep fresh clean towels and cloths coming, this is going to be messy. Stefan I'm going to need you to keep the equipment sanitised and Damon..." Sage stopped while he looked at Damon gently stroking Reds face with his knuckles "Keep doing what you're doing"

An hour later Damon looked up from Red to see his kitchen in a mess; dirty yellow stained towels where thrown in a bundle in the corner, blood stained cloths across the counter and red fur coated the floor. Sage had shaved her leg to get to the wound. Taking a closer look the wound was open and raw but no longer covered in yellow puss or green welts. It was red and pink; normal. Meredith went to hand Sage another clean cloth but he declined.

"We are ready to close the wound" He looked up at Stefan who handed him a needle with thread that he had had burning above a flame for the past ten minutes.

Taking his attention back to Red he began once again talking with her to distract her from what Sage was doing. A small whine escaped her throat; they hadn't been able to find anything to numb her from the pain so they had to do it quickly knowing she could feel everything.

"Shh I know Red, he's nearly done." He brushed his knuckles across her face. He couldn't believe how incredibly still she had laid. Every now and then a shimmer of pain would cause her to shake but she lay as still as she could.

"Done" Damon looked up at Sage's announcement to see Reds leg covered with a bandage dressing. Red twisted to see her leg sniffing at the bandage. Sage gently stroked her fur and received a lick in response, "You are most welcome little one"

Noticing she was trying to stand Damon whipped forward and took her in his arms "No walking for you until tomorrow." He once again carried her through the house, kicking a large cushion from the sofa to the floor in front of the fire before gently placing her down. Elena and Meredith followed behind with a bowl of water and a large plate full of chopped meat. Elena held the bowl of water for Red while she drank her fill. Meredith then plopped on the floor in front of her and gently began to feed her piece by piece.

Damon plopped on to his chair watching with amusement as Red was waited on. To say the wolf was usually stubborn and liked to do things on her own she was sure enjoying the attention. Damon took a glass of Bourbon from his brother after he and Sage joined them and watched Meredith feed a clearly hungry Red.

"We still have the Devil Trickster and Bonnie to deal with"

Damon closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose "Tomorrow Stefan. We can deal with that tomorrow. Wherever Bonnie is, one more night isn't going to make much more of a difference."

Red whipped her head around to Damon with a low growl before giving Meredith her attention once again. Damon's eyebrows rose as he looked towards Stefan and then Sage. Both offering only a shoulder shrugs as help; great.

"Perhaps it was your lack of care towards Bonnie and the situation she is in" Elena clipped at him from beside Meredith. Looking up at him with her crystal blue eyes staring daggers was followed by Meredith's accusing grey ones; followed by Red's soft brown ones.

"I didn't mean it like I didn't care, I was just saying..." Damon stopped talking, looking from three pairs of accusing eyes to Sage and Stefan and then back to three accusing eyes again.

Damon sat as still as a statue staring. "Damon what..." He lifted a finger to quite his brother. He was on the edge of something but he didn't know what. He was gripping something but what?

Crystal Blue, Shimmering Grey and Chocolate Brown. Crystal Blue, Shimmering Grey and Chocolate Brown. Over and over it repeated in his head but why?

A scene played across his mind like a play. Three women dressed as spectacularly as possible. They were dancing at a ball, each holding a part of their dress with one hand while grasping their dancing partners shoulder with the other; twirling around each other and laughing as they pass.

The first lady to pass him smiled a heavenly smile while looking at her partner, what caught his attention was the eyes. Crystal Blue eyes, she was Elena dancing with Stefan. The next lady passed while whispering seductively in her partners ear, as she pulled her head back Shimmering Grey eyes glanced in his direction. Meredith looked back to Sage and continued her whispering. The next lady approached giggling with joy, while her partner spun her around and around.

Suddenly Bonnie stopped dancing to look at him, releasing her hold on her dance partner she elegantly bowed before making her way towards him with little steps. Once she reached him glistening Chocolate Brown eyes looked up at him as a single tear slipped down her cheek. Without a word she reached down and pulled her dress above her thigh showing him her right leg. A five inch scar ran down across her thigh. With a small bow she made her way back to her partner. It was him; taking her in his arms he continued their dance as though they were never interrupted.

Shaking his head Damon bought himself back to the now. What the hell was that? Stefan was kneeling in front of him with his eyes drawn down frowning with Sage stood behind him.

Damon heard his brother question him but it didn't register. He leaned forward and placed his hand on Stefan's shoulder and gently pushed him to the side un-blocking his view to what he needed to see. Blue, Grey and Brown.

His glass tumbled to the floor causing Stefan to jump up and avoid the Bourbon from splashing him. His eyes bore into hers. Her head tilled in reply; questioning. He stood with a laugh. Questions where being hailed at him from all angles; he stopped laughing and replaced it with a smirk. Looking at each of their confused faces he knelt in front of Red; cupping her jaw and gently raised it.

"Bonnie?" He watched as her eyes widened with understanding before releasing an enormous loud howl at him. "You're still Red to me" He whispered before standing.

He scowled at Stefan "You could have at least tried to catch that" He picked up his glass from where it landed and went to fetch a refill; leaving the others to catch up.

Refilling his glass he finally heard Elena squeal; now they get it. Taking a sip he went deep in thought. Why Bonnie? With a shrug he dismissed that question, Could have been simply coincidence. Somehow he was the key to helping Bonnie, but how? What act would involve him to break the spell? Does Bonnie know; he shook his head, she couldn't tell him even if she did. Damon decided not to tell the others what the Trickster told him.

With a smile on his lips he took another drink; at least she's not with Mutt.

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