章 13: The Dinner of Intentions
A/N: I don't own the vampire diaries or any of its spin offs.
LONG AUTHOR'S NOTE AHEAD.
Thank you all for the love and support that you give this story. Thank you for the reviews.
I am really glad you all liked the fight scene. I was really apprehensive about that.
Side note: I read many of The Vampire Diaries OC reborn into fanfics and I have a genuine question, why are the OCs always so...high on sugar? Like, seriously. OC could have got killed brutally, r*ped and killed, left a husband they loved behind, left kids behind, left beloved pets behind or something but they always act like they are 5 year olds having a sugar rush. Why?
Real life people react differently in these situations, right? Or am I the weird one?
Anyway,
Something that I haven't addressed as of yet but want to is about the editing of the story and updates.
I know there are certain typos that still end up in the final drafts and I'm really sorry about that. My brain somehow always ends up filtering the mistakes I made until I hit publish and then it shows the flaws to me. Stupid brain.
As for updates- it's a chapter a week unless I write a long chapter and it can be spliced, then you guys would have two chapters.
The reason is I don't have the speed necessary to do more. I envy the people who do daily updates or even two chapters a week. I really do.
I was asked if I am going to include things from The Originals and Legacies. I don't know. Honestly, if I try to include those storylines as well this story would need planning and detailed plotting I don't think I am capable of and I am really not familiar with those shows as I am with the Vampire Diaries anyway. It's why the contract period between the System and Neena was two years at first. I might include some plot elements of The Originals but we will see how it goes. No promises. It's why I keep throwing away the Plot of Nik getting OC pregnant during the Summer of Season three that keeps trying to occupy my mind; because Miracle baby storyline would make the season three I want to write even more complicated.
And to that one lovely who wanted a 100 plus chapters, are you sure you want that. That would be a year or more of commitments ;-) and even I'm not sure I have that level of commitment.
WARNING: MENTIONS OF S**CIDE AHEAD.
______________________________________________________________________________
Chapter 13
The Dinner of Intentions
The two girls pushed the car into the garage.
[Ding!]
[Quest Alert!
I'm magical!
Explain to Caroline Forbes the supernatural that she lives in.
Reward: 500 Experience Points]
Neena huffed. 'I don't need your incentive, System. I was going to tell Care anyway.'
[Caroline only understood about the magical nature of the world after she became a vampire. By explaining things now you are derailing the Plot.]
'Where was this quest when I told Jenna?'
[It is coming. You have only told to her you have magic. You haven't shown her anything or really told her much at all.]
'Got it.'
"Let's go," Caroline said. "I need a shower and clean my wounds."
"Right. You got hurt. I'll help you apply medicine on it."
"You better."
Neena and Caroline sat on the sofa, each with a cup of coffee in hand. Drinking coffee at night was a bad idea but Caroline insisted she would need it to get through the night with her sanity intact.
"I still can't believe your car gave out on us at the porch. My back hurts from having to push it into the garage."
Caroline groaned. "My mom is going to kill me!"
"Where is Liz?" Neena asked sipping her coffee.
Caroline sighed. "Off to work again. You would think she is the only one in the department with how often she is there instead of at home."
Neena hummed. "I'm thinking of quitting my job."
Caroline reclined on the sofa arm. "Why?"
"I feel like I don't have enough time anymore. It was manageable during the summer but now I feel too over worked. Add to that I have to practice my magic for Damon like problems...I feel stretched out and tired."
"Right. Magic is a thing. So, since when did you become Sabrina the teenage witch"
Neena rolled her eyes. "I don't have a black cat or a talking cauldron."
"Neena."
"It was a package deal. Had my period, got magic for free."
Caroline looked at her with betrayed eyes. Hurt.
"You had your magic for that long?"
"Don't look at me like that. My magic wasn't controllable at first at all. I would be bombarded with visions regularly. It got to the point where I couldn't even recognize vision from reality."
Caroline looked at her in surprise. "Is that why you were such a bitch to everyone?"
Neena smiled. "Nah. The visions made me a lot more aggressive though. And I got nightmares from some of the things I saw and it became hard being around people. I tried not being around people and that made me paranoid, like something was just waiting to eat me." Neena was sure it was the World Conscious eyeing Aleena's soul but she couldn't tell that to Carebear.
Caroline stared at her.
"What?" Neena asked.
"Are...are you telling me that all that time that I and Bonnie bad mouthed you, you were suffering from visions and nightmares!"
Neena avoided eye contact. She could see the growing horror in the Blonde's eyes.
"You didn't know. Hell, even my parents didn't know and they kept observing me every chance they got. What I did to you and the others was bitchy regardless of my excuse. You didn't know what was happening. Your reaction was normal. No self-respecting person would be friends with someone who kept ignoring them, skipping hanging out with them, and breaking promises and then gave lame excuses."
Caroline's eyes were bloodshot. "But-"
"Carebear, leave it. It's in the past."
Caroline pulled Neena into a choking hug.
"Oh. Care, need air. You're choking me."
The Blonde loosened her hand but didn't let go.
"How's your wounds now?" Neena asked her.
Caroline shrugged. "Hurts a bit but I'll be fine."
"Sorry I don't know any healing spells or stuff. I probably should look into something of the sort, right?"
"Right. So...magic is real then."
"Yup."
"You have magic."
"Yup. I think we already established that."
"Vampires are real."
"Yeah they are. And all of them are so pretty that I'll amine drool on them."
"You are so weird," Caroline said with a wrinkled nose. "What else is real? Werewolves? Elves? Unicorns? Dragons? Demons? Angels? What else?"
Neena pursed her lips. "Werewolves are real. The rest...I'm not sure about. Maybe. I don't know. I haven't met any so I can't be sure. But I like to believe that all the legends are true than to be blindsided by something."
Caroline looked at the girl in her arms.
"How do you know about Werewolves then? Did you meet any?"
Neena fidgeted.
"Neena! I can see you trying to backtrack. Tell me."
Neena sighed. "The Lockwoods."
Caroline gaped, her hands falling to her side. "What? What! Tyler? Tyler gets to be magical while I'm stuck being a stupid muggle? And how is he hiding it? Wouldn't there be sightings of wolf like creatures on the news?"
"I saw it in my visions you know. That's why I know this. The werewolf curse is different in this world. It is hereditary and genetic. It does not transfer from one person to another through bites. And being a muggle is not that bad."
"Yeah it is!" Caroline looked horrified. "How is this werewolf thing triggered then? Do you need to reach a specific age? Or do you need to eat or drink something? Or die? Which is it?"
"The dying thing are for Vampires. No, actually, you have to kill someone."
"Oh," Caroline looked overwhelmed. "Oh wow. Oh. Kill? Really?"
"Do you want me to stop?"
"Don't you dare! But, seriously...you have to kill to become a werewolves?"
"You take someone's life and the Curse is yours."
"We have to tell Tyler!" Caroline said.
"No we don't!"
"But Neena, he has the right to know!"
Neena sighed. "Yes, he does. But once he is aware of it and knows what it entails to trigger the Curse fate will start to meddle."
"What? What does that mean!"
"Do you really want him to live a life where he constantly fears his every actions so that he doesn't kill someone? Besides, it's not our secret to reveal. It's something Mason has to deal with."
"Mason?" Caroline asked, confused. "Wait! Mason as in Mason Lockwood? The guy who used to babysit us? That Mason? He killed someone?"
"Yeah. So you see, it is not our secret to revea-"
Neena's phone rang.
Neena looked at the caller ID. Aunt Jenna.
"Hello?"
"Where are you?"
"Oh my God, Jenna. I'm so sorry. I was going to inform you that I'm staying at Caroline's place but then we kind of had a small accident and I forgot."
"Oh my God! Are you okay? Is Caroline okay? What happened? Did you get hurt? Do you want me to come there? I know Liz is not at home. Ally! Ally! Why aren't you talking?"
Neena grinned and Caroline rolled her eyes at the phone. "You asked more than five questions in succession and didn't even pause to let me speak. We are fine. Care scraped her knees and elbows but that's it. Everything is fine."
"I thought.."
Neena smiled. "You thought what?"
"I-I"
Neena frowned. "Jenna?"
"Well...I didn't know what to think. You came out as a witch today morning, you still haven't given proof for that by the way, and we didn't really discuss it in detail, and then you weren't home even though Elena came. I was so worried."
"What did you think was happening Jenna?"
Caroline pressed her ear to the other side of the phone, curious.
"Your witch confession seemed to come out of nowhere and you seemed so determined, like you were planning on doing something...I...I thought..."
Neena had a guess of what Jenna thought.
"You thought I was going to kill myself," Neena finished for her.
"I'm so sorry," Jenna said in a thick voice, like she was suppressing her tears. "I didn't know what to think. And there was all these news about depression and what people did during those times."
"I won't do that you, Jenna. I won't let our family to bury anyone early if I can help it. We all deserve to die wrinkled, frail, white haired, on our deathbed."
"That sounds awful somehow," Jenna said with a laugh.
"I told Caroline the truth by the way," Neena said.
"Oh?" Jenna sounded surprised.
"We needed my superpowers to make it out alive today," Neena said.
"Oh! Right! The accident. That's great. I've been trying to research about it actually. It's not easy to get much information and those I did get I am not sure is truth or fiction. We could use Caroline's research ability in this."
"I'll help!" Caroline shouted.
Neena cringed away at the ringing in her ears and glared at the girl.
"Sorry," the Blonde said, not looking particularly sorry. "Got a bit exited."
"Bye aunt Jenna. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Bye."
Caroline looked at her.
"What now, Carebear?"
"You said to Jenna the truth this morning."
"Yup. She is my guardian and already second guessing herself. If I hid this from her and she knew about it from some other source she would start thinking herself a failure at parenting thing. Why do that to her."
Caroline looked at her with sad eyes.
"What?"
"If Damon had not attacked us today, would I have ever been told the
truth?"
"Yup. I was planning to tell Jeremy before you though."
Caroline fidgeted. "That makes sense I guess. He is your brother."
Neena shrugged. "I was planning on using it as an excuse to let him know that he is important to me. Sometimes it looks like he doesn't realize how much he means to us. I mean...how much we actually care...you get it right?"
Caroline laughed. "Yeah."
Neena's phone rang again.
"Who is it now?" Caroline asked, glaring at the gadget.
"Speak of the devil and he will appear."
"What?"
"It's Jeremy," Neena said, laughing. "Hey Jerry!"
"Neena, where are you?"
Something in his tone made her pause. "What happened?"
"Nothing. Just wanted to know if you reached home safely. Elena left with out you after all."
"Yeah she did. I decided to stay at Caroline's place for the night. Can you buy some food from the Grille for us to eat. I don't really feel like cooking anymore."
His voice was weak, like he was tired.
"Sorry Ally, I can't. I...um...I kind of need to get home too. Just order a pizza or something. Or you can just drive your own car to get your food. You can't expect me to walk all the way to Caroline's place right?"
"I gave my car key to Matt. You can drive him and Vicki home and then come."
"No!" there was harshness in his tone. "Take Caroline's car then!"
Neena looked at Caroline. The blonde raised an eyebrow in question.
Neena squeezed her eyes shut. She didn't want Jeremy to know about what had happened but she could hear in her brother's voice that he needed someone at that moment.
Stupid Vicki, playing with her brother's heart. She knew the girl probably didn't mean to but damn it. That was her brother she was using her emotional crutch as.
"Yeah. About that, Care's car got into a little accident."
Caroline looked at her in shock. She couldn't believe Neena said that to Jeremy. The kid already lost his parents in a car accident, he was not going to take the news well.
"The car got into a little accident?" Jeremy sounded confused. "Did the car drive itself....no...no....please don't tell me by car you mean you. Were you in the car? What happened? Why are you at Caroline's place? Why are you not at the hospital? How can you be so irresponsible? What if you have internal bleeding or concussion!"
"I'm fine! Caroline's the one who actually got hurt. She had many wounds. I'm fine."
"I'll be the judge of that! I'm coming right away."
Neena cringed as he cut the call.
"Well, so much for a girl's night," Caroline said in disdain.
Neena sighed. "I'll make him go back after he checks up on me. I promise."
Caroline rolled her eyes. "Do you think I'm that selfish, Neena? Your little brother just found out you were in an accident, big or small, he is going to want to stick around. It's fine though. I get it. I'd do the same if-"
A crow cawed.
Caroline squeaked and turned to the window.
Caroline sighed in relief. "It's your bird right Neena? What is it doing here? Aren't crows day birds. Or are the nocturnal and I never knew it."
Neena rolled her eyes. "It's Damon."
'You could have warned me, System.'
[The host is doing well on your own.]
'Jackass.'
Caroline looked creeped out at the thought of that murderous vampire being near them so soon. "What?"
"Damon compelled it or something."
"What the hell is compelled?"
"Vampire version of Imperio or maybe Hypnotic suggestions are the better words for it."
Caroline looked freaked out. "Oh my God! He can do that?"
Neena remembered something and grabbed her bag, handing Caroline a small cotton satchel from inside it.
"What the hell is this?"
"Vervain or verbena. It's a plant that helps you resist compulsion and makes your blood toxic to vampires. I dried it so that you can use it as tea. I'm cultivating the plants at home. The necklace I gave you also contains it, so as long as you don't take it off no one can compel you even if you forget to drink it."
Caroline sat in a daze.
"That's not an attractive look on you, Blondie. It makes you look like the perfect dumb blonde though," a voice said from the window. "Do you mind inviting me in."
Damon Salvatore sat on the window sill of Caroline's dining room.
"Damon," Neena scolded. "Don't you have a little brother to annoy?"
"Yes I do. But I can do that anytime I want. Blondie, I'm waiting for an invite."
Caroline looked at him in disbelief. "You attacked me. You tried to kill me. You almost killed Neena. And you want me to invite you?"
Damon shrugged. "Yeah. I wasn't planning on killing you though. I only decided to do that after your witchy decided to put a crinkle in my original plan. And I wanted to try to kill Neena because she was getting in my way. But let's let bygones be bygones."
"Let's not," Caroline mocked him.
"Just invite me in Blonde."
"That's another thing," Neena said, remembering she hadn't informed Caroline. "Vampires can only get into a place if they are invited in by someone who lives there or if the owner is dead."
Caroline looked at him in shock. "That's actually a thing? You almost tricked me into giving you infinite access to my home, you creep!"
"Is it so wrong of me to try to manipulate you?"
Caroline snarled at him. "I'll carry garlic sprays around just to spray it in your eyes every time I see you."
"Those don't work," Neena said, amusement in her eyes. "You can carry vervain sprays though."
Caroline looked disappointed. "What about Holy Water?"
"It burns us," Damon said, smirking.
"It's just water to them," Neena said.
"The Cross?"
"I cower in fear at the sight of it," Damon said seriously.
"That's just your inner Christian realizing he is a sinner," Neena said to him.
Damon rolled his eyes.
"Stake through the heart?" Caroline asked.
"That's not real," Damon said with a shrug.
"It kills them," Neena said to her. "Wood is their weakness actually. Anything with wood hurts worse than with anything else."
"Splinters must suck for you then," Caroline said with a sadistic grin.
Damon smiled.
"You can also kill them by cutting off their head or removing their heart," Neena said.
Damon shivered at the odd glint in Neena's eyes. Was that arousal?
Neena, for her part was remembering Elijah being the cool guy who smacked someone's head off before he got daggered twice in the span of an hour because he was outsmarted by a vampire-human gang of people hundreds of years younger than him. Major let down at that time. He went back to being baddass in The Originals though so he was still hot.
But Klaus though. Klaus. He was so hot when he outsmarted everybody in season 2 and maintained his diabolical aura through out.
"I don't want to know what you are dreaming about," Damon said to her with a shudder.
"Me neither," Caroline said.
Neena rolled her eyes. "Why are you really here, Damon?"
He hesitated, and then sighed. "I need one of you to pretend to be my girlfriend."
"And why would we do that?" Caroline asked.
"Because I left you alive."
Caroline glared at him. Neena sighed and sipped her coffee.
"Why do you want to do that?" Caroline asked hesitantly.
"To make my little brother squirm with unease. I'm trying to torture him emotionally."
"Not that I want you to, but you could have asked Bonnie out or something too. Why us?" Caroline asked.
"Cause she is a Bennett witch," Damon said.
Caroline looked at him in realization. "Bonnie is an actual witch. Her Grams was not just croaking."
Damon nodded.
Caroline frowned. "Wait. What does her being a Bennett Witch have to do with anything?"
"Witches can't be compelled," Damon informed her.
Caroline turned to Neena in disbelief.
"What?" Neena asked her.
"How can you still think being a muggle is good? We are the only ones that can be bullied by the supernatural!"
Neena rolled her eyes.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations Host 999!
Quest Complete!
I'm Magical!
Explain to Caroline Forbes the Supernatural World she lives in.
Rewarded 500 Experience Points]
'Why did this quest have so much Experience Points?'
[Because it derailed many plot developments and changed the Character Arc of Caroline Forbes, a Main Cast Member who was there for all the seasons.]
'Now I feel good about myself.'
Damon observed the pleased look on Neena's face. He wondered what made her so smug.
"But Damon, you won't even try it the hard way? You know, try to actually woo her. Don't have the game or something" Caroline mocked Damon.
Damon smirked.
"He can't. He needs the approval of the Bennett line or something to get his agendas done straight," Neena told her.
Damon looked at her in suspicion. "And how do you know that?"
"Your over eager need to become Bonnie's friend. You literally said being her friend would be convenient for you."
"Oh yeah. That's true. I heard that too. Didn't know what you meant so sort of ignored it," Caroline said.
"So, Girlfriend?"
"Nope," Caroline said.
Neena looked at the blonde and then at the vampire. Was this the World trying to right the plot? Was Damon going to carry on the intentions of the World?
"Damon," Neena called.
He looked at her in excitement.
"Neena, don't," Caroline said. "If you agree to it, I'll tell Jenna."
"Did you just pull the I'll tell the parents card on me, Blondie? Anyway, that's not I was gonna say. I have an even better diabolical plan, Damon."
He looked at her curiously, tilting his head to the side.
So cute!
"Do nothing."
"What?" Damon and Caroline said together. They looked disgusted at being in the same thought frequency as the other.
Neena smirked. They were so adorable. "Do nothing. Be a normal guy. Be friendly to everyone, especially me, Care and Bonnie. It will put Stefan on edge, paranoid about what you are up to and then when he thinks he has you figured attack someone at random. You can steal blood from the hospital when you are hungry. Microwave it if you want it warm."
Caroline looked her in disbelief. "Why are you advising him? Are you seriously helping him?"
"If it keeps our friends and family safe from harm's way then yes. I'll do anything for my loved ones." Because I never had them before, she thought. "Even if I have to sell my morality for it."
Caroline looked her with warm, sad eyes.
Damon cleared his throat.
Neena looked at him.
His eyes were swirling with unfathomable emotions. "I guess that works too. I better go then. Have a little brother to send into a panic. I'll say you girls said Hai."
[Ding!]
[Congratulations Host 999!
Favourability of Damon Salvatore has increased to 'I like you enough to not to kill you out right.']
Neena felt her heart warm. That was sweet in a weird murdering vampire way.
Caroline sat with her.
"Neena?"
"Yeah?"
"You're kind of cool."
Neena raised an eyebrow. "I saved you from a vampire and used magic to battle him. And yet, plotting to make Stefan uncomfortable is what made me look cool?"
"You are an idiot."
"I object to your crude description of my mental faculty."
Caroline laughed. "You are such a weirdo," she then looked at the cups on the table. "The coffee got cold."
"Drinking coffee at night makes you fat anyway."
Caroline looked at her in horror. "No. You are lying."
"I'm not. It's up to you to believe."
Caroline quickly threw away the rest of the Coffee.
They started to watch The Notebook cuddled under the same blanket under Caroline's insistence.
Jeremy came in ten minutes into the movie.
He started to fuss about her and tried to make her go to the hospital.
"I'm fine. I'm fine. Really."
"How?" Jeremy asked. "You drove the car. How are you fine when Caroline is bruised all over?"
"I will tell to you soon Jeremy. But not today. I had to explain this same information to too many people today. I need some time away from thinking about it. Can we do that?"
"Yeah. Okay."
"So, why were you upset?"
"Don't want to think about it. Hey Caroline?"
"Yeah?"
"Can I stay here for tonight?"
Caroline smiled. "You'll have to watch The Notebook with us."
Jeremy groaned. "I better go then."
Jeremy started to stand up.
Neena yanked him down by the collar and hugged him, cuddling to his side.
"Stay."
Jeremy smiled at her fondly. "Okay."
Neena called Jenna to let her know Jeremy was staying over and the three fell asleep watching movie on the couch, all cuddled together.
In the morning in was a war zone in the kitchen of the Forbes because Neena started to make soup for breakfast and Caroline started to micro manage it.
Jeremy quietly sipped his morning coffee hoping to get out of the house before the egomaniacs decided to drag him into their petty fight.
"God! You are such a control freak, Care!" Neena shouted as she started to plate the food the Caroline specifically insisted they should eat in after spending half an hour of just choosing.
Caroline pouted and sat beside Jeremy, glaring at the bowl in front of her.
"I was trying to help, you obsessive stubborn idiot! Good plating is half the taste of the food we eat! And recipes are meant to be changed. And who puts eggplants in soup anyway? That stuff tastes horrible."
Neena rolled her eyes and set the vegetable soup in front of them with toasted bread on the side.
"So you have magic is what you are saying," Jeremy interjected before they could start up World War 3 again.
He still couldn't believe that his sister was a witch and it hurt him that she hid it from him. He wanted to be understanding but it hurt that she kept this a secret for so many years.
"You should have seen it," Caroline said in excitement. "The way she fought a vampire to a standstill. How did you do that? Bonnie doesn't seem to have that power."
Neena froze. 'System! What do I say?'
[That you drank a potion.]
'And when they ask where I got that potion?'
[A witch supplied you with it. You don't know who she is but she made it because she had vampire friends.]
Neena blinked. 'That lie seems very specific.'
[It's not a lie. All the potions in the System Market was made by Emma McAllister during her adventures. Or at least one version of her made it.]
'Who the hell is Emma?'
[You wanted a person. I gave you a name and backstory.]
"Neena?" Jeremy called.
"It was a potion made by another witch named Emma McAllister."
"Oh. How did you meet her?"
Neena thought about what to say. How would Aleena Gilbert meet such a powerful witch?
"I didn't meet her," Neena said. The others looked at her in surprise. "She met me. She was passing through here and we met. She decided to help me a bit with my magic....that's why my magic is more controlled now."
[Host has a frightening amount of skill to weave truth and lie.]
'I know. It keeps me awake at night.'
"So, show me some magic then," Jeremy asked with a grin.
Neena wasn't all that surprised by how open Jeremy was about her new status as a witch. She felt the awe and excitement in his eyes at it.
She supposed there were some things that she could J. K Rowling for. It made a lot of people more open to idea of Magic.
She took a glass of water and placed it in the middle of the table. She had wanted to do this for sometime when she had felt her Water Control was better than before.
Caroline looked at her actions with curiosity. She had seen Neena fight with magic but she didn't really have the luxury to really appreciate it.
Neena pulled the water from the glass and started to create a net of water from it. She then changed its shape to a flower bud. Slowly, she made thin, near transparent layers of water sheets like each were the petals of the flower being pealed off. The water lotus slowly bloomed in the air, hovering over the empty glass.
Jeremy looked at his sister in awe.
Caroline stared at the water flower in wonder.
[Ding!
Congratulations Host 999!
Water Manipulation Control skill upgraded to Apprentice.]
[The System thinks the Host is trying to show off a bit much.]
'Shut up.'
"Can you turn it into glass?" Caroline asked in a whisper, fearing she would break Neena's concentration and the breath-taking image in front of her would fade.
'System? Can I do it?'
[The Host is the one with the Magic. Try to if you want to.]
Neena closed her eyes. The image of the floating water lotus still in her mind.
Magic, for all its technicalities was about the Will of the wielder. She had to be able to do it.
She imagined the petal sheets turning solid, more concrete even as they still kept their semi-transparent state. She imagined the warm light hitting those petals and being reflected back. She imagined the water in it changing its nature and collecting dust from the atmosphere to become glass. She could imagine the flower becoming warm and then hot and then becoming pure transparent glass figure with ice-cold surface.
Caroline gasped.
Neena's eyes flew open and she lost control.
The flower fell and Jeremy saved it from being smashed on the floor and braking.
They all looked at it in awe.
A glass replica of the water lotus sat in the palms of Jeremy.
"I did that," Neena said in a daze.
"Magic is real," Jeremy whispered as he stared at the thing in his hand.
"You just did Transfiguration," Caroline said.
Neena snorted. "I guess I did."
"Give it to me," Caroline said to Jeremy.
"What? Why? My sister made it!"
"She made it for me."
"No she didn't!"
"I'm the one who told her to turn it into a glass figure. So yes she did."
"That does not mean she did it for you! She was showing me magic, so she made it for me."
The two glared at each other.
"I'll make another one. Happy?"
Caroline went to grab another glass of water.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations Host 999!
You have unlocked a new Skill Branch: Transfiguration.]
'Cool!'
[Host should stop unlocking skills from other universes.]
'What?'
[No witch in this world have discovered this part of their powers yet.]
'Why not? Nobody has tried it?'
[They are all taught about what their magic is already, so are unable to think of it I such a way. Those that do hide it from others.]
Neena rolled her eyes. 'I'll practice my magic the way I want to. It's mine. I should be the one to decide what I should and shouldn't do with my magic. Understood?'
[Host 999 is becoming more and more assertive. Good for you.]
Caroline placed a large glass of water in front of her.
Neena raised an eyebrow at the blonde.
"What? If I can't have your first flower, I'll have the biggest."
Jeremy snickered.
Neena groaned. "Think about what you say before you speak, Care!"
Caroline blushed and puffed her cheeks. "It's because you guys have a gutter instead of a brain."
Laughing, Neena repeated the process, trying to make as many layers of petals as possible. Soon, another glass lotus was made. This one sat in Caroline's hands.
Jeremy packed his bags after that and went away because Caroline became overbearing with her smug look of having an even bigger lotus than his. Caroline laughed happily as she placed the flower on her shelf and followed after him.
Jeremy was already in the backseat of Neena's car.
"You are such a child sometimes," Neena complained as she drove the car out of the Forbes porch. "I'll talk to Damon about paying for your car, okay? It's the least he can do after nearly killing you."
"Damon? Who the hell is Damon?" Jeremy asked in anger.
"The guy who stood in front of our car when it was foggy. I had to...steer the car away because of him. Didn't want to hit him you know. I think he was drunk. Kept crying about his dead girlfriend," Neena said.
"Oh. You know this guy?" Jeremy asked.
"We met him at the grocery store. Remember that guy who saved the bottle? He is also Stefan's big brother."
"Elena's boyfriend Stefan?"
"How may Stefan do you know?" Caroline asked.
"Not many," he admitted. "I guess I can understand him then."
"Girl problems," Neena said with a nod.
Classes that day was horrible, slow and boring. Or it was until Tyler started to approach Neena after History.
Everyone's attention seemed to be on the two even though they pretended to be occupied.
Neena ran away before he could get near her and the rest of her day was spent playing "Hide from Tyler Lockwood." She was winning the game if she was true to herself.
Caroline laughed her ass off seeing her try to hide behind a open locker door when she thought she saw Tyler. It wasn't him and the girl who's door she used as a hiding place gave her weird looks.
By evening, Jeremy was trailing after Neena, playing his own version of the game called "Hide from Vicki Donovan."
"That's how I know the two of you are related," Caroline said. "Hiding from their ex crushes in the worst possible places and running away from potential confrontations."
"Why are you hiding from Vicki?" Neena asked.
"I saw her kissing Tyler and then go to his car last night after she seemed all into me. I think she just slept with me because I kept providing her with alcohols and messing from dad's old cabinet. She then tried to get me to give her more pills and kiss me when I said no. Had to run away from her all morning."
"Your Tyler problem is lame in comparison," Caroline said to her.
"My problem is lame. But since it's my problem, I give it priority over my brothers."
They reached the sports ground of Mystic Falls High.
"Hey, Care?"
Caroline looked at her.
"Make sure to have a back up for Elena's position."
Caroline narrowed her eyes. "Why?"
"I talked to her but she might quit Cheerleading."
Caroline looked at her horrified. "But the game is tomorrow! How can she do that to me!"
"She hasn't done it," Jeremy defended. "Neena was just speculating."
"Were you?" Caroline asked in a hopeful voice.
"I saw it in a vision."
"Damn it!" Caroline said. "Seriously!"
They got off the car and the girls started their new routine.
Caroline dragged Neena to join them.
"Why!" Neena whined.
"She is your twin sister. If she bails on me at the last minute, you will take her place."
"This is punishing me, not her!"
"How long ago did you know about Elena going to bail on me?" Caroline asked with a tilt of her head.
"Since summer."
Caroline's face twisted, and she looked like she wanted to strangle Neena. "You knew since summer break! No excuse for you! You are becoming her substitute for the game!"
Neena groaned but complied with the neurotic blonde.
She tried to work in tandem with the rest of the girls and found it surprisingly easy. She supposed it was the near obsessive amount of practice that Aleena had put to make herself the best.
Caroline looked at her with such glimmering eyes that Neena hoped and prayed Elena would not quit the team because otherwise, she was sure Caroline would not only give Elena's position to her for the game but also harass her into being a cheerleader again.
They started a new routine and the girls played harder. Elena looked knackered.
Neena was sure it was because the girl hardly exercised anymore.
They all laid down on the ground, tired.
Neena and Caroline sat beside Bonnie, the transmigrator using Bonnie's lap as a pillow to sleep.
"Elena said she wants us at her place for dinner," Bonnie said to Caroline, threading her hand through Neena's long hair and untangling it occasionally. "What do you do to your hair, Nee, your hair is so soft that I keep wanting to do it."
Neena hummed but didn't answer.
"If she was a cat, she would purr," Caroline said.
Elena glared at her sister.
"Why are you glaring at Neena?" Bonnie asked.
Neena opened her eyes and squinted at her sister. "What?"
"I have a lap too, why did you choose to lay on Bonnie's?"
Neena gaped at her. "You are joking right? She is joking right?"
Bonnie pushed Neena off her lap.
The transmigrator rolled and fell on her back. "Hey! That was rude!"
"Here," Bonnie said in a fake accent. "Take the soft haired peasant away if you must."
Caroline giggled.
Elena blushed as she realized she made a scene out of nothing. She couldn't help it though. Something in her said that she should be the closest person to her sister. She always felt a sense of anger and betrayal when her sister did things without her like Neena was breaking a promise she made to her.
Neena tried to comb the grass entangled in her hair. Aleena had so much hair. It wasn't the length of it that wasn't manageable, it was the thickness of it.
Bonnie started to help her, combing through the girl's wavy locks.
"I think she pushed her off just to make an excuse to touch her hair," Elena said to Caroline.
"I can see it. Careful, Neena. She might shave your head at night to steal your hair or something," Caroline teased.
Bonnie rolled her eyes. "Elena wants me to have dinner at her place tonight."
"Oh?" Caroline asked. She was a bit sad that she wasn't invited but she had Neena at her place without the other two so maybe it was okay. She couldn't say that to Elena though or Elena the green head of envy might just kill her. She had looked murderous seeing Bonnie and Neena like that.
"I wanted her to meet Stefan," Elena confessed.
"What!" Caroline was horrified. Having dinner with Stefan meant inviting him in. He would then have free access to creep into their house. "You can't be with him!"
Elena looked shocked. "Wha-what? Care, he is a nice guy. You should give him a chance. In fact, change of plans. You are invited to the dinner as well. The two of you will see. He really is a great guy."
Caroline wanted to protest.
She turned to Neena. She was a witch. She must have seen something right. She would back Caroline up right?
"He is," Neena said. "a great guy. Very respectful and old school. He wouldn't force his opinion on anyone. He did that to Damon after all, and it made Damon as he is."
Bonnie looked at her, confused.
Caroline looked like she was trying not to chock.
Elena stared at her. "What?"
"What What?"
Jealousy brimmed in the doppelganger's eyes and voice. "Stefan told you that?"
Neena blinked. Shit. What was she thinking!
[Nothing. You were not thinking.]
'Shut up, System. Go flirt with Google or Chrome or something!'
"Damon did," Caroline covered for her. Elena looked at her in surprise.
Bonnie looked like she realized something. "He said to you that yesterday, huh?"
Caroline blinked at her in relief. Yes, make things up with her! Though her words were too close to the truth since they did meet yesterday.
"Yeah!"
"I was so scared when he told me about the accident."
Caroline blinked at her owlishly. "What?"
"He told to me how he rescued you and Neena from the car wreck. It was so lucky he was there, right?"
Elena looked at Neena in shock. She started to turn the girl this way and that. Her movements frantic.
"Did you get hurt somewhere? Why are not at the hospital! What if you have internal bleeding!"
"I'm fine! Like I said to aunt Jenna and Jeremy, I am fine!"
Elena glared. "You told them but not me!"
Neena rolled her eyes. "I didn't mean to. It slipped out. I didn't want any of you to find out about it."
"Nee-"
"So, Stefan's coming for dinner huh? What are you making him?" Neena asked, hoping it would distract Elena.
The doppelganger glared. "I'm ordering out. Now, Nee-"
"Will you leave the topic alone if I cook for your dinner party," Neena asked.
Elena looked at her in disbelief. She looked at Bonnie for help, and then blinked. The Bennett girl had started to braid Neena's hair.
"Bonnie?"
"Yeah?" she said, distracted.
Elena sighed. It looked like she had to go along with it.
"Fine, Neena. If you cook, I'll leave it alone. But don't try to hide things from me again!"
"No promises."
"Alright!" Caroline said, jumping to her feet. "Break time is over ladies. Let's start from the top with the Double pike herkie Hurtle!"
Neena groaned and laid on the ground.
Elena tried to drag her to her feet. "Come on! Get up! Neena!"
"Aleena Gilbert, get your ass up from the ground or I'm going to force you to watch the Titanic again!" Caroline shouted.
"I'm up! I'm up! Honestly! No more Jack dying scene for me!"
Cheer practice ended with everyone cursing Caroline and her future children. Neena was the loudest in her various ways of describing how Caroline is going to die.
Caroline had just given her a smug smirk, telling her to walk it off.
The four of them went grocery shopping together. Neena walked out to buy the cuts of meet and stuff because the others bailed on her. She also brought something extra incase a certain vampire pulled the same trick again.
She also got a new quest.
[Ding!]
[Quest Alert!
The Dinner of Intentions!
Survive the dinner with the Salvatore brothers.
Reward: 100 Experience Points.]
That wasn't ominous at all.
Neena, Caroline and Elena started prepping for Dinner which soon turned into Elena being put on cleaning duty because Neena got too frustrated.
"I told you to fricking peel the vegetables not take all their flesh off! Out! Off you go! Out of my kitchen!"
Caroline laughed at her misery.
Almost all the food was cooked when Bonnie came in. Neena was ready to chew the girl out on trying to squirm her way out of helping but stopped at the snarling and shocked expression on Caroline's face.
Neena looked at where the blonde was glaring at.
There sat on her sofa Damon Salvatore. And he even looked so charming in his deep red button up.
"Hey Neena!" he said, his expression soft and kind. What the hell. "Sorry for intruding on you like this, but Bonnie and I met on her way here. I was coming to ask you how you were doing! How are you now?"
"G-great!"
He gave her a smile, his eyes laughing at her.
"There!" Caroline said suddenly. "Now that you have asked, leave!"
"Caroline!" Bonnie scolded. "Don't be rude!"
Elena looked stunned at the blonde's outburst. "I'm so sorry Damon! I don't know what came over her! You know she isn't like this!"
"It's okay Elena. I'm sorry...Caroline was it....have I offended you somehow?" Damon asked her,, clearly holding back a laugh.
"Yeah! You exist!"
Damon's eyes narrowed, a glint entering them.
Neena stepped in front of Caroline, blocking his view of the blonde.
"She had a bit of sherry before, it's the wine speaking. Welcome to our home Damon. Elena must have invited you in, huh?"
Stormy blue eyes stared at her and then became gentle. He gave her a soft smile.
"You are a such a smart girl, Neena!" he said. "Elena did invited me in! She kept saying how happy she was that I helped you from that car accident. I did stop to buy a bottle of wine though. It's not the same as some of the Salvatore collections but I couldn't just run away to get a bottle with Bonnie present. Really sorry."
Neena smiled at him. "That's okay. I'm glad you could make it."
He looked at her in surprise as he picked up the sincerity of her words. What a strange witch.
Neena was sure Damon would somehow crash this little get-together. But she hadn't expected him to use Bonnie. She was a Bamon fan but she didn't like the fact that their interactions were so manipulated. Bonnie needed to know the truth soon, because otherwise, Damon would have manipulated to a point where she would never trust him again.
"I can break out some of Jenna's stock if you want?" Elena asked him.
Damon nodded his head. "Sure!"
The doorbell rang.
"That must be Stefan!" Elena said happily.
Damon laughed at her enthusiasm and walked with her to the door, planning on giving his brother a heart attack.
Neena pinched Caroline's side.
"Ow. Neena, what!"
"Why are you antagonizing him!" Neena hissed at her.
Caroline up turned her nose. "I'm not going to cower in fear just because of him!"
Neena sighed. She knew Caroline's personality very well. This was the girl who mocked and insulted an Original vampire who had hundreds of years on her when she was only months old. It wasn't in her personality to bow down to murderous psychos.
Neena just wished she was a bit more tactful.
Damon and Elena came in with Stefan behind them looking constipated or angry. She wasn't sure.
"Hey Stefan," Neena said, a warm smile on her face.
He blinked and then nodded, a strained smile on his face. "Hey."
Neena smiled. "Don't feel so awkward. Sit. Dinner will be served soon. Oh, you do like Asian right?"
Stefan relaxed a bit and gave her a nod.
"Great!"
"I'll help you!" Damon said.
Stefan tensed up again.
Damon's face looked childishly gleeful at that.
"There's no need of that," Elena said. "We are done cooking."
"You mean Neena is done cooking," Bonnie teased her. "We all know how good you are at cooking."
"Aunt Jenna is better than her," Neena said.
Damon laughed.
Caroline huffed and went into the kitchen, dragging Neena by the elbow with her.
"Care," Neena said. "Calm down."
Caroline puffed her cheeks. She wasn't wrong. That wannabe Dracula tried to drain her of her blood yesterday and almost killed Neena. She still shuddered to think what would have happened if Neena didn't have her powers, if she hadn't been able to beat him to submission. Her best friend would be dead. She would be attending her funeral if she survived that bastard or maybe he would mind juju her.
Neena started to plate the food. Some kind of reddish meat soup and rice with fried pickles.
She knew Neena didn't realize how much yesterday's events affected her. Neena was too busy trying to move on. But Caroline noticed how much her friend's hands shook when she drove the car today. She noticed the unconscious way her eyes would move here and there, waiting for an attack. She hadn't relaxed a bit.
And Caroline hated that she couldn't do anything, especially about Damon. Stefan she would not judge yet, but Damon was different. He would clearly kill anyone if he is bored with them.
Neena took Caroline's hand and pulled her to the dining table, making her sit.
Caroline looked at her in confusion.
"Bonnie and Elena will be serving because we did the cooking," Neena said, sending Elena a look.
Elena, who was making eyes at Stefan, blushed.
"Yes yeah. Come on Bonnie."
When the food was served and everyone was seated, Stefan grabbed Elena's hand, stopping her from eating.
"Stefan?" Elena asked.
The rest of them looked at them curiously. Except for Damon who looked at Neena like he was seeing her for the first time.
"What is this?" Stefan asked in a strained voice, pointing at the soup.
Neena blinked owlishly at him.
"Goat Blood soup," Neena answered.
Bonnie and Caroline looked shocked.
Elena squealed. "Oh my God! You made it again! Stefan you have to try it! It's a Chinese dish! Neena made it with pig blood last time and I didn't get to eat much because Jenna and Jeremy are such gluttons!"
Stefan stared at Elena like he was seeing her for the first time. "Huh?"
Caroline and Damon snorted. They glared at each other. They couldn't believe they did that together.
Elena blinked in confusion and then realized. "Oh! I forgot how blood makes you squeamish Stefan! I'm so sorry! I didn't tell Neena about it!"
Caroline and Damon snorted again. They glared at each other again.
"Stefan," Neena called. Deep green eyes looked at her in a daze. "You can I've it a taste, right? If you don't like it, I can make you something else. I just thought that since your brother seemed to like the blood you did too."
Stefan's eyes widened. He realized she was telling him she knew who he was. What he was. Stefan wanted to run away. Damon must have compelled her to do this.
She seemed to realize what he was thinking.
"After dinner maybe Elena can show you the back garden," she told him.
"What's in the back garden?" Damon asked in curiosity.
"They grow plants," Bonnie mocked him. And then seeming to realize what she did, blushed. "Sorry. I meant herbs. They grow herbs. Neena is as much into the witchy stuff than my Grams is, so she has been growing herbs that are said to have magical properties."
"Let me guess," Damon said with a flirty smirk. "Vervain."
Bonnie giggled. "Yeah. She has a bunch of that plant. I think she even has a pot of it in each of their rooms. It keeps the mind clear and protects you from evil creatures of the night."
Stefan started to realize what was happening.
"You are full of surprises, Neena," Damon said. "And quite a deadly opponent for the supernatural. If I was one, I would be thinking of how to get rid of you before you grow even stronger."
Caroline tensed and hissed at him.
Stefan looked at the blonde in shock. Were Bonnie and Elena the only ones who didn't know?
"I wouldn't call myself a threat to the supernatural," Neena said with a sardonic laugh. "I will protect my loved ones with everything I have. If you get hurt in the process I can only say sorry. But then again, I am trying to be friends with you two. Aren't I?"
Elena snorted. "You make it sound like they are supernatural."
Stefan looked at the food in front of him. "You made this because..."
"I made this because I wanted to," Neena said, maintaining eyes with both the brothers. "I made this because tonight you are our guests and I won't hold back when I know what you like."
Bonnie sighed. "It almost feels like there is a sub-conversation going on, Neena."
Stefan smiled warmly at Neena, his eyes gentle. "Thank you for the food. I don't mind the blood part of it either but I can't eat it now. Can you pack these for me and Damon? I swear I'll try it."
Neena looked confused.
Damon sighed. "Me and my brother do eat food that are a bit more bloody but we make weird faces apparently. It's best we eat your special food at our own place that do not have beautiful girls to see that part of us."
Damon waggled his eyebrows at Bonnie at the end.
Neena's face morphed into shock. Of course! Having blood made their faces go all veiny. Why did she make such a mistake? Why was her mind so scattered.
She laughed and swatted his arm. "You know Damon, I might be becoming immune to your flirting."
"I was only a matter of time," Damon said to her. "Being my friend means you need to gain immunity towards my looks and my charm. I wonder how ever you will do it."
Bonnie smirked. "I'll manage. I think I will take the Caroline Forbes class. She seems really against you."
"I'm right here," Caroline said. "But sure. You will hate his guts once I'm done with you."
Bonnie laughed. "Okay, maybe not. I'll take the Neena class then."
Damon nodded. "Neena is the level-headed one between them. The other is so suicidal. Imagine if I was a killer vampire, would you have the attitude she would?"
Neena sighed as Caroline sneered. Damon looked pleased with himself. It was like getting a raise out of Caroline had become his new hobby.
Neena looked at her sister pleading lying to change the topic.
Elena nodded.
"So Bonnie!" Elena said. "You should have seen Stefan today! Tyler threw a ball at him-"
Bonnie blinked at the sudden topic change but cut her off. "Yeah, I heard."
Bonnie became uncomfortable on remembering why this dinner was taking place.
That underwhelming response had Caroline and Damon look at the three of them.
"You got into the team, right? Tanner must be pissed!" Caroline said. "But good for you I guess. Our team sucks anyway."
"That's what I always tell Stefan," Damon said, glee in his voice. "Go for it."
Bonnie looked at him in suspicion.
"Bonnie!" Elena called again. The witch turned to her. "Why don't you tell Stefan about your family?"
Caroline raised an eyebrow at the brunette.
Neena sighed.
Bonnie looked around the table and sighed. "Um...divorced. No mom. Live with my dad."
"No," Elena said through clenched teeth. "About the witches. Bonnie's family comes from a lineage of witches. It's really cool."
"Isn't it!" Caroline said. "That's what I keep telling Neena. But she keeps telling me being a muggle is the best! Who wants to be a boring muggle in a supernatural world. I could be making potions or fighting dark lords instead. Witches are cool!"
Bonnie grinned. "Yeah, they are cool."
Neena smiled. She knew how much Caroline's acceptance of magic meant to her. Because even though she denied its existence at every turn, Bonnie knew she had magic.
"I'm not too versed in it but I do know that there's a history of Celtic Druids that migrated here in the 1800s."
Bonnie smiled. "My family came from the way of Salem."
Stefan looked surprised. "Salem witches? I'd say that is pretty cool."
Elena hummed and smiled at Stefan sweetly.
"Why is that?" Bonnie asked, interested to know his take on it.
"Salem witches are heroic examples of individualism and none conformity."
Bonnie gave him a soft smile. "Yeah, they are."
Damon narrowed his eyes. He didn't like the connection that his brother was making with Bonnie. He couldn't explain it, but he did not like it.
Dinner finished and Damon helped Bonnie and Elena do the dishes. Stefan hovered around, unsure of what to do.
Caroline had dragged Neena away to her room.
"You are too kind for your own good," Caroline said, lying down on her bed.
"What?"
"Who makes Vampires soup for their own taste? Why did you do that? You should have made it with vervain. Then at least I could have seen Damon chock on soup."
Neena looked at her, horrified. "Care! That...I know what I'm doing."
"Do you?" Caroline asked sceptically. Her best friend did not seem to understand the danger they were in.
Neena gave her a sardonic grin. "I have the ability to see things. You tell me, Carebear. Between me and you, who is more likely to know things about them."
"Then why?" Caroline asked in frustration.
Neena smiled. "There is more to them beyond the threat they pose to us. I see a loving brother who cares even though wouldn't admit it to anyone. A caring friend who would respect your words and choices even if he doesn't want to. Caring lovers who would cherish you."
Caroline looked at her in defeat. "I-I guess having seer powers means any argument I can make is mute. I let you do what you want. But don't expect me to be nice to Damon."
Neena laughed. "I guess it's fate that you two be hostile to each other. Can we go down now? Hopefully Damon hasn't agitated Stefan too much or vice versa."
They went down and saw the four of them sitting on the sofa and chatting.
"Sharp tongued Blonde and witchy Gilbert! Come on! Bonnie is telling us about her visions!" Damon said to them, his eyes mostly on Caroline, clearly trying to antagonise her.
Bonnie hit the back of his head. "Stop agitating her Damon."
Damon's eyes took on a dangerous glint that washed away on seeing the smiling expression on the Bennett witch.
"I might consider it," Damon said in a low voice to her, leaning in, staring into her eyes with a teasing smile on his face. Bonnie's heart started to beat a mile a minute. He gave her a knowing smile. "But you have to mean it, Bonnie. That smile on your face says you enjoyed me teasing your friend."
Bonnie chuckled nervously as she felt him lean in some more. She could smell his cologne and feel the soft warmth of his body. She found her face flushing. "Um..."
Neena looked at their interaction with starry eyes. She was seeing Bamon in action!
Caroline coughed and cleared her throat, breaking the ambiguous air that hung between the two.
Neena wanted to scream in frustration. No! It was happening! How could you, Care!
[Host is revealing more of her fetishes I see.]
'Go suck yourself, you strings of Data.'
[You need to find better insults. There is no creativity at all.]
"So, Bonbon," Damon said, leaning away from the witch. Bonnie barely held back a groan of disappointment. "Do you have witchy powers?"
"Damon!" Stefan scolded.
Bonnie looked at Damon's stormy blue eyes that showed a genuine interest in them. He wasn't mocking her or her family's weird belief. She smiled at him. "Well, today I'm obsessed with numbers. I keep seeing 81422 everywhere. How weird is that?"
Damon gave her a soft smile. "It's not weird. In the words of my brother, that's pretty cool. Maybe the numbers would mean something to you in the future."
Bonnie saw Neena sneaking into the kitchen from the corner of her eyes.
"Did you see it, Neena?" Bonnie asked.
"What?" Elena and Caroline asked.
Stefan looked at the Gilbert girl with curiosity.
Bonnie grinned and gave Elena a look. "Neena says she is a seer."
Elena grinned as she realized what the witch was implying. "That's right Stefan! Bonnie and Neena predicted something about you when we saw you on the first day of school."
Stefan looked at her with an indulgent smile. "What is it?"
"Do you play the guitar? Have you been to Seattle? Or Chicago? Do you have a drinking problem?" Elena asked in succession.
Stefan considered her words. "The guitar...sure. A bit. I was more of violin guy but guitar is fine? Seattle? I visited there before I came to Mystic Falls actually. Chicago? Spent a lot of years there. Lot of memories of that place. And drinking problem? Um..."
"I can answer you that," Damon said in excitement. "He is a light weight! If he drinks a glass he would be binge drinking, showing you all his true face and scaring you all away."
Stefan glared at him. Damon was talking about his ripper side.
Bonnie sighed in disappointment. "Looks like Neena's predictions were better. I concede Neena. You are the better witch."
Neena laughed. "Thanks?"
Damon frowned at Bonnie. "You will be an awesome witch too Bonbon. Just believe in yourself and learn everything you can!"
Bonnie smiled. "I'm not really a witch but thanks."
They talked some more. With occasionally snide comments from Caroline whenever Damon managed to get under her skin. After breaking the two off of their verbal tirade three times in a row Bonnie, Elena and Stefan took a page out of Aleena Gilbert's handbook and just enjoyed the show.
The brothers were leaving together when Neena stopped them, and handed them a large bag each. The Salvatores looked at each other and then at the Gilbert witch.
She smiled at them. "It's the Blood soup. Hope you like it! And here," she handed them both folded papers. "That has the recipe, incase you guys want to try cooking yourself. There are two recipes in those papers. See which you like better."
Damon smiled, his face fond. "I agree with Caroline. You are too kind, Neena."
She shrugged.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations Host 999!
The favourability of Damon Salvatore has increased to 'She would have made a great baby sister. So adoable.']
Neena suppressed her eyebrows from twitching. She was a 25 year old reincarnated soul damn it! Adorable is not the way she wanted to describe herself as.
"Thanks you," Stefan said, his eyes full of wonder. "For welcoming us into your home, and caring about us."
Neena smiled. Her heart felt warm. She knew what Stefan meant. She was a witch and it is in a witch's institution to hate vampires but she didn't hate them.
"I wanted to care," she said.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations, Host 999!
Your favourability with Stefan Salvatore has increased to 'A good friend I will help if I can.']
Neena smiled brighter at Stefan on hearing that.
He smiled warmly at her.
Elena looked at the two, unsure. On one hand she was happy that her sister and her boyfriend were on good terms. On the other hand, she felt they were sharing a private moment that she wasn't a part of.
Elena looped her hand into Neena's and pulled her to her side.
Neena looked at her in surprise.
She blushed.
"You should be jealous of your sister, Elena," Caroline said when she realized what the brunette was doing. "Not jealous of Stefan. He won't take her away, right Stefan?"
Elena squirmed. She couldn't explain it to them. She couldn't make them realize. She was her sister. They had the bond. She had seen the fond look Damon had shown to Neena, like a big brother looking at his cute little sister. Neena was her little sister, damn it.
Neena frowned as she looked at Elena. She needed to find out what this plot the World had made for her was. Elena was not clingy like this before the Pilot episode.
They left after some more words were exchanged and said their goodbyes. Or in Caroline and Damon's case, he made a dumb blonde joke and she snarled at him.
Stefan looked at Damon with hopeful eyes. His brother seemed more human than he had seen in the years since they became vampires.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations Host 999!
Quest Complete!
The Dinner of Intentions.
Survive the dinner with the Salvatore Brothers.
Rewarded: 100 Experience Points]
'I should be getting bonus points.'
[Don't be a greedy human. You were once a system. It is an insult to all Systems!]
'I was an anomaly then, right and I'm human now. Your arguments are moot.'
_______________________________________________________________________________
A/N: Thank you for reading this story so far. So, what do you think? Like it? Love it?
Was the chapter to your satisfaction?
What do you think of Damon and Caroline's interactions?
Is the pacing of this chapter good enough?
To all who are wondering, the plot line of Canon will stay somewhat same until the Tomb Vampire thing. I can't wait to write the scene because it would be a make or break moment for Bamon.
And I haven't forgotten about the quest for Bonnie's Grams but I need Bonnie to learn from Neena for a bit about magic before she goes to her Grams. It will shape how she views magic.
For the Stefan quest. It can only happen after Ripper Stefan comes out the first time for obvious reason. Same for Damon's quest. They are not easy quests and are long going.
If you liked the story please LIKE, COMMENT, REVIEW, KUDOS, and VOTE for the story. I read all the comments.
Stay home. Stay safe.
週次パワーステータス
-- 推薦
ランキング 
-- 推薦
チケット