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After everything you and your friends had been through, after all the loss, and after all the pain you figured you all deserved a little break. You deserved a little happiness. You deserved a do-over. For the love of all that was holy and sacred the sacrifices that had been made for the good of the world should amount to some happiness for the lot of you.
You looked around at your friends that you had frozen in time as they prepared to fight the latest evil in your lives. There was Bonnie in mid chant, tears streaming down her face as she gave up another piece of her soul to fight for Mystic Falls and all of you. Damon standing at her back protecting one of his best friends til the death if need be. Matt was sprawled on the ground at your feet already dead, and all because he did as he always did and put the lives of those he cared about above his own.
Ric knelt on the ground one hand pressed to the wound on his side, fear written all over his face as he realized he might not ever see his children grow up. It was bad enough he had lost his wife, and for a time thought he had lost his children too. Thanks to the insanity of the Gemini coven though they had been saved, but for what? To grow up orphans? To be slaughtered by whatever evil was coming through that veil? And Stefan, sweet, sweet Stefan. Always fighting for the good. In everything. Always the hero. With his hero hair as Damon called it. You couldn’t help but laugh and cry at the same time as you looked around at everyone. Elena wasn’t here, but you’re positive she would be right beside Caroline and the others. Tyler had even come out from the mountains to help this time. Jeremy had come back, and brought a few friends. Enzo had even chose the right side this time.
Everyone had come together finally, you were all united against a common enemy. But you were losing. You stared at the blood dripping from Bonnie’s nose, a small trickle had even begun from the corner of her eyes. Whatever spell she was trying would kill her, and the bad thing was it might not even work. You swiped the tears from your eyes and dug into your pocket. As your fingers wrapped around the coolness of the stone you were filled with hope for a moment.
Hope. It flickered in your heart for the first time since this whole mess started. Since before you were accidentally turned into a heretic. Everyone had been searching for solutions, or delays, and everyone had turned up empty handed. Except for you. You had something. It came with drawbacks, and you had not planned on using it. As far as you knew it had never been used. It had never been tested. No one knew the extent of it’s powers or what would happen should it ever be used. Where the Phoenix Stone trapped vampire souls and put them in a never ending hell created from their own sins, the Serenity Stone had the power to use every good deed a person had ever done with selfless intent to give you a do-over. A second chance at life. There were no guarantees though that things would be the same, you didn’t know if everyone would retain their memories, or if the same people would be brought into your life.
You could wake up and Bonnie might not be a Bennet witch. Matt might not be the Matt you had grown up with and cared for. Elena might not be a doppleganger. The Salvatore brothers might not ever have been made vampires. Anything was possible. But there was that chance that you could save them, you just didn’t know if it was purely selfless or if you were being selfish. Tears came faster now. It wasn’t fair! Everyone had given up something! Everyone had lost someone! And now you were all on the verge of dying once and for all, and who knew if there would be another group of people willing to step up and try to do the right thing. Who knew if anyone would be able to.
‘You must make a choice, do you think that all of you are deserving enough of a second chance?’ The voice made you jump, and your heart skip a beat. You turned to look behind you to find a woman watching you carefully. She was beautiful, but not in the sense of physical beauty. There was something that came from within her that made her pleasing to the eye. A goodness, a purity.
‘How are you here right now? I have frozen this moment to give me time to think, you shouldn’t be able to be here.’ Confusion clouded your already hazy thoughts. You had never seen her before, but she seemed familiar.
The woman chuckled and shook her head. ‘You know Bennet witches are not the only powerful bloodline. Your own is quite remarkable, and I am quite proud of all of you.’ She smiled and walked until she was standing almost toe to toe with you. Due to the difference in height she was forced to look up at you as she reached to tuck a stray lock of hair behind your ear. ‘My spirit is tied to that stone because I am it’s guardian. I am the one who weighs the scales.’ She smiled sadly and took a step back without breaking eye contact. ‘I am also your ancestor Laisha. I had hoped that no one would ever be in such a dire place to need this stone, but I am no fool I knew there would be a day when the greatest of evil could no be beaten back. That there would be a time when someone or a group of someones would need to retrace steps and try to prevent it from being unleashed upon the world.’
You looked from Laisha to the stone in your hand, and then to your friends. ‘Do you know what these people have given up for this world and all who dwell in it? Do you know the pain they’ve endured? The hells they’ve gone through? Or the lifetimes they have lived to get here?’ You looked into her eyes and searched for a hint of how she felt. Just a hint as to how things would go for you and your friends should you invoke the stone’s power. But she just smiled that same sad little smile and spread her hands before her. ‘You have only to call on the stone and all will be made clear to me.’
You inhaled deeply and took one last look around you. You had no choice, you could not watch your friends die. Closing your eyes you gripped the stone tightly and uttered the words that would invoke Laisha and the Serenity Stone. One moment all was as it was when you froze time. The next you could feel yourself being pulled away from the events unfolding before you, and you watched as your friends flew through time and space with you. As blackness enveloped you flashes of your life flew by, every action you had ever taken, every decision, every word uttered replayed in your mind’s eye. Just as you were about to fade into the blackness Laisha appeared next to you, gazing into your eyes as you watched your life. ‘My dear child the lives of you and your friends have been weighed and measured. Your deeds and selflessness have been deemed worthy of a second chance. But know this, not all will be as you remember it, and you will not remember everything. There are some things that will be taken from your mind so as to even the playing field a bit. Because everything must have a balance. I may only give this one warning, we will not be able to speak again unless you have use of the stone again though I advise against it. There may be changes in your friends. Their personalities may be different, their lives may be different. You will all remember, but will most likely not care if it is not how the person they are now would act or feel.’ She cupped your cheek and stroked your hair tenderly.
‘There is a price for everything dear one, and I can only hope it was not too steep for you or yours for you are all truly remarkable young men and women. Go and rejoin the world of the living and make your line proud.’
And with that there was only darkness for what seemed like an eternity.
But then you opened your eyes, and for a moment relief flooded your body. Until you realized you were in Stefan’s bed, with an arm draped over your midsection.