Ch.5

Lexi and I stayed in town after the night passed. We didn't however stay at the Salvatore house as we had a perfectly good manor for ourself. I'd had restored and upgraded as I visited over the years so as to keep ahead of problems later on. The manor itself actually sat over where the Mikaelson clan had called home a millennium prior.

Over the next few weeks shit got strange and I mean ghosts possessing objects and regular old possession. Bonnie got herself in trouble while playing with something she simply wasn't ready for.

Damon called me when Emily got witchy with her amulet and was about to destroy it. As she went to toss it up in the air I broke her barrier and Damon caught it. She yelled. "No! You'll bring disaster on these innocent people!"

I snorted as I stepped out of the shadows. "Emily, nice seeing you again little girl."

She saw me and stilled. "You're behind this?"

I shrugged and Damon told her. "I called in a favor Emily. You may be strong to be able to pull this but I guarantee you aren't strong enough to face my backup."

She looked him over before asking me. "Why?"

I shrugged. "Mind yourself little girl. Never presume what I do is out of malice."

She frowned. "But they'll get out!"

I nodded. "And so they will. This way it won't cost your dependents their lives. There are always ways around spells as nothing is absolute. He'd have found a more dangerous way and set them loose. This way they may get out but the witches of your family won't suffer, well, much anyway. I need something from one of them and I'm willing to bargain."

She frowned. "What could you of all things need from weak witches?"

I shrugged. "Your family was very influential and several of your ancestors and their descendants helped others set barriers like yours. Some, they tied to your own bloodline. A few pints won't go amiss along with a touch of her magic. I give you my word that's all I need. In exchange I'll give her one boon."

Emily, the real part of her lit up as it was bargaining and witches were known to be great bargainers. She shook her head. "A boon per pint and two for the magic you need."

I growled and shook my head. "One and one of I can just take what I need as it won't harm the lass one bit."

She stilled at my threat and finally nodded. "Very well. A bargain is struck. As for the first boon-"

I shook my finger. "Ahh ahh, nice try. The booms are the child's to do with as she wishes. If you want you can tell her friend your suggestions and hope she relays them to her to decide on."

Emily nodded and I told Damon. "The amulet please Damon."

He handed it over and I smiled as I drained it and crumbled it to dust. "There, now I can open the tomb when necessary. All I need is a spark of power from a Bennett witch and it'll open under my own magic. That and no more coming back Emily. You've a minute to relay your words to her friend. Elena, Stefan come on out."

They did so looking at me wearily while Emily walked over to Elena saying. "Memorize these words, there's no time to waste."

I ignored them and asked Damon. "Can't handle one dead witch?"

He snorted. "Shut up, I was handling it just fine thank you."

I smirked. "Sure you were, like the Baltic-"

He growled and I just smiled innocently. "Anyway, what were you planning to do if I wasn't here? Eat the girl? That'd be a dumb move. You need a Bennett witch's magic to start the process of tearing down their wards. I mean, I could do it but it would be tricky and a pain in the ass. Each witch will usually leave their own spells in the mix in case other witches try unraveling them. That's why you need either their power to feel it out or the spell recipe from their grimoire."

He frowned. "How was I supposed to know that? I'm not a witch!"

I chuckled. "Poor Damon doesn't know when to act and when to ask for advice."

He grunted and I passed him a joint before telling Emily. "Minute's up little girl."

She backed away from Elena and nodded so I released the magic holding her there. She faded and Bonnie appeared in her place weakened. I lit my own joint before telling the magically exhausted girl. "Your ancestor Emily bargained with your magic and blood for boons from me girl. You've two boons to choose before I take what was promised. No stalling either I'm not waiting a mortals lifetime for some stupid shit. I need your answers."

She looked at me with a frown. "What are boons?"

Stefan spoke up. "They're favors he owes you in exchange for a few pints of blood and a little magic. It won't harm you and you get two favors from what I've come to understand as the most powerful witch in the world. Elena has Emily's suggestions if you'd like to hear them first."

Bonnie looked me up and down and I smirked. "I'll be generous as I'm not a complete tool and I'm in no rush at the moment. You've two years to figure out what you want. It can be anything your heart desires. Wealth? Power? Immortality? Anything you can think of within reason."

Bonnie looked back to Stefan and he sighed. "He means within his power to grant. It's a lot from what I understand. Damon calls them his favors but that seems to only apply to him."

Damon smirked. "Jealousy little brother? You could've made him a friend as well. Besides he doesn't give me the big stuff as it costs and he doesn't want to pay when unnecessary. Though he did give me this nifty diamond once. I swear it was the size of my head."

I ignored them saying to the new witch. "Find me when you wish to cash them in. I'll be in town and the brothers know where to find me."

I headed back to the car with Damon and dropped him off at his house. I headed home to find Lexi in pajama bottoms and a sports bra watching Buffy the Vampire slayer. Sighing I told her. "You shouldn't put too much stock in a show. They're not nearly as shallow in real life and they look slightly different."

She finally asked anxiously. "They won't drake me will they?"

I shook my head. "They shouldn't, at least not before they stake me for dying and leaving them like that. Honestly I deserve worse."

She shook her head. "No, you really don't."

I sighed. "It's a moot point now anyway. Until we can get to them it's all moot."

She smiled wryly and I laid next to her watching the show as well telling her small little snippets of information here and there. We spent a week like that, just watching the shows and occasionally entering a mood for sex.

After a week Damon came by asking when I'd open the tomb. Sighing I told him. "I was hoping the witch would ask a boon early on but since she hasn't there's more than one way to skin a vampire."

He flinched and I told him. "How do you feel about robbing your father's grave tonight?"

He frowned. "What for?"

I snorted. "Emily's grimoire was enclosed with him in his grave. We get the grimoire add a celestial event, say a full moon perhaps and presto tomb opened for business."

He frowned. "Tonight's the full moon."

I nodded. "So we'll have one month to the day before it can be opened. You waited a hell of a lot longer what's an extra month?"

He shrugged then smiled. "I can wait a month but we've got other problems now. There's a vamp in town stalking Elena."

I shrugged. "Probably one that thinks she looks like Katherine. They're not wrong, it's unnerving but she's a doppelgänger so it's to be expected."

He frowned. "What the hell's a doppelgänger?"

I snorted. "You really do need to brush up on your magic studies or at least pick up a book. A doppelgänger is a clone of sorts created by nature. Usually they are innocent defenseless humans forced to die natural deaths when someone breaks the balance of nature that can't be killed. In Elena's case I saw a doppelgänger of her a thousand years ago called Tatia. It was Tatia's blood that Esther used to create the original vampires."

Damon frowned. "She's not a vampire like Kathrine is she?"

I shook my head. "No, at least, not that I know of. I left right after I was turned and I've only seen them once since then. When we were in New Orleans before your girlfriend at the time went all sire happy."

He shivered at the memory as I told him. "It was the original family that ruled New Orleans and it was them leaving when I saw them. I haven't spoken to my former siblings and with any luck I never will."

He snorted. "When has luck ever been on our side?"

I frowned. "Eighteen ninety seven. We were in Poland I think. The museum we ran into unguarded and so very inviting."

He smiled at the memory. "Ah, well that's one time in how long I've known you?"

I chuckled. "Well if you include my own luck it's far greater. After all I took most of this planet's diamond supply. So there's always hope."

He didn't seem so chipper but nodded. "Anyway what do we do about Elena?"

I shrugged. "I can do a tracking charm that'll let you know where she is if she's ever in danger but it would require her blessing. Part of the spell and all that Jazz."

He grimaced. "Any other options?"

I shrugged. "Stick with her every second of every day or get me something that belongs to the vampire in question and I'll be able to kill him easy. Doesn't even have to be personal. A picture would do. Just something that has a drop of his aura in it and bam, he's dead."

He frowned. "I'm not entirely sure I want to hand you anything with a smile like that on your face."

I chuckled. "It's just rare that I rely on spells like this. I came up with it as a neutral alternative to the dark magic spells that maim and torture the victim."

He gave me a droll stair. "Cause outright murder is so much better?"

I laughed my ass off before stopping. "You're one to talk, but yes, less suffering is much better than torment and torture. It's clean like nature intended. Death, like life, is apart of nature. So doing a death spell on a vampire won't disrupt that balance, hints, no dark magic. Hex's and curses vary so that's why I made my own spells. All clean and well, neutral at worst."

He smiled. "Where's the fun in that?"

I chuckled. "The fun is that a dark witch at my level tried to destroy the last world I was in. She came a hairs breath from succeeding as well. Dark magic is like a drug until it gets deep inside you and takes root like a parasite. You don't realize it's wrong or bad for you until it starts to influence your decisions. Keep going from there and it's death destruction and carnage until I you implode or it takes over completely and you destroy everything in your path."

He winced and I nodded sighed. "Find me something of the vampire's and it's dead simple as that. And no bringing me something of Stefan's, Lexi would kill us both. Or at least you and I'd have to watch."

He smirked. "There goes that idea. Kidding, I'll get you what I can. Does it have to be exactly his?"

I shook my head. "Something he's touched will do. I'll be able to sort out who it kills so a generic cup would do."

He nodded and left after we dug up his father's grave and got the grimoire while I went back home and continued my marathon of Buffy the vampire slayer and enjoying Lexi's generous limberness. A week later Damon, Stefan and Elena showed up and smiled while Lexi greeted them and took them on a tour while Damon gave me a shirt Elena was wearing saying. "He attacked her at the house. Elena thinks he played the pizza guy routine to gain an invite. He touched this while she was wearing it."

I took the shirt with a smile. "It'll do. Give me a minute and we'll see about killing this fool."

I lit some candles and uncovered the sacred circle I'd carved into the table in my study. Setting the shirt inside I grabbed some string and tied it to the shirt while doing the spell. When it was ready I told Damon. "This string is connected to his fate, cut it and he dies. It's up to you-"

He didn't hesitate as he took the sheers and cut it in twain. I chuckled saying. His bodies at the hotel on Bradford road. Room 108."

He nodded and took off with Stefan while Elena hung out with Lexi and I. I showed her some simple spells at her request and told her a bit about magic which I assumed she relay to Bonnie or something. She finally asked. "What kind of spell did they have you do?"

I smirked. "A simple death spell. The vampire attacked you in your home from what Damon said. He's been invited in so they had me do a spell to link where he touched your clothes to himself and his life force. Damon cut the link severing his life and his connection to you. I imagine they're going to pick up his body and make sure no one was hunting with him."

She wasn't happy about it but nodded and asked. "Why are you friends with Damon? He's a murderer."

I snorted. "And so am I. At the tender age of thirteen I killed my entire village in a fit of rage. I've killed or been indirectly responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of vampires. Damon wasn't always this cynical either. He was a good man even as a human, but turning into a vampire against his will or wishes can turn any good man into an asshole. Besides, he's not all kill murder and mayhem. He's on a mission to find the woman he loved him. He may be a bit aggressive about it but so are we all who've been in love."

She frowned. "What was he like before?"

I smiled. "Before Katherine and all the vampire business you mean?"

She nodded and I sighed. "He was an idealist. His father was a right bastard and a supporter of slaves while Damon wanted all men to be equal, and women as well. He'd sit with me and talk about morals and a decent vision of a bright future for hours each day. When the civil war happened though he and his father got into a row the likes of which almost had me intervening and kill the old bastard. In the end Damon was forced to fight for the south or see his baby brother forced onto the frontlines of the war."

I sighed at those memories and she looked sad. I told her. "War changes men, even the best of us can become sour fighting for a cause we believe in but to fight for one you're against is much harder on the spirit. Then Stefan has to go and fall in love and get his heart broken while their father was talking about sending him to war as well as he'd come of age. Damon has been fighting for three years then but when Stefan wrote him that letter he wrote me and while I handled the worst of it he was still to worried. "

I poured myself a glass and told her. "He was worried Stefan would commit suicide or actually join the war when he knew it was wrong. So he asked his commander to get some leave to see his brother and at first the commander denied him until he gave him a task to carry out. Deserters, he was to bring them back or kill them. A damn distasteful task even when you believe in the cause but when you didn't like him, well, anyway, task completed along with some unfortunate mishaps he can tell you about if he wishes and he got his leave."

I looked her over. "That's the kind of man he was, and is if push comes to shove. When he came back Katherine was just getting into town and that hot mess happened. Well, after Stefan was of age to be allowed a choice to join or not he quit the army like a man. He faced his commanding office and told him he was leaving the army by discharge either good or bad. His commanding office pulled his gun on him and tried murdering him calling him a deserter."

Elena frowned. "Oh my god, how did he survive?"

"A buddy of mine had secretly spelled my pack I was carrying to redirect bullets and shrapnel away from me. I didn't realize it until later but he'd been watching out for me throughout the whole war." She turned to see Damon and Stefan in the doorway of the room.

I raised my glass. "I don't regret it either. Best damn decision I'd ever made about you."

He smirked. "Luckiest damn day of my life as well. I thought for sure I'd be dead or worse and yet I walked away from that encounter in one piece. So, why are you telling stories about the past?"

I chuckled. "The girl asked what kind of man you were before the vampire. I gave her the highlights. I still haven't gotten to the good stuff though so don't be grumpy. The funniest bits were after he was a vampire FYI. We went on a tour of the world and well, he doesn't always come out to flattering. Especially in the Baltic and Switzerland."

He snorted while Elena looked interested a little. She asked. "So, I know what Damon was like, but what about Stefan as a human?"

I raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "A hopeless romantic with a duty and father complex a mile wide."

She raised her eyebrows and looked at Stefan who denied it. "I didn't have a father complex!"

I smirked. "You were the one who thought your father's words were law. Followed them to the letter. Hell, if it wasn't for the way you acted so close to the man I'd probably have killed him after he threatened to send you to war in Damon's stead. Neither of you should've been apart of the war."

Damon shrugged. "I guess that explains it then. You killed the man after all. Couldn't please him so you removed him."

I smiled and poured Damon a glass before passing the joint. He sighed. "The bodies taken care of, I called Liz after shoving a stake in his heart. She took it away after we cleaned up the room. It doesn't look like there was more than one but there was two beds there."

I nodded. "Best be sure then. You grabbed the stuff there? Bring it here and let's find out. I'll do some scrying and if there's nothing so be it but if there's more a few death spells won't go amiss."

Damon nodded. "My thinking exactly. The stuff's in the trunk I'll go get it."

I went back to my desk table and relit the candles. I took out a diamond and a map. After drawing magic from the diamond I put it away all the while Stefan and Elena were watching me while Lexi was watching tv.

Stefan asked. "What's the business with the diamond?"

I smiled. "You know what a witches talisman is right?"

He nodded. "Something they draw power from to help fuel their spells."

I nodded. "I keep a bunch of diamonds much like talismans and they draw power from nature with runes. They store the power and I drain them occasionally so I'm not using my own power on small spells like this. Keeps me in top shape Incase things go to shit. That way I can do the big spells when needed."

Elena frowned. "How is a death spell a small spell?"

I smirked. "It's not, well most aren't. Mine is more of a linking spell that kills. It costs little magic to link something but a lot to break the link without killing either side. Since the intent is to kill the opposite party it's still a pretty small bit of magic. But if I got serious, well, like I told Damon, the last witch at my level that went dark nearly destroyed the planet."

They both paled and I smirked. "Just getting an idea for how powerful I really am?"

Elena nodded and Stefan asked. "Why would any witch need that much power?"

I shrugged. "Various reasons. Once you cross a certain threshold of magic inside you your body stops aging and you become very hard to kill as you're linked to magic itself. Food and water become luxury as you no longer need them to survive. Time becomes inconsequential as well because you no longer can die by natural causes."

Elena's eyes shot wide open. "Bonnie-"

I shook my head. "Is a bit powerful for an average newbie but she's nowhere near my level. I've more magic in a hair than she does in her entire body."

Stefan asked. "Why'd you come to Mystic Falls then?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Come here? Boy I was here first. Not the Indians nor the settlers. Hell, the Lockwood's only got so much land because I'd been asleep for eight hundred years in a cave not far away. No, I was here long before Mystic Falls was an idea in the founders minds. Hell, I was one of the founders."

Damon came in with the box. "He tell you about his time as a puppy?"

I snorted. "I was just about to tell them about Arabia and a certain sheik."

He froze. "We don't talk about Arabia, ever."

I smirked. "Puppy what now?"

He shook his head. "Here's the stuff, see what you can magic man."

I chuckled and took the box before going through it. After a while I tossed it down with a frown. "There's two more vampires other than Fell and the dead one."

Elena frowned. "Fell? Logan Fell?"

I nodded. "He's a vampire now."

I turned to Damon. "Anna's back in town. Go back to the hotel and go three doors down. She should be there. Tell her to come see me, and Damon, don't try anything. Fell and the other tool you can kill but she remains unharmed. She's a friend."

Damon sighed. "Buzz kill. Is she responsible for the idiot after Elena?"

I shook my head. "He went rouge. They're after the tomb as well. Pearl is inside. Anna just wants her mother while the idiot wanted his friends back and to slaughter the founding families."

Damon snorted. "That's not very wise."

I shrugged. "I guess Katherine and Pearl never told them about me. Either way he's dead and they will be too if they wake up and settle on revenge. I don't suffer fools lightly."

Damon left with Stefan once more and this time Lexi went with them after I put a powerful spell on her that prevented death once just in case. I'd collected more than just diamonds and party time with Damon over the years. I'd spent the extra time I had learning the spells and magic of this world.

It was quite the same as my last one though more in depth with magic understanding. More skillful one could say. I'd even taken the time to learn the spells on immortality more in depth and while powerful they were basically linking spells in the end. Minor restructured copies of the one Qetsiyah and Silas made all those years ago.

I had yet to get my hands on the original yet but I had a good idea what it was. If I'm right they simply tied themselves to the earth itself. They'd live as long as the earth did. So without end or as close to it as they were magic ended up creating doppelgängers it could kill in their place.

Damon and the rest arrived with Anna and one more very dead vampire. Lexi was a bit roughed up but otherwise fine. The spell was still on her so yay for winning. Damon told me. "Logan got away but this one's definitely dead."

I nodded. "Hello Anna."

She sighed. "You said you couldn't open the tomb."

I shrugged and showed her Emily's diary. "I can now. I took the magic from her locket and with her diary all I need is a celestial event and bam, tomb's open free and clear. You gonna wait till next month or are we gonna have another problem?"

She shook her head. "If it's you I believe it. No problems so long as I can get my mother back."

I nodded. "She really should have taken my advice and left town or at least stayed in the shop. I would've protected her. Oh well, live and learn as they say. Your welcome to stay here if you want but no more making vampires from idiots."

She nodded and sighed. "In that case I'll take my old room back."

I shrugged. "Suit yourself. Though you might want to upgrade the wardrobe, those clothes haven't been warm since you skipped town that night."

Elena asked. "She used to live here?"

I nodded. "I put her and Pearl up because they were women and it was the nineteenth century. People tended to frown on women living alone. Besides Pearl worked for my shop back in the day. I sold it to Gilbert when I skipped town with Damon. Your family used it for some health practice before your parents died. It was originally an apothecary, sort of like a pharmacy."

She nodded. "I know the one."

I shrugged as Anna went to leave to get her things. I told Damon. "Drop the body on the floor."

He did and I waved a hand as vines and plants grew out of the floor and dissolved the body into fertilizer before sucking it up and disappearing. Elena looked stunned but Damon was long since used to it.

I chuckled. "There. Cleanup is done and with the last of the vampire problems taken care of all we gotta do is wait till next month."

Lexi sighed. "I'm gonna grab a shower. Tussling made me feel dirty."

I immediately smiled. "I'll join you."

I turned to Damon and the rest. "Make yourselves at home or get bent, I don't care which."

He smirked before saying. "You're way to horny for your age."

I snorted. "I could make yours fall off if you want. Non re-attachable I'm afraid but if you keep talking it won't matter, cause I can magically turn you into a women."

Elena asked stunned. "You can do that?"

I nodded. "Very few things can't be accomplished by magic. I can turn you into a man if you-"

Both Damon and Stefan yelled. "No!" At the same time. Lexi disappeared so I shrugged and left to upstairs.

They must've left because when we finished taking a shower and came back down they were gone. Anna however was back with her stuff and tossing old gowns she'd once worn.

A month later there I was in mid December just outside the tomb with practically everyone and their mother. Lexi was with me and Anna while Stefan, Damon and Elena were there as well as Bonnie and her grandmother Sheila for some reason they weren't clear on.

Anyway I told them. "Give me a minute and I bring down the spells."

I brought out Emily's grimoire and Sheila spoke up. "That doesn't belong to you."

I snorted. "You gonna take it from me? No? Then be quiet and let me work."

I read it over then smiled as I saw the traps in the wards. Putting it away again I grabbed a massive diamond ward stone the size of an engine block and drained it. After I put it away I noticed them staring and asked. "What? You thought I'd waste my own magic on this crap? Fuck that."

I snapped my fingers and the torches lit before doing the spells to bring it all down. I used a lot of magic but it wasn't really mine and I did drain the wards Emily put up of magic just for shits and giggles. The earth shook as I tore it all down and the stone door blew off, flying past me and causing Anna to dodge as it buried itself in the dirt.

I sighed. "Sorry, got exited and used a bit too much power. Anyways the wards are destroyed and it's just a cave now. Knock yourselves out."

Anna looked at me before nodding and running inside. Damon was right behind her. She came out a few minutes later and I told Stefan. "You might want to go get him. He's a bit upset from the sounds of it. I don't think Katherine was in there if he's this mad."

Anna shook her head while she fed Pearl next to us. "She wasn't. I saw her in Seattle a couple decades ago. She was watching Damon and Stefan. She's known where they were this whole time and didn't tell them."

I shrugged. "Sounds like the bent."

Lexi snorted as she knew all this already. I turned to the Bennett witches while Stefan and Elena went inside to get Damon. "What are you two doing here anyway?"

Bonnie spoke up. "We'd like my ancestors grimoire."

I raised an eyebrow. "Is this one of your boons?"

She shook her head and I smiled. "Then no, I don't believe I'll be giving it up. I don't really need it well, not after I finish reading it anyway. But I don't give things away to people who aren't friends."

Sheila frowned. "It belonged to our ancestor-"

I sighed. "And she was burned alive, blah blah blah. I'm aware of who and how I've met the girl. Not very bright working for vampires though. It earned her a fiery death I do believe because of it. Katherine was a spiteful bitch who as it seems was the reason the council was aware of vampires to start with. Seeing as how she was the only one who made it out and the rest were fucked it's easy to figure out. Either way the grimoire was in the Salvatore's grave. He must've been the one to burn her and take it. Now, it's mine."

Bonnie finally asked. "You won't give it to a person that's not a friend. But would you give it to a student?"

I stilled. "Be very careful what you ask for girl, witches don't apprentice to others lightly."

She smiled while Sheila sighed and asked. "Are you sure?"

She nodded. "It's what Emily suggested and it's what I need. Mom's gone off somewhere and you haven't touched magic in years. I need someone whose skilled in the arts and knows what they're doing. From what Elena said he's the most powerful witch alive and I need that if I'm ever going to do more than float feathers around."

I ignored them until Bonnie finally said. "My first favor, I want you to teach me everything you know about magic."

I grunted. "So be it. Come to my house tomorrow and every day after school from now on. You've a lot to learn and I don't suffer fools. If you use magic without my permission or under instruction outside my supervision I'll bind your magic permanently and leave you to learn it without being able to use it."

She frowned. "Bu-"

I shook my head. "You should've asked your grandmother how witch apprenticeships work. All in all I'm being light and nice. If I were a dark witch I'd bind your magic to myself and use it at my whims."

Sheila sighed. "He's right child. You've brought this on yourself now. You listen to him or not even magic itself will save you. An apprenticeship is like a mother and child relationship. Steps have to be taken so that the child doesn't end up hurting itself without understanding what it's doing. It's why I asked if you were certain. Becoming his apprentice gives him power over you until you've mastered all he has to teach you."

I chuckled and handed Bonnie the grimoire. "Be at the house by nine, no later or you'll spend your first lesson trying to undoing a full body binding spell without the option of speaking."

I turned to Anna and the now waking up Pearl. "Your rooms are your own again. Use them as you see fit but don't attempt to bring others into the manor without telling me first. My wards are still up."

Pearl nodded weakly and I turned to Lexi holding out a hand. She took it and Sheila asked. "Aren't you going to destroy the vampires inside?"

I snorted. "Why should I? They're not my problem and if they start their old crap again they'll be too dead to matter. Otherwise they can leave and live as they want for all I care."

Damon finally came out with Stefan and Elena minus the blood bag he'd brought with him. Sighing he said. "She's not in there."

I nodded. "Anna told me. I'm sorry Damon if you want I can to a scry for her."

He shook his head. "She has all the time in the world to come to me. Screw the bitch."

I sighed. "Then you want to go party somewhere? I can astral project or teleport back for Bonnie's lessons. By the way, she chose to become my student."

He shook his head. "Na, I'm gonna take a few days alone but I think I'm gonna stick close to town."

I nodded. "You need a talk you know where I am."

I tossed a flask and the pack of joints to him. He caught them and I told him. "The flask is linked to the Mystic Grill. Think what you want and drink. It won't empty till the Mystic Grill runs out of booze. The joints are my best shit to date so don't smoke to much or you might end up in Tijuana missing a kidney again."

He nodded and I left with Lexi as there was nothing there for us anymore. The next morning Bonnie showed up late and as promised spent the day on the floor trying to break the binding spell I put on her while I told her the basics of magic. "Magic isn't there for you to use to entertain your friends. It's a primordial force of nature and while you may have some inside you so does a rock. You're nothing special in the grand scheme of things."

I walked around her while she stared at me and I squatted down next to he and continued. "This is where the good part comes in. Because like a rock, you can change. Take on more elements or less. Become sharper or dull. All forms a rock can take and change. Even going so far as to turn into dust and gathering more dust until it becomes apart of something more.

I waved a hand as a rock hovered above her changing into many forms until it shifted and formed into a lump of coal then I added pressure and intense heat until it formed into a diamond. I set the now cooling diamond above her hands looking at her saying. "What have you learned? Show me."

I dropped the diamond in her hands and she she narrowed her eyes and screamed soundlessly. I felt her channel the power of the diamond on instinct and quirked my eyebrows while the weak binding spell gave way with the power she harnessed from the diamond.

I smiled and removed the silencing spell. "Very good. You may not have realized it yet, but you've taken the first steps to becoming a witch of great power. Congratulations. The diamond is your next thing. You're to study the books in this room and find the one I want you to and use the first bit of magic you find it. Use your common sense and be thorough. You've six months to complete the task. Be warned if you're not thorough and you fail I'll take away something more precious then your ability to speak next time. These are not games, they're tests. You can remove and take home any book you want from this room as they're all yours now but they won't be read so easily by others until you've mastered the basics."

I smiled as she stood up. "What is wrong with you? I could've been seriously burned?"

I frowned. "Then you've missed the second point of it. Magic, no matter the power or use comes at a price. Sometimes it's worth it, sometimes it's not. It's up to you in the end to decide the price you're willing to pay for power."

I stood and walked out. "Every day right after school you're to be here studying and learning things so I can see your progress. Remember, you're not allowed to use magic outside of this room or I'll strip your magic away from you. Don't think I won't know either, I can feel every ounce of magic in this town."

She frowned at my back as I left but I just smiled and ignored the feeling of her stare. Lexi asked. "Why not just give her the full download?"

I shook my head. "She wouldn't understand that there's a price not the way she needs to. Magic isn't a toy and she's still a kid in the end. I don't want a Willow repeat. She'll learn the hard way what I've to teach her and she'll thank me in the end."

I chuckled as I felt the book she chose first. In reality all the books in that room would only tell her the same thing until she's learned the basics then they'll reveal the adapt magic spells underneath and she'll learn them.

I was greeted by Pearl in the solarium. "I'm taking Anna to a house we've procured. With the others joining us there. Don't worry, I'll keep them in line."

I nodded and handed them both talismans. "These'll protect you from being staked in the heart by redirecting the blow away from there. It'll still hurt like but you get to live. A last gift in exchange for the trinket Gilbert gave you. I don't want others coming for that and hurting you in the process."

She sighed and took off the magic item that goes to Johnathan Gilbert's second device meant to incapacitate vampires. I took it and they left protected as best I would spend the energy on them for.

Bonnie left not long after that as well and I sighed and joined Lexi dancing to Bon Jovi in her underwear I took the party to the ceiling and we spent our time drinking and dancing to wanted dead or alive and living on a prayer.

After that her underwear became unnecessary and it rained white in the house. A week later Sheila died of heart failure as she'd drank for years and ruined her body while getting old. We went to her funeral where Bonnie asked me. "Can you bring her back?"

I nodded. "I can but she'd still be old and sickly. She wouldn't last long as the damage done by the alcohol and time has ruined her organs. She'd just die again not long afterwards, maybe a month or less. Tell you what, I'll teach you to commune with the spirits. She should be amongst them by now. You'll be able to talk to her whenever you want in that room."

She nodded and I left the funeral while she went on a vacation of sorts with her aunt until she was able to return a month later. Then I taught her the way to talk to the dead witches. A simple séance with candles and the calling of a spirit. Some sage and a bit of yew to burn for time.

She had her talks with Sheila and continued her magic lessons like normal. She delved into studying the basics like it was her life. I taught her a few telekinetic tricks to hurt or kill if used properly. It was the best she could do without using too much magic.

I gave Elena the piece to the Gilbert device and told her it could hurt the boys so she should be careful with it. The next time I met up with Damon was because he sent me a prayer. I arrived at his house to find Pearl there threatening him.

Sighing I told her making my presence known. "You don't threaten my friends Pearl, you should know better."

She backed up a little asking. "He's your friend, I get that but if we're to make ourselves a home in Mystic Falls-"

I snapped my fingers and she fell to her knees. " I'll let it go this once for old times sake Pearl, but Mystic Falls has changed. You can stay and learn to adapt, hell I'll supply you with the blood and money to start up the apothecary again, but the next time you come at Damon you'll be signing your grave marker."

Anna grabbed her mother and helped her up while I sighed. "Things have changed and Mystic Falls is going to be the focal point for some very magical changes for a few years to come. Vampires are going to find it hard to survive here. Take my advice like you should've last time. Either stay and become low key or leave before you're swept up in it's wake."

She nodded and I told Anna. "The blood supply and how to get more will be delivered to your current residence in a couple hours. By the way, Jeremy Gilbert, I approve. If you can get him to open up he'd make an excellent mate for you in a few years."

She smiled before nodding while Pearl looked at her frowning. Damon spoke up. "It's time you ladies leave. It was fun talking to you."

They blurred and left while I turned to Damon. "You good?"

He nodded and I sighed. "It's time we had that talk. You're spiraling."

He grunted. "It's what I do."

I shrugged. "Save it and pour."

Sighing he went to the wet bar while I pulled out a blunt and passed it to him. When he lit up I took a swig before saying. "Talk to me."

He muttered before admitting he was lost without a cause. That finding Katherine in that tomb was his one big chance to finding happiness. I shook my head. "Ever thought Katherine wasn't the one for you? She's known where you were this whole time and not once has she made herself know to you. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see she made her choice."

He frowned then downed his glass before asking. "What then? What's there left for me?"

I backhanded him sending him flying. Growling I caught him. "You think I've walked by your side for nearly two centuries to see you wallow in your own self pity? What's the first lesson I taught you?"

He grunted and shoved my hand away. "Being a man means making your own choices."

I growled. "And?"

He sighed. "And sticking with them. So what do I do next then?"

I smiled now. "Make a choice. If Kathrine isn't the one, find the one who is. Life is change, sometimes it's hard and sometimes it's easy. Make a choice, find another girl, one you can love, and do whatever you need to, to make her happy. So, who is the first choice. Once you've made it find the how and you'll have your next goal."

I walked back to the counter and poured another bourbon for us both while picking up the blunt. He came back over and I smiled as he was much more calm and collected now. We drank for a while before I headed back to the house. Lexi was out seeing a witch friend named Bree for a while. I needn't fear for her as my magic practically radiated off of her.

It was a fierce showing that a witch cared for her and there would be hell to pay if someone fucked with her. Witches could tell the power just from the feel and know better than to to anything to her. She had a similar tattoo like Damon's done between her breasts that allowed me to reach through her with magic if need be to defend her.

I doubt even Gloria would touch her as she knew me and what I'd do to someone who touched what was mine.