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"Cards on the table, we're both showing hearts. Risking it all thought it's hard."  

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IT HASN'T  been easy to sleep for various amounts of reasons, all of which involve the supernatural. Bonnie has gone missing, insisting that she needs to go under the radar and hide from Silas who needs her to complete the spell tomorrow night on the full moon. Silas still has the cure, and then there's Elena who is still struggling with herself. My brothers have kept her in the basement, torturing her saying that it's the only way to get her to feel something.

I just wish that for once one of our problems would be normal, and have nothing to do with the supernatural.

Apparently my wish isn't too much to ask just as Theo starts crying from his room down the hallway. It's a painful sound but it also offers this household a sort of sanity, giving it a normal problem within all the supernatural ones. Although, I know my wish of having a semi-normal life isn't exactly possible when my very existence relies on human blood to keep me functional enough to bare fangs and be super strong and not age. Not to mention my blood has healing properties and I can mind control humans. Oh well, a girl can dream. 

I stir in my sleep and open my eyes, moving to get up when suddenly I realize I'm in James's room, his arm still wrapped securely around me from the night before. I've sort of found myself sleeping next to James more and more often, frankly because I love it and partly because during the chaotic world we live in, knowing that each day will end in his arms is all I need to get me through the day. He's my safe haven, and he's my home.

"I'll get him," James grumbles groggily, although he doesn't move at all from his position beside me.

"No, I'll get him," I say, not moving from my position either. 

I slowly move to get up, inching my way towards the edge of the bed when suddenly James's hold on me tightens, his chin nuzzling in between my neck and my shoulder sending a warm and electrifying feeling throughout my body. All my intentions of moving to comfort Theo have vanished as all I want to do is stay in bed with James.

"You know, sometimes I just want to move and get a new house where we can cook pancakes all day everyday, and where I don't even have to get dressed. I could just walk around all day in my bra and panties." I whisper, envisioning the dream in my mind. One day I want to get there, to a place of tranquility.

"I could live with that," James smiles, kissing my neck gently.

"I bet you could, Branson," I tease, just as Joel suddenly marches down the hallway.

"Oh don't worry, I'll get him," Joel suddenly growls, storming past James's bedroom to get Theo.

I choke down a laugh before closing my eyes and attempting to go back to sleep beside James when suddenly my vamp hearing over hears a conversation between my brothers downstairs.

"Stefan, if you tell Blair about this she won't let us follow through with our plan for Elena. All hell will break loose," I hear Damon plead.

The mention of my name suddenly peaks my attention, and I know James can hear them too based on his body language. He's taken his arm off my torso and instead lays on his back, listening.

"Damon, if we don't tell her she'll be pissed. Honesty is the least we owe her after everything she's done for us," Stefan argues calmly.

Before either of my brothers can say anything more, I spring out of bed and run downstairs still in my PJ's, inturrpting my brother's conversation.

"What were y'all going to tell me?" I question, my arms crossed across my chest.

"How we don't approve of you and James sleeping in the same bed," Damon remarks, raising his brow teasingly.

"You're full of shit," I fake laugh. "Now what are you two hiding from me?" I demand. I specifically turn to Stefan knowing he'll be more reasonable with me.

I glare at Stefan with a raised brow until he finally gives in. "Blair," he sighs. "In order to get Elena to turn her humanity back on we need her to feel something, we need someone who can provoke a strong emotion," Stefan explains, staring at me like I'm supposed to know what he's saying.

"It's obviously not me, so who are you hiding?" I ask.

"Damn it Blair, it's Katherine. We called Katherine to help us," Damon finally admits. By now James has joined us downstairs during this family meeting.

I open my eyes wide and scoff loudly. "Your girlfriend is struggling to find emotions so you call in the Queen Bitch who possesses none?" I ask angrily.

"She was the one to kill Jeremy- the main reason Elena turned it off. If she can trigger anything from anger, sadness to guilt, I'm all for it," Damon explains.

"Blair," Stefan begs, turning to me. "She's the best chance we have of getting the old Elena back," he says, his eyes desperately searching mine.

The way his leafy green eyes shine with tears over one girl practically forces me to drop the argument for the sake of not one of my brothers, but two. I use to have no problem with my brothers loving Elena, but the fact that they're worshipping her is enough to anger me, particularly when it impacts my life.

"Fine," I sigh. I turn around to stomp up the stairs when suddenly James grabs my forearm.

"Blair, maybe we should just leave the house today. I don't particularly like the idea of being under the same roof as Katherine Pierce. She makes me nervous," he suggests, although I can hear his concern hidden within his voice.

"She makes you nervous? Or I make you nervous?" I question playfully, knowing that he's only trying to look out for me.

"Both," he admits.

I laugh and continue walking up the stairs toget dressed. James does the same and in a matter of about twenty minutes, the four of us including Joel and Theo are exiting the house before the Queen Bitch herself arrives.

∆ ∆ ∆

It appeared that both the Branson brothers were more than eager to get me out of the house before the expected guest arrived, and frankly I don't blame them. Just the sight of Katherine makes me want to scratch my eyeballs out or more importantly, scratch out hers.

We meet up with Caroline at the grill and talk over lunch, mainly about how Bonnie's doing seeing as she's gone MIA. After the prom nobody had really heard from her. The most Caroline had talked to her was when she claimed Bonnie was the only one who could see Silas's true self. Apparently Silas couldn't get inside Bonnie's head any longer.

By the evening we all found ourselves at the park, sitting and watching as Theo played in the sand. He was growing bigger and bigger by each passing day, and becoming more fussier as he was approaching the terrible two stage. As I've been told, two year olds are more commonly known for their tantrums.  

Caroline, James and I sit on the bench aligning the sand pit while Joel is on his hands and knees with Theo, deep in the sand himself like he was a kid again. "So what's going on with Tyler, Care?" I ask gently. 

"Haven't heard from him in over a week. Considering graduation is in a few days, I would have hoped to have heard from him by now," she frowns, picking at her nails to distract herself. I take her hand to prevent her from picking apart her nail polish any further and look her sternly in the eyes. 

"He'll come back," I assure her. If Tyler Lockwood truly loves Caroline, then he'll come back, and I have faith that he will. 

Caroline sighs. "It would be so much easier if Klaus would just let him come home," she mutters under her breath. 

"What happened to Klaus?" I question, just noticing now that his presence around Mystic Falls has been zero to none. "And Elijah? The only original I've seen around here is Rebekah."  

"Elijah told me they headed back temporarily to New Orleans due to some sort of uprising on a move against Klaus. Something about witches and such, you know, the usual," James explains. 

"New Orleans?" I question, shrinking my nose up in confusion. 

"Yeah, it's the city the original family built themselves," James says, updating me on the facts. 

I only shake my head in confusion, not knowing what to say anymore to the original family drama when suddenly our attention is turned to the sand pit in front of us where Joel begins to groan in pain. "Ahhhh, my eyes," he moans, rubbing his eyes rapidly with his hands. 

"What happened?" I question, walking to Theo. He sits in the sand swinging his hands all over the place happily, enjoying the mysterious texture. 

"He was using his magic to move sand all over the place, like Bonnie does with feathers, and sand got in my eye," Joel explains, looking at me with one eye while his other hand stays pressed against his other one. 

I force down a laugh for the sake of Joel who is blind in one eye, but apparently it's no use as when Caroline and James burst out laughing, I do too. "It's not funny! It really stings!" Joel whines, trying to act angry when deep down I know all he wants to do is smile. 

I laugh and pick up Theo, holding him in my arms. "Did you get sand in Joel's eyes?" I ask him, bouncing him up and down in my arms. 

Theo smiles and claps his hands together, his new shiny white teeth showing when he grins widely. "Baaarree," he squeals, clapping his hands together. 

The words barely resemble English, but to me it sounds like he's trying to talk. "Holy crap," I smile, turning to everyone else. "He just talked! He said his first word!" I gasp excitedly. 

"Baare!" Theo cheers again, smiling at everyone. 

"I believe he's trying to say, 'Blair'," James says, beaming at me. 

His words register in my mind as I replay Theo's first words in my head again. They're not perfect English and they're barely audible, but he's right. I believe Theo is actually trying to say my name. It fills me with such excitement, I don't know how to handle myself. I've never experience this sort of joyful shock before. 

"Oh my god," I gasp. "He's said my name."  

Everyone starts clapping and cheering at Theo, making the little toddler smile more. I twirl around with Theo in my arms in excitement when suddenly I stop at the sight of a black silhouette standing in the forest behind the park. It's barely visible, nothing but a black figure of a man standing in the shadows of the dark forest. "Guys," I warn, but when I look back again, the figure is gone. 

"What is it?" James asks in alarm, getting up to stand beside me to look in the direction I'm looking at, but the male figure is gone. 

"Blair look out!" Caroline suddenly screams as James wraps a strong arm around my waist to pull Theo and I back, revealing a man in a black hoodie, the hood pulled over his face so no features are visible. He wears all black, and it's next to impossible to tell who he is. 

"Where's Bonnie?" the man growls. 

It doesn't take long after that for us to realize who it is. "Silas," I breathe out. 

James steps in front of all of us, Joel coming to his side as we all back up slightly, fearful of this powerful immortal. 

"Get away from them Silas!" Bonnie yells, walking down the sidewalk and towards us. She marches with her head held high, glaring at the man dressed in black. 

"You promised me you would help me. If you do not follow through, so help me god I will kill that poor child," Silas threatens, pointing to Theo who is still in my arms. I tighten my hold on the little one, while James tightens his hold on me. I knew this would happen; I always knew that Theo would be used against us. His life is going to always be put in danger. Maybe my brothers were right. A baby is no good to keep around. 

"I will do whatever you say, I promise. Just let my friends go," Bonnie says, pleading with him. 

I glance desperately at her, warning her that she doesn't have to giver herself up for him. But unfortunately, I know there's not other way out of this. "Glad to hear that. Now follow me," Silas demands in a deep grumble, still not showing his face. 

He walks past Bonnie and away from the park, his back turned to us while Bonnie turns hopelessly to follow him. "Bonnie!" Caroline and I yell at the same time. 

But Bonnie doesn't stop. She doesn't even flinch at the sound of her name. She only follows Silas to prepare for the spell that will release all hell on earth. 

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[completed & edited: 09/08/2021]