Alaric Saltzman

“Yeah, long story.” The youngest Winchester didn’t want to dwell on the night of Death’s death.  It was the same night he nearly faced his own death, at the hand of his brother. The memory focused mainly on his brother, which is exactly what Sam wanted to push back. “False hope might be comforting at first, but after two years it kinda gets old.” Sam let out a prolonged sigh. He hated that his desperation to find his brother stuck out like a sore thumb. “I wasn’t talking about your wife, I’m talking about how it felt when you lost her. You became a hunter, you killed, because you were pissed and wanted revenge. That’s how I’d feel if I lost my daughter. Yeah Caroline and I had a fight. Yeah I nearly killed her to defend myself and my daughter. As long as she stays away from my daughter all of that’s in the past.”

“Yeah I did and it was stupid of me, in the end I didn’t even kill the guy, I actually became friends with him. But that’s a long story that shouldn’t be gone into.” He shrugged it off, it wasn’t something he liked to think about, how his wife rather ditch him to be turned into a vampire. Isobel made her choices and he had his goodbye with her. “Going after the one who hurt your daughter I get, going after some kids Ii don’t. Those kids are mine and if you hurt them I would have to go after you and that might not matter to you but it does to me, I don’t want to have to kill anyone.” Ric didn’t need that kind of trouble added to his soul, he had enough as it was. He nods though willing to let everything drop just for the sake of keeping violence away from his kids. “Your ah experienced with those things out there huh?” He asks picking up a few book titles as he looks around the room.

“If it’s between dying and feeding from me, which are you going to choose? Besides. You don’t have to bite me. I can bleed into a cup or something.” With the people staying in the hotel, she could help them by making them feel comfortable, making sure they have everything they could ask for. But with her friends, she didn’t feel like she could help much. But being human, the one thing she might be able to help with is the blood shortage. “I don’t know. I see both sides. I definitely see your side. Those girls are your life. They were the one thing that you had left from Jo. You want to keep them safe. And a vampire who is attacking innocent people isn’t safe for the girls.” She understood why he didn’t want Caroline around the girls. Even though Elena knew Caroline would never do anything to hurt the girls, stranger things have happened. “I definitely do want to start training again. I feel like I should definitely brush up on my self defense skills. Especially with what’s going on and everyone coming back from the dead. I think it will be a good outlet for both of us. Fighting with practically everyone I know really builds up some anger and frustration.”

“Alright touche, but lets hope it doesn’t come down to that. I’m hoping that people will donate now that they know the supernatural is real. If the donate at least it should keep vampire on human violence down. We just have to make sure we have enough supplies to take donations.” He rather it be some no named bag that he could pour into his flask over having to shake hands with someone. “I just can’t help but think of all the things a vampire can be capable of if they tip the wrong way, I want to help Caroline with whatever caused this trouble but at the same time I have to think of my kids over anything else. I just can’t stop thinking that maybe I failed Jo when I didn’t leave with them when they were born. Got away from all the supernatural, she lived just fine away from magic, better in fact.” If he could have found away to hid their abilities he might have done it but he was just too attached to everyone to want to do it alone. He nods, “Alright well we’ll do that then, cause so far the only people I haven’t had a fight with is you and Damon. Speaking of which what is going on with you two? I kinda expected you to be attached at the hip.”

She looked down at his hand on hers and her lips curled up into a smile. Even when she was trying to comfort him with the smallest gesture, he still could comfort her with the same. He may have been her father figure, but she would still be there for him when he needed someone. “That explains so much… I feel terrible that she got hurt, I do. But she thinks that excuses attacking an innocent man. She could have come to me. For someone like Caroline, I’m willing to let her feed from me. I had Matt when I needed him. It’s least I could do for her.” she paused. “And the same goes for you. If you ever need to feed, please come to me before turning to some stranger.” She nodded. Helping Jeremy was the one thing that strayed her mind from all of the shit going on outside the barrier and everything that she was going through. “All of the above? Granted, I’m not as good as I was when you trained me before. Spending time in a coffin doesn’t do well for the muscles. But he says that I can’t go outside at night because of the vampires running around. I get bitten once, and suddenly I can’t go outside.”

Ric sighs, “Elena, no one wants to feed from you. I know you want to help with the blood shortage but the thought of actually biting you and drinking your blood makes me feel sick about myself.” He admits, he knew he had to drink blood and he could live with that because of the benefits that came with being a vampire but that didn’t mean he had to enjoy it or use his friends. “But Caroline wants to be a martyr, packed up and moved out. Most likely my girls hate me for it and she’s gonna try and keep them, so I’m taking my work to the bar for some noise around me cause I can’t bring myself to apologize for something I don’t I’m in the wrong about.” He supposed Damon had the right idea about being the bad guy as long as it meant protecting those he cared about. Though Alaric didn’t really feel like he did the wrong thing so was he really the bad guy? “Right I did promise you some training again, we can start whenever, will be a good outlet to having to watch my family crash and burn. Though I can understand his protective nature I do know stubbornness and know better than to think you’d listen.” 

“I didn’t have a choice. My family was slaughtered and I was made a slave for a psychotic vampire.”

“That sounds like a really terrible thing to have to live with and I get that but now you have a choice. So what’s it gonna be? Sit here in pain maybe try to drag yourself somewhere or let me get you somewhere they can look at you and help you?”

“That’s because you are trying to be something you’re not ,dad. News Flash not everyone hates being a vampire like I know that you do. She accepts who she is like she taught us to accept who and what Josie and I are. “ She looked at him in disbelief. “And you think mom is going to hurt us? Just because she threaten someone else’s? Because she’s a vampire and the fact that they are unpredictable?  Are you that delusional? I’m sorry but did someone knocked you over the head with something? Mom will never hurt us. Besides you’re a vampire yourself. What makes you think we are anymore safer around you than we are with her? Considering that vampires are unpredictable and all.” She threw it back in his face. “ I don’t care who she threatens or what she does. She’s my mother and the last thing she will ever do is hurt us. Hurt me. So stop judging her for threatening someone’s life in defending herself or feeding off someone because I’m pretty sure you are familiar with doing either one in your lifetime. You had no right to basically kick her out of the house for the night or ever! call her and tell her to come home and apologize to mom “

“No, I was trying to be something I wasn’t when I didn’t do what your mother and I planned before she died. I should have left Mystic Falls and everything that came with it behind. Raised you how your mother wanted you both raised but I couldn’t do that because I got comfortable with Caroline, I got comfortable having a support system other than myself. Now I’m a vampire, again. I accept that but I don’t have to hurt people being a vampire, I don’t have to use it as an excuse to hurt people even if I’m hurt. I never attacked anyone that hasn’t attacked me first, unless you count the times I was supernaturally going mad because of magic and that got fixed. I only fed from two living people and that was the first time I was turned and then the second time I was turned. Caroline has killed people, she’s turned off her humanity, attacked her best friends, I never blamed her, I never judged her but the moment she starts acting like that I will be willing to protect you girls from her because I am sorry but I have seen the very worse things vampires can do. So no, if she can’t handle herself I don’t want her in the house right now because it doesn't matter who you are if she loses it and I can’t help her here in the house because if she does go off and there is even the tiniest hint that I can’t hold her off and I have to kill her to protect you two how will I or either of you live with that? And if any other vampire friend or family was a even a hint of a threat to you two I would put distance, myself included cause that is how much you two mean to me over anyone, anything else. So no I won’t call her and I won’t apologize, I’m not in the wrong. Because she should do the same thing to me if I ever started acting so reckless.”

    “She’s a vampire dad. You’re a vampire too. You guys get hungry. I saw her feed. So what? She’s not putting us in any danger. What the hell?! It’s not a precaution she’s not going to freaking hurt us.” 

“Yeah, yeah I am a vampire and how many times have you seen me attacking someone?” Ric didn’t even drink out of the bag, he always put it in a container that hid the sight of the blood away. He kept his work with the supernatural world away from the house. He was a vampire and at times he didn’t hate it too bad and others he wished he were human but he always rather be here than dead. “Lizzie, you don’t know everything, I don’t know everything but I do know that vampires can be unpredictable. And I know they can sometimes do things they don’’t mean at the moment but have server consequences, I know Caroline threatened a man’s child and I don’t care what the reason was because if anyone threatened you or your sister I would feel the need to protect you two also. Now there are three points to a story, what both parties say and the truth, it all gets blended by point of view. Though the conversation that man and her were having should have never turned to violence, not in the house.”

Damon frowns, “That blows brother.” And he actually meant it, with all the crap Ric has been through and in hind sight some of it was a big part Damon played in the turning of Isobel he felt for the guy. Maybe that was part of the reason Damon felt the need to kill Kai, of course the spell on Elena played part but in that moment Ric lost everything that he was looking forward to. Wife, kids, a life and the only way Damon knew how to help was to kill the person responsible. “You’re a good father though.” He wasn’t around to see it but Damon knew if Ric was willing to live like a vampire he was giving up a lot for those kids. “Better than my father ever was.” Not that it meant much. “But hey, long standing drinking buddy isn’t too horrible either.”

Alaric lets out a laugh of surprise really, of course Damon would somehow make lighter of a bad situation by being so flippant about it, most of the time that was a trait Ric disliked about the older vampire but at this moment it wa something that actually made him feel better. He gives Damon another surprised look at the fatherhood mention, “Damon you weren’t around when I was a father. I could have been terrible.” Not to say Ric didn’t try his very best in such a strange situation, it was never what he wanted, to be raising two girls with Caroline instead of Jo, Jo should have been the one around to raise them, if he could have he would have switched out his life for hers in a heartbeat. At least then she could have ran and raised them somewhere else, maybe hidden the fact any of them were witches. “He rubs his face with a nod, “Well unless either one of us dies again, I guess the seat next to us will always be filled.”

“I am wrong in looking for him. We’ve killed death and died I don’t know how many times. That basically earned us a reaper on our asses. There’s a slight possibility he’s still alive, and I just can’t get over the idea of it. Even if I’m just hanging on to false hope.” Sam knew his chances in finding his brother were minimal, but he was going to make every effort to maximize his chances.  His search of Lucifer on the other hand, was unfortunately much greater. “Lucifer and I, well we’ve got history. Bad history. I basically let him posses me so I could throw him back in a cage in Hell. After recent events he uh, got out. I’ve been inside him, I know his thoughts and plans. If he’s out there, it’s the end of you, me, and just about every person supernatural or not out there. He doesn’t give a damn who he kills.”  Every ounce of hatred he felt towards the angel was evident in his voice. It grew so cold he almost didn’t recognize it. As the topic changed, his anger only seemed to grow. “Put yourself in my shoes. How the hell did you feel when your wife died? You were mad and wanted to go after the killer. I understand you want to protect your daughter, believe me I do, but if she hurts mine it’s not something I can just ignore. Right now, my daughter is the most important thing in my life. If she dies, I’ll be alone. I’ll be a pissed off father with nothing left to lose. Sue me if I’d want revenge. You want to talk about a promise between fathers? Talk Caroline down from her threat to turn mine and we both walk away from this without bloodshed. You have my word on this. I don’t want to see people getting hurt. ”

“You guys killed death?” Ric could wrap his head around a great number of things, after all he’s seen a lot of strange things but that was something he was just plain confused about. “Listen if it hope then its hope, false or not its comforting.” He knew how that felt and knew that it took whatever it took to keep people going from one day to the next, whether that was hope, anger, revenge, drinking, justice, it didn’t matter. “I always assumed Lucifer kinda wanted to rule over people, not that I know anything about him.” Ric had enough trouble with vampires, witches and now the random demon but the devil? That felt pretty big. “Don’t talk about my wife, you don’t know anything about her or how she died or what a freaking miracle it is that my girls are actually alive today. What a big deal it is to me to be a father today, my twins are the only thing in the world I care about. And I get it, I do you want to protect yours and if Caroline threatened my girls I would feel like you feel. But I wouldn’t go after someones kids, in fact I think its really low she’d ever say that to anyone about their children.” The fact she raised his children he thought she would know better than to do that, to drag innocent lives into the mix. “I can’t talk Caroline down but I can assure you that if keeping her from harming your kid will protect both of mine, I will do it. She’s a dear friend of mine but those are my kids we’re talking about and if she can’t get out of her own way...” Ric shrugs, he’d never want to hurt Caroline, he’d more likely lock her up somewhere before try and kill her but the twins would always come first.

   “Why would you do that? What do you mean different? We’re safe with her. I’m calling mom to come back home.“ 

“She was attacking someone on the street and no you won’t call her because I can't risk her doing something she will regret, not when it comes to you or your sister. Its not a punishment or meant too upset anyone just a precaution.”

She gave him a half smile, noticing the look  on his face. It wasn’t a good look. It was a look she hasn’t seen in a long, long time. “Hey.” she said, reaching out to place her hand on his arm. “Yeah, I heard about that. As she was yelling at me, that is.” she said with a shrug. “I’ve been helping Jeremy run this place while he’s letting people stay here. So I was doing my rounds, making sure everyone was okay before I went out for a walk. Mainly because Jeremy is busy so I can actually go out for a walk without him trying to stop me.”

He places a hand over hers glad that she was trying to comfort, he missed Elena over the years and a big part of that was the fact they leaned on each other since he certainly was in no place to be a parent to her at the time, he could barely keep himself going. He nods, “Yeah I snapped at too, she’s not acting right. I had to tell her not to come home till she got herself straight, I can’t have that around my kids. I know how unpredictable vampires can be, you know that too.” He felt bad about it but at the end of the day his girls came before everything, his friends, his own life. “That’s good, that’s a good thing for you.” Elena was always good at helping out others so it didn’t surprise him. “So what he’s taking up the big siblings role because he looks older? Or is it cause your human? Cause I remember spending some time training a certain girl so she could protect herself human or not.”

Dash acutally let out a laugh at his comment. she had seen the hours that Damon spend looking over papers for Katherine, both when he was looking for a spell to save her and after that and then the hours spent looking for Stefan when he was off with Klaus when his humanity was off. But this guy clearly didn’t need to be told about his own mate. “Yes, well i think we both know that i told tend to wait for other people to agree with my plan before i do it,” he said. “But i need a drink.”

“Your plans normally lead to a body count, that is why you don’t tell people about it or it ends with you being in danger.” Ric didn’t like either one of those situations but again Damon couldn’t be stopped. “Well you find that drink, I have other things to do.”

Elena needed to go for a walk. First, her fight with Jeremy, then she gets attacked by Elijah, then she fights with Caroline. This was not her time. Granted, the world was ending, it wasn’t exactly anyone’s time. But who knew with the entire world falling apart that it would cause her relationships to fall apart too. She was doing her last rounds, checking on the people who were using the hotel above Rousseau’s their shelter before leaving for a little while. Her eyes fell upon Alaric and she tilted her head. “Ric? What are you doing here?”

Ric turned to see Elena and he offered her a weak smile, kinda broken from the all the stress going on lately. “Elena, hey, Sweetheart.” He says weakly looking at the door again figuring the guy wasn’t home or maybe he passed out from the fight with Caroline. “Looking for the hunter that was at my house and stabbed Caroline. Basically trying to figure out what the hell happened.” He rubs his face, “What about you?”

“There is a god autobiography, running around,” he said. Dash had gone into the mind of someone that had seen it. Dash saw him reach for the weapon. “Isn’t that kind of my thing? Protect the kids and call them idiots.” 

“You’ve never been much of a reader that was more everyone else.” Damon was too impatient for that, he was more of the smash things type over reading. “I’m not one of the kids and finding out my best pal wasn’t really himself well that certainly makes a guy careful. Seeing that Silas has been mistaken for your brother, Katherine for Elena, I’m sure you can understand more than anyone about wanting to be careful, paranoid even.”

Amara had spent most of her time hoping that she would find Silas again, but she had also hoped to find her doppelgangers and meet all of them. At least those were her thoughts after purgatory had opened up. Yet she found herself in her hotel room, wondering what else she could do in this place. Before she could make a choice though, she suddenly heard a knock at the door. It nearly made her jump, but she managed to compose herself before standing up to walk over towards the door. Once there she opened the door slightly, only to see a man standing there. “Hello, are you looking for someone or is there something you need?”

Ric went to the door next to the one he was looking to hopeing to maybe get an idea of who this guy was maybe the person in the next room say anything of him when Elena’s face was the one he saw open the door he frown in confusion, “Elena what are you...” He stops shaking his head no, the smell was different, he didn’t spent so long looking after the girl that he didn’t pick up on the girly perfumes and whatever she used. “Great a doppelganger, that’s...not what I was looking for or expecting.”

“I think they are a little more worried about ending up in a living hell with the Leviathain’s outside then they are in me being a vampire,” he said. “Well i can tell you God isn’t here to give a crap what we do. God and his sister would have bothered to stick around. But good to know how much help you will be in this.” Dash now bored of the conversation given the man clearly didn’t understand what he was cursing his own kids too.

“What the hell do you know about God and..his sister?” Ric knew Damon was not the religious type and not only that but sister? God had a sister? How would that even be known by the vampire, when he couldn’t even recall his time with a demon spent in him. Ric held the grip of the gun at his waist, wondering if Silas was playing face games again. “Since you haven’t really been around for a few years, Damon, I don’t really need you of all people judging me.”