i will always be this

"LIZ KNOWS SOMETHING," Damon mutters as he approaches Athena, making the brunette look up from the flowers she'd been placing gently into the soil.

"Care to elaborate?"

He clears his throat irritatedly, looking around the crowd. Caroline and Elena were staining wood columns while Stefan trimmed wood for more picnic tables, yet Liz Forbes and Mason Lockwood had been caught in the middle of it all, looking chummy. "Mason Lockwood is a werewolf, and I tried to prove the point by killing him."

Athena's eyes widen, but she glances over her shoulder, where Mason and the Sheriff are standing. "But he's still alive,"

"That's my point. I tried to kill him, and now he's going to try to kill me,"

"Well, why did you try to kill him?"

Damon looks down at the girl incredulously. "Did you not listen to a word I just said? He's a werewolf which means that the Mayor was one, too, that's why the Gilbert device messed with him that night."

Athena pats down a pile of soil gently, making sure to miss the delicate flowers sprouting from it. "That means that Tyler is one, too, then,"

"Exactly," Damon smiles triumphantly as Athena peels the gloves off of her hands, setting them down gently beside the pots of flowers. "And Stefan tried to make nice with Mason earlier, but I have no doubts that he's still going to try to pull one over on me, so some assistance would be nice."

The teenager hums, straightening her shirt sleeves out. "Why don't we just kill him first?"

Damon smirks, clapping his hands together as they walk away from the pavilion. "That's what I like to hear! Now, can you convince my uptight brother to think the same?"

"I've been trying to do that for almost six months, Damon," She shakes her head, smiling as they approach the two little girls running the lemonade table that Mason Lockwood was currently standing before. "It's Mason, right?"

The dark-haired werewolf turned, facing Athena with curiosity-filled eyes that quickly turned defensive at the sight of Damon.

"Yeah," He nods at the girl, pointedly avoiding Damon's smirk. "You are?"

"Athena," She offers a hand that he dutifully shakes.

"You two know each other?" He gives Damon a reproachful look, automatically assuming the worst.

Damon hums, eyeing the man. "She's Stefan's girlfriend,"

Mason's eyes widen as he glimpses at the apparent human before him. "Right,"

Athena smiles, feigning nonchalance as she looks around at the various volunteer stations. "Working hard?"

"Doing my part,"

"I heard you talked to Stefan," Damon eyed him closely, searching for some sort of outwardly hostile reaction.

Mason nods, undeterred by the obvious action, and Athena thinks he's far too smug for a man who's already had an attempt on his life. "Nice guy."

"Yeah, a lot nicer than me,"

Athena hums in agreement with Damon's sentiment as Mason takes a sip of his lemonade and smirks.

"Well, nice is overrated,"

Damon's eyes widen in feigned appreciation. "That's what I think," He nudges Mason's shoulder, and Athena watches the way the werewolf tenses at the mere physical contact.

"You have a good day, Damon," His blue eyes shift to Athena, and he nods. "Nice to finally meet you, Athena."

The Lockwood walks away and Athena furrows her brows as she watches him go, turning back to face Damon only as Stefan approaches the two of them with an almost pleading look in his eyes.

"Please tell me that you were just bonding, and introducing him to Athena," His eyes pointedly go to Athena, who shrugs innocently under his gaze.

Damon grins, ignoring Stefan's pleas. "So, what's up with the, uh, avoiding Caroline thing?" He gestures between the couple, who share a look before meeting his gaze again.

"We aren't avoiding her,"

"Oh, come on," Damon huffs a laugh. "You three are practically in each other's skin, but the second Katherine turns her, you avoid her like the plague?"

At their silence, Damon's eyes widened. 'That's it, isn't it? Katherine's doing something to Caroline to make you avoid her."

"Would you like a lemonade, sir?"

Damon turns, facing the young girl with a smile. "Thank you, sweetie,"

He takes the offered cup, grabbing another one for Athena's outstretched hand.

The vampire takes a gulp, swishing it in his mouth for a moment before he coughs it back up, spitting it into the grass outside the pavilion.

Stefan's eyes widen, and he rushes to help Damon sit down at a nearby table, Athena following behind him.

"What's wrong with you?"

"Ver– vervain," Damon chokes out, his eyes watering at the burning sensation that trickles down his throat.

Athena looks around at the gathering, her eyes narrowing suspiciously as she looks for the Lockwood man. Almost impossibly, her eyes instead find Liz Forbes' fear-filled gaze and she curses under her breath as she looks back to Damon.

"Athena, what is it?"

She shakes her head, turning into Stefan's frame to block anyone from seeing her. "If Mason poisoned the lemonade, he did it to out Damon to Liz."

"The Sheriff?"

She nods, grabbing a water bottle from a cooler beside the table to give to Damon and her piercing eyes scan the crowded picnic. "I'm gonna kill him,"

Stefan's eyes widen and he pulls Athena back before she can part the crowds with her determined, murderous strut. "No, no, no, sit down. If he's making threats, we need to take care of it,"

Athena narrows her eyes at Stefan and smirks slightly. "I love it when you get homicidal,"

Damon nudges her ribs with his elbow, pointing to the werewolf in question heading up the incline to the woods. "He's going into the woods– trash duty. Let's go."

"You two go– I'm gonna go find Caroline,"

Stefan stops short, looking at her warily, but she waves him off. "If anything happens, I don't want Caroline left in the dark. I'll be fine, I promise."

Stefan nods and sends her on her way with a kiss and she hurries through the crowds, heading towards the falls she'd seen Caroline heading in the direction of moments ago.

She slows her pace, soothing her pounding pulse as she approaches the blonde sitting on the rock beside the running water.

"This is awfully broody of you," She calls out, smiling slightly when the blonde looks at her over her shoulder. "Thought you weren't into Stefan's brand of vampire."

Caroline huffs a small laugh, picking at the dandelion in her hands. "It seems more appealing every day."

Eyeing Athena as she tucks her skirt carefully and sits down, Caroline clears her throat. "Speaking of Stefan, how are things going?"

Athena instinctively grits her teeth at Caroline's obvious prodding but reminds herself that if she were in Caroline's position as a vulnerable vampire with a town full of people she could lose, she'd do just about anything Katherine Pierce told her to.

"Everything's fine. Especially with everything going on with Katherine, you know. I never doubted his loyalty, but it's always nice to be reassured,"

Caroline smiles tightly, knowing Katherine wouldn't like a word coming from Athena's mouth. She'd already tried to lie to the woman once, and it didn't end well.

"That's, uh, that's good. I'm glad."

Athena nods, forcing a smile as she looks at the blonde's slumped shoulders. Sighing, she reaches for her. "Hey, listen–"

"Is that my mom?" Caroline interrupts Athena, standing abruptly as she watches her mother rush up the hill with her phone to her ear. "What is she doing?"

Pulling herself to her feet, Athena brushes off her satin skirt and narrows her eyes at Liz's panicked state. "Caroline,"

"I'll be right back,"

Athena grits her teeth as Caroline rushes after her mom, and she carefully treads away from the water before picking up her pace when she's on solid land again. She catches up with Caroline right as Liz walks away and she pushes her hair out of her face with a frustrated sigh. "What's going on?"

Caroline shakes her head, watching her mom. "I don't know. Something's up, come with me."

Athena's eyes widen as Caroline turns and treks up the steep bluff and she groans under her breath as she pulls herself up with the help of a tree branch. "Caroline, where are you going? And why are you making me walk directly uphill in heels?"

"Athena, you could run a marathon in high heels, you're not fooling anyone," Caroline looks at her with barely contained frustration and Athena concedes her point with an eye roll. "I need to be able to hear better."

The brunette shakes her head, following after her ex-girlfriend and subconsciously keeping her eyes out for Stefan, Damon, or even Mason.

Caroline tucks her blonde curls behind her ears and clasps her hands together, her eyes fluttering shut as she concentrates on her enhanced hearing.

"Caroline?"

The blonde shushes Athena, who rolls her eyes again but complies with her demands. Athena's eyes instinctively shut, too, and she feels a twitch in her brow when Caroline's soft breaths seem to disappear from her ears.

Almost slowly, the rushing water of the creek floods her hearing, and a dozen different voices follow. Athena gasps under her breath, and her eyes snap open right as Caroline gasps.

"Oh, god,"

"What is it?"

Caroline grabs Athena's arm, pulling her off further into the woods. "Stefan and Damon,"

Athena's eyes widen and she picks up her pace, her feet falling against the forest floor with each panicked stride.

Stumbling to a stop in the middle of a small clearing, Caroline drops Athena's arm and looks around.

"What is it?"

"They've been here," Caroline bends down, her fingers running over the surface of a blood-spattered leaf.

Athena's breath hitches and fear drops in her stomach alongside a wave of nausea, but her spine straightens as twigs snap behind them. Turning sharply, she hardens her gaze at the sight of Mason Lockwood.

"What are you two doing out here?"

"Have you seen Stefan and Damon?"

Mason narrows his eyes at Athena, stepping towards her. "Yeah, I've seen them,"

"Then where are they?"

The werewolf scoffs, his gaze falling on Caroline. "You don't need me for that. I'll let your friend here sniff 'em out."

Athena glances at Caroline over her shoulder, seeing the blonde's fists clench at her side.

"Does your mother know what you are? I'm happy to tell her,"

Caroline lunges for him, but Athena holds out an arm and stops her. "Don't, Caroline, he's provoking you on purpose."

Mason smirks smugly at the two girls. "I wouldn't bet my odds on a newbie vamp and a human,"

"Wrong, asshole," Athena grits her teeth, stomping towards the werewolf with a drawn fist. "I'm not a human."

She swings at Mason's cheek, grunting when she hits his jaw with more force than she intended. Caroline takes the cue and picks the man up from where he'd bent over, throwing him against a tree nearby. Her hand wraps around his throat and she clenches her jaw angrily. "I like my odds, Mason,"

Caroline drops him and sends him flying with a kick to his ribs that inevitably shatters something in his chest that keeps him down. With a heaved breath, Caroline brushes a stray curl from her forehead and looks at Athena. "Come on,"

The two pick up their pace, only making it a few more feet before the stone and concrete ruins begin to pile up on the muddy forest floor.

Caroline gasps as her mom's voice fills her ears, and she looks to the brunette beside her.

"Caroline, what is it?"

"My mom, she's killing them,"

Athena's eyes widen and she runs towards the steps of the old Lockwood property, but Caroline yanks her back by her arm.

"Athena, no, no, no,"

"Caroline, we have to stop her. She can't kill them,"

The young vampire shakes her head, eyes wide in fear. "No, I can't. Athena, she's going to find out about me."

Athena grits her teeth and yanks her arm from Caroline's grasp, ignoring the shock that fills her blue eyes. "I'm going down there and saving them whether you come or not,"

Her feet fall on the shallow steps and she bends down when she sees a piece of splintered wood beside her foot. She raises the plank like a baseball bat as rushed footsteps echo in front of her, and swings hard at the deputy's head, watching him drop like a sack of potatoes.

Her chest heaves with panicked breaths as she comes face to face with the Sheriff, eyeing down the barrel of her gun. Her brown eyes shift, seeing the two Salvatores with multiple bullet holes spread throughout them, and she resists the urge to simply run to them.

"Athena, what are you doing?"

"I'm not gonna let you kill them, Liz,"

The metal door slams shut behind them, and Athena blinks as a blonde blur appears in the room. Liz looks around warily, her gun still aimed at Athena. "Who else is with you?"

Athena spins as the familiar figure grabs the shaky-handed police officer beside her and digs her fangs into his neck, making him scream out in pain.

Caroline uses the man's body as a shield as the other officer fires his gun at her. She rushes over to the man and slaps the gun out of his hand before backhanding him away from Athena's body.

Painfully, she steps from the shadows of the dungeon and meets her mother's gaze through red-tinted eyes and a blood-stained mouth. Caroline's chest heaves with fear-filled breaths, but she forces her sharpened teeth away and slowly feels the veins beneath her eyes disappear.

"Hi, mom,"

Liz stumbles backward away from her daughter, sitting on a boulder behind her as Caroline rushes towards Damon, pulling a dying deputy over for him.

Athena's eyes fill with barely held back tears as she falls to her knees beside Stefan, shaking him slightly. "Stefan, come on,"

She looks around, only seeing the two dead deputies lying in the dungeon-like cave. Hesitantly, she grabs one and drags him over to Stefan as he begins to wake, groaning at the bullets still stuck in his chest.

Stefan groans, his eyes fluttering as he passes in between consciousness. "No, no," The smell of the human blood makes his eyes instinctively turn red and he groans, the sound almost pained.

"Stefan, it's alright," Athena lifts him into an almost upright position, looking at the blood-stained human beside her legs. "It'll be alright, just drink. You have to,"

"Athena, I can't," He pants, looking at her pleadingly as she mirrors the look back down at him.

"He's already dead," She shakes her head stubbornly, frightened tears filling her eyes. "We can figure it out later, I promise. You have to,"

Stefan hesitates for only a moment longer before he elongates his fangs and digs them into the dead man's neck with a hunger-filled groan. Athena lets him feed as she digs the bullets from his chest, wincing at every pained groan he lets out.

With a gentle sigh, she drops the last blood-covered bullet and pulls Stefan away from the man's neck with a slight yank. Stefan instinctively reaches for more, but Athena stops him, turning his head away from the man's body to meet her gaze.

He looks up at her, a plea for forgiveness clear in his eyes that she silently nods at as she brushes his blond hair off of his forehead.

"This is a most unfortunate situation. Two deputies are dead, and you," Damon stands with a slight groan, looking around the tomb in slight disgust. He turns, looking at Liz who meets his gaze fearfully. "What am I going to do with you?"

"You won't tell anyone, will you?"

Liz looks at her daughter, quickly looking away at the sight of the blood staining her lips and chin.

"Mom?" Caroline leans forward, looking desperately at Damon. "Mom, please! I know we don't get along and that you hate me, but I'm your daughter. And you'll do this for me, right? Mom, please. He will kill you,"

Liz looks up with tear-filled eyes. "Then kill me,"

"No!" Caroline shakes her head incredulously.

"I can't take this. Kill me now,"

Damon steps towards the Sheriff, bending down to meet her gaze head-on. "But you were gonna drag it out so painfully," He grabs the Sheriff and Athena lurches for her feet, stumbling as Caroline's hoarse pleas echo.

"Damon, don't,"

"Relax, guys," Damon rolls his eyes at Athena, looking back to the Sheriff. "No one's killing anybody. You're my friend,"

With an annoyed sigh, he looks at the mess surrounding them. "We gotta clean this up,"

──────

Stefan's eyes bore into the ceiling as he mindlessly caresses Athena's bare shoulder from where she's wrapped around his side, peacefully asleep after the past forty-eight hours.

Damon had taken to scouring Liz's phone to make sure she wasn't sending out SOS texts to the entire Council, and most likely drinking himself into a stupor to forget about Katherine once again.

Caroline's asleep somewhere else in the boarding house, and he thinks perhaps Bonnie had come too, to help Caroline with everything going on with her mom and Katherine, but the witch never stayed long with Damon there to antagonize her.

The threat of Katherine loomed in his mind and even with Athena's head resting against his chest, he could think of nothing but the taste of the blood from the deputy that Caroline had killed.

The warmth of the blood rushing through his veins was like no other, and no wild animal, no matter if it was predator or prey, could compare to the taste of a human's blood.

Athena had pulled the deputy away and swore up and down he was already dead, but he felt it as he'd felt it a hundred times before; the way that their life just drained out of them so easily. The rush was unmatched, he'd been alive for nearly two centuries and he'd never had such a high as he did when he drank human blood.

And he knows that it's wrong– he's a ripper, he is a natural predator in every sense of the word and everyone in his life is aware of it, but was it so wrong of him to crave the power again? He'd spent the better half of this century trying to make up for his crimes against humanity in his ripper state, yet it all seemed to crumble around him the moment he got a taste of human blood again.

And if someone like Katherine Pierce, or even his brother could live on a human diet and not be persecuted for it, why couldn't he? He was a vampire, it was in his nature.

Blinking painfully slow, Stefan slowly slides from beneath his sheets, placing a pillow beneath Athena's head in his sudden absence. He tenses as she shifts, groaning slightly in her tired state, but breathes a silent breath of relief when she settles back into the bed again without a second thought about the disruption.

His feet carry him to the basement and he slips down the stairs, through the dusty cellars to the white freezer surrounded by artifacts as old as him.

His fingers make imprints on the dust-covered lid as he slides it open, eyes falling onto the piles of blood bags his brother had stockpiled over the past few months.

Stefan grabs one, looking at the label in his hand. The blood could've saved someone's life. It could've helped someone more than it will help him, certainly.

It was the worst temptation, yet it always dragged him back in. Tearing the cap off, the blood began to stream onto his hand and he wasted no time in pouring the spout into his mouth.

It was the worst temptation, but he would always go back to it.

──────

author's note; uhhhh this is really long but also ? ripper stefan ? athena being seductive but also a bad bitch with powers ? yeah <3

originally published; 12.21.20.

edited: 11.30.23.

- liz