(1) The Phoenix (D. Salvatore)

Chapter Forty-Eight

A/N – So I was wondering if instead of sending Jeremy to Denver (which I will be altering anyway because I don't like the compulsion thing), if you guys think it would work if I sent him to London instead. I know that the others go to Denver later on and stuff, but I think it could work for London too. I plan on having them go to London at some other point as well anyway, for the whole sired thing with Charlotte as well, just to include the Black House a bit.

....

Daphne pours herself a drink in the kitchen, the hybrid has been sent off on his little task. She knows it is more likely to antagonise Klaus further, but what choice did she have. Roll over and let him walk all over them? No way. Plus if she pushes, he might just screw up enough for them to deal with him. Damon leans in the doorway behind her. She's alone. Which would be a good place to talk to her. But standing here, watching her. She's exhausted. Practically dead on her feet. He doesn't have the heart to push her emotions right now. She lets out a breath, not turning around, but seemingly knowing that he is standing there.

"Did Stefan really take those coffins?" She asks, he nods and pushes himself up, heading into the room. He can see the cogs turning away in her mind.

"Why?" He counters. "What are you thinking?"

"How many coffins?" She counters.

"Four" He answers, still not following her mind here. "What's going on?" He pushes.

"There is one too many" She whispers and then turns to him. He frowns at her. "I went through those runes...I translated them all. I heard the story from Elena. Klaus has six siblings. One died in the old world. One in the new world. Rebekah is in your basement...that leaves only three siblings" She points out, Damon blinks and then looks at her.

"Who the hell is in the other coffin?" He asks her, realising as she has. There is someone else involved here. Another figure. Someone not on the tunnel walls.

"I have no idea" She answers and shakes her head. "But we need to find out" He nods in agreement.

"We have no idea where Stefan is" He argues.

"Yeah, but I can track him" She points out and then taps his nose with her wand. "Magic" She teases and then moves to leave. He grabs her arm to stop her.

"Whilst we are alone" He starts but she shakes her head.

"Can we talk about it later?" She asks him. "I can only focus on one problem at a time and saving my family is....my priority"

"Just tell me one thing" He argues. She sighs and looks at him. "What did I do?"

"No" She is quick to point out. "Nothing" She offers softer. "It's all me, Damon. It's nothing you did or said or....anything else. This is all me. I'm the problem" He frowns a little. He would say the whole 'it's not you, it's me' argument was cliché. But she means it. There is something in her eyes, some level of self-hatred he's hasn't seen before. Whatever this problem is, she truly believes it to be her fault. And she's terrified of it.

.....

Jeremy, Elena, and Damon stand on the side of the road, watching Daphne as she stands in the middle of the road looking around, tapping her wand in her hand. She turns a little as she takes a few deep breaths. She's never used this spell either. She's read about it and studied it. But there was no need to track people that were literally in the same school. She takes a deep breath and concentrates on Stefan. On his face. On his voice. On his presence before she holds out her wand.

"Appare Vestigium" She casts and turns, gold dust erupts from the wand and swirls. Testing. Sensing before it heads off down the road.

"Jeremy" Elena turns to their brother who nods.

"Stay with Alaric" Jeremy finishes for them. "Got it" He assures them. Elena turns back to her sister only to find that Daphne has changed into her canine form and is already running down the street, chasing after the mist. Damon and Elena share a look before they are following after her.

......

The old witch house is where the spell leads them. Damon snorts a little. As if they should have expected this. Everything always comes back down to witches. Daphne's canine form sits on the porch waiting for them. Ears pinned back against her head before she suddenly transforms back, blowing red hair out of her eyes.

"This is it," She tells them. "Stefan is here"

"But I thought Bonnie said this place lost all its mojo" Damon counters.

"The dead witches were angry at her for bringing Jeremy back to life" Elena explains for Daphne, but she already knows this. She's been here before. She's heard the witches.

"So why would Stefan bring the coffins here?" Daphne asks as she looks up at the house.

"I hate witches. So fickle...Passive-aggressive..." He draws off when Daphne gives him a look. "Not you" He is quick to argue. Elena looks down and smirks. "Ah, come on, Red, you know I think you're great"

"Wouldn't hurt you to tell me more" She counters, and then seems to realise she's playing along again. She clenches her jaw and looks away. It's way too easy to do that. Way too easy to be around him. Damon sighs a little. She's trying too hard to fight herself on things. She turns and heads into the house. Elena and Damon follow after her. The three of them look around.

"Stefan?" Elena asks.

"Come on, Stef. Olly Olly oxen free" Damon counters. When he walks into the light, his skin starts to burn. "Aaah. Ow. Ugh," He rushes to a shadowy corner. "Really?! Still?!" He snaps. Daphne frowns and looks around.

"What's happening?" Daphne asks him.

"Witchy spirits aren't a big fan. And they use their juju to screw with my daylight ring" He answers, pushing himself back against the wall.

"I'm going to find Stefan," Elena tells them and then hurries deeper into the house. Daphne moves closer to Damon and raises an eyebrow as she thinks. She then holds out her hand towards him. He glances at it.

"Trust me," She asks of him. He lets out a breath and then takes her hand, she pulls him out of the shadows. His skin starts to burn, he goes to rush away but Daphne keeps hold of his hand before she holds up her wand, pointing it above them. "Protego" She casts and an almost clear sphere appears around her and Damon. The burning of his skin instantly stops and heals. He wraps an arm around her as the bubble tightens around them.

"Are we now stuck inside of this bubble?" He asks her, his hand on the small of her back.

"Yeah" She answers and shrugs, trying to ignore the feeling of his hand on her. The warmth that trickles up her spine.

"Can we move?" She shrugs again and he gives her a look.

"Least your not burning" She points out, he lets out a breath but nods. He's not really going to complain about being close to her again. It feels like it was weeks, months even, that they spent the night together, and not only a matter of days. He's missed her friendship. He's missed the banter and the...ease. It's so easy with her. Easy to talk to her. Easy to smile with her. Easy to feel things with her. For her.