Chapter 32 — "Surprise, you immortal lunatic!"
Throughout its history, Mystic Falls had seen its fair share of tragedies: bloodshed, curses, ancient feuds, and the near-end of the world time and again.
But today—for the first time in what felt like centuries—it witnessed something else…
Joy.
At the Salvatore house, the ceilings were adorned with twinkling fairy lights, and cheerful, mellow music flowed gently through the rooms.
The table was decorated with bottles of whiskey and wine, and carefully placed blood bags, as if they were part of an elegant party.
Damon moved around like a restless wolf, adjusting decorations here and there even though they needed no adjustment.
Stefan, arms crossed, leaned against the fireplace with a light smile.
"You're really nervous."
Damon chuckled.
"Me? Nervous? No way. I just want everything to be… perfect. He died, came back, turned into some divine demonic vampire overlord, and saved us all from death. That deserves a party."
Stefan replied with a hint of sarcasm:
"Oh, so what you mean is… you want a party so you don't have to talk about your feelings."
Damon paused, then muttered:
"…Yeah, that too."
Klaus sat on the couch, legs up, sipping blood like it was fine wine.
"Your taste in decor is questionable, but… I'll admit there's a bizarre charm to it."
Elijah, sipping an actual glass of wine, nodded calmly.
"Alexander won't expect this. After everything he's endured… a moment of celebration might remind him he's no longer alone."
Even Rebekah was present, meticulously arranging the appetizers.
"Do we even know what he likes to eat?"
Damon muttered without looking up:
"Anything that isn't human, probably."
At that moment, Caroline entered, followed by Bonnie, who seemed a bit tense.
Bonnie brushed an invisible illusion off her jacket and said,
"Okay… I've got Alexander. We were at the falls. He suspects nothing."
Rebekah asked skeptically:
"Are you sure he doesn't read your mind or smell the sweets from a mile away?"
Bonnie replied, annoyed:
"I cloaked the place with magic, thank you very much. Besides… he owes me. I'm the one who brought him back."
Everyone laughed, but beneath the laughter was a real sense of anticipation.
Then…
The front door opened.
Alexander walked in,
his heavy footsteps echoing on the wooden floor. His brow was furrowed, his eyes scanning the room.
He saw the lights.
The music.
The Originals.
And the blood bags placed in a champagne bucket.
"…What the hell is this…?"
Damon opened his arms wide with a big grin:
"Welcome back, you idiot."
The room erupted in cheers.
Alexander blinked once. Then again.
"You… threw me a party?"
Stefan quickly said:
"It was my idea."
But Damon cut in at the exact same moment:
"No, it was totally my idea."
Bonnie nudged him gently with her elbow and said:
"You're not allowed to be mad. You're the reason we're all still alive."
Alexander looked around—at Rebekah handing him a glass, Elijah greeting him with a dignified nod, Klaus raising his drink with a proud smile, Stefan and Damon standing side by side, and Bonnie… smiling with a quiet mix of pride and warmth.
His features softened, and his voice lowered:
"I didn't think I'd ever have a moment like this again."
Stefan said:
"Now you do."
Bonnie added:
"And you deserve it."
Alexander raised his glass and said clearly:
"To second chances… and to the fools brave enough to love monsters."
Damon smiled:
"And to the monsters who finally learned how to smile."
Glasses clinked.
Laughter returned.
The music rose once more.
And for the first time in a long, long time… Alexander laughed too.
---
The golden morning sunlight stretched lazily through the windows of the Salvatore house, casting warm golden hues through the slightly parted curtains. The place looked as if it had weathered a small hurricane after the previous night's party—empty bottles strewn around, cushions flipped, blood bags tossed carelessly about. Even a sock hung from the chandelier, and no one dared ask whose it was.
Alexander sat on the front porch, feet propped on the railing, a cup of coffee in his hands. Black coffee. No blood. He wasn't sure why—maybe he just felt a little human in that moment.
Behind him, the wooden door creaked open, and Damon stepped out, hair messier than usual, still wearing the shirt from last night.
He said, staring at the cup:
"You're actually drinking coffee?"
Alexander shrugged:
"I'm actually drinking… What's in the cup is just for show."
Damon sat beside him, slumping in his chair with the kind of exhaustion that follows a long night:
"You seemed… kinda normal last night. Like a regular guy."
Alexander replied with a faint smile, glancing at him from the corner of his eye:
"Don't let the smile fool you. Still crazy inside… but I'm trying."
Inside, Bonnie and Caroline were magically cleaning up the remnants of the party, while Rebekah—more supervising than helping—stood back and issued directions. Klaus stood at the doorway, silently watching everything unfold with an odd air of contemplation.
And true to form, Elijah had already showered and donned his elegant suit, as if ready for a royal gathering.
Caroline said, glancing at the scene:
"I can't believe we went a whole night without a single fight."
Bonnie snorted lightly:
"Don't jinx it."
Downstairs, Stefan sat with Elijah, silently scanning through notes Bonnie had written about Katherine's disappearance and Kol's sudden vanishing after the last battle.
Elijah spoke in a low voice, carefully measured:
"She didn't take him to protect him. She took him to use him."
Stefan nodded in agreement:
"I think you're right. But… why? Kol has nothing left. No army. No power."
A voice from behind them, low but sharp, cut in:
"That's not true."
Klaus had entered the room silently, as always, and continued:
"Kol still carries rage… and desperation. That makes him dangerous, unpredictable."
Stefan looked up at him:
"And what about Katherine?"
Klaus gave a bitter smile:
"She's always been the queen of chaos."
Suddenly, Bonnie's phone buzzed upstairs. She read the message, then froze.
Rebekah asked, concerned:
"What is it?"
Bonnie handed her the phone wordlessly:
"It's from a witch I trust. There's something moving in the shadows… something ancient… cursed."
At that moment, Alexander entered the room, sensing the shift in atmosphere immediately.
He asked cautiously:
"What's going on now?"
Bonnie turned toward him slowly, her eyes heavy with the weight of what she had heard:
"Katherine didn't vanish with Kol for nothing. She was seen heading toward the cursed old forest… the one tied to the Original vampire bloodline. It looks like she's going to wake something up."
Alexander's expression darkened, his face cast in grim shadows:
"Let me guess… something worse than all of us combined."
Klaus snapped his fingers, as if something within him had just been unleashed:
"And so… the game begins again."
Damon approached quietly, eyes fixed on the floor:
"If Katherine's involved, it's not a game. It's personal."
Stefan nodded seriously:
"We need to move. Carefully. We plan first."
Alexander looked down for a moment, as if fighting off a flood of memories, then raised his head with cold resolve:
"Then we hunt at dawn."
The peace was over.
And the coming storm… would be unlike anything they'd ever faced before.
---
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