25 chapter 24 : Restless parties

Harper was sitting in an armchair across from Isobel, she was hanging by her two hands pierced by several hooks, the woman's shirt was open and her abdomen was bloody.

On the ground, there were several teeth on the ground, eyeballs and even pieces of ribs. He had tortured him violently and Isobel sang to him everything she knew like a bird.

In this bloody atmosphere, the music "Just the two of us" by Bill Weathers was playing on the radio.

 Harper: Do you know where I learned the art of torture, Mrs. Isobel? I learned it in Asia where I met a fairly old and very strong vampire, Shen Min was his name and he was one of Genghis Khan's advisors, this guy was a real monument. He loved his work and was very competent (straightens up), the problem is that this sick man didn't choose his prey well. Many vampires believe they are great villains and take pleasure in torturing and killing innocent humans, they believe they are the apex predators and free to do whatever they want but it's this type of individual that I take pleasure in torturing . The predator that scares other predators...

 Isobel: I told you everything I know and everything Katherine is planning...please...

 "I know you told me everything, I could have just searched your mind to find out everything and avoid the barbarity I showed. Problem is, I was in the mood to torture an arrogant vampire and you were in the right place, at the right time and with the right attitude. It's not right to threaten innocent lives Isobel, I am sometimes infinitely kind but sometimes atrocious cruelty" Harper said smiling as he heard familiar voices in the mansion.

 Isobel: Please…

 Harper: You wanted a one-on-one meeting with your daughter and she just arrived with the Salvatore brothers. I can't introduce you to her in this state so we'll have you bring new clothes and you'll tell them everything you told me about your alliance with Katherine, Mason and dear John. Then, you'll leave there as if nothing had happened and without telling anyone about our meeting, I have placed a rune on you to find you and reserve a fate worse than death for you If you try to do anything stupid. 

 Isobel: Regulator...I 'll do whatever you want...everything...

 "Oh I know, that's why I'm letting you live. The lesson has been learned..." He said before untying her and then leaving to meet the others who were quite happy to see him again, Isobel came to them with a strange look that Damon noticed very quickly.

The vampire looked like she was coming out of a major trauma and she started to tell them everything as Harper went to the bar in the room to pour himself some whiskey while Alaric and Damon joined him.

 Alaric: I won't say no to a drink, my ex-wife is a vampire who attacked me the day before and threatened to kill my students.

 Damon: Bourbon, as usual. I don't know what you did to her but she's unpacking everything. Elena mustn't know that you tortured her mother...

 Harper: Do you honestly think Damon that this child's opinion has any weight on me? I'm not Stefan or you, she means absolutely nothing to me. You made this barely 17 year old girl the center of your world like teenagers when you are over 150 years old.

 Alaric: Hallelujah!

 Damon: Shut up Rick, (to Harper) I've already learned my lesson and Elena or Katherine are not my priorities. Are you planning to kill Isobel next ?

 Alaric: Kill Isobel ?! 

 Harper: No, she'll go far and far away from here, far from the country to a place where she will be quiet for a long time. She won't tell anyone about her experience here. We'll be informed of the plans of this dear Katherine and you will be able to welcome her warmly. 

 Damon: Um (drinks). Do you have a guarantee?

 Harper: His own life, the art of properly inflicting fear is terrifying. I promised her a fate worse than death and killing Elena if she disobeyed me.

 Alaric: Kill Elena?

 Harper: Absolutely, Avoiding killing innocent people doesn't mean I don't do it if I have to . Now listen carefully to what she says for your own benefit.

 Isobel left after saying goodbye to Elena and then to Alaric before leaving with a heavy heart and true fear, she went to give Jonathan Gilbert's compass to John as Harper and the others asked her.

Why had they left the compass with John knowing he was working with Katherine? For the simple reason that Pearl had advised them to do so.

 She knew Katherine well, she is an extremely malicious woman and the best way to trap her would be not to entrave her plans.

If she thinks that everything is going her way, she will continue to act according to the plan that Isobel told them because if she were to change her plans for unforeseen circumstances then they would no longer have the advantage over her.

 Stefan and Elena had asked Bonnie to neutralize this weapon and like in canon, she pretended to do it.

Harper didn't want to know anything about the intrigues around Elena, he had made Damon strong and reasonable enough to resolve these problems while protecting his little brother.

 Days after, founders' Day arrived and he didn't even want to attend the celebrations despite his extremely high status even within the founders' council.

This day, he spent it at his post at the hospital treating his patients, his day was busy when in the middle of the night, he received a call on his phone and it was Alaric.

 Harper: Rick ?

 Alaric: We have a problem, a serious problem. Bonnie hadn't actually deactivated the weapon and John activated it. Several vampires were affected by this, your girlfriend, Pearl and her daughter who was with Jeremy, Stefan as well as Damon. We managed to get Stefan to safety with Elena but for the rest they had been taken away to be killed. We need you, here's the location... 

 "(Sigh) I'm on my way..." Harper said before jumping out of the window of his office on the 22nd floor of the building with gravity having no effect on him and he rushed at a terrifying speed towards the large place where Alaric had given him the location.

 He quickly got there and saw the building starting to catch fire, With his superhuman hearing, he heard people coughing as well as John's voice in the basement and knew it was there .

Harper walked quietly while reciting a few incantations and the smoke from the fire grew thicker to mask the surroundings of the building.

 He entered through the open door and quickly came down to see John holding the wooden stake he intended to drive through Pearl's heart but with a single motion, he sent John flying towards the stairs which were beginning to burst into flames.

The fire had already caught and burned most of the vampires so with astonishing speed, it grabbed first Damon and Lexi to take them outside to a safe place then Pearl and Anna before returning to get John.

 Outside he saw Stefan, Elena and Bonnie who had an apologetic expression on her face and even more when she saw Harper's stern look at her.

He told Stefan where the others were and they went to find them while he took John to the authorities.

 "The weapon you used was old and unpredictable. Some humans were sensitive to it and were wrongly carried away, John was a victim just like Damon and I also wanted to save the mayor but he was already in the flames. You killed these people, cheap police officers." He told them a lie before leaving there. This lie was necessary because some of these policemen recognized Damon among the vampires neutralized. 

 Harper returned to the others where he found a completely desolate Bonnie apologizing to Elena.

Damon was very angry and would have already tried to kill her if he didn't have control over his impulses.

Harper looked at Pearl and Lexi who had been badly burned and it made him angry so he had to crack down on Bonnie who was still talking to Elena and the others.

 Harper: Kid, if you don't want to help people then say "NO" instead of doing this to them, it's unworthy of Sheila's legacy. Your grandmother knew how to clearly say "No" when she didn't want to do anything and I know what happened, it wasn't vampires that killed Sheila but her love for you.

 Bonnie: You don't know what-(interrupted)

 Harper: Let me continue, Bonnie Bennett. Emilie's spell was quite powerful and could have killed you while you were helping your friends, she sacrificed herself to be drained in your place and you involved her in it when she was reluctant but she loved you too much to let you take these risks alone, especially since you are a novice.

 Bonnie: I...grandma...(crying). How can you know that...?

 He showed her Sheila's favorite pendant, a piece of jewelry that had been left over from her grandmother's house and that she was looking for. She was surprised to find it in Harper's hands. 

Harper : I gave this piece of jewelry to Sheila for her 30th birthday. She knew full well that when she died I would pay attention to it, so she used a spell to lock her last memories inside and tell me that she loved me one last time. Even in her last moments, she asked me to watch over you... 

"Grams..." Bonnie said as she started crying and the others understood the situation. 

 "Damon, Stefan take the girls back to my mansion, they need blood and Damon knows where I keep my supplies so do me the favor guys. I'm going to take this child (Bonnie) home." He said as he carried Bonnie and rushed towards Sheila's house where he entered with Bonnie without permission and took her on her bed.

 Bonnie: Why are you doing all this for me? You are a vampire...

 Harper: You have no idea how much love I had and still have for your grandmother, taking care of you is like taking care of my own little girl. On your grandfather's side you are the descendant of a witch, a friend that I knew and just like you today, your ancestor betrayed me but coming from witches that no longer surprises me. I'll take care of you and educate you in magic, it's not good for a witch to grow up outside of a community so I'll bring your mother back here.

 Bonnie: Do you know where my mother is? You know her ?

 Harper: I saw your mother born and the rare times I came to see your grandmother, I saw little Abigail grow up. When her daughter disappeared, Sheila told me why she left, things had happened while I was gone but she will explain everything to you. What I can tell you is that she had no choice and the danger was gargantuan. You will certainly understand...now sleep, I'll leave when you are asleep.

 "Thank you…" Bonnie said sincerely before gradually falling asleep knowing that there was someone to watch over her.

Harper placed a powerful protective spell on the house but before he left, he saw a portrait of Sheila on a wall and admired it with deep regret before leaving with a heavy heart consumed by his memories of her , feelings that he quickly erased from his mind because it wouldn't be fair to Lexi who he was also in love with.

 A few minutes after he left, Bonnie's phone rang and it was Elena telling her that she was at the hospital because Caroline had had an accident.

 Harper quickly returned to his mansion where Stefan and Alaric looked at him strangely.

 Harper: I see you've seen my livestock...

 Alaric: They are human beings.

 Harper: Child rapists, hardened murderers and psychopaths, there's even a neo-Nazi in the group so no I don't consider them in any way humans but pure cattle. I choose my victims Alaric, I am a monster who hunts other monsters.

 Stefan: I don't necessarily agree with the process but as long as innocent people are spared then I guess it's okay.

 Harper: Where's Damon?

 Stefan: He's enjoying the all-you-can-eat buffet with the girls.

 Harper: He knows how to enjoy life. A drink ?

 Alaric: Oh yes.

 Stefan: Blood in a full-bodied vervain pouch for me please.

 Harper: By the way, how do you manage this diète ?

 Stefan: Honestly, I got used to it. It burns my throat but it has become like drinking very strong alcohol.

 Harper: You'll get used to it eventually, take several doses a day. With your brother and Elena, things are going well ?

 Stefan: Damon really takes his role as older brother seriously, he's still the same but with a lot of control. Elena told me she would go to the hospital because Tyler and Caroline had an accident, Caroline was particularly affected.

 Harper: I'm going to go there and see what I can do.

 "I'm coming with you..." Damon said coming to find them with the girls, they had blood on them Harper approached Lexi to ask her how she was feeling and kissed her passionately, he was relieved that she was okay.

She told him that three days ago, John Gilbert tried to kill Pearl and Anna by breaking into their home but he was quickly neutralized. Instead of killing him, Pearl, to show her good faith, let him go with a death threat the next time he wants to attack them.

 Shortly after, Harper found himself at the hospital with Damon who was trying to support Lize and Stefan who was reassuring Elena.

Caroline had suffered a severe concussion with significant damage to her skull. Harper arrived very quickly and Lize tearfully begged him to save her daughter so he performed emergency surgery on Caroline.

 Fortunately, everything had gone wonderfully and Damon had given her some of his blood to help her heal even faster.

He announced it to the Sheriff and the poor woman cried with gratitude.

 As a form, Harper told the others that she had to stay under observation for days and that he was going to take care of Caroline personally, much to the joy of Lize who expressed the wish to also stay a little with Elena and Bonnie who arrived urgently because Elena had called her.

When Matt told them what had happened, Bonnie understood that what had happened was due to the weapon she had lied to neutralize and a heavy guilt invaded her mind to the point where she cried but Elena reassured because Harper had taken care of Caroline.

 The others returned home and Harper took the time to discuss with the Sheriff the repercussions of John's "error" on the use of his ancestors' weapon which cost the lives of several innocent people including the mayor of the city and John himself whom he had "rescued" in the flames.

 She reassured him that John will be held accountable for this and will surely be locked up to bear responsibility for his mistake.

Lize had not agreed to this from the start and had been knocked unconscious by John and then handcuffed by his own assistants.

An urgent meeting of the founders will be organized later for accountability but Lize said she didn't mind that because she was still worried about Caroline so Damon said he would take care of it for her .

 Later, on one of the streets, Katherine was walking deep in thought. Isobel had completely disappeared and John hadn't given any news so she had a really bad feeling but as she was thinking about reconsidering her plans she felt a presence behind her and immediately turned around but saw no one but while she eagerly wanted to continue on her way, Harper was in front of her.

 Katherine didn't know why but when she saw Harper's face, a terror filled her being, she no longer remembered him but the trauma of her torture was still there.

 "You don't have to be afraid Katherina, I won't hurt you..." Harper said before grabbing her by the neck to manipulate her mind again.

 Harper: You're going to continue with your plan as if nothing happened and act as usual .

 Coming out of her daze, Katherine was alone in the street again before looking at the surroundings with some curiosity and then continued on her way carefreely.

Harper wanted Damon to permanently break his bond with Katherine and for that, Catherine had to come to them on her own as she planned.

He could kill her now and avoid unnecessary drama in the future, but he had the opportunity to see if Damon had really decided to get rid of the emotional hold this woman had on him. 

 That evening, she met Stefan who was returning to the mansion after staying with Lexi and she pretended to be Elena except that Elena called him earlier to tell him that she was going to stay at the hospital with Bonnie for Caroline.

She tried to hug him but Stefan immediately strangled her against a wall, they knew from Isobel's mouth that Katherine was not far away and had her plans for Mystic Falls so he easily knew it was her .

 Katherine: Stefan, what are you doing...?!

 Stefan: Stop your little game you bitch, I know it's you...Katherine.

 " (smile) I imagined a more romantic reunion for us, maybe Damon would have been more enthusiastic...he at least looked for me..." She said nonchalantly before forcibly undoing Stafan's grip on her neck and violently pushing him back across the road. Quickly, he stood up to look at her suspiciously. 

 Stefan: What do you want? There is nothing for you here...

 Katherine: I missed you so I wanted to see you again.

 Stefan: Even if those were the last words of your life, I would never believe you. You played with my brother and me but your little game no longer concerns us.

 "You can believe in what you want but we'll see what Damon thinks, you've always been the one I loved Stefan. We'll talk about this later..." She said when a car drove down the road between them and she took the opportunity to disappear.