(1) The Phoenix (D. Salvatore)

Chapter Eight

A/N - NOTHING WAS OFFERED IN THE WAY OF THE EXPRESSION MAGIC IDEA I SET FORTH ON THE LAST PAGE. AM I TO ASSUME THAT IT IS NOT SOMETHING YOU GUYS WANT TO SEE?

Damon heads down the stairs of the Gilbert house after having talked with Elena about Stefan. Something had changed. He saw his old brother screaming to be set free from Klaus. It's hope. After a summer of nothing. It is finally something. They just have to figure out a way to deal with Klaus. And to find them again. That might be an issue. He lets out a breath and then slows slightly when his eyes find Daphne, who is sat in the living room, on the floor. The coffee table covered in some form of mad scientist get up. Chemistry set is the closest thing it reminds him of. Her red hair twisted and pulled up onto the top of her head, a quill in her hand as she scratches away at a little notebook. He stops at the bottom of the stairs to watch her as she hums to herself and turns to her chemistry set and makes a few adjustments.

"What are you doing?" He asks.

"Pole dancing" She answers without looking up. He smirks a little. She snorts. "Testing that wolf blood" She answers as she looks at him, a pair of bug-eye microscopic goggles over her eyes, she raises an eyebrow, as if seeing something different in him, she does. That's what the goggles do. It illuminates and highlights certain things. Auras. Hidden things. "Weird" She mumbles and shakes her head, turning back to her work. Damon waits for her to explain what she has found but she doesn't. Just keeps playing with her little chemistry set.

"Well? What is it? What's wrong with it?" He asks as he folds his arms over his chest, glances at Pad who pulls himself up onto the table and taps a little finger on one of the vials. Daphne waves her hand a little trying to shoo him.

"He was a hybrid" She answers. "You know part and part of something" She fiddles with her equipment a little and holds up a new vial of blood. "That's what this blood shows" She adds and shakes the vial, the blood is still split, swirling around one another.

"So Klaus is trying to make more of him?" Damon muses as he looks out the window. "Which we already knew"

"Yeah, but it's not working" She adds, he turns to look at her. "He fucked up" She holds up the vial of blood to the light. "That's why it's split" She points out. "The vampire properties and the werewolf properties aren't moulding together, they're fighting one another for dominance....being a true hybrid, they would co-exist nicely....entwined together as one....."

"Okay, so it's not working" Damon whispers. "How does this help us?"

"It doesn't" She argues as she pulls off her goggles. "It's bad news for us" She stands, setting her goggles down. "He'll go looking for the reason why it isn't working..." She points out. "You guys fucked with his sacrifice by bringing Elena back...." She starts and gives him a look. Damon nods along and then seemingly realises.

"You think she is why it's not working?" He offers. She hums and nods. "So...He'll come looking for her" She nods. "That is bad" He agrees, she nods again. He looks down at the chemistry set and then smirks slightly. "You really like all this...Potions and brews and stuff?" He teases, she nods. "With a wand and...I'm guessing there is a pointy hat hidden somewhere? Maybe a broomstick?"

"I'm a proper witch, so yes" She counters. He steps closer to her.

"If I'd known that Elena's sister was so....capable" He starts and looks over her. "I would have had her write to you months ago" She smirks at him and hums slightly.

"Hey" Elena greets, Damon and Daphne look at her, find her standing at the bottom of the stairs. "Can we have that talk now?" Elena asks Daphne who lets out a breath and nods.

"Sure..." She agrees softly, but she is dreading having this conversation.

"We'll talk about this later," Damon tells Daphne who hums and nods. The two of them are probably the best people to deal with the threat that is coming. They will need to talk about this. About the blood. About Klaus. About what it means for Elena.