Potential (Book Four, The Vampire Diaries)

Chapter 12__A View to Kill

Stefan hadn't been here last night. He had been at Rebekah's. 

We walked down the stairs to the cell below. 

Damon saw Stefan first. "You coming to snap my neck again? Because I woke up feeling completely un-murderous, and I'm pretty sure that it's safe to set me free." I set a bottle of blood on the window in the door. "Oh, Nikki, really? You practically bled me dry. At least give me another one of these. I'm thirsty." 

"You're lucky you're getting that," Stefan told him. "I wanted to give you a vial. But, apparently, she thought that was too little." 

"Damn right, I did," I told him. "I don't want him getting hungry and then killing me. I'm gonna be the one sitting in there, not you, you dick." 

Damon stood, groaning, walking over to grab the bottle of blood. "Gotta love the way she talks to her guardian cousins." 

"Cousins?" I repeated. "Are you serious? That's the story or the town, don't use it now." 

Stefan looked at me. "Give him a vial of blood every couple of hours, so he doesn't desiccate. If he gets too much strength back, or if he just annoys you, bleed him out again." 

"Silent treatment, huh?" Damon asked. "Is that your best shot?" He looked at me. "He's still pissed at me for sleeping with Elena." 

"You sure about that?" I asked. "'Cause he wasn't here last night. He was at Rebekah's, which would suggest to me that he's moved on." 

Stefan raised his eyebrows, sighing.

"Well, well," Damon said. "Looks like my brother ripped out a page of my revenge sex handbook."

"Well, why don't you two enjoy your little, uh, family bonding time?" Stefan asked. "I have to get the dagger from Rebekah and have Matt dagger her." 

"Well, therein lies another story that you still have to tell me," I told him. 

"Give it a rest, Nicola," Stefan told me, walking away, leaving. 

~~~~

I was standing in the cell.

Damon was lying down, tossing a ball up in the air. 

 "You know, none of this would be an issue if no one caused a nuclear meltdown of the Founder's Council," I told him.

"What are you talking about?" Damon asked.

"The Council," I answered. "If Alaric hadn't tipped them off, they wouldn't have come after us, Pastor Young wouldn't have killed them all. Connor wouldn't have ever showed up to town. Jeremy wouldn't have become a Hunter. None of us would have ever known about the Cure or the alleged Silas. Kol wouldn't have compelled you to kill Jeremy to stop us from raising him. They wouldn't be trying to dagger Rebekah or trying to kill Kol right now."

"It's amazing how only a few things can set a confluence of events," Damon said sarcastically. 

I sat down in a chair, pouring myself a drink. "And Klaus wouldn't want to use me. What's stopping him?" 

"Jeremy being alive," Damon answered. 

"When Connor died, the mark appeared on Jeremy," I told him. "If Jeremy dies, the mark will appear on me."

"Unless we somehow find the Cure before then," Damon told me. "I really hope we do. Then maybe nothing will happen to you at all." 

"Careful, Damon," I told him. "You're starting to sound like you care."