but oh what a year

[patrols]

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[patrols]

lindsay & damon | mystic falls (s8)

[patrols]

♫

[Stefan is settled in a cell, sans daylight ring, to wait it out until he decides he wants to be a vampire that has a civil conversation. Lindsay has been in Mystic Falls long enough to know that if he were to mysteriously disappear, people would notice, and Lindsay isn’t looking to be noticed just yet.

That cat may already be out of the bag, given she just abducted a well-known vampire, but she’s still trying to fly under everyone’s radar. Stumbling across him, covered in blood, on one of the backroads is a gift, in her mind. It gives her a plausible human reason to arrest him, and if anyone questions how she got him in the cruiser, well. That would give her room to question why they thought it would be an issue. And true, maybe it would lead to the grand reveal of a Slayer among them in due time, but she doesn’t really think it matters at this point.

Mystic Falls was a detour, really. A pit stop of problems that seemed to need a Slayer. She met a guy named Matt who seemed to want to warn her away – that in the end it would cause her more problems than it would solutions. But then Matt turns up dead in the trunk of his car, and Lindsay finds herself unable to resist the urge to investigate.

There isn’t much left of the Mystic Falls police force. The so-called “Founder’s Council” is especially gone. No one is protecting the people from this weird brand of vampires, and while she can acknowledge that they’re not the soulless demons that Lindsay is accustomed to, something isn’t right here. And she’s bound and determined to figure out what.

As she moves up the stairs, back towards her desk, she stops short when she sees that Damon Salvatore is sitting in her desk chair. There’s a high chance that he’s gone rifling through her desk. That he may have tried to break into her locked drawer and see all the files she and Beck have been putting together on the different vampires in town. Or maybe he isn’t on to her yet, and is just looking for his brother.

Either way, Lindsay keeps her eyes on him as she tries to play it cool.]

Not sure if you’ve spent a lot of time in police stations, but visitors are usually supposed to sit on the other side of the desk.

[unforgivably]

( Nobody goes "missing" from the Armory. They escape. Or, they negotiate. Stefan has nothing to negotiate with or for and doesn't want to negotiate. He stonewalls them for days while he dries out. He needles into his brother and his best friend. Even Bonnie thinks that the only good that comes from this is getting Stefan back. But, Stefan makes sure to twist that knife gruesomely, reminding her of all she's lost, and always at the hands of her friends or people they're working with. Is it her?

Damon makes daily visit, but there's one particular day when Alaric answers a call at home with the girls. It's a quick Abbott and Costello back and forth, 'Where's Stefan', 'He's there,' 'I'm here and there's no Stefan,' and 'Where' 'Ric!' 'Damon.' He tells him to find Dorian who's on the schedule for the day and Damon makes it clear nobody. is. there. Including Dorian. Well, Caroline's here, but she also doesn't know where Stefan is.

Caroline emerges from Dorian's office - they can replace the lock - they have bigger problems. She sees what he was reading and researching. And his search history yielded results that make it clear...

Stefan is in danger. And dried out. Probably drugged.

Things take a turn for the less comical as they pay Dorian's apartment a visit, but neither can enter. They don't hear anything, either. Caroline's friendliness gets the super to let them in for a wellness check, though she's at the ready with compulsion. She uses this as a learning experience, 'Compulsion isn't always the answer, Damon, see?'

Unbeknownst to them, in a distant wood, a dried out Stefan can still overpower an emotionally angry man, leave him for dead (unconscious) and hobble out to the road where the local 5-0 finds him. Instead of a helping hand, he gets another fight and one he's on the losing end of.

As they think the worst, Bonnie comes through with a locator spell before making it clear this is the last time she's helping with Stefan.

Which brings Damon to his one-time second favorite place in Mystic Falls. He makes himself at home, picks up a framed photo from her desk, rifles through the drawers, and finds Liz old stash in the back of one. So, he posts up. And waits. He's ready to compel the new sheriff he knows nothing about - and was out of town (humanity off, doing the Devil's work) during her appointment. He wasn't here or else he would've reached out to someone friendly and trusted or compelled Tyler into the position - not that he'd have accepted.

But, no, now he has a wildcard who has his brother.

She finds him reading his brother's file. He sips from his glass and doesn't look up, ready to make this a violent situation if it needs to be. )

The former sheriff was one of my best friends. Well, former former. R.I.P. Matt Donovan.

( He sets the glass down and looks up at her. Not very imposing. On the young side. All business. He drops his legs down from her desk. )

So, I'm very familiar with polite situations. Sheriff, with her vampire research. ( He points to her, then to him. ) Concerned citizen who didn't sign up to live in a police state. Plus, I wanted you to be able to thank me in person.

[patrols]

[Oh, so they're going to play it that way, then. She likes that better, putting all the cards on the table and seeing where they land. She even appreciates that he's not dancing around the vampire of it all. She also notices that he's not calling her out as a Slayer, so she keeps that card close to her chest for right now.

She's also glad that she hasn't texted Beck yet, to let him know about Stefan. She and her Watcher are still finding their rhythm, and she doesn't want him to walk in unprepared and get himself killed by an angry Salvatore.]

I think police state might be a little harsh.

[She's only investigating the undead ones. Most normal citizens of Mystic Falls are doing just fine. That being said, his last sentence isn't going unnoticed.]

What am I thanking you for, exactly?

[unforgivably]

( He leans forward, setting his file down. Holding his hand up, he presents two fingers. )

Two things. ( One finger falls. ) One, I killed the last sheriff on his leave of absence, long story, I was working for the Devil, but, instead of an interim nobody, we have you ( a permanent nobody. the finger shoots back up. ) - and, I personally weakened my brother enough for you to even hope to get your hands on him and behind bars. Because, we both know those wouldn't keep him in otherwise.

( Damon doesn't do intimidated, not by a small town sheriff obsessed with vampires. She doesn't ring as a Connor. Considering their tussle with Rayna, he should probably have his guard up harder. But how many unstoppable vampire killing machines can one universe really have. )

So. You're welcome. On two fronts. You didn't happen to find a young intern. Black. Probably regretting his life right now?

[patrols]

Wow.

[She takes all of that in with a nod.]

First of all, bold to admit to the murder of the previous sheriff in front of the current one like she's not going to do something about it.

[Because she may just. They'll get back to that Devil comment later. She'll also let him think that Stefan's weakened state is the reason she has him. That she got "lucky." That'll play for now.]

But no. I didn't find an intern. What happens is your brother came out of the woods, covered in blood that did not seem to be his, and when I tried to question him about it, he attacked me in an attempt to steal my cruiser. So he's chilling out in a holding cell until he's ready to have a conversation like a civilized person.

[In a nice cell, with a big spot of sunlight between him and the door, because this isn't her first rodeo.]

[unforgivably]

( His hands come up in a, 'what' gesture, as in, what would you even do? Where would you even start? Vampires don't go through the justice system pipeline. )

Goes by the name of Dorian.

( He interrupts as she recounts her time with his brother. )

Well. I don't condone stealing from law enforcement but that intern basically brought him out to the woods to murder him. So, I'd chalk that up to his fight or flight response. And, my brother currently in your holding cell isn't a civilized person. He's been compelled not to be. Humanity switch, if you want to add to your copious notes, Sheriff...

( What's her name? )

[patrols]

Miller. Lindsay, if we want to get personal and it seems like we are.

[Given his confessing to murder and all that.]

And yeah, I heard about that. It's weird, how your kind of vampire can just flip a switch on whether or not you have a soul. It's kind of creepy, actually. But if that's the case and your brother's flipped his switch, then he can stay down there until he turns it back on. To me, sounds like you're saying that he's a danger to himself or others so I'm not really seeing how that's an argument to let him go.

[You just seem to be proving her case for her, Damon.]

[unforgivably]

( Sheriff Miller, Lindsay.

Ignoring that he is taking Stefan with him when he goes, he holds his hand up, pressing the air a few times. Back up. )

Bup-bup, our kind of vampire?

[patrols]

Oh, you didn't think you were the only kind, did you? There's two others actually.

[Part of her is pleased he caught that. Maybe he isn't completely underestimating her after all.]

Yeah, there's a type of vampire that predates you guys buy a couple centuries at least. They're different though - no handy soul switch. No healing blood either. A lot more intentionality when a vampire is gonna turn them. In their case, they get drained by the vamp, the vamp gives 'em a little blood, and then they bury the body and a demon slips in there to take the soul's place. Upside though, I stake one of them? They turn to a pile of dust. Quick and easy clean up. I stake one of you, and I got a whole body to deal with. Messy. Not my favorite.

[She may be showing her hand a little here, but maybe it's time to dismiss the idea that she's just some local yokel who's done her research.]

The third one you shouldn't stake at all. You have to go for full decapitation and that's even messier. Also, they don't even have to kill people to turn them and have way too many teeth. Gross.

[unforgivably]

( He slides to the edge of his seat, ready to be the student.

He sets his jaw. So, she has a track record. Dust, though. That's new. Just turns to dust. Handy clean-up. Or, not? Wind does it's job. )

Yeah. Gross. So, one sounds like Anne Rice's basement flooding wet dream and the other... never heard of them. ( He slides back. ) So, you're some kind of vampire expert. Let me guess. Some such hunter whose family line leaves her destined to hunt vampires for all of eternity. Except, you got the handy trifecta map in your mind. ( He pushes his folder towards her. ) Gotta say, better than Rayna Cruz' vampire scribbles. A lot more coherent. Do you have, like, a killer secretary? Oh, and Daddy issues?

[patrols]

[General family issues, more like. But that's not important. She listens to this extrapolation of what he thinks her life is and well. He's not one hundred percent wrong. But he's not completely right either.]

Not exactly. They call us Slayers.

[She makes sure he can hear that capital "S."]

You're old enough you've probably heard of us once or twice.

[unforgivably]

( Damon knows the band, Slayer. Does that count? )

Can't say that I have. But, you're speaking to someone whose reputation usually proceeds him. Case in point. You missed the redemption arc, though, it is more a now thing. I really rock a colored past, though, don't you think? ( But to not mistake while they're here. ) Let's get back to Stefan.

sam, cordy, meredith, cristina & alex | lebanon (s15)

[letsbe_clear]

♫

[Things are getting tense in the Winchester bunker. Cordy can see the threads of cracks coming through with all the pressure they are under, and she doesn't know how to resolve it. All she can do is try and give them space to work through it.

This isn't just any other apocalypse. They're trying to kill God.

After the alternate Winchesters come through, Jack starts keeping an eye out for other alternate universe folks who might have stumbled through from their worlds. When he gets the sign of a handful at a nearby abandoned hospital, Cordy grabs Sam and persuades him to come with her to check it out, while Angel continues working on their "project" with Cas and Dean. Sam could probably use some time out of the bunker.

They probably all could.

When they arrive, they climb out of the Impala, and scans the surface.]

I'll take the right, you take the left?

[Sam nods, passing her a flashlight. "Shout if you run into trouble."]

[tequilashots]

( Deliberately, neither of them discuss how healthy or messed up they are as every pager goes off at once. Izzie slides off the gurney first. After an exchanged look between them and Alex also not acknowledging - none of them are acknowledging, they too move from where they were sitting.

They catch up to Izzie, the three of them bursting through the doors out of the tunnels back into the hospital.

Except, there are no interns (or George) - and no Izzie - and it's not bustling.

And -

"It's," Alex starts.

"Night," Cristina finishes the question. Almost as if she expected it to be night. Why would Alex be surprised it's night? She shouldn't - isn't -- surprised it's night. )

Where's Izzie?

( "We weren't down there that long," Alex says.

Meredith frowns at their surroundings because

Why is the power out?

( "When did the power go out," Alex corrects.

"Just now." Again, Cristina answers like it's the most obvious. )

But, we didn't hear anything. Didn't see the lights go from on to off. There's no generator running. Wouldn't there be emergency lights?

( "God I hope it's an emergency, bring me something to cut," Cristina says.

"Bright side, with the power off, neither of you will have to look at Burke or Shepherd."

Meredith slaps his shoulder for that. )

Shut up, Alex. ( They may both be fine, but that doesn't mean they're above the ridicule, even if it's petty and sibling-coded.

"No, he's right," Cristina confirms.

Meredith sighs. )

We should find everyone else.

( "Or, find where we were being paged to," Cristina presents.

"Maybe this was the page," Alex shrugs. )

No, it would go over the intercom. Code something.

( "God, not another code black," Cristina says. )

Hey!

( "You didn't explode," she points out. )

Come on!

[letsbe_clear]

[The voices draw her first. This isn't her first abandoned building - between working for Angel Investigations and being on the road with the Winchesters, they came up more often than not. She moves through carefully, quietly, taking the opportunity to swing the light around the corner before actually putting her body in the way.

She knows something is here, thanks to Jack, but she doesn't know what else might be here.

But the voices, if not a group of incalcitrant teenagers trying to get themselves into trouble, are likely their transplants. She moves in the direction of the voices and once she's close enough, tentatively calls out.]

Hello? Anyone here?

[screwbeautiful]

( "Maybe it's just this floor, maybe everyone else evacuated it," Alex says helpfully, realizing they're pretty alone and their voices and footsteps echo.

"Izzie didn't evacuate into thin air, Alex." )

That's not how evacuation works. And Meredith is right. One second she was there and the next, she wasn't, like she didn't go through the same door we did.

( Cristina throws an arm out in front of Meredith. )

Do you hear that?

( "Maybe more crazy people. Case of the missing resident," Alex says.

Cristina waves at him shushing him. And then she spots the light coming down from another hall. )

There.

( "Someone has a flashlight that's not the size of a pen," Alex jokes. )

Someone with a flashlight can get us out of here. And - find Izzie. ( And George. And the other interns. She pauses because the thought feels. Not possible. )

Hello? We're down here!

[letsbe_clear]

[Cordy turns and heads towards the sound of the voice, and as she rounds the corner she is prepared for the worst but hoping for the best. What she doesn't expect is doctors. Doctors who clearly just came right from work.]

Hi. I'm Cordy.

[Best to start with introductions.]

Are you guys okay?

[evilspawn]

( It's too dark to get anywhere, so, the trio stays put, even stubborn Alex. He doesn't know what's going on, how light can do what it did, or where everyone is, but this is not going to act out the "first day as a resident is hell." They're going to get to another floor. Maybe with this person's help.

He holds a hand up in front of his eyes.

From what he can make out - plus her voice - she seems -- well, can't just a person by their voice. )

We're fine. We were just down here taking a breather and the floor lost power.

( "Alex," Meredith says, looking to Alex and back at Cordelia and the tall one behind her. "Are you here to fix the power situation? We didn't go missing. We were just -- taking a break." She's not sure she would wear that if she were working on a hospital's power grid.

"Also, you shouldn't be back here. This area is for hospital personnel only, power or no power," Cristina says. Or, tries her authority on. She didn't know what she expected, but Cordy was not it. )

But, we will accept a walk back with you and your flashlight. You lost?

[letsbe_clear]

No. Think you might be though.

[Cordelia Chase, never avoid hitting the nail on the head.]

This hospital hasn't been operational for a while.

[Sam, having heard the voices follows behind her, looking over the three of them with a contemplative frown, but let's Cordy do the talking.]

[tequilashots]

( Meredith's always had this sixth sense, whether it be thinking she might die, knowing she was going into the water -- she has had a sense of impending disaster. Maybe that was ingrained in her from childhood. There are things she hasn't confronted, things she's buried. Things that risk bubbling up when she's confronted with something that doesn't make sense. )

Who are you?

( "What Dr. Grey is trying to say, is, let us navigate you to a floor with power," Cristina usurps.

"Crazy's catching," Alex says, eyeing her. )

Does the man behind you talk?

[letsbe_clear]

["Yeah, he does." Sam is very helpful. He's mostly just here to be tall, clearly.

Cordy waves a hand.]

Let's start over again. Hi. I'm Cordelia Chase. This is Sam Winchester, and you are currently standing in the remains of St. Cecelia's Memorial Hospital in Lawrence, Kansas. So wherever you think you are? You're not.

[She offers them a small smile.]

Does that help?

[screwbeautiful]

( "But he doesn't give names, only lurks," Meredith says, before Cordelia flips everything they know on their head.

They each commit the names to memory, not that they'll matter, until she gives the different name of a different hospital and an entirely different state. )

No. That doesn't help. We can't be standing in an abandoned hospital in Kansas like some kind of reverse trip with Dorothy.

( "Look, whatever gaslighting game you're playing--" Alex starts, before Meredith shoots Cristina a look.

"He knows the term gaslighting?"

"Yes, I know the term gaslighting. And I don't know what these two are on, or what they think they might get out of this, but I vote we leave them down here to find their way out." Alex doesn't wait and breezes past Cordelia and Sam.

"Alex, wait," Meredith says, calling out after him. "We can't be at St. Cecelia's because we are in Seattle Grace. In Seattle."

Cristina raises her voice, gesturing. Something nags at the corners of Meredith's mind as Cristina sends barbs. )

Alex, we're not leaving to future psych patients alone on a dead floor.

[letsbe_clear]

Psych patients. Wow.

[Sam shrugs. "Wouldn't be the first time."

Cordelia smirks at him, but let's Alex keep walking. They're not her responsibility.]

By all means, feel free to find your way out. You'll be able to see the incredible flatness of the Midwest the second you walk out the door.

[tequilashots]

Alex, wait up, ( Meredith says, taking off. ) Cristina!

( Another moment passes but Cristina decides to wash her hands of these two and follows.

The women catch up to Alex, and the three of them realize they're navigating a hospital they don't recognize, but luckily, the moon guides them to what used to be the main lobby and the unrecognizable, equally abandoned, parking lot beyond.

Cordelia and Sam will find the three of them bewildered, having shimmied through the previously physically opened sliding doors Sam jimmied to get in. )

We're in Kansas.

( "I'm thinking," Cristina says.

"We're not in Kansas," Alex says, pulling out his phone and discovering he doesn't have a signal. "We're just," he tries, but doesn't have another answer. )

Alex.

( Meredith turns back to the abandoned building and walks backwards, getting a look at its unfamiliar structure and the sign above. )

St. Cecelia's.