Rose
Season 2 Episode 8
Part 1

I was sleeping peacefully until I felt a big plop on my bed. I open one eye and saw Damon. "Rise and shine, Ava Rose." Damon says loudly.

"Why are you waking me up? Beauty sleep isn't optional for most of us." I groaned annoyingly.

"You're a vampire it's not like you're getting any older."

"Would you mind explaining to me why are you waking me up?"

"Elena has been kidnaped."

"You've got to be joking. It hasn't been 24  hours and she's already gotten herself into trouble."

"Come on, the time is ticking."

"For what? For Elena to spontaneously combust and all of our problems will be gone with her."

"No. We don't know who took her or how long they're keeping her alive. We know it's someone who Katherine knew, one of her enemies. They think they took Katherine and I assume they would want to kill her probably drag it out painfully. Seeing as they took Elena assuming it was Katherine... do you see where I'm going here?"

"I see where you getting at. But if they did drag it out I'm positively sure they would notice she wouldn't heal. They would start to ask questions."

"Questions that we don't want to be answered."

I got up and went to the bathroom and washed up.
I walk out to see Damon still laying on my bed,
"I thought you left."

"I said you're coming."

"I didn't know it was mandatory."

"We need your help. By we, I mean me and Stefan. You're always bragging about how you've been a vampire longer than I've had. Think of it as putting your strength to test."

"I don't brag. I state the obvious."

"You're a bit of a bragger."

"I'm not a bragger... maybe a bit."

"Whatever you say, Ava. Come on let's go." Damon says as he gets off my bed.

"Can I change at least? Some of us aren't morning person who wakes up as soon as the sun peaks through the window."

"Fine, I'll meet you in the car." Damon says as he walks out of my room.

After I got change, Damon and I met Stefan at school.

****

We arrived at the school to go get Stefan.

"You can't do this alone." I heard Jeremy say.

Damon opens the door and walks in and I follow.

"He's not. Ava and I are going. Let's go." Damon says motion his head to leave.

"You're coming with me?" Stefan asks.

"It's Elena." Damon responds and I rolled my eyes.

"Oh, yes it's the lovely Elena now can we get going?" I said annoyingly.

****

"Alaric sure likes his weapons." Damon says as Stefan has a little bottle with vervain in it in his hands, "What the hell is that?"

"I don't know, it's a vervain bomb or a grenade launcher or something like that." Stefan replies.

"It'll come in handy." I said as I scooted to the middle seat in the back.

"Weird." Damon says as he looks at the vervain bomb.

"Tell me about it." I said.

"Hey, how much further is it?" Stefan asks.

"About 80 miles." Damon replies.

"Who do you think took her? Stefan asks.

"Whoever she was running from. They got the wrong girl."

"Thank you for helping me." Stefan says to Damon.

"Can we not do the whole road trip bonding thing? The cliche of it all makes me itch." Damon said.

"I do love a good family road trip bonding." I said as I got up and bend over to turn up the volume to the radio.

Stefan immediately turns it down, "Oh, come on Damon. We both know that you being in this car has absolutely nothing to do with me anyway."

"The elephant in the room lets out a mighty roar."

"Well, it doesn't have to be an elephant. Let's talk about it." Stefan says.

"Is this turning into a therapeutic family session. Confess all of our sins and hope to be forgiven?" I said jokingly.

"Shut up, Ava." They both say at the same time and I laughed.

"There's nothing to talk about."

"That's not true. I'm sure there is. Just get it out. I mean, are you in this car because you want to help your little brother save the girl that he loves? Or is it because you love her too? Hmm? I mean come on, express yourself. I happen to like road trip bonding. Ava has become semi-friends with Elena. That's progress." Stefan said.

"Semi-friends?" I scoffed. "I'm obligated to talk to her because you're dating her. Damon has become best friends with her."

"Keep it up, guys. I can step out of helping as easily as I stepped in." Damon said.

Stefan responds by saying, "No, you see that's the beauty of it. You can't."

"Wow, this is like living modern-day 1864 all over again."

***

"We're getting close. Jeremy said there's an access road just past mile marker 6." Stefan said.

I was sipping from a blood bag when Damon motions his hand for me to give him some and I handed Damon the blood bag. He starts drinking and casually looks over at Stefan.

"If you want some, just ask." Damon said.

"I want some." Stefan admits.

Ah, that's so sweet. You're gonna be all big and strong and save your girl but don't worry, I've got your back. It'll be fine."

"I'm not joking. I've been drinking a little every day. I'm slowly increasing my intake and building up my strength." Stefan says and Damon gives him the blood bag. Stefan drinks.

"Does Elena know you're drinking blood?" Damon asks.

"I've been drinking hers." Stefan said.

"Hmm, how romantic." Damon says as he takes a sip from the blood bag.

"Isn't that the love we all want." I said and Damon hand me the blood bag and I took it and took a sip. "I offered to help but Stefan took up on Elena's help. I guess love overrules everything."

"Since we're road trip bonding, remember the days when all you lived for was blood? You were the guy who ripped someone apart just for the fun of it." Damon asks.

"You mean when I was more like you?"

"Yes, Stefan, exactly. Back when you put blood into me so I could be a big bad vampire. I wonder if Elena would be so quick to open her veins to that guy. By the way, what happened to that guy? He was a hoot." Damon said.

"I guess he found something else to live for." He said referring to Elena.

"Ripper Stefan was the life of the party." I said.

"Bloody, very bloody." Damon says.

"Can you guys not reminisce about my dark periods." Stefan says and the car was silence for a few minutes.

"Katherine said something about you before I close the tomb." Damon said.

"What?" I asked.

"She said I know something about Ava that you don't and when I ask her what she didn't answer more like she couldn't answer. Do you know what she's talking about?"

"No, Katherine knows everything she needs to know about a person. She probably has stuff on all of us." I lied.

"You know I came to Italy a couple of years ago and you weren't there. If there's one place on this Earth where you would be it's Italy. You love that place, where were you?"

"Let's just say I'm better at making enemies than I am making friends."

"Why didn't you just murder them like you always do?" Damon asks.

"They were way much older than me, so I ran before they killed me."

"What did you do?" Stefan asks.

"Nothing that needs be discussed."

***

We have arrived at the abandoned house and I opened the truck of the car. "The house should be just beyond those trees." Damon points at the tree, "Wait, I got a lot more experience than you do with those sorts of things."

"What is your point?" Stefan asks.

"My point is the same thing I told Ava, whoever has Elena is probably who was after Katherine in 1864 and before that."

"And?"

"And it puts them at 500 years old and strong. Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yeah, I'm certain I want to do it." Stefan said.

"Because if we go into that house, we may not come back out." Damon said and he looks at me. "What about you, Ava?"

"I'm fine."

"Alright, then I won't come out." Stefan said.

Damon smiles and turns to Stefan, "So noble, Stefan."

Stefan scoffs, "I can't think of a better reason to die, but if you want to stay here, I'll totally understand." He leaves as Damon and I follow him.

"Why are you guys always willing to sacrifice your life for Elena?" I asked my youngest brother.

"Because....just because." Stefan said.

"Okay guys before you barge in like idiots, what's the plan?" I ask.

"The plan is to save Elena whatever it takes." Stefan says.

"That's your plan? You're joking, right? You better be joking."

"The plan is to save Elena. Stefan and I will distract the vampire or vampires. You're the backup plan." Damon says.

"Backup plan? I am the backup plan again? I don't want to be the backup plan."

"Come on, it isn't that bad." Damon said.

"Please, Ava?" Stefan says as he looks at me with pleading eyes.

I angrily picked up a stake, "I hate this and I hate you guys for making me backup plan again." I said walking away.

"The element of surprise is the way to win, Ava."

****

Damon breaks a window form a distance while I went behind a wall waiting for Damon signal and Stefan went in the opposite direction. I do like being in all the action, but Damon is right. I stand there waiting with the wooden stake ready for anyone who comes at me.

I hear whooshing and it's Damon and Stefan.
I hear the unfamiliar voice talking. The way he talking seems like he got a high ego. Then I hear an explosion and the guy screams; vervain grenade. I hear tumbles on the stairs and then I heard my name. I vamp-speed out and ready to stake the vampire, but I stop when I saw who it was.

"Elijah." I whispered before Damon came and stake him.

I watch as Elijah's body went gray. The girl with the short hair fled and Damon was going to follow her.

"Just let her go." Elena says and Damon smiles. She smiles too and goes down the stairs to go to Stefan's arms. I realize Damon thought she was running to him, but instead she went into Stefan.

"Hey come here. Are you hurt? Are you okay?" Stefan asks Elena. She embraces him and looks at Damon. She mouths a "thank you" and Damon mouths a "you're welcome"

"Ready to go?" He asks.

"Yeah sure."

The whole ride home Damon was all weird and quiet. Something was off with him, but I can't deal with it. It's time for me to move on.