(1) The Phoenix (D. Salvatore)

Chapter Five

It's quiet as Damon drives. Mostly because neither he nor Daphne knows one another enough to talk about anything. Plus his mind is still trying to catch up with everything that happened leading up to this moment. She's not what he expected. Elena talked about her, a lot. How eccentric her sister was. Which he gets is the witch thing now. Elena never said that she was...feisty and forward. With a dirty mouth. He's never actually heard such language from someone so young and...feminine. He glances at Daphne, sitting in the passenger side seat. She looks at his radio and it suddenly turns itself on, tuning through the stations before settling on one. He glances at her as she basically makes herself comfortable in his car. He clutches to the steering wheel as she sets her feet up on the dash, ignoring the glare sent at her, because it's his car and she has her dirty boots up on his dash. She slides a pair of sunglasses over her eyes and pulls a little notebook from her bag followed by an orange feathered quill. She draws the feather under her chin as she thinks before she writes away. 

"What are you writing?" He asks as she scribbles away at the pad.

"Reminding myself of the spells that are useful against werewolves" She answers and motions with the quill. "Just in case"

"Smart" He agrees. When it comes down to it, they might just need her to get out of there in one piece. "Don't you need an inkwell?"

"Enchanted" She answers as she brushes the feather under her chin again, thoughtful.

"So I'm guessing Elena isn't aware of your...witchiness?" He asks, she glances at him before going back to her little book. "Not going to tell me?"

"Trust" She counters. "If I asked you personal questions, would you answer them?" She asks, he snorts and then shrugs. He wouldn't. Which is fair. He supposes. And it's not like he can compel her to tell him.

"You were rather upfront about magic school" He points out.

"You're a vampire" She counters. "Surely you knew about them already...." He shakes his head. "None of them?" She shifts slightly to watch him. "How old are you?" She's expecting him to be young, young enough that someone hasn't taught him about the wizarding world.

"Old" He answers, she hums a little and leans back. To be fair, he did agree that he wouldn't tell her anything personal. She could just look she supposes but she spent seven years being taught that it's rude to just probe around inside people's minds. They both fall silent again as she goes back to her notes. She knows spell by heart, this is just an exercise that is leftover from school. Make notes. Remind herself. She lets out a breath and glances at Damon. It's rather amusing actually. She's never met a vampire that doesn't know about their joint worlds before.

.........

In the Smoky Mountains, Alaric and Elena are walking along a river's edge, hiking their way through the mountains towards coordinates given to her by Tyler Lockwood, as a way to make up for biting Damon weeks before. Just something to help after everything. Elena touches a bracelet around her wrist. Elena hates keeping secrets from Daphne. Everything and anything except the supernatural she has always told Daphne about. Written to her. Rambled to her. Daphne always knew how to make her feel better. Always had the best advice and a lot of swear words. She always made her chuckle or smile. She wishes she had the courage to tell Daphne about everything else, but she knows she'll yell at her for it all. Hate her for it. Blame her for everything that happened. And she should. It is all her fault.

"In a couple of hours, the full moon's gonna rise just above that ridge" Alaric's voice draws her attention from her thoughts. "If Tyler's right, that's where the pack'll be" Alaric offers as he points ahead of them.

"You were a boy scout, weren't you? A boy scout, slash vampire slayer?"

"Slash whiskey-drinking all-around lost cause" They stop. Alaric drops his bag and opens it up. He packed for a fight.

"Wow. You came stocked"

"Well, we aren't exactly bird-watching. Here. Put that in your bag" He gives her a grenade.

"Vervain grenade?" Elena asks.

"Wolfsbane" Alaric corrects. Elena looks down at the grenade and turs it around in her hand before she puts it into her bag.

"Well, since we're exchanging gifts..." Elena offers him John's magical ring.

"That's John Gilbert's ring" Alaric points out.

"It was yours once. Go ahead. Take it. I'll protect you from whatever supernatural danger we're about to get ourselves into"

"He gave it to you"

"Yeah, but I'm a doppelgänger. It's not gonna work on me, he left it for if I ever have kids" Elena explains.

"Yeah, well, then why don't you save it for future generations of stubborn, relentless baby Gilberts?" Alaric asks. 

"Okay, and how 'bout you borrow it until after we survive this? I'd feel bad if I got you killed before happy hour" He takes the ring. She gets closer to the cliff edge, looking down at the water below. "I don't know why you think that you're a lost cause" Damon arrives and pushes her in the water. Alaric puts up his crossbow, Daphne gives him a look as she appears at his side. He jumps a little and she pushes down the crossbow.

"Put that down, Robin Hood" She comments.

"Damon!" Elena realises and then her eyes widen when she spots Daphne. "Daph...What are you.....? How are you even here?"

"Thanks for the tip, brother," Damon tells Alaric. Elena looks at Alaric, utterly betrayed.

"You sold me out!"

"You think I'd take you to a mountain range of werewolves on a full moon without backup?"

"Backup?" Elena asks. "And that includes Daphne?" Daphne waves a little.

"Right here, Snickerdoodle" Daphne scolds. "You can just ask me..."

"Daph, I know you mean well, but this..."

"I think it's really fucking stupid going after werewolves on a full moon" Daphne points out, Elena turns and gives her a look. "Do I look like a fucking idiot, Elena?"

"No" Elena is quick to answer, she really doesn't think her sister is stupid. Her sister is the most intelligent member of this family. "No, Daph, you're not..."

"Right, well, good, get out the water" Daphne demands of Elena.

"If I get out of the water, you're gonna make me go home," Elena tells her sister, Daphne nods.

"Yeah, damn fucking right I am" Daphne agrees. "Now get out of the water"

"No!" Elena argues and shakes her head. Daphne lets a breath out and looks at Damon.

"You talk some sense into her, vampire boy," She tells him. "She might actually listen to you" Damon gives her a look and then moves closer to the edge.

"What's your big plan, Elena? Huh? You gonna walk through a campsite full of werewolves, roast a marshmallow, and wait for Stefan to stop by?" He jumps down and walks into the water to join her. Daphne watches the two of them as Alaric moves to her side.

"My plan is to find him and help him. Damon, this is the closest that we've been to him since he left. I'm not going home"

"Klaus thinks you died when he broke the curse. That makes you safe. This, this is not safe" Damon tells Elena.

"I'm not leaving before we find him"

"It's a full moon tonight, Elena" Damon scolds. "You really want to do this? To take your sister into the mountains?" Elena's eyes flicker to Daphne. It's a low blow but he knows how hard she has worked to keep Daphne out of all of this. "To put her up against werewolves?" No. Elena doesn't. But she can't leave Stefan out here either. She doesn't know what to do.

"We are out of here before the moon is full" Daphne shouts down. Deciding for her. She wasn't going to make that choice. Young love is powerful and Daphne will always be her sister. Plus this might earn her some brownie points when she does come out with the truth.

"Yeah, and before I'm werewolf bait" Damon adds, he gives Daphne a look, really hoping she knows what she is doing here. Daphne shrugs back and looks up the at the ridge.