18 Quickening

(A/N: You know what goes here, so why even pretend. Go check it out. I promise, I'll be gentle. Unlesssss..........)

.................

The ride back was a solemn one.

For Vicki.

Jeremy on the other hand was in a great mood.

He can wiggle his toes in his shoes without his calves feeling like they were going to split apart. He was able to confirm through a quick "battle" that the vampires that he was most likely dealing with were the one's he assumed. And he got himself some light reading material.

All in all, a very productive outing.

And the night was just getting started!

(First Person P.O.V.)

There is nothing quite like knowing how something could possibly unfold in one's mind, and then watching it play out in reality.

I mean, I knew that if a vamp showed itself it would most likely either go straight for the girl, since sexism is real and it was easier than stooping down to scoop me up. Or they would have stopped, posed/looked around, and then attacked.

Either way, they were dead.

However, even if they did the really badass thing and just zipped straight to me and immediately went fangs first straight into my carotid, they still would have found themselves dead. All it would have taken was the slightest movement of my hand and a pull of the trigger.

Luckily for my fragile heart though, they not only stopped to pose, but also went for Vicki.

So, all I had to do was make sure they were effectively distracted and not looking to me for a reaction as they went for her.

That's where the long string of floss attached to the toothpick I picked up at Zach's wedged in the clamp keeping the truck bed back that I broke, and will eventually pay for, one day, maybe, from falling down came into play.

All it took was a quick bend of my finger and a tug at the string to dislodge it, and with just one turn of the head, he's dead.

Now, one might ask, was it overly complicated? Yes.

Could I have used a rock propped up with the toothpick attached to the floss and kept it simple and just let it fall down? Sure.

But then I would ask those people, who hurt you?

It's always best, when doing something dope, to make it be the most dope it can be.

Most people don't get that, but some do, and I've always been one of them.

Now, back to the tea of the matter. I'm fairly certain, I had a quickening.

Yes, from Highlander.

That quickening.

First, the tingle. Then, the beheading. Followed by what was most definitely a lightening strike that healed my body, made it feel better than ever, and gave me all the knowledge that waste of a newborn possessed.

All signs point to quickening.

And if that's true, then that changes literally everything.

To be frank, I never had any expectations as far as Jeremy Gilbert went as a base template. I mean, the hunter mark is straight up garbage if we're being honest. He is a magical illiterate. And he's prone to bouts of depression, mood swings, and getting himself dead.

Not a good look.

However, if I can now call myself an immortal. It would explain a lot. Like the fact that I essentially aged up upon waking from my "death", and the only thing keeping others from noticing, would be my skinny, malnourished looking handsome face and body. Though, as I look down as my forearm, I can see it looks a little more solid and a little more ready to put in some work.

Also, the reason behind my physical weakness and probably mental weakness as well. Since, for the first time in this life, my heart feels steady. Calm. Like I'm not attempting to bury and suppress an emotion at every waking turn, like the prolonged depression that Jeremy battled, or the lack of self-esteem that whispered in the back of my ear whenever looked in the mirror.

If I had to guess, I would say, I am now, whole.

And I needed a quickening to get there......which is fucking crazy, since how the fuck was I supposed to figure that out. But, regardless, I now know.

The question now is, does it change my plans?

Despite my apparent nonchalance, there was a constant weight on my chest. Like something was gripping my heart the entire time and only by moving fast. Basically running full speed forward, could I make it go away. Why else would I go out to Zach's or the grave, knowing I wasn't ready? However, that weight is now gone. No, not weight. That anxiety is now gone, and I don't know if it was a product of me, or my body that was not yet ready to accept me...not that it truly matters.

What matters is what I do next.

My body, mind, and soul, feel in sync.

I have the grimoire that contains knowledge that even the most knowledgeable witch, vampire, or werewolf in the world would want to possess.

And I have knowledge about this world and the majority of the significant individuals in it that give me an advantage that cannot be overlooked.

I have what so very few ever realize they have. Options.

I am an unknown to the world. I can move without drawing attention, unless others also get the tingle. I don't have an insatiable need to kill vampires due to the mark being dormant, if it's still there with my new status. And based on what I know of Immortals from highlander, I can only be killed through beheading, though I won't be testing that. And that's not even mentioning the fact that I can take all the knowledge I want from an immortal individual and probably a lot I won't want, all with the detachment of their head, should my theory about the quickening be true.

All in all, it all boils down to one thing.

I need to kill another vampire.

And then I need to get a sword.

Or maybe switch those two?

Nah, I've got a shovel.

"So, this is just me assuming here, and maybe you might not agree but...I definitely think our second date went much better than our first, how about you?" I asked Vicki. Her deafening silence and the way her body is curled into itself telling more than any words ever could.

She is most likely traumatized.

And when she looks at me by barely turning her head and mostly using her eyes to look to the my side, I know I'm correct.

Some chicks just can't hold the sauce.

And Vicki, just like Cat, might be one of them.

"Do you have any questions? I know what you just witnessed was like nothing you've ever seen before. Most people go their entire lives never knowing the truth of the world they live in. Always ignorant to the fact that at any moment they can be served up like lambs to the slaughter, all because they were weak and ignorant in the face of a true predator. You now know." I told her. My voice conversational. "How does that make you feel?" I asked, sounding like every other arm chair therapist that has ever asked that question.

Though, unlike what Elena would have done, which was start yelling something like, "how do I feel! how do I feel! how am I supposed to feel, Jeremy!" And then going on to ask a bunch of question like she was entitled to answers. Vicki, is far more weak-hearted. Evident by her asking in a chocked up voice and without meeting my eyes, "how am I supposed to feel, Jeremy?"

I continue to drive as I listen to her sob in her knees that were clutched to her chest. Knowing that this was a pivotal moment for the girl.

She would either come out of it better, stronger, and more informed/aware than she had been.

Or she would retreat into herself. Hide from the world. And more than likely spiral further down the rabbit hole that she was already burrowing for herself into the realm of sex, drugs, and avoidance.

I wouldn't interfere any longer.

Mostly because, and this just may be my hubris talking, but I believe that she already has all the motivation she needs to get her head out of her ass. Now, all she needs is the willpower, and that's not something that can be given by another.

And like I said before, I refuse to have people around me who can't stand on their own. I'll probably end up turning them into vampires and killing them myself.

It's times like these when I think to myself how nice it would have been to be reborn with the ability to compel on the level of Silas or an Original. This entire world would be on easy mode and open for my exploration if I could do that, since none of those assholes ever used the ability to its fullest potential. Truly, they are wasteful fuckers.

I continue the drive and make my way to my next destination.

Originally, when I was feeling like a zombie from the Walking Dead, my next destination was going to be to my dead dad's office, since it required no real work on my part. I even have the key.

My Uncle should be arriving into town in a few days, only calling before the funeral to say he couldn't make it. And when he does, he'll no doubt go to the old man's office to do exactly what I'm going to do, which is scavenge.

In truth, my mind told me the first things I should be looking for when I began my scavenger hunt, was the Gilbert journals. The compass. The device. And maybe the ring that Uncle John would take from my dad, since he gave his to Isobel.

However, it was the simple fact that all of those artifacts and so much more were created from the knowledge stored in the book that I now possess that made it be my first priority.

Because, while I may not be able to use the knowledge myself in order to create what I want. I do know one old ass witch in town who could. And I can think of several ways to get her to give me what I want. Ways that don't include handing over my veritable treasure trove of knowledge.

Though now, now that I feel like myself again, only without the muscle memory, trained coordination, and honed reflexes. I've changed course. Especially since, those things were only useful when I needed the ability to locate vampires around me, which could still be useful if the tingle proves to be something else. Escape death. Incapacitate individuals with super hearing. And gain information. None of which are serving as a priority as of now.

Now, I'm going to the Lockwood Mansion.

Because why go to a barely competent lady hiding away from the world, when I have a necklace that can call forth someone far more competent, far more dangerous to myself, and more than likely already aware that I took her grimoire.

So, if I want to remain a great unknown in the world and not have a bunch of gossiping ancestors talking shit to each other and the ones with whom they interact about me, now that I know I'm a bit special, I'll need to have a conversation with a very attractive ghost and maybe barter a deal of sorts.

The Soulsword would be so fetch in this situation. Or perhaps the Sword of Actuation. Either way, cutting souls is definitely a new goal.

But first, I should probably drop off Vicki now that she's no longer really needed.

I wonder if I'll be getting paid a visit by her brother bear...or maybe that untriggered wolf.

A good belt would be so fetch in that situation.