AUTHOR'S NOTES; GUES WHO, MY DUDES!
Damn, its been a while, lol. Grad school is a whole thing and it requires like, 70 hours of time devoted per week. PER WEEK!
you can expect more updates more regularly through summer!
Anyway, to make it up to y'all, I'm posting a second chapter of this soon. Consider it a slightly delayed double update.
But then you won't hear from me until after finals. Tee hee. ✨
There are officially 8 parts to this series, so if you enjoy reading this soul's journey through the cycle of reincarnation across the multiverse, maybe check them out? Though, all fics can be read independently too!
As always, thank you guys for showing your love for my work. I hope yall enjoy!
Discord!
https://discord.gg/XhqUDAnbsH
XXXXXXXXXX
I grip harder, putting my whole body into as I hold on, knowing that I can't let up even an ounce lest my mission fail. I snarl, muscles clenching tight in my effort, cursing my weak physical body from too many years of bad nutrition.
"Nyx," Damon wheezes, agonized and I hiss, reaching into my soul to scrounge up even more strength. Damon's voice is weak. "Stop… I'm dying."
"Never," I roar, lifting him clear off the ground in my bone crushing hug. "Feel my fucking love, bitches!"
Stefan, shaking with laughter, manages to pry me off his brother only to promptly get squished himself as I do my best to hug the everloving shit out of him. "Ugh, Nyx... It's not that big… a deal."
Finally, I relent, letting the vampire free to collapse on the ground next to his brother, both groaning and cradling their ribs, causing me to roll my eyes. Dramatic bastards, both of them. "No, it really is a big deal. These dresses are fucking beautiful, and honestly, I'm a little hesitant to accept them at all."
The Salvatores had both gone out and bought me several absolutely stunning dresses to wear for the month's worth of events of Founders' Day. And fuck, did they look expensive.
"Nonsense. I have a reputation to keep, so I need a bombshell as my date, preferably one who isn't clingy or annoying. Therefore, this is really more for me than it is for you." Damon denies, the fucking liar.
As though I didn't know damn well that gift giving is one of his love languages.
Stefan manages to climb to his feet, smiling softly as he bravely pulls me into another much gentler hug now that I'm not trying to imprint my overflowing affection into their very beings. "It's not like we don't have more money then we know what to do with. Please, accept them."
Sweet, adorable little shits. Both Salvatores had picked up on my precarious financials at some point and knew I wouldn't spend on such things at the moment, every extra dollar I had that didn't go back into the Midnight Traveller going to the kids instead. Rather than saying anything to me about it, though, the brothers had simply moved to lift the burden for me, knowing it wasn't something I wanted to admit.
I barely manage to restrain myself from trying to bear hug them again, but somehow, with great will power, I manage. I thank them profusely with teary eyes before I run upstairs to get ready. I know that, somehow, Caroline will have found out that I'm getting ready for the Kick Off event and show up with all her makeup products in tow, simply because she never misses a chance to play dress up with me, or anyone else really. The talent is supernatural as far as I'm concerned. I had yet to find definitive proof, but I'm never wrong about these things.
And sure enough, I only just manage to clean up and slip on my dress when she appears in a whirl of blonde and glitter. The dress is a beautiful black number with a structured bodice that snatched my slightly chubby waist in while boosting my bust very nicely, revealing tasteful cleavage and delicate shoulder straps. It flowed gracefully to my ankles, two high slits letting me peek my legs out for movement. The whole thing is a little out of time and, just like the last dress Damon bought me, utterly perfect for me in style and fit.
I gape in the mirror, staring at the way the dress shapes me into a busty coke bottle, and feel beautiful in a way I rarely did in this body. It made me embarrassingly weepy and poor Ro nearly had a heart attack when she returned from the bathroom to find me desperately trying to blink back tears.
XXXXXXXXXX
"You look amazing," Damon murmurs, guiding me through the party, the crowd a sea of black around us, piano music filling the manner. "You- oi! Why are you making that face?!"
My face scrunches unattractively, as I desperately try to hold back yet another round of the overly emotional tears of gratitude that will mark my end should Ro find out I ruined her hard work again. "I'm so, so happy to have you guys in my life."
Damon gives me an incredulous look. "…Are you on your period?"
I glare. "Misogynistic bastard,… but yeah."
Daomon cackles. I pinch his side, ordering him to grab me a drink, something he does with great amusement.
"Nyx!"
I perk up hearing my name and carefully move that way, cursing the stupid black theme of this party making it hard to identify anyone without using my magic. Soon, however, Jenna is reaching out of the throng and pulling me next to her with a grin. "Girl, everyone looks like they're at a church funeral. The fashion isn't it, and the music sounds like it belongs in a goddamn elevator."
Jenna snorts loudly, squeezing my hand. "You're telling me. I'm pretty sure two of my exes are talking over there."
I cringe. "Oh, fuck that. Who?"
"Remember the dickhead, Logan Fell? He's talking to John Gilbert."
"Gilbert?"
"Elena and Jeremy's paternal uncle. He just got into town," Jenna leans on me with a sigh. "Yeah, he might be an even bigger dickhead than Logan."
I frown. "And where the hell has he been this whole time while the kids were grieving and you were running yourself ragged?"
"That's the damn question, isn't it? He left right after the funeral," Jenna grits out, tossing her drink back and grabbing another, making me side eye her.
"Your taste in men is shit, darling. Good thing it's been getting better recently," I state, shoving her in the direction of Alaric's aura, making her stammer and blush even as she happily went.
Before I can get bored or lonely without her, I find myself being swept into several dances with Damon, Stefan, Enzo, Alaric, Zack, Jenna, Caroline, and even one with Jeremy before I escape with Damon to the balcony for a bit of peace, the sounds of Paramore playing from inside the house as we take a breather. A man walks up to us, and I raise an eyebrow, feeling a hint of magic on him.
"Damon, right?"
"John," Damon replies, his hand settling firmly on my waist, subtle and protective.
" We didn't get a chance to meet at the council meeting. And you must be the lovely Nyx," the Gilbert man states, and the false politeness draped over malice and contempt has me struggling to process the words.
"I am. It's nice to meet you," I drawl to hide my hesitation even as I slide my hand around Damon's side tightly. The cold calculation coming off of John as Damon and he exchanged pleasantries was giving me the heebie jeebies.
"So you're both aware of our town's history with vampires," the man states abruptly.
I raise an eyebrow, unimpressed at suddenly being drawn into this. Damon is a Salvatore. It made sense that he would know about the town's history because his family is one of the founding ones that started the town and the council to protect it from supernatural threats, a council apparently still active today. However, I have no idea how exactly he decided that I was supernaturally aware as well.
"Oh, don't worry too much about it, sweetheart," John purrs, tone playful yet condescending. "Sheila Bennett informed the council of your presence so that you wouldn't accidentally be pegged as a threat. She even vouched for your character. The Bennetts certainly have a lot of respect for you. Very impressive."
I manage to avoid recoiling at such words, but only barely as he inadvertently hits my sore spot. Why had Sheila seen fit to tell the council about me? And why hadn't she told me that others knew about my abilities? Did she believe I was so big a threat that not only did my powers need to be sealed, but I needed to be watched?
At a loss, I merely smile wider, leaning into my friend to soften the ache in my chest. "Ah well, she did generously mentor me."
"You know, I wanted to ask you something," John remarks as he turns his attention back to Damon.
Damon smirks. "Oh, of course! Please, feel free!"
"What happened to the vampires inside of the tomb?"
"…What?" Damon asks, genuinely off guard. I stare uncomprehendingly, just as incredulous by the turn of conversation.
"Come on, man, I'm a Gilbert. I have access to all the records from that time. So many names from back then have popped up again recently. Strange, is it?" John says, smiling coldly as Damon's grip on my side turns painful. "And it's the weirdest coincidence that when I return home a pair of brothers, Damon and Stefan Salvatore, named after a pair of brothers from way back then, have settled right into Mystic Falls. As if they were born here." John spreads his arms dramatically, the empty smile fixed on his face causing the feeling of impending danger to dance across my skin. "The vampires hidden away in the tomb were just waiting for someone to come along and set them free,… but you already knew that, didn't you? Being that you're the one who did it?"
Ah, for fucks same. I should have Seen this coming.
"And you're telling me this… why?" Damon drawls, adjusting me to be better shielded behind his form.
"I just thought we'd get the introductions out the way."
"Well, you know… I could rip your throat out before anyone would notice, right?" Damon says with a dangerous grin.
"Damon," I warn quietly, but both men ignore me.
"Yeah, uh huh," John replies unfazed.
"But you probably invest vervain, so..."
"Why don't you take a bite and find out?"
I tug on Damon's arm as he stares down John, trying to guide him away, the air buzzing with incoming violence and bloodlust.
"…It's not worth my time," Damon finally states, allowing me to lead him away.
We make it to the door of the balcony, and just when I think the danger is past, Damon is gone from beside me, the sharp crack of bone breaking sending me whirling around just in time to see my friend push John Gilbert over the balcony railing.
"Ah, godsdammit, Damon!" I hiss, bolting over to squint down at the body splayed out far below, only a blurry still lump visible to me. "You idiot!"
Damon huffs, grabbing my hand and pulling me back inside, my hills skidding uselessly on the floor as I fruitlessly try to stop him. "Oh, come on! What were we going to do? I couldn't compel him! He would've brought the entire council down upon us and all of our friends! He was a threat to all of us, one that needed to be eliminated," Damon whisper yells back in reply before he pastes on a friendly smile as we stroll through the busy hall full of dancing people like we didn't just kill someone.
"I could've figured something out, you absolute moron. There's probably a spell somewhere to remove memories," I murmur under my breath as Damon tugs me into a dance, the sweet smile fixed perfectly on my face.
"As if we have time for that," Damon scoffs.
I growl behind curved lips, pinching his shoulder. "There was probably a better solution than, you know, murdering him! How the hell am I supposed to look Jeremy in the eyes now?"
"With your shitty eyesight? You suck at making eye contact anyway," he replies cheerfully, resulting in me repeatedly smacking him as he twirls around the hall.
XXXXXXXXXX
'You wanna hear the bad news or the really bad news?" Damon asks cheerfully.
Stefan, drink in hand, stares. "I-I don't want to hear any news, Damon," Stefan states slowly, eyes going from his brother to me as I shrug helplessly at him.
"OK, let me rephrase. Do you wanna hear about how the council might be in vampire mode or… how I just killed uncle John Gilbert?"
"… What?"
"Yeah, what?!" Enzo hisses, appearing at our side with Zach.
"Wait, I… do you guys smell that?" Stefan murmurs. "Someone's bleeding."
The vampires all tilt their heads up in curiosity. Enzo swears, stepping closer and grasping Stefan by the arm who seems alarmed but in control.
"I have faith in Stefan's control, but we have bigger problems right now," I state tightly, feeling the same spark of magic from earlier approaches. I elbow Damon in the side, jerking my head in a certain direction. Low and behold, a few moments later, a not so dead John Gilbert comes trolling in from one of the manor doors.
"You've gotta be kidding me…."
Jeremy walks over from the opposite direction, oozing anxious energy. "So, Tyler just made out with Matt mom. The two started fighting and Tyler didn't hold back. Matt is a mess, inside and out and Elena is trying to help him. Also, Vickie and Mrs. Donovan were injured trying to break up the fight. Vickie is crying… loudly, after watching her mom make out with the guy she was involved with and then her brother beaten into a pulp by said guy," Jeremy states in a rush. "…Is it wrong that I'm kinda relieved I'm not involved with her anymore?"
I groan, feeling the headache turn into a migraine. "Nah, kid. That's a whole dumpster fire right there. Also, someone needs to have a word with the Donovan women about involving themselves with minors." I take Jeremy's hand and lead him away, since the rest of these fools are adults and can take care of themselves, off to find Jenna and the hard liquor. "This is why I shouldn't let y'all drag me to shit like this. I should just stay home with my babies and bake. No murder, no intrigue. Just peace. Fuck this whole party."
XXXXXXXXXX
"So, John is not dead. He has a magic ring like Alaric, which might I add, fucks up the soul a bit more upon each revival. He knows about all the supernats hiding under the council's nose, and he might be Elena's bio dad who sent Isabel, her bio mom, to Damon to become a vampire. Did I get everything?" I deadpan, setting the strongest mugs of coffee I could make on the counter in front of my friends, all of which look just as done with this as I feel.
"What do we even do? Apparently, he has failsafes so we can't even just grab his ring and kill him," Alaric grunts tiredly.
"What does he want?" Zach adds.
"And what do we tell the Gilbert's," Stefan chips in.
"Nothing! We tell them bloody nothing!" Enzo hisses incredulously, starting an argument I don't have patience for.
The cafe bell chimes and I hurry over to greet Matt. He looks up at me, face all bruised and devastation rolling off him in waves. "Ah, hell, kid. Come on."
I lead the poor kid to a quiet corner, stylized with some comfortable bean bags. We sit silently for a few minutes before he sets his head on a table, arms wrapped around it. "…Remember what we talked about last time I was here? How it wasn't my fault? And that it wasn't on me to fix my relationship with my mom anymore? That it was up to her now?"
I nod, crossing my legs and waiting patiently, one hand going to rub his back gently. "Uh huh."
"What if I don't want to give her the chance to fix it anymore?" He asks, voice breaking. "What if I'm just better off without her?"
I furrow my brow, looking into the lost blue eyes peeking out from behind his arms, eyes desperately searching for answers. "…I think that sometimes certain people need to be cut out of our lives in order for us to preserve our own peace and happiness. But I also think that's not a depiction to make lightly and you wouldn't be this conflicted over it if you were actually ready to make that choice," I tell him knowingly.
"Then, what do I do?" He asks voice cracking again.
I sigh moving to pull the distraught teen into a side hug, resting his head on my shoulder. "I'm sorry, Kid, but there isn't an easy answer. Maybe you refuse to talk with her until she gets professional help. Maybe you set other boundaries. Maybe you just don't expect anything from her so you won't be disappointed. It isn't something I can decide for you."
Matt heaves a few shaky breaths. "Can you help me figure it out?"
I ruffle his hair. "Of course. Let me get your order and we can talk it through."
XXXXXXXXXX
"Pearl?" I call down to the kitchen. The stunning Asian woman appears, finding Damon and Stefan with me in my living room above the bustling cafe.
"Yes?"
"Damon and John talked again. It appears John Gilbert is lurking because he wants something you stole from his ancestor of the same name," I inform her.
Pearl titles her head before realization settles through her aura. "Ah, the watch. A moment, please." The woman vanishes at vampire speed only to return, tossing a small object to Damon.
"A watch?" Damon asks, incredulous, examining the object. "He's blackmailing a vampire over an old compass?"
"Not quite. Johnathon was passionate about his inventions. He had confided in me that he had created a detection device meant to track down the town's vampire element," Pearl admits.
"It was a pocket watch," Damon replies, bemused.
"That is what it turned out to be, yes, but that's not what I stole. I discovered my mistake when I saw the watch in Johnathon's hand the night they took us," Pearl recounts softly, and I wonder just what kind of relationship she had with the long lost Gilbert. "Its style pointed at me."
"So what is this?" Damon asks, handing the device to me to examine. It looked like a pocket watch to me, too.
"I have no idea, but now it's yours," Pearl smirks, turning to head back to the kitchen where she's on shift today. "But my daughter wants to stay here. I want to stay here. Get rid of this problem so that we can."
Pearl saunters off, making me huff in amusement, admiring the way she just dumped the responsibility of this matter onto us. I turn back to my friends, trying to find a useful vision with info that we can use for this, but not finding anything relevant to my eternal frustration. "Lovely. Do you think the watch that can detect vampires is still around? And do you think it could detect me as well?"
"Jeremy might know… or have the journals for it," Stefan offers hesitantly.
We still didn't quite know what to say to the Gilbert's about John. Not like we could say, 'hey, kids, Damon tried to kill your uncle, only it didn't work! Also, he might set the vampire huntering council on us, which includes all the high ranking people in town y'all grew up with!'
"So what do we do? Give it to him?" Stefan wonders, brows furrowed in concern.
"Or we just kill him harder!" Damon suggests cheerfully.
"Oh cuz that worked so well last time," Alaric scoffs.
"Well, it might not be a great idea to give him what he wants either," I point out. "We don't know what it does."
"So we need to figure out where the pocket watch is and what this thing does. Great," Damon drawls, setting off another argument.
XXXXXXXXXX
"Dear Midnight, have you been well?" Elijah asks cheerfully.
I smile wide, kneeding my dough more aggressively in my enthusiasm. "I'm well, thank you very much for asking. And you? It has been a while since I've been able to hear from you."
"Yes, yes, we are all as alive and powerful as ever. Let's dispense with the pleasantries," Klaud drawls, interrupting the reply from his brother. "Rebekah is awake."
I blink. "Oh. That's nice. How did that go?"
"Well, once more, we are all as alive and powerful as ever," Elijah says wryly.
I burst into laughter. "Had a bit of sibling squabble, did you? I hope she managed to get a few good licks in. The poor girl deserves it after being in a coffin for nearly a century."
"Well, it seems my idiot older brothers finally found themselves an ally with sense," came a feline voice over the phone.
I laugh again. "After a thousand years they were bound to get it right at least once."
"You. I like you."
"Angel! Table 3 has a new ord-" Enzo cuts off at my frantic gesturing, but it's too late.
"Is that Enzo? Enzo got to meet you? Before we did?!" Klaus sounds utterly affronted.
"Well, to be fair, it was actually pure coincidence that I got to meet our gracious angel," Enzo says placatingly, but he still sounds smug.
"And does our Midnight have a name and address?" Elijah asks with faux casualness that is fooling absolutely no one.
"Sorry, mate. Can't betray one of my saviors to another. But I can tell you that she is more stunningly lovely than you can imagine and a million times kinder."
I reach out to smack Enzo without making eye contact with him, fighting my own embarrassment and lack of confidence from this life yet again. "… Shuddup, ya smooth talkin' bastard."
Enzo laughed. "Your accent glitched out again, angel."
"Go take this to table 8," I grumble, ignoring him as I check over the orders and hand him the tray packed full of Founder's day themed nonsense that I am selling to the masses. Not to say any of my food wasn't absolutely peak gourmet creations, but watching everyone still so invested in this giant marketing scheme that the town's economy thrived on is equal parts amusing and pathetic. "Anyway, are you unboxing your other siblings?"
Oh, and there was also Freya, the oldest sibling that Esther, their mother, had exchanged to her own sister, Dahlia, as payment for her ability to have children, a topic that I had no clue how to approach since none of the originals knew Freya is alive.
That had been a fucking doozy to find out about through my visions just a little while ago.
"No. They will be remaining where they are for now," Klaus says stubbornly. This causes a screaming match to start between him and Rebekah.
"As you can hear, we are still contemplating," Elijah drawls over the curse words.
I laugh, shaking my head. "Oh, by the way, our meeting date grows closer."
"Does it?" Elijah asks, the struggling in the background ceasing, making me giggle.
"Yup, just a few months now. As soon as Katerina Petrova shows up," I say, grinning wickedly.
"…What?! What do y-"
"Byeeeeee!" I call out hanging up and putting my burner on silent as I go back to my baking, a horrified Enzo watching me with something between resignation and terror.
XXXXXXXXXX
"How many parties are left?" I mutter as Enzo leads me through a dance at the Founder's Day Gala, this one in the style of the period of the town's founding, the era that the Salvatores grew up in. "Is this where all my fucking taxes go?"
Enzo snorts. "At least the drinks are good."
I grimace. "Yeah, no. I'm going to become an alcoholic at this rate. Don't let me drink anything tonight, no matter how much I feel like blacking out."
Enzo grins at me, but seems to sense my seriousness since he agrees, my purple gown flowing around me as we move elegantly around each other. The dress was another gift from my friends, although I have a sneaking suspicion that the dress is actually one from their personal collection and from the time period rather than a recreation, potentially even one that belonged to their mother, Lillian Salvatore, if the gentle look Damon gave me when he saw me in it is any indication.
Caroline runs over, sweeping me up into a hug. I huff a laugh. "Ro! Congrats on winning Miss Mystic Falls! You're stunning and I know how hard you worked for this!"
The teen giggles, swinging me around, blonde curls bouncing. "Thank you, Nyx! And you look beautiful as well! This historical style actually really suits you!"
Yeah, cuz my soul is actually old as dirt, I think, internally cackling. Enzo, who is well aware of that, struggles to hide his own snickers, no doubt thinking the same as me.
Suddenly, I feel my stomach churn violently, my skin breaking out in a sweat as my blood begins to boil inside me, a more frequent occurrence as time goes on.
"Nyx? Are you alright? Your face-" Enzo starts slowly, concern radiating off him.
"Excuse me a moment, my dears. I'm just going to the bathroom," I interrupt with a smile, leaving the two baffled as I gather my skirts up and hurry off, near running as the world begins to spin around me.
Fuck, it's never gotten this bad this quickly!
I stagger into the first bathroom I can find, gagging into the sink, unable to even make it to the toilet.
The sink spatters red.
"Oh fuck," I choke, my magic jerking violently under my skin as my head pounds. "Oh, fuck, fuck, f-"
I'm choking on my own blood, my knees buckling, the magic inside me fighting the seal on it, sudden and violent and it feels like my insides are tearing apart, making me cry out softly. Light in my periphery catches my eye and I glance up at the mirror to see twin orbs of glowing mercury above my blood coated chin.
And then the door behind me, not even shut properly in my mad dash, opens and my wide eyes meet wider blue ones in the mirror's reflection.
"Ro," I choke out trying to brace myself on the sink as another mouthful of blood clogs my throat. "R-Ro, please-"
The door slams as I jerk forward over the sink, but before I can panic, gentle hands gather my hair away from my farce, and horrified blue eyes meet mine. "I-I should call an ambulance! I-"
"N-No! Please!" I rasp out as she begins wiping at my chin with a hand towel, my eyes beginning to burn under the force of my magic trying to escape them.
Caroline freezes, no doubt registering the unnatural glow, but rather than run screaming like she logically should, she seems to straighten, a determined set to her jaw even as she trembles. "…How do I help?"
Tears fill my eyes, and it's not just the pain. "T-Thank you. G-Get my bag from Enzo and grab…Ugh, Jermy. Hurry."
Caroline helps me to the ground, hands me a towel to press to my mouth and bolts off without question. Soon she returns with Jeremy, Enzo, and Damon, to my horror, damning me to the Salvatore's overwhelming mother henning. "Nyx!"
I groan, head thunking the wall as they crowd around me. Jeremy grabs my purse without a word as he pushes the older men aside, finding the bottles inside, pouring doses into the little cup I had tucked away in there.
"What the fuck is happening!" Damon hisses, tearing into his wrist with a horrible squelch and trying to force it to my mouth against my weak struggles.
"Stop! She isn't injured. She needs to drink these first," Remy growls, showing Damon away and passing me the potion cup.
"You know what's happening?" Enzo asks, frantically wetting a wad of paper towels to wipe my blood at me.
Jeremy looks at me for permission and I nod as I down the potions I prepared just for such instances, the relief near immediate as my magic settles, no longer feeling like I'll explode. "Nyx has been having side effects from having her power sealed. She made the potions to help her."
I hack up another blob of blood before finally accepting blood from Damon to replenish the blood currently covering everything. My heart sinks at the state of the stunning dress gifted to me, remorse fulling me even as I make plans to spell it free of blood.
Damon swears furiously, turning blazing eyes on me, and for a second I think it's because of the gown. "Why didn't you tell me!"
I give him a flat look as I take the paper towels from Enzo to stop his fussing. "Because I knew this is how you'd react. Besides, I didn't want anyone worrying. Remy only knows because he spends so much time at the cafe with me and he found out during my last flare up."
"They are getting worse," Jeremy observes, fidgeting anxiously.
"…. That's it! You and the kids are moving into the boarding house!" Damon declares.
"No."
"Bitch, what do you mean no?!" Damon snarls, vampire features rising up.
I use Enzo to clamour to my feet shakily, magicing away the blood making the bathroom look like a fucking murder scene and sighing in relief at the now spotless dress, but before I can rip into him, my stomach drops once more. "…Where's Caroline?"
XXXXXXXXXX
AN; Soooo… how was it? Likes, dislikes…. Or even just how you've been. As always, drop your ships down below.