CHAPTER 23.5: Fucked up family
WARNING: implied/referenced abuse, implied/referenced sexual abuse, implied/referenced violence, threats, damon, stefan, matt, katherine pierce

DAMON WASN'T AN IDIOT, CONTRARY TO popular belief. He's been on this earth for a very long time. And, contrary to what some believe, he does actually know Athena. She documents almost everything. And she's very trusting of the people she loves (which isn't good, but he doesn't say anything, merely protecting her from the shadows).

That's why he has a journal from 1984 when Athena had dropped by the Salvatore house. She's been working on the boarding house for a century, visiting once or twice every decade to add to it or buy new property. Damon never questioned it, never needing to since he didn't visit Mystic Falls very much.

But he is glad that he had asked if he could borrow her journal from 1984 one day before she had kicked him and Stefan out. Athena had said yes without much argument, merely being confused why he chose that year since she had said nothing interesting happened. He had said he liked the writing style and detail before all but sprinting away. She had called him weird and went to her own devices, leaving him alone.

Now, he had the journal, opened up to a page somewhere in the middle. Both left and right pages are blueprints and instructions. The blueprints are of the forest outside of the boarding house. It's past the cemetery and hidden in a rock formation. The blueprint is of a secret blood facility.

From what he can tell, it's not very big, but it's decently sized. Maybe a meat freezer. All he's counting on is Athena's blood being in there.

He looks at the instructions that are scribbled into the margin. He raised his hand to where the three rocks meet and pressed his hand against the cool texture. He takes his hand away as a keypad pops out. He quickly types in the code (0982) and the keypad disappears back into the stone.

He closes the book as a glowing red circle appears. Two lines shoot out from the top and bottom in a straight line, going up and outlining a double door. One circular silver doorknob appears, and he reaches out, clasping his hand around it.

"Ow!" He winces and pulls his hand back in confusion. A small spot heals on his hand, the blood disappearing back into his skin with it. He looks back at the doorknob and sees the front of it close. He frowns and reaches out for the knob again, this time being able to turn it and open the door. He enters, putting the journal into his inside jacket pocket.

It's pitch black as the door closes behind him, not that the moon had done much to illuminate the inside area. Then, suddenly, torches begin to light up, a yellow hue filling the hall. The hall was made out of the same wood that was inside the house and it was warm inside as if there was a heater. It was a short distance to an elevator which he quickly made. He pressed the button—the only button; down.

The doors opened right away, and he stepped into the black silver elevator. The walls were wood as well with carvings of wars. The World Wars. The Spanish Succession. The Seven Years War. Wars between wolves and hunters?

He shook his head and looked at the key panel, finding there were two buttons along with the basic emergency and 'call for help' buttons. The top one read BLD while the second read 4311. He pressed the top one and the ring lit up red. The elevator started moving, Youngblood beginning to play out of the speakers.

"Funny," he muttered. The elevator dinged and stopped after a minute and the doors slid open. He stepped out into the room, finding it already lit up. The floor was wooden planks, and the walls were lined with wooden drawers that had golden plaques above them. They were different sizes depending on the side of the room they were on. The room was cool and refreshing, a stark contrast to the elevator and the hallway.

A lot of the plaques above the handles were blank, but there was quite a bit of them that were in use. He quickly began looking, realizing he probably didn't have a lot of time to pull off what he wanted.

He sped around the room, trying to find Athena's name, but paused when he found his and Stefan's. He frowned and opened the one with his name. It slid out on its own so Damon let go. Mist came out, making him shiver as it leaked into the already cool room. The inside of the capsule was lit with a light blue glow, like you'd see in sci-fi movies when reviving a person after a century long sleep on a spaceship.

There were four blood bags. His eyes widened when he read the labels. Human. And he could smell it. It was human blood. And it was his. He frowned; how would Athena even get this? He never went with him when he got his blood drawn and even if she had, how would she have kept it clean and healthy? He shakes his head and pushes the capsule back into the wall.

Those were questions for another day. Perhaps after Athena forgives him for what he's about to do. He quickly finds Athena's name next, tapping it and watching it slide open. Hers was one of the bigger ones, filling about six different shelves. They all read: witch or heretic. Except for the very top shelf where it read: witch | hybrid | tribrid .

He tilted his head and reread the last word, "what the fuck is a Tribrid?" He muttered. He shook his head and grabbed one of the bags that read Heretic. He grabbed a small water bottle out of his jacket pocket and poured some of the blood into the bottle. Once he was satisfied, he put the blood bag back and closed the water bottle, tucking it back into his pocket. He pushed on the capsule and quickly went back to the elevator as it closed.

He slowly opened the door to the outside and peeked his head out, making sure no one—human or supernatural—would see him and then exited. He closed the door behind him, and the doors disappeared, looking like normal rocks again.

He hummed, impressed. "Damn, she's good," he said, then quickly fled the scene.

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THE NEXT DAY
BONNIE STOPPED BY the hospital, greeting Matt who was in the same clothes as yesterday. She knew that he had been worried about Caroline, but staying all night? Athena probably wasn't happy.

"You been here all night?" She asked her friend.

"Yeah, with the sheriff. Athena and the other girl she and Caroline have been hanging out with too," Matt explained, somewhat bitterly.

Bonnie raised her eyebrows, not wanting to open that can of worms after yesterday. "And no one else?" She inquired. Maybe Damon had flaked, realizing that he couldn't go against his precious Elena.

"Uh, Athena's brother Damon stopped by late last night," he replied with a shrug.

She stands corrected. Bonnie hesitated in asking. What if the blood didn't work? What if Caroline only got worse? She breathed out and looked him in the eye, "how is Caroline today?" She asked softly.

Matt nudged his head in the direction of her hospital room, "see for yourself."

Bonnie and Matt walked over to Caroline's room, finding the blonde staring at the wall to the right of her bed. She seemed perfectly fine, not a scratch on her. The room was empty which she found weird; she thought Athena would be here.

"'Jersey Shore' is on," Caroline smiled as she sat up. Bonnie smiled and quickly hugged her tight. "Oh, careful! Still a little sore," Caroline chuckled.

Bonnie pulled back with teary eyes and a sheepish smile, "sorry," she said.

"It's okay," Caroline reassured, squeezing Bonnie's hand, "but they say I'm healing really quick."

"Yes, very quick," said a new voice. The two jumped while the blonde turned her head to smile at the woman who came out of the bathroom. She was probably 5' 5" and had dark brown hair and eyes. She was very beautiful and looked young, but Bonnie couldn't be sure considering how she held herself. The woman smiled back at Caroline before casting a glance over Bonnie and Matt. She eyed Bonnie for a little longer, "Bennett?" She inquired, raising an eyebrow. Bonnie nodded and the woman's face scrunched, "figures."

"Be nice," Caroline complained, giving the woman a look. "This is Bonnie," Caroline said, "the one I was telling you about." The brunette nodded and sat in the chair beside the hospital bed. Bonnie wiped her eyes, sniffling and Caroline quickly looked back at her, "why are you crying?" She asked softly, concerned for her best friend.

"I'm just really happy you're okay," Bonnie laughed, sniffling.

"Aww, Bon! I love you!" She gave her friend another hug and kissed her temple.

"I love you," Bonnie said, holding onto her. Matt was suddenly forgotten, and he stepped out after seeing the glare that the older woman was sending him. When Caroline and Bonnie finally pulled away, the Bennett witch excused herself to go talk to Matt.

"She seems nice," Crystal said, looking over at the blonde who snuggled back into the bed and lifted the covers over her.

"She is," Caroline smiled, "now, what were you saying about the spaghetti debacle?" She asked.

"Right! Okay, so, Lorelei was three and Davina was just a newborn babe..."

Bonnie looked inside the hospital room, watching as the woman told Caroline something and her best friend laughed from shock, shouting 'no way!' "Who is that?" She asked Matt who stood beside her, watching the scene as well.

"I have no idea," Matt replied, "she came to see Caroline last night with Athena. They were arguing about something. Their friend, Hazel? Was with them, but didn't really get involved, just stayed close to the lady."

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THREE HOURS EARLIER
"CRYSTAL, WILL YOU please slow down and think for a second?" Athena asked as she followed after her mother-in-law. Hayley had stayed in Caroline's room while Athena had gone to check on the woman. Crystal had been healed fully since midnight, but Caroline had only recently woken after miraculously having healed.

It worried Athena when she had healed so suddenly. She had not fed Caroline blood and hadn't performed any spells that would increase the healing process. The only thing she could think of is that Caroline had died, and the ring had brought her back, healing her wounds with it. The side-effect was soreness and Caroline had complained about being sore when she'd woken up.

"I'm thinking quite clearly, thank you," Crystal said disinterestedly, waving a hand without turning around, "I want to meet this girl that you seem so fond of."

Athena sighed irritatedly and grabbed the woman's arm when she almost passed the room. "It's right here, mama," she pointed out, gesturing to the open door where a blonde was lying in bed while a brunette combed her fingers through the blonde's hair affectionately. Crystal backpedaled, smacking Athena's hand off her. "Ow! What the hell, woman?" Athena shook out her hand with a grimace. The hunter strength sure was something else.

Hayley and Caroline both turned toward the entrance at the outburst. "Oh, hush, you big baby," Crystal waved her off again and stepped into the room, putting her hands on her hips. She gets a good look at the two women in front of her, taking them both in.

Caroline is cute and has a bright aura. Crystal can tell that she's just a ball of sunshine.

Hayley is broody and has an aura that's kind of right in the middle—between Caroline's and Athena's (the redhead's was super dark, Crystal has tried to tell her to lighten up).

The two seem to balance out her daughter quite nicely, at least it looks like that. She'll have to see how they interact to get a proper reading.

"So... you two are the ones my daughter has picked," she said, eyes narrowed to seem intimidating. Which, she doesn't need any help with. Her whole presence is quite intimidating. Sometimes it even makes Athena uncomfortable.

"Mama!" Athena exclaims, her voice high pitched in a whine as she pushes into the room. "¿Qué diablos? ¡No puedes decir eso!" [What the fuck? You can't just say that!]

"¡Oh, por el amor de Dios, cálmate, hija!" Crystal rolled her eyes, in exasperation. She was used to Athena being dramatic. She loved embarrassing the poor woman. "Cuida tu idioma. Ahora, vete para que pueda hablar con mis futuras nueras. Tal vez puedas conseguirnos algunas hamburguesas ya que no lo hiciste antes." [Oh, for the love of God, calm down, child. ... Watch your language. Now, leave so I can talk to my future daughters-in-law. Maybe you can get us some burgers since you didn't before.]

"Tengo mil años, ¿por qué me llamas niña?!" Athena rubbed her forehead, groaning in annoyance as her cheeks turned red. [I am a thousand years old, why are you calling me child?!]

"'Cause you are my baby, mi amor! I've taken care of you for years! Years! That is not just going to go away because you're over a thousand years old, blah, blah, blah!" Crystal exaggerates, speaking dramatically and shooing the woman back out the door despite her protests. "Burgers!" Crystal shouts and then closes the door in Athena's face.

Crystal turns around to face the two women. Caroline bursts out laughing, repeating 'ow, ow, ow' over and over again as she clutches her abdomen while Hayley looks bewildered and amused.

After Caroline calms down, Crystal speaks. "Hello, dearies. I'm Crystal Wood, Athena's mother," she says, grabbing a chair and pulling over to sit beside Hayley.

The brunette tilts her head and holds out her hand, "Hayley Marshall, Athena's—"

"Lover, yes, I know, dear. You both are not what I was expecting when Athena said you two were beautiful. She is seriously undermining it, you are both absolutely gorgeous," Crystal compliments, patting Caroline's cheek affectionately while Hayley's face turns a bright shade of red.

"I'm Caroline Forbes," the blonde says, shaking the woman's hand with a bashful smile, "thank you for the compliment. You're stunning yourself."

"Oh, a charmer, as well!" Crystal says, "now, I hope my daughter hasn't done anything stupid while I've been away. She gets into trouble quite a bit. With her bloody brother and their godforsaken father. It's terrible, really. I like Nik though, he's a good boy. Have you two met Nik?"

Hayley shakes her head, "no, we haven't. Athena only recently remembered, Ms. Wood," she explains. Crystal's eyes light up in realization.

Caroline nods in agreement, "yeah, we know a lot about her life, but I don't think we know everything."

"Ah, so you know what happened to my Cassidy, then?" Crystal asked, placing her hands on her lap and giving the two a curious look. Hayley and Caroline glance at each other and nod. "And you know about my granddaughters?" They nod again. "Have you met her?" Hayley nods but Caroline shakes her head.

Caroline gasps and grabs Hayley's ear, pulling on it. The werewolf yelps in pain and gives her a pout. "You got to meet the girls and didn't tell me?! What is wrong with you!" Caroline huffs.

Hayley rubs her ear, scrunching her nose in pain. "You were dying, you know. And I didn't tell you 'cause I'm sure Athena would've liked it if she was the one to tell you. You guys broke up 'cause of the secrets!" She bites with no real venom behind it.

Caroline flicked Hayley's nose; her expression deadpan before she looked over at Crystal who was very amused at the situation. Hayley yelped again, covering her nose and giving Caroline a glare.

"Where are the girls?" Caroline asked the woman, trying to see out the window. Athena would probably want to keep them close because of how long they've been apart for.

Crystal frowns a bit, "well, I don't know actually. Athena was a bit stingy on the details. But only one of them is here unfortunately, my youngest granddaughter is in New Orleans with no recollection of who we are. Damned witches, you can only trust so few when it comes to our family," she sighs, memories of when the Claire's had turned the rest of the French Quarter witches against her coming to the forefront of her mind. Davina and Lorelei's screams still haunt her till this day.

Caroline takes her hand, sympathy clear in her eyes. Hayley gives the woman a small, sympathetic smile. "Why can't Athena just go back and get her? She has her memories now," Hayley tilts her head, like a confused puppy. It's cute, and Crystal can see some of the reasons why Athena would've picked them.

Crystal sighs, "she's not allowed to step foot on New Orlean's soil for a couple more years. Those witches never liked our family. Not at all. Only a select few could be trusted, but they were murdered years ago after Marcellus took over," she shakes her head in disgust and disappointment. Marcellus was a friend when it benefitted him, but after what Klaus did to him, he turned his back on the whole family, even Athena who had done nothing, but love and protect him.

"Woah, who died?" The three turns toward the door where Athena was standing, holding a cup holder and a bag from the Mystic Grill. There were four drinks in the holder, one for each of them.

"The witches who had your back in New Orleans," Crystal said nonchalantly, standing up and snatching the bag away, "finally! I can't believe you refused to feed me other than that disgusting hospital food."

Athena scrunched her nose, "I liked those witches. They were nice. One even gave Ace a permanent flower," she murmured, setting the drinks down on the table and grabbing two. She handed them to Caroline and Hayley, tossing straws at them a second later much to Caroline's protests.

Crystal passed out the food with the help of Athena because the woman didn't know whose was whose and then they all settled back down. Athena had magicked another chair into the room, so they were all seated around Caroline's bed.

"Athena, dear, where is my sweet granddaughter?" Crystal asked, looking up from her burger.

"Somewhere," Athena smiled at Crystal. The woman narrowed her eyes and threw a french fry at Athena who caught it in her mouth effortlessly. "She's safe, don't worry," Athena said, "she's probably hiding in a tree, doing what we do best. Stalking people." She rolled her eyes; their family was fucked up.

Hayley snorted and Crystal hummed, nodding. Caroline glanced between the three, "am I the only one who hasn't stalked someone?" She asked, concerned. Hayley nodded, Crystal shrugged, and Athena shrunk down in her seat. Caroline narrowed her eyes at her, "what is it?" She demanded.

Athena muttered something and Caroline smacked her thigh. "Ouch, fine! You kind of helped me stalk someone a while ago, but I wiped your memory of it because you and Elena almost died," she said quickly. Hayley choked on her food while Crystal muttered in Spanish, shaking her head in disappointment.

Caroline gaped at her ex-girlfriend, bewildered. "What do you mean?!" She shrieked.

"It was nothing! You're fine! Everything's fine! Don't worry about it!" Athena said back, shoving some fries into her mouth. Caroline glared at her for a moment before letting it go and going back to her food. Athena relaxed.

"Ohh, Lorelei's gonna love you two," Crystal smiled, looking at Caroline with an amused glint in her eye.

Athena groaned.

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PRESENT TIME
LORELEI SPED-WALKED INTO the hospital room that Athena told her to go into. She had left Hayley and Athena behind in the car to handle breakfast. She really wanted to see her grandmother, more than anything.

"Nonna!" Lorelei grinned in relief, quickly hugging the woman as she stood as well.

"Oh, hello, querida," Crystal kisses the crown of her head, rubbing her back, before pulling away to get a good look at her granddaughter's face. "No scratches? No injuries?"

"All good, abuela, lo prometo," Lorelei said with a firm nod. There was no reason to worry the woman when she had healed last night and was in tip-top shape today. Besides the terrible fear that her mother would overtake her body once more. [...grandma, I promise.]

"The only injury she got was the one on her ego, mama," Athena said as she walked in with Hayley following close behind. Lorelei frowned and shot her a glare to which Athena smiled back.

"Ego? What did you do?" Crystal questioned, giving her granddaughter a confused look.

"Nada, abuela! Ma está mintiendo," Lorelei replied. [Nothing, grandma! Ma is lying.]

"I am not," Athena scoffed, moving toward the hospital bed and kissing the crown of Caroline's head, "how are you?" She asked as Hayley gave Caroline her food.

"The same as when you left," Caroline replied, shoving the woman gently as she set her food to the side, "your mother is very entertaining." She smirked.

"¡Ah, mamá! ¿Qué estabas diciendo?" Athena asked, not amused in the slightest. Crystal waved her off and walked over to the food. Athena rolled her eyes and turned to Lorelei, "¿Puedo presentarte?" Lorelei hesitated for a moment, but then nodded. Athena moved behind her daughter, setting her hands on the girl's shoulders and giving a reassuring squeeze. "Mi amor, esta es Caroline Forbes, mi ex novia," Athena said, giving Caroline a smile. [Ah, Mama! What were you saying? ... Can I introduce you? ... My love, this is Caroline Forbes, my ex-girlfriend.]

"Ex novia? ¿Qué hiciste, ma?" Lorelei asked, frowning up at her mother. [Ex-girlfriend? What did you do, ma?]

"I lied," Athena groaned, "I get it, it was bad. Won't ever happen again... At least to the people in this room. Anyway, Caroline, this is my daughter, Lorelei."

Caroline smiled at the girl who gave a hesitant smile back. Athena glanced over at Hayley who waved her away, mouthing that she had it. Athena nodded and backed up, letting Hayley guide the introduction and make Lorelei more comfortable.

Athena sighed, leaning back against the wall. She missed her daughters more than anything, she wanted nothing more than for them to be with her. To put an end to the curse that shortened her life and watch her girl's grow up. But that wasn't possible. At least not yet. And certainly not when her ex-wife was taking over her daughter's body.

Crystal came to stand beside her, smiling softly at the scene unfolding in front of them. Caroline and Hayley were eagerly listening to a story about something that happened a couple months ago about a slight mishap with cacti.

"Cassidy is using her," Athena muttered and Crystal sighed, leaning back against the wall next to her. "Has it happened before?" She asked.

Crystal nodded, "it has. It's been recent, never when she was young. After she turned 15, Cassidy started showing up. It'd be small moments; when she got too angry, when she'd yell at me, when her emotions ran high. Then she started showing up when I brought up you or Nik or even Stefan. I don't know what she's doing, but it always leaves Lorelei shaken up," she murmured, shaking her head. Her daughter was always a good person, growing up and after she met Athena. But after they got married, things started to shift. Crystal didn't know why and every time she tried asking, Cassidy would blow up on her.

Athena had noticed as well, but only did something when it came to the point where she thought the girls were in trouble. The shitty treatment of herself she didn't care for no matter how much it hurt. Athena only ever did something when it was someone else.

Crystal had tried to tell Athena that it wasn't healthy. That the two would be better apart, but Athena had denied it; told her that it was the only way to keep them safe. And Crystal knew that was true. When your name is attached to the Mikaelson's, you have a certain level of untouchableness. Sure, there were a lot of people who believed they could kill them, but a lot more were too afraid to even speak to them.

"It's the necklace, isn't it?" Athena interrupts Crystal's train of thought. The woman looked up at her, but Athena's gaze was focused solely on the three girls in front of her.

"Yes, it is."

"Then I need to get it. I'll put it away, somewhere it can't reach her," Athena said.

"What do you mean 'get it'? Lorelei wears it all the time," Crystal frowns, confused as she looks at her granddaughter. She gasps when she doesn't see the necklace around her neck. "Lorelei, where is your necklace?" She asked, quickly walking over and interrupting their conversation.

Lorelei frowned, "it's with Elena and Jenna. After what happened last night, Elena took it off of me. I don't know where she put it. She has my knife too," Lorelei said after she searched her waistband.

"Lovely," Athena grumbles, rubbing her forehead. Then, her head snaps up, "wait, Jenna?"

Lorelei nods, smirking at her mother, "yep! Jenna fucking Castillo. I knew she remembered. I was that four percent!"

Athena rubs her eyes as Crystal shakes her head, sighing. "Castillo? Like, as in Castillo Industries?" Caroline asked, confused.

Lorelei nodded, "yeah, that's Ma's last name. Well, one of them anyway. We use Castillo when we need people to trust us and show we're not a threat. We use it a lot more than we use Mikaelson at least," she explained.

Athena winced, hiding her face behind her hair as she turned away from the glare that Caroline is already burning her with. Hayley makes a face, whispering, "wow" under her breath as she avoids eye contact with Caroline.

"You're the head of Castillo Industries?" Caroline asks with a tight smile. Lorelei opens and then closes her mouth, looking like she was trying not to laugh as she glances over at her mother.

Athena glances over at Caroline then behind her at the wall before looking back at her ex-girlfriend. Caroline raises an eyebrow. "Me?" Athena asked, pointing at herself.

"Mhm," Caroline said, looking unimpressed.

Athena makes a face, shaking her head before she begins nodding, scratching the side of her neck. "Yeah, I'm the head of Castillo Industries," she said, clearing her throat as soon as she was done speaking.

Caroline takes a deep breath and Lorelei looks over at Hayley while the older brunette quickly looks away to stop from bursting out laughing. Lorelei scoffs, slapping her hand over her mouth to stop anything else from coming out.

"Anyway, I have to go to this... thing, with your mom. Um, I'm gonna go. I love all of you," she places a kiss on Crystal and Lorelei's foreheads and kisses Caroline and Hayley's cheeks before heading to the door, "goodbye!"

Lorelei bursts out laughing, unable to keep it in anymore, hunching over to hide her face in the blankets in Caroline's lap while Caroline rolls her eyes. Crystal chuckles as well, shaking her head at her daughter being an idiot.

Hayley is just kinda staring after the older woman, looking bewildered. Her cheeks are flushed, and she looks suddenly out of place. Caroline raises an eyebrow at her. "Did she just say she loved me?" Hayley asked, seeming confused.

Caroline scoffed through her nose, rolling her eyes once more as she pulled the brunette toward. 

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ATHENA APPEARED IN the Lockwood house in a fresh change of clothes and showered. She walks over to where she heard a commotion, knowing who it is before she even turns the corner.

She speeds into the room, a hand wrapped around Katherine's throat and a gentle hand resting against Bonnie's shoulder. Katherine grunts at the change, grabbing Athena's arm to try and twist her off to no avail. Athena gives Bonnie's shoulder a reassuring squeeze and smiles at her.

She moves her hand to the back of Katherine's neck, guiding her out of the room. As soon as she's out of Bonnie's sight, she lets go of the woman, but places a hand on her back to keep her close.

"What are you doing here?" Athena asked, nodding to a couple other party goers. She drops her hand from Katherine's back.

"After the way your brother treated me last night, I thought that a public place would be less violent," Katherine replied with a shrug. She takes a glass of wine and sips it. "Besides, all I wanted was to give him a message to give to you," Katherine smiled at her over her shoulder.

Athena isn't impressed. "You're playing a dangerous game, darling," she drawled, grabbing a grape and popping it into her mouth, "Elena can walk in at any moment. With her aunt? You know, Jenna? You remember her, right?"

Katherine rolled her eyes at the mention of the phoenix's name. Klaus had that bitch on her tail for almost fifty years. Her and that mangy mutt. "Isn't that part of the fun, baby?" She asked, smiling teasingly at Athena, "Besides, Damon's here. I've been avoiding him."

"Hey, guys," Matt suddenly appears and Athena gives him a disgruntled look.

Katherine instantly switches to Elena mode. "Hey, Matt," she softens her voice to sound like Elena and it's kind of weird honestly. "I, uh, I heard that Caroline is doing much better," she said, and Athena's jaw ticked, "her recovery was practically miraculous. You must be so relieved."

Matt glances at Athena before nodding, "I am." I'm sure you are, Athena thinks, turning her head away to roll her eyes. "Thanks, Elena." He walks away after that.

"Ugh, his eyes are so blue," Katherine groans.

"Look, Katherine, you need to leave," Athena said.

"You're hurting my feelings, Atty," Katherine says, disinterested in whatever Athena has to say. "Why can't you be happier to see me like Damon? Although he did think I was your brother's girlfriend so..." Athena rolled her eyes. "You have a thing for Elena though, right? I mean, she looks like me and I know you have a thing for me," Katherine smirked at her, leaning against the table to lean closer to Athena.

"Had. Past tense. I haven't had one since 1864. And no, I don't have a thing for Elena. I'm not that creepy that I still had a weird fetish for you, darling," Athena gives her a sarcastic smile, "what are you even doing here? There's no reason for you to be in Mystic Falls now or ever again."

"Maybe the reason is you, is that acceptable?" Katherine asked, raising an eyebrow as she leaned closer. Athena cocked an eyebrow back at her, her expression unchanging. "Maybe I finally wanna do that forever thing you and I planned. How 'bout that, Atty?" She touches Athena's collar, curling her fingers into the fabric with a smile.

Athena wraps her fingers around Katherine's wrist, caressing it for a second before roughly yanking it away from her. "That ship sailed the second you got into bed with my brothers, darling. I have no feelings for you, and I will not have them ever again," she said, her voice calm, but her eyes showing the seriousness of what she is saying.

She sees Stefan walking over to them and let's go of Katherine. She doesn't want to be in the same room as this woman anymore. She spins on her heel and begins to walk away. Katherine grabs onto her arm, "Athena—"

Athena pulls away, shaking her head, and then walking away.

She loved Katerina Petrova, but she hates Katherine Pierce. 

┍ ∞ ○ ∘ ɹǝʌǝɹoɟ puɐ sʎɐʍlɐ ∘ ○ ∞ ┙

"I'M SORRY, THAT bitch is here?" Jenna asked as Athena set down the tray of food that Jenna had brought for the Lockwood's.

"Yep," Athena sighed, shaking her head, "talked about all this bullshit about doing that forever thing I told her years ago. Ugh." Jenna chuckled. "Enough about that," Athena wraps Jenna up in a hug, burying her face into her hair. Jenna sighed and hugged her back. "You could've told me you got your memories back."

"I was going to, but after the whole break-up and Isobel, and then Caroline, almost dying thing—I thought it was probably best I waited. I was not expecting my little sister to show up at my house and try to attack Elena's boyfriend though," Jenna pulled away, raising her eyebrows as she grabbed a couple of snacks from the other food dishes. "Especially considering it was your bitch of an ex-wife in her body."

Athena grimaced, "I really know how to pick 'em, eh?" She followed after her daughter who smiled at her.

"You did pick Hayley and Caroline," Jenna reminded her.

Athena smiles at the mention of them, "yeah... yeah, I guess I did. Wait—how do you know about Hayley?" She asked, confused.

Jenna rolled her eyes, "Lorelei talked to me last night after her fever broke," she shrugged. Athena nodded.

┍ ∞ ○ ∘ ɹǝʌǝɹoɟ puɐ sʎɐʍlɐ ∘ ○ ∞ ┙

ELENA CLEANED UP the wound that Katherine made in Stefan's abdomen, trying to get rid of the blood stain on his skin. She sighed and looked up at her boyfriend, "you gonna be okay?" She asked even though she knew he was.

He nodded, "it'll heal."

Elena cocked an eyebrow, "you know, that's not what I meant," she sighed.

Stefan shook his head and looked out in front of him, "I was trying to figure her out, I was... playing along, I let her get to me." He ran a hand through his hair.

Damon walks up from the side, "we tried to track her, but she's gone," he told them as Elena continued to clean Stefan's wound. He looked behind Elena at the bushes, so he didn't have to see his brother with his shirt raised 'cause ew.

"Yeah, there's no way you're gonna be able to track a 500-year-old vampire with a newbie witch and whatever the fuck you are—ew, cover up, dipdick," Lorelei turns her head away at the sight of male skin with a grimace and a disgusted face. Elena looks over at her as she quickly pulls her boyfriend's shirt down. Lorelei peeks for a second and lets herself relax when she sees he's covered.

"We got a crazy ex on the loose, y'all," Damon said, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Better watch out, it looks like Katherine's trying to steal your guy."

"No shit, cowboy," Lorelei grunts, holding out her hand toward Elena who gives her a confused look, "my knife? I'm gonna need it back."

Elena hesitates, "are you sure that's a good idea? I mean, after last night—"

"You have no idea what is a good idea or not, Bella, no offense," Lorelei interrupts, "I actually know what I'm doing unlike you amateurs, so I'm going to take my knife and go end Katherine and then you three can continue being broody, extra broody, and sunshine again!" She mocks, giving the three a sarcastic smile before letting the facade drop back to a deadpan expression. "Knife. Now," she demands.

"Will you calm down?" Athena appears beside the girl who groans and spins on her heel, walking away. Athena rolled her eyes at her daughter's behavior.

"¡Quiero mi cuchillo!" Lorelei shouts, throwing her hands in the air. [I want my knife!]

"Y quiero que el calentamiento global se detenga. ¡No obtenemos lo que queremos!" Athena argues back. [And I want global warming to stop. We don't get what we want!]

Lorelei stares at her in shock, "what the fuck?" She exclaims, making Athena roll her eyes again. "What does global warming have to do with my knife?"

"You want the knife so damn bad? Take it," Athena says, stepping out of the way of Elena and gesturing to her. Lorelei stares at Elena for a moment and then at Athena who raises her eyebrows. "Entiendo. Es una chica bonita, pero si quieres llegar a cualquier parte, tienes que ser capaz de hablar con gente bonita." [I get it. She's a pretty girl, but if you want to make it anywhere, you gotta be able to talk to pretty people.]

Lorelei about loses her shit, "¡No, ma! Esto no tiene nada que ver con eso. ¿Puedes parar, por favor?" She says, running her fingers through her hair. [No, ma! This has nothing to do with that! Can you please stop?]

Jenna appears at her side, placing a calming hand on her back as she gives her mother an unimpressed look. "Oh, don't give me that look, amor. You were thinking it too," Athena rolled her eyes, grabbing Elena's purse and plucking the knife out of it. She tosses it to Lorelei who catches it effortlessly, putting it back into her waistband. It disappears from sight.

"Are we sure that's a good idea?" Jenna asked giving her mother a wide-eyed look, "I know we took off the necklace, but—"

"I'm fine!" Lorelei shouts in frustration.

"Clearly," Elena mutters. Athena kicked her shin lightly. "Ow!" Athena shushed her.

"Look, you know what, why don't we focus on the part where Katherine is here, tricked this fucking idiot into thinking she was Elena making them kiss and then this other fucking idiot wanting to kill him because of a misunderstanding?" Lorelei says, gesturing between the trio in front of them.

Jenna snaps her head toward Damon, "you what?" Lorelei grabs her neck as she mourns for Jenna's. She's never gotten over how fast Jenna can move sometimes.

"It was nothing!" Elena groaned, shooting Lorelei a glare.

"Exactly! It was nothing," Damon said, "we've already talked it out. I'm fine, Elena's fine. We're both fine." He gives Stefan and Athena a look, raising his hands in the air.

Athena cocks an eyebrow, "oh, honey, I know. I see right through you, lover boy."

Damon glares at her, "you don't get to talk to me about them." Athena raises her other eyebrow, making a fake shocked expression. He grunts and speeds at her, tackling her to the ground. She lets him do it, knowing she had hurt him having kept Bael being alive a secret for so long. Damon had truly loved Bael no matter what Bellamy believed or not.

"Oh, great," Lorelei rolled her eyes, plopping down onto the grass as she watched the two fight. Well, Damon throws punches and kicks, but never lands a single one because Athena merely evades.

"Damon, you're embarrassing yourself," Elena grimaces, rubbing her forehead as she continues to watch one of her best friends miss every. Single. Hit.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Damon asked, semi tackling Athena only for her to push him in the opposite direction that he came from. "You knew how much I loved them. You knew how much it fucking HURT!" He threw a punch that finally landed, Athena's head snapping back with an audible crack. She lowered her head, seeming unfazed by the punch despite the fact that her nose definitely broke. "You fucking suck, Athena. I thought I could trust you," Damon said, laughing almost hysterically. He had wet eyes, red forming around the pupil from his effort not to just break.

Athena shrugged helplessly, "your father was a fucking dick, Damon," she said. She chuckled humorlessly, "he killed them when he found out you two were together. When they came back, they wanted to see you again... so bad. I tried to help them—but Guiseppe threatened to kill them for good. So, their secret died with me. They've been safe ever since, I made sure of that, Damon."

"You had the chance to tell me for over a century," Damon whispered.

Athena stared at him for a moment before shaking her head. Damon stared back, knowing exactly what she was saying without her really saying it. Bellamy didn't want him to know. Bellamy didn't want him.

"Now, I'm hurt," Damon said. He disappears and Athena closes her eyes. Lorelei quickly gets up and goes to her side. She knows some of the story about Damon Salvatore and Bellamy Myers but not much. Athena told her the story when she was younger and she can only remember bits and pieces, but she knows it was heartbreaking for both parties. Athena had been caught in the middle—she really always is—and had to choose between someone's life and her 'brother's' happiness. It was a bad position to be in.

"Let's go," Lorelei murmured to her mother, giving her sister-in-law a nod at which Jenna returned, before Lorelei magicked them away.

┍ ∞ ○ ∘ ɹǝʌǝɹoɟ puɐ sʎɐʍlɐ ∘ ○ ∞ ┙

ELENA BRUSHED OUT her hair as she stood in her bathroom, worn out from the day's events. With everything going on, she hadn't checked on Caroline. It was going to be her first stop tomorrow. To check in on her best friend. If Athena had left the hospital, then Caroline must've been doing much better. The thought brought her comfort.

She walked out of the bathroom, tossing her jacket onto the chair near her shelves and looked up. She startled when she found Damon sitting on her bed silently, staring at the wall in front of him. "Oh, fuck!" Damon merely raised his eyebrows at her, his expression otherwise blank. "You scared me," she said, swallowing and trying to calm her racing heart.

With Katherine being able to get in, she's been on edge.

"Just doin' my part in the neighborhood watch," he stated dryly, lacking any of the usually humor he would have said it in before. Elena frowned a bit. She had no idea what he and Athena were fighting about earlier, but she knew whatever it was had hurt Damon deeply.

She sighs and walks around him, "thanks," she says, still eyeing him to make sure he doesn't suddenly do anything drastic. Like breaking something in her room. She knows he won't try to kiss her. They were telling the truth when they said they were fine. Damon didn't like her like that; he was just flirty. Elena was dating Stefan and lo—so she wouldn't cheat on him. "Thanks for looking out for us—me."

"That's me, your trusty bodyguard," Damon gives her a smile that's lacking any joy or humor. He was really starting to freak her out. "Calm in a crisis," he continued.

Elena tilted her head, "have you been drinking?" She asked gently, hoping not to anger him. He raised his hand, his pointer finger and thumb nearly pressed together to show a 'little bit'. She tsked quietly, "and you're upset. That's not a good combo, babe."

"No, I'm not upset," Damon immediately argued, his voice just as soft as hers as Elena comes to sit beside him. "Upset is an emotion specific to those who care. Which I do not."

Elena gives him a small shoulder shove, leaning forward a tiny bit so she can see his face. "You know that's a lie, Day," she said softly.

He grimaced, shaking his head and looking away from her, "don't call me that."

Elena nodded in understanding, "okay, I won't." He tilts his head down, looking at his hands. "Damon, what happened?" Elena asked, slipping her hand into his and giving it a gentle squeeze.

"Katherine showed up," he whispered.

Elena has been to the house that Damon and Stefan were staying in now. It's not as big as the Boarding House, but it's decently sized—bigger than Elena or Caroline's houses. She doesn't go there often, the house kind of creeps her out especially with the lack of decoration. It's new and in both Damon and Stefan's names. They haven't really gotten to decorating it for real, Elena thinks they still have hope that Athena will let them move back in.

Elena gripped Damon's hand tighter at the mention of her doppelganger, but said nothing. She waits for him to speak. "She said she never loved me. That it had always been Stefan and Athena. That it had always been Athena. I could tell. She may have found Stefan and I attractive, but it was Athena that she wanted. It always has been," Damon murmured, shaking his head at himself. He was an idiot. He had seen how Katherine had looked at Athena and how Athena had looked at Katherine. Their love had run deeper than anything Damon or Stefan could've hoped for.

Elena frowned slightly, "Athena and Katherine were romantically involved?" She asked. She remembers Stefan telling her about how Katherine had chosen between Damon and Stefan. Not Damon, Stefan, and Athena. Now that she thinks about it, they would've had to keep whatever had been going on with them a secret. It was the 1800's. Being anything other than straight was forbidden.

Damon nodded his head, "I didn't figure it out until after the night Katherine and I slept together. A couple of days later. I had woken up and had sat down with Athena at the dining table. She looked... sad. There was no other way to describe it. I barely got a glimpse, the second I sat down, she put on a smile and pretended that her heart hadn't broken the night before. That the woman she loved hadn't fucked her brothers in the same night. She had teased me about it, was... proud of me for seeming happy and moving on. Then when Stefan came down, she had done the same for him. She ruffled his hair and kissed his cheek. Everything seemed normal." He shook his head and ran his hand through his hair. It was a mess once he was done, but he didn't care.

Elena tilted her head, looking at him curiously, "she hid her pain so you two could have your happiness?" She asked.

Damon nodded once more and Elena leaned against him, trying to take everything in. She leaned her head on his shoulder. "I don't even know why I still care for her. I've tried not to. And I know—I know she's a terrible being," he leaned his head on hers, his voice wavering painfully, "she hurt us. In ways nobody should be. Athena never seemed affected by it, having been abused by my father since she could walk. But Katherine—she'd... You know what I did to Caroline?"

Elena shifted uncomfortably at that. Despite Caroline having said that she was okay and that she had forgiven Damon, Elena knew that what he did could never be erased. No matter how hard any of them tried. She nods against his shoulder and he takes a deep breath.

"You heard the expression 'the abused becomes the abuser'?" He asked and once again, she nodded, tears welling up in her eyes. "In my case, it's true," he chokes out, ashamed of himself, "and it's not an excuse—of course it's not. Athena has never done that and neither has Stefan. I'm horrible. I know that. I did terrible things. And I know that no matter what, Caroline will be stuck with what I've done to her just like I'm stuck with what Katherine did to me. With what she did to Stefan and Athena." He shakes his head, closing his eyes to stop the tears from falling.

Elena squeezes his hand harder, turning her face so she can bury it in his shoulder. His shirt wets with tears, but he doesn't mind. He lets her stay there, wrapping his other arm around her in a half-hug.

"She hurt us and I still care about her," Damon cries after a moment and Elena pulls back when she feels him lean further into her. He drops his head into her lap, his arm holding her close as he sobs silently into her lap. She stills for a moment, just a moment, then wraps her arm around his back, fingers wrapping around his arm while her other arm wraps around his head, her fingers gently moving through his hair.

"Elena, what's going on in here?" She raises her head from where she's been staring at the back of Damon's, trying to soothe him and calm him down. Her brother stands in the doorway, looking between Damon and Elena, confused and awkward. Jeremy hadn't expected this scene when he heard their voices.

"Nothing, Jer, just... nothing," she shakes her head at him, giving him a look that silently begs for him to leave. Damon's not in the right state of mind and she doesn't know what he'll do.

Jeremy seems hesitant, not wanting to leave his sister with the dark-haired Salvatore.

"Go," Elena demands, surprised to find that Damon had fallen asleep in her lap. It hadn't even been that long, but he had checked out. Jeremy frowns, but leaves. She sighed and pulled her phone out of her pocket.

With one hand, she goes to Athena's messages. She didn't want to text Stefan, she didn't need the jealous boyfriend act right now.

Atty🔥

I need some help.

She put her phone down and sighed, looking back down at the man on her lap. Katherine came to him, messed with him, and left him heartbroken... again. And the abuse? No wonder the three of them were bitter at the mere mention of her.

"Woah. When you said you needed help, I thought you were in danger." Elena startled and looked up, staring at the brunette in front of her who was definitely not Athena. Lorelei was wearing a dry expression, her arms crossed over her chest as she leaned against the wall near Elena's dresser. Elena quickly averted her attention when her eyes began to wander.

"Why the hell are you here?" She asked, rubbing her hand down Damon's back when he stirred a bit.

"Athena had to tend to something regarding the... people in her house," Lorelei said vaguely. She didn't know what Elena knew or what she didn't. There was no need to expose anything that didn't need to be. "She sent me to check in."

Elena looked up with narrowed eyes. Athena most likely could tell they didn't get along, so what the hell? Why didn't she send... Hayley or something? She shook her head.

"What do you need help with? 'Cause the only danger I see here is that broody is passed out on his brother's girlfriend's lap. Which, really, isn't a danger rather a dream," Lorelei rolled her eyes.

Elena frowned and glared at her, "he's my friend. Nothing more," she snapped.

Lorelei frowned at her back, "I know, Bella, I was making a joke. I can tell that you're deeply in love with extra broody," she said, rolling her eyes at the thought. Stefan may have looks, but other than that, she couldn't see what Elena saw in him. There were much better options.

Elena looked away and didn't respond. The two sat in silence that was oddly not uncomfortable, but wasn't exactly comfortable. "I need help moving him to my bed. I don't have the strength that you vampires do," Elena spoke suddenly, snapping Lorelei out of her thoughts.

The younger one looked over at her and nodded, walking over. Damon was wrapped around her pretty tight even in his sleep. She hummed under her breath and flicked Elena's hand away from his back. She did the same to the hand that was in Damon's hair. She carefully pulled him off the older girl and stood him up easily. She kept him asleep with a simple spell and guided him to lay down on the left side of the bed. She took off his shoes and set them by the end of the bed.

Then she stepped away. "There you go, Gilbert," she said quietly, giving the girl a look.

"Thanks," Elena said just as quietly, not wanting to wake the man.

Lorelei gave a curt nod. "And, I'm not a vampire, by the way. I think you're just weak," she shot the girl an evil smirk before disappearing with a snap of her fingers.

Elena stared at the spot, bewildered. Then she groaned in annoyance at the jab. 

AN: hope you enjoyed. Merry Christmas!!

finished: 12/29/22

wc: 8774