(1) The Phoenix (D. Salvatore)

Chapter Three

Daphne frowns a little and turns where she stands hearing someone crying. She only wanted some air she was not expecting to be dragged into some emotional thing. Whoever it is, is clearly very upset. She doesn't really want to get involved. But she probably should. To be a good person, which she is. She stubs out her joint and sets down her drink before heading in that direction.

"Hello?" She asks, fingers itching towards her sleeve where her wand is hidden. She moves towards a few cars, where she thinks the sound is coming from. "Elena?" She realises that it is Elena crying against her car.

"Daph" Elena greets, her voice breaking. Daphne softens and relaxes a little.

"What are you doing out here? Crying?"

"It's nothing" Elena offers, trying to stop herself from crying, because she can't talk to Daphne about anything. Elena then turns and tries to unlock her car but she can barely see through her tears. Daphne takes the keys from her and gives her a look.

"I got you" She assures Elena who nods and just starts crying harder as she moves to climb into the car. Daphne looks down at the keys and pulls a face. She really hopes she remembers how to do this.

........

Daphne leans against the wall outside of Elena's bedroom and listens to her breaking down in tears. She hates that her sister is clearly distraught and yet feels she can't talk to Daphne about it. She's the big sister. Comforting and seeing her through this is part of her duty and she can't do it without all the information. But someone has to know. Her eyes drift to Jeremy's bedroom door.

......

Daphne swings open Jeremy's bedroom door and he jumps a little when it hits the wall. His eyes lifting from the pygmy puff's tank to his sister. Can see it in her eyes. Something changed.

"What the actual fuck is going on?" She asks him, Jeremy swallows a little and shrugs. "Elena is crying in her room, everyone keeps sharing shifty looks, Caroline and Tyler are eye banging one another, Bonnie has disappeared off the face of the planet....and everyone in this fucking town keeps dying or going missing...." He keeps his head down but she can see his jaw twitching. He wants to tell her. "I can't help if I don't know everything, Jer....you know about me and what I am and what I can do, I shared it with you...I was honest, I deserve the same back"

"Yeah" He whispers, agreeing with her. "Yeah, you do. Shut the door" Daphne turns and closes the door. "And please don't yell at me" She frowns a little. That doesn't bode well for anything he is about to tell her. "It's been a really stressful year"

......

Daphne can't believe neither of them told her how bad it was here. How much danger they were in. She's not sure what she could have done from Scotland, but she would have tried at least or at least, left to help. She's not sure that would have been allowed but....she would have come up with something. Some solution. Something to help.

"You okay?" Jeremy asks her. She nods a little. He sits next to her on the bed, his pygmy puff in his hand, nuzzling into his palm.

"One of you should have told me" She points out. She could have sent books on vampires and werewolves. She could have offered ways in which they could protect themselves.

.....

Alaric is packing his things in the living room when Daphne walks down the stairs, she frowns a little at him, he glances at her and then away again, continuing his packing.

"Going somewhere?" She asks.

"I'm not going to stay here anymore" He answers, she tilts her head.

"Why?" She draws out. He shakes his head.

"You are back now" He answers. "I just...I just stepped in...And I'm not a role model. You know, I drink too much, I say the wrong things. You know, I encourage bad behaviour. At school, I can pull it together, but in my own life...You know, the way I miss Jenna, it's just, I'm really not any good to anybody right now" He picks up his bag and goes to leave. Daphne steps in front of him to stop him.

"I don't think so" Daphne scolds. "Sit your ass down" Alaric looks at her surprised. "Elena said you're friends, so...as friends, you are going to stay...." She clicks her fingers and points at the couch. "I think you need to be here as much as they need you to be here..." He shakes his head. "Yeah, even I can see that and I've literally spent less than five minutes with you" He lets out a humourless laugh. "So sit your ass down...." He looks as though he is going to ignore her but caves and moves back to the couch. Daphne sits on the coffee table across from him and lets out a sigh. "Come on, Alaric, this...I mean, they're alive, so you must have done something right"

"Not all of them" He complains.

"People die" She counters. "And it sucks....it really sucks balls" He looks at her. "It really, really  fucking does. So we lean on those around us, family, friends, weird old drunk men sleeping on our couches" He gives her a look. "They need you to stay, and you need them too, no one should be alone when they're hurting"

"You're pretty wise for what? 18?" She nods in agreement.

"Well, I mean, it probably comes from me being a witch" She offers, he looks at her surprised. "And to be honest, I would expect a little more discipline for the town vampire hunter" He closes his eyes a little.

"Which one told you?"

"Jeremy, he's known about me for a long time, so it was only fair he filled me in on everything" He nods in agreement, she stands and lets out a breath before she snaps her fingers together. "So...seen as you've already made yourself comfortable" She comments and nods behind him. "I'll be heading to bed"

"I didn't..." He turns to find all his things neatly folded and laid out on the table. He smiles a little and looks at her.

"Witch" She reminds him and heads into the kitchen to get a drink. Alaric makes himself comfortable on the couch, clearly not thinking about disobeying Daphne, not now he knows she's a witch. She turns off the kitchen light and passes through the living room. "I should probably tell you that vampire hunting is actually illegal per paragraph twelve of the Guidelines for the Treatment of Non-Wizard Part-Humans" She informs him, Alaric looks at her surprised.

"Really?" He asks, she nods.

"Yeah, they're protected under wizarding law" He stares at her, trying to work out if she is serious or not, she actually is and it is actually a real law, just not one that's very often implemented. If vampires are being killed, it tends to mean they deserved it. "Don't worry" She offers. "I won't report you" She winks and then heads upstairs with her glass of water. "And I would really like it if you didn't tell Elena about the witch thing, I kind of want to do it myself when I'm ready" He nods in understanding.

"Why did you tell me?" He asks her. 

"So you would know you can lean on me if you need it" She offers as she pauses on the stairs. "I have their backs whilst you....grieve" He nods a little and lets out a breath. It does help actually.