(1) The Phoenix (D. Salvatore)

Chapter Ninety-One

In the Gilbert kitchen, with the sun rising out through the window, Daphne sits at the counter, her wand in one hand, moving slightly as she drinks from a mug of coffee. Damon is upstairs keeping an eye on Alaric who had gone crazy psycho boyfriend on Meredith Fell and tried to kill her. Whatever it is that is going on with him, it's getting worse. Daphne sighs and picks up a book from the counter, she's gone back to researching cursed items to see if she can't undo it, or find a way to alter it or fix it or just to do something. The best she's found is herbs that might work and she sent that information to Bonnie via Elena. Bonnie still isn't talking to her. She's still mad about what happened and Daphne doesn't blame her for being angry. It just hurts to not have another witch to talk to about what is happening. She holds up her wand a little as she focuses on the book, swishing the wooden item as she casts a spell. She is using her magic to wash, dry and put away the dishes when Bonnie enters the room. She glances at her friend. She's had time to think about what Daphne did and why she did it. She's calmed down too. She's come to see that what Daphne did, was the lesser of two evils, and an evil that Abby can live with.

"Hey" Bonnie states and Daphne turns around. "You okay?" Bonnie asks her, Daphne lets out a small breath through her nose and shrugs.

"Yeah, I'm fine" She assures her. "You?" Bonnie nods.

"Urm, Elena called about Alaric...." Bonnie offers, then seems to realise that there was too much magical talk from Elena for her to have been the actual mind behind that revelation. "You..."

"Yeah" Daphne agrees. "I didn't know if you'd have picked up if it was me..." Bonnie looks at her sadly and then looks at the vial of herbs in her hand.

"These herbs..." Daphne nods.

"I think that all the dying and coming back to life might have chipped away at Alaric's psyche, making it easier for the darkness to take hold" Bonnie holds up a glass vial full of dry herbs. "They are the binding element for a spell" Daphne admits then stands and goes over to Bonnie, taking the vial from her.

"I'll get you more. Abby and I are gonna work on the garden" Bonnie offers. Daphne runs her thumb over the vial and nods.

"How is she doing?"

"It's not all gone" Bonnie admits softly. "She still has her connection to nature, but...I think she misses the practical magic...I think she'll be okay. Eventually. I'm gonna go back and stay with her for a while. It'll give us a chance to work things through" Daphne nods and looks down at the vial in her hand, she lets out a breath as she starts to get upset over what she did. She knows she did it for the right reasons, but that doesn't mean that she doesn't feel terrible for taking away someone's magic, she knows how important it is to witches and wizards.

"I'm sorry, Bonnie, I didn't...I didn't want this to happen, but I just thought that it was better than her being a vampire. If there was anything that I could do to make it different, I mean I can contact Hermione and see if the Ministry..." Bonnie embraces Daphne tightly and Daphne lets out a breath, clinging back to her friend.

"I know you're sorry, Daph" Bonnie assures her. "And I know why you did it..."

"If it were the other way around" Daphne starts, stepping closer to Bonnie. "And it was your life on the line, and I had to cut off someone's magic to save you...I'd do it for you....in a heartbeat" Bonnie nods.

"I know you would" None of them question how much and how far Daphne would go for any of them. Despite the distance in their early years, they've come to see just how determined and capable she is now. Daphne is the strongest of them. And they know the lengths she'll go for the people that she loves.

.....

Later, Daphne packs away a few books as she moves through her bedroom. She's gone over and over everything she could have thought of for Alaric. And yet she is still coming up blank in regards to a full-term solution to his ring, other than taking it off. But given the threats in their lives, removing a ring that brings the wearer back from the dead, isn't the best idea either. Jeremy is at risk too, given that he too has one of those Gilbert rings. They need to figure it out before it happens to him too. And to fix Alaric too. She sighs a little and then takes in a deep breath, her eyes flickering to her cell phone on her dresser. She promised Jeremy she wouldn't touch base too often. It would annoy her if it was the other way around, but after finding out how deep Alaric's ring issue goes, she needs to know he's keeping safe. She sets her books down and moves to pick up her phone. Just one call. Just to make sure he's okay. Just to let him know what's going on. Because she doesn't want to keep this all from him. He should know what's going on with a piece of jewellery that he is wearing. She scrolls

"Hello?" She closes her eyes and lets out a soft breathe hearing Jeremy's voice. She feels like it has been forever that he's been across the pond with Pad. Of course, she's missed Pad too. It's been so weird without him around.

"Hey, stranger" Daphne counters softly. Jeremy chuckles down the line.

"Are you checking up on me?"

"Do you need checking up on?" Daphne counters as she sits on the end of her bed

"Well, I haven't burnt down your house and Pad is still alive...so no?" He informs her, and she hums a little.

"Hmm and Kreacher?"

"We've bonded" Jeremy teases a little, Daphne smirks and shakes her head. That she knows will never happen. Kreacher won't fully change now. He's too old for it. But that they are all still alive implies that Jeremy is sticking to Kreacher's rules. And for now, that is enough.

"Have you talked to Alaric lately?" Daphne tests slightly.

"No, why? Is everything okay?" Jeremy counters, Daphne lets out a breath and shakes her head, more to herself as he can't actually see her.

"Urm, no" She admits. "But..I need you to promise me that you won't freak out when I tell you and you want demand to come home just yet..."

"Daph" Jeremy warns slightly because she sounds serious.

"Please" She whispers. "I promise I am dealing with it and I swear, the second that you really have to worry, I will tell you to worry about it too, but until then, can you just not freak out" Jeremy is quiet as he ponders what she is asking. She is offering to be open and honest, which is a change from everything they have been through so far.

"Okay" He states. "Okay, I promise" Daphne nods and then takes a breath, preparing to fill Jeremy in on everything.