20. Blood Brothers

Stefan was still locked in the Salvatore's basement, he let out a painful groan and started hallucinating how this all started, how he and his brother got turned.

Damon and Stefan watched from the shadows as the council captured more and more vampires.

"Get him in" Johnathan Gilbert ordered, as one of his men shoved another vampire into the carriage, "We have to get to the church, they're waiting".

"Circle around that way, I'll distract them, go" Stefan ordered Damon.

Damon had no interest in freeing Katherine, all he wanted to do was run to Natalie and make sure she's safe, but he knew if he didn't save Katherine then his brother would suffer, and he didn't want that.

Stefan and Damon separated, Damon went to save Katherine, while Stefan went to distract the council members.

"Over here, there's another one, quick, help me!" Stefan yelled, running away from the carriage.

"Arm yourselves" Johnathan ordered his men, as they all ran after Stefan.

Damon slowly sneaked towards the carriage and quickly knocked out the one guard that was guarding it, Damon bent down and grabbed the keys from the guards pocket and proceeded to open the carriage, just as Stefan ran over to him.

"We don't have long" Stefan told his brother, helping him open the door.

Once Damon had opened the door, Stefan looked into the carriage, "Katherine, Katherine" he called out, once their eyes landed on the Pierce vampire, both the brothers carried her down from the carriage and placed her on the floor and proceeded to untie her, "Damon hurry, hurry" Stefan urged, after hearing the council members coming back.

Suddenly both the brothers heard a gunshot, turning their head, they saw Natalie standing infront of Stefan with a bullet through her stomach.

"Natalie!" Damon yelled, catching Natalie just as she was about to fall to the ground, "No, no, no, don't you dare die on me Natalie, don't you dare!".

A teary eyed Natalie looked into Damon's eyes, "Damon I-I", Natalie let out a gasp, suddenly finding it really hard to breathe.

"Shh, don't talk, you're going to be fine" Damon assured, tears streaming down his face seeing the love of his life like this, "Do you hear me, you're going to be fine!".

Natalie gave Damon one last smile, before closing her eyes, she was glad she got to see Damon one last time, she was glad that she got to die in the arms of the guy she has learned to love so much.

"No, don't close your eyes Natalie, don't close your eyes!" Damon pleaded, shaking Natalie, "Come on, open your damn eyes Natalie! Please! Open your eyes!".

Stefan bent down and grabbed Natalie's hand in his and tried to find a pulse, but he found nothing, "Damon, she has no pulse" he whispered, looking down at the girl in tears, he felt guilty, really guilty, as Natalie took the bullet that was coming for him.

Damon looked at his brother in shock, "No you're lying, you're lying to me, she isn't dead, she can't be dead Stefan!".

"Damon--".

Before Stefan could say anything, another gunshot was heard, and Damon froze seeing his younger brother fall to the ground, before Damon could even register what had happened, he was also shot.

Damon, Natalie and Stefan laid next to each other, all three dead.

"Stefan, Stefan" Damon called, breaking Stefan out of his hallucination.

"Stefan" Aria called, kneeling next to the youngest Salvatore, "You're going to be fine Stefan".

"I love you Stefan" Katherine whispered to a dying Stefan.

The council members came back and were shocked seeing the scene infront of them, they quickly grabbed Katherine and placed her back into the carriage.

Stefan watched as Damon grabbed Aria by her shoulders and led her out of the basement.

Johnathan Gilbert looked back at Stefan, and a look of remorse came over his face.

Before closing the basement door, Damon looked back at his younger brother, with a tinge of remorse shown on his face.

Katherine kept her eyes at a dying Stefan till he was out of sight.

Aria looked at Stefan through the small window, and after a sigh, walked away.

***

"I can't see him like this Damon" Aria whispered, looking at Stefan through the small window.

"You're the one who locked him up" Damon reminded.

"And you helped" Aria retorted.

"I couldn't have him running around chewing on people while the town was looking for vampires, now could I?" Damon defended.

"So you're telling me, you helping me lock Stefan up had nothing to do with you caring about him?" Aria asked, raising her eyebrows at the older Salvatore.

"Your thing, not mine" Damon stated

"Damon you're forgetting that I know you, and I know when you're lying" Aria said, "And right now you're lying, the truth is, you can deny it all you want, but deep down, there's a small part of you that still very much cares for your younger brother, I saw it that night when you were trying to get Stefan to get in control, you were genuinely worried about him".

Damon didn't say anything, just stared at Aria and after a moment, walked away, making Aria smile, because she knew she was right, deep down Damon did care about his younger brother, hell he even loved him, he was just too stubborn to admit it.

Aria followed Damon out, not realising that Stefan had been awake this whole time and was listening on to Aria and Damon's conversation, Stefan looked down at his hand, and realised his daylight ring was missing, which caused Stefan to be hit with another memory.

Stefan opened his eyes and was shocked seeing himself alive, he looked around at his surrounding in confusion, he quickly looked down at the blood on his shirt, he opened his shirt and frowned seeing no wound, that's when his eyes landed on a huge blue ring on his right hand, a ring he doesn't remember having let alone putting on.

"Katherine had me make that for you weeks ago" Emily said, walking over to a confused Stefan.

"Where am I?" Stefan asked.

"The quarry, just north of town" Emily informed, "My brother and I brought you here last night, we found you dead in the woods".

"Where's Damon and Natalie?" Stefan asked, remembering that he wasn't the only one who got shot, Emily gestured behind Stefan, Stefan quickly turned around to see a devastated Damon sitting by the lake, "And Natalie?" Stefan asked, suddenly really scared of Emily's answer.

Sadness came across Emily's face when hearing Natalie's name, "You and your brother were the only ones who survived".

Stefan looked at Emily with teary eyes, though she didn't say it directly, Stefan knew what she meant, Natalie didn't make it, she was dead, "Am I--? Am I a--?".

"Not yet, you're in transition" Emily interrupted, knowing what Stefan wanted to know.

"But how? I--".

"You had Katherine's blood in your system when you died" Emily informed.

"No, I never--". 

"She's been compelling you to drink it for weeks, Stefan" Emily revealed, shocking Stefan.

"And Damon?" a curious Stefan asked.

"Natalie had prevented Katherine from compelling Damon, so instead Katherine has been spiking Damon's drinks with her blood" Emily said.

After registering everything Emily said to the best of his ability, Stefan decided to go check on Damon, in his mind, his older brother would be devastated after losing Katherine, what he didn't know at the time, was that Damon was devastated, but it wasn't because of losing Katherine, it was because of losing Natalie, the one girl he vowed he will protect with his dying breath.

"I woke up last night, I didn't know where I was" Damon said, hearing his brother's footsteps coming towards him, "I saw a dead Natalie laying beside me, I thought if I couldn't save Natalie then I will save the women she was destined to protect, so I went to the church, and I watched them drag her inside, then they set fire to it, and the whole church went up into flames, they killed her Stefan, they killed both of them, they're gone".

***

Aria entered the Salvatore living room with a frustrated look on her face, "I swear to god, Elena is being Elena again, she's still too scared to face Stefan, she refuses to see him until Stefan's in control again, she doesn't realise that Stefan isn't going to gain control until he knows Elena, the girl his in love with, isn't scared of him anymore", Aria looked towards Damon, waiting for his unnecessary comment, but it never came, he was to busy trying to figure out what the invention Pearl had given him does, "Find out what that is yet?" Aria asked, walking over to Damon.

"Nope, whatever it is, it doesn't work" a frustrated Damon said.

"Maybe go ask Pearl about it?" Aria suggested.

Damon shook his head, "Pearl wouldn't know, she thought she was stealing his vampire compass, but it was a pocket watch" Damon sighed, "That Johnathan Gilbert was a crazy scientist" Damon turned to Aria, "You talked to John Gilbert lately?".

Aria looked at Damon as if he had grown another head, "Are you crazy? Why will I talk to him? Ever since he told me that he knows who killed my parents, but won't tell me, I've been avoiding him like he's the plague, and also I've been here most nights".

"So you'll be staying here tonight also?" Damon asked, smirking at Aria.

"Yes, why is that a problem vampy?" Aria asked, a smile forming on her face.

"Yes, you're a complete nuisance, you've taken over my bedroom Ria" Damon teased.

Aria chuckled, "Deal with it Salvatore, and you can deny it all you want, but the truth is, you actually really enjoy my company".

"I never said I don't" Damon said, "Just said that you're a nuisance, which you are".

Aria laughed and playfully pushed Damon, making him let out a chuckle.

***

After talking to Damon, Aria went downstairs to the basement to give Stefan his daily blood, Aria looked through the window to see Stefan sitting on the ground with his head on his knees, Aria frowned, not liking Stefan like this.

"Stefan" Aria said, "I brought you some blood, it's from your diet, I forced Damon to get some from the woods" Aria waited for a reaction from Stefan but got nothing, making her sigh, "Damon told me what will happen if you don't drink, you'll desiccate Stefan".

"I'm not hungry" Stefan said simply.

"Stefan don't be stubborn, please just take it" Aria said, placing the bottle on the window, "It's been days, the human blood that was in you should have long passed, so why are you still in here?".

Stefan once again said nothing, making Aria sigh, so she simply pushed the bottle, making it fall into the cell, Stefan looked at it, and Aria thought he was about to drink it, but instead he looked back down, making no move in drinking the blood, Aria sighed, she knew she had to do something and that to fast, under no circumstance was she going to let Stefan desiccate.

***

"Let me guess, Stefan still refuses to drink blood" Damon said, seeing Aria enter the living room with a dejected face.

"I don't get why he's being so stubborn, he knows what will happen if he doesn't drink it" Aria complained.

Before Damon could say anything his phone started ringing, "Hello?" he answered.

"Hey it's Alaric Saltzman".

"Before I hang up, how did you get this number?" Damon asked, making Aria wonder whose he talking to.

"It's a mystery" Alaric replied, "Listen, I've been doing some digging on Elena's uncle, you interested?".

"What kind of digging?" Damon asked, suddenly very interested.

"An old friend from Duke who studied criminology when we were there together" Alaric said, "Let's just say he's become a very proficient digger".

"Well, did he find anything?" Damon asked, putting his phone on speaker so Aria can also hear.

"Well, I had him run a track on John's cell records" Alaric informed the duo, "His getting a call from a number, the same number that Elena dialed to get Isobel, and then the number was disconnected".

"Isobel knows John, whatever we knew that" Damon said.

"Right well after that, he started getting calls from a new number" Alaric informed, "And I had my friend run a geo track, got the address, it's an apartment in Grove Hill".

"Isobel is in Grove Hill?" Aria asked, letting her presences known to Alaric.

"I don't know" Alaric said truthfully, "I thought we could take a look, see what we find".

"Perfect, give me the address" Damon said.

"Why, so you can go without me? No, I don't this so" Alaric said.

"I'm not going with you, you tried to kill me" Damon argued.

"You did kill me" Alaric argued back.

"He does have a point" Aria told Damon, "You should go with him, find out whose calling John".

"What about you?" Damon asked, not wanting to leave Aria alone with Stefan.

"I'll stay here and babysit your younger brother, I need to make sure he eats and doesn't die on me" Aria said.

"You sure?" an apprehensive Damon asked, "We could always ask Elena to come, while you and me both go with Alaric".

Aria shook her head, "Elena won't come, and it's okay, I'll be alright, when you get back, you will see me right here waiting for you, now go".

"I better see you here Ria" Damon said, the idea of leaving Aria alone here really not sitting well with him.

"You will" Aria promised.

Damon sighed, "You drive, pick me up in an hour" he told Alaric.

"Done" Alaric said, before hanging up the phone.

***

Stefan looked at the bottle of blood Aria had dropped into the cell and was suddenly hit with another memory.

"I bet Johnathan Gilbert has told father by now" Stefan said, sitting next to his brother by the lake, "Wonder how he took the news that we're dead".

"As if he cares, he betrayed us" a angry Damon said, blaming his father for Natalie's death, if he didn't interfere then maybe she would have been alive.

"He thought he was protecting us Damon, he thought he was protecting this town" Stefan defended.

"God, the sun hurts my eyes" Damon complained.

"It's part of it" Stefan informed, "The muscle aches, the sick feeling, Emily says it's our bodies pushing us to feed, to complete the transition".

"That's not gonna happen" Damon snapped, never wanting to be a vampire in the first place.

"Is that your choice then?" Stefan asked, "To die instead?".

"Isn't it yours?" Damon asked, shocked his brother could even think about becoming a vampire, "We didn't want this Stefan, I didn't want this, I just want it all to be over already".

All Damon wanted to do is die, since him and Natalie couldn't be one when they were alive, he hoped his death will end up uniting them.

"How you feeling?" Aria asked, coming downstairs, Aria saw Stefan staring at the bottle of blood, but making no moves in drinking it, "You should drink it Stefan", Stefan shook his head, "You need to Stefan, you can't survive without it".

"I don't wanna survive" Stefan snapped.

"What?" Aria asked shocked, not sure if she heard Stefan correctly, "Don't you dare say that Stefan".

"I'm sorry Aria" Stefan said, "No more, after what I've done, it has to end, I just want it over".

Aria looked at Stefan with teary eyes, she had no idea he felt like this.

***

 "He's being dramatic, he's not gonna starve himself" Damon assured a worried Aria, who was sitting by the fireplace, with Stefan's words going round in her head.

"Then why would he say something like that?" Aria asked.

"He feels bad about hurting that girl, it's typical Stefan martyr stuff" Damon said, "It will pass".

"How are you so sure Damon?" Aria asked, "What if it doesn't pass? He's in a lot of pain, Damon".

"That will pass to, once he eats" Damon assured.

"Not physical pain" Aria clarified.

"I know what you meant Ria" Damon said, "Look, you sure you're going to be okay? I still say you call Stefan's girlfriend and tell her to come take care of her boyfriend, while we go with the teacher".

"Damon I told you, I'll be fine, you go" Aria assured.

Damon nodded, he then proceeded to put his jacket on, "You should--you should stay up here, shouldn't be down there by yourself".

Aria smiled at Damon's worry, "I'll be fine Damon".

"You know, you're very trusting of him, given the circumstances, especially when his own girlfriend doesn't trust him" Damon said.

"So are you" Aria retorted, "If you didn't trust him, then you would never leave me alone with Stefan".

Damon paused and turned to Aria, "I won't be long".

"Take your time" Aria said, waving her hand at Damon.

***

Aria looked through the basement window, to see Stefan still in the same position she had left him.

"You know, Damon hasn't fed me vervain in a while" Stefan told Aria, "I could be at those bars in a flash, and you'd be dead".

"You're right" Aria agreed, "But I know you won't".

"Please just go away" Stefan pleaded, "I don't want you here".

"You saying you don't want me here, isn't going to push me away from you Stefan, I'm not leaving" Aria said stubbornly.

Stefan said nothing, instead went back to staring at the ground, Aria having enough of Stefan's stubbornness, opened the basement door and entered the cell, "What are you doing Aria? Get out of here" Stefan ordered.

"No" Aria said, standing her ground.

"You're taking a stupid risk, I could hurt you" Stefan warned.

"No you won't" Aria said, grabbing the bottle of blood from the ground and forwarding it towards Stefan, "Drink".

"Aria, get out of here or you'll regret it" Stefan threatened.

"I said drink Stefan" Aria demanded.

Stefan got up and slapped the bottle from Aria's hand, "I said get out!".

Aria glared at Stefan, equally as angry as him, "No".

Stefan paused, after staring at Aria for a moment, Stefan stepped away from her and sat back down on the bench.

After a sigh, Aria went and sat next to Stefan, "You might as well talk to me Stefan, you know I'm not leaving you alone, tell me why are you being so stubborn?".

"I'm making the decision I should have made years ago" Stefan said.

"What decision?" Aria asked confused.

"You have to feed to complete the transition" Stefan revealed, deciding to talk to Aria, knowing she's too stubborn and she isn't going to leave anytime soon.

"Yeah, Damon told me that" Aria said.

"It was a choice I shouldn't have made" Stefan said, confusing Aria, Stefan then went on to tell Aria how he had gone to say goodbye to his father, where he learnt that it was his father who shot him, Damon and Natalie, and then his father decided to finish what he started but when he tried to stake Stefan, the youngest Salvatore ended up throwing his father against a wall, causing him to stab himself instead and Stefan seeing the blood, lost control and ended up feeding on his father to complete his transition to a vampire, "How can you even look at me right now?" Stefan asked Aria, after finishing his story.

"I'm here to listen to you without any judgements Stefan, that's what best friends do" Aria said, "Come upstairs with me, we can talk more, we can talk all night, I'm ready to listen to anything and everything".

"You're so sure I'm ready" Stefan observed.

Aria nodded, she then took out Stefan's ring from her pocket and showed it to Stefan, "I know you're ready, but now it's up to you, when you feel like you're ready, I'll be upstairs waiting".

Aria placed the ring on the bench and walked out the cell, leaving the door open for Stefan.

***

"Ugh god, you're still here?" Damon teased, seeing Aria sitting infront of the fireplace, writing in her diary.

"I promised you, didn't I?" Aria said, smiling at Damon.

"You did" Damon agreed, lifting Aria's legs and sitting down, while Aria placed her legs on Damon's lap.

"So?" a curious Aria asked, "How did it go?".

"Futile" Damon said, "Although I think I witnessed the teacher having an existential crisis, has Stefan eaten yet?".

"Look who cares" Aria teased, making Damon roll his eyes.

"Chalk it up to morbid curiosity" Damon said.

Aria smiled, "He's slowly getting there, it's just that he has a lot of guilt in him that he still hasn't dealt with", Aria looked at Damon, "It really doesn't help that both of you have spent the last 145 years at each other's throats".

"This is my fault now?" Damon asked angrily.

"No, no, no, that's not what I'm saying Damon" Aria said quickly, "You're misunderstanding me, I'm just saying that both of you should have been with each other, should have supported each other, instead you left each other's side".

"Let me ask you a question" Damon said, standing up in anger, "In this important soul searching and cleansing of demons of Stefan's past did you ever manage to get the rest of the story?".

"He did say there was more to it" Aria remembered.

"Yeah, that's an understatement" Damon snapped, before walking away from Aria.

"Damon hold up" Aria said, getting up and following Damon, she grabbed Damon's hand and made him face her, "Damon wait, what's the rest of the story, tell me".

"What are you doing? Who is that?" Damon asked confused, as Stefan walked over to him with a woman by his side.

"I brought her for you, she's a gift" Stefan said, "Have a seat, please".

The compelled girl nodded and sat infront of Damon.

"What have you done, Stefan?" Damon asked shocked.

"Damon, I've been to see father" Stefan explained, "He came at me, I didn't know my own strength, there was blood everywhere, he was dying and the blood was too strong, I needed it, I had to have it".

"You fed" Damon realised.

"Yes, and it's incredible" Stefan said, "My body is exploding with power, Damon".

"No" Damon cried.

"I can hear things from far away" Stefan said, "I can see through the darkness, I can move like it's magic, and the guilt, the pain Damon, I can turn it off like a switch, Katherine was right, it's a whole other world out there Damon".

"Katherine is dead, Stefan" Damon said, standing up from his spot.

"I know you're hurting Damon, but you can turn that off too" Stefan said, blocking Damon's way, "You don't have to feel that pain anymore".

"I don't want it" Damon said, shoving Stefan off of him.

"You're weak, you'll be dead soon, you need this" Stefan argued, "You'll die".

"No, I can't" Damon said, refusing to live eternity without Natalie by his side.

"Please" Stefan told the compelled woman, he bit into her neck, "I won't let you die".

"No, I can't" Damon whispered.

"Don't fight it" Stefan demanded, "We can do this together".

Stefan forced Damon to look at the blood, after much resisting, Damon couldn't do it anymore and ended up drinking the woman's blood.

"The moment Stefan had his first taste of human blood, he was a different person" Damon revealed, drinking his bourbon, "I suppose I should thank him, it's been a hell of a ride".

"He said he wanted to die" Aria connected, "He wouldn't feed because he feels guilty for what he did to you".

"His choice" Damon said nonchalantly, "If he's stupid enough to make it, so be it".

Aria scoffed, "Stop doing that Damon, stop pretending that you don't care".

"Where are you going?" Damon asked, seeing Aria leave the living room, but she ignored him.

Aria walked downstairs to talk to Stefan, but froze when she saw the door open but no Stefan, that's when her eyes landed on Stefan's daylight ring that was still placed where she had left it, quickly picking the ring up, Aria ran out the cell to go find Stefan before the sun came up.

***

Stefan walked over to the quarry and stared at the water fall infront of him.

"How do you feel?" Stefan asked his brother.

"Whew, you were right" Damon replied, "It is a whole new world".

"We can explore it together" Stefan said, happy that his brother was accepting vampirism.

"You got what you wanted, you and me for all eternity" Damon said, "But hear this brother, I will make it an eternity, of misery for you".

"Damon!" a shocked Stefan yelled, as Damon walked away from him.

Stefan looked around confused when he saw no sign of Damon, his head started spinning, he turned to his right, where he saw Emily.

"You've transitioned" Emily realised.

Stefan nodded, "You'd have rather found me dead?".

"Katherine saved my life once" Emily said, "I owed her, that doesn't mean I'd wish her curse on anyone".

"It feels more like a gift" Stefan defended.

"That will change" Emily stated.

"Why is that?" a confused Stefan asked.

Emily walked closer to Stefan, "Because even in death, your heart is pure Stefan, I sense that about you, that will be your curse, tell me Stefan have you remembered the biggest truth of your life, the truth Katherine compelled you to forget?".

Stefan looked at Emily in shock, wondering how Emily knew that Stefan had remembered, he had remembered what Katherine had compelled him to forgot, he had remembered his love for Natalie.

"Emily, wait!".

Stefan turned around and once again saw no sign of Emily, his head started spinning even worse then it was before.

"Stefan".

Stefan turned around to see a worried Aria standing behind him.

"Damon told me the rest of the story" Aria revealed, "Which is why I thought you'd be here, to end it where it all started".

"I should have died that night, just like I had chosen" Stefan said, "I should have let Damon die too".

"But you didn't" Aria said, "And you dying now, it's not going to change the past Stefan".

"Every single person that's been hurt, every single life that's been lost, it's because of me" Stefan said.

"The night that Elena's parents died, me and Elena blew off family night so we could go to a stupid ass party" Aria said, "Both of us ended up getting stranded and supermom and dad had to come pick us up, that's why us four ended up at Wickery Bridge. and that's why supermom and dad died, our actions are what set things in motion, but you have to live with them Stefan, you can't escape them, not like this anyway".

"I made a choice Aria" Stefan cried, "And because of that choice, a lot of people were hurt".

"But you made another choice, a choice in which you chose to stop, to not be the person the blood makes you" Aria defended, "You made a choice to be good".

"No, please don't do that" Stefan said, shaking his head.

"That's the person who jumped into the water to save a family, a family he didn't even know" Aria said, walking closer to Stefan.

"Please don't make this all okay" Stefan pleaded.

"That's the person who saved Elena's life" Aria said, ignoring Stefan.

"You don't understand Aria" Stefan snapped.

"Then make me understand Stefan!" Aria yelled back, "Make me understand, but don't take the easy way out, you're stronger then this, be strong, fight this, you can do it, I know you can".

"It hurts me" Stefan cried, "It hurts me, knowing what I've done, and that pain, that pain is with me all the time, and every day, I think that if I just--if I just give myself over to the blood, I can make that pain stop, it would be that easy, and every day, I fight that, and I'm so terrified that one day I'm not gonna wanna fight that anymore Aria, and the next time I hurt somebody, it could be you, or even Elena".

Aria shook her head, with tears streaming down her face, "I don't know if there is going to be a next time or not Stefan, but I do believe that you will never hurt me and Elena, at least not intentionally".

"You don't know that" Stefan argued.

"Maybe I don't" Aria said, shrugging her shoulders, "But you want to know what I do know, is that you can take this ring and throw it away and let yourself burn when the sun rises, or you take this ring and put it on, and keep fighting, like you've been doing for the past century".

Aria placed the ring into Stefan's hand and started to walk away.

"Elena hates me" Stefan said, stopping Aria.

Aria turned and faced Stefan, "She doesn't hate you Stefan, she's just scared, and you and me both know she has a good reason to be, but if you decide to keep fighting, then I know you, and I know you will succeed in getting your Elena back, she just needs a little bit of assurance".

"Why aren't you get scared of me?" Stefan asked.

Aria gave Stefan a small smile, "Because you're my best friend, I'm always going to be here Stefan, no matter how much you and Damon push me away, I'm always going to be here".

After giving Stefan another smile, Aria turned to leave but once again got stopped by Stefan.

"Aria".

Aria turned around and saw Stefan putting his daylight ring on, making Aria smile.

Stefan ran over and hugged Aria tightly, which she gladly returned, happy that she's gotten her best friend back.

***

Damon sat infront of the fire place, playing with Johnathan Gilbert's invention, when Aria and Stefan entered the living room.

"Little boy lost" Damon teased.

Aria looked between Stefan and Damon and realised they had a lot to talk about, "I'm going to be in Damon's room, don't kill each other".

After Aria left, Stefan turned to Damon, "Thank you".

"No Stefan, thank you" Damon said, "You're back on Bambi blood, I'm the big badass brother again, all is right in the world".

"I mean it" Stefan said, sitting next to Damon, "Thank you, for helping her take care of me".

"I didn't do anything, it was all Aria" Damon said, "If you didn't realise, she has a weird obsession with not giving up on either of us".

Stefan chuckled, "I noticed, doesn't it remind you of someone?".

"Natalie" Damon whispered, not wanting to remember Natalie and lose his self, Damon quickly shook his head and turned to Stefan, "You brood too much, everything on this planet's not your fault, my actions, what I do, it's not your fault, I own them, they belong to me, you are not allowed to feel my guilt".

"Do you feel guilt?" a curious Stefan asked.

"If I wanted to, it's there" Damon replied, taking a sip of his bourbon.

Stefan nodded and started to walk away, when Damon spoke again.

"You know, Emily waited till I turned to tell me what Katherine did to Natalie, and how she'd been successful in protecting Katherine with her spell" Damon revealed, "She didn't want me to know about what Katherine did, she thought it would impact my decision".

"She didn't want either one of us to turn" Stefan said, "She said it was a curse".

"Witches, judgy little things" Damon said, then suddenly he remembered Aria and Natalie, "Well except the Connor bloodline, they have a stupid thing for seeing the good in everyone".

"It's not stupid Damon" Stefan said, "That's what makes the Connor witches, one of the most pure and strongest witches of this world" Stefan paused, "Why didn't you tell me?".

"I didn't want you to know" Damon snapped, "Because I hated you, and I still do, I didn't get to be with Natalie, so I didn't want you to be with Katherine either".

Stefan nodded, "I know".

"But not because you forced me to turn" Damon said.

"Then why?" Stefan asked confused.

Damon stood up and glared at Stefan, "Because deep down, I knew, as soon as you turned, I realised that you were never in love with Katherine, I realised that you loved Natalie, and I couldn't tolerate that, as only I was supposed to be in love with her, she was supposed to be mine Stefan, only mine".

Damon left the living room, leaving behind an speechless Stefan.

***

Aria entered Damon's room after speaking to Caroline on the phone, only to see Damon sitting on his bed reading something.

"What you reading?" Aria asked, sitting next to Damon.

Damon didn't say anything, just handed Aria the old wrinkled paper, making Aria look at him in confusion, but nonetheless Aria started reading the letter, once she started reading she realised this was Natalie's last letter to Damon.

Dear Damon,

If you're reading this, it means I'm dead, it's means Katherine was successful in separating us, she found out Damon, she found out about our love and she compelled me to protect Stefan with my life and if somehow I survive, I'm suppose to kill myself, I remember her compelling me, but I couldn't tell you, no matter how much I try, the words never come out, which is why I'm writing this letter for you, Emily is supposed to give this to you when I'm dead.

I just need you to know that I don't regret falling in love with you, I don't regret going against Katherine for you, so don't you dare blame my death on yourself, meeting you, being your friend, falling in love with you, was the happiest moments of my entire life, I never knew I was capable of such love, but you proved me wrong, you made me realise that I could fall in love, that even I could experience such a pure emotion.

Don't let my death stop you from believing in love, because you want to know what I believe, I believe that there is someone out there, there is someone out there who will heal you from the wounds my love left behind, all you have to do is never stop believing, and just remember, it's okay to love someone else, I had my time with you and I enjoyed it immensely, now it's time for you to let someone else experience that kind of love, your kind of love, the most passionate, protective, magical, possessive type of love, let someone else in Damon, move on from me.

Forever yours, Natalie ❣

By the time Aria had finished reading the letter, tears were streaming down her face, Damon and Natalie's love was so pure, and Aria's heart hurt when she thought about their tragic ending.

"Emily gave this to me after I completed the transition" Damon revealed.

"She's right, you know" Aria whispered, wiping her tears.

"What?" Damon asked confused.

"Natalie is right when she said that you will fall in love again" Aria said, looking at Damon, "There's going to be someone out there whose to going love you as much as Natalie did, maybe even more".

Damon looked into Aria's eyes, "Before I refused to believe that, but recent events say otherwise".

Aria looked at Damon in confusion, "What do you mean?".

Damon shook his head, "Nothing, come one let's sleep, tomorrow we have another day full of supernatural mayhem".

Aria chuckled, "It never ends does it?".

"Nope".

Damon and Aria both laid down on the bed, Aria extended Damon's arm, and laid down on his chest.

"I could get used to this" Aria whispered, slowly but surely sleep taking over.

"Me to" Damon whispered, kissing Aria's forehead.

After so many days, both Damon and Aria slept peacefully, both extremely content in each other's arms.

***

Presenting 1x20 of Cold Hearted!

How was the chapter?

Thoughts on Natalie taking the bullet for Stefan?

Thoughts Aria helping Stefan come back?

Thoughts Damon revealing to Stefan why he didn't tell him about what Emily told him?

Thoughts on Natalie's last letter to Damon?

Published: 9th November 2020
Edited: 29th November 2024