Drinking the pain away (Open)

It had been 5 months since Alaric had seen Elena, Damon, Stefan or any of the other teenagers he used to protect and consider family. Alaric had spent the last 5 months of what felt like exile in order to help him gain his sanity back and to control his dark alter ego with the help of Bonnie and Abby Bennett. Ric had finally been given the “okay” to go back out into the city and live his life as sane as he possibly could. Though there was the possibly that the powerful dark vampire hunter could arise, but it would only be short-lived and Bonnie would be able to conceal it again, no matter how far away they were from one another. Since being out, he had gone straight to the Mystic Grill in hopes that he would see a few familiar faces, but there was no luck. A part of him started to think that his old friends were avoiding him. He feared that they would not be able to forgive him for what the other side of him had done to his friends.

Just last week, he had gone to the Mystic Grill with his sights set on drinking and finding his friends, only to find a resurrected Lexi Branson. The two had hit it off and he had fed from a vampire for the first time and it released another side of him, the wild and animalistic ego of himself that hid within the confines of the new vampire personality. Little did he know that feeding from a vampire would arise feelings of love from whoever he fed from. That vampire being Lexi Branson. She bit him as well though, but Lexi knew what would happen to his mentality, so it almost felt like a trick because she was attracted to him and lured him in with the alternative to drinking from humans and feed from her instead. Even though she was a new friend, he felt betrayed. Alaric felt like he sort of knew he though since Elena and everyone else had mentioned her in the past.

A few days after that incident, a girl of sixteen years old waltzed to his door and claimed to be his daughter, Abigail Saltzman. She was Isobel’s daughter, but Alaric never could recall ever when Isobel was even the least bit pregnant, in other words, she hid being pregnant and lied about ever being able to get pregnant. Sour feelings for Isobel continued to rise in his mind, even more than before. But he couldn’t blame Damon for turning her, since he was only fulfilling a beautiful woman’s wishes and he didn’t know the pain it was cause her husband that she never even bothered to mention. Alaric, their marriage and her secret baby was the life she never wanted and tried to forget as she sought out becoming a vampire. It was all so ironic of how he was a vampire hunter, became a vampire, and is still a hunter. All of it could have been averted if Isobel was in her right mind or if Damon would have used his brain and declined her request.

Just a few days ago, Abigail mentioned that she had run into Damon Salvatore and several things had taken place which appalled Alaric. One, Elena dumped Damon too out of the fear of hurting Stefan. Her reasoning was that dating one or the other would just hurt them both, so she wanted to avoid the pain for both of them by not choosing either of them and trying to move on. Alaric had yet to talk to Elena, but he would give her props on that. No, he didn’t like the fact that now his best friend was in utter pain and would revert to his asshole self now that Elena around to flutter his heart and change his personality from jerk to sincere gentleman, or at least similar to it. But he had also heard that Damon gave alcohol to his underage daughter AND made her cry among a few other things. Typical Damon to lash out and be a dick when he was hurting. Since Damon was now a since and heartbroken vampire, he knew that he could now find Damon at the Grill, drinking his pain away and not at Elena’s side for once.

Walking into the Grill, he eyed the bar and saw black hair within a black leather jacket and Alaric’s suspicions were right, Damon Salvatore was already taking shots. Just by walking in, he saw two shots taken and he kept to himself and there was no one near him and he sat in silence. As he approached the bar himself, the deep croaking of his boots could be heard and as he met up to Damon, he lifted up his hand and slapped him across the back of his head. ”What the hell were you thinking? Talking crap on Abigail’s mother?! I mean I hate her too, but that’s beside the point!” His tone was only slightly raised and the hit was meant to be more light and even somewhat playful. It would make Damon be pissed off at first, but once he would recognize his voice, he would instantly cheer up. Alaric, at the first sight of Damon at the bar had already made him happier. ”You gave her alcohol and bit her, all of that in one night?!” Alaric then turned Damon around on the barstool, calmed his face down and smiled before pulling him into a strong hug. Alaric was just making a dramatic entrance to seeing his best friend once again.

After smacking the back of the young and reckless vampire’s head, his hand reached to the spot before asking what the hell? Alaric would have expected Damon to turn around without thinking and punch him in the face, but it was the alcohol that was probably mellowing him out, not to mention his break up with Elena. Though the tone of his voice changed from hostile to relatively calm and the typical Damon tone, that must had been when he recognized Ric’s voice. Alaric brought up the fact of how Damon had simply nicked his daughter on the neck with his sharp fangs and Ric called it a bit while Damon called it a small scratch. Damon hadn’t changed a bit. Then as for the alcohol, it wasn’t her first time with drinking and then as for her mother, he wasn’t going to sugar coat it. Ric lowered his head at the thought of Isobel and how much she had really lied and betrayed him. Was their relationship nothing but lies and her not being satisfied with her life? Ric was so lost in love with her, and the whole time, it was just a lie. Huffing lightly, he shoved off the thoughts and pulled Damon into a deep hug.

Alaric hadn’t seen his good friend in quite a long time and to be honest, he missed his company and how they would used to hang out all of the time at the Grill. But now it looked like such times were about to happen right there that day. Ric wasn’t usually one for hugs and neither was Damon, but he didn’t care at this point. Damon even hugged him back, a silent expression that he also missed Ric. Their eyes met and Ric couldn’t help but smile and when Damon asked where he had been, Alaric laughed lightly. ”You sound like my mother.” Ric paused before pulling out of the hug and seating himself on the stool next to Damon and asking the bartender to get him a few shots, looking into the eyes of the young man, Ric began to compel him as his pupils dilated. ”You’re going to get me as many free shots as my little heart desires and tell no one about it.” His pupils went back to their original size and he smiled wickedly before looking back at Damon and answering his question. Compelling a human was a sure sign that he was different now, but he was still the same Alaric, just an all-powerful and immortal original vampire.

”I was off learning that..” He smirked before continuing. ”I had to be controlled, my mind was completely taken over. Bonnie and Abby helped to use spells to control my mind and keep me sane as well as teaching me how to be a vampire..” His shots arrived at his fingertips and he quickly took his shot between his fingers and threw back his head before the cool liquid ran down his throat and felt like a burn that was so satisfying..”I was locked in the tombs, against my will but for my own good. So no, I wasn’t avoiding you for dating my stepdaughter and now trying to hit on my other daughter...” Alaric noted to him playfully and looked at Damon, seeing that his face was deeply saddened within. Then when asked about his dark “evil twin”, Ric lightly laughed. ”Well, the personalities blended. I am more outgoing, daring, flirtatious, but in the end, I am the same Ric. But when it comes to my vampire side, I am on the fence on determining whether I like feeding from humans or not. I am overall sane...Though I can have minor breakouts where my dark ego takes over completely, but Bonnie will feel it and quickly do a spell..” He looked back to the shot of alcohol in his hands.

”So for the most part, you’re safe...but there is that chance.” Ric said before downing his second shot. ”Speaking of feeding, I met Lexi Branson.” His blue eyes pierced into Damon’s and then kept speaking. ”She is back from the dead, it’s heard that a lot of dead are rising from the dead..something bigger than we’ve ever dealt with is coming to Mystic Falls....But anyway, she wants to stake you the first chance she gets, you better watch out.” He decided to keep the incident of the two feeding from one another silent for now, knowing Damon would be filled with disgust, just as much as Lexi was disgusted at the mere thought of Damon.