Madeline Sage Saltzman, a vampire hunter and adoptive daughter of Alaric Saltzman, did not know what was in store for her when she entered Mystic Falls. Each passing day meant more potential dangers emerging. How will she handle it when she falls in...
Alaric was plagued with sleepless nights when Madeline left. He always believed that one day she would walk through the front door and if she didn't see anyone awake, she'd leave again. Determined to make that assumption not true, he sat on the couch, pondering if his alcohol was still stocked where he left it.
He had been staying at the Gilbert home, but it felt wrong to leave his own unattended occasionally, so he switched from one home to the other. Urgent knocks bombarded his front door, making his brows furrow. Grabbing a vervain dart, he opened the door, adjusting his grip on the weapon.
"Alaric, move," Pietro asserted, his hair messy after running all the way over. Examining his rushed behavior, the Saltzman's eyes landed on his daughter, who slept soundly in her brother's arms.
"Oh, my god. Maddie." Alaric mumbled, rushing to make the couch available. His breathing was ragged, hands shaky. Distracted by the shock, he failed to see the blood staining his daughter's shirt. When he did, his eyes widened, dreading to find out what had happened to her. "She's home. She's actually home."
Running his hands through his hair, he looked over his daughter's face, speculating about the damage Klaus had done to her character. Silence engulfed the two males, leaving them with millions of similar thoughts blazing in their heads.
"Does she still have her humanity?" Alaric said, sitting on one end of the couch while Pietro sat on the other, concerned.
Pietro nodded, fiddling with his necklace. "I saw it in her eyes. She ─︎ she was bleeding out, coughing up blood." His mouth created words his brain hadn't processed, the image of his injured sister forever chiseled into his memory.
Not wanting to hear anymore, Alaric shook his head vigorously. "Don't talk about it. It'll only make it worse." He was about to grab his phone to call Caroline when Madeline groaned, ignoring the discomfort in her chest.
"Hey, Maddie," Alaric whispered, eyes glossed with a coat of tears.
"Hey ─︎," Madeline visibly froze, blinking her eyes rapidly to see if they were playing tricks on her. "Dad?" Her voice cracked, tears forming in her green eyes.
"Did you miss us?" Pietro said, smirking with tears of his own that made an appearance.
Madeline sat up straight, her feet touching the carpet of her home. It was exactly how she remembered it. Pietro and Alaric stood, preparing to help her up. Overwhelmed by emotions, she tackled them in an enormous hug, grasping onto them so tight, almost like she believed they would cease to exist.
