(1) The Phoenix (D. Salvatore)

Chapter One Hundred and Thirteen

On the dance floor, Damon sways with Daphne. They are not as enthusiastically dancing as the others, simply moving a little to the music. Mostly because neither of them is in the mood to dance with energy. She curls in closer to him, her hands touching his back. She is feeling slightly better about everything, but it is not just going to suddenly happen. She can take a moment to enjoy this. To just simply be here with him. But there is something bothering him, something he is hiding from her. She can at least sense that much from him.

"You going to spill?" She whispers to him, drawing her hand up his back, he frowns a little. "Damon, I'm a telepath and an empath, I know when someone is hiding something from me" He closes his eyes and lets out a breath. "I know you mean well....and I have held off being invasive..."

"It's Ric" He interrupts her, she hums and leans back from him. "He's not taking the herbs you and Bonnie made up for him" She frowns at him. "I think something's wrong" He strokes her waist. "I was trying to..." He starts and she takes his face in her hands.

"I know" She stops him with a soft smile. He was trying to save her from more pain and hurt. More failure. But if there is something wrong, then they need to deal with it. But she cannot afford to fall apart. Not if there is something going on. If she has the power to change something and then doesn't and people end up getting hurt, it will just make her feel worse in the end. "We have to talk to the others about this" She whispers, he nods and lets out a breath.

........

In one of the school hallways, Damon paces slightly as Daphne stands with Stefan and Elena. He's told them what is going on too. It is only fair that they share everything, considering the role that secrets have played in the past. Daphne doesn't want to hide things like this. Whilst she understands why Damon did hide it. It wasn't malicious or callous. It was just him trying to protect her feelings.

"If Alaric is sick then we need to find a cure. Something" Elena points out. Damon scoffs and turns to her.

"We tried medicine, we tried magic" He reminds her.

"Why don't we get him off vervain, compel him?" Stefan offers. Damon shakes his head.

"What? To pretend to be Alaric?" He counters. "The guy that we know is gone. We're talking about someone who not only hates vampires, but vampire sympathizers" He explains and turns to Daphne. "Which makes one of his most obvious targets: I don't know, you" He points out, she shrugs a little, she can handle Alaric if he comes for her. He's human. He isn't really that much of a threat against magic.

"What you think he'd go after Daphne?" Stefan asks, Damon nods. Given that she is in a relationship with a vampire, her kind of witch is also far more lenient about them, and she is the one that tried to stifle his evil aspect. She would be on his list for sure.

"So wait, what are you suggesting we do?" Daphne turns to Damon as she speaks, a frown on her face, she can already guess where he is going with this, but she wants to be sure.

"I'm suggesting that we put him out of his misery" Damon admits.

"What?!" Elena snaps at him. Jeremy joins them, having overheard their conversation.

"No, no way in hell!" Jeremy argues.

"Oh come on, It's what he would want. It's a mercy killing" Damon explains.

"You are out of your mind!" Jeremy scolds and then hurries away.

"Jeremy..." Daphne tries and closes her eyes. She sighs and follows after him, hearing Elena behind her, joining her. It does feel like a sister thing. That he might be comforted by both of them more than a single one of them.

........

Outside of the school, Elena is following Daphne as she hurries to catch up with Jeremy. They cannot afford to be divided now. They need to stand together to help Alaric.

"Jer, stop..." Daphne begs touching his arm, he shakes her off and turns on her.

"This is Alaric we're talking about!" He scolds and then motions to himself and Elena. "He looked out for us, now we need to do the same for him"

"No one is gonna hurt him" Daphne assures him, Jeremy turns around and starts to walk away again. Daphne grabs his arm and stops him, moving to stand in front of him. "I promise" She assures him, Jeremy searches her eyes before he relaxes, believing her. She won't let Alaric die if there is something else that they can do. Not after the last few days. She is not ready to lose another one. And whilst she is not exactly close to Alaric, she knows that he's been there for Elena and Jeremy over the last year or however long he's been around. He's tried to look after them as best as he could, considering the shit that has been going on. She owes him something for that.

"Elena!" Jeremy, Daphne, and Elena all turn to find the source of the voice. Esther stands across from them. Watching them. "If you wish to help your friend Alaric, I suggest you come with me"

"Jeremy go inside and get Stefan and Damon" Daphne states and places herself in front of Elena, her wand appearing in her hand. Esther glances at it and then at Daphne. 

"I mean you no harm," Esther tells Daphne, but her words feel like they are for Elena. "But willingly or not you will come" Daphne clenches her jaw, holding up her wand at the woman.

"Like hell you don't" Daphne growls, pushing at Elena when she moves to go towards Esther. "Stay" Daphne warns her sister because she is not about to let her go willingly to the woman that started all of this. How much of this wouldn't be happening if she hadn't turned her children into vampires? How much of this wouldn't be happening because she cursed Klaus? Because she slept with a werewolf?

"You are powerful" Esther comments. "But unawakened....and young" Esther throws out her hand and Daphne lets out a surprised squeal as she is thrown backwards, away from her sister.

"Daphne!" Elena shouts as Daphne hits the ground, hard. She gasps, trying to push herself up to her feet but a force holds her down as Esther moves closer to her. "Leave her alone" Elena rushes Esther, but the witch grabs Elena's jaw in her hand and Elena's eyes widen as she stops in her tracks.

"Come with me now" Esther starts. "And I will leave her be" She promises, but it is a promise that sounds hollow to Daphne. Why would she let a powerful witch, likely with the power to stop her, go?

"Elena" Daphne warns through her teeth as the force pushes her down harder. Elena looks across at Daphne who tries to shake her head, warning her not to go. Elena's eyes sadden before she turns back to Esther.

"Okay," Elena whispers. Daphne lets out a disappointed breath. "I'll go with you" Elena agrees. Esther releases Elena and then walks away, prompting Elena to follow. Elena glances back at her sister before she hurries off with Esther. Once out of sight, Daphne is released, she lets out a relieved breath and sits up. But yet again, it is another failure. She hangs her head and closes her eyes. One witch. She couldn't even hold off one witch.