21. Promised Land

Aria groaned and slowly opened her eyes, opening her eyes, Aria realised she was tied to metal table, with multiple cuts on her wrists and arms, two buckets were placed on the ground that were collecting her blood, Aria looked around and tried to find Damon, but saw no sign of him anywhere.

Aria groaned in annoyance, when Markos opened the door and let the light hit Aria's face, he walked over to her with a small cup of blood in his hand, he held it under Aria's nose, and eventually helped Aria drink the blood.

"Let go of me" Aria whispered, after drinking the blood, her voice raspy, "You have enough blood Markos".

Markos took out a knife and made another cut on Aria's arm, making her scream in pain.

"I'm pregnant, you idiot!" Aria yelled, glaring at Markos, she tried to use her magic on him but quickly realised her magic wasn't working.

"Your babies are fine" Markos said, "But this time they won't be able to help you out of this situation".

"What did you do to them?" Aria asked, glaring at Markos.

"Nothing harmful" Markos replied, "I just temporarily removed their and your magic".

Aria glared at Markos, "I'm going to kill you".

"I've heard that threat multiple times Aria, but no one seems to actually do something to me" Markos said.

Aria chuckled, "I am a Tribrid Markos, I am going to defeat you, and I'm going to make you regret messing with me and my children".

Markos smirked, "We'll see about that" he said, then walked right out the door.

***

In another room, Damon was also tied to a metal table, with cuts on his arms and buckets placed under to collect his blood, Damon groaned in annoyance when the door opened, the unknown person ran in and without saying anything started unlocking Damon.

"Who are you?" Damon asked, his vision blurry due to the lack of blood.

"Shh, get out of here" The mysterious women said, "Go".

"Aria" Damon whispered.

"She's next door, get her and run" The women said, quickly running off.

After much difficulty Damon slowly got off the table, and slowly walked out the door.

***

Aria groaned in annoyance when the door opened once again, and the light hit her face.

"If you're going to keep me captive, I'd appericate you not letting the light into the room" Aria snapped, not looking towards the person who entered the room.

"Only you would demand things from your kidnapper Ria".

Aria looked towards the person who entered the room, "Damon, is that you?" she asked, not being able to see properly.

"It's me Ria" Damon said, removing Aria's restraints, and slowly helping Aria sit up, "Come on, we need to go", Damon helped Aria stand, "Woah, careful" he said, when Aria was about to fall, but he quickly held her in his arms.

"I can't feel my legs" Aria mumbled, feeling extremely weak.

Without saying anything, Damon picked Aria up in his arms and rushed both of them out of the Travelers camp.

***

"Who would have thought that collect calls would still be a thing" Kol said through the phone.

"I'm not in the mood Kol" Damon snapped, "How have you guys not found us yet? How long have me and Ria been missing for?".

"Approximately four days" Kol replied.

"So in four days, you idiotic people couldn't track us down?" Damon asked, "What did you think we were on a pre-honeymoon trip?".

"Cut the attitude" Kol snapped, "Me, Caroline, Rebekah and Enzo have been looking for you and Ri 24/7, maybe next time don't get bloody kidnapped and we wouldn't have to spend four days in finding you".

"I hate bunny blood!" Aria yelled, walking back to Damon from the woods, "I'm never doing that again".

"Ri is drinking bunny blood?" Kol asked amused.

"The stupid travelers drained us of our blood and we are surrounded by woods, no humans in sight, so we had to hunt animals" Damon replied.

"Something the babies hate, by the way" Aria said, leaning against the wall and taking deep breaths.

"What's wrong?" Damon asked, looking at Aria in concern.

"The babies are kicking" Aria replied.

"Go sit down Ria" Damon said, "Rest, you need it".

"Gladly" Aria mumbled, going inside the hut her and Damon had found.

"Alright, where are you guys?" Kol asked, "I'll pick you two lovebirds up".

"That's the problem Kol, we have no idea where we are" Damon replied, "It seems like we're in the middle of nowhere, look, me and Ria will hopefully make our way back to you guys before she goes into labor, you guys have a more important issue".

"Something more important then Ri?" Kol asked, "I doubt it, but go on".

"Markos drained nearly all of mine and Ria's blood, with just a little bit of our blood, he was able to do a lot, I'd rather not find out what he can do with a lot of our blood" Damon said.

"Right, kill Markos, and save Mystic Falls, got it" Kol said, "I can't believe your making me play hero".

"I'm not making you do anything, that's all your doing" Damon said, "While you do that, I'm going to make sure Ria and my babies get home safely".

"For the love of god, don't be suicidal" Kol warned, "Get both your asses home safely, I'd really like to be there for Ri's birth, it will suck if she gave birth on the side of a road, but considering they're your babies I won't be so surprised".

"Goodbye, Kol" Damon said, hanging up on an amused Kol.

***

"You know, normal pregnant women usually rest before they're in labor, not try to hitchhike a ride" Aria complained, as her and Damon walked on the side of the road, trying to get any car to stop and give them a ride, but failing miserably.

"Well, you're not normal Ria" Damon teased, "I thought we established that a long time ago".

Aria chuckled, "Yeah, the amount of things I've gone through in my pregnancy, if I was normal, I'm sacred I wouldn't have been able to survive it".

Damon looked at Aria, "Well, if it's any consolation, when our kids are born, we're going to have a lot of stories to tell them".

"Yeah we are" Aria laughed, "So, any idea on how we can get our strength back so we can speed run to Mystic Falls, because the bunny let me walk not run".

"We need a human" Damon said, "Who for some reason are no where to be found".

"This place is so depressing" Aria commented.

"More depressing then us?" Damon asked, "We're walking miles, while having no idea where we're going, or if we are even close to any civilisation".

"Yeah we win in the whose more depressing contest" Aria replied.

"On to a less depressing matter, Kol Mikaelson is going to be playing the role of Mystic Fall's new hero" Damon informed.

Aria chuckled, "God help Mystic Falls".

"I don't know Ria, I think for the first time in his life, Kol might actually want to be a hero" Damon said, "He had his, I'm a hero now, voice going on".

"I've never heard that voice before" Aria joked.

"I have" Damon revealed.

"When?" Aria asked curiously.

"When he was determined to bring you back when Katherine was possessing you, when I decided to walk away instead of help you" Damon replied, looking at Aria.

Aria sighed, and looked down at the road, "Damon, let's not talk about that, please".

"Do you think you'll ever be able to get past that?" Damon asked.

"One day" Aria replied, "Dean once told me that time heals everything".

"Ah Dean Avery, for a brief moment I thought you and him were going to get together" Damon admitted.

Aria laughed, "That thought did cross my mind" she joked, "But I decided it would have been too weird dating two people who like exactly the same, plus, I broke up with you because you walked away, not because I wanted to move on".

"We're miserable without each other" Damon said, "Right?".

"Right" Aria replied, "We're soulmates Damon, ever since we've met people have been saying that the universe wants us together, and if that's true, then you and I are going to be together, maybe not now, maybe in a few days, or a few weeks, but I love you, and I can't imagine loving someone else".

"I didn't fall in love with you because the universe made me" Damon said, "I fell in love you because I wanted to, because being in love with you is the first time I've felt peace in the hundred and fifty years I spent being a vampire".

"I've said it a lot Damon, and I'll say it again" Aria said, "You brought back the light in my very dark life, and you're right, it wasn't the universe it was us who decided to fall for each other, and now it's not going to be the universe who brings us together, that's going to be on us".

"And we will" Damon promised.

Aria gave Damon a small smile in response.

***

"I think I just hallucinated a white carriage coming to our rescue" Aria said.

Damon chuckled, "Definitely a hallucination" he said, "Cause there's no one on this abandoned road except us".

"You know if Caroline was here she'd present us with a full catered buffet, right here, right now" Aria said, making Damon chuckle, "When me and Caroline were little, we used to make plans on how we would act if we were ever abandoned somewhere".

"Do you happen to remember those plans?" Damon asked, "At this point I'd try anything".

"Even sing on the road and wait for your prince charming to come to your rescue?" Aria asked.

"That's the plan you two came up with?" Damon asked amused.

"We were twelve and very into Prince and Princesses" Aria defended.

"Still" Damon said, "Surely that's not the best plan you two came up with".

"It wasn't" Aria replied, "We came up with a lot of plans, but that was the only plan that I will ever say out loud".

"The others were the bad, huh?" Damon asked.

"Yeap" Aria replied, chuckling, "You know what? We should put our Caroline Forbes hat on and ask the universe to stop screwing with us".

"Seriously?" Damon asked.

"Seriously" Aria replied, she looked up at the sky, "Hello universe! A very pregnant Tribrid, who is exhausted from walking and is about collapse in about approximately thirty minutes, is begging you to help us, you've screwed us over, now it's time for the good stuff!".

"You've gotta be kidding me" Damon said, looking behind Aria.

"What?" Aria asked, she turned around only to see a car speeding towards then, "Oh my god!" she yelled excitedly, "It worked! The universe listened to me! Come on Damon, we have to stop this person".

Both Damon and Aria made a hitchhike signal, both hoping and praying the car would stop, and much to their relief, the car actually stopped.

"I love you universe" Aria mumbled, walking over to the drivers seat, to see a women, "Hey".

"Hey" the women greeted.

"No small talk, you're giving us a ride, now" Damon said, trying to compel the women, but not realising that the women infront of him was a traveler.

"You're trying to compel me? Who do you think freed you last night?" The women asked, confusing the two soulmates, "Get in, they're coming for you".

"I'm laying down on the back" Aria stated, "My back is killing me".

"Go for it" The traveler said, and with that both Damon and Aria got into the car, glad to finally find help.

***

"It was too risky to haul you out myself, so I had to circle back".

"Are you sure they won't kill you for helping us?" Aria asked, laying on the backseat and staring at the car's roof, her hands on her stomach.

"They will, which is why we need to make sure they don't get me before I get to my husband, I assume you know where he is?".

"If you're talking about the traveler in Tyler, then yeah, he's currently in our basement" Damon replied.

"Question, didn't your husband run from Markos as well?" Aria asked, "Doesn't that make both of you targets?".

"Markos is focused on breaking the curse so that the Travelers can settle permanently in your home town, I'll have a head start if I can get to Julian before Markos starts the spell".

"Go ahead, take him, we have no interest in him or the person he's possessing" Damon said.

"But only if you help us reach home" Aria interjected, "You help us reach home, you can have Julian back, otherwise no Julian".

"You have yourself a deal Tribrid".

"What's your name by the way?" Aria asked, "If I'm making a deal with you, I'd really like to know your name first".

"Maria".

***

"Home sweet home" Maria said, as they entered Mystic Falls.

"Finally" Aria said, sitting up, "I need about twenty blood bags".

"Now you're just being dramatic" Damon said.

Aria glared at Damon, "You try being pregnant with triplets and then get bleed out of all your blood, while being so close to your delivery date!".

"Pregnancy 101, never call a pregnant women dramatic" Maria told Damon.

"Thank you" Aria said, "I like you Maria, you Damon, can go to hell".

"If I give you chocolate, will you forgive me for calling you dramatic?" Damon asked.

"Get me a pickles and cheese sandwich, and then we'll talk" Aria replied.

"Noted" A very amused Damon said.

"Word of advice, keep a low profile, this is exactly where Markos doesn't want you to be, if the Travelers spot you, you're going right back to that camp--", before Maria could finish her sentence, Aria looked at the road to see Liv standing there.

"Look out!" Aria yelled, causing Maria to quickly press on the breaks.

"What the hell is she doing now?" Damon asked annoyed.

"Trying to kill you" Maria replied, "Just a wild guess".

"What?" Aria asked shocked, she looked at Liv and realised she did have murderous look on her face.

Maria quickly started reversing the car, only to realise Luke was standing behind them.

"Okay, that's enough" Aria stated, "Damon, stay in the car".

"Ria, no" Damon said, shaking her head.

Aria looked at Damon, "I've got this" she assured, stepping out the car, "What the hell do you two think you're doing?!".

"We have to kill him Aria, there's no other way" Liv replied.

"Yeah, good luck with that" Aria said, she put her hands on her side and lifted them up and let out a loud banshee scream, her scream pushing both Luke and Liv to the ground, she then looked at the car, "Go!" she yelled.

"No!" Damon yelled, but Maria ignored him and tried driving away, but Liv who was still on the ground, used her magic to burst the engine, Damon groaned and looked to the side to see Maria now dead due to the accident, he quickly got out of the car to run to Aria, but Luke used his magic to stick him to the car.

Aria speeded over to Luke and shoved him away from Damon, "Stop!" she yelled.

"We don't want to hurt you Aria, so move out of the way" Liv warned.

"You hurt me?" Aria asked, "Yeah, good luck with that".

"We need to make the soulmate doppelganger blood useless" Liv snapped, "One of you needs to die and it can't be you so it has to be him".

Aria looked down at her stomach when she felt power surge through her body, quickly realising her babies had gotten their magic back.

Aria smirked and looked at the twins infront of her, "Even if I let you kill him, his babies will never let you hurt their father".

Just as Aria said that, both Luke and Liv fell to the ground, holding their heads and yelling in pain.

***

"We're just trying to follow our coven's orders" Liv yelled in pain.

"Your coven?" Aria asked, "The same coven whose leader I'm supposed to be? So how can you kill your leader's soulmate?".

"You rejected us Aria!" Luke yelled, also in pain "We can't listen to you, you didn't want to be our leader, meaning we can't listen to your orders, we listen only to our father".

Aria paused, she put her hands on her stomach, signally her babies to stop, she looked down at her stomach and realised what she was about to do will effect her sons, but she promises she will figure out a way to save them, there's always a loophole and Aria will find the loophole that will save one of her son from dying.

Aria looked at Liv and Luke, "What if I accept?" she asked.

"What?" Liv asked.

"What if I accept to be your coven leader?" Aria asked, "Would you listen to me then?".

"Of course" Luke replied, "If you're our leader, your wish will be our last command".

Aria nodded, "Okay then" she said, "I accept the role of being the leader of the Gemini Coven, and my first order is that no one kills Damon Salvatore".

"But the spell--".

"We will figure it out" Aria interrupted, "We always figure it out".

Liv suddenly started looking around in worry, "Do you guys feel that?" she asked.

"It's the spell" Aria realised, feeling a weird energy around her, "They've started the spell".

"We're too late Aria" Liv whispered, "We're all dead".

Just as Liv said that both Damon and Aria's daylight rings stopped working.

"Aria!" Damon yelled in worry.

"Damon, our daylight rings aren't working" Aria said, looking at Damon in fear.

"We have to get inside, now!" Damon yelled, grabbing Aria and speeding inside the Grill.

***

Damon and Aria rushed into the Grill to get away from the sunlight.

"Aria!" Jeremy yelled, running over to the tribrid and hugging her, "Oh thank god, you're okay".

Aria hugged Jeremy back, "I'm okay Jer, for now at least".

"What happened?" Jeremy asked, breaking the hug.

"Our rings stopped working" Aria replied.

"What?" Jeremy asked confused.

"The town square is filled with those pesky travelers, we have to get out of here" Damon replied.

"We can use the tunnels, they're through the stock room" Jeremy informed, "Let's go".

Without wasting another moment, both Damon and Aria followed Jeremy towards the tunnels.

***

As the trio were running through the tunnels, Aria suddenly stopped and started coughing out blood, her accident flashing infront of her eyes.

"Aria!" Damon yelled, trying to run over to Aria, but stopped when a gunshot wound appeared on his stomach, and his father shooting him flashed infront of his eyes.

"What's happening?" Jeremy asked, holding Aria so she doesn't fall.

"The travelers spell undo's all witch magic" Damon replied, groaning in pain, "It's spreading through this whole town, and without the damn magic, I'm not a vampire, I'm just a guy who was shot by his father".

"And Aria's a girl who died in a car accident" Jeremy mumbled, looking at Aria whose coughing was getting worse, he quickly picked Aria up in his arms, "Damon, come on, we have to keep going!".

Damon nodded and quickly followed Jeremy out.

***

"I couldn't get a lot of blood bags" Jeremy said, as him, Damon and Aria stood outside Whitmore Collage, where the spell hadn't reached, yet.

"That's fine Jer" Aria said, "And thanks for getting me extra clothes".

"Yeah I figured you didn't want to stay in bloody clothes" Jeremy teased.

"You thought damn right" Aria said, making Jeremy chuckle.

"So what's the plan?" Jeremy asked curiously.

"The plan is to outrun this damn spell, regroup with each other in about a thousand miles and from there figure out how we're killing Markos and his gang" Damon replied, just as a car pulled over and Kol and Caroline stepped out.

"Aria!" Caroline yelled, running over to her sister and pulling her into a hug, "I'm so happy you're alive".

"I'm okay Care Bear" Aria whispered, "You?".

"I'm okay" Caroline replied.

"How are mini you's?" Kol asked.

"Ready to come out" Aria replied, "I'm really over being pregnant".

"Well soon it will be over" Caroline assured.

"Jer, you need to go back to Mystic Falls, we need to know what's going on over there so you're going to have to be our eyes and ears" Kol said, Jeremy nodded in understanding, "Damon and Aria, take my car and go, me and Caroline will wait for Enzo and Rebekah and catch up with you guys later on".

Aria nodded, "Jeremy, call me as soon as you reach Mystic Falls".

"I will" Jeremy assured, "Be careful".

"Always" Aria said.

As Aria and Damon started walking, Aria suddenly stopped and looked at Kol, a horrible feeling suddenly started rising in her heart, she walked over to him and pulled him into a hug.

"Woah, Ri" Kol said, hugging Aria back, "Not that I mind, but why this sudden hug?".

"Kol, something really bad is about to happen, I need you to be really careful, okay?" Aria said.

"I'll be careful" Kol promised, placing a kiss on Aria's forehead, "Now go, I'll be right behind you, I promise".

"Or you could just come with us" Aria retorted, "We can share our location with Enzo and Rebekah".

"Ri, I'm fine, nothing bad is going to happen, you need to go" Kol stated.

"Kol--".

"Go Ri" Kol interrupted, he looked at Damon, "Take her far away from here".

Damon nodded, he grabbed Aria's hand, "Let's go Ria".

"No" Aria said, shaking her head, "This isn't right you guys".

"Ri, for the sake of your kids, who are full of magic, you need to leave, now!" Kol said.

"But--".

"Aria, go" Caroline said, "I'm here with him".

Aria looked between Kol and Caroline, "Please be careful, something wrong is about to happen".

"We'll be careful" Caroline assured.

After sparing the duo one last glance, Aria and Damon finally got into the car and Damon drove away.

***

"Damon, stop the car!" Aria said suddenly, after they had driven quiet a long distance.

"What?" Damon asked confused, "I can't stop the car Ria".

"Damon, I said stop the car!" Aria yelled.

Seeing Aria's panicked state, Damon stopped the car, letting Aria step out, she walked infront of the car and let out a painful banshee scream.

"Aah!!" Aria yelled, screaming and crying in pain, as she felt one out of two of her vampire connection breaking, "Kol!".

"Aria!" Damon yelled, grabbing a hysterical Aria, "Aria, what's wrong?!".

Aria reply, she just yelled, "Kol!" she sobbed.

Before Damon could ask any more question, his phone started ringing, "Enzo, where's Kol?" Damon asked, fear rising in his heart.

"Damon, Markos gave Julian a white oak stake, and told him that Kol killed Maria" Enzo replied, "So Julian killed Kol".

"Kol!" Aria yelled, sobbing into a shocked Damon's embrace.

***

Presenting 5x21 of The Vampire Diaries . . .

How was the chapter?

Thoughts on Damon and Aria managing to escape the travelers?

Thoughts on Maria coming to Aria and Damon's aid?

Thought on Aria accepting the role of being the leader of the Gemini Coven?

Thoughts on Kol dying? Now, I know that was out of no where, but don't hate me, I did this for a reason, okay? And you will know the reason very soon, I promise just don't hate me!

Also...300K READS! WHAT THE HELL! THANK YOU SO SO SO SO SO MUCH YOU GUYS, YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH THIS MEANS TO ME, I LOVE EACH AND EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU AND THANK YOU FOR MAKING MY DAY SO MUCH BETTER!!!