#got lost in my Caroline thoughts again

[waystarresourceco]

It occurs to me as I was recently rewatching Chiantishire that something I didn’t pay attention to the first time around is how Caroline handles discussions of the past, particularly the Logan-Caroline divorce and its aftereffects. Unlike Logan, who basically bulldozes his way through memories to reconstruct a future he can handle, Caroline’s engagement in ‘the past’ seems dependent on who she’s talking to.

Long Caroline-Shiv-Kendall post beneath the cut.

I get the sense from Chiantishire that Shiv wasn’t very aware of the details of the divorce. She didn’t really know how or why Caroline left – just that her mother wasn’t there. And in her absence, Logan’s narrative became Shiv’s truth: Caroline didn’t want her – didn’t even care enough to fight to keep her in her life. So fine. Shiv doesn’t want her either. And in Italy, she let Caroline know that.

And then something interesting happens - Caroline actually engages. She admits that she wasn’t the greatest mother in one breath and brandishes a verbal knife with another. “I may have been a bit of a spotty mother but you’ve been a shitty daughter.” It’s vicious all the way around, but it’s a kind of mutual wounding. It’s a conversation. The past is painful, but it’s open for renegotiation. Because underneath it all, there’s the heart of something still alive between the two of them.

But with Kendall...with Kendall there’s nothing left to engage in because the distance is already too great.

In the cut scene from Pre-Nuptial, we get this gem:

Here, Kendall tries to forgive Caroline for the same “abandonment” Shiv brings up in Chiantishire, but it’s met with a very different response from Caroline. Instead of an acknowledgement of being a “spotty mother,” Caroline goes on the offensive. She presses him on the double standard he’s applying to her because this is an old hurt, one that has its roots in how Kendall is always Logan’s, even when he’s privy to details that should make him think differently.

There’s an underlying implication in Caroline’s response that suggests Kendall has much more of a picture of what led to the divorce than Shiv does. As the oldest, the heir, and Logan’s sometimes confidant, Kendall would have likely had a front row seat to the breakdown of his parents’ marriage. To the moment Logan banished Caroline from her children’s lives. And while he might not have known everything, to Caroline he was capable of knowing the difference between leaving and being pushed out.

And her son’s blame? It’s not unexpected. Kendall has always been Logan’s. Was stamped with his father’s name from the moment he was born. But that doesn’t make it sting any less when her first born, the one she sees her temperament in, sides with the man forcing her out. And while I think Caroline and Kendall weren’t particularly close before the divorce, I can imagine this being the fracture that was never set. An injury that never quite healed right, unable to support the weight of a relationship from that point forward.

Sure, Caroline will coo when she sees him. But that’s because she loves all of her children – including Kendall. Because no matter what, she really does want to be in their lives. But she won’t engage with him the way she will with Shiv because there’s a world of difference between Shiv, who has the ability to one day understand her, and Kendall, who has already chosen not to. So really, what is there left to say? Kendall’s made it clear; he’s chosen to become his father’s creature, to adopt his narrative and echo his actions – and Caroline can’t stomach suffering his blame. But with Shiv? Maybe some day, if they keep at it, they’ll end up on the same page.

As a general note, these relationships are obviously super complex and have a lot more going on than just musings about the divorce so to save this from getting too long and disorganized, second and third parts on Shiv and Caroline and on Kendall and Caroline already in the works haha. Will go back and link them all together as they’re written and posted. If you made it to the end – thank you for listening to the ramblings of an insane Carolinegirl.

[littlewriters-posts]

Phoenix - Damon Salvatore

Part two of the request I got the other day

part one is here

https://www.tumblr.com/littlewriters-posts/751027674692059136/hey-darling-can-i-request-the-damon-salvatore-x?source=share

Plot: Y/N comes to mystic falls as a foster kid, knowing nothing of the supernatural world. The catch? Y/N lost all her memories, of the past 150 years.

Stefan had sworn both Elena and Damon to secrecy.

Damon had come storming in, his usual stony expression riddled with worry, interrupting Stefan and Elena, announcing the arrival of his old love - that somehow she had come back to life.

Elena was sceptical at first "Are you sure it's not just another doppelganger curse?" she asked, a frown on her face. The name rang bells in her head but she couldn't quite place why.

Stefan shook his head "No, she told Damon she had the Phoenix curse. Not too unsimilar from your one actually, apparently she when she dies she gets reborn again from the ashes, all memories wiped,"

"Except when she wore that necklace," Damon interjected "If we could just find it, we could get her memories back!"

And she would remember me, went unspoken.

Stefan sucked his teeth slightly. Part of him wanted to dismiss Damon's hope, but the other half recognized that this was the first ounce of humanity Damon had shown in years.

"What did you say her name was again?" Elena asked

"Y/N, L/N," Damon said "Apparently she's now living with your friend, the Bonnie," he raised his eyebrows at her, as if demanding an explanation.

Elena's eyes widened "Oh my god," she muttered to herself before turning back to Stefan "Bonnie said that her Grams had signed the papers to adopt this girl, Bonnie said it came out of nowhere. But then she died, and demanded that Bonnie's dad do it instead,"

"Y/N, from my time anyway, was very close to the Bennet witches," Stefan mused silently.

"Yeah they spent years looking for her, and failing," Damon added

Stefan then turned very serious "Damon if she is Y/N you cannot go near her. Remember she doesn't know you, and you don't want to scare her away,"

"I won't scare her away," Damon said looking mildly offended "I am the eternal stud, everyone loves me,"

Stefan rolled his eyes "We really need to find out if it is her first, or just some weird coincidence,"

"What so she can fall in love with some boring human?" Damon asked snidely.

Elena stood up, looking sympathetically at Damon, which he hated.

"Look she loved you once right? I'm sure she'll love you again," she reassured and Damon scoffed so she continued. "She'll be with Bonnie on Monday, I'll become friends with her first, then we can go from there,"

Damon grumbled, but seemed satisfied with that answer, and disappeared upstairs without another word.

Stefan walked up to Elena, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"As much as I hate to say it, he's not the same person he was when he first met her, and chances are she's exactly the same,"

Elena sighed "We'll see what she's like on Monday,"

Y/N was terrified. Dressed in her flares and green top that Bonnie had kindly bought for her, she faced herself in the mirror.

The thought of being in the same room as people she didn't know made her feel rather sick.

"You'll be fine," Bonnie reassured, leaning on the door "Come on, I'll drive you,"

Y/N nodded, brushing all negative thoughts out of her head as she followed her new friend out of the door.

She tried to focus on Bonnie's voice as she chatted at her, telling her all the school drama as if knowing that would help her fit in more with the rest of the group.

But all she could focus on was the outside world, and how different yet familiar it seemed to her.

"We're here," Bonnie announced "Come on, Elena and Caroline are meeting us inside,"

Y/N nodded, giving the other girl a grateful smile. Bonnie had already told her everything about the two others girls, Elena was the sweet one who's parents died in a car crash, and Caroline was slightly outspoken, but lovely when you got to know her.

Elena hadn't told her friends about Damon's history with the new girl, for some reason it didn't seem right. She didn't want to taint anyone's view of the girl before they met her.

Y/N hid behind Bonnie slightly, as they approached the two girls who were waving excitedly at them.

Caroline was quick to embrace Y/N in a hug "Oh I am so excited you're here! It's about time we got some new people in this town,"

Elena rolled her eyes with a smile "It's nice to meet you," she said

As Elena studied Y/N she couldn't help but think that she was nothing like she imagined. She pictured someone meddlesome, someone stony faced and cold hearted like Damon not - not this.

Elena watched as Y/N gave a shy smile, her head held high but fidgeting fingers giving away her nerves.

She reminded her of a baby deer...or lamb...or maybe an otter. Something vulnerable.

"How are you finding it? Have you ever been to school before?" Caroline asked. Elena smacked her arm

"Caroline!" she exclaimed and Caroline looked sheepish.

"Sorry,"

Y/N shook her head with a smile "It's okay, I don't mind answering questions. I - I actually have amnesia, I don't remember anything until I reached about sixteen? Then I was home-schooled by my foster mom,"

Caroline stared at her with wide eyes "So you've never been to a party?"

Y/N shrugged "I mean I might have done, I just won't remember it,"

"Well you're in luck, the founders ball is soon!" Caroline practically squealed "I won Miss Mystic Falls last year, so I can help pick out your dress!"

Y/N hesitated, the thought of entering the hall with yet more people was giving her heart palpations, but she also wanted to make friends.

"Sure, when?" she asked with a smile

"How about Saturday?" Caroline asked and Y/N looked to Bonnie for help.

"We'll be there," Bonnie reassured and Y/N sighed with relief, at least there would be somebody she knew.

"What class have you got first?" Caroline asked, reading Y/N scheduled over her shoulder "Oh no fair! You'll be with Elena and Bonnie," she sighed dramatically.

"ooo History with Mr Tanner, good luck," Elena said, giving Y/N a smile "He's evil,"

Y/N laughed "Surely he can't be that bad,"

Y/N was wrong.

Not only did Mr Tanner sit her at the back in between a boy called Matt Donavon, he also sat her behind another boy called Stefan Salvatore, who was so tall she had very little hope to see the board in-front of the class.

And then he had the audacity to ask her question's in-front of the entire class.

She was quite sure he face was utterly red, and Stefan turned round to face her, making the redness worse.

"It's okay, he did that to me the first time as well, he's a dick," he reassured and Y/N felt the sudden urge to hide under her desk.

"Thankyou," she whispered, her eyes lowering to her paper and Stefan gave her a soft smile, trying not to show his concern.

If he had any doubts now they were sealed. He only knew one person who looked that panicked when talking to people, and he could recognize that face anywhere.

Unfortunate it meant she was still the same person that she was before, and Damon wasn't.

After history Y/N was grateful to Caroline, who talked her ear off on who was hot and who was not, although she found herself growing weary of the constant chatter and found her gaze wandering across the courtyard.

A large crow caught her eye, as it stared at her unblinkingly.

"We're going to the Grill after school wanna come?" Bonnie asked, cutting Caroline off her rant as she did so.

"I'd love that," Y/N said softly, breaking her gaze from the bird.

"What have you got next?" Elena asked

"Er - maths," Y/N replied, checking her schedule.

"Ah shoot, we've all got Biology," Bonnie said sympathetically

"It's okay, Stefan has maths, he can show you the way!" Elena interjected, smiling at her friend.

Y/N grimaced, as much as she didn't have anything against the boy, she'd take getting lost as appose to having to strike up a conversation with a stranger.

"I don't want to bother him," she said quietly.

Elena shook her head, before waving Stefan over from where he sat on the bench.

"You'll like him, he's quiet like you," Caroline reassured and Bonnie rolled her eyes.

"Ignore her," she said smiling apologetically.

"What did I say?" Caroline frowned, but Y/N smiled.

"It's okay, I get what she meant."

Caroline smiled from ear to ear. She often felt out of place, constantly saying the wrong thing at the wrong time, or saying it the wrong way and getting reprimanded. But Y/N made her feel understood.

"Do you mind walking Y/N to maths?" Elena asked Stefan as he approached.

"Sure," he shrugged "I'll make sure you don't get lost,"

Y/N smiled gratefully, not quite meeting his eyes before waving goodbye to her friends and following alongside him.

"How are you finding your first day?" he asked eventually, noticing her fidgeting hands immediately.

"It's okay, just a lot of people," she shrugged, glancing around at the people shoving past her and she shrank a little.

"Must be overwhelming," he mused thinking slightly "You know there's a graveyard not far from here - sounds dark but I find it's the only place you can really get some peace and quiet,"

Y/N looked up at him, for the first time meeting his eyes. "Thankyou," she said earnestly. "I've only got a half day today, something about adjusting to school life, so I might go after then - where is it?"

"Turn right out of school, go down the road to the old bridge and turn left," Stefan said simply as Y/N hurried to jot it down.

Someone with her sense of direction had to be prepared.

"Great and er - how do I get to the Grill from there?" she asked nervously.

Stefan didn't judge "Follow the middle path into the woods, keep going and then go left at the second turning. Turn right when you get to the old building. Just follow that path and it'll lead you back to the street,"

She thanked him again, feeling slightly relieved that she wouldn't have to navigate it without help, nor would she have to ask a complete stranger.

After Maths, Y/N bid goodbye to the younger Salvatore brother, before texting the girls where she was going, and that she would meet them at the grill later. With Stefan's direction's written down, she was sure she wouldn't get lost, and too her relief she didn't.

So there she sat, next to a random grave, her head resting against the cool stone.

In her hands lay a notebook, the date marked clearly at the top as she jotted her thoughts down.

Her doctor had suggested a diary, after losing your memory for no apparent reason there was no evidence to suggest it wouldn't happen again.

She didn't notice Damon watched her from the shadows, a pained look on his face. He hated the way she looked so tense, her fingers often pulling at the strands of hair that had escaped the messy braid. He could even smell the blood that came from her bitten lips.

But what he hated most was how she was exactly the same. The same slight crease between the brows, the same nervous fidget patten, the same soft hum as she wrote.

It was like she had never changed, like nothing had ever changed her.

He wanted to speak to her, even for a moment but he stopped himself. She hadn't changed, but he had. Even if she did, even if she could, remember him, would she still love him after learning everything he had done? Everyone he had killed?

Would she be able to see past the scars he's obtained and his bloody hands and still be able to see him?

He didn't know. And that killed him.

So there in the shadows he stayed, watching and praying that she would be kept safe.

Y/N shut her book with a sigh, stuffing it back in her bag. She glanced at her phone and saw that it was time to go, surprised that she had been this long.

But it was nice, the quiet, it made her feel whole again.

"Right, to the Grill we go," she muttered, biting her lip slightly.

She slung her bag over her shoulder and started walking down the middle path. She was unaware the Damon was still watching her with the same pained expression.

She came to the turning and abruptly turning, feeling rather pleased with herself as she did so for not getting lost.

As she walked she took out the slip of paper she had jotted the directions down in, and to her absolute horror the ink had smudged.

"Oh no. Oh nononono," she muttered, looking around herself in horror. She remembered something about turning near a building but what building was that?

She turned, telling herself she would just go back the way she came and ask for help, before realising the path she was walking down was a forked path and she couldn't remember which one she had taken.

"Oh crap crap crap," she whispered.

She felt the air around her grow colder, her lungs fighting for air as she tried not to panic. She'd been lost before, she'd be fine. It's not like Mystic Falls was dangerous.

Behind his hiding place, Damon cursed himself. He looked at her panic stricken face, the face he'd seen a thousand times before when she was forced into social situations, and felt his heart tug slightly.

"You lost?"

Y/N whirled around, her eyes wide and heart pounding, before coming face to face with the man she met her first night of Mystic Falls.

"Damon?" she questioned, frowning slightly "What are you doing here?"

He shrugged, walking towards her trying to look as non threatening as possible. "I like it here, it's quiet,"

Y/N relaxed slightly "Stefan said the same thing - you're related aren't you? Same last name and all,"

Damon smirked slightly "Brothers," he responded. "So are you lost?"

Y/N's cheeks reddened slightly, a slight pout on her lower lip "If I say no, will you save me my dignity but help me anyway?"

Damon laughed "So you've got an abysmal sense of direction, it's not the worst thing to be bad at - come on, it's this way,"

"How do you know where I'm going?" she asked

Damon froze for a second before recovering "Stefan's going to the Grill too, I just assumed,"

Y/N shrugged, falling comfortably into step besides him. She couldn't tell what it was, but she felt more at ease with him than anyone she'd met so far at Mystic Falls. Like she already knew him.

"They go out a lot, I don't know how they do it," she mused, covering up a yawn.

Damon eyed her carefully, not wanting to come off like he was staring but also unable to tear his gaze away from her.

"You could just not go?" he offered but she shook her head.

"I can't, I need to go to the Grill anyway to ask about any jobs they've got going there," she sighed "These girls love shopping,"

Damon frowned "Job? Aren't you a little young to have to work? You should be out their partying," he smirked.

Y/N wrinkled her nose "Plenty people my age work Damon, I'm not a child. Besides, I don't have any family money...or any family and once I turn eighteen I don't get any support anymore,"

Damon said nothing at first. Money had never been an issue for him, he was a Salvatore after all, and his powers of persuasion meant he could get anything he wanted if he was smart about it. But she was just playing a human over and over again, with nothing to fall back on.

"Well I'm sure you'll find something," he said finally "Mystic Falls is fully of rich people, which mean nobody wants to work," he said amusedly and Y/N laughed.

"Alright Miss Y/N, you're here," Damon announced waving his hand in-front of his as if she would miss The Grill building right in-front of her.

"Thankyou so much Damon, that's twice you've helped me out now - I can't thank you enough," Y/N said sweetly, smiling up at him.

Damon swore he felt his dead heart stop.

"It's no problem - just do me a favour and don't tell my brother. He doesn't like me much,"

Y/N didn't question it as she waved goodbye to him and stepped into the restaurant to meet her friends.

Damon watched her through the window, still not wanting to tear his eyes away from her. His attention soon diverted to the bar manager coming out the store for his smoke break.

Within a flash Damon was next to him, forcing the man to look him dead in the eye as he did so.

"You are going to accept Y/N L/N into whatever job she wants, with whatever hours she requires and pay her double for working weekends," he said lowly.

Compulsion really was handy.

In the bar, Y/N was laughing with Caroline, the other two not appearing yet.

"So who's your date going to be?" Caroline asked gleefully, "I mean you don't have to have one, but you also kinda do if you want to go for Miss Mystic Falls," she added.

Y/N shrugged "I don't really know anyone Caroline, I'm quite happy just to watch and support you,"

Caroline's features softened slightly "You're so sweet," she gushed "Elena and Bonnie don't really like it, they think it's old fashioned,"

"Well it is," Y/N pointed out "But just because something is traditionally feminine doesn't mean you can't enjoy it,"

Caroline smiled "See this is why I like you, you just get it. So tell me, any cute guys caught your eyes yet?"

Y/N shook her head with a smile "Is that all that goes on through your head?" she asked.

Caroline shrugged "You'd only say that if you were deflecting!" she pointed out "Spill,"

"There isn't! I've met like, three guys since I've been here, one of the is Elena's boyfriend and the other is her ex!"

"So who's the third?" Caroline asked, her eyes widening.

Y/N blinked - she hadn't expected Caroline to catch onto that little detail. She gulped slightly, the feeling of tightness returning to her chest. Damon hadn't wanted Stefan to know about him helping her - and Caroline would surely tell him. But she also didn't want to lie.

"Oh erm...I met him on my first day. I got lost finding Bonnie's house and he helped me,"

Caroline clapped her hands together "Oh my goodness! What did he look like, was he hot? What was his name?"

Y/N laughed slightly, amused by the blonde's actions "I don't know, he was tall, dark hair. Really sweet,"

"Oh I bet it was Tyler! You know he's been staring at you all day," Caroline gushed and Y/N blinked.

"Tyler?" she questioned the name foreign on her tongue.

Caroline nodded "Yeah he's on the football team! A bit of a douche but when he likes you he's just the sweetest,"

Y/N nodded slightly, her gaze shifting round the bar "Does anyone at school work?" she asked nervously and Caroline's gaze shifted into one of sympathy.

"Yeah, Matt actually works here. And Tyler sometimes helps his dad with Mayor stuff,"

Y/N nodded, the gnawing pit in her stomach growing slightly. She hadn't even considered that people would look down on her for having a job before Damon's tone of voice told her otherwise.

"But don't worry, no one will care. A girl called Vicky used to work here, and nobody picked on her for having a job," Caroline reassured

Y/N then spotted the manager who was heading back to the bar. "Oop - there he is - wish me luck!"

"Good luck sweetie, hope you get it!"

As Y/N walked over, she mustered the courage to actually look the man in the eyes as she spoke to him, hoping that forcing herself to make eye contact would help.

"Hi," she gave a small awkward wave "I'm Y/N L/N, I was just wondering if you had any waitressing jobs going,"

The Managers eyes seem to shift a little, before he responded with a great smile on his face "Of course! Someone just left today so we have an opening. We can fit the hours around you, and you get double when you work on weekends,"

"Oh!" exclaimed Y/N, not expecting it to be that easy. In fact she was kind of upset since she had a whole speech written on how she would be a great worker. "Oh great, when can I start?" she asked.

"How about next Wednesday? Wednesdays are the quietist days, so we'll have plenty of time to show you the ropes,"

Y/N tried to hide her excitement "Great - thankyou so much!" she called over her shoulder as she practically raced back to the table.

Bonnie and Elena had arrived, sitting down in the vacant seats.

"Did you get it?" Caroline asked and Y/N nodded happily. The girls applauded her, giving her hugs and for the first time Y/N felt truly in place.

"What you can still come shopping with us right?" Elena asked worriedly and Y/N nodded,

"Yeah he said I start on Wednesday and I can pick my hours," Y/N said, taking a sip of her drink.

"Nice," Elena said approvingly "Well done Y/N,"

Y/N blushed a little "Thank Elena,"

Non of them noticed Damon, sat in the corner facing away from them, a small smile on his face.

Saturday rolled around sooner than Y/N had expected and she found herself slightly dreading it. As much as she loved her friends, they were richer than she was and whilst they would be looking at the prettiest dress, she would be looking at the price tag that came with it.

But as she entered the dress shop with her friends, all thoughts soon vanished as she laughed at Caroline's dramatics.

"I wish we could of found you a date - you would have had such a great shot at winning," Caroline said sadly but Y/N shrugged.

"I'd rather just sit and watch then have to dance with somebody I don't know," she replied.

"Well still...I'm going to try this dress on!" she announced picking up a blue number.

Elena patted Y/N shoulder "Ignore her, it doesn't really matter," she reassured. "Which one should I try on?" she then asked, holding up two almost identical dresses.

"Both of them," Y/N replied simply "We've got all day haven't we - and Bonnie why don't you try that green one over there, you'd look stunning!"

Bonnie smiled, grabbing the green dress to change.

It was then a dress in the corner corner caught Y/N's eye, it was a dusty purple, the slight jewels encrusting the top. It was beautiful.

She glanced at the tag.

Way out of her price range.

"Would you like to try it on?" The shopkeeper asked gently but Y/N shook her head.

"No it's okay, it's way out of my budget anyway,"

The shopkeeper bit her lip, "You can try it on anyways, no harm in a little dress up,"

Y/N looked at her hopefully.

"Really?"

The shopkeeper nodded with a smile and Y/N's smile brightened, as she rushed into the changing room.

The dress fit her perfectly, hugging her figure in all the right places before flaring at the bottom. The colour seemed to make her skin glow.

Too bad it was too expensive.

"Come on, let us see!" Caroline begged and Y/N sighed, opening the curtain and letting the girls squeal over it.

"Oh it fit's you perfectly!" Bonnie remarked "You need to get it,"

Y/N shook her head with a smile "And buy the first dress I try on?" she responded, not wanting to tell them that it was simply too expensive.

"See - she get's it," Caroline said with a laugh "No go change so we can try more stuff on," she pulled the curtain back over her friend.

She sighed, wriggling out of the dress with difficulty before placing it back on the hanger.

She handed it to the shopkeeper with a smile.

"It was beautiful but I just can't afford it," she said sadly.

The shopkeeper nodded understandingly "We have a sale section over there if you'd like?"

Y/N nodded, before spotting Caroline sorting through many dresses in her arms.

"Got enough there Caroline?" she asked amusedly and the blonde sighed in exasperation.

"I just don't know which one to pick, I wore blue when I won last year, but I've already worn blue," she tutted putting the blue dress back on the rails. "You found anything yet?" she asked.

Y/N thought back to the purple dress, but didn't want her friend to pity her.

"No, I might come back another day," she said softly. Or to another cheaper shop she added in her head.

"I'm starving, shall we go to the grill?" Bonnie asked.

"We go there all the time, I'm sick of chips and the smell of beer," Caroline whined. "Can't we go back the the Salvatore house, they always have great snacks,"

Elena hesitated. Her and Stefan were trying everything they could to keep Damon from doing something rash, and that meant trying to keep Y/N away from him.

"I'm actually kind of tired," Elena said, yawning. "Why don't we go to that smoothie place downtown and then we can all go home?"

That seemed to go down well with the rest of the group, and Caroline quickly bought Y/N's smoothie before the other two could notice, and before she could protest.

"Don't worry about it," she brushed off when Y/N tried to pay her back, so the girl just sipped her smoothie in peace.

When Y/N arrived home, she was utterly exhausted from the full day, and was about to collapse on the bed when she noticed a parcel on it.

She frowned, wondering who on earth would have put it there. She's been with the girls all day and Bonnie's dad was away on business.

Perhaps Elena had Stefan drop it off, or maybe Bonnie had snuck in whilst Y/N was downstairs.

She opened the box carefully and gasped.

Inside it was the same dusty purple dress she had tried on in the shop.

She gingerly took it from the box, looking everywhere for some kind of tag to say who it was from but there was nothing.

"Bonnie?" she called uncertainly, not knowing whether or not to be excited about it.

Bonnie came in, fresh out the shower and drying her hair. "You o - oh you bought it!" she gushed remarking at the dress.

But Y/N shook her head.

"No I couldn't afford it, it was just here when I got back,"

Bonnie frowned "Oh...maybe Caroline bought it for you then? You know what she's like,"

"Yeah," Y/N echoed staring at the mystery dress "Do you think I should wear it?"

Bonnie nodded "I mean it would be rude not to, and it is a beautiful dress. Besides what harm could a dress do?"

Y/N shrugged, putting the dress on the hanger and hanging it outside her wardrobe, admiring it in the light, before a tap on the window startled her.

She whirled around, only to see a crow staring at her unblinking through the glass pane.

"Oh shit," Bonnie muttered, her eyes wide "Y/N I'm just gonna make a phone call okay?" she said quickly, before practically running out of the room.

But Y/N attention was on the bird as she opened her window for it.

"You hungry?" she asked and threw the bird a bit of bread. It just stared at her some more, before flying away. She shrugged, closing the window.

Back at the Salvatore household, Elena and Stefan rounded on Damon with narrowed eyes.

"Tell me why Y/N has just received a dress that she didn't buy, but was trying on earlier today?" she asked with raised eyebrows.

Damon scoffed "I don't owe you an explanation," he said snidely.

Elena shook her head "You need to stay away from her Damon, she doesn't remember you. You're just going to end up hurting yourself,"

Damon shook his head "I didn't go near her did I? I bought her a dress that she wanted, and she doesn't even know it was me. Tell her Caroline bought it, she's always doing stuff like that,"

Stefan had so far said nothing, not even when Elena turned to him for backup. Instead he was looking at his brother with a saddened expression.

"It's okay," he finally said with a sigh "I mean, it's not like he's hurting her,"

Elena pursed her lips, not wanting to admit that she simply just didn't trust Damon around her new friend. But she had to admit, she met Damon when he was at his worst, and Y/N originally met him when he was still human.

Damon said nothing, but carried his bottle of bourbon up to his room.

"Maybe they should meet," Stefan said lowly "I mean, he's not going to kill her,"

Elena shook her head "So he can take his pain out on other people when she doesn't fall in love with him? You said so yourself, Damon's a monster - and Y/N just doesn't seem like the type to deal with that,"

Stefan stared into the fire, a thoughtful expression on his face. "What if they met here? That way we could keep an eye on Damon, make sure he doesn't do anything too rash, but at least he wouldn't be secretly trying to see her without us knowing,"

"Okay," Elena nodded, "But after the founder's ball next week, I can only focus on so many things at once,"

Y/N found herself in two minds over the founders ball. On the one hand, it was quite exciting to be getting dressed up and ready with her new found friends, but on the other hand, it was a long day to be around people.

She tried to push that thought out of her mind until Bonnie said,

"We're all having an after party at the Salvatore's, so I'll drive you there after,"

Y/N tried not to show her grimace "Do I need to bring spare clothes?" she asked and Bonnie shrugged.

"I'm pretty sure Caroline will change into another dress, but me and Elena will be going casual so it's up to you,"

Y/N then crammed a skirt and jumper into her bag, with some joggers in case it got too cold.

After Bonnie helped her tie the corset laces on her dress, the sudden restriction of breath was noticeable but not uncomfortable.

"You look stunning," Bonnie reassured, seeing the fleeting look o nerves overtake her friends face. "Now listen, I'm driving but me and Elena and Caroline all have to go upstairs because of the Miss Mystic Falls thingy, but we'll come find you as soon as we can okay?"

Y/N nodded, deciding against speaking for the fear that the nerves would make her be sick. She was nervous, and she didn't even have a part to play.

She was grateful for the three girls as they all chatted in the car, meaning that she didn't have too, and even as they left to go upstairs, Y/N gave them a small smile and wished them good luck.

Now what.

She glanced around the room, feeling suddenly very small as she realised she didn't really know anybody in there. She settled by grabbing a glass of champagne that she knew she wouldn't drink and settling in the corner, watching everyone go by in their dresses.

She watched and clapped as one by one the elected girls descended the stairs, each one getting an applause before moving to the middle of the room.

"That's a beautiful dress," Came a voice, and Y/N jumped slightly, turning towards the sound of the voice. Her demeanour relaxed slightly as she realised who it was.

"Hello Damon," she said, her smile more genuine. "And thankyou, I'm not entirely sure who got it for me, but I love it,"

Damon said nothing, but a small smile played on his lips.

"You don't look to be enjoying yourself," he acknowledged and she sighed.

"I know, I'm just...I hate crowds," she admitted "I'm so glad you're here, finally a face I recognize,"

Damon stared at her a little, the want to let all of his emotions tumble off his tongue was great, but he knew that it would be a disaster if he did so.

"You owe me a favour, Since I have rescued you what - twice now?" he asked teasingly.

Y/N rolled her eyes "Alright Mr Salvatore, what do you want?" she went along playfully.

"A dance," he replied simply, extending his hand and she laughed nervously.

"I'm a terrible dancer, I don't think I've ever even learnt!" she exclaimed but Damon's blue eyes met her wide ones and she relented a little.

"I'll lead you," he replied gently, taking her hand in his own. "Come on,"

Y/N accepted his hand, gracefully walking to the middle where more couples were now dancing with the original girls.

"This is going to be so embarrassing," she muttered, her eyes darting around as she saw that other people were watching her.

"Hey - look at me," Damon commanded, his tone soft. So she did, his blue eyes staring into her own and she felt her breath hitch slightly. There was something ever so familiar about them, like a safeness that she couldn't quite place, like somewhere she had been before but couldn't quite remember.

And they were dancing, in sync and ever so graceful, neither one of them ever breaking eye-contact with each other.

"Oh my god, is that Y/N with Damon?" Caroline ran up to Elena, horrified and Elena nodded with a grimace.

"It's complicated," Elena whispered back to her friend. "We think Y/N used to be an old friend of his - well old girlfriend - back when Damon was human. But she disappeared, and now she's back. And here's the catch - she doesn't remember any of it,"

Caroline's eyes widened "Y/N a vampire?" she whispered in shock but Elena shook her head.

"No she's cursed, every time she dies she get's born back into the same body, with no memory of the life before,"

Caroline looked at Damon, narrowing her eyes "If I didn't hate him so much I'd feel sorry for him - do you think he still loves her?"

Elena nodded with a sigh "Stefan said he never stopped looking for her after she disappeared,"

Bonnie grimaced "Can we please stop feeling sorry for Mr Killer over there, he's literally killed people Elena. We can't let him have Y/N, we both know he's end up hurting her,"

But as the trio watched Y/N and Stefan dance, even Caroline who hated Damon the most, couldn't help but admit the softness in his eyes when he looked at Y/N. Like a humanity that wasn't there before.

"You're an excellent dancer," Damon remarked, pulling her to the side after the song ended.

"I was only following you," she laughed, "Also why do all these drinks have alcohol in, what's wrong with something that actually taste nice," she said bitterly, setting down a champagne glass with a wrinkled nose.

"I'll get you something," Damon reassured "Wait here,"

Y/N didn't have chance to tell him that he didn't have to, he was already gone.

"I do hope my brother wasn't bothering you," Came the voice of Stefan Salvatore as he walked over to her.

She shook her head "No, he's actually really sweet," she said with a soft smile, glancing back to where he had gone too. "He's actually gone to get me drink since I don't like champagne,"

Stefan raised his eyebrows but didn't comment further on the matter, not daring to spoil her image of his brother.

"Where's Elena?" she asked.

"Gone to find her brother I think," Stefan glanced around to spot his girlfriend who was indeed chatting to her little brother. "I'm driving you all to the afterparty now, but I'm coming back for him because there's no room in the car,"

"I thought Bon was driving?" Y/N asked with a frown but Stefan shook his head.

"She's already drinking," he said amusedly

"No worried Brother, I'll take her," Damon had come back, standing besides Y/N and staring at his brother with an emotion Y/N couldn't quite place. "Got you some orange juice," he said, giving her a slightly smile. She thanked him.

Stefan hesitated, not wanting to start a scene, but also not having an excuse ready.

"Alright," he finally said after staring his brother back some more "We're leaving in ten minutes,"

Stefan then left, and Y/N eyed the que to the toilets with distaste. She didn't fancy waiting in the line just to get changed like many of the other girls were.

"Can we go back sooner?" Y/N asked, and Damon turned back to her with a raised eyebrow and a smirk.

"And why would you want that?" he asked and Y/N's cheeks burned.

"No - I didn't mean-" she stuttered slightly before gathering her thought's and frowning at him "I just want to get changed," she said defiantly.

Damon laughed "Relax I'm just messing with you, come on before Stefan think's I'm kidnapping you,"

Y/N rolled her eyes, put picked up her skirts so they wouldn't trail on the floor, before picking up her bags that she had left in the cloakroom. Or tried to, before Damon took them from her.

"And who would I be if I let a lady carry her own bags," he asked, raising his eyebrows.

She curtseyed playfully "Well thankyou Mr Salvatore," she said mockingly, a slight blush blossoming her cheeks.

She didn't understand why, but she felt more comfortable around Damon than anyone else she had met so far, except perhaps Elena, and she had been around him the least.

But there was something utterly familiar about him.

He gave her a cocky grin before opening the car door for her.

"How long are you going to keep up this gentleman act?" she asked as he got in the drivers seat. He put a hand on his chest in mock offense.

"What makes you think it's an act?" he asked, and Y/N laughed, which was quickly followed by a yawn. "You're sure you're up for a party?" he asked.

Y/N nodded, her head resting against the window watching the scenery drive by.

"Thank-you for being so kind to me," she said, glancing at him. His fingers tightened one the wheel slightly.

"You're welcome," was all he said. As she turned away, he tried desperately not to look at her, not to wear his heart on his sleeve like she wore hers.

"Welcome to the Salvatore party," he said when he arrived "Bathrooms down the hall, go right then wa-I'll show you," he said, realising that she would probably get lost.

He then noticed the slight frown on her face "What's wrong," he asked, concerned.

She shook her head "Nothing, It just looks really familiar,"

Damon shrugged "Looks like any old museum I guess,"

She smiled at him as he opened the door to the bathroom, shutting it behind her as she entered.

"Be quick, or I'll miss you too much," he called out and smiled to himself when he heard her laugh.

In the bathroom, Y/N was quick to get dressed, the only problem being she couldn't quite reach the laced up corset and she groaned.

Stepping timidly out of the bathroom she spotted Damon who was leaning against the wall, staring into space.

"Damon?" she asked, and he turned to her with raised eyebrows. "Ca you help untie me please?"

He froze for a second as she lifted her hair, turning her back to him.

His fingers danced carefully over her skin, the temptation to hold her almost overwhelming but he cleared his throat and pushed that thought out of his head.

He carefully undid all the silk ties, letting him fall beneath his fingers. Y/N clasped the front of the dress tightly, so not to let it fall down.

"There you go," Damon said quietly, almost whispering. Y/N turned to him, almost bumping noses with how close they were.

"Thankyou," she replied softly, glancing into his blue eyes as they studied her own, before clearing her throat and returning to the bathroom to get dressed once more.

Damon leant on the wall his hands rubbing his head.

He needed to get a grip he decided.

Y/N changed into the miniskirt that Elena had leant her, with an oversized jumper that barely brushed the bottom of the skirt.

"Okay I'm all ready," she announced and Damon smiled lazily at her.

"About time, the party is about to get started." he said, leading her away and to where numerous people were already standing and Y/N felt herself shrink behind him slightly.

"Y/N!" Elena announced, grabbing her friend by the arm and leading her away from Damon with a glare to the man. Damon watched, biting the urge to follow her down.

Y/N looked back to him, looking slightly regretful and giving him a soft smile, which he raised his glass too.

"So you and Damon?" Bonnie questioned, raising her eyebrows.

Y/N felt her skin burn slightly "He's really sweet," she said quietly

Caroline screwed her nose up "But-Damon seriously? He's such a dick,"

Elena rolled her eyes "Maybe he just really likes Y/N," she said pointedly to Caroline, who pursed her lips slightly.

For the rest of the night the girls kept a close eye on Y/N, not wanting her to see Damon but also not wanting her too suspect anything. However as the night drew on, the girls got more drunk, and Y/N remained sober allowing her to slip away.

It's not that she wanted away from them in particular, but the crowds were getting far too much for her.

So she found herself wandering the halls of the Salvatore building, the vague familiarity of it making her head spin a little. Her fingers ran down the walls as she walked, feeling the old wallpaper beneath her fingers.

She came to the double doors, and something in the back of her mind was begging her to open it, so she did and gasped.

A library.

It was beautiful, with even a seating area near an old fireplace and rows and rows of books.

She marvelled at the sheer amount, before picking a random one and collapsing on the sofa that was there. It didn't take her long to get comfy, curling up against the arm, the book on her lap.

Back at the party, Damon was looking for her, the slight worry settling in his heart.

He cornered Elena, frowning at her "Where's Y/N?" he demanded "I thought you wanted to keep her safe,"

Elena looked around "I thought she went to find you," she said, the worry edging into her voice, barely audible over the slurring of her words as she danced with an empty cup in her hands.

Damon glowered at her, if it was anybody else she would have had her throat ripped out, but he stopped himself.

"Guess I'll go find her," he said sharply.

It was then the thought occurred to him that Y/N said she found the place familiar, and he was sure that apart from in 1864, she had never stepped foot in the building.

And where did she go whenever there was a party?

The library.

He almost laughed when he saw her, curled up against the arm of the sofa, a book in her lap and utterly oblivious to the world around her.

"We were worried about you," he said smoothly, trying to mask the dying worry in his voice.

Y/N looked up with wide eyes, quickly shutting the book and scrambling to her feet. "Oh God I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to intrude. It's just...you have a library in your house," she said weakly, looking embarrassed.

Damon waved her off "You're welcome to use it any time you like, the door is always open,"

Y/N smiled gratefully at him, sitting back down in the seat.

Damon watched as she read, the uncanny similarity between now and when he first met her almost to real to bare. Yet she didn't know him now, just like she didn't know him then.

But maybe she didn't need to remember him, maybe he could get her to fall in love with him a second time.

Y/N shivered slightly, even her thin jumper not quite enough to protect her from the coldness of the large house, especially since the room itself was so big.

Damon eyed her "You look exhausted, want me to take you home?" he asked sincerely.

Y/N shook her head "I can't, Bonnie has the house keys and god knows where she is,"

"You're more than welcome to stay here," Damon said softly and Y/N looked up at him in surprise.

"I wouldn't want to intrude," she declined but Damon shook his head at her.

"It's a boarding house Y/N, we have tons of spare bedrooms for exactly that reason,"

Y/N bit her lip, her eyes downcast as she considered her options. "Only if you're sure," she said finally and Damon resisted the urge to celebrate.

"Come on then sleepy, up to bed," Damon said smirking slightly, helping out of her cozy position on the sofa. She groaned softly as she felt her joints click, but the warmth of Damon's hand in her own made it all worth it.

"Do we have to go through the party?" she whispered as she exited the library.

"God no, Elena would kill me," Damon said mindlessly.

"Why?" Y/N asked curiously and Damon froze, realising what he just said.

"I can be a dick," he responded after a beat. He didn't want to go any further, unsure on what she already knew, and the fear that she would then hate him was evident.

Y/N shrugged "Well, at least you admit it," she said a smile "First step to recovery I guess,"

Damon scoffed "I do not need to recover,"

Y/N bit her lip to stop herself from laughing, which Damon noticed with a slight smile. He opened one of the doors, allowing her to step inside.

"You should find everything you need in here, there's an en-suite so you won't get lost trying to find the bathroom, and there will be some clothes you can sleep in," he said in mischievous tone, a suggestive joke on the tip of his tongue but for some reason he stopped himself before he could say it.

"Thankyou Damon, really," Y/N said sincerely, after marvelling at the room.

Damon nodded at her with a smile, before going to close the door as he left.

"Damon?" Y/N asked, and he popped his head round the door lazily, his blue eyes never leaving hers. "For what it's worth, I like you,"

Damon felt his heart leap into his chest. It wasn't a love confession, he knew that, but she liked him. She wanted to be his friend, and that was a step in the right direction.

"I like you too sleepy, now get some sleep,"

Y/N nodded with a smile, staring at the door as he closed it behind him.

Part of her wanted him to stay, but the other part was content knowing she'd see him in the morning.

[louisupdates]

INTERVIEW: Lottie Tomlinson: we lost our mum and sister. Louis saved me

At the age of 20, the sister of One Direction singer Louis had already lost her mother, Johannah, and sister Félicité. Now 25, the social media star has written a book about how they coped

Alice Thomson | Tuesday July 23 2024, 5.00pm BST, The Times

Losing Mum was so hard. I was only a teenager but at least I knew that her death was a possibility, even though she didn’t accept it. She was 47 and had cancer. But when my sister died three years later, I was on this hotel balcony in Bali and I was screaming, ‘No, my baby sister, no.’ The pain was indescribable. I kept thinking, ‘Why me? This can’t be happening again. When is this going to end?’ ”

We are sitting on Lottie Tomlinson’s immaculate white sofa in her pristine white house in Chislehurst, southeast London, where she is curled up in tiny shorts with a perfect tan and impeccably applied make-up. But her French manicured nails are digging so hard into the sofa I think they might snap, the heart tattoo on her minuscule wrist is throbbing and her eyelashes are clogged with tears.

Her life sounds blessed. The influencer has 4.8 million Instagram followers waiting for her to dispense advice on how to apply mascara; the fake tan brand, Tanologist, that she launched at 19 has gone global; and she has a devoted fiancé, Lewis Burton, who runs a luxury concierge business and whose former girlfriend was the late Caroline Flack. They have an adorable son called Lucky, who is dripping ice cream on her marble counters. Her new book is also called Lucky Girl; her older brother is Louis Tomlinson of One Direction and she was touring the world with the band as a make-up artist at 16.

But after her mother died when she was 18, Tomlinson was left looking after her younger sister and two sets of twin siblings, aged eight and two, while creating her businesses, and trying to process her grief. Her father had left their home in Doncaster years before after a battle with alcohol. “Dad had a drinking problem. We’d see glimpses of his good side but he let us down,” she says. “I ended up trying to take care of him rather than the other way round.”

When her mother died, life felt bleak, “I lost the one person who loved me unconditionally, and then when my sister Fizz [Félicité] died of an accidental overdose, I thought I could never be happy again,” she says. “I found the lead-up to Mother’s Day devastating without my sister as well. It was a constant reminder that I was now different from my friends. In my dreams, my mum was still there; she was alive. I woke up feeling comforted, only to realise that she’d gone.”

Tomlinson, who is now 25 and a patron of the bereavement charity Sue Ryder, moves easily between telling you how to apply the best tan and how to talk about death. She cares passionately about both subjects and takes them equally seriously, worried that I’ve never tried a bronzer or used foundation before asking how I coped when my mother died during the pandemic. Her soft Yorkshire accent is both reassuring and no-nonsense.

Born near Doncaster, she was only two when Fizz was born and six when the first twins arrived. “I’ve always been the big sister — Fizz and I each got one and then more twins six years later.” While Louis had his own space, the girls all shared one room with bunk beds. “It was chaos, but my mum, Johannah, was a midwife and loved being pregnant and having so many babies,” she explains. “I used to be in awe of the way she could feed the twins at once, one on each hip. She would do the night shifts, while I held the fort at home.”

Within a few years, Tomlinson would be touring America, Asia and Europe, flying first class with Louis, part of the biggest boy band in the world, but until she was 15, the family had only ever gone to France once a year all packed into a seven-seater car, with her mother’s new partner, snacks laid out in the middle. They stayed in a caravan park. On a Sunday, a treat was to go to their mother’s hospital to see the babies.

While Louis just wanted to sing, play the guitar and listen to Oasis, the girls were obsessed with make-up. “From the age of 12, I struggled academically, but I loved cropped clothes and my mum’s highlighters and mascaras.” She learnt how to apply everything from YouTube tutorials, rather than doing algebra. “We didn’t have much money — we sometimes couldn’t afford to top up the electricity meter so used candles — but everything my mum earned she spent on us. We all looked immaculate — I remember her being horrified when I dyed my hair orange. So it was lovely later when we could treat her.”

Saturday nights were spent watching The X Factor. “My mother and brother kept applying; in 2010, he got in and the whole family went for the audition. We believed in him, but we never thought it would go that far.” One day the family were going to the live shows, the next the boy band was formed with Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Liam Payne. “He was 18. For my mum it was a big shock. It was all so sudden. The press and fans were in our front garden every day.”

The older twins had already made their first TV appearances — they sound like Doncaster’s Von Trapps. “My mother was gently pushy,” Tomlinson says, smiling at the thought. “When I didn’t get good enough GCSEs to stay at school, she sent me off to join Louis on tour as work experience. I was so scared. I remember her ringing up Lou [Teasdale], their hair and make-up artist, and saying, ‘Lottie has not got through to sixth form; she’s going to come and assist you.’ I was in the car going, ‘No, please don’t.’ But it ended up being the best thing that happened to me. I went for a week and stayed two years. Lou and I are still so close.”

Suddenly, the two eldest Tomlinson children were circling the world, eating room service and ducking the paparazzi hanging out of helicopters taking snaps. “At first Louis didn’t really want his little sister gate crashing his new rock-star life, but now it feels like the best time of our lives — we experienced that craziness together,” she says.

The teenage Tomlinson found it harder to cope with being photographed wherever she went. “I had some puppy fat which made me very self-aware, and the filler culture was coming in and I felt I had to look perfect.” She had her lips done first at 17. “Then I became addicted: cheek filler, jaw filler, more make-up, blonder hair, slimmer and more tanned. My mum thought I looked perfect, but I was always searching.”

Five years later, when she became pregnant with Lucky and her lips started to swell and crack, she realised she didn’t need the enhancements any more. “I had everything removed, the false eyelashes too. It was liberating.” She kept her boob job, however. “That was just enhancement,” she says laughing. “The rest radically changed the way I looked. My breasts also got huge when I was pregnant and it was a bit painful. But I still breastfed. I loved carrying my child. I felt fantastic even when I was sick and exhausted.”

She leans forward, wraps her bronzed arms around her stomach and whispers, “I am pregnant again. We don’t know yet if it’s a boy or girl. It’s only 13 weeks, so this is the first time I’ve said it publicly. I think I want a big family. I loved having Lucky but after a year I wanted to give him siblings.”

Tomlinson’s influencer career began once she established herself on tour. Soon everything she did, even dying her roots rainbow-coloured, went viral and fashion companies from Asos to Dior wanted in on it. “I was just going for it. I couldn’t believe the money I was making and spending — money I didn’t know existed as a child.”

Then suddenly her mum came home from holiday with flu. “She didn’t want to get out of bed. The doctors quite quickly told her she had leukaemia and she went straight to London for treatment. It all happened so fast. I remember being in London at work and getting a call from her partner — she couldn’t say the words herself, it was too hard for her.” The family were told it was treatable. “We kept so much hope.”

Her mother asked the family to keep her illness secret. “It was hard because you feel so isolated, but I understood. Louis was in the public eye and she didn’t want him questioned. She was determined to fight it and didn’t want everyone pitying her. My friends noticed I was acting differently for a few months. But I wanted to respect her wishes. It was her one request.”

She also dropped everything to go back to Doncaster to help her grandparents with the twins. “The younger ones were two and I wanted to keep everything as normal as possible. I can’t imagine what my mum was feeling leaving her kids to go to hospital.

“I would take them down and treasure seeing her — we tried to keep it light, no serious conversation. The only way Mum could cope was to keep it normal. Then, when the doctors said the transfusions hadn’t worked, she came home to die.”

Tomlinson tries to sound matter-of-fact. “We went to see her in hospital in Sheffield and the next morning we woke up and were told she had died. We felt numb. We didn’t know what to do with ourselves. Now I am involved with the Sue Ryder charity, I am surprised we were offered no support or counselling at all, from the GP, the teachers, the professionals. They all kept away.” Her nan and grandad picked up the pieces.

It’s not surprising she can’t remember the funeral. “I just remember getting really drunk to numb the pain. I couldn’t come to terms with it. I can’t even remember how we organised it. My instinct was to take over as the eldest girl and step into my mum’s shoes so that is what I did.” Meanwhile, her older brother, who was launching his solo career, ensured there was enough money. “He’s incredibly generous. We looked after each other.”

Tomlinson returned to London months later, after her grandmother said she needed to become a role model for her siblings. Her younger sister Fizz worried her most. “She was very academic — she got straight A’s without trying — but she always said she felt different. She was bottling her grief for so long; it was too much and made her turn to other things. I think Mum’s death destroyed her. Only my mum seemed to understand her. If she had been offered some help at the start, things might have been different.”

Meanwhile, Tomlinson’s self-tanning brand was soon being sold in Los Angeles, New York and Australia, while her own fanbase grew; she hardly ever needed to pay for drinks, meals or holidays. However, she finds the term influencer obnoxious. “I don’t want to act like I tell people what to do. I am more of a content creator,” she explains. “I get paid by brands to create content for their clothes or beauty products and promote that to my followers. I also wanted my own business. I was quite aware that, at the end of the day, I was just working with an app. That’s why I started Tanologist with my business partner. I was always using tanning treatments that would end up turning my sheets orange and my face would break out in spots — this is more natural.”

Louis was also forging his career as a solo artist, eventually creating the song Two of Us about his mother’s death. “We were always so proud of Louis and what he was doing. We were not going to match up to being a global superstar, but we didn’t want to — ‘successful’ looks different for everyone,” she says.

But her sister Fizz was slipping and struggling. “She was old enough to do what she wanted at 19; she was partying and taking stuff to numb everything. She did go into rehab but to me it didn’t feel like an addiction problem, but a way to blank out her grief.” When Tomlinson was invited to Bali, she asked Fizz whether she wanted her to stay behind. “She said she was OK, and then it happened while I was away,” she says. (Fizz accidentally overdosed on cocaine, an anxiety drug and painkillers, her inquest found.) “Louis called me…” She stops talking.

The shock of a second death must have been devastating. She doesn’t speak for a minute while she twists her huge diamond engagement ring. “We weren’t mentally prepared,” she eventually says. “I can’t even remember if the two funerals were in the same church. I think grief has affected my memory a lot and that’s quite common. Grief is such a powerful emotion; it takes up a lot of your brain.”

Five years later, she now knows how to remain positive. “I had an amazing mum for 18 years. I have the most amazing family, my little boy and my career, and that is because of her. The same with Fizz — I had an amazing sister. It’s heartbreaking they aren’t with us any more, but they are together and they are looking out for me,” she says, sounding as though she is repeating a mantra.

Having a baby made her feel closer to them both. “He was a boy — it’s funny, he actually looks a lot like Louis did — and I thought, this is what my mother must have felt. But then I had so many questions I couldn’t ask, even more because she was a midwife.”

Her biggest problem was her terror that something terrible would happen to her son. “I became fixated [on the idea that] something bad would happen to him, so I couldn’t sleep. You go to the worst-case scenario, because that’s happened to you twice, to two of the closest people in your life. I couldn’t turn the lights off at night; I needed to see him all the time. Luckily, it calmed down quite quickly.”

We are still flitting between her story and advice on make-up, exercise and clothes.

“I like sharing advice. If a child lost their mother, I would say there is no magic answer. But the point of this book is to show that you can have tragic things happen and still keep going.”

What would the 25-year-old now say to her younger self, struggling at her second funeral at the age of 20? “I would say, ‘You are going to be OK; you will live a nice life.’ I didn’t think I could. I thought this will be a really sad, lonely life without my mum and sister. I wouldn’t have believed then that I could be happy again. But it would have been nice to hear.”

Lucky Girl by Lottie Tomlinson (Bonnier, £22). To order a copy go to timesbookshop.co.uk. Free UK standard P&P on orders over £25. Special discount available for Times+ members

[mj0702]

The other Bronze – Pt. 3

For all the patient waiting people (like @valewosomtb) and my Bubs (I'm proud of you and always will be ❤️)

And please remember - this is pure fiction... so it doesn't need to make sense 🤣

You wandered the streets of Barcelona gotten lost a long time ago but not caring to open google maps.

“Seriously Luce.... kicking me out so you can... probably get some” you mumble to yourself rounding the next corner.

The next thing you knew was that you were sitting on your Ass with a beautiful girl across from you, looking just as baffled before starting to talk to you in spanish. You made the international known sign for “I don't understand” by shrugging your shoulders as you try to push yourself up again.

“Ehrm... damn... what was the spanish Word for English...” you mumbled to yourself before looking at the woman “Inglés?” you ask embarrassed

“Of course” the woman said laughing as she stood up herself offering you a hand “I said I'm so sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going”

“Oh god no, I wasn't looking... I... kinda got lost and am too lazy to open maps” you say before you wince as you push yourself up from the pavement

“Are you okay? You look like you hurt something” the woman asked concerned

“Yeah I'm good” you wave off, knowing fully well you weren't good. You definitely sprained your wrist – if not worse. Ugh – your sister will kill you. Such an inconvenience.

“Are you sure?” the woman asked you again this time with a little insistence

“Yeah, I'm sure – you speak very clear english for a spanish person” you said and tried to change the topic

“Oh I'm not Spanish – I'm in fact German... we learn english in school” she winked

“Oh German... now that's interesting” you muse, a smile tugging on your lips

“And why's that?” the woman asked

“I... don't know... I thought it would be nice to say that” you rubbed the back of your neck smiling embarrassed.

The woman laughed loudly “At least you didn't make any bad jokes about us not being funny... that's a plus” she winked before looking at you “Where are you from?”

“Born in Aberdeen, raised in Berwick-upon-Tweed... generally speaking – I'm from England” you grin

“What brought you to the most beautiful city in Europe then?” the Woman asked smiling softly

“Visiting family... Y/N by the way... I thought I should introduce myself before you declare me as unpolite” you continue to grin as you offer your left hand for her to shake

“Left Hand? You english People really are something else” she smiled before taking you're offered Hand “Caroline... friends call me Caro”

“I may or may not have sprained my wrist – that's the reason for the left hand... but yes, we're also something else... so tell me... Caro... what brought you to Barcelona” you tested the waters by using the Womans short name

She smiled “Feeling bold, are you? Assuming we're friends and using my Nickname without even asking”

Again you were thrown off guard by her forwardness “Ehrm... I thought if you tell me something like this, I... could just... you know – use the information”

This time the Blonde laughed freely “Don't sweat it... it's okay... Can I... maybe interest you in drinking a coffee with me?”

“Like a date?” you said confused

“More like a “I'm sorry I ran into you and put you on your ass” coffee” the blonde smirked

“In that case... I'll pay for yours, you pay for mine... I also put you on your ass” this time you smirked

“Deal” the blue eyed girl said smiling “I know a small coffee place not far from here if you're interested”

“Sure... lead the way” you said, your sprained wrist momentarily forgotten. That's until you wanted to put your hand into your pocket. Suddenly you got painfully reminded of your small incidence as you winced for a second.

“You are very gullible, you know... I could be a serial killer” the blonde said smirking

“It's statistically highly unlikely that two serial killer run into each other and then go out for a coffee” you shrug nonchalantly while the blonde laughed out loudly.

You arrived at the small coffee shop, which was a cute one. A little hidden away from the bigger streets, it immediately got calmer and quieter – for the first time since you touched spanish ground, you allowed yourself to breath. Caro took you through an Archway into a beautiful courtyard where she pointed to a little – tiny even – shop with three or four tables. You stopped in the middle of the courtyard and slowly spun around taking in the beauty of this place. The sandstone Walls looked like they could tell endless stories about colourful festive evenings, calm mornings and lovers.

“It's beautiful, isn't it?” the blonde German asked quietly

“I couldn't find the right words to describe this beauty even if I tried” you whispered back still looking around in awe.

“Let's get this coffee and you can stare some more” Caro teased but her voice still soft before she walked towards the little shop, greeting the Owners like they were family.

You sat down at one of the tables while still staring around, waiting for your new found friend to return. There was wild Ivy growing up the walls at some places making it even more mysterious and beautiful. Your companion joined you at your table smiling brightly.

“I gather you're a regular?” you grinned at her nodding towards the Shop

“What gave it away?” Caro laughed “The greeting or that I know there's a Coffee Shop so well hidden that not even many Barcaloneans know of its existences?”

“The Greeting and the fact that I didn't order anything...” you mused smiling “... and yet there are two cups of coffee being prepared”

“Good observation skills, I'm impressed” the German smiled “The owners are former Neighbours of mine... they helped me a great deal when I first came to Barca a few years ago and I still come around every time I'm in the area to say hi”

“That's nice... that you still come here to say hi” you say softly “... friendships like this are important... now... what am I getting?”

“I assumed you're a “Cortado” girl...” the blonde winked

“Huh... come again?” you asked confused

“Cortado... the best you could compare it to is a Latte Macchiato... It's an Espresso with milk... “ the German explained “Just... never call it Latte Macchiato... it's a Cortado”

“Got it... Cortado” you say serious, trying to pronunciation right as you repeat the spanish word

“Sounds good” Caro grinned as your coffee gets served by an elderly Woman “Gracias Nana” the blonde grinned graciously

The two of you drank your coffee in silence before starting to talk about nothing and everything at the same time. You really enjoyed the time with the blonde, who was very easy to get along with. She was funny, witty and light-hearted. You shared a few good laughs while she also taught you some real spanish (unlike Mapí did) so you would at least be able to order your coffee the next time on your own. In her company you absolutely forgot the time – which resulted in also forgetting your “engagement” with Keira.. and Alexia... and Lucy... and Mapí. As the sun started to set you realised that you might talked longer with the German as you planned – and that your Phone was dead.

“”Ehrm... I really have a good time... I REALLY do... but... what time is it?” you asked embarrassed after you checked your – very VERY – dead phone.

“Just before 6pm” your new friend answered with a glance at her watch

“Uh oh” was the only thought on your mind which also made it out of you verbally “How far is that football place from here?”

“Camp Nou? About 30 Minutes, why?” Caro looked at you confused as you try frantically to restart your Phone.

“I'm dead... I'm so SO dead.. my Sister is going to kill me” you said panicking “I was meant to meet her at Camp... Nope at 3”

“Yeah.. you might be a little late for that” the blonde said awkward “Come on... I can either get you an Uber or I deliver you – and take the blame... or should you rather go home?”

“Ehrm... I don't really remember where “home” is” you confessed embarrassed, rubbing the back of your neck.

“Camp Nuo it is then... come on” your new found friend said smiling already standing up.

You follow suite standing up rummaging in your pocket pulling out the 20 Euros that Lucy gave you putting it down on the table

“Leave it... it's covered already” Caro said grinning pushing the 20 back into your hands.

“But..” you said dumbfolded looking at the bill in your hand

“Mauro and Valeria are family... it's on the house” the blonde winked and started to walking away after yelling a goodbye towards the elderly couple.

You stumbled after her trying to keep up “But we had a deal”

“Next time” the german waved off already a few steps in front of you her mobile in her hand ordering an Uber.

You just needed to wait around five minutes for a car to pull up and Caro opened the back door

“Your chariot awaits, my lady” the german grinned waiting for you to climb into the backseat

She gave the driver the destination and you were on the way towards Camp Nuo. As the Uber pulled up you immediately spotted a small group of people.

“I'm so dead” you mumbled as you saw one of them roaming in front of the group a mobile phone in her hand before it makes the way to her ear to just be brought back down seconds later

“Let me guess.. the one trying to call you is your sister?” the blonde german smirked at your frozen like state pushing you out off the car following closely behind

“Can we just drive off a...” you started but got interrupted by loud angry yelling

“Y/N BRONZE!!!! ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS???!!!”

“Bronze??” Caro asked confused “As in Lucy Bronze?”

“My sister” you mumbled quietly as you took cover behind the blonde

“Oh my god” the blonde whispered shocked

“Is she coming over??” you asked from behind her not daring to look

“She tries... other people holding her back... is that Alexia Putellas?” your new friend mumbles back standing frozen in place

“Probably” you whispered “You seem to know players... is Keira Walsh in that huddle somewhere?”

“I think so... I mean I'm not sure” the german answered lowly

“I call out for her and you have to tell me if someone reacts, okay?? KEIRA????” you yelled from behind Caro hoping that Keira was still around

“Yep... someone just looked over” your german friend said as Keira looked over

“Good.... can you bring me over to her without Lucy noticing?” you questioned

“Ehrm... this is Lucy Bronze we're talking about.... I don't think there's anything that goes unnoticed by her” Caro mumbled back

“You give her too much credit” you rolled your eyes behind the taller woman “Okay... maybe you could distract her and I run over to saftey – namely Keira”

“How should I distract a world class defender? Have you seen the stuff she pulled off at the Worldcup??”

“Ask her for a Autograph or something... go fangirling” you said pushing your friend forward.

“Absolutely not” Caro said shaking her head “Ooooooh... they're coming over”

“Okay...” you said panicking “You go left, I go right”

“You do realize that they have zero intrest in me, right?” she asked you raising an eyebrow

“Damnit” you swore quietly

“Cariño” you suddenly hear behind your human shield “would you mind stepping around this nice woman”

“No” you mumbled now grabbing Caros shirt

“Cariño” Alexia said but you heard her warning tone “I promise Lucia won't hurt you”

You peeked around your human shield to see Lucy a few feet away flanked by Ingrid and Ona and her face showed pure fury. Alexia stood right in front of Caro and you acting like a mediator.

“It wasn't my fault, I swear” you rushed out but stayed behind the german

“I didn't say it was but we were very worried” the spaniard said calm “now please step around that poor woman who you roped into this”

“Her name is Caro and she's german” you said still not moving from behind her

“Hola” Alexia said to your friend not sparing her a second glance “Do not make me get you out from behind her”

You reluctantly step around Caro standing now next to her your head hung low

“Thank you” the blonde spaniard said before she grabbed your wrist pulling you away a bit

“Alexia please” you digged your feet into the ground trying to stop the unievitable “She'll kill me and it was really an accident”

“She won't kill you stop being so.. dramático” Alexia said calmly as she pulled you over to where the others were standing.

You looked back over your shoulder towards your new friend who had a sorrowful look on her face waving slightly before turning around ready to leave

“Wait” you called out to her “I still owe you this coffee... Alexia please... One minute, okay”

Alexia stopped and let go of your wrist turning around to you

“You can't out run me... even if you try...” she warned you

“I just want to make sure there's a chance I can pay back my depth” you rolled your eyes

You quickly walked back to the german pulling out that 20 Euro bill scribbling your number down pushing it into Caros hand

“Call me... when I charged my phone again” you smiled then turning around walking back to the waiting Barcelona captain

“Wise choice not trying to run” Alexia said smiling slightly

“It's not like I would come very far” you shrugged nodding towards the bunch of football players standing a few feet behind Alexia

“True... now come one – you have to explain quite a bit” the blonde smiled encouraging at you pulling you along towards the small crowd

“Do you actually know what I just went through???” Lucy yelled the second you were close enough “I thought you.... I don't know... got killed or laying dead in a ditch or something!!”

You stepped behind Alexia hiding behind her. You knew your sister loved you to death so her yelling at you was bad

“Lucia” Alexia warned noticing how it effected you “We said no yelling... explain what happened Cariño”

You shook your head taking a step back just to feel someone cutting off your escape route. When you looked around it was Keira who had a blank look on her face

“It was really an accident Kei... I swear... Lucy gave me money and said I should go to the next Starbucks... I didn't want google the route, so I got lost and just wandered around... I met Caro because I ran into her and put her to her ass so I wanted to apologise by buying her a coffee and she said she knew a nice place and so I went with her... it was a really cute place and I forgot about time and when the sun set I checked my phone to see it died” you said talking one mile an hour trying to convince her that you didn't want to cause trouble on purpose.

Keira took a deep breath listening closely to your rant before holding up a hand

“Bitsy do you realize how much you had us worried... I mean I'm used to you wandering off but you don't know this city – as beautiful as Barcelona is, it can be dangerous... you don't know where to go and where to stay away from... hell Bitsy you don't even speak the language” she said and you saw that Keira held herself back

“I really didn't mean too” you answered sadly looking down

“I know... but that doesn't make it any less scary for us” the englishwoman said quietly before engulfing you in a bear hug.

“Will she kill me?” you mumbled into Keiras shoulder as you hugged her back

“No” the englishwoman chuckled “she probably handcuff you to herself... or bring back the dino-harness”

“Ugh... please don't let her” you groaned being remembered of one of the most embarrassing things Lucy ever done to you

You were about 10 when Keira took you to Lucy who was playing in Lyon at the time. They decided it would be a good idea to go with you to the park so you can power yourself out. Needless to say that you indeed used the whole park – much to the dismay of Lucy who had her first ever panic attack because she lost you. After that incident she immediately bought one of these kiddi-leashes to keep you in check. And not only did she make you wear it when you three were out in privat – oh no... she'd made you wear it when she went to training. So the first time you met worldclass players like Wendie Renard, Amandine Henry or Dzsenifer Marozsán you were strapped in a kids harness which had a dinosaur design – to be exact a dino whose biting his own tail - with a leash attached to its back. Looking back now it was probably the saftest – but also the most embarressing - option for you since you would have definitely wandered off exploring Stade Gérard Houllier and probably have gotten into trouble somehow. So you spent a whole training being tied to post next to the pitch solmley to the fact that Keira had something else to do and couldn't take you with her.

Now as Keira hugged you tightly and brought back those memories which resulted in you pressing your face into her shoulder. Just as you got comfortable against Keira you got ripped away from her embrance and found yourself at the receiving end of another tight hug.

“Never EVER do that again, Bubs” your sister mumbled into your hair “You can't just disappear like that... I was so SO scared”

“I'm sorry, Luce” you mumbled back thankful that she got over her initial angryness

“Are you okay? Nobody hurt you, right? Who was that woman?” Lucy fired question after question as she pushed you backwards to take a look at you

“I'm good Luce... really” you said hiding your slightly swollen wrist “That woman was Caro... I ran into her and she helped me getting here”

“You can't just go with strangers, Bubs... I thought I drilled that into your head back in Lyon” your sister said and looked at you somehow helplessly

“It wasn't like I knew where I was or something” you rolled your eyes “She seemed nice and she really helped me”

“Cariño” you suddenly heared behind you again and it made you jump a little

“Hm?” you hummed carefully turning around facing Alexia

“Are you really okay?” she stared down at you and you knew that she knew.

“Yes... yes I am” you tried to sound convincing but your voice betrayed you at the end

“Oh my god, you aren't” your sister exclaimed “Tell me.. you did get hurt, didn't you?! Is it bad? Do you need an ambulance? No wait... I drive you... Ona... get the car – we need to go to the hospital and you need to translate”

“Lucy!” you yelled “I'm fine... no ambulance, no hospital... calm your tits”

“You know you were never good at lying, Bitsy” Keira grinned “And if even Lucy picks up on it, then it's a really bad attempt”

“I'm not lying” you pressed still hiding your injured wrist

“Are we stretching the truth again then?” Keira asked knowingly

“Maybe” you said, looking down starting to kick the pavement embarrassed

“Show me immediately” Lucy demanded and already started to inspect your face moving her hands down to check your shoulders

“Keira” you whined trying to get away from your sisters prying hands

“Lucy stop it... it's her left wrist” the englishwoman rolled her eyes

“How did you... outch Luce” you started as your sister grabbed your wrist making you hiss out in pain

“You're not as sneaky as you think Bitsy” Keira grinned

“But I... Ow Lucy... that hurts man” you said bewildered before your sister put a little pressure on your wrist which hurts a LOT

“You tried to hide it very well – yes you did” Keira chooed and pinched your cheek “But not well enough for me or Alexia”

“Why would you hide something like this, Cariño?” the barca captain wanted to know

“You saw how she reacted and she didn't even know I was injured... OW!” you said nodding towards your sister while Lucy was prodding your wrist

Alexia delicatly took your hand out of Lucys hands and inspected it closely turned and stretched it carefully. You hissed at some of the movements even trying to pull away at one turn but one stern look from the blonde spainard made clear that you wouldn't get away

“It hurts” you mumbled as you tried to pull away again

“I bet” Alexia said quietly still inspecting your wrist “Looks like a sprain but to be sure you need some... radiografía”

“I need WHAT?” you squeaked shocked and scared at the same time

“Ona... what is radiografá” the spainard asked her teammate

“X-Ray.. you need some x-rays” the young catalonian said

“HA” Lucy exclaimed in a “I told you so”-tone

“Nooooo” you whined and JUST stopped yourself from stomping your foot

“Come on Bubs...” your sister said lovingly as she laid her arm around your shoulder and pulled you towards her Cupra “... I heard the spanish hospitals are quite an experience”

“Keira” you whined begging looking at her with big puppy eyes

“I'll meet you there okay?” the englishwoman said reassuring

“Excuse me... I'm there with you, you don't need to whine for Kei” Lucy said accusing

“But Keira knows everything about me... you're like a piece of swiss cheese sometimes” you said embarrassed

“I know EVERYTHING about you” your sister exclaimed outraged

“What's my blood type?” you raised an eyebrow

“Red” your sister shrugged as she opened the back door of her car for you

“Nope... uh-hu... I won't let you take any responsebility or make any medical decision when your answer is “Red” as a blood type” you shook your head fast

“Bet Keira doesn't know either” Lucy rolled her eyes looking over towards her fellow england teammate

“AB positive” the blonde said before entering her own car

“Seriously??” Lucy exclaimed throwing her arms up in annoyance

“I'm driving with Keira” you said quickly trying to get into her car

“You're not” your sister grabbed your shirt pulling you back “Stop being a child and get in the car”

“Then I want to ride shotgun” you said stubborn

“Ona is riding shotgun” Lucy said calm

“Ona is what?” the short woman asked confused pointing at herself

“You front” Lucy pointed at her girlfriend “You back” she pointed at you

“Why?” you whined again

“My Cupra has a lot of buttons – you will push all of them and probably break it” your sister explained

You huffed offended but climbed into the back of the sleek black car.

“Fucking finally” Lucy sighed and rolled her eyes after she closed the car door

“Be nice... she's upset” Ona said over the roof opening the passenger side door climbing in

“I'm upset too” your sister mumbled getting into the driver seat and started the car to drive you to the hospital.

The drive only took 15 minutes but for you it became nearly unbearable. You hated hospitals – with a passion. You had to spend some time in hospital when you were about six years old due to a burst appendix and since that time it was a mission to get you to put a foot in said buildings. It took Keira a lot of bribing to get you to visit Lucy when she had her knee surgery. That's how bad it was – you wouldn't even enter a hospital for visiting others.

“Come on, Bubs... let's get this wrist checked out” Lucy said softly as she leaned in the open car door. You didn't even noticed the car came to a halt before being deep in thoughts what could go wrong with a simple check-up. They could discover something worse and will keep you in there and probably maybe surgery and something goes wrong and you're going to die on that table. You decided right there and then you won't enter the hospital – there was a high risk of dying and your life just begun.

“Bubs?” your sister tried again seeing you spiraling, your forehead showing wrinkles you keep biting your lip your eyes staring into nothing

“Let me... you know how she gets about hospitals” Keira said softly arriving just in time to see you in distress “Get her checked in, I'll get her in there okay?”

“Kay... thanks Kei...” Lucy sighed then looking at Ona sheepishly “you need to help me... these forms are probably in spanish”

The short catalonian grinned “Aren't you around long enough to know basic spanish by now?”

“Speaking it... not reading it” Lucy mocked her girlfriend

As the two Barca players entered the hospital to get you checked in for your wrist Keira slipped into the backseat of Lucys car right next to you.

“Hey Bitsy” she said quietly trying to get your attention laying her hand carefully on your knee

“I don't want to go in there, Kei... I'm going to die” you said in a monotone but slightly panicked voice

“You're not going to die” the blonde chuckled “They'll do the same as Alexia did, test your ability to move in different directions then decide to take some.... how did you always refer to x-rays when you were younger?”

“Bone pictures” you mumbled

“They will take some bone pictures see that nothing is broken, then either put a simple bandage or a splint on it and we're out again – if you're good, I tell Ona to tell them to give you the good painkillers” Keira tried to walk you through whats most likely to happen.

“But if they discover something wrong with my wrist and they want to do surgery and something goes horribly wrong and I die on the table?” you looked at your comfort person horrified

“Not going to happen, Bitsy... It's just a simple check... and you have too much movability for it to be broken... it's just a sprain, okay?” the blonde englishwoman smiled reassuring

“You promise?” you mumble leaning into Keira

“I promise... now come on... your sister already came out the entrance looking for us three times now” Keira smiled at you

“She should calm her tits...” you rolled your eyes annoyed

“She was so worried, Bitsy... her session today was shit because she felt one guilty for kicking you out and two she was scared that something happened to you... I know you're a big girl now and you definitely can look after yourself but this is still a unknown city to you and honestly Bitsy – if you take a wrong turn you could end up in a very bad area and get killed”

“I really didn't mean to worry you...” you mumbled ashamed

“I know... but cut her some slack... she loves you to bits... she would do everything for you – always have and always will do” the englishwoman smiled while opening her side of the car taking your right hand into hers pulling slightly for you to follow her

“Took you long enough” Lucy whispered so only Keira could hear her

“We're here, aren't we?” the fellow english fired back a little annoyed

“Ona is talking to the nurses if there's anything they could do to get us through faster... I know every minute spend in here she's more likely to bolt” Lucy talked quietly always having an eye on you as you clutched Keiras hand hard.

“She's scared... she's convinced they'll take her in for surgery and she's going to die” the blonde explained as she let you squeeze her hand to the point where it became numb.

“Is there anything I can do?” your sister asks her ex-girlfriend getting a little concerned herself

“Hold her? Tell her you won't leave” Keira said simply and the second she finished Lucy was out of her seat, crouching in front of you

“Come here Bubs... just like old times” she smiled at you before prying your hand off Keiras and pulled you forward so you had to stand up. She then sat down in your place and now pulled you down into her lap holding you tightly

“I've got you Bubs... you know I won't leave and everything will be over quickly” your sister mumbled into your hairline as you laid your head on her shoulder getting tired after your long, eventful day. You were just about to close your eye for a long needed nap as a nice looking young woman with light blue scrubs and a white lab coat called out your name

“y/n?” the doctor called out and Lucy nudged you slightly as Ona made the doctor aware that you were infact there

You slipped of Lucys lap but didn't move until your sister pushed you forward always having her hand on your back.

“I think Ona should come too... I don't speak spanish and yours is probably shit...” you mumble tiredly

“I'll let you know that I speak excellent spanish, devils spawn” your sister growled back but you heared that it held no bite

“You're probably not even able to order a coffee” you spoke quietly as you followed the doctor

“I can even order an apple pie on the side” Lucy smirked at you – knowing it would ease your nerves a bit since this is the only thing you always find the most important to learn first.. how to order food - as she pushed you through the door of the trauma room closing the door behind you so your exit was blocked and you couldn't run off.

It went just as Keira promised you and nothing bad happened. The woman palpated your wrist in several different places moved it around a bit and decided to take some x-rays to be sure. After three failed attempts to take some pictures of your wrist without Lucy in the room the nurses begrudgingly allowed your sister back in the room. The moment Lucy stepped in your line of sight you relaxed and held still for the few minutes it took the nurses to take the x-rays. It wasn't really your fault that you panicked when they told you – in spanish of course – what they wanted you to do and you got “slightly” irretated when they just grabbed your arm. At least you didn't bite anyone this time. Now you were seated in the trauma room again waiting for the doctor to come back to review your pictures and tell Lucy what her treatment plan was who then would tell you. The woman looked at the pictures closely before speaking to your sister.

“You have a really bad strain.. nothing broken, just really really badly sprained wrist... you'll get a splint for now and as soon as we're home we'll ice it” your sister told you softly holding your good hand.

“Okay” you said carefully not trusting the process

“You're going to be okay Bubs” Lucy soothed you “just a splint and we're on our way home, okay”

“Do they have cool colors?” you asked quietly

Lucy turned towards the doctor repeating in spanish what you just asked

“Which color do you want?” your sister asked you

“What are the colors of Real Madrid? White and Gold if I'm right, right?” you grinned wide at Lucy who looked betrayed

“Hell to the no” Lucy exclaimed outraged “In no way you enter my home in these colors... what a disgrace”

“White and gold?” you asked the doctor directly but she just looked at you bluntly so you decided to take a different approach

You stood up – slowly so your sister wouldn't think you're trying to bolt – going to the door, opening it and yell from the top of the lungs for Ona. The small Player came sprinting down the hallway coming to a skittering halt in front of you

“Yes?” she said a little panicked

“What's white in spanish?”

“Blanco, why?” the blonde spainard looked at you confused

“And gold?” you smiled at her

“Oro” she looked even more confused than before and it didn't help that Lucy groaned behind you

“Blanco and Oro, sí?” you turned around looking at the doctor grinning from ear to ear

“Sí” the doctor grinned leaving the room

“I can't believe you” Lucy exclaimed throwing her arms up in defeat “using my girlfriend for your pettiness”

“What just happened?” Ona asked getting more confused by the second

“She wants a splint in the colors white and gold...” Lucy groaned

“That are Reals colors” Ona exclaimed shocked

You just sat on the bed grinning widely as the two women in front of you started a discussion in spanish. Soon the doctor came back with a white splint with gold around the edges showing it to you

“Tanto?” she looked at you

“Ehrm... sí?” you answered unsure looking at Ona for help

“Sí muchas gracias” the spainard smiled politely

You got your split fitted to your wrist and with a description for some – apparently very good pain meds courtesy of Ona – you leave the hospital with your entourage of three world class football players.

“See Bitsy... nothing bad happened... I’m proud of you for not bolting” Keira smiled warmly as you crossed the car park.

“Yeah Bubs... I’m actually REALLY proud of you... I know it’s somehow a big deal for you but you took it like a champ” Lucy also smiled widely as she kept her arms around your shoulders keeping you close to her side

“Real colors, I can’t believe it” Ona mumbled next to Lucy “and I helped... what’s next? Sitting in the Real section at the El classíco?”

You laughed at Onas antics “Get used to it, Batlle... you’ll get used and abused from me until there’s nothing left to squeeze out of you” you laugh

“Welcome to the Family”

Now it was Lucy who burst out laughing with Keira following suite also laughing heartwarming. Onas face showed pure horror as you four reached the cars.

[sweetluna20]

love of my life

paige x reader

angst

(pls be nice, this is my first fic)

(not proof read)

you couldn’t believe it 

you tried not to care that they’re everywhere. you tried not to care how she paraded her proudly.

but what broke you is when you saw it.

she posted her.

paige bueckers… posted… her…  girlfriend. 

you throw your phone across the room, hoping you stop looking at the constant posts and photos.  

laying down you wondered, why didn’t she ever do this for. why was she so ashamed of you. 

you remember how you hoped. you dreamed of one day she would tell you how she wanted to make your relationship public, or at least to her team. you remember how the only reason azzi and caroline knew was because they walked in on you guys cuddling. 

you guys had been friends for awhile, so paige tried to play it off that you and her were cuddling as friends. but when azzi and caroline saw your face fall as she said that, well… they knew.

it had almost been a year of dating in secret. your friends wanted to know the special girl but you kept on saying it’s a secret. 

one day you had enough.

y/n

hey, can i come over?

paige

sure

you were confused, she usually wasn’t this dry.

(turns out you guys were going to talk about very different topics) 

when you arrived she greeted you coldly.

“paige we need to talk”

“i agree” she stated it so coldly, it honestly shocked you.

“why are you ashamed of me?” at that moment you saw her process how you sounded, you sounded cold but hurt, you sounded broken like you’ve been crying for days. (in actuality, you had been crying daily) 

“w-what?” her tone sounded monotone but you could hear the confusion in her voice.

“ I know you said you wanted to keep it private but come on Paige it’s been a year.” you had a whine in your voice, one of complete desperation. 

“y/n you know i can’t make it public, it’ll ruin my whole career.”

“what about us!” you yelled back

“y/n that not fair” she started to raise her voice, 

“no paige what isn’t fair is hiding you’re supposed of love of your life” you yelled getting even more frustrated then before.

“well maybe you’re not the love of my life.” paige yelled back.

you couldn’t believe it. you didn’t want to believe it. 

before anyone could say a word you left.

a year of dating over

years of friendship over

you stopped talking to the basketball girls even azzi and caroline, they were some of your closest friends, but you even ignored them. you got messages from everyone 

paige, azzi, caroline, aubrey, kk, ice, nika, ines and aaliyah

but you ignored all of them.

you would later update azzi and caroline on everything.

you thought back on when you first heard about paige and her new girlfriend… it had only been around 2 months since you guys “broke up.” upon hearing this you lost it, you had a mental breakdown just feeling your heart break over and over again. 

once azzi and caroline came over to comfort you and you sobbed harder than ever before. of course they reminded you of her, they reminded you of your paige. 

but they was a year ago

but now it’s a new year, your single and she’s with…

paigebueckers 1 year with the love of my life 💜

you wished, you hoped, you could go back in time and that could be you. 

but you know that would’ve never happened. all you could do is lay in bed wishing for a different outcome.

taglist

idk who to put :(

[theprenderelliepalace]

Damon Salvatore x fem!reader

Perception

Summary: Y/N drops some books off at the Salvatore residence, she expects to find trouble, being the odd one out and everything, she doesn't expect his name to be Damon Salvatore.

Warnings: For mature Audiences, themes of assault, drunk Damon (well isn't that new? Said no one ever.), uh, does a 'takes no shit' !reader count as a trigger?, Elena being a mysterious plot point

Words: 1.7k

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I watched Elena Gilbert make this weird expression at me... Caroline was saying something stupid, Bonnie was arguing with that judgemental gleam in her hazel eyes, but what caught my attention, was that foreboding purse of Elena's lips. The furrow of her flawless brow, the way her eyes sparked with something that scared me. It was almost hidden, she smiled wryly in my direction. Her eyes like daggers that penetrated my skull, it made me shiver; as I felt like I had been stripped bare of anything that belonged to me in that moment. Any ground or loyalty I had in our friend-group, I knew was gone, with the flick of Elena's hair behind her shoulder- my other friends hadn't even realised yet, but they would. Come morning I would be a stranger, even to my closest friends since kindergarten. I would be on the fringe of everything I used to know.

I was 12 when I stopped hanging out with the most popular girls in Mystic Falls. Strangley, I never regretted that day. What I had seen in my closest friend, that unexplainable glint about her that still gave me nightmares, had opened my eyes to something dark in the shitty little town I'd spent my entire life in. I said I'd never regretted that day, that was until the vampires came...

~~~~~

"Yes Care, i will be there before dark." I pinched the bridge of my nose, willing the annoying voice on the other end of the line to go bother someone else. "No, I did not tell Stefan." I responded dryly. Elena was in danger, yet again. Klaus was on the prowl, for the daggers, for Elena's blood, for all of us... And Caroline was bugging me about my communication skills. "Well seeing as I'm dropping these old spellbooks for Bonnie at the boarding house, I figure, 'Hey, why not kill two vampires with one study session from hell." I groaned internally as Caroline got heated over the phone. I slammed the back door to my dad's old Toyota corolla, opening the drivers side and collapsing into the leather seat. "Then take it up with someone who cares Caroline. Sorry, I'm driving through a tunnel, on an airplane, while hanging up the phone."

I can't even remember what I did with my phone, all I know is that I started my engine and reversed out of my driveway, heading for the outskirts of the town and towards the infamous Salvatore residence.

It had been 4 goddamm years since I called those girls my friends. I had seen an entire 'nother leap year, in the time it took for these bitches to deem me useful. I travled with my mom, Rome, Paris, India, Africa. I would've gotten my high-school diploma six months ago, if I hadn't had to move back to this ancient cesspool of a town.

And don't misunderstand me, that is the time it took for my life to go to crap. Vampires, the Salvatore Brothers, Elena... I shuddered in my seat, clenching my hands around the wheel as I thought about her.

I was so lost in my thoughts, that I jumped when I reached the boarding house. It was tall and looming, with an ominous darkness catching the corner of my eye. I sighed as I parked, readying myself for the chaos of the two people I despised more than Mystic High's Queen Bee. You see, in the last 6 months I had discovered something about myself, I was perceptive. Yes, I have always been a little more aware than perhaps usual, but it was more than that. I was something supernatural, I didn't know what but I did know that I could see magic, hear a vampires nearly imperceptible heartbeat and feel the forces of nature that others couldn't even dream about.

It was strange, knowing you could see other people when they never expected to be seen at all. I could read their faces, know their tells, pick apart their lies. It was why I was suddenly on the Mystic Falls supernatural hit-teams most wanted list. I could see. I scoffed as I pulled the back door of my car open. Heaving the heavy books into my arms, shifing my weight into my lower back as I ambled up the porch steps to the front door. If all these people needed me for was my sight, then these assholes should really get their eyes checked.

The door was already open, I ducked in sideways, trying to keep my balance while toppling books inched out of my grip. "Let me take those off your hands." I audibly groaned, the voice that assaulted my ears was silky smooth, like fine wine pouring into my ears.

"Damon, look what the bat dragged in." I couldn't see him over the pile of scripts and dusty memoirs of old witches, but I could hear his stupid smirk as he took the pile away from me.

"Still as snarky as ever Y/N. Didn't your mummy ever teach you to be nice to charming men who carry your books?" Anyone else wouldn't have noticed the foe-disdain in his voice, or the slight quicking pace in his pulse, of course, I'm not anyone else.

"Oh! That's what the karate classes were for." I looked at him now, this tall,brooding, Greek God of a man was attracted to me. Stupid I know. That's what I thought too, but I've never been wrong. Especially not since I came into my powers. Normally I would take the shot, go for it, but I had no chance. He was in love with his brothers girlfriend, a stupider decision if you ask me.

"Glad I've only ever seen you in action once or twice then." He smirked. I walked past him and into the living room. The fire was roaring, as I often found it was when Damon was alone on a Thrusday through Sunday afternoon. Where he was the rest of the time, I hadn't had the stomach to ask. I laughed unconvincingly.

"Didn't I almost shoot you in the face when you first tried to use me as a human pincushion?" He set the books down with a thud on the ornate coffee table. I set mine down with a far greater deal of grace. He frowned at me.

"Details, details. Besides," He took a step towards me, he smelled like alcohol and something else..."the way to a vampire, is always through his heart." He grabbed my hand, gently at first, clinging onto it as I tried to pull away. He made me touch his chest, it was firm and rising jaggedly with air he didn't need.

I glared at him. "You're drunk. Go leech on something else," i paused "leech." He laughed, it sent shivers down my spine, his eyes were deadly and cold. He pulled me flush against him. I wasn't unused to this radical "Damon Behavior", but there was something wild about his eyes. Something needy. To be honest, maybe I was needy too.

"Someone should teach you manners little lady." Or maybe not. I timed it perfectly, jutting my elbow out from between us into his diaphragm, he caught my arm, blocking it and shifting my upper body to the right. His lips found my ear, his breath tickled as he whispered into my hair. "One day that mouth of yours will bite off more than those pretty little lips can chew.

"Someone should teach you the modern cure for the insufferable womanizer." I spat. Then suddenly- I was on the couch, the fire crackled so loudly in my ears I thought my head would explode. Damon was leaning over me. His ebony hair feathered against his forehead, his lips were inches from mine, our breath mingled into each other. I felt his body become hotter above me, it was almost startling compared to his cool demeanor at the door. "Damon, please. Use at least one brain cell to think about this stupid decision you're making-"

He cut me off, "See that's the thing Y/N, you talk to me with that foul little mouth of yours and think it's okay. No one talks to me like that." For the first time in an agonizing ten minutes he looked away from me. "I never let anyone talk to me like that. But its like this-" if we had been having this conversation like normal people, I would've smiled at the hint of Italian in his accent. "I do let you. You drive me crazy. I hate you for that."

I tensed. "Well people who hate each other don't treat one another like this. So one of us is lying." I don't know if I knew who was lying to themselves between the both of us, but maybe that would give me enough of a chance to distract him and then-

And then he was kissing me. It was deep and firey. He moaned against my lips as he parted them with his tongue, his grip around my waist tightened as he explored my mouth. It all happened so quickly, I barely began to understand what was happening before "I don't like lying Y/N."

What the hell was that?

He bolted away from me and was on the other side of the room so fast he was only a blur. He started to say something, probably to shout at me in his drunken stupor, but I was quicker- "Did you say that out-loud?" I asked, I was breathless and disgusted and fascinated all in the span of 5 seconds.

He made a face at me. "The hell, "did I say that?" He mocked my question,he was agitated, borderline disbelieving. "I was in the middle of kissing you, moron. I did not say that. What the hell did you do?" He held his arms close to his chest, obviously he felt as violated as I did. I scowled at him.

"Then, moron, did you think it?" He looked at me with big, blue, question- filled eyes.

"I-"

"Y/N?" Shit, Bonnie, i glanced to the door. I turned back to the fireplace and the leather-clad, bad boy vampire was gone. I pinched the bridge of my nose... worst timing ever Bonnie Bennet...

What the hell just happened?

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

Ta-da! Ooo la, la... I'm a sucker (haha, get it?) for mystery and suspense.

Did you like the little nudge towards something Elena related, without having to deal with like, Elena..?

But chill, there will be a little bit of everything for all you shippers.

I don't know where I'm going to take this story yet, so feel free to Ask, or request or whatever and maybe things will turn in your favour... :0

Read pt 2 here: Read part 3 here:

Masterlist

[chloesreality]

honestly it’s Stelena all the way, they just make so much sense together!

Damon didn’t even want the same things as Elena, he didn’t even want to become human

but Stefan, oh my 😩

all Stefan wanted was to grow old with Elena, and when they were both having those hallucinations, you could tell Elena wanted that too. So they mourned the life they never could have had together, yet the life they both imagined they’d have as humans.

Stefan doesn’t wanna be a vampire, Elena doesn’t wanna be a vampire, Stefan wants kids, Elena wants kids, Stefan wanted to be a doctor, Elena becomes a doctor, Stefan has a journal, Elena has a journal, Stefans compassionate, Elenas compassionate. Stefan has the same values as Elena. Elena has the same moral beliefs as Stefan. Stefan resists compulsion at the thought of Elena. Elena resists compulsion at the thought of Stefan. Stefan saved Elena (physically and mentally) Elena saved Stefan (physically and mentally) They were the rock in each others lives. They had the same priorities, they made each other better people. They were better together, stronger together.

okay fine, maybe Stefan didn’t fully help elena embrace the darkest parts of herself but that’s only because Stefan physically couldn’t do that otherwise he’d fall off the wagon again! But he even said he wished he could help her in that way in season 4!

but you know what Stefan did do? helped elena embrace her happiness, helped her embrace the good inside her.

Stefan was Elenas light! they knew eachother like the back of their hand (which is said and shown multiple times in the show)

THE LIST GOES ON THESE PEOPLE ARE MEANT FOR EACHOTHER. THEY ARE SOULMATES. for god sake they’re even FATED SOULMATES!! and don’t tell me that “fated soulmates/doppelgänger lover thingy was fake, because when Stefan lost his memory, he knew nothing! nothing! but still fell back Inlove with Elena. They literally gravitate towards eachother, ELENA WAS ABOUT TO CHEAT ON DAMON BY KISSING STEFAN. not only that but she got jealous everytime Stefan had a new woman that wasn’t her interested in him?! Rebekah, Katherine, Caroline, even Quetsyiah! No one can change my mind on this, stelena forever❤️

[luna-3-clips]

ZestyFootballDemon (Shido) (Insta)

Me and da boys! ❤

Comments:

Rin4real: Why is there a heart?

ZestyFootballDemon: Why? Jealous?

Rin4real: Ew, no

Wassup: I remember that, we had a ton of fun

Womaniiiizerr [Verified]: SWEET CAROLINE

ThebestKAISER [Verified]: BUH BUH BUH

Ilikewomen: Not again...

YoitsIsag1: Otoya doesn't look happy in that photo

Bachirawr: That was probably after their karaoke session

Ilikewomen: Ye, how did you know?

Bachirawr: They just sang Sweet Caroline so I assumed

Wassup: You assumed right

Kaiseristhebest [Verified]: So that's where you went..

ThebestKASIER [Verified]: Yes

Kaiseristhebest [Verified]: I thought you went missing, you just disappeared for a few hours and randomly returned

ThebestKASIER [Verified]: Yes, but I told Noa

Kaiseristhebest [Verified]: You did?

Thereisanlandana [Verified]: He did, and I said it was okay since it was night

MyownSexysoccer: What? How come he gets to go out but we're stuck here!

ThebestKAISER [Verified]: Because I'm better than you

MyownSexysoccer: How so?

ThebestKAISER [Verified]: I get more ladies, I'm better at football, and so much more

MyownSexysoccer: You don't get ladies

ThebestKAISER [Verified]: Actually, ladies love me, but I attract guys too

Kaiseristhebest [Verified]: I can confirm, I've seen it

MyownSexysoccer: And because you are it

Kaiseristhebest [Verified]: I would never, Kaiser is an amazing person but I don't love him like that

MyownSexysoccer: Then why do you always follow him around?

Kaiseristhebest [Verified]: He is my master, and because I wanted to

MyownSexysoccer: -Removed by JinpachiEgo: Inappropriate language- (Message: Kinky..)

MyownSexysoccer: K

MyownSexysoccer: I

MyownSexysoccer: N

MyownSexysoccer: K

MyownSexysoccer: Y

JinpachiEgo [Verified]: Talk like that in your own time

MyownSexysoccer: Fine..

ZestyFootballDemon: Lol

YoitsIsag1: You're still here?

ZestyFootballDemon: Yeah, it's getting good, and I'm surprised you're still here

YoitsIsag1: It's interesting to watch

Bachirawr: *Sips tea*

Bachirawr: Juicy~

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I am so sorry T-T I forgot who I got the image from because I lost it, but I found it on Pinterest

(Also a note from the creator: I have a name for this group of guys/friend/teammates/whatever you wanna call them. The "I can get any woman I want" gang) -8/20/23 (August 20, 2023)

That's all, have a good day/night!

[crimsonlyinglilly]

No. 15: CHILDHOOD TRAUMA

Painful Hug | Moment of Clarity | "I did good, right?"

Here's Day 15 of @whumptober 2024, Mikael counts as a childhood trauma for the Mikaelson.

Taste of sin Part 3 - Kol.

----

Kol wasn't going to admit he was worried as Elijah failed to answer his phone again.

Elijah was fine.

Nothing could’ve hurt him, he was probably distracted chatting up the doppelganger after having talked them out of the stupid plan to bring back Silas. It was the whole reason he had reached out to his oldest living brother, but he couldn't explain the growing feelings of unease, so he had decided to go to the Gilbert house. It had been long enough that his appearance wouldn’t undo Elijah’s work and contrary to the belief, Kol could control himself, he just rarely bothered to.

It’s words he catches first as he get closer to the Gibert house.

“Fine. You can gloat and multitask. This place is a disaster. Starting with a horrific burnt corpse.“

He pauses for a moment because what could have pushed his ‘soft for dopplegangers’ brother to kill the latest before his mind forces him to think.

Elijah wouldn’t had set either of them on fire, sure he had used fire before, removing his ring to set the fire himself but he wouldn’t have used that for a pair of teenagers.

Finn had burnt, he had been told, when they staked him.

No.

He wouldn’t accept even the idea of that as his heart started to beat heard and he forced himself to move.

Nik’s voice as a comfort until the words hit him

“Tyler's mother is dead. So is my brother.-“ 

The rest of the words were lost as a rushing filled his air, he finished the journey to the open door of the Gibert house

Nic stood facing the girl as the first or was it last of Klaus’ hybrids stood further back, a sheet laid over a body on the floor, he didn’t cover everything.

One of Elijah’s cufflinks sat on the burnt suit cuff.

“How delusional are you?” the blonde- Caroline was speaking, she had been the one to cover his brother with the sheet. He thought about sparing her for giving his brother the respect but the brief idea flew away.

Elijah was dead, he wanted to paint the town red.

Maybe if he killed enough, made enough of a mess Elijah would beat death itself to return to yell at him.

“You killed his mother.” The girl kept talking unaware she was wasting her last words. “And let's not forget that we're standing in a house where Elena's aunt Jenna used to live. Or did you think that your charm-”

“What’s this then?” he asked, forcing a carefree smile onto his face 

“Kol!” Nik called, sounding oddly concerned.

“You're labelling my brother’s crime and he has done many, but who's body is under the sheet?” he ignored his brother to look at the two teenagers.

Nik’s first hybrid lunged for him whether to fight or flee, Kol didn’t care as he threw him back.

“Come now.” he called grinning, before it failed and rage replaced his false mirth “ I asked a question, maybe I should try another, who killed Elijah?”

The girl threw herself forward, red eyes and fangs on show,Nik had described her as a natural vampire. Maybe in a few centuries she could have been in an entertaining fight, a possible challenge. Kol caught her with a hand around her heart and tore it out, stepping over her body as the hybrid screamed.

He wasn’t in the mood to play.

Tyler's mother is dead. So is my brother, So is my brother, So is my brother it was echoing in his head. 

There was only one other brother left by now.

He called Elijah to help, he was the reason Elijah came back- he- Kol got his brother killed again.

Only this time it was permanent.

The hybrid screamed, throwing himself at Kol, all rage and grief, Kol’s heart reflected those feelings but his face betrayed nothing as he looked up at him.

Elijah had always warned him about showing too much, would he be proud to see him now?

Kol decided to end the fight quickly after the hybrid avoided his hand by throwing himself backwards and stepped on the edge of the sheet covering Elijah’s body.

Elijah deserved better.

He lets the hybrid get past his guard, allows him to bite, letting out a scream of pain even as he reaches out and grabs the hybrid’s head. He tore it from his shoulder and let it fall with the body.

The house was silent following the thump.

The bite burns and throbs but he ignores it.

Kol found he didn’t like the silence as it left him alone with his thoughts staring at the white sheet.

That couldn't be Elijah but it was.

Horrific burnt corpse, Elijah shouldn’t -couldn’t -

“How?” The word leaves his mouth without any plan, he ignores the burning feeling from the bite, he had dealt with werewolf venom before.

It was nothing compared to the wrongness of the burnt body on the floor.

“What happened?” Klaus demanded in return. “Why was Elijah here?” 

Kol almost laughed, Klaus must have come here to stop Kol, had he been disappointed when Kol wasn't the one dead.

Elijah was dead.

“I asked him for help, to speak to them and make them understand why Silas can’t be-” he cut off his explanation to snap back “How is he dead?”

“They were prepared for you, wanted the death of your sireline to complete the tattoo.” Klaus told him and he felt the ground slip out from under him.

Kol should be concerned about the finished map about Silas but he couldn’t.

He was human again, terrified and confused as Finn lay dead on the floor and father turned towards them with the bloodied sword. Elijah moved between them, telling Kol to run but he had frozen until he watched Father's sword stabbed through Elijah's back.

Blood dripping from the blade he had watch father sharpen days before had haunted his dreams, now was it going to be Elijah’s burnt body or the short last phone call that would do the same now.

“He died for me again.” The words threaten to choke him coming up.

“Again?“

“The night we were turned, we saw father kill Finn and instead of running Elijah put himself between father and I. I watched his sword come out Elijah’s back.’ he recited, eyes stuck on the body hoping Elijah would just get up, sighing in disappointment at the state of his suit.

The body remains still.

He's not sure if the shiver that racks him is from the memory of that night, Elijah body falling or the Venom, it seemed a hybrid venom was worse than normal wolves.

“Kol, come here you need my blood.” Klaus' voice is oddly soft as he calls, wrong Klaus doesn't talk to him like that, the last time was after Henrik.

“‘Lijah.” He can't help the name escaping him, sounding like a child even as his body moved on autopilot towards his older brother.

His last brother.

He was the last left, the last of Mikael's blood sons, the one who took after him the least.

Three left of seven, he had wanted to be part of their ‘always and forever’ but not like this.

If he wasn't in shock, if he could tear his eyes from the burnt husk of the person he took his first steps for as he stumbled away, he would have noticed the dagger dipped in white Oak ash.

Kol should have questioned it more when Klaus cut his neck, when a wrist would have worked but he was stuck on the realisation as he leaned in to bite. 

Klaus was his only older brother left, his only brother, out of four.

He can almost feel Nik’s blood chase away the venom but as he goes to pull away Klaus' hand moves to cupped the back of his head and he isn't that surprised when a sharp pain erupts in his heart. 

The dagger is only a fraction compared to aching grief.

Klaus is gentle when he daggers him yet Kol can’t think of anything but the idea of how wrong it is to have Klaus hand on the back of his head not Elijah’s.

It's a moment of clarity.

It's never going to be Elijah’s again. 

The dark nothing is a blessing over the yawning ache in his chest.

[simplylove101]

2024 Horror Challenge: [89/?]

↳"I thought I'd lost you forever.

"Lose me? No. You can never lose me, Laura. I'm your monster.” Your Monster (2024) dir. Caroline Lindy

Plot: After her life falls apart, soft-spoken actress Laura Franco finds her voice again when she meets a terrifying, yet weirdly charming Monster living in her closet. A romantic-comedy-horror film about falling in love with your inner rage.

Starring: Melissa Barrera, Tommy Dewey, Edmund Donovan, Kayla Foster & Meghann Fahy

Yes, the annual challenge is technically over since I always declare Halloween as the last day of it, but honestly, I might just have to keep it going on the whole year from now on at this point because, let's face it, horror movies still get released after October. And well, I have thoughts to share about certain ones. lol Now I'll watch older movies for the first time during this little limbo between challenges and not type up a review just because that's gonna slip my mind tbh. And it's not like I have a real audience for this thing anyway (despite plenty of people liking my reviews) so what's it matter, you know? That said, these newer movies, I have thoughts to share, and it only makes sense to get those thoughts out here where I can ramble for myself. Anyway, I kept hearing about this movie but felt like I wasn't getting the clearest idea what it actually was. Having watched it, I do get why. It's a very genre-bending movie that isn't necessarily going to be for everyone, which I think is why its rating keeps lower little by little each time I see it. I can't say that it's a complete 10/10 for me, but I actually think it mostly worked for what it was. I'm sure people went into it expecting a pure romcom since yes, its plot certainly had its inspiration from Beauty and the Beast, and it has plenty of that vibe, but it does also focus on Melissa's character outside of that where it's more about her dealing with her prior heartbreak & wanting approval from her ex, and then, without spoiling the ending, it takes the narrative a step further in a way that leaves some things up for interpretation for its audience. I personally didn't hate that the story went that way. I don't know if it necessarily stuck the landing when that happened, but I think Melissa sold it very well. I saw someone saying she was miscasted, but I actually liked getting to see her play a much softer character than I'm used to. It felt refreshing. Now again, I don't know if I'd say she hit every beat perfectly imo (I'm thinking more when her character was crying, and yeah, I know it was meant to be funny, but it did get a little shrilly at certain parts), but I think it was a great career move on her part. It was a good chance to show her range as an actress and she made me laugh. The strongest part of the movie for sure was her chemistry with Tommy Dewey as Monster. I think he really helped her make this movie work because he's so present in his scenes with her, and he definitely had me dying with laughter at certain parts. I really enjoyed their dynamic. Also gotta mention, I love that Meghann Fahy is finally getting some proper love lately since I adored her on The Bold Type, and while she doesn't necessarily get much to work with here, she was perfectly cast since ofc everyone's gonna love her. lol What's interesting is you'll watch it and wonder, so where's the horror element beyond him being a monster? Well, it comes near the end, but I promise there's something. It's not a scary movie by any means, but there's a bloody sequence, that's all I'll say. I know this movie was probably a hard sell to producers, and that's why it got the small theatrical release, but it's a solid enough indie movie that was trying to be a little different. Overall, I enjoyed it. If I had to place it in my earlier rankings, I think I would have wanted to put it in my Honorable Mentions category. I feel like it worked enough for me that feels right as a placement.

[daenysthedreamer101]

TVD S7 Thoughts

Ok so I binge-watched S7 in like three days and I have thoughts, I wanna talk about it

Lily OMG ughhhh, just...did not like her. Imagine being Damon and Stefan - you think your mom dies, oops she's actually a vampire. She becomes a ripper, goes on a ripper binge through Europe and in the meantime finds a whole new family.

I too would be pissed if my mom abandoned me and then had other children and never looked for me again. I know she did visit them once in the beginning and the bloodlust scared her away but like, she could've tried again some time after that or something.

The Heretics annoyed the hell out of me. Most of them were useless and died quickly (Malcolm, Oscar). Beau does nothing really. It's mostly the female Heretics who have the spotlight.

Valerie was sooo...idk weird to me? Her being Stefan's first and getting pregnant and then Julian beating her until she lost the baby was wild I did not see that coming. And I think she was fine as a long-lost love, but her relationship with Stefan in the present timeline did nothing for me.

She was obviously insecure about Caroline and Stefan. She was stuck in the prison world for over a century but did she really think she and Stefan would just be able to get back together? Idk. She did help with birthing the twins so that was nice of her.

Mary Lou and Nora annoyed me so much in the beginning but I grew to like them by the end and I did feel bad for them when that exploded in that car

The time skips and flash-forwards were confusing and annoying and I didn't like them at all idk why they did them

Enzo my love! I like him better this season. Love the new hair lol.

He and Bonnie were cute. I like the progress Bonnie made through the show of her hating vampires and now she's dating one lol

Reyna Cruz, where do I begin? No offense to the actress but I feel like they should've gotten someone a bit more muscular? A bit taller or bigger? I know she has superhuman strength and all but she was not scary whatsoever. But apparently, even Klaus was afraid of her so what do I know?

Caroline and Alaric....uhmmm yeah...that was a thing that happened. Did he really need to propose to her? I know it makes raising the kids easier but like c'mon. Ric falling in love with Caroline was just yucky!

Matt suddenly being so anti-vampire makes no sense but also makes total sense? On one hand, it's like, dude you've been helping them and have been friends with them for years, and now all of a sudden you are against them.

On the other hand, I guess you can say it was boiling inside Matt for a while and it all came to the surface. Also, did the writers really need to have him kill his own fiance? That was so cruel like damn!

Another thing on Enzo, his thing with Lily was soooo...like why? I just- I- NO! I can't put it into words how much it weirded me out.

Julian, hmmm. It seemed like he actually did care for the heretics so that was nice. Also, I have to say, wonderful acting. Idk who played him but I really enjoyed his performance.

I did enjoy seeing Klaus even if for a few minutes. I also watched the crossover ep of TO where Stefan is in New Orleans. Did I know what was going on? No, not really, but I like that Stefan did a little side quest lol. Not Hayley remembering she snapped Caroline's neck once lmao

Love that Stefan got to meet Freya and Marcel that was so cool.

I just remembered the Armory, I don't know what to say. I know the Sirens were in that vault, so I guess that's in the next season? I wonder how ridiculous s8 will be?

Overall, felt very meh about it. I still think that S 1-3 are superior and everything after that went downhill. But it was still better than S5.

[lil-melody-moon]

Today is a full year of my obsession with Keith Moon. One year without a day of a break or any shifts of attention to anyone else. It's special to me, because it never happened before that I was this interested in someone, going so far as to get his biography and read it in English - I had no other choice, but I could still give up because it's not translated.

Being his fan brought much happiness to me. The music The Who made helped me carry on in the worst moments at university, it kept me alive, making me realise some things, but most importantly, I think it's beautiful how being Keith's fan fixed me.

I came back to reading and writing, something that was always my passion, I don't feel as lonely as I did two years ago somehow thinking about him got rid of it and I started to feel more like myself again - I'm still in the process of recovering my true self and I think I'm nearing the end of this difficult path, I started smiling more often, feel pure joy, just feel better in general thanks to him and the music he helped to create.

There's no way I could thank him for that, but I do like to believe that he sees everything from up above and he's still happy that he can make someone laugh and not feel sad anymore. I hope I will not lose myself anymore and that I can carry on with him by my side, because for now that's all I want. To always have some means to hear him drum and sing, see him on videos or just to see him in photos.

I adore him more than I thought I will anyone, so that's why, besides this big thank you, I also wanted to write a one-shot. It's a self-insert, self-indulgent piece that's heavily based on what I've read about him. Hopefully, the ones who'll read it will have fun reading it. The fic is under the cut:

It was a lazy, very lazy afternoon at the beach house at Victoria Point Road. Standing on the balcony, the sounds of the sea were the only things heard and that was depressing in a way. So much money went in this house, it was in the best spot somebody could live in. Californian beaches were the greatest as far as the girl could say, but that still didn't push away how lonely it could be there.

Used to the heartbeat of the city, always having somewhere to go, to drink and party usually, this calm was leaving scars on her mental state and her boyfriend's one. Calm days were at hand, she saw him lurking somewhere in the corner with a book, she decided to not disturb him. Not after what happened two days ago.

Keith was almost always drunk and high, exceptions being the days of break, such as these ones. Caroline left the house to go do some shopping, she told Keith where she was going, how much time it'll take her and when she'll definitely be back at home. She was always giving herself extra time if she was to take longer at shopping. Keith was all okay with it until she came back home, late for the first time in a while.

"Where the fuck have you been?!" Came the shout when she closed the door. Only then did she realise she was late and a fight was already at hand.

Keith was drunk, not a single word was getting to him and so the yelling began. It almost ended in a physical fight when Keith lost his temper and raised his hand in an attempt to hit Caroline. She paled at that, but she didn't cover. "Come on, hit me!" she yelled instead. "Your drunk mind isn't capable of doing anything else than that!"

His hand didn't slap her cheek, his dizzy mind reminding him of why he lost his wife in the first place and he forgot it, letting his hand fall down. The relief that Caroline felt didn't show on her face, her expression stayed unchanged, still angry at him for lashing out at her for being late. From the very beginning she knew what she was signing herself up to, she only didn't expect it to be this bad.

A quiet "sorry" was mumbled, the anger disappearing, replaced by an emotion of regret. "I did come back" Caroline pointed out, her tone still cold. "I've got late because of the queue in the shop. I was rushing back home, knowing I might be a minute or so late, not this much." Her voice was becoming softer. She peeked at the clock seeing that she was almost 40 minutes late. Not what she wanted to do.

Caroline could guess that this moment started the calm days again, where Keith took a break from boozing. She only wished for the days to last longer, but she also knew Keith would grew bored of that and start the loop again. A sigh left her lips, these few days were only for her to prepare for the worst to come again.

How many times did she ask him to go seek help? She didn't know.

How many times did she plead him to go to rehab and promise that she'll help him get better? She hadn't had a clue.

How many times she tried to give him hope that they'll find a good psychiatrist to help him with his inner troubles? She would run out of her fingers and toes to count.

Maybe it was the time in which they lived that nobody was out there to help him or maybe fate just wanted it that way. It only left her to wonder on this lonesome balcony, her green eyes watching the waves. A call of her name brought her out of this state. She turned to see Keith walking towards her, his red and black bathrobe covering him. He got chubbier with years, bloated if she could use any other, more correct term, he looked older than his age indicated, but he was still the guy she met after the concert and who suddenly started to keep in touch with her.

The smile she loved apparent on his face when she looked at him. A smile appeared on her face as well, it was impossible to not smile back at him. "Finished with the book?" she asked, starting the conversation. Keith joined her on the balcony, hooking their arms together.

"Not entirely" he said, adding right after. "Felt a bit lonely there."

Caroline placed her hand on his, their hands laying connected on the railing. "You could tell me, I would join you in reading."

Sometimes they read different books and showed each other fragments, commenting on them. Keith was fond of peeking his head above her arm to see what was written on her page, forgetting about what he was reading. His hand was slapping her one when she wanted to turn the page and he didn't finish reading.

"You have your own book." Caroline always said.

"Yours is more interesting." Was Keith's answer.

And sometimes they read the same one, Keith eager to read the dialogues aloud, Caroline taking care of the narration. Keith took care to make the book one hundred times funnier than normally, causing even the most sad part be somehow unnecessary dramatic.

"I wanted to join you here" Keith answered, placing his other hand on her arm, stroking it. "Look, I'm sorry for what happened the day before yesterday." Keith looked hurt at the memory of how he screamed at her, he was truly apologising, like he always did. "I won't do that ever again."

It wasn't the first time he said it. "I know." Caroline shifted closer to him. "I forgive you." She didn't say it for the first time as well. They both knew that it will repeat in a few days at a slight inconvenience, but both couldn't live without the other. Caroline was too forgiving and Keith was out of control, yet the love that connected them made it possible to live together.

"Thank you." It was almost inaudible what Keith said, but the silence at their house made it possible for Caroline to hear it. "I'm so fucking bored" he complained, looking down at the sand.

"We can search for something to do" Caroline suggested and upon seeing Keith's curious expression she suddenly smiled. Freeing her hand, she winked at him, asking him to wait here a bit. She went inside to search for what she bought at the shop the last time. It was impossible for her to not go to the bookstore. It was mainly the reason why she got late, but she had to lie to Keith to not spoil the surprise.

Keith waited for her, seeing her coming back, hands behind her back. "What do you have there?" He got immediately interested, leaving his spot and walking to her, wanting to grab the thing. Caroline took a few steps back, until she hit the wall, denying Keith any access to the thing she held in her hands now pressed to her back. Keith pouted at that.

"Something you'll love" she started mysteriously, seeing that childish glint in his brown eyes. "Wanna guess?"

"This will take me only one try!" Keith claimed surely. "But maybe one tiny hint, please?"

"Hmmm…" Caroline looked up, thinking about a hint. She felt Keith's hands sneaking behind her back, she squirmed, covering the thing, saying: "No cheating Keith!"

"Then hurry up!" He had no patience, which only made Caroline more amused.

"It's something that has a treasure hidden inside" she finally said, making the hint as general as she could to not give him an easy one.

"Something like a box that has a hidden thing inside?" Keith asked, not caring if it was against the rules.

"No." Caroline shook her head. "But it has a treasure nevertheless." She giggled, adding another hint. "A treasure you need a map for."

Keith's eyes shined when he heard that. "A map that was left by someone? A pirate, perhaps?"

The childish grin that appeared on his face when she nodded could make her forgive him for everything. Sober Keith was the one who was hidden beneath that mask he was putting on when he was in public. It was her childish, insecure boy who loved a certain story. "Is it a book that you got?"

"Yes!" Caroline exclaimed, taking out from behind her back a new release of Treasure Island. "Look what I've found at the bookstore!"

Keith grabbed the children's book, not believing his eyes. He had to flip through it and read the fragments to really believe what he was holding in his hand. Caroline knew it was his favourite. Keith knew it by heart, but it never hurt anyone to have a copy at home.

"I thought that maybe… We could read it together?" Her suggestion was finally out, Keith hearing her still too mesmerised by the book to answer. She neared closer, looking with him at the text and drawings. She wrapped her arms around his waist. "What do you say?"

There was a moment of silence before she heard Keith's voice change, knowing that they will be busy with the book and acting for the rest of the day. "You can count on Long John Silver, my lady!"

[a-student-out-of-time]

This entire situation has caused me to do a lot of research into tropical revolving storms, and basically even though the Sam-Simpson scale ranks hurricanes, it doesn’t account for destruction. You could get massively powerful Category 5 hurricanes but the damage they do is moderate. And on the flip side you have this, Helene was only a Category 4 and when she bursted into North Caroline she was downgraded to a tropical storm but still the sheer amount of damage and devastation…

And yes this isn’t a time for jokes, people have died, rendered homeless and some have lost everything, our hearts need to be with them now. This is also why we need to combat climate change because the reason storms have being getting worse is because of the rising temperatures, which means warmer waters, which means more intense storms.

But in the end this whole situation shows, while we humans like to think of ourselves as masters of the planet, nature still finds ways to humble us.

Super glad to hear from you, and take all the time you need to recover. However since you need some light relief, how about you look up what tropical revolving storms are called in Australia? It’s would be the perfect way to unwind - Review Anon

//Yeah, I used to watch disaster documentaries all the time when I was younger. There's something genuinely morbidly fascinating about the way they happen and the damage they can do. One of my favorites as a kid was Planet Storm, which transplanted extreme weather from Mars, Jupiter and the Sun to Earth.

//I've been going through my asks and it seems some thought I'd vanished for a couple days because i hated the latest episode of Despair Time so much. Which, again, would be funny if people hadn't actually died. I spent days listening to people on the radio looking for missing family. I sincerely don't want to joke about this situation, because it really is that awful. I get jumpy whenever I hear my walls creak now.

//Remember, just because a storm is smaller doesn't mean it's automatically weaker. I heard someone call this the Katrina of the Mountains, but at least disaster management around here hasn't turned into a mess.

//But I'm okay. We've got food, running water and should hopefully have power restored soon.

//Also...no way. There is no way they call cyclones "willy-willies" down under. I love that : P

[ask-missparker]

Don’t Give Up On Me / OUAT AU Series

Pairing: Snow!Amelia x Charming!Nikolai, Nicholas and Amara

Extra characters/mentioned: The Dark Prince!Alexander, Rumple!Cole, Captain Hook!Jeremy, Charming!Michelle, Mal!Liane, Prince!Ethan and etc

Click here for Part 2

Note: This fic leds into two other tales hehe

———

—————

In the lower left corner of dungeons within castle held a dimly shaped cell surrounded by rock, dust and debris. On the walls held starching marks made with a small dagger counting the hours spent inside each and how many more days until release. On the ground of that very cell held Snow White in her dusty white dress, slightly knotted hair and shoes that used to be as white as snow now a cover in a light brown.

Her body was laying peacefully or so it seemed, deeply unconscious from eating the very apple set up for her that very night.

Hovering over her body from the other end of the cell held a man dressed in black, smirking as he said, “No wonder why they say your one of the fairest of the land..makes sense my brother likes you. Your disobedient little pest like him, yet again he could never get a woman long enough to stay for him. The real question let’s see if he can get here in time before that poison reaches the rest of your body and never wake up.”

Alexander got a fierce tip from his soldiers and other royals that his brother has been wondering around the woods like a hopeless dog running away like a coward trying to protect himself from him. In response, he made sure to keep an eye on that particular spot of his brother’s heart. He knew death was too easy of an excuse for him, but then he wondered, what’s worse than death? Suffering that feeling of loss and the pain that comes with it!

And then little Snow White walked into his heart. His smirk only grew, if Nicholas truly wanted and loved this woman he will have to prove it himself. He may hate his brothers guts, but it doesn’t mean he doesn’t want to see him put up a fight and see if there is still something there.

If he’s really willing to go the distance for something as stupid as love..

~~~~

As Charming prepared for battle that morning come, his mind raced with millions thoughts of a millisecond ranging from blaming himself for losing her to the fire that boil at that mere thought of her suffering by King Midas men.

His sword in hand burned at how tight his grip was held, placing it into it’s rightful spot by his side. He sniffled glaring remembering the arguments held with Michelle and Hook at how he should go in with back up. He didn’t want to put any more people in danger than he already had, he couldn’t live with himself if Cole or Queen Caroline lost their loved ones because of him.

However he did proclaim if he needed an additional crew member, they would know. His turned around and swiftly left his small home within the woods, riding his horse racing towards the castle sneaking past the guards and stabbing a few knights to do so. A part of him felt like it was too easy this time, his chest tighten racing towards the cells to find Snow.

He only found pieces of fabric from her wedding dress within the cell as he gasp, feeling his heart sadness then release allowing him to breath. He sighed releasing she wasn’t here but her dresses fabric felt thicken than the material he grabbed earlier, a laced coat dust particles that belonged to the a certain type of magic.

His brother’s magic.

He groaned, realizing he had something to do with this. He looked over his shoulder to see incoming guards, swiftly masking a turn escaping Midas castle and returning to the woods gripping onto the frabic of the dress halting for his horse, Maximus, to stop and rest. He climbed down for the horse and kneeled wiping his finger across the fabric of the dress as the black particles rises onto his fingers and into the air.

Charming wasn’t one to use his own magic anymore as he used to, crafting a shadow sword as a replacement as the blade can cut, disappear and reappear to his wish.

But for the circumstances of this mission, he must, with a twist of his wrist a cloud of black appeared from the magic remains of his brother revealing an image to him being a glimpse of his women on the ground of the very dungeon he was trapped in all those years ago as his brother smirked over her.

But the thing was, he knew his brother would not keep her there for long and move Snow somewhere else out of his reach and into the forest. He was smart enough to figure out that his sword to led him to harm his brother as a reward for his crimes, knowing he will find Snow but his brother would want something in return.

“Hello!”

He didn’t flinch once, knowing that voice just as well, turning around he grimaced pinching the bridge of his nose to face Cole. Last he saw of him was on Jeremy’s ship, as Hook gave him the wonderful blue crested ring as promise for their love. Cole stood on a log with a leg crossed over the other with a grinned dress in black as always, but this time with a dark brown coat and the one of many rings on his finger waving.

“What is it that you want?” He asked, titled his head with a old look, couldn’t help but return the grin and rolled his eyes, “I’m kinda busy here.”

Cole grinned and nodded, deciding whether or not to hop off the log as he said, “Oh I know. Busy, busy, busy man! And you don’t have much time to waste.”

“And I am guessing you’re here to help me.”

“Well, you are friends with my favorite Captain and you did help him get my gorgeous new jew, so I believe it’s only fair.”

“What’s your price?”

“Sneak into your brother’s vault and get me a lovely old item that he stole from me.”

“What item?”

“A crested item, a crystal ball that I want to shape into a saber for my collection. The saber allows me to look beyond realms and within this land using blood magic to track it.”

“Who are you tracking?’
“My brother, he left Wonderland not to long along in search of a witchy dragon to slay and he has been blocked out his net for me to find him. God knows my brother isn’t the brightest in the land and as promised, I need to make sure he’s not dead.”

Nicholas nodded knowing Cole isn’t one for plenty of details depending on the person and knows he has beef with his brother beyond his knowledge so he won’t ever question why or what happened between them. But he did question one thing.

“Why are you helping me? Aside from the Hook part.” Charming asked, lifting his sword into place.

Cole just grinned, “Because! You and I both want the same thing, for good things to happen. True love and blah blah blah to win.”

“Hmm.”

“And your princess has grown on me.”

“Snow is..?”

“Yes, yes, yes! Do you want my help or not?”

“I do.”

Within a matter of moments, Charming was given a old tiny hyper crystal that would glow a sharp red when he’s within range of the ball. Cole gave him a light start, pausing the clock then restarting it once Charming reached his old castle.

A shiver went up his spine at returning to the very place he lost his partner and his family turned upside down, there were vines growing up and around the collapsible groups, the carousel he used to play in was damaged to stone and as he entered across the back of the palace where he once used to sneak out of to explore the woods on the backs of horses, the colors that used to bleed with one another..we were sucked out of any brightest light left. The walls used to be a golden brown, turned seemed to be a dull brownish grey, the flowers that belonged to his mother went from daisies to fallen roses.

~~~~

As he went down the steps to the vaults, slaying away guards within the shadows muffling his shouts with a blade to their necks and others knocking out the knights who tried to capture him. However, two came his way dressed in black masks and leather from head to toe, just as he thought they were gonna murder him one twist their sword and the one follow behind him as the other knock a knight out cold.

He knew this place a little too well, so he knew she wasn’t in the dungeons or any an cell within the castle, she must’ve been moved by now. His brother wasn’t gonna make it that easy for him, just yet. It was all a test of some kind.

Charming lifting his sword ready to knock both of skrulls together when the two knights flipped the face guards to reveal his two friends. Jeremy and Michelle smirked having figured it was only fair to help out with the knights meanwhile Charming collected the item for Cole, Nicholas was about to remark them for being so foolish for coming here but he just winked instead thankful for his friends. He rushed off and into the vault, pulling out the tiny crystal waiting waving it around as he searched for the ball in question.

His footsteps creaked as his flinched around swiftly turning his sword instead the person behind him, the blade fell above his older brother’s cheekbone giving him a mere cut. Alexander hissed then scoffed as he rolled his eyes with his hands behind his back, a part of him was impressed at his quick moves but still pathetic as always as he moved away from the blade.

“Cute.” Alexander remarked in a monotone, using two fingers to pushed the sword downstairs, “Yet, never as good as good me. And I thought with the months—ah no, years away you’ll get better. Guess me not.”

“Pardon me for not perfecting my craft, I was too busy trying to get away from you.” Charming muttered with a glare.

“And yet, you come back rushing to the place where it all began?”

“You took something from me.”

Alexander scoffed and playfully gagged walking around, “And did I take from you this time? You’re pride? You’re little toy? Father’s favorite pendent? I wouldn’t have done if it were to listen to good little brat you were and not disrupt me every day.”

“I was young, I didn’t know any better. I grew to understand you never liked me because in your eyes I was always our parents favorite meanwhile you weren’t. If you nicer, it couldn’t been different!” Charming added, as his flickering to the tiny crystal in hand.

“It wasn’t! You were born and took away everything from me. And every time I tried to have you behave, you would act to embarrass me.”

“No wonder why you’re heart is so dark..now like I was saying, I want my things back.”

Nicholas has grown to understand that his older brother was just selfish, mean and cruel only caring about himself in hope to lighten the mere sight of his true feelings. He knew his brother was alone and always will be, as a child he tried to befriend him plenty of times, show him a picture of kindness but he always in response got the cold shoulder.

He stopped trying to save him at this point, the only person who can make that change was himself, not him. They had to make the decision to do that themselves and overturn that choice.

Alexander noticed he was in his vault searching for something wasn’t labeled his and used a shadow to pushed Charming to to his face as he snarled with a smirk. His younger brother will never learn, to disobey, you get hurt in the process. He knew he was here for his preisous little princess, thanks to King Shaw’s tip before his exile, but he was here for cruel stolen item. Not his item but someone else’s he assumed.

Charming and Alexander were in a position to fight within the vault, as darkness filled the room to the Dark Prince’s command.

Charming closed his eyes wilding his sword, it guided him opposing member turning around to feel Alexander behind him popping and out of the shadows summing a sword at his will to fight his brother. The two of them were at it, not like princes, but training knights ready for battle.

Alexander even used one hand to his blade of swords growing bigger with the commsuing darkness above them, mocking his younger brother and yelled, “Tell me when your tired of missing, brother.”

Charming glared and growling twirling his sword summing his shadows at combat, hoping off treasure chests within the vault yelling, “I only have to hit you once.”

The fight went on for a while, neck and neck, things flying across the room, remarks being thrown to one another and be siblings were even tossed across the floor. In the mist of the fight that led them into a hallway, Charming noticed the tiny crystal bringing a low glow as he smirked. It wasn’t in the vault but in another room. With his confidence returning, just as Alexander was about to tower over him and tossing him out a window, he disappeared within a shadow and used another one to kicked him into a separate place within the castle. The Dark Prince was thrown away into the depth of his castle the dungeons knocked out cold.

~~~~

Nicholas run down the hall into the room thinking he found to find said room, following the crystal as it grew in color only for his grin to drop. “Oh come on!” He muttered, due to the moment he enter the room he was found within the chambers was the crystal ball, yes, but what he didn’t expect who guarding it.

Once this is all resolved he is gonna need a strong drink…

“My brother doesn’t need a beast to guard his items, when he already is one himself..” Nicholas said to himself, readying his sword, “At least it’s not the trolls again.”

But to his surprise, just as he moved forward to silently attack the dragon, it didn’t appear as fearful but more like calm. Tired even. It whimper, opening their eyes to showcase purple orbs with pools of tears within. It let out a soft growl that grew as he carried himself over to the said beast. Their leg was chained up to a wall that made them look smaller.

The dragon snarls and whimpered some more, showcasing themselves to be larger than life but they—she wasn’t. His eyes widen, seeing she was missing her—Nicholas has slayed dragons before in one go but this was different, she didn’t want to fight him.

He wasn’t gonna fight another if they weren’t going to themselves, he was in the very castle his parents build him in. If his mother was here, she would be hurt to see him do such as thing. Nor did he think himself as a killer either. He never was a murder.

He rushed over using his blade to cut though the chain releasing the dragon as she transformed from dragon into human. Her horns were still there but they were surrounded by long blonde curls, her dragon like scales were now a dark purple long dress, she held a cape close to her body and her paws were a black almost a deep purple slippers.

“Are you alright, miss?” He asked, helping her stand with one hand and the other still grip his shadow sword.

She hesitated but took his hand as she nodded, “I-I think so..”

“What did my brother did to you?”

“It’s a long story..I’m sorry, did you say brother?”

“Heh, yeah, long story..I apologize for almost hurting you.”

“It’s alright..I’m okay, just uh why didn’t you?”

“I couldn’t. You were a prisoner here, not a helper of his. I’m Prince Nicholas..”

“Liane..t-thank you. You can uh, take your thing..”

Nicholas took the item on the table and stuffed it into his satchel, looking over his shoulder he noticed that he couldn’t escape the same way he came. He glanced over at the stain glass windows of the very room as chaotic yet delicate smirk appeared on his lips.

Liane asked, “Uh, what exactly are you g-?”

But she didn’t get a second to finished her sentence, as she grip tightly around his neck as he held onto her waist telling her to brace for impacted. All from Liane could be heard was a sequence of ‘Oh my god!’ repeated over and over again, as Nicholas launched them from the ground flooring through the glass window shatter around them as the two right into landed in the ocean waves surrounding the castle.

The two clawed onto the shore near the woods, Nicholas helped Liane up asking if she’s doing alright as she yelled if he was crazy or just plain dumb. The prince just shrugged and snorted a smile.

“W-we could have died!” Liane whisper yelled, sighing at how soaking wet her dress was.

“But we’re safe and sound from him!” Nicholas replied with smile still on his face.

“We jumped into the water we could hav..”

“We survived that’s what matters.”

“Huh? Wait, no your right. You didn’t plan that, did you?”

“Nope. Call it pure luck and last time I checked my brother won’t after us a while.”

Liane broke into a small smile and thanked him once again for helping her back there saying she can now return home safely, hoping he found her princess. Nicholas smiled telling her to keep hope alive and her prince might have to save her soon enough. The two paired aways afterward.

~~~~

He arrived still soaking wet to the place where Cole requested to met him. At docks near the huge pirate ships, and as always he found him curled up against a few barrels on the ground comfortably with his man. Nicholas couldn’t help but smile at the two, the way his friend returned from the castle before him with grinned at his dinner.

Jeremy was grinning and laughing trying to hush Cole who was playing with his short blonde hair telling a joke stealing a piece of chicken from his plate.

“Who made this?” Cole said chew the chicken with a snarky smirk.

“Mr. Smee did it.” He replied taking a bite of the bread being presented on the plate.

“Tell the chief he desires a raise!”

“Don’t push my crew, babe. They hear that and they would all want one.”

“Ah pishy caca, love.”

“No he’s right.” Said a voice.

Both men looked up to find Nicholas soaking wet holding up the promised crystal ball but no princess, yet. Jeremy snorted seeing his friend’s face as Cole bit back some laughter of his own, eating some more chicken for himself.

He stole a kiss from his man before standing up taking the crystal ball from Nicholas’s hand nodding with appreciation for the task being complete. Jeremy kept snorting explains that Michelle returned home safe and sound as Nicholas sent him a playful glare.

“I’m guessing your lady is miles away from the castle too? I didn’t see her in there.” Jeremy exclaimed after coming down from his effective snorting.

“Nope. He is hiding her somewhere else and I won’t rest until I find her.”

“Aw my boys in love!”

“Shut up. It’s a test to see how hard am I willing to work for this.”

“I say you worked hard enough. Babe, help him!”

Cole sassed him with a smirked, “I’m getting to it! But i need that.”

Nicholas heart pinged again as over his chest lay his gifted chain and asked, “My chain from Snow?”

“Mhmm that lovely little gift from her mother, that now belongs to you will guide you to her.”

“A location spell? Smart.”

“I know I’m genius.”

Jeremy slapped his arm playfully and chuckled watching Nicholas pass the chain over to him. He asked why his heart felt like it was bruised during the beginning of this mission, Cole was doing the locator spell on the chain as he explained how the heart feels like it’s lost when a loved ones is gone.

Cole knew that well after his father Erik and stepfather Charles broken up years ago when he was a child before getting back together, it felt like their bodies were sometimes in pain because they were apart for so long.

True Love, as he called it. A connection between two people whether they believed it or not, as opposite a pairing may seem, if they are somehow meant to be, fate has its ways to pulling them together.

Once Cole was done, he smiled saying depending on the next favor was, Nicholas might own him by collecting whatever another item was. He rolled his eyes and chuckled lightly telling Jeremy to keep his man under control as the pirate captain just winked in return.

Before Nicholas could go, Cole yelled, “Ah! Wait a minute stupid. You’re gonna find your girl dressed like you went swimming with the fishes?”

With a flick of his wrist Nicholas was dried up with his hair freshly swept back, a white collared shirt with a long elegant leather coat, dark brown pants and boots that fit him perfectly. For added measure, Cole added a nicely tailored hat that seemly fitting his more pirate side. It made him look rather dashing and distinguished from the other men in the crowd.

“Much better.” Cole added as he looked over at his shoulder to see the sun almost laying down to rest and huffed, “Go before your time runs out!”

He thanked both of them before swinging onto his horse riding Maximus across the docks into the woods allowing the chain with the small hoop to guide him through the forest. He could see the sun going down as he approached Max to hurry in which the horse speed riding like the wind.

“Woah boy! What did I feed you today?!” He muttered jokingly.

Max followed his direction going past the trees in vintage and entryway into the lower ends of the valley sliding into the ground path of the woods. His hat almost flew off completely a couple of times messing around his hair a bit. The chain kept glowing brighter and brighter than ever before as they moved through the forest reaching the edge of the plantation then began to slow down as they landed int the exact spot she was placed in.

Nicholas hoped off his horse, patting his head with a soft smile pacing himself over to find a bed in the middle of the woods surrounded by dwarfs. He heard stories around him being great hard working men, he looked over to see it was Snow asleep. Her skin looked paler, her were a blushing pink instead of their usual light red color and her body looked cold despite being dressed in long sleeves.

One of the Dwarfs, Grumpy gave him a once over and raised an eyebrow before noticing that he held a chain similar to the jewelry Snow was wearing.

He gave him a small smile and said, “You better do something or sister is gone forever. At least say goodbye.”

Nicholas smiled softly and walked across placing his hand over Snow’s very own as he leaned over to capture her lips against his. He muttered a small glimpse of hope that she’ll wake up as his heart started to settle into a nice flow. As he did, a small wave that would’ve felt like blast pushed through them and across the landscape of the woods. He pulled away to be met with the sound of gasping coming from the woman he loved dearly.

She opened her eyes as color started to return to her cheeks and looked over to see who woke her up, her lips slowly growing into a smile. Her voice was a little horse as she said, “Y-you found me..”

He smiled softly in return blinked as tears slowly appeared thanking the heavens it worked as he nodded placed a hand on his across her face. He replied, “Did you ever doubt I would?”

“The sleep gave me a pause..truly, I was afraid you wouldn’t come..”

“I came, it took me a while but I made it. I will always find you.”

She smiled chuckling, as he helped her stand up from the bed thanking the Dwarfs for watching over her. Grumpy just winked saying that him and his brother are here to help the good guys just say the word as the prince chuckled in return respecting them.

~~~~

Snow and Charming walked alongside each other letting Max relax from carrying the weight of things all day, especially after his thick run across the land. Nicholas finally took a breath getting his girl back and foremost by the end of day, wrapping an arm around her shoulder rested his head on top of hers. Snow hummed at his touch as she wrapped both around his middle playing with the layer hair at the back of neck that flipped up, instead of flipping downward.

“Hey no touchy!” He joked nuzzling his head against hers.

“You ruined your hair earlier.” She hummed in response giggling.

“Uh excuse you? I’ll have you know i was racing against time, m’lady! You try running across the woods and trying to look perfect while doing it. It ain’t easy, I’ll tell you that much!”

“Okay, okay you win! Whatever you say, princey. I do have two questions for you.”

“Which are?”

“How did you get here so fast?”

“I had help from Cole. I went on a few trials to get him an item but then he came through with a location spell.”

“Location spell?”

He nodded pulling out the chain that relaxed its glow having done its job eariler, as he explained it led him right to her. She giggled seeing how her mother’s jewelry saved them after all.

Nicholas joked as he moved away for a moment, “You know I’ll have to meet your mother after this to thank her.”

“Thank her? For that little thing?” She asked with a teasing tone.

“Yes ma’am. You’re mama will be having a son in law real soon.”

“She’ll have a field day, never wanting us to leave hearing—wait, did you say son in law?”

She didn’t have a moment to finish her sentence as he grinned widely enough removing the hoop off the chain. She was about to joke about something than decide to let him figure it out himself.

He tried to kneeled down properly but the pants Cole gave him were a little too tight, for his liking and he usually doesn’t mind tight fitted leather as he decided to stand instead.

The noise and incoming jokes he made resulted in Snow to laugh looking away snorting as he told her to be quiet he was trying to be romantic here.

“Shut up, you’re ruining my moment!” He remarked breaking into laughter himself biting his bottom lip.

“Your moment?” She exclaimed softly giggling trying to stop herself from falling into more laughter.

“You done?”

“Mhm hmm.”

“Good. As i was trying to say, Amara Snow, will you marry me?”

She made a face as if she’s thinking about her answer and playfully said, “Hmm i don’t know.”

His face playfully dropped giving her a look that said ‘seriously women?’ As he smirked and added, “May I also remind you that I jumped into a freezing cold ocean today? I think my butt cheeks were chattering on my way to the docks.”

“You jumped into the ocean?”

“Yes ma’am, but it was for a stupidly good reason.”

“In that case, yes.”

“A ‘yes’ as in you’ll marry me or ‘yes’ as in you will give me well deserved massage after risking ass today?”

“Yes to both!”

“Good answer.”

“Shut up.”

She rolled her eyes chuckling realizing she got work to do tonight after his glorious save as he ran the hoop nicely onto her finger then bringing a couple of kiss onto her face. She pressed a few of kisses wanting to hear all about his day and where they were heading next.

But before Snow can say another word, he lift her into his arms as she wrapped her arms sound his neck as Nicholas requested he take them to their home within the forest where he would tell her everything that happened. He leaned forward to press another small yet warm kiss onto her face as she closed the space between them with a smile asking for him to lead the way.

~~~~

The two made their way to the small house within their own hundred acres woods, finally after all the hassle back in each other’s arm once and for good. Nicholas released Max to go to stretch his legs and rest before dinner, as he followed Snow up the steps to find a note stuck on the door.

She plucked it gently off the door and opened it to read an invitation for Princess Michelle’s ball in 3 weeks, due time to prepare for the festival of riches, everyone in the land was to be invited.

Nicholas smirked, “Three nights, free drinks and food to die for.”

“I guess we’re going to a ball.” She replied returning the smirk.

The two chuckled and entered their home, locking the door behind them as they lit the fireplace to flop onto the couch in glee. Nicholas sat on the couch as dinner was being cooked on the stove as Snow sat behind him to rub whatever knots that landed in between his shoulders blades. To say he was satisfied was an understatement.

He hummed and softly grinned, “If this is the treatment I get, I should risk my ass more often.”

“Shut up, charming.” She replied jokingly holing back her giggled.

He looked over his shoulder for a split second and smirked saying, “Hush, you’ll ruin the moment.”

“I can’t with you sometimes.” She added rolled her eyes returning the same smirk.

The future spouses stayed cuddling in the comfort of the living room til dawn, for as long as they were together all was fine in the world.

~~~~

And that’s it! Tell me what did you think about it in the comments below. Any thoughts you had? Any ideas for future fics?

Click here to see what happened to Ethan and Liane tale

Click here to see Michelle’s 3 night festival and the lovely tale about that couple

Click here to see how Jeremy and Cole met

Tags: @missstrawbs2001 @purpleprincessonfyre @meiramel @gcthvile @rickb-chaos @gaminggirlsstuff @wizzzardofoz @thechoooooosenone @luna-d-marsh @rooster-84 @thecavalrywife @cherrysft and etc

[stargazer-sims]

The Shirt

Caroline: Hey, Yuri! I finished cleaning my bathroom, like you asked me to.

Yuri: Thank you. Well done.

Caroline: I'm going outside now. I'm gonna see if Victor needs any help raking leaves.

Yuri: All right. That sounds like a good... Wait a moment.

Caroline: What?

Yuri: I don't recognize that shirt you've got on. Victor doesn't have one like that, and it's certainly not mine. Where did it come from?

Caroline: From Forest. It's his.

Yuri: Caroline, I don't think I like the idea of you wearing Forest's things.

Caroline: Why not? Like, you're literally wearing Victor's sweater right now.

Yuri: That's different.

Caroline: How is it different?

Yuri: Because it is. Forest is a boy.

Caroline: *laughing* Victor is a boy, too. Try again.

Yuri: Well... I'm married to Victor.

Caroline: So, let’s think about this. You have to be married to people to wear their clothes? Are you saying you never, ever wore anything of Victor's before you married him? Even when you lived together for like, two years or something before you got married?

Yuri: No, that's not what I meant. Of course I wore his things before we got married. It's simply that we were adults, and—

Caroline: So, only adults can do it?

Yuri: *exasperated* No.

Caroline: Okay. So, why do you wear Victor's stuff?

Yuri: Because it's comfortable and comforting, and I like it.

Caroline: Can't I wear something that's comfortable and comforting to me? Forest is my friend, and we like having things that remind us of each other. Like, I lent him my blue hat and he wears it all the time, and his parents don't have a problem with it.

Yuri: That's where your hat went. Victor said he thought you lost it. And I’m still not convinced it’s a good idea for you and Forest to wear each other’s things.

Caroline: Why not? You need to give me a good reason.

Yuri: Because… if people see you doing that, they might think you’re in a relationship.

Caroline: And that’s bad because…?

Yuri: It’s not bad, but I’m concerned you’re not ready for that sort of commitment.

Caroline: Yuri! It’s just a shirt. It’s not like he gave me a ring and asked me to marry him. He’s not even my boyfriend. Not officially, anyway.

Yuri: What do you mean, ‘not officially’?

Caroline: We know Forest doesn’t have permission to date, but when he does, we don’t want to date anyone but each other.

Yuri: You and Forest have already talked about it?

Caroline: Yeah.

Yuri: This is a… development.

Caroline: What’s that supposed to mean?

Yuri: You know Victor and I will have to discuss this, and we’ll have to speak to Forest’s parents as well.

Caroline: It’s just a shirt!

Yuri: Today, it’s a shirt. We love you and we want to make sure that when you move beyond sharing clothes, you’ll understand what’s appropriate and you’ll be safe. Do you understand?

Caroline: Yes, but…

Yuri: But what?

Caroline: Can I still wear the shirt?

[thatfanficstuff]

Not About You - 37

In the morning, Caroline wanted to go see Elena and Bonnie. She tried to get Lucy to come with her but was adamantly refused. So while she and Stefan headed to the Grill for breakfast, Damon got out of the bed and told Lucy to stay. A short time later he returned with spiked coffee and a glass of bourbon. He handed her the coffee and food as he kissed her head. She sipped her coffee and hummed, watching as he ran water into the tub. After a generous splash of bubble bath, he turned to her with a grin.

“What are you doing, Salvatore?”

“I need to talk to you and we’re going to take a bath while we do it,” he said as he slipped out of his clothes. “Now strip, beautiful.” He wriggled his eyebrows causing her to laugh.

“You’re crazy,” she told him as she took off her clothes and joined him by the tub.

“So they say.” He took her coffee from her while she climbed into the water.

The water was hot against her skin and she sighed in satisfaction before retrieving her mug. Her eyes trailed over him as he slid in on the other side of the tub.

“Like what you see, kitten?”

“You know I do,” she answered confidently despite the blush on her cheeks. She shifted around until she was positioned between his legs with her back to his front. He looped his arms around her and they sat in contentment for a long moment as he trailed soft kisses across her shoulders.

He grabbed his glass from the floor and sipped his bourbon. “We have brunch with Elijah in a couple of hours. He sent a text early this morning, hence the liquid breakfast.”

Lucy frowned wondering why he’d texted Damon instead of her then realized she hadn’t even bothered to look at her phone yet. He’d probably messaged them both. She nodded and laid her head back against her vampire’s shoulder. “So what did you want to talk about?”

“You.”

“Me?”

He hummed in agreement before setting both of their drinks on the floor. He wrapped his arms back around her and pulled her firmly against him. His nose ran along the side of her neck. “This town is dangerous. More so since the wolves came. I almost lost you, Lucy. I don’t want to go through that ever again.”

She stiffened and tried to shift away from him, but he only held her tighter. “I’m not leaving, Damon. Please don’t ask me to do that.” She hated the needy undertone in her voice.

He moved them slightly so he could see her face. “Hey. None of that. You’re not going anywhere. I already told you that I have no intention of letting you out of my sight ever again. I wasn’t joking.”

“Then what is this about?”

“I want you think about turning. I mean seriously think about it.”

She tilted her head sideways to look at him and he gave her a soft smile. After taking a minute to study him, she turned back around and ran her fingers along his arm. “I don’t know, Damon. I’ve thought about it before. Of course, I have. But it never seems like the right moment.”

His fingers started playing with hers. “You’re comfortable with vampires. Blood doesn’t seem to faze you. You have a remarkably flexible and fantastic moral code.”

“That’s not the only thing about me that’s flexible and fantastic, Salvatore,” she interjected.

He groaned in agreement and kissed the side of her neck. “Don’t I know it. So, what’s holding you back, baby? Is there anything I can do to ease your mind?”

Lucy pursed her lips and shook her head. “Being a vampire doesn’t scare me. An eternity alone terrifies me.”

She glanced at him to see his reaction. When his mouth opened to speak, she placed her fingers against his lips to silence him. “I’m not asking for commitment or any kind of promises. That’s not what this is about. I’ve lost too many people in my life to assume they’ll always be there. Hell, I thought I lost Elijah for a moment and I never thought that would happen. I just need to decide if I can be happy with an eternal life if I end up on my own.”

She moved her hand away and his piercing blue eyes stayed locked on her as he processed her words. “Fair enough, princess,” he said then captured her lips with his.

The kiss deepened and Lucy turned so she straddled Damon’s lap, his erection pressing against her. She pulled away to breathe and pressed her forehead to his. “Bed. Now.”

Effortlessly, he stood, keeping her pressed against him as she wrapped her legs around his waist. They continued to kiss as he carried her to the bed. “As my lady commands,” he said with a smirk and dropped her onto the bed.

***

Once Lucy finally got around to checking her messages she found that Elijah had indeed messaged her as well. He also informed her that he’d like her to accompany him to the Historical Society tea that afternoon. She groaned at the request but her uncle didn’t ask for much so she supposed she could mingle with the locals.

When she met Damon in the living room once she was ready to leave he looked her over from head to toe. He wrapped his arms around her and trailed kisses down the side of her neck. “What’s with the dress, beautiful?”

She pulled back to frown at him. “What’s wrong with my dress? I like it.” Her hands ran over the white sundress splashed with blue flowers.

“There’s nothing wrong with it.” He placed his hands on her hips to reestablish the contact between them. “You look incredible. You’re just more the jeans and t-shirt type is all.” He kissed her and started to deepen it before she put her hands on his chest and pushed him away.

“We need to go. We’re going to be late.” She spun away with a laugh as he tried to grab her once more.

It didn’t take long for them to arrive at Elijah’s apartment. It wasn’t his usual refined abode, but it didn’t surprise her. He wasn’t intending to stay around for long, after all. Her and Damon held hands as they meandered to the apartment.

Elijah opened the door before they knocked and pulled Lucy into a hug. After he kissed the top of her head, he shook Damon’s hand before directing them to the table. “Have a seat. I’m nearly finished.”

“Thanks,” she said with a smile. Her eyes followed him as he walked into the kitchen and began to dish up the food. The jacket for his suit was hanging by the door and he had the sleeves of his dress shirt rolled up to his elbows. She shook her head at his ability to remain impeccably clean even while cooking.

“You good?” Damon asked in a low tone when she remained watching her favorite uncle.

She shook off her thoughts and smiled at her vampire. “Yeah. Just thinking.” Ignoring Elijah’s instructions to sit, she moved past him into the kitchen and found three mugs to serve the coffee. Damon followed behind her and took two of the plates from the Original to carry them to the table.

Once everyone was seated and served, they dug in. Lucy closed her eyes and shifted happily in her seat. She loved Elijah’s cooking. He chuckled softly beside her and she gave him a grin and a wink.

“I’m glad you’re happy, little one.”

Her grin widened. “So what’s with the brunch?”

He leaned back in his seat and arched a brow. “Must I have an ulterior motive?”

She nodded. “Yes.”

He stared at her for a moment before laughing. “Fair enough. I wish for you to consider moving.” She shook her head and he held up a hand to stave off any arguments. “Not terribly far. Even the next town over would be a vast improvement.”

Lucy huffed a laugh. “Do you really think that would help any?”

“We had a conversation this morning about her turning,” Damon interjected.

Elijah’s brows lifted in surprise as he looked between the two of them. “Did you? That would be a far more favorable option.”

Damon nodded. “She’s thinking about it.”

The Original looked even more surprised and switched his focus to Lucy. “So you weren’t the one to bring it up. What are you thinking?”

She sipped her coffee, buying herself a moment to get her thoughts together. “It’s not the vampire thing. You know that’s never bothered me.” She sat her mug on the table and traced the rim with her finger. “My life has always been relatively lonely. I had the best dad in the world, but it was just him and me. When he died my whole world went with him. I have you, the Salvatores and Caroline. And if I somehow lose you all, I’m alone again. I just don’t know.”

His dark eyes studied her. “This is a decision you must make on your own, but rest assured that you are my family. Even if everyone else should disappear, you will have me.”

She nodded, uncertain what else to say. When she went to take another drink of her coffee only to find an empty mug, Elijah stood and took it from her. After a moment, he returned with a freshly filled mug. “Thank you, Elijah. For everything.”

His gaze simply followed her movements as she drank her coffee then they returned to their meal and lighter conversation.

***

They walked into the Historical Society event arm and arm. Carol frowned when she saw them and made her way over. “Lucy, isn’t it? I wasn’t aware you knew Mr. Smith.” She gave her proper politician smile and Lucy resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

“Distant relations,” Elijah answered, his voice measured and precise. “She’s the one that got me interested in this region.”

“Oh, how lovely,” Carol exclaimed and then shifted her gaze to look past them. “Well, look who’s here.”

Stefan and Damon walked over causing Lucy to frown. What were they doing here? Something must be wrong. “Mr. Smith, this is Damon and Stefan Salvatore. Their family is one of the founding families in our town.”

Elijah turned and shook their hands as Lucy moved to Damon’s side. “Yes, we’ve met. Lucy and Damon are a couple after all.”

“Are they?” Carol said with some surprise and what sounded like mild disappointment.

Lucy leaned up to press a kiss against Damon’s cheek. “Why are you here?” she asked quietly.

“Elena,” was all he said.

That was enough to catch Elijah’s attention. “If you’ll excuse us, Mrs. Lockwood, I need to discuss something with my family here.”

“Of course,” Carol said and immediately headed over to chastise a waiter for breathing the wrong way or something.

The little family quickly found an office and shut themselves inside. “What is the issue with the doppelganger now?”

“She told Caroline she doesn’t trust any of us,” Stefan said.

Lucy rolled her eyes. “Okay, and?”

“I’m inclined to agree with my niece. As long as Elena behaves herself, I couldn’t care less if she finds me trustworthy or not.”

“That’s just it. Blondie says Elena’s got a little gang helping her, trying to find a way out of the sacrifice while still killing Klaus. She’s not willing to put anyone at risk by running but she’s willing to try about anything else,” Damon said.

Lucy snorted. “Who’s in this so-called gang?”

“Bonnie, Jeremy, Alaric, Matt, Tyler and kind-of Caroline,” Stefan answered. “They only include her in some of the things their up to because of us.”

“So first period history class is trying to kill the Original hybrid? Nice.” Lucy grinned. “At least you can take it easy, Elijah. Sounds like they have it covered.”

The men chuckled. “Thank you for the information, gentlemen,” Elijah said as he moved toward the door. “And please thank the lovely Caroline for her assistance.”