On My Own (TVD Series)

Bitter Loneliness

THE NEXT DAY

Damon's POV

Kicking the door open to Alaric's office, I tossed over his keys on the long table near the door as Stefan blabbered on and on about my complement on Ric as we drove back from Oregon. With the blinds drawn and the view of depressed university students on their way to class, I pulled down the string just as Stefan took his seat and I placed the coffee on the table.

"Ugh...school." I sighed.

"You realize Ric is going to kill you when he finds out what you did to him." Stefan babbled.

"It's my relationship to ruin, thank you. I didn't complain when you ruined yours with Caroline."

"I didn't ruin-"

"Then explain why she's on vacation with her mom, eating ice cream out of the carton...probably convincing herself she never liked you in the first place," I smirked as I poured us a glass of bourbon found hidden in Ric's desk.

"You done?"

"Careful, Stefan. It may look easy being the big bad Salvatore...but soon you'll be lying in the middle of the road pouring your heart out to a stranger having an existential crisis."

"Or...I could just sit in the park and wait for a British woman to help me get rid of my brother..." Stefan added as I sat on the front of the desk.

"Hmm, touche..." I smiled, sipping on my glass.

"So, when's this grand theft going to happen?"

"Well, assuming everything went well and Jo has gone through 4 glasses of wine...it's already happened." 

Leaning over on the leather chair, my eyes gazed over to the door, where it remained close for the next few seconds before Ric broke through.

"There's my best friend..."

Reaching for his inner jacket pocket, he pulled at the ascendant, carefully extending his hand out to me.

"Here you go..."

"Thanks, buddy...oh, and this is for you."

Handing him the bag of donuts and two coffees from his desk, I handed Stefan the ascendant as I guided Ric by the shoulders and pushed him back towards the door again.

"What am I supposed to do with this?"

"Go back home to your lady, and be a good boyfriend," I added.

"What are you two going to do with the ascendant?"

"Nothing for you to worry about...now, go."

Leaning past the doorframe, keeping my eye on him as he passes a group of students and around the corner, I quickly closed the door as Stefan was moving the delicate metal pieces.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"...studying the hunk of junk you made Ric steal."

"It's not junk...it's the key to saving our sister," I mumbled, taking the ascendant from him.

"Doesn't she need to have the junk to get out?"

"No, Stefan...I was thinking of hiding this in an old journal of yours where no one in a hundred years can find it..."

"That's rude-"

"So is your stupidity," I added, falling back onto the leather chair.

"I am going to travel back in time, kill Kai or at least put him on pause, and then save Lauren."