Ch: 90-94 (Complete-ish)
Chapter 90
Isobel was in a quandary. She had won. She had fought and she had won, so why then was the deep voice that reverberated through her entire being not keeping their word. Why then was she stranded in the dark and not set free.... 'Oh, nevermind,' she thought to herself as she caught sight of a path through the darkness that led to what could only be the outside of the ring. 'Well, now, let's just hope that whoever brought us here is feeling... agreeable.'
Isobel made her way forward. Her undead heart beating a mile a minute in her chest, as she grappled with trepidation on what she might find on the other side of the light, as she came to grips with the feeling of no longer being the most powerful being in the room. No longer was she the apex predator that stood at the top of the food chain, and once again she felt... human.
She stopped walking as she stood just one step from the exit that would free her from the darkness that consumed her surroundings and took a deep breath. Then, with a faux confidence that would fool no one, she took that final step forward, only to appear in the middle of a forest, looking at the people that she thought she just killed.
'What an asshole,' was her only thought in regard to the being that put them all through that nonsense, only to spit them all out in the same place afterward like they didn't just try to kill each other. She took a look at the others and immediately realized that they were all slightly disoriented, so she did the only logical thing she could do in that situation. Booked it the fuck out of there. However, she was kind enough to drop John's ring as she zipped away, wondering if she would see him again and when she did, what purpose he would serve. While, at the same time thinking that perhaps, it was time to call on her only friend, to provide her a little help.
Vlad and the others watched this all from the comfort of some very comfy cushions, and they each had different thoughts going through their minds, ranging from 'I'm kind of glad they didn't raise me', to 'can my magic do that'?
"How did you do that whole, not killing them thing, and can my magic do that?" Bonnie asked the question that was plaguing her mind. Seeking guidance from the master himself, who sat nodding his head slowly up and down as he stroked his chin.
"Ahh, I was wondering when you would ask, young grasshopper," Vlad began. "And the answer is, I don't know," Vlad ended.
Then, he immediately disappeared into the shadow underneath him in order to avoid the sudden fire that broke out on the spot where he was sitting and Bonnie was glaring at intently.
"However, to answer your question on how I did it," his voice spoke out through the air, drifting over the girls from every direction like he was everywhere all at once. "All I will say is that, there's a reason a very famous quote that I came up with is, illusions are a bullshit ability, and that's because it's true. Using illusions, it's entirely possible to make someone believe just about anything is possible as long as your own understanding is sufficient enough. So, all I had to do was make them believe that the weapons that they were using were real, actual weapons, and not constructs created by a mixture of darkness manipulation and illusion. Now, does that answer your question?"
Vlad waited for a moment, while Bonnie thought about it and tried to find a way to correlate what he said he did, to the way she used magic, however she quickly realized what Vlad already knew. She couldn't. Because unlike Vlad's magic, which is essentially just manipulating energy in various forms, such as elemental, psionic, or just straight up life-force, her magic relied on an outside source, nature, to draw power from, and that meant that she was bound by the rules that were already in place when drawing upon that power. As opposed to Vlad who seemed to have no rules, and drew from himself.
'Is it possible to do it his way?' Bonnie thought. 'To just.. what, like impose my will on the magic around me, without going through the chanting and the harnessing of nature like Emily does it? But even if I did find a way, I'm pretty sure whatever he is has way more magic in his body than I have in mine, since otherwise witches would have already been doing what he just did... no, I must be missing something.'
While Bonnie was ruminating on the basics of magic and how step outside of the mold, Vlad was back sitting in his spot that seemed to have never been burned at all, and was resting while smirking at Bonnie's ever-changing facial expressions while she tried to figure shit out. 'Ha! No matter how much you think about it, you'll never figure it out, Bon Bon, because in order to do it, you first have to hone your connection to the very magical energy in your surroundings. But how you gonna do that, without someone showing you the way!? Mwahahahaha!'
Vlad began to steeple his fingers as a waaay to creepy smile spread across his face, that somehow still looked good on him, however it didn't stop the others from looking at him like he was a little crazy, while at the same time feeling a bit sad for Bonnie, because it was that very same look that he had every time he used to brag about the new and creative ways he would use an alarm of some kind to wake them up in the morning. All they could do in that moment was to collectively give a moment of silence for what would be left of Bonnie's sanity by the time Vlad got through putting her through whatever annoying, and more than likely so beneficial it was necessary, shit he was about to do.
In the forest, it was the vampires that found themselves the firsts to regain their balance, after each having believed themselves to be dead.
However, before they could take stock of what to do next, Isobel, as Damon called her, sped off leaving them alone with the human. The human that Damon was just about to take a very unhealthy interest in, before Stefan stopped him, exclaiming that the human, just like them, was a puppet in whatever game that voice was playing.
But, Damon wasn't hearing it though, so, in the end, it was Lexi that broke his neck. While the human, inconspicuously placed the ring back on his finger and then calmly slinked away one, shaky with nerves, footstep at a time.
Vlad, who watched all of this, couldn't help but laugh and also, shake his head at the sheer depths of stupidity that belonged to both Stefan and Damon. While, at the same time, deciding that he now had a new favorite thing to do to the assholes that managed to find their way to his town with ill intentions, because while he had no problem going full-on murder-hobo on both the human and supernatural communities should they step out of line on some bullshit. He now felt like he was powerful enough that he really didn't have to... which was honestly very refreshing. 'It's just too bad Enzo couldn't be here to see this.' Vlad thought, as he took a moment to remember the man who got away... from the land of the living for being a stupid bitch. 'Ahh, who am I kidding, all these assholes are going to die sooner or later. There's just no way they won't do something that's just waaayy too stupid and boom, off with their heads.' Vlad thought as he accepted the reality for what it was and decided to stop trying to run away. 'Indeed. It's best to just accept the fact that I'm in a world full of dumbasses and leave it at that.'
As Vlad was accepting realities that he really had no business pondering unnecessarily, Bonnie, had reached a conclusion.
She cleared her throat as she went to speak, however right after she cleared her throat and turned to look at Vlad, she immediately regretted the choice that she knew she had to make because the boy in question was already looking at her like the cat was without a doubt going to eat the canary. "Ugghhhh." She closed her eyes, slumped her shoulders, and put her head back as she groaned. "You clearly already know what I'm going to say, so why not just...." She stopped speaking because she knew it was useless. 'Okay, Bonnie girl, you can do this. This definitely won't end with me down on my knees sucking his pretty dick after every magic lesson. Or with him bending me over his knee and spanking my ass when I get something wrong. Or with him fucking me from the back when... uuggghhhhhh. YOU KNOW IT IS BITCH! That's the entire reason you've been avoiding his this too sexy bastard for the longest time!'Bonnie licked her lips as she looked back at Vlad, who now had a gentle and understanding smile on his face, and she knew, without a doubt, she would be down on her knees by the end of their first private lesson. 'Welp, I held out as long as I could.'
(In the void)
"I know that look of acceptance all too well. Good for you, my descendant. Get that dick."
"As your ancestor, I just gotta say, you're not the best influence our descendant can have." Qetsiyah said, as she laid back and ate some grapes that she was throwing in the air and catching with her mouth.
Emily, for her part, just looked at her sorry excuse for an ancestor, and wisely decided to keep her mouth shut. Though, in her mind, she was definitely thinking the exact same thing. Only she was the descendant with the straight up garbage ancestor.
Chapter 91
"You have to focus, Bonnie, focus. Here, watch this." Vlad was seated in a meditative position in the backyard of the Gilbert's home early the next morning, trying to teach Bonnie the essentials of connecting with the energy around her. However, it was not going well.
"I'm watching, but all I'm seeing is you sitting there with your eyes closed. What the hell am I supposed to do with that?" Bonnie said, as she too sat before him in a meditative position. Though, unlike Vlad, she was not looking very serene. "We've been at this for an hour, Jeremy. Maybe I'm just not able to do it the way you are." At that, Vlad opened one eye and looked at her face as he raised one of his perfect eyebrows.
"Um, what are you talking about?" He asked in clear confusion.
Bonnie gestured at his body. "You know, this thing you're doing. Feeling the energy. Well, I don't feel anything."
Vlad gave her a look that she had already become quite familiar with, and it was a look that asked the question of 'are you stupid?' "I never once said you were supposed to be gathering energy. I just told your ass to sit here, meditate, and then you would connect with the energy around you. This is real life Bonnie, not a martial arts movie. What we're doing now is just to get you to relax and learn to quiet your mind."
Vlad watched Bonnie lip twitch as she tried to fight off the angry sneer that was threatening to come out. "Why.. didn't you just tell me that from the very beginning." And in response, Vlad brought one hand away from where it was resting on his knee, and slowly swept it out and up in a circular motion before it came to a stop in front of his face, with his palm facing the side and his hand directly in the middle of his face like he was dividing it in two sides. The look of wisdom and the feeling of solemnity he exuded spoke of the depths of the level of enlightenment that he had reached in his first life on his journey through meditation. However, it was immediately broken as he spoke. "Because I wanted to see how long you would last before you gave up. I was honestly getting bored just sitting here watching you."
In an instant Vlad was moving. His body flipping back, as he used the hand that wasn't in front of his face to throw his body backwards as he avoided the flames that burst from the place he was sitting. As he landed and stood straight, he could be seen that his eyes were now closed and the hand was still positioned in front of his face. The aura of an expert could not be diminished. However, despite the joke, he actually did have a very good reason for making Bonnie sit down for an hour, which he told her as he dropped his hand and exhaled a breath.
"Before you get your no doubt tempting panties in a bunch, you should know, you sitting there for as long as you did, did help me better prepare you for what comes next." He said, causing Bonnie to hesitate on whether she should continue her assault on the poor lawn that never hurt anyone.
"Explain," she said, however she still kept her arms outstretched in front of her, like she was just looking for a reason to produce more flames like a real pyro.
"Bonnie, in case you haven't noticed, you're sweating."
Bonnie truly paused at that, as she looked down at her arms that were drenched in sweat and then she ran a hand over her face, only for the appendage to come back dripping. "How?" She asked, clearly bewildered. "I didn't even notice."
Vlad in turn had a smug smile on his face that just said, praise me, causing her to roll her eyes.
"Well it's simple really," Vlad began. "And it's also the reason that you actually had to struggle to find a comfortable position, and had to struggle to even focus on the meditation, which is why I never expected you to last as long as you did, because the entire time you were sitting, I was using my Will to pressure your own." Vlad walked towards her then. "And can I just say Bonnie, your willpower is hands down fucking amazing." He told her with a large grin on his face as he placed one finger under her chin and lifted her head so she was looking straight up at him.
She smiled in response, as she said, a little breathily, "good to know."
Then, Vlad leaned down, as he brought her chin up, and as she closed her eyes, he swerved and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Good job."
The cool warmth, like ice straight out of a fire spread out from the point of contact, and Bonnie had to fight off the urge to shudder as that sensation shot straight to and down her spine and then up through the base of her neck. Immediately her weak resolve shattered, however upon reaching out her arms and grabbing for the perfect being that stood before her, her hands only met empty air. Her eyes sprung open to see Vlad a few feet away and looking at with a sexy look that spoke of pure amusement. 'Asshole.'
"I heard that," Vlad said. "Now," he clapped his hands once and the lusty haze that sprung up from the check kiss dispersed. "It's time to get down to business, and with your willpower, I'm certain you'll survive." Vlad said with a nod of finality and certainty. Like he hadn't just said something a little too fucked up in Bonnie's opinion.
"Wha-" *Snap* With a snap of his fingers, Bonnie fell back, however before she could even tilt 45 degrees, Vlad already had her in his arms and was slowly lowering her down to the grass.
"Why are you messing with her?" A voice asked, as Emily appeared out of the void.
"What do you mean?" Vlad asked innocently as ran a thumb down Bonnie's cheek without even looking behind him at where Emily decided to appear.
"*Sigh* We both know that if there were even the slightest chance that this could end badly for her, you would already be testing whatever this is on some poor unsuspecting witches." At that, Vlad did look back at his partner who was sounding more sarcastic by the day.
A mischievous smile spread on his face as he said, "who's to say I didn't?"
Emily on her part, just raised a single unimpressed eyebrow, which caused Vlad to smirk at the very familiar gesture that was paired with the prior sarcasm. "Qetsiyah is definitely a bad influence."
Vlad stood up, and dusted off his pants, despite the lack of dust or dirt, as he turned fully to Emily. "I tried it once. On an unsuspecting, as you so elegantly put it, witch a few days ago. Of course, I didn't go all out," he ran the nail of his thumb, which instantly sharpened, across the pad of his index finger and from there, a single drop of blood extended out. "All I did was give her a simple sample in order to see the effect it would have, and as a result," he turned his upper body and hovered the finger over Bonnie's head, as the drop fell down. "I learned." The drop landed on Bonnie's lower lip and as soon as it did, Bonnie's tongue snuck out her mouth and licked that lip. "That my blood is amazing." The second Bonnie's tongue withdrew back into her mouth, *Ba-dump* the sound of a single heartbeat rung out through the air.
Then, nothing else happened.
Emily waited for a while with bated breath, until finally she had to ask. "Is that it?"
Vlad stood there with his eyes closed as he said, "on the outside.. yes. However, the inside of her body… tells a very different story."
In Vlad's mind, the moment his blood seeped into Bonnie, like mini-cameras were that were quickly multiplying, every part of her inner world was visible to his mind's eye. His blood essence coating every fiber of her being, as he analyzed the results.
'As I thought,' Vlad thought to himself as he took in the results. 'Her magical core is no different from any other witch's that I've either devoured or examined, however her willpower and resolve, just like most of the Bennet's that came before her, make her ability to command her magic and the dominance it has over the energy around her, unmatched. And now, with my blood seeping into her veins, even without me turning her into a true vampire like myself, her body should be able to keep up with the strength of her soul.' Vlad finished his analysis and a slight, pleased smile, spread across his lips as his theory was confirmed.
Ever since Vlad first devoured a witch, he had the thought that it was not their magic cores that allowed some witches to be more powerful than others, but something that went a little more deeper and a little more intrinsic. His hypothesis was that it was the cores that allowed them the ability to command the magic in nature, however it was their very Will, that originated from their souls, that determined how powerful a witch could be. And, with him now examining the core of one of the arguably most powerful witches in the world in which he currently resided, his hypothesis, then theory, was confirmed.
'It makes sense. Otherwise, the Hallow never would have been a threat once it's body was destroyed. However, this also means that, even when a witch is turned into a vampire in this world and lose their ability to practice magic, their ability to command it still remains. It's just that their cores no longer have the ability to connect to the energy of nature as it once did.' He began to think about whether or not he should acquire a witch or former witch turned vampire for himself in order to examine them, however we immediately tossed the idea to the side because, 'who gives a shit about those lesser vampires?' Vlad knew, from the moment his blood, willingly given, was introduced into the body of another, that whoever he turned would never have such a limitation such as a halted development. His True Vampires would grow, and continue to grow the longer they lived, and most importantly, the more they consumed blood. 'As it should be.'
"What happens now?" Emily asked. Her worry for her ancestor only absent in the face of her trust in her master, despite never having called him that. However, the warmth and concern in her voice could not be hidden, simply because from her perspective, her descendant was going through something she did now know nor understand. Which is why, Vlad decided to be straightforward for once and put her anxiety to rest.
"Now, her body adapts to my blood." He brought Emily into his arms, and placed a soft kiss to her forehead. "And once that's done, she'll be able to not only feel the energy that flows through nature as it passively interacts with her very flesh, but the longer she's able to feel it and wield it, the deeper her understanding will become, until eventually, she will have no need for chants, or even foreknowledge. Making up spells will be as simple as waving her hand and commanding the magic in the air to respond to her Will." He pulled back and looked at the mostly indifferent face of Emily, as he stared into her anticipatory eyes that spoke of her eagerness for such an ability. "Fascinating, right." It was with a cheeky smile that Vlad waved his hand, and from the ground, darkness sprung up into existence and enveloped them all, teleporting Bonnie, whom Vlad could now sense no matter where in the world she was due to his blood flowing in her veins, to the most comfortable bed for sleeping in his warehouse dedicated to relaxing. At the same time, he and Emily, were teleported to a different room in that same warehouse… however while there was a bed in that room, not only was it not for sleeping, but the various toys and tools that were decorated throughout the space all indicated that sleep would be the last thing on anyone's mind.
(In the void with some grapes)
"That teleporting thing makes it hard to track him if he doesn't want to be tracked, so I can understand why we didn't know about his tests on whatever witch that was… however, I cannot accept the fact that at that this moment I'm certain Emily's ass is about to get railed and I can't sense where they wen- wait…" Vlad, as if senses Qetsiyah's annoyance, because he actually can, allowed her to sense their location. "Ha! Thought you could hide from me. NEVER!" And with that bit of crazy out of the way, Qetsiyah popped off out of the Other Side and appeared in the room with Vlad and Emily, and took in the sight of all the toys, swings, and wall attachments that she had only ever seen in her peeping on various people throughout time.
An audible gulp sounded from her throat as her eyes landed on Emily, who was suspended in mid-air by a taut rope that was tied to each of her limbs and then went off to pulleys on the floor and ceiling. Qetsiyah's heartbeat was thumping in her chest, as she took in the spectacle. The spectacle that she no longer had to simply sit back and watch, but could now… participate? She hesitated. Unsure of not only her prowess, but also if she was actually ready for this level of fucking.
The answer was provided for her however, when a bowl of grapes dropped into her hands and Vlad spoke. "Just sit back and watch for a while. If you see something that catches your interest, all you have to do is whisper," in less than a blink of an eye Vlad appeared in front of her, his face only inches from hers as he gave her a quick peck on the lips. "And I'll be right there with you." And with that, Vlad was once more standing before Emily's suspended form with what appeared to be a riding crop in his hand.
Qetsiyah's only thought in that moment was… 'Emily was wrong, this is way better than the void,' and she ate a grape.
Chapter 92
In a café/diner, since it is really not that fancy, sat a middle-aged man with brown hair and a slightly awkward look on his face. In front of him, on the other side of the table, was a young woman with light brown hair, full lips, and an annoyed expression on her face.
These two were John Gilbert and Elena Gilbert, and they were about to have a conversation that, in Vlad's opinion, is long overdue.
"So, you're my dad." Elena stated, since she no longer had a need to ask, seeing as how Vlad already informed her of the truth of the matter, which was only truly confirmed in her mind, after listening to the conversation between her "mother" and "father" during their death match.
John, to his credit, only looked stunned for about a second or two, before he once more looked awkward again.. and then even more awkward.. and then he tried for a smile that could be considered charming.. if it weren't so fucking awkward. He began to rub the back of his neck, like he was a shy school boy, but that shit wasn't fooling anybody… other than Elena, of course.
Vlad was sat with his feet up on the table at the Gilbert house, and watched this interaction. Already he could tell that it wasn't going to go well, but not because their would be a falling out or some nonsense, but because Elena, at her core, is a very forgiving person. Especially to those she considers her people.
"Yeah, uh, how did you find out?" John asked, and Vlad could see the calculating mind playing behind the man's eyes, as he tried to form his own hypotheses. No doubt one of them being that Isobel made a move on the girl first, in order to get what she wanted and then run away again.
"Jeremy told me," Elena said matter-of-factly with a furrow of her brow as she stared John in the eyes like she was just waiting for him to refute and Vlad could only shake his head.
'Perhaps I should give her a book on tact, or subtlety. It truly could only get better for her if she were to learn some.' Vlad thought as he focused both on the conversation and on Isobel, who seemed to be spying on the Salvatore brothers in their hotel room, since their property is no longer their property and in their slightly altered minds, theirs nothing they can do about it… not until they deal with that voice anyway.
He watched as Isobel creeped up to the door to their room, and listened intently. However, in his opinion, they weren't talking about much of anything of importance at all. However, Vlad did note that the two, minus lexi who is out getting food, seemed to be bonding. No doubt over the fact that they both thought they were dead, and the fact that there's someone out there that appears to enjoy fucking with their lives for a mysterious reason. However, they both still clearly have their own agendas. Damon's being opening the tomb, and Stefan's being, Elena.
"How did Jeremy find out?" John asked Elena.
"He told me he read about it in a journal our Dad kept. So that means it's true then. You really are my birth father." Vlad could see the emotions swimming behind Elena's eyes. Most of which were some form of anger, however their was also some remorse there. No doubt having something to do with the reminder of the deaths that she still blames herself for, even when she knows she shouldn't.
Vlad could see the way that John's eyes lit up at that little nugget of information, since for him, that was pretty much the best case scenario when it came to the ways Jeremy could learn about the family secrets. Since it meant that there were no outside influences on him or Elena. It was just some good old fashioned snooping.
"I see," John said slowly. He slightly narrowed his eyes at Elena and furrowed his brow, like he was being very serious. "Are.. you okay with that?"
Then, Vlad proceeded to watch Elena's annoyance, then sadness and grief, go straight out the window one after the other and then she welcomed in that oh so familiar anger that she pretty much always had bubbling just beneath the surface of her skin. Vlad snickered as he watched her face morph into that angry banshee that he's so fond of, and he immediately lowered the volume on that channel and focused more on the one that had Lexi humming to herself as she stood in line at the Grill.
The smile that made it's way onto Vlad's lips was one of both mischief and opportunity, because… why not?
He changed his clothes from a set of silky pajama's and shifted them into a comfortable and practically tailored set of black jeans, black boots, and a grey button down that fit his body perfectly. Then, he was sinking into the shadows and popping up right behind Lexi in the line, and the moment he appeared, every single person in the place remembered him walking through the door, and watching him as he went to stand in line.
'Telepathy is wasted on me.'
There were only two people in line ahead of them, so that, on top of placing the order and waiting for it to be done, meant that Vlad had plenty of time to play get to know you. So, that's what he proceeded to do. Starting, with introducing himself.
He considered going for the Uncle Aaron and walking to where she could see him, placing his hand on her shoulder, and giving a deep voiced "hey", however before he could stop joking around, he no longer had a need to introduce himself first, because his eyes were now tracking her in slow motion, as her body seemed to stiffen, her nostrils twitched like she caught the scent of something in the air, and then, she was turning around to look at him.
'Well, that works.'
Lexi was standing in line. Waiting to order and wondering whether or not her bestfriend and his brother would be getting along with each other and playing nice upon her return, when she caught the scent of something… no someone that was absolutely delicious. It was like catching the scent of sex, cinnamon, and her favorite type of blood all rolled up into one heady inhale that went straight from her nose, down her throat, and between her legs.
'Hungry'.
Now, Lexi was hungry and human food was no longer going to cut it. Not with something that fucking enticing within reach. All she had to do was pinpoint its location- 'Right behind me.'
Lexi turned, as slowly as she possibly could, because otherwise she was pretty sure she would use her vampire speed to not only turn, but to tear into the neck of whoever it was, and then, she saw his face.
'Lee.' That was Lexi's only coherent thought as she took in the sight of the young man. Starting from his hair. His hair that flowed just past his shoulders and appeared to be painted black and made of silk, because otherwise, how could it flow like that? Shine like that? Then, there was that jaw-line that she was certain could cut glass, which encompassed lips that Lexi could tell, just from looking at them, that they had to be the fluffiest, softest lips, tastiest lips, that she's ever seen before. From the lips came the nose. The perfect nose that sat above those perfect lips. Lexi trailed her eyes up to.... Blacker than the night sky, red stars that dotted that abyss, and was that purple flowing around in their like an aurora borealis???? Lexi could not breath. She could not think. All she knew was she had to consume him. Devour him. Taste him. Somehow her eyes were able to escape that abyss that were his own, and jerk their way down lower to his neck. Big mistake. 'LEE!'
Vlad watched as Lexi appeared to be in a bit of a daze. A quick look into her mind told him that it was nothing serious. She was just taking in his Vladiness and couldn't quite handle it. He saw that she was getting a bit lost in his eyes, so he sent out a pulse of intent that allowed her to push her sight away from his, since he certainly wasn't going to look away first, and then he saw her take in his neck and if it were possible, her hunger, her desire seemed to multiply. Quantify. Until, Vlad took hold of Lexi's body when he saw her move her leg far faster than a human should be able to, once she lost control for a split second, however he could see that she was still able to hold herself back. She just needed a little bit of help.
He thought about it for a second, and then like a sun that appeared to retract it's light, he drew in that which he knew was making him nearly impossible to resist. His allure, which seemed to hit her a lot harder than it did, most people. He thought that it perhaps had something to do with just how ardently she held on to her humanity. Her empathy. That had something to do with it, since she was a woman ruled by her heart and it was that very heart, that very ability to care so so much, that her pulled towards him like a moth to an inferno.
Vlad was perfectly aware that his appearance had already transcended attractive and like Edward said, everything about Vlad drew everyone in. However, while he normally would regulate that allure and basically shield himself in order to stop himself from being mobbed by his adoring, horny, watchers. This time, since he actually wanted to see if he could, he decided to leave himself completely exposed to Lexi and Lexi alone, and well… it went exactly as he expected.
Vlad saw the moment Lexi was able to snap herself out of her haze, since it was at that moment that her eyes snapped back to his, and while he could clearly tell that she was still very much attracted to him, she was at least now able to think rationally. Which meant that she was able to think logically. Which meant that she was able to realize that something, or better yet someone, had affected her. So, in order to assuage the rising fear and anger that Vlad could see rushing to her beautiful surface, he smiled and gave her thumbs up, as he said,
"I'm pretty fucking gorgeous, right."
It was not a question. That much was clear to Lexi. No, that was a statement. A statement of fact, that the man in front of her truly seemed to believe with absolute certainty, and it irked her… no.. it pissed her the hell off that she couldn't outright disagree. Because, despite whatever it was that was pulling her in no longer affecting her as strongly as it did, that didn't mean that she couldn't still smell him,, couldn't still see him, and couldn't still remember the phantom taste that coated her tongue when whatever he was putting out from that perfect body that she was now able to fully take in, was in full effect. Only now, it was like it was all muted. Suppressed. Where once his eyes were shining and glaring, like staring straight into an exploding star, now they were vibrant, and glowing, but only to the extent that it was like staring into a fire that was tamed. Either way, it wasn't fair for any person to look the way this man did, and that in and of itself pissed Lexi off even more.
'Who the hell is this bastard and why the hell am I still fucking dripping.' Lexi thought as she suppressed the urge to rub her thighs together just to check how wet she truly was. 'I need to get out of here before I do something that I'm pretty sure.. no, that I'm absolutely positively certain that I'll maybe regret. Lee! That's right. Of course I'll regret it! I should kill this guy for making me go through this shit.'
While Lexi was thinking a whole lot of nonsense, Vlad had already walked around her in line and stepped up to the counter to place his order, because otherwise it would just be rude to everyone else that was behind them, and not because he just wanted to make her just a little more mad and just a little more angry. It wasn't his fault her angry face looked so fucking cute.
Vlad paused for a moment and had to wonder to himself if their was something wrong with him and the way he found joy in making people flip their shit, however he quickly dismissed it, because who is he to judge himself? No, it's best to simply accept one's self, faults and all, for the way they are and embrace all those little quirks that make people look at you and go, "are you nuts?" because otherwise, you will never truly reach nirvana or understand inner peace. Vlad thought to himself, despite the fact that he actually had no real intention of reaching nirvana, or any other spiritual enlightenment realm. But… it was a pretty good excuse for never questioning his character so, he embraced it.
Lexi felt a tap on her shoulder that sent a shiver down her spine and she spun around, thanking her extensive experience for her control, because it was still within the realm of human possibility, and she focused on the man who pissed her off as he leaned against the counter.
'Did he skip me in line?' And just like that, Lexi gained herself yet another reason to want the gorgeous bastard in front of her dead... or at the very least, inconvenienced.
Lexi gave a nod of her head in pretend thanks, since she still wasn't sure what exactly she was dealing with, as she stepped up to the counter and told the cashier her order, which was enough for her and the two boys she left at the hotel. However, before she could pay, the beautiful stranger waved her off.
"No need, it's already paid for. Consider it an apology for a little bit ago." Vlad said.
'Hmm, maybe he isn't so bad, after all.' Lexi thought.
'I really don't want to seduce her away from her lover, since it appeared to be a very loyal and loving partnership in the show… but.. ah, I'm sure I'll think up some way to justify this to myself eventually. Oh, I immediately got it! I'm Vlad.' Vlad thought, and thus, the two met and a new friendship was formed.
Chapter 93
At a five star restaurant, it takes food a minute or two in order to be ready, since it's usually all made on the spot, not only to insure t
At a five star restaurant, it takes food a minute or two in order to be ready, since it's usually all made on the spot, not only to insure that's it's all absolutely fresh, but also because that's what the patrons expect when they shell out them duckets of dollar bills in order to eat a world-class meal.
Unfortunately, this was not a five star restaurant.
Vlad listened through the walls of the establishment that he seemed to frequent often enough, and saw that both his food and Lexi's was already being wrapped up and ready to be served to their waiting hands, all in the span of fifteen minutes, which for some might be a good thing, but for him, who was enjoying his rather cordial conversation, it was a bit too fast. So, he did the only reasonable thing he could do in such a situation.
Lexi was enjoying herself, as crazy as that sounds, since she and the attractive stranger she met that calls himself Vlad were just standing there beside the counter at the grill talking about nothing at all.
However, as more time went on, the more strange Lexi began to feel. Her instincts were frazzled and unsure. Like they were trying to tell her something, but the reception wherever she was, was blocking the signals from reaching her ears. And while some people might choose to ignore their instincts if they weren't sure what was being said to them, Lexi wasn't one of them, since it was those very same instincts that had saved the lives of herself and her long-time lover over and over again. But, this time, it was proving challenging to focus on both attempting to decipher what was going on, and pay attention to the one that was pretty much distracting her simply by standing there.
She paused.
Then, she gave her full attention to the one who was just standing there.. looking smug.
'Of course.'
"You did something." Lexi said, and it could have been a question, but they both knew it wasn't.
"Yup," Vlad responded, and it could have only been a statement with how matter-of-fact he sounded.
Lexi took a glance around and noticed that, while she wasn't looking, no, wasn't seeing, everything in the bar… went slightly dim. Like a light switch was turned just a little bit to the left, and the dimmers did their work of making the ambience just a little lower than it was originally. She tried to figure out what was going on, but no matter how she thought about it, she couldn't put her finger on any possible answers to her nonsensical thoughts, because what she was seeing… and hearing made no sense.
"Their talking.. and moving… it's slower than before." Lexi stated, a chill beginning to work its way up her spine at the implication of what she didn't want her mind to believe she was seeing. "You did a spell?" She asked, since that was the only answer to the bizarre circumstances in which she found herself. 'That's the only way I could see something like this being possible, but the question is, when and how could I not notice him even cast a spell? Does he have a helper? Is this a trap?'
While Lexi was thinking to herself all sorts of silly things, Vlad was just waiting patiently, and realizing long ago just why it was so easy for Damon to kill her off with so little effort in the original series. 'This girl has absolutely no awareness of her lack of observational awareness. If I had to hazard a guess, based on the time it took her to notice that literally everyone around her was speaking in slow motion, I would say that she relies solely on her instincts in order to navigate through the world. No planning. No forethought. Just get up and go and believe it will all work out and if it doesn't, figure it out.' Vlad fought off the smile that was threatening to break out on his face, at the absurdity of the fact that someone so old could be so… carefree. 'No wonder she and Stefan could be best friends. He overthinks every single second of his life and focuses on every single detail as something to be lamented over, while Lexi chooses not to really think at all and just do. It makes sense.'
Lexi waited for Vlad to respond to her question, however after waiting for ten seconds and getting no answer, she just pursed her lips and began looking and zipping around with her vampire speed to see if anyone noticed her waving in their face.
"I wouldn't do that," she heard Vlad say from where he was standing and she paused her finger that was about to poke a man's face, in the air.
"Why not?" She asked, looking back at Vlad.
"This "spell" as you put it, is a work in progress, but it essentially utilizes illusions and the basic element of darkness to create a domain around you and I, in order to speed up time within that domain. If you were to touch someone that wasn't in the domain… well, either the domain will shatter, which might cause a bit of a backlash on me… or you, though I can easily avoid that just by paying attention. Or, and more likely, it will pull that man into the domain, and with him being someone who isn't already outside of time like you and I, since we're both immortal, I'm not sure what it will do to him." The more Vlad spoke, the more interested he got in the subject, since he truly wasn't sure what would happen if a mortal were to enter into his time-distorting domain.
In an instant he appeared beside Lexi, leaning forward slightly just like her, and looking at the man who was standing a few inches from her finger. "On second thought," he said, not even paying attention to her jumping slightly at his speed, which she couldn't track, "yes, go ahead and poke his face. This will be a very good experiment, and give us the answers we now so desperately seek." He said, as he gave the man in front of him his full attention.
Lexi on the other hand, was just looking at Vlad like he was crazy. "Yeeaah, no. I'm not doing that."
Vlad frowned. "Wh.. Ah." Vlad stopped himself from asking why not, and looked over at the woman who was looking at him with a hint of firmness to her face. "Let me guess, you don't want to poke his face, just in case it ends up going very bad for the guy. Right?" Vlad asked, even though he was pretty certain, just based on the feeling of resolve and slight fear, he felt leaking off of her. He took a step back, remembering why he liked her personality so much in the show. "Your respect for human life is admirable, Lexi." He told her, and he could see some of the tension that had spiked up in her body, relax slightly.
However… he wasn't done yet.
"However," he said, in a voice a little louder than necessary, and the tension immediately returned to her body and then escalated a little, due to the abruptness of his near shout. "This is my domain." He said, his voice lowered, and verging on menacing.
Before Lexi could react and like it was in slow motion, Vlad's hand was already extending out, and… *poke*.
Lexi watched with bated breath, and waited for something to change for the man, like for him to rapidly age or some other non-science thing that was going through her head, however.. after standing there for a few moments.. nothing actually changed. She looked from the man and over to Vlad who was standing there, with his arms crossed, and once more with a smug look on his face and a mischievous glint in his eye, and in that moment she realized something that would serve her well to understand and embrace in the future. 'This guy is a bit of a troll.'
"This is my domain, Lexi. If I wasn't at the very least certain I could guarantee one man's safe exposure to it, I would have never placed us both in it." Vlad said, as the playfulness left his eyes and a warmth made it's way in. "While I will admit, I don't hold your same value towards strangers… that doesn't mean I'll disrespect your values in such a way as to expose you to something that clearly makes you so uncomfortable." He told her and then gave her arm a slight squeeze at the elbow that sent warmth spreading through her body…..
And Lexi blushed.
'Hehehehehe.'
"Thank you," Lexi said, with a small nod of her head. Then she looked around once more and waved her hand. "So, what's the deal with the whole bringing us out of time thing? Don't get me wrong, it very cool, but why?" She asked with genuine curiosity, and Vlad in response, took a quick look around like he didn't want anyone to overhear, then motioned her forward with his finger, like he had a secret to share.
Lexi could feel his warm, yet cool, breath on her ear as he spoke. "I wanted to talk to for just a little longer." "I have a boyfriend!" Lexi immediately shouted in response, and fuck all if it had anything to do with how wet she got just from him whispering in her ear. No, it definitely wasn't because of that, Lexi reasoned. 'I just yelled that out because it's the truth. No other reason what so ever.' She thought to herself, as she resisted the urge to move her lower body slightly, in order to feel just how soaked she got. 'That's it. I'm calling Lee as soon as I walk out of here. This is just too much. This fucking bastard is clearly trying to seduce me, and I'm not playing that game.' Lexi felt her resolve harden. However, outside of her mind, she watched as her body laughed and playfully swatted Vlad across his chest. 'What the fuck was that!'
Vlad watched her in amusement, and decided to take pity on the girl, since it would do him no good to be a cause of guilt for her… even if she would more than likely get over it eventually.
With a snap of his fingers, the space around them distorted and re-focused slightly, like a camera lens achieving clarity, and once more, Lexi found herself moving as one with the rest of the world. She looked at Vlad, and for a second, just for a second, she thought she saw a hint of understanding in his eyes. Like he knew that she was going through some thing mentally or something, and she decided to file that away for later, since it was at that moment that her order was placed on the counter in front of her by somebody that she didn't even spare a glance.
"Thanks," Lexi said, with a hint of shyness that she was definitely going to kick herself over later, if only because it was pretty fucking embarrassing.
"No problem," Vlad said with a smile, like it was really no problem.
Lexi grabbed her food, as a thought occurred to her. "Wait, I'm confused. How did you know I wasn't human, and could go inside your space place?" She asked, since that was pretty much the first thing to confuse her when she was told about the space.
"I saw you," Vlad said, like it explained everything.
Lexi waited for a second, expecting him to elaborate… and then she just rolled her eyes. 'Right, troll.' "Saw me when?" She asked.
"When you, Damon, Stefan, John, and Isobel, engaged in your death match. It was very entertaining stuff, and I was really rooting for you to be the winner." A look of surprise and a few other emotions played across Lexi's face, so Vlad quickly continued in order to clear up the potential misunderstanding. "Don't feel bad," Vlad quickly said. "I'm sure you could have won if you weren't protecting Stefan." He said, as he placed a hand on her shoulder in reassurance. He didn't want her to think he didn't believe in her after all. "It's okay."
Lexi… nearly exploded. And then, just as she had so many other times throughout her life, she blinked, her vision went dark for a split second accompanying the blink, and she was standing in front of her hotel room door with her order in her hand.
She stood there for a second stupefied. And then,
"That son of a b%$&#!!!" Lexi yelled at the top of her lungs, as she raised her arms in the air.
Instantly the door was ripped open and Stefan was standing there with a look of worry on his face, with Damon standing further behind him and looking out the door, like he was expecting an attack.
"Lexi, what happened, are you okay?" Stefan asked, as he stepped forward and brought her arms down, so she would focus on him.
Lexi took a moment in order to breath and calm herself down, as images of an incredibly smug and handsome face continued to occupy her mind.
It was with one final and very deep breath that she finally said, "I'm fine," as she stepped past Stefan and walked into the room. "I'm fine, and I'll be even better once I kick a smug asshole's ass." The door was closed, and the hallway went silent… save for a very low laugh that sounded out a few seconds later, that only the walls could hear.
'I think that went very well as far as first meetings go,' Vlad remarked to himself in self-satisfaction. 'Yeah,' Vlad patted himself on the back, as he and the food in his hand, vanished from the hall and appeared back home. 'I'm a genius. Seduction 101: Always leave a good first impression. Check.'
He placed his feet back on the table and relaxed as he opened his food. Knowing that he, without a doubt, was definitely most likely going to hit that… like a true romantic.
Chapter 94
There comes a time in every young man's life when he has to ask himself, "what am I doing with my life?" And usually, that question can be answered simply, plainly, with answers like "I'm doing me", or "I'm figuring it out". However, for two brothers who recently went through a gauntlet that may have been real or fake or some magical spell they never heard of, the answers were not that simple.
Stefan knew he could leave. He could simply get up and go... considering the man Lexi described that she met earlier that day let him leave free and clear. However, he knew he couldn't do that because he had seen a girl. Felt her presence. And knew he needed to get to know her.
Damon knew he could not leave. Regardless of what some mind scrambling soon to be dead man had to say about it, Damon was in town for a reason. He had a purpose. And she was sealed in a cave, waiting for him to get her out. And he wasn't going anywhere without her. Not again.
"Guys, I really think you should consider it," Lexi said as she looked at the two brothers brooding in different poses.
Stefan was seated on a couch with his elbows on his knees and his hands interlaced in front of his mouth.
Damon, on the other hand, was leaning casually beside a window and looking out and down like his frowny face could will her strange restaurant encounter to just voluntarily walk on by.
But she knew he wouldn't. Not unless he wanted to, of course. Because if there was one thing that was made plainly clear to her in their interaction and then her subsequent instantaneous drop off at her hotel room door, it was that they were clearly dealing with something that was currently waaay out of their league. It would be different if the handsome stranger muttered some made up language under his breath or waved his hands while his eyes rolled to the back of his head, but none of that happened. Everything he did, he just did. And that was the scariest part of all. It fit nothing she had ever known.
Instead of answering her directly, Stefan looked to Damon, like he wanted his opinion, and Lexi had to resist the urge to roll her eyes. She could not for the life of her figure out why Stefan still held on so tightly to this bond.
Vlad, for his part, is mostly just thinking, about the present, about the future.
When he set out on his short journey it was with the intention to gather some strength. Strength enough to face what was coming and not have to sacrifice what he has grown to care about in order to survive. No, it was in search of the strength to thrive. And now, he has that.
He has that in abundance.
In fact, he has so much of that that unless he goes full batshit and rearranges his mind in order to resemble the thought processes that most of the people of this reality seem to have undergone. I mean, Klaus for example, all that power and yet the clown is bested by a bunch of teens and a pair of idiot brothers. Not to even mention Silas. It appeared to Vlad that the people of this reality had a problem with playing with their food and making everything sooo convoluted and complicated that by the time the episode came to an end, somehow the all-powerful villain was the one on the losing end.
Never made sense.
So, now as he sits back with his hands behind his head and goes over his latest actions he wonders to himself if he has already been infected by the CW syndrome and if he, with all his now seemingly immense power, will play around with his enemies and then he will turn around and end up sealed in a statue or thrown into a dimension specially made specifically for him that he somehow someway simply cannot escape from for at least a thousand years. . .
These thoughts are worth pondering.
Especially because he knows himself well enough to know that he is not truly that different when it comes to arrogance and the joy and pleasure that comes from feeling invincible and living like it.
After all, that is precisely how he ended up with a bullet through the back of the head in his last life.
...........
Just started back posting again so decided to do a refresher chapter to refamiliarize myself with this story. Au Vwa (That means goodbye. The English pronunciation.)