The Vampire Diaries: Bastard Line of Delgallo

Vanessa had never been one for impulsive decisions, but tonight, the weight of everything felt too much to bear. The land deal, the witches, the bloodlines, the alliances she had no say in—it all pressed down on her chest like an invisible hand, suffocating the air in her lungs. She needed something to give her a sense of control, a way to keep the pieces in place.

It was late when she arrived at Caroline Forbes' townhouse, the streets empty and quiet under the pale glow of the streetlights. Her heels clicked sharply against the cobblestones, the sound echoing in the stillness. Vanessa had been to Caroline's place before, but tonight was different. She wasn't here for idle conversation. She had a request, one that might change everything.

Caroline answered the door quickly, her usual radiant smile dimmed by the tiredness in her eyes. There were no pleasantries, no small talk—Vanessa went straight to the point.

"I need your blood."

Caroline blinked, momentarily stunned by the bluntness. "What do you mean?" she asked, though the question was already hanging heavy in the air between them.

"I need you to help me turn someone," Vanessa continued, her voice steady. "Alice. She's been useful to me, but I want her loyalty. And for that, she'll need to be bound to me. Blood is the best way to ensure that."

Caroline's gaze hardened, her features tightening with concern and something else—anger, maybe. "Vanessa, you don't know what you're asking. You want me to give you blood so you can turn someone? A human? Into a vampire? You're not thinking clearly."

Vanessa's lips curled into a small, self-assured smile. "I'm thinking perfectly clearly. Alice has done things for me, and now it's time for me to return the favor. Turning her into a vampire ensures that she stays loyal—indebted to me for eternity."

Caroline stepped back, her arms crossing over her chest. "You don't understand what you're doing. Vampires are dangerous. You're going to make someone a monster. A creature who has to feed on blood, someone who's going to be bound to you in a way that's beyond control. You're already married to a monster—do you want to create more of them?"

The words stung, but Vanessa didn't flinch. Instead, she looked Caroline square in the eye, her gaze cold and calculating. "I already know what my husband is, Caroline. I know what he's capable of. But Leon is a necessary evil in this world. And sometimes, monsters are the only way to keep the world from falling apart. You, of all people, should know that. You've seen it with Stefan and Elena, haven't you?"

Caroline's jaw tightened, and her face paled slightly at the mention of Elena and Stefan. Vanessa noticed the shift, the brief flicker of guilt that crossed Caroline's features. She pushed forward.

"He must have shown you. Stefan, right? You know what Leon did. How he manipulated them, twisted them, and made them do things they would never have done. You saw it with your own eyes. And yet, here you are, standing on your high horse, judging me for doing what's necessary to survive. The Salvatore brothers will think before every step now, thanks to Leon."

Caroline's eyes flashed with anger now, her voice rising. "What Leon did to Elena and Stefan was monstrous! He used them, hurt them. You think that's necessary?"

Vanessa let out a short, sharp laugh. "Oh, Caroline. You're still too naive for this world. You can't see it, but I can. The world isn't black and white. There are no heroes. Only survivors."

Before Caroline could respond, Vanessa took a step closer, her voice lower now, more persuasive. "You think Leon is a monster because he's ruthless. You think I'm asking you to make Alice a vampire for selfish reasons. But this world isn't like the fairytales you read. It's not about good and evil. It's about power, control, and survival. The moment you accept that you'll understand why I'm doing this."

Caroline's expression softened, though she didn't quite believe it. "I can't just ignore what happened to Elena and Stefan. That was… wrong."

Vanessa tilted her head, eyes narrowing with a mix of amusement and patience. "Wrong according to whose rules, Caroline? The ones the humans wrote? The ones you've spent your life following? The problem with that thinking is that it doesn't work in the real world. You're still seeing the world through the lens of your old life, the one you lost the moment you became a vampire."

Caroline opened her mouth to protest, but Vanessa wasn't finished.

"You keep thinking in terms of right and wrong, good and bad. But sometimes, the best way to protect the ones you love is to do what others won't. Sometimes, the rules need to be bent. In fact, sometimes, they need to be completely broken."

Vanessa took another step forward, closing the distance between them. "Alice is useful to me, Caroline. She's shown loyalty, but she needs something to bind her. Something that makes her part of my world. The only way to ensure that is through blood. Your blood. And if you don't see that, well… then you're still too caught up in your idealistic view of the world. You'll never truly understand how much blood it takes to keep the peace."

Caroline looked away, visibly wrestling with her inner conflict. Her fingers twitched at her sides as if she were ready to object, but Vanessa's calm demeanor was disarming. The tension in the room shifted, and Vanessa knew she had her. She just had to push a little further.

"You've seen what happens when people fight the world they live in. Elena and Stefan fought for their humanity, and look where it got them. They were broken. But Leon? Leon made sure he never lost control. And that's what I need. Control. In this world, it's the only thing that matters."

Caroline looked at her, eyes flicking back to Vanessa, the weight of her words sinking in. "And you think turning Alice will give you control?"

Vanessa smiled, her voice dropping to a whisper. "I know it will."

Caroline hesitated for a long moment, the silence thick between them. "I still think this is a mistake. But I'm not sure I can stop you."

Vanessa's smile widened, a quiet triumph in her eyes. "You don't need to stop me, Caroline. You just need to understand why I'm doing this. Because in the end, this world will break you if you don't learn how to break it first."

Without another word, she stepped back, a subtle nod acknowledging Caroline's reluctant understanding. "I'll be in touch when I'm ready for the blood. Until then, take care. And remember—sometimes, the monsters are the only ones who know how to win."

Vanessa turned on her heel and walked out, the door clicking shut behind her. Caroline stood there for a long moment, her hand resting on the doorframe, her thoughts a whirlwind of confusion, doubt, and something else—an unsettling understanding of the truth Vanessa had just whispered into her ear.

Outside, Vanessa spoke, and Caroline looked up. With her supernatural hearing, Vanessa left her something to think about.

"Leon did that because Damon tried me and his brother condoned it. Don't you wish Leon was around when Damon abused you without repercussions?"

The world wasn't black and white. Not anymore.

____________________________________

Bonnie spent the entire day honing her magic, each spell feeling more controlled, more precise. The flickers of power that had once been unpredictable and wild now responded to her commands with growing ease. She felt stronger, steadier. A newfound confidence settled in her chest as she practiced in the spacious backyard of the Delgallo House, the late afternoon sun casting long shadows across the grass.

Leon stood beside her, watching her with an approving nod. "You're getting better," he said. "Your control is sharper."

"Feels like it," Bonnie admitted, stretching her fingers as a residual tingle of magic faded. "But there's always more to learn."

Leon smirked. "Always. Speaking of learning, you asked me earlier about Vanessa—why she's a Siphoner."

Bonnie turned to him, intrigued. "Yeah, you said you traced her lineage?"

Leon nodded. "I did some digging. Turns out, Vanessa's family traces back to an exiled witch from the Gemini Coven—who was also a siphoner. That's where it comes from. The Gemini Coven doesn't exactly advertise their failures, and siphoners were seen as just that. They exiled them to keep their bloodline 'pure.'"

Bonnie frowned, absorbing the information. "So Vanessa comes from a long line of witches who didn't want anything to do with her kind. No wonder she went so long without realizing what she was."

"Exactly," Leon agreed. "She doesn't have her own magic, just the ability to siphon it from others. Without someone to teach her about what she was, she never knew to look for it. She grew up with a single mother who had no witch heritage—no knowledge of what Vanessa could be. There was no one to guide her."

Bonnie considered that, thinking back to her own experiences. "That's so different from how I learned about magic," she murmured.

Leon tilted his head. "How did you learn?"

A nostalgic smile tugged at Bonnie's lips. "Accidentally, at first. My magic would flare up when I was emotional. Small things—lights flickering, objects moving. My Grams eventually stepped in and started teaching me, but her methods... well, they didn't really suit me. She was strict, disciplined. Expected me to learn through old-fashioned training and incantations. But for me, it was all about feeling, instinct."

Leon chuckled. "And that awareness—that possibility—helped reveal your magic. You grew up hearing your Grams' drunk bantering about witches and spells, even before you fully understood what it meant. That gave you an advantage. Vanessa didn't have that. She didn't even know to believe in magic, let alone recognize the signs."

Bonnie exhaled, shaking her head. "No wonder she struggled for so long. Without guidance, she was flying blind."

Leon nodded solemnly. "And that's why we're here now. To help her, and to make sure she doesn't have to figure it all out alone. Bonnie."

Bonnie looked at him, her green eyes wide and attentive.

"That's why we're here in Mystic Falls. In New Orleans, it's dangerous to be a witch, war all the time. While there is conflict here, it's manageable. Throughout the ages, when there were more Bennett witches, they established the Bennett Coven and took in witches. I can't have a Coven in Mystic Falls without you, without your cousin."

"My cousin." Bonnie was confused.

Leon nodded, "Keep the secret, but Katherine has gone to summon Lucy back to Mystic Falls."

"What! She can't do that! Katherine..."

"Does what I say. She'll do what you say when she returns." Leon assured, "Focus up, try another spell and I'll be back."

As Leon went into the house, Bonnie took the time to calm herself. Just as she was about to attempt another spell, a familiar presence rippled through the air. Bonnie turned sharply, sensing Elena before she even saw her. And then, there she was, standing at the edge of the property, her expression unreadable.

"Elena," Bonnie greeted cautiously, lowering her hands.

Elena took a few steps forward, her gaze flickering across the yard before landing on Bonnie. "I wanted to talk to Leon."

Bonnie studied her, searching for any sign of hesitation or confusion. "He's inside," she said after a beat. "But what are you doing here?"

Elena hesitated, a flicker of something—guilt? Calculation?—flashing across her features before she smiled lightly. "I just wanted to check in."

Bonnie nodded slowly but said nothing. She wasn't sure what to make of this visit, but she could feel that something was off. Elena's presence, the way she carried herself—it was too... intentional.

A few minutes later, after Elena had finished speaking with Leon and was heading out, Bonnie pulled out her phone and quickly dialed Caroline's number.

"Bonnie?" Caroline's voice was brisk, but there was an edge of surprise.

"Elena was just here," Bonnie said without preamble, still watching as Elena disappeared down the street.

There was a beat of silence before Caroline spoke again, her voice low and urgent. "Wait—what? She just showed up? What did she say?"

"She said she wanted to talk to Leon," Bonnie replied. "But something felt... off."

Caroline exhaled sharply. "Bonnie, listen to me. If she's acting normal—if she's pretending like nothing happened—then that means she didn't forget. She remembers everything."

Bonnie's breath caught. The realization settled heavily over her. "She's pretending."

"Yeah," Caroline said, her tone dark. "And that means we need to figure out why."

As the call ended, Bonnie's fingers tightened around her phone.

"Hey, how's that spell going?" Leon asked as he walked out of the house with a thick old tome in hand.

"Good," Bonnie replied, hiding her worry.

'Who is he really?' she asked herself, she looked at him, albeit hot and alluring, he seemed like a nice guy.

'And how hasn't attacked Damon for doing something stupid' 

As Leon got closer, he handed over the large book and Bonnie frowned.

"Take it." He said, "It's your family history since they left Salem. Right up until Dr. Martin met your Grams a few years ago, Bonnie."

"He met my Grams? Why didn't he?"

"Jonas Martin was the husband of your cousin, Bonnie. Lukas and his sister Greta, are your cousins. Bennett's blood is dangerous to have, you can't blame him." Leon explained.

Bonnie was speechless.

"Come on, I have someone I want you to meet," he said.