14

—14. Daddy Issues

ALWAYS AND FOREVER

Stefan, Damon and Aurora are in Stefan's bedroom.

"You brought back John Gilbert? That was your big "Save Elena" move?" Damon questioned Stefan.

"I went to go look for Isobel, and I get John instead. He said he can help us, and we're desperate."

"What did this guy do again?" Aurora asked her brothers, confused on the whole situation.

"We're not that desperate, Stefan.  And he's the guy that tried to barbecue me!" Damon informed his sister.

Aurora nodded, "Right. So we don't like him." She muttered to herself.

"Damon, Bonnie's new witch friend is working with Elijah, so we have to assume that the moonstone was never destroyed . Elena is putting all of her faith into some deal that she made with Elijah to keep everyone safe. I mean, do you trust Elijah? I don't trust him. He's an Original, he can't be trusted. It's not like we can just go up and kill him, because apparently, he can't die!"

"I mean, Elijah doesn't seem like the type that would break a deal." Aurora shrugged, causing both brothers to look at her, indescribably, "He seems very noble."

"I'm still waiting for the part where John Gilbert is the answer." Damon redirected then conversation.

"He knew about the sacrifice, Isobel told him. He said he knew of a way to keep Elena safe."

"And how do we do that?" Damon asked.

"He's not talking. At least not to me anyway."

"Great work Stefan. Top notch. As if I didn't have enough problems."

"Hey, I'm sorry about Rose." Stefan mentioned, causing Auroras eyes to widen and motion to Stefan to stop talking.

Damon shrugged, "Whatever. I knew the woman for five minutes."

"And you cared about her after five minutes. I wonder what that means?"

"It means I care, Stefan. It means I'm changing, evolving into a man capable of greatness. Better watch your back, because I may just have to go get a hero-hairdo of my own, and steal your thunder."

He leaves. Stefan receives a text from Caroline reading "911 NOW".

Caroline lets Stefan and Aurora in.

"What's wrong?" Stefan immediately asked.

"Tyler knows about you and Damon. He knows that Damon killed Mason. I didn't say a word."

"It's that woman, Jules. She had a run-in with Damon." Aurora mentioned, "I hate that bitch." She shook her head.

"Tyler was so upset. The look on his face, he was so betrayed."

"Wow, this is bad." Stefan mumbled.

Caroline looked between the twins, "You're not gonna tell Damon, are you?"

"No! He already wants to kill him. He thinks all werewolves should die, and he's not wrong to think that, Caroline. I mean, what if Tyler tries to retaliate? He has every right to. He could get himself killed."

"Well, we're not gonna let that happen. We have to get to him and reason with him before he does something stupid. You have to talk to him. Just try to explain, you know? You always know the right things to say, okay? He and I...we're friends."

Aurora raised a brow at the blonde vampire, "Yeah, friends." She muttered sarcastically.

Aurora decided she didn't want to spend the rest of her day trying to sway a mutt into not killing Damon. Stefan could do it, it was more his thing anyway.

She was currently sat in the Mystic grill, nursing a glass of bourbon when a ginger women -who seemed to be in a bit of a grumpy mood sat beside her at the bar.

"Bad day?" Aurora asked the women.

Jenna turned to look at the person who asked, "Terrible. Just found out news everyone else in my life already seemed to know."

"You're Jenna, aren't you?" Aurora asked, causing Jenna to look at the girl strangely, "Sorry, I'm Stefan and Damon's sister. Aurora Salvatore." She held her hand out for Jenna to shake.

"Oh, I didn't know they had a sister." Jenna smiled at the Salvatore and shook her hand.

Aurora smirked, "They don't like to brag." Jenna laughed.

And from then on they kept talking and Aurora was definitely warming up to the people in mystic falls.

——

A little while later, Alaric decided to join the two women and they all moved to a table.

"I can't believe it. Elena is my sister's husband's brother's daughter and her mother is my boyfriend's deceased wife. You can't make this stuff up." Jenna mentioned.

Alaric nodded, "It's definitely a little overwhelming."

"I can't believe that they kept it a secret. How is it even possible to keep a secret like that?"

Aurora took a sip of her drink, "It's not as hard as one would think."

John enters the Grill. Jenna notices him. "Ugh!" John joins them.

"Hey you two. Do you think I can join you?"

"Do you have to?" Jenna smiled sarcastically at the man.

"I guess I don't have to, but I might as well." John looked over at Aurora suspiciously, "I'm sorry, I don't think we've met."

Aurora nodded, "For a good reason." Jenna and Alaric let out stifled laughs.

John ignored the brunette vampire, "Look who's here. John turns his head and sees Damon and Elena arrive.

They join John, "John, buddy, how have you been?"

"I've been all right, Damon. It's good to see you."

——

Damon and Aurora are at the bar.

Jenna joins him. She's with a woman. "So, my friend wants to meet you. Damon Salvatore, this is..."

Damon looks at the woman, "I know you. The news lady."

Andie nodded with a smile, "Yeah, Andie Star. Nice to meet you. Can I buy you a drink, Damon?"

Damon lifts up his glass, "My glass is all full, Andie. Thank you." Aurora stares at her brother, surprised.

He leaves with Aurora trailing behind and returns to Elena. "You totally blew her off."

"I'm steering clear of all women at the moment."

"Well, I am very surprised." Aurora mentioned.

"You didn't have to be rude."

Damon rolled his eyes, "Trust me, it's in the best interest of women everywhere."

Elena's phone rings. She answers it. "Stefan? What is it?" She looks at Damon and Aurora.

Damon, Elena and Aurora regroup in the restroom. "Why am I just finding out about this now?"

"Stefan was worried that you--" Aurora was cut off.

"That I'll what? That I'd kill him? Of course, it's what's need to happen."

Elena shook her head, "No, Damon, not Tyler. Do whatever you need to do to get Caroline back but just leave Tyler out of it, okay?"

"Why? He's a werewolf, he needs to die. I'm willing to kill him, it's win-win." Elena touches his arm.

"I don't disagree with him." Aurora mumbled, causing Damon to give her a thankful look.

"Damon please, okay? Too many people are dead."

"You need to stop doing that." Damon looked down at the doppelgänger

"Doing what?" She removes her arm.

"Assuming that I'll play the good guy because it's you who's asking."

"Be the better man, Damon." Elena said, causing Aurora to roll her eyes.

John enters the room. "Do you mind?" Damon said.

"What's going on?"

"Nothing." Elena looked at the man.

"It doesn't look like nothing."

"Well guess what John, trust works both ways. Get out." Damon ordered, annoyed with the man's presence.

Elena shook her head, "Look, we don't have time for this. We need to get Caroline back."

"We don't need to do anything. Me and Aurora will take care of it." He turns around and looks at John.

"First dad duty: ground your daughter. Keep her here. He nods at Aurora and they both start leaving.

"I'm coming with you guys."

John shook his head, "No, no, no, no, no. I'm with Damon on this one. No, stop, stop. You're not going anywhere. Just tell me what's going on."

Jules is alone. Suddenly she hears something. "I know you're out there."

Stefan goes out of the woods with Tyler. "Where's Caroline?"

"Locked up tight."

"Let her go, and I'll release Tyler. It doesn't have to get any messier than it already has. I'm not your enemy, Jules."

"It's a little late to be waving the white flag, don't you think?"

"You need to leave town. No one else has to get hurt."

"I'm not leaving without Tyler."

"Tyler is free to make his own decisions, as soon as you release Caroline."

Damon and Aurora arrive. "Our brother the peacemaker. Since Stefan got here before us, we are gonna let him try it his way before I resort to my way, which is a little bloodier. So give us Caroline."

"Let go of Tyler."

Aurora cocked her head, "Give us Caroline. Without a full moon it's not an even fight and you know it. We will take you."

"I'm not so sure about that, sweetheart." She whistles, and the rest of her pack walks out of their hiding places, all holding weapons including stakes, cross-bows, and a flame-thrower. "Let's try this again. Give us Tyler."

Damon looks at Tyler. "You heard her. Go. Get over there."

Tyler walks over to Jules. "Which one of you killed Mason?" One of the mutts asked.

Damon raised a hand "Uh, that'd be me."

"Boys, make sure that one suffers." Damon looks at his siblings. "We can take them."

Stefan looked back at him warily, "I don't know about that."

Damon shrugged, "Well then..." He rushes over Jules, but she flips onto the top of the RV. Tyler has gone inside. One of the werewolves tries to burn Stefan, but he takes the flamethrower from him and burns two werewolves with it. Aurora started ripping the limbs off of the wolves that tried attacking her. One of the werewolves tries to jump from the RV roof on Damon, but he rips his heart out mid-air.

Stefan kills a werewolf. Another uses a crossbow to fire a stake at him but he catches it.

Aurora fights with one of the werewolves and punches her hand into his chest, ripping out the mutts heart. Another shoots an arrow at her, but she catches it and throws it in his neck. The werewolf falls on the ground.

Another goes behind Stefan and drives a stake through his back. Stefan falls on the ground. Damon fights with Brady, but Jules arrives and shoots him with a wooden bullet. He falls on the ground.

Jonas Martin appears. He's walking with his hands held out while he's casting a spell on the werewolves. Damon and Stefan get up off the ground as Aurora looked around at all the fallen wolves.

"Elijah made a promise to Elena. I'm here to see it's upheld. You need to go. Get out of here. Now." They leave.

WORD COUNT : 1801