CHAPTER EIGHT  /  ACT ONE

Achilles Heel

Days passed since the incident and Gwen's guard remained up every second of the day. Jumping at the presence of Damon or Stefan, locking her bedroom door and windows at night, and refusing to leave the house even to hunt for animal blood.

She remained kept to herself, occasionally socializing with the brothers every now and then. However, she began to learn many things within the last few days. Mainly from overhearing conversations between the two.

For one, the town's council which consisted of direct descendants of the original Founding Fathers of Mystic Falls, including Damon, were no strangers for vampires. They knew all about them and it was safe to say they wanted to eradicate them all. It didn't surprise her if she was honest. Even in 1864 the Founding Fathers knew all about vampires, proven by her entrapment in the tomb. However she also realized that posed a further risk for her.

Gwen wanted to pretend as if that topic was the only thing on her mind the past few days but unfortunately it was far from it. Ever so often she'd find herself drifting back to that moment when she finally got the taste of human blood again.

The strength she gained, the rush in which ran through her body, and the addictive taste. She wanted to pretend like it was no big deal but it was all she could think about.

She wanted it more than ever and hiding it felt exhausting.

Lying about it felt exhausting.

But damn, her addiction remained unmatched.

As Gwen pulled a new shirt over her head , the door to her bedroom opened. She turned around, watching as the eldest Salvatore brother entered.

"Yes?" She hummed.

"You seem to be in a good mood." He said, a glass of blood in his hand.

Gwen's eyes flickered to the glass, biting her lip before turning back to him. "I am. I'm finally feeling better after everything." She replied, removing the tie from her hair.

Damon nodded, setting down the glass. "Yeah, how are you really feeling?"

"Are you implying something?" She crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow. "I'm fine, Damon. I appreciate the concern but I'm telling the truth. Is there anything else you want?"

"Oh, nothing." He shrugged.

Gwen stared, trying her best to block out the smell of blood lingering through the air. "So what are you planning to do about the council?"

The Salvatore frowned, shooting her a confused look. "How do you know.."

"My hearing does wonders, I'm trying my best to get the hang of all my new senses." she replied, a grin on her lips. "But really, what are you planning to do?"

"Trying to get the town off the trail of vampires which is not easy considering there's an entire tomb of them running around."

"And what are you going to do about them?"

"Eh, I can handle them, either way you're not getting any stronger feeding on cute little squirrels all day which renders you useless to me as of now."

Gwen shifted her stance uncomfortably, looking away from him. He stepped closer to her. "There's nothing wrong with partaking in a healthy diet of human blood without actually killing anyone. Like from a local blood bank."

She chuckled softly. "I am fine the way I am. Stefan's helping me a lot and I'm happy."

"Happy throwing up chunks of squirrel blood in the toilet?"

The doppelganger scoffed, rolling her eyes. "You'll never understand, alright? So if you'll excuse me.." Pushing past him, Gwen left her room with a huff. She couldn't pretend he wasn't right. Admittedly, she wasn't going to get any stronger by Stefan's way of doing things. She desperately wanted to feel the rush she felt the other night. She knew it was wrong. She didn't want to kill Fredrick, but she loved being high off the taste of blood. Just like the way she felt during her first kill.

It wasn't just about the feeling human blood gave her, it was also about the strength she needed; at least that's what she told herself in justification of her feelings. She didn't have to kill to get what she wanted. There were many ways she could get that.

She could start small. Something like a blood bag for example. Easy enough to find. Certainly won't send her on a violent rampage. Safe for her and everyone around her.

The next day, Gwen stood in the basement of the Salvatore's home, staring down at the fridge full of stolen blood bags before her. It wasn't hard to get. Sneaking out in the middle of the night, taking a quick stop by the towns local blood bank and borrowing a few blood bags. Compulsion started to come naturally to her after a few attempts. She still found herself watching behind her back every few moments as the rush continued to die down. She took one bag, opening it as she brought it to her lips.

Hesitantly, she took one sip. The dark veins under her eyes reappeared, growing by the second as she drank.  Her eyelids softly shut and her grip of the bag tightened with the more she took. In what felt like seconds, the bag was empty. Throwing it to the floor, she hastily took another, then another, then another until half of the fridge's supply was empty.

She shut the lid, draping a dusty tarp over it before disposing of the empty blood bags. Her lips were red and blood stained her blouse. She sped upstairs, cleaning her lips then throwing out her shirt and replacing it.

She took a glance at herself in the mirror, smiling to herself.

Good as new.

She couldn't put all the blame on herself. She wasn't doing anything wrong, really. After all, she was a vampire. This was normal for them. She couldn't shy away from who she really is, right? What's the issue if she's not hurting anybody regardless of the fact that she felt the insatiable urge to take it one step further and sink her teeth right into someone's neck?

Maybe Damon was partially right, though it pained her to admit.

She fixed her hair, taking a deep breath as she returned downstairs with a soft smile on her lips as she caught Stefan entering the front door.

"Stefan!" Her smile grew. "You're finally back! I was wondering when you were coming home."

"Gwen," He replied, smiling back. "You seem to be in a good mood."

"I am, actually!" She exclaimed. "The past few days have been so stress free for me. No cravings or urges.. everything's been normal. Y'know maybe you were wrong about the whole ripper thing." She lied, biting her bottom lip as she anticipated his response.

"That's good." Stefan said. "I wouldn't rule anything out though. Like you said, it's only been a few days."

"Trust me, I'm fine." She waved him off. "And I was thinking.. since the urges are gone, maybe it'll be okay for me to leave the house more often."

"Gwen—"

"I understand your hesitation." She interrupted, raising a finger. "I'd just like to go on a walk. And surely if anyone recognizes me, I could pretend to be Elena."

"You know nothing about Elena." Stefan chuckled.

"Well then come on this walk with me and tell me about her! Tell me about you! We've been so caught up the last few days that we've never gotten the chance to truly get to know one another."

The Salvatore sighed as he stuffed his hands in his pockets. Her newfound enthusiasm captivated him, feeling the dynamics of their relationship shifting before his eyes. She watched as the reluctance in his eyes slowly faded before nodding. "Alright. A short walk."

"So you've really been alive for like, 145 years?" Gwen laughed, walking alongside him along the river by the town, deep in the forest where no lingering eyes or ears would appear. "You're far past grandparent's age."

"Well, technically you've been alive just as long." He laughed back, returning her smile.

"Yeah, desiccated in a tomb." She scoffed. "How old were you when you turned?"

"Seventeen."

"Really?" She tilted her head. "I was eighteen, so I guess that makes me a bit older."

"Now who's past grandparent's age?"

Her grin grew from ear to ear and bumped her arm against his. "Wow, he smiles." She joked.

The Salvatore's smile grew, shaking his head.

"You know, for someone who's had 145 years to find something to be happy about, you sure brood a lot," Gwen teased.

Stefan smirked. "I've spent majority of my life brooding."

"Maybe you should try, I don't know, smiling more. It wouldn't kill you."

"Pretty sure nothing can kill me now."

Gwen rolled her eyes playfully, giggling in response. Eventually, the two stopped at a point where the trees cleared and a better view of the river overtook them. The sun peeked out from behind the clouds, shining down on them and enlightening the mood. The clouds blanketed most of the sky, creating a gloomy atmosphere, however their laughter made the day just a little bit brighter. "It must've been so odd watching everyone else grow old over the years while you remain the same. I assume you've never made any longtime friends?"

"No, not really." He shrugged. "Except for one. She was my only friend."

"One friend over 145 years?" Her eyebrow raised, teasing him. "I guess I can't judge much, my only friend was my brother. My father never wanted us to leave far past the house very often. His fear of vampires kept us inside until the day I died. It's so wild to me though. How if I hadn't snuck out that night, I'd still be... alive."

"I think the same thing sometimes."

"...What happened to you?"

Stefan paused for a second, causing Gwen to immediately regret her words.

"A woman."

Gwen nodded, averting her gaze elsewhere. "Katherine?" She asked and he nodded in response.

"Did you love her?"

"I thought I did." He shrugged. "None of it was real, though."

Gwen nodded, her eyes meeting his. "Well, I consider it honorable that you did for, or what you thought was, love."

Stefan didn't respond, only nodding once more before sighing. He turned to her, watching as she stood deep in thought. "You alright?"

"I suppose." She shrugged, her muscles tightening. "I'm still trying to process what my life has become, and what's yet to come. I hear you and your brother talking sometimes. My apologies for eavesdropping... but I heard of the town council's obsession with vampires as of now."

He bit the inside of his cheek, taking a short breath. "Yeah. But it shouldn't be too big of an issue for now, as long as we lay low."

Gwen nodded slowly, the two beginning to walk again by the rivers edge. "I guess that means less trips out of the house then. Unless we're going for walks in the forest like this."

"Unfortunately."

She sucked on her teeth, swallowing hard. "It's okay." She reassured, offering a kind smile. "I'm sure I can just... bury myself in a bunch of your books for the time being."

"Eventually we'll figure out how things will work."

The Hale girl scoffed, looking away to hide her eye roll. "Yeah, sure." She inhaled before letting out a long, drawn out sigh. She turned back to him, shoving her hands in her pockets for warmth. "Your brother... he's different than you," Gwen remarked, glancing at Stefan for his reaction.

Stefan chuckled softly. "That's one way to put it. Damon's... complicated."

"Complicated how?"

"Like he's not someone you can trust easily." He replied. "But he pretends to be all tough and arrogant, which he is, but he hides the fact that he cares a lot. But right now.. he's just dealing with some intense issues."

"About Katherine." She continued for him. "So.. he loved her?"

"Everyone loved her." He chuckled, shaking his head.

Gwen scanned his expression, trying to understand his feelings deeper which he could tell were deeper than what he let on. "He seems like he has a lot of things he needs to work through. I feel bad for him. Doesn't change the fact that he scares me a little, though."

"Yeah," he nodded understandingly. "He has that effect."

The Hale nodded in response, caressing her forearm. The thought of Damon in any context sent a shiver down her spine almost every time. He wasn't afraid of him hurting her. He was afraid of the things he could push her to do. He knew how to push her buttons, how to push her over the edge. He truly could be the death of her. His innate need to force her to give into her vampiric urges annoyed her, but judging by the full container of blood bags hidden in the bottom of the Salvatore's estate, he seemed to do a pretty good job at it.

She didn't want to betray Stefan's trust. He was the only person in this entire world she trusted. However, she indeed felt like an addict. Maybe she was. She didn't want that for herself, but every time she got even the slightest taste of human blood, she didn't give a damn about anything else.

Oh well, she was who she was.

Not long after, Stefan dropped Gwen off at the Salvatore estate before taking off to meet up with his girlfriend, Elena. Something about her familial problems with her brother and uncle. She didn't pay much attention.

The only thing on her mind right about now was the fresh blood waiting for her in the fridge downstairs, which she wasted no time going to find. Venturing down the stairs, she found herself in the cellar, her eyes immediately laying on the fridge. She opened the container, taking the first one to catch her eyes.

It took everything in her to suppress her violent urges, biting her lip until it drew blood. Without even taking off the cap, she protracted her fangs and punctured two holes in the side of the bag. Bag after bag, she continued to drink until the container was almost empty.

That's okay. She thought. I can always get some more.

As she threw the last ones to the floor, landing in the pile of other empty bags, she turned around to exit only to be met face to face with the last person she wanted to see.

Damon.

Her heart skipped a bit once she spotted him in the doorway, quickly wiping the blood from her lips. "Damon–" She stammered, feeling her heart race. His taunting expression only upset her further, causing her to feel like some sort of joke.

"Thought you had everything under control?" He taunted. He stepped further in, glancing at the pile of bags then back to her. "Yeah, you seem pretty controlled to me."

"Please, don't tell Stefan." She begged, a pleading look in her eyes. "I really, really don't want to disappoint him. This doesn't need to be a big deal."

Damon sucked his teeth at the mention of his brother, visible annoyance on his face as she begged for him to keep quiet simply to spare his brothers feelings. He couldn't understand why she cared about what his brother thought of her so much. Seeing as she was so much more than what Stefan, of all people, thought about her.

Most likely a product of Stefan's unwavering charm or something along those lines.

"Don't worry." He waved his hand, scoffing. "Your secrets are safe with me. This is good, healthy even. You're embracing who you are and that's a good thing."

She let out a sharp breath, her muscles relaxing. "Thank you."

"But y'know, the blood bags won't be enough after a while. You can drink 'em day after day but eventually you're gonna want the real thing."

"Don't say that." She said, "I'm fine the way I am."

"Didn't you say that yesterday?" His head tilted, a teasing smile playing at his lips. "You're hilarious."

Gwen's frown deepened, her brown eyes refusing to leave his. "Please."

"Whatever you say," he shrugged, taking one of the bags from the cooler and popping off the cap. "Try not to blow our cover sneaking out to get those bags, alright? Council's already on high alert looking for vampires. You're not making it any better."

His words, like a knife, cut her. She felt ashamed of the way she acted around him. Like an addict. The Hale nodded in response, watching as he twisted on his heel and made his way out. "Stay away from large crowds too. They're pretty tempting. Like the Founders Kick-Off Party tomorrow. Probably wouldn't be the best scene for a girl like you."

He ascended the stairs, leaving her with her own thoughts. She ran a hand across her forehead, shaking off the adrenaline coursing through her bones. Gwen closed the door to the fridge, cursing herself for ever coming down here in the first place.

His words haunted her, though she refused to let them define her. She was far from a monster. How could she be? She was sweet little, innocent, Gwen. That Gwen may have died 145 years ago, but that didn't mean she had to change just because of a simple transformation in her life.

The Salvatore brothers taunting words were just that. Words. No matter how much he frustrated her, he could never break her. She deemed herself a force to be reckoned with.

Brushing the few strands of hair from her face, she took a moment to collect her thoughts. With a final exhale, she rushed to exit the cellar.

AUTHORS NOTE
hi how is everyone doing today im doing well goodbye