Part 5 of the pilot ramble. Triggers marked. Anyone want to be added to the tag list yet? Nah, that’s okay
Word count: 2,742
Part One Part Two Part Three Part Four
@storieswrittcn
The group of four had broken up; Matt to go find Elena after she’d left the bridge, Bonnie and Caroline going to do their own thing, and Lee to get another drink. She knew Stefan was off hunting whatever small game he could find. It drove her crazy but she also knew his fear of changing back into a Ripper. That Stefan had been fun, but horrible. Lee just hoped nothing would ever push her over that line. It was always a possibility, even with everything she’d done. Especially because of everything she’d done.
She leaned against one of the tables, beer in one hand while she pulled her phone from her back pocket. Still nothing. Lee groaned, “So petty…”
“Who?” Bonnie questioned as she leaned against the table beside her, “That look screams trouble in paradise.”
“Trouble for the relationship? No. This is nothing new. Trouble for me? Yeah, definitely.” Lee shows Bonnie her phone. Her message left on read from the night before.
“June wedding?” Bonnie smirked, looking back up at the Salvatore.
“Caroline wasn’t exactly quiet last night when she said it.” Lee doesn’t even deny overhearing the conversation. She pockets her phone, “It was supposed to be a joke.”
“Jerk move.” Bonnie challenges.
Lee holds her hands up in mock surrender, “Not denying I’m an ass. But it really was supposed to be a joke. We rile each other up all the time.”
“I take it, she’s possessive.” Bonnie glances down to the ring on her finger. “Not exactly the family ring your brother has.”
“Not even a fraction of how she is.” Lee doesn’t usually talk about Katherine when her brother or possibly brothers are in hearing distance. “But I wouldn’t change her.”
“You know they say possessiveness and jealousy walk hand in hand,” Bonnie reaches for another glass to drink.
“I live it,” Lee takes another drink.
“Then...jerk move.” Bonnie says proud of herself.
Lee laughs, “Jerk move. See, I’m not so perfect.”
When Bonnie doesn’t answer, Lee notices her eyes are going past her. She turns her head to see Stefan talking to what would appear to be an almost desperate Caroline. Shameless. “You might not be perfect, but I have a feeling you let her down a lot gentler than he just did.”
Stefan throws Lee a small look, not ashamed of himself in the least, as he walks toward Elena. The look on Elena’s face almost makes Lee have to do a double take. That smile that’s almost a smirk, the bird that caught the worm while still trying to look innocent. Not so innocent then. “I think you’re right.” Lee looks away to a crestfallen Caroline. “He’s always had a way with words,” Lee rolls her eyes, tone dripping with sarcasm.
----
Lee and Bonnie had found Caroline after she’d wandered through the crowd. The witch had been trying to calm her down.
“Somebody help!” Elena’s panicked yell had Lee moving before she could think about it. There was the younger Gilbert struggling to carry another teen who’d been hurt. Lee could smell the blood. She took off her flannel as she reached them, her eyes zeroing in on the vicious bite on the teen’s neck. This wasn’t just to feed, it was a message. One that left the teen hanging in the balance of life and death.
“Press this to her neck, be ready to move with me not against me.” Lee hands Elena her discarded flannel. “Let me have her, I’m stronger than I look.” Lee told the boy, already reaching for the limp girl. Her voice is firm toward both Gilbert’s leaving no room for argument.
“Vicki? Vicki, what the hell?!” She hears Matt yell. A crowd is circling around them as Matt rushes to be closer.
“Move!” Lee growls, the sea of people parting, “Clean off the table.” She looks over the crowd to find Bonnie, “Call an ambulance, tell them a girl’s been hurt and her carotid has possibly been nicked but not severed.” After the witch's acknowledgment Lee looks away, setting Vicki down on the now clear table.
Tyler is right there, “What happened to her?” He asks but Lee ignores him.
“It’s her neck, something bit her. She’s losing a lot of blood.” Elena tries to explain, worry and panic covering her face and painting her voice.
She places a hand on Elena’s white knuckle grip,” I need to see how deep. Just for a second, okay?” Lee’s voice is calmer than it was. Elena numbly nods, letting Lee lift their hands.
“You heard her, somebody call an ambulance!” Matt orders, but Bonnie is right beside him on the phone. The crowd seems to get thicker around them.
“Everybody back up!” Tyler demands spinning to push people back, “Give her some space.”
Lee lowers their hands back to Vicki’s neck, “You’re doing great.” She tells Elena, eyes searching for the teens. “The pressure is helping. She’s losing less blood. Just help me keep the pressure alright?” Lee isn’t pushing much, just a presence on Elena’s hand.
“Vicki, Vicki, come on. Open your eyes, look at me.” Matt begs.
The vampire feels Stefan’s eyes on her; either because of the scene or because of her touch with Elena is anyone’s guess. She looks up at her brother just as Matt does. “Go…” Lee mouths. Stefan only hesitates for a moment before he’s backing out of the crowd to leave. Lee goes to look back down at Vicki but something catches her attention in the corner of her eye. One of the rafters sits a crow. Damon… Lee snarls some, she wants to go after her brother. But can’t. The siren’s are getting closer.
“They’re almost here,” Lee looks over to Matt, “She should be alright.” The fluttering of wings lets her know the crow is gone, which means so is Damon. Her eyes travel to Elena’s, “Can you keep pressure like this without me?”
“What? No!” Matt argues. “You're the one who knows what you're doing.” Lee doesn’t break eye contact.
“Elena knows. She’s been doing great. Pressure just like this. Alright?” When Elena swallows but nods again, Lee takes her hand off.
“Lee! Where are you going?” Matt grips her arm.
“My brother is squeamish when it comes to blood. You saw him leave,” Lee locks eyes with him, “I’m going to go check on him. You’re going to be okay, stay with Vicki, and make sure they take her to the hospital.” Her eyes darken, compelling him.
“Go check on Stefan,” Matt let’s go of her arm. “I’m going to stay with Vicki.”
“She’ll be okay,” Lee looks back at Elena, “Just like that.” Then she’s moving through the crowd to head back to the boarding house.
----
Lee’s feet hit the grounds of the estate, eyes searching for where her brothers might be. After a message like that, Damon had to show himself. “She’s not Katherine,” Stefan’s voice hit her. Lee closed her eyes, bracing herself for what she was about to walk into. This was one of the many downsides to the game Katherine had played.
“Well, let’s hope not. We both know how that ended.” Damon’s cocky, self assured voice. Not hearing it in over fifteen years had been a blessing for sure. She continued to walk up the long drive. “Tell me something, when’s the last time you had something stronger than a squirrel?”
“Fuck…” Lee started to run, at a human pace. The only reason Damon would ask that would be to weigh out his ability to take Stefan in a fight and knowing Damon it wasn’t going to be pretty. She might loathe her brothers, might be able to kill them if the need arises or they rubbed her the wrong way, but she’d be damned if either screwed this. All because Damon couldn’t get over the fact Katherine changed them both and Stefan was the reason Katherine was taken away that night. The latter Lee might secretly agree with.
Stefan scoffed, “I know what you’re doing Damon. It’s not going to work.” Do you really, Stef? Most of the time the siblings thought they knew what the other was thinking or doing---most of the time, none of them had a damn clue. Too many secrets, too many lies, too many years of hating each other.
“Yeah?” Lee heard Damon smack Stefan, “Come on. Don’t you crave a little?”
“Stop it.” Stefan’s voice breaks. Lee scoffs, how easy would it be to break him?
“Let’s do it.” Damon shoves Stefan. “Together. I saw a couple girls out there.” Another hit. “Or just, let’s just cut to the chase,” And another, “ let’s just go straight for Elena!” Lee growls. Not out of protectiveness for the girl but due to the fact Damon is actually planning to fuck up Katherine’s one chance of freedom.
“Not happening,” She grits out just as there’s the sound of one of her brother’s pushing the other.
“Stop it!” Stefan yells out. She’s at the main roundabout.
“Imagine what her blood tastes like,” Damon yells back. “I can.”
“I said stop!” Right as she’s about to open the front door, her brothers come flying out the window of Stefan’s room. But Stefan lands alone.
“So dramatic…” Lee moves to help her groaning brother up, “You just had to give into him.”
“He wouldn’t stop,” Stefan weakly argues.
“He never does,” Lee sighs.
“He is right here.” Both turn to find Damon leaning on the hedges, “Hello, little sister. I wondered when you’d join the party. Though I did think you’d still be playing medic for a little longer.” He takes her in, “Ohhh, new tattoo.” He motions to the tiger half sleeve. “Fitting, if not a little overly feminine for you.”
“Brother,” Lee looks him up and down, “You seem to be just as psychotic as ever.”
“Thank you, I do try.” Damon plays along. He looks over at Stefan once more, “I was impressed. I give it a six.” He pretends to debate that rating, “Missing style, but I was pleasantly surprised. Very good with the whole face--” And Damon’s childish antics begin as he does an over the top reenactment of Stefan. Lee groans and rolls her neck back to not attack him. “--thing. It was good.” Damon laughs, eyeing their sister. “Want to see what you get? I’m sure this might be one of the few things you can do better than Stefan.”
Lee’s lips curl, her veins rising under her eyes, and fangs descending, “Why n--” Stefan grabs her as she goes to take a step toward the eldest Salvatore.
“Now who’s giving in?” Damon takes a step forward, ready for her.
Stefan tightens his grip on Lee’s arm, “You know, it’s all fun and games, Damon, huh?” This time Stefan steps closer to him, “But wherever you go, people die.”
Damon doesn’t see his point, a shrug of his shoulders, “That’s a given.” He peers over at Lee, “He knows we’re vampires right?”
“Not here.” Stefan makes sure Damon’s attention goes back to him. He knows if Damon and Lee start fighting, one will die. “I won’t allow it.”
Lee does facepalm at that, “Saint Stefan…” She mutters. Right now she needs some extremely strong alcohol.
“I take that as an invitation,” Of course, he does. You never tell Damon what to do. You either make something seem like his own idea or you tell him to do the opposite of what you want, just so he does what you want.
“Damon, please!” Lee looks up at the stars before moving to the hedges herself to lean against them, arms crossed over her chest. How many times does this conversation have to happen? “After all these years, can’t we just give it a rest?”
“Nope,” Lee comments more to herself, the p popping.
Damon points toward Lee, “She’s right.” The words are almost like he has no choice but to agree, faux sympathy on his face. “I promised you an eternity of misery, so I’m just keeping my word. Because that’s what Salvatore’s do right?” Damon takes a few steps toward Stefan. “I wouldn’t be much of a big brother if I didn’t.”
“Just stay away from Elena!” Stefan demands. Lee laughs humorlessly. There’s no chance in hell of Damon doing that.
“But Lee can?” Damon asks. “How unfair.” There’s a pout on his lips that turns to mock concern, “Where’s your ring?” Both Lee and Stefan look down to his hand where the ring should be. “Oh,” He fakes being so troubled by this, “Yeah. Sun’s coming up in a couple of hours, and, poof, ashes to ashes.”
“Smooth, Damon.” She’s actually impressed and it shows in her tone.
“Thank you, give me at least an eight?” Damon gives her a Cheshire grin.
“Mmm...seven and a half.” Lee shrugs. “Perfect execution but giving yourself away? I would have let him realize it on his own. But you always did love the attention.”
“What can I say? I’m a little attention w-”
“Where is it?” Stefan breaks up their antics.
“Relax! So up tight,” Damon steps forward, “It’s right here,” The ring sits in the palm of his hand. It’s a trap bigger than anything else. Lee stands up straighter, Stefan hesitantly takes the ring while his eyes study Damon’s. He slips it back on.
Just like that Damon’s hand is on Stefan’s neck, face contorted to their true selves. “Damon!” Lee warns just as said brother throws the middle one over the drive to hit above the garage.
“Stay out of this or you’ll be next,” Damon threatens, already moving to be above Stefan, “You should know better than to think you’re stronger than me. You lost that fight when you stopped feeding on people,” Damon doesn’t touch Stefan, his words enough to remind their middle brother of his place. “I wouldn’t try it again.”
Watching them, all Lee can see is the older brother who tormented her when they were human. Silently, she moves up behind him. She grips Damon by his own neck, turning him and pinning him against the garage. The rage inside her making her stronger, “And you, dear brother, would do well to remember I am not that young girl afraid to speak or act out against you. Those days ended long ago. You can put Stefan in his place,” Damon tries to break her grip, Lee holds him steady, lifting him up more. “But you would be wise not to try me. Unlike Stefan, I really don’t care if you live or die. Are we clear?”
She can see the gears in his head turning, to fight or agree. Damon studies her eyes before tapping her hand twice, Lee only releases him when she’s sure he knows she’s being serious. She takes a step back and offers Stefan her hand to pull him up. Damon rubs at his neck. All three look toward the house as they hear movement inside before the front door unlocks. “I think we woke Zach up.” Damon mutters, the smirk back on his lips. He walks past them toward the door, “Sorry, Zach.”
Lee helps steady Stefan, “The difference between me giving into his taunts and you? I can handle him. You can’t Stefan. No matter how much you wish you could.”
“I know,” Stefan groans, accepting the help. “About earlier---”
“Which part?” They slowly make their way toward the door.
“You being like Damon, I’m sorry.” Stefan stops them so he can make sure their eyes are connected. “I am glad you’re here.”
-----
Lee toweled off her hair walking out of the attached bathroom into her room. She’d gotten Vicki’s blood off of herself and her tank while in the shower. The vampire was now in comfortable clothes for the evening; a pair of black and maroon sweatpants with a matching sports bra and socks. Her attention is on the phone in her free hand as she tosses the towel onto the back of her desk chair, finger hovering over the call button. Katherine’s information on her screen. She’s going to have to hide this phone soon in fear of Damon getting his hands onto it.
She knows both brother’s have left the house once again, it’d be the perfect time to call her. Lee looks up to make sure her bedroom door is shut and hit’s call.
“I’m glad you answered, I made a jerk move. I’m sorry.”