The Bourbon Diaries ✢ The Vampire Diaries FanFiction ✢ TVD FanFic ✢ TVDU FanFic

Chapter Thirty-Nine - Gabe Morelli

Present day

Border of NC and VA

"Gabe, what the hell do you think you're doing?!" Winifred snapped, snatching the sectioned talisman from his hands before he could surrender it to Gideon.

Gabe knew this would happen but still wasn't prepared for how difficult it was going to be, nor had he formulated a solution. She'd only just got him back, she wasn't about to watch him offer his life away... or what she thought was him offering his life away. He turned to her, pinching the bridge of his nose, his tone firm. "Winifred, give it back."

Winifred clutched the pendant tighter. "No! You're not giving this to the Coven!"

"I'm not giving it to the Coven, I'm giving it to Gideon," he specified, not that it was going to make any difference to her.

Winifred pointed vigorously towards the door that Gideon had walked from, where the Coven was waiting for him to return. "The moment he goes back into that room and presents this to them, they will remove the stone and you'll die. I'm not letting you do this."

Gideon took a sharp breath, running his hand along his face. It made sense now why Stef never gave up the name of the vampire who turned her. "You're the vampire in all of this, Gabe? You?!"

"Yes, but that's irrelevant," Gabe responded, feeling like he was about to be attacked from both sides.

"It's pretty damn relevant!" Gideon snapped.

"Wait! Nobody has to hand over anything," Raid interjected, stepping between them. "If the Coven think that Stef can eliminate their magic, they won't risk attacking her. Adam and I have the protection spell on us, nobody will get hurt---"

"This truce isn't just to protect you or Stef," Gabe stated. "It's about ending the conflict between vampires and witches. It's my duty as a representative of the council to do what I can to make that happen."

"Not at the expense of your life!" Winifred raged.

As others started to express their agreement with her, Gabe took Winifred by the arm and pulled her to the furthest end of the bar. He knew every vampire in the room would still be listening in, but he just needed to talk to her without interruption. He spun her in front of him, holding her either side of her shoulders. "Winifred, please listen, nothing will happen to me." He held her tighter as she twisted in his arms, unconvinced by his words. "Winnie, I swear to you! This isn't me making you a promise that I could break like I know I've done before. I realize you have no reason to trust me when I have a history of trying to do the right thing and sacrificing us in the process, but you will not lose me this time. I'm giving part of the talisman to Gideon and Gideon only. That way, should Stef ever use her powers against them, they have the means to reduce her powers to that of a regular witch. I guarantee you, she won't do that, so if you don't trust me, trust her, because she has been through hell and back refusing to give up my name."

"But even if Gideon refuses them the talisman, they will stake you the moment they learn your part in the ritual," Winifred argued.

"Gideon won't tell them," he replied. "He wants this truce as much as we do, and the Coven have no reason to keep to the truce if I'm dead. That section of the talisman will be under his guard. Knowing that stone is linked to my life, he would never remove it unless Stef was a real threat to them. You know Stef would never put me in the position where they would need to make that choice. You know I would never put us in the position of losing each other again. Please trust me."

Gabe couldn't tell what Winifred was thinking as she looked down at the pendant in her hand. She'd stopped arguing, which was a good sign, but that didn't mean it was over. He was trying to think of any other possible way to secure the truce, worried that Winifred would never hand the talisman back to him. He wouldn't take it from her. As much as this had been his decision, she had to agree to it, and she was never going to agree unless she realized this was the only way. They had to keep up the pretence that Stef had powers that were a threat to the Coven, while also offering them something that made them feel like her powers were under their control. Their first offer, of Stef limiting her consumption of human blood, was extremely reasonable, but it wasn't possible when she needed human blood to maintain the protection spell on Raid and Adam. If they declined that offer, the Coven were going to wonder why. They might feel even more threatened. So the counter offer had to be irresistible.