𝑀𝑖𝑠𝑠 𝑃𝑖𝑒𝑟𝑐𝑒

the  silence  that  fell  between  them  for  a  long,  lingering  moment  was  worrisome.  what  was  she  plotting  in  that  little,  devious  brain  of  hers?  then,  she  had  proposed  he'd  do  something  he  never  thought  she  would   —   propose  himself.  what?  where  did  this  come  from?  his  eyes  grew  into  widen  saucers,  completely  taken  by  surprise  that  had  rendered  him  utterly  speechless  in  her  presence.  an  almost  silent  squeak  comes  through  a  quiet  breath,  unable  to  find  the  words  to  respond  to  such  a  grand  request.  but,  before  he  could  say  anything  at  all,  she  breaks  her  serious  expression  and  tells  him  that  it  was  just  a  jest.  a  long,  relieved  breath  is  exhaled  from  his  parted  lips,  shaking  his  head  and  laughing  softly  in  amusement.  ❛  you  have  quite  the  poker  face,  luv.  and  i'll  admit,  for  a  mere  moment  i  questioned  if  i  should  get  on  my  knee  if  it  meant  proving  myself  t'  you.  although,  marriage  is  something  i  don't  exactly  see  in  the  cards  for  me,  ❜  he  responded,  grinning.

enzo  listened  to  her  express  her  distaste  for  the  entire  gilbert  line  and  although  he  didn't  know  much  about  their  history,  he  could  understand  having  a  grudge  against  an  entire  bloodline  for  one  person's  wrong-doings.  it's  how  he  felt  when  it  came  to  the  whitmores.  he  and  damon  had  made  a  pact  that  they  would  destroy  every  single  one  of  their  blood  all  in  the  name  of  revenge.  he  understood  that  part  of  her  and  he'd  never  blame  her  for  it.  ❛  something  we  can  relate  on,  sweet-heart.  what  was  done  once  by  someone  in  the  past  might  always  be  done  from  those  in  the  future...  ❜  he  trailed  off,  raising  his  glass  to  toast  to  her  and  her  survival  instincts  then  proceeding  to  take  a  sip.  he  sat  back  in  his  stool,  his  attention  locked  on  her  as  she  continued  to  speak.  he  was  hoping  inside  that  this  meant  she  was  leaning  towards  the  idea  of  aiding  him  in  escaping  this  prison  forever.  ❛  fortunately,  the  school  year  had  only  started  so  m'  sure  you're  not  expected  t'  know  as  much  as  the  good  doctor  would...  ❜  he  reassured  her.  he  tilted  his  head,  ❛  blonde,  curly,  cheerful,  but  seemingly  bossy,  ❜  he  describes  to  her,  shrugging  a  bit.  ❛  from  what  i  gathered,  't  appeared  they  seemed  t'  be  friends  before  coming  to  the  university,  ❜  he  further  explained.

a  confident  smirk  stretches  enzo's  lips  from  ear  to  ear  in  response  to  her  smooth  compliment.  he  tilts  his  glass  again  towards  her  as  a  gesture  of  gratitude,  ❛  i  appreciated  that,  luv,  ❜  he  replied  at  first,  ❛  fortunately,  there  have  been  ways  to  keep  my  mind  even  a  little  sane  despite  my  circumstances.  being  the  doctor's  favorite  long-time  pet,  i  acquired  special  treatment,  ❜  he  told  her.  he  had  been  given  books  to  pass  the  time  and,  of  course,  small  increments  of  blood  to  keep  him  viable.  he  nodded  in  understanding  to  her  explanation  on  her  desire  to  keep  damon  alive,  shrugging  nonchalantly.  ❛  you  have  my  word  that  no  harm  will  come  t'  the  salvatores...  ❜  he  promised.

❛  i  agree  and  i  intend  on  keeping  my  new  chance  at  life  inconvenience-free  for  as  long  as  possible,  ❜  he  told  her.  ❛  i  believe  his  name  was  jesse.  some  poor  sod  that  was  his  assistant.  poor  lad  had  no  idea  what  was  coming  t'  him...  ❜

⠀⠀⠀⠀"i can see that," she said smoothly. "for a moment there, i thought i might have broken you." there was unmistakable amusement in her voice now. not cruel, merely entertained. she had expected surprise and perhaps alarm, and he did not disappoint. “which, i should point out, is exactly why i suggested it.”

⠀⠀⠀⠀"you were speaking about loyalty and trust; about proving yourself." a delicate shrug followed. "grand declarations tend to reveal how serious people truly are." she let her gaze drift briefly toward the glass in his hand before returning to his face.

⠀⠀⠀⠀"so tell me..." her brow lifted. “if that had genuinely been the only thing capable of convincing me, would you have done it?” would he have gotten down on his knee and come up with a proposal (even though she had not meant marriage)? would he have done it in front of all these people? in public? the question was delivered lightly, though there was curiosity beneath it. she wanted to know where his limits actually were.

⠀⠀⠀⠀"not because i have any interest whatsoever in marriage," she added quickly, dismissing the idea with a small wave of her hand. "believe me, i find the entire institution remarkably unappealing." that was not what she had in mind when she suggested that he could propose. albeit one could argue that it would have been a proposal of a different kind. 

⠀⠀⠀⠀"but the principle itself is interesting," she added, explaining her thought process. "people often claim they would do anything. very few enjoy discovering where that promise actually ends." for a moment she considered him quietly.

⠀⠀⠀⠀the truth was, she had already been weighing the possibility of helping him. not because she trusted him. certainly not that. but because he was interesting. furthermore, he could be useful, potentially. and unlike most people she encountered, he seemed capable of carrying a conversation without boring her to death. that alone was becoming increasingly rare.

⠀⠀⠀⠀his reassurance regarding the university/college earned a faint exhale. "well, that's comforting." a dry smile touched her lips because if anyone expects her to discuss microbiology intelligently, this entire plan is doomed before it begins.

⠀⠀⠀⠀truthfully, she knew very little about universities or colleges at all. she knew only that elena had left mystic falls to attend whitmore college and that enough time had passed for her to settle there. beyond that, the structure of semesters, courses, and academic expectations remained largely irrelevant to her. furthermore, she had to confess that she would not have expected elena gilbert to pursue the sciences.

⠀⠀⠀⠀when enzo described the blonde friend, however, immediate recognition settled across her features. "ah." a knowing look followed. "then i know exactly who you're referring to." caroline forbes. she has a talent for inserting herself into situations regardless of whether they concern her and fortunately, she also possesses a rather habit of surviving them. “i like her.” the words sounded casual enough, though perhaps they carried more meaning than they initially appeared to; implying that she would not like to see her getting in harms way. 

⠀⠀⠀⠀her attention shifted again as he spoke about his time in captivity and that part genuinely surprised her. for a moment she studied him more carefully. "books?" one eyebrow lifted. "how unexpectedly considerate." most people keeping a vampire imprisoned for decades would hardly concern themselves with intellectual stimulation. he was a fascinating being, and it left her wondering if there was more to know about him. 

⠀⠀⠀⠀at the mention of the salvatores, she nodded slightly. "see that you do. i would hate for your newly reclaimed freedom to prove disappointingly brief." would especially damon thank her for it? probably not. 

⠀⠀⠀⠀her smile returned a second later, pleasant enough to make the threat easy to overlook. almost.

⠀⠀⠀⠀the name jesse meant absolutely nothing to her. if enzo intended to remove that particular problem, she had no reason to object.

⠀⠀⠀⠀finally, after several moments of consideration, she extended her hand across the bar toward him. the gesture was deliberate. an agreement, perhaps. or at least the beginning of one.

⠀⠀⠀⠀"fine." her gaze met his directly. "i'll see what i can do." the words were hardly a promise, but they were far more than she typically offered someone she had known for less than a day.

Anonymous asked: who are your top five favorite blogs?

Ohhhhh, nonny. This is a can of worms. You want me to play favorites? On this, the day of my daughter’s wedding? Well, I do have a bunch of people I’m obsessed with, so you’re gonna get more than you bargained for here: I highly suggest everyone follow bc everyone on this list is absolutely fantastic.

@fcntasyadvcnturc / @nifflerstolen : Oh my God, Bee! I've been friends with Bee for years and she's probably one of the muns I talk to the most ooc. Even though we're in hugely different timezones and have such different lives, it never seems to matter. She's so kind, and I love listening to her talk about her life and everything going on inside and outside of the rp world. She's always up for fun new plots, and she's just like me in that if I go 'I want you to write this character' she usually will if she knows who it is lol

@zoomingupthathill / @ofdamnedsouls / @wavrlynatural : Aah! Another Bee! Bee is the absolute sweetest person I've met in my whole life. I have this huge urge to protect her at all costs, and I don't care how weird that sounds Bee deserves the entire world to be served to her on a silver platter. I've never seen someone write Max as well as Bee does (no offense to anyone else), and I can hear Alex's voice every time she writes her! It's such a gift to be able to see all the amazing things she does, and be able to call her my friend.

@survivingpierce / @deceptivemorals / @touchedbydestiny : I love Cathy. She really challenges me with my writing (we only have one thread right now because it's so long and I want every reply to be so good that it takes me years to reply), and I love our plots so far so so much! I'm really excited to interact with her other characters as well! She does so well with Katherine, I just can't imagine her not writing a top-tier character, honestly.

@dcvium : Lewind is more of a new friend, we haven't done a ton together yet, but I'm really excited to get to know Nimue more. Also, she's so fucking creative? Like come on. A character named Nimue who's afraid of lakes? That shit is top tier. I love it.

@canclled : Dibbles is such a fantastic human being. I cannot recommend following Pluto enough. She has such creative characters and is so easy to talk to. You can really plot anything with Pluto and it's always fun to see how things turn out! It's also just incredibly fun to read other interactions on their blogs? Which I love.

Then a few more that I’ve either made big posts about in the past or that are just constantly on my list to suggest to people bc I love them: @snnydcys / @snnynatural - Lumi is an absolute sweetheart and I’m her biggest fan tbh. @dearsgcd - Ceejayyyyyyy! So amazing, so many characters, highly recommend. @regiinae - Hallie is my fucking sister, okay? And if you're looking for a good Regina George to write with, this is 100% my suggestion. @gracedead / @d1rtyair - I absolutely fucking adore Charli. I will never not be a Charli stan. @leftdaggered - Special shout out to Ryn as well, who I'm just getting to know but I love so far! And there are so many more people, but I'm honestly blanking right now and I'm already at 10 when you only asked for 5 so...

he couldn’t even defend himself. Katherine was right, and Elijah knew it. He also had no choice when he began a vampire. It had been his father and mother who forced it on himself and his siblings, and realizing he had not allowed Katherine a choice in her own fate and made him feel awful ❝i know, and there’s no excuse❞ he did not want to be right, because what would that get him?

❝i was a coward Katarina. I had lived so long with the feeling i had to choose my family over everything, over everyone. I had to decide what was best for them, and yes i also wanted to save your life. I made mistakes, i wish i could go back, i wish i could’ve stopped it, instead of just picking the spell from the witch. I would do anything so that you could have the life you want and deserve because i love you Katarina. Even if you wanted to walk away from me, i still would do anything to give you that life, even if it meant away from me❞

What else could he say? What else could he do? He has laid it all out for her, and if she was still unsure, and that would be her choice. He would never bother her again. But he made the mistake twice of not choosing her, and choosing his brother and he had never been so miserable

He wanted to go back and change it all. If time travel was possible, he would have done it, given her the choice and even if Klaus had kept him in a box, or worse actually killed him, then he could at least go knowing Katarina was happy with whatever life she had chosen 

He stepped closer hearing her words ❝i can not lie and say I'll never make mistakes, but I will do everything in my power to be the kind of man you deserve and want. Give you the life where you can be happy. Because I know I'm happiest when I'm with you ❞

⠀⠀⠀⠀she couldn't understand how he could have done something like this. not even the lying or choosing his brother over a woman he had only known for a few weeks. she didn't understand how he could gamble with her life at all even though he claimed that he felt something for her.

⠀⠀⠀⠀her brows pulled together tighter, genuine confusion threading through the emotion now. "how could you trust uncertainty with something irreversible? with someone else’s existence. you speak of it now as though the possibility of losing me terrified you, but at the time..." a small shake of her head followed. "you still allowed the risk to exist."  it hurt in ways she had not expected. because if he had never cared, if she had only been collateral damage to him, then perhaps it would have been simpler to dismiss. but this? knowing there had been love beneath it made the wound stranger somehow. deeper.

⠀⠀⠀⠀when he stepped closer, she did not move away, though tension remained visible in the set of her shoulders. "and now i am supposed to live with this knowledge," she murmured. "that there was another path. another version of my life somewhere just beyond reach." her throat tightened faintly around the words. "do you understand how cruel that feels? knowing i might never have become this person at all?" a humorless breath left her softly. "that perhaps i could have remained someone untouched by all of the tragedy that i endured?"

⠀⠀⠀⠀"the worst part is that i want to believe you," she admitted. "i want to believe that if such a moment ever came again, you would choose differently this time. that you would not sacrifice me for the sake of keeping peace within your family." her expression faltered slightly there, vulnerability surfacing despite herself. "but i do not know how to silence the part of me that remembers you already did."

(slurred honesty, trembling hands, and the kind of truths that only spill when the world is blurry)

𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬

“I didn’t mean to call you… actually, no. I did. I just shouldn’t have.”

“Why does it hurt more when I’m sober? At least like this I can pretend.”

“I keep trying to forget you. But tonight? You’re all I remember.”

“I said I’d moved on. But look at me — I’m still falling apart.”

“Tell me you miss me too… just lie to me for one night.”

“If I start crying, don’t you dare walk away.”

“I tried to drink you out of my system. It didn’t work.”

“Please… just stay until the room stops spinning.”

𝐁𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐔𝐩 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞

“I shouldn’t be saying this, but you ruined me. Completely.”

“You were supposed to stay. Why didn’t you stay?”

“I wish I hated you. It would make this easier.”

“Don’t look at me like that — like I’m something to save.”

“I’m tired of pretending I’m fine. I’m not.”

“You don’t get to walk back into my life like nothing broke.”

“You’re the reason I drink, you know that?”

“I shouldn’t want you here… but I do.”

𝐋𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐨𝐫-𝐒𝐨𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐎𝐥𝐝 𝐖𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐬

“I thought if I numbed it, the past would stop clawing at me.”

“I still hear your goodbye every time I close my eyes.”

“Why didn’t you fight for me?”

“I know I messed up. I just don’t know how to fix it anymore.”

“I keep imagining what we could’ve been.”

“Tell me… was any of it real?”

“I shouldn’t have pushed you away. I know that now.”

“I didn’t lose you. I threw you away. And I hate myself for it.”

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐨𝐦 𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐬, 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬

“Don’t look at me like that. I’ll say things I can’t take back.”

“If I kiss you right now… will you stop me?”

“I’m drunk, not stupid — I know you still care.”

“You’re the only person I want to see when I’m like this.”

“Sit with me. Please. I don’t want to be alone tonight.”

“Can you just… hold me? Just this once.”

“I shouldn’t tell you this, but gods, I miss you.”

“If I pass out, promise you won’t disappear.”

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐤 𝐃𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫

“Ignore everything I said earlier. Or don’t. I don’t care anymore.”

“Yeah, I’m drunk. But that doesn’t make the truth less real.”

“I didn’t call anyone else. Just you.”

“I need you. And I hate that.”

“Can you come get me? I don’t trust myself alone.”

“If I show up on your doorstep, promise you won’t slam the door?”

“I miss your voice. Say something. Anything.”

“I know you’re angry… but I’m not hanging up until you talk to me.”

𝐒𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐤𝐞

“You don’t have to forgive me… just listen.”

“I can’t forget what I did. I just wish you’d tell me it didn’t ruin everything.”

“If I hurt you, I need to hear it from you. Not from my guilt.”

“Stay until morning. Let me face this with you.”

“I don’t know what I’m supposed to do without you anymore.”

“I’m sorry. Not the drunk kind… the real kind.”

“When I wake up tomorrow, I’ll still want you here.”

“If this is goodbye, let me remember how your voice sounds.”

❛  i can't be the person you want me to be.  ❜ ❛  i can't be the only one fighting for this.  ❜ ❛  i can't be the reason you hate yourself.  ❜ ❛  i can't do this anymore, but i don't know how to stop.  ❜ ❛  i can't do this if you don't trust me.  ❜ ❛  i can't hate you, and that's the worst part.  ❜ ❛  i can't keep loving a ghost.  ❜ ❛  i can't keep waiting for you to choose me.  ❜ ❛  i can't look at you the same way anymore.  ❜ ❛  i can't lose you, too.  ❜ ❛  i can't make you love me.  ❜ ❛  i can't sleep without thinking about what happened.  ❜ ❛  i can't stop thinking about the way you left.  ❜ ❛  i can't tell you the truth without losing you.  ❜ ❛  i can't tell you to stay when i know you want to leave.  ❜ ❛  can't you hear yourself?  ❜ ❛  can't you just do me this one favor?  ❜ ❛  can't you lie to me, just this once?  ❜ ❛  can't you please just listen?  ❜ ❛  can't you see that i'm trying?  ❜ ❛  can't you stay, just for tonight?  ❜ ❛  can't you stop pushing me away for five seconds?  ❜ ❛  can't you tell i'm scared?  ❜ ❛  can't you understand that i needed you?  ❜ ❛  can't we go back to before everything changed?  ❜ ❛  can't we just be friends?  ❜ ❛  can't we just have one normal night?  ❜ ❛  can't we pretend, just for a little while longer?  ❜ ❛  can't we try again?  ❜ ❛  you can't ask me to stay after everything you did.  ❜ ❛  you can't decide how you want me now.  ❜ ❛  you can't erase what happened.  ❜ ❛  you can't fix this with an apology.  ❜ ❛  you can't just show up here without calling first.  ❜ ❛  you can't keep punishing me for surviving.  ❜ ❛  you can't leave like that and expect me to still be here when you come back.  ❜ ❛  you can't love someone only when it's easy.  ❜ ❛  you can't promise forever when you can't even promise tomorrow.  ❜ ❛  you can't save me from this.  ❜ ❛  you can't say you love me and then disappear.  ❜

The corner of his mouth twitched, though whether it was amusement or skepticism was difficult to tell. For a moment, he simply studied her. Katherine Pierce had spent centuries slipping through the hands of kings, monsters, and men convinced they were clever enough to catch her. It was not difficult to see why.

“Very little worth repeating,” he said at last. His gaze drifted briefly toward the room around them before settling back on her. His head inclined ever so slightly with interest. “That you survived when you should not have. That powerful men became obsessed with finding you. That entire cities seemed to stir whenever you decided to stay in one place for too long.” Not to mention her ability to outrun those powerful men when it mattered the most.

⠀⠀⠀⠀her shoulders lifted in a careless shrug. "as for surviving when i should not have..." she tilted her head slightly. "that was never a choice presented to me. but one adapts. life becomes considerably more enjoyable when one learns to make the best of circumstances one did not ask for." the remark was delivered lightly, as though centuries of running, hiding, and narrowly escaping death were little more than an inconvenience.

⠀⠀⠀⠀then he introdruced himself and his name settled between them. one eyebrow arched and she gave room for a brief pause.  "should that mean something to me?" the question was entirely genuine because the way he said it, the way he felt like it's necessary to make an addition to the mere name felt like he should be known.