♤ [2] An Everlasting Nightmare

ı 15 ı Prescription: Vodka

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"Take my past and take my sins, like an empty sail takes the wind." 

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JAMES POV

Even from outside before we walked in the door, Damon and I could hear an unusual loud kind of laughter- the one that usually resembles that of great happiness which has been rare the past two months.  I recognize it immediate as Blair's, cracking a smile on my lips. I haven't heard her laugh that hard in a long time.

I'm even more surprised to walk in and find her and Joel sitting together, a giant photo album draped across their laps.

"What the?" Damon mutters.

Joel gets up at the sound of our presence leaving Blair laughing to herself on the couch.

"What's going on?" I whisper.

"She had at least three quarters of the empty vodka bottle over there, and half of the empty ice cream tub there on the floor." Joel explains with a shrug.

"You drugged my sister?" Damon growls in a low whisper.

"What?" Joel snaps. "No! It was her idea!" 

Blair lets out a giant snort during her fit of laughter, directing our attention to her as she lays her head back. Her mouth is open with a wide smile across her face as her laugh becomes silent because she's laughing so much.

"Great, now she sounds like a pig," Damon sighs.

"Hey, give her a break," Joel says, flicking Damon's head.

Just as Damon's about to react, Blair's laughter grows silent, altering our attention the the couch. Her head is rested back against the couch and here eyes are closed.

"Did she just fall asleep?" Damon asks.

"Appears so," I say with a smile.

Damon walks off with a shake of his head. "I'll clean up," Joel offers as we walk to Blair.

"I better get her up to bed," I say. 

Joel nods and begins picking up the shot glasses and tub of ice cream, but I can tell there's a great tension between us still.

"Hey Joel, I'm really sorry about Lexi. It wasn't in my place not to tell you a-"

"I know, James. It's not your fault. It's Damon's. You were just trying to protect me," he says.

I nod. "Hey, thanks for staying with Blair today. She seemed to be really laughing. She seemed... happy. It's something I haven't seen or hear her do in a long time, so thank you," I say honestly.

"I think that was just the vodka laughing. This is only the beginning. She's going to need you brother," he says, sending me a small smile before disappearing into the kitchen to clean the rest of the mess. I turn to Blair and stare at her for a few moments. In her sleep she looks so peaceful, as if nothing has happened.

But that's the thing about Blair; she always looks as if nothing has happened. She holds herself strong and high so no one else can see what's weighing her down, but I can.

Behind her confident voice, sarcastic remarks, brilliant laugh and breath taking smile, I know she's hurting. In that way she's exactly like Damon. Both of them are stubborn and often refuse help from others.

The month that she was away with Klaus was the worst month of my life. She almost never responded when I called to her through my mind, and at some points I feared deeply for her life. But all that matters now is that she's here.