Petrichor - e.mikaelson

15

Frankies standards for a good or bad day seemed to be going downhill the longer she stayed in Mystic Falls. While yesterday, she'd been woken at 9 by Damon pounding on her door, today she'd been allowed a sleep in and that in itself had been a win.

She'd spent the day mostly by herself, she did get lunch with her brother but when Meredith had appeared beside him it was tricky for her not to shoot daggers at her and so she didn't stay long. All in all, the day had passed by fine, Elijah had called too which was nice, having someone who understood the ridiculousness of the Mystic Falls world who wasn't so directly involved.

Though she knew it was an overreaction, she felt a little relieved by the time she'd made it to bed, relieved that nothing bad had happened that day. Things seemed so overwhelming the past few days that when she sunk into sleep she was grateful that the day passed without incident. It didn't last long of course, she hadn't even made it to the next day before someone was waking her up with more bad news.

It was Damon again who had been the one to get her but unlike the grin that graced his face the day before, there was no humour in his body language as he entered the apartment a little before midnight. Though yesterday waking her up had been half the fun, there wasn't any joy this time, shaking her awake seemed the kindest option with the news he needed to deliver.

He'd been the one to drive her to the Gilbert house in her pyjamas and he'd been the one to explain to her the bad news, prepare her for what was waiting inside. Though she shouldn't, she was beginning to hate that house, each time she visited now she could only see the blood that stained the walls and her fingertips that awful night.

Damon had gone in first, just in case, but she barely waited a minute before she barrelled in too, her breath catching in her throat again as she saw her brother laying unconscious on the couch though at least this time he wasn't soaked in blood.

Meredith had been there too, sitting and shaking as she stared at Alaric from the other side of the room while Elena passed her a mug of tea. She was covered in blood and Frankie's heart tightened with regret at what she'd done to her, how she'd accused Meredith of lying when she clearly was the victim. She didn't apologise, she couldn't get her words out but when she smiled weakly at Meredith she replied with an equally exhausted smile that hopefully equalled forgiveness.

Her head was racing, how exactly does one come to accept that their brother had become an almost serial killer in a matter of weeks. Her brother who'd slept on the floor of her bedroom for a week when his wife had died and he couldn't sleep without the sound of someone else. Her brother who'd once driven her for twelve hours to visit a college when her parents said no.

She remembered when she'd first turned up on his family's doorstep. She remembered the first night, sitting in the living room while her father and his partner whisper yelled in the kitchen about her presence, she remembered Ric's eyes on her, on the teddy bear she was clutching so tightly she felt threads snap. She could hear the sounds of the evening, the sound of Alaric slamming the door shut behind them when he'd finally grown sick of the arguments and taken her to get ice cream and then see a film. The two staying out late as he used his meagre savings to buy snacks and treats.