”But I thought you were a big girl now? Big enough to get a hideous tattoo, big enough to go to a party despite being grounded, so I assumed you would be big enough to handle a few spooks here and there. My bad” he scoffed. Damon didn’t want to argue with her, so he was going to just leave, but when he heard her curse at him, his instincts took over and he caught her arm as she tried to pass, turning her around to face him. He almost cracked.. almost pulled her into his arms, but he was stubborn - just as she was. “Don’t forget to pack your pills, I have no doubt you’ll take them religiously, pill popping is your specialty after all, isn’t it, Rolo?” 

“You’re ridiculou-” she started before he grabbed her arm and pulled her back, tensing up quicker than she should have when it came to her father, but her father was also Damon Salvatore. And a drunk Damon Salvatore? She was a little scared. The words that flew out of his mouth, though, were unexpected. Her jaw dropped, she felt tears run to her cheeks. “Please... please don’t...” she said, whimpering at the sensitive subject.

 “You told him what?” He looked at her in surprise. They were entirely different not only from the fact that he would never say that to any adult in his life but with how they handled things as well. “If you want him to be around telling him to go fuck himself isn’t going to do anything about that.” He stated turning to look at her. “I don’t think you’re going to figure it out, I don’t think anyone can.”

“You heard me and I’m not repeating it again,” she admitted. She wasn’t proud of what she had said to her father, but he deserved it. “He was the one who came bounding into my room reeking of alcohol, glass in hand nonetheless, and just casually talking about the fact that I’m not actually warped or crazy,” Rowan mimicked, making the same face her father did. “God, he didn’t even visit me in the hospital, you know? Just waltzes into my room as if I hadn’t just spent the last three days in a pscyh ward, doped up on meds.... I need to figure it out,” she said, inhaling sharply as the pain got worse.

“Don’t sell yourself short, kid. You’re a Salvatore and they are strong. Well, at least your uncle is for putting up with your dad so long.” Hayley smiled softly at he. “The point is that anyone else going through what you are going through would have cracked by now. I know it’s hard, but you’ll get through this. Even if I have to kick your dad’s head out of his ass.”

“Yeah well not everyone is the same,” she said, slightly bitterly. She knew she was slipping and cracking, and knew that even though she put on a brave face, she was so broken. “I’m not so sure,” she admitted.

“Well at least you know you’re not actually warped, I’d say that’s a small plus, wouldn’t you?” he rolled his eyes. Mentioning that he had actually visited her while she was sleeping wouldn’t help matters now. Honestly, he wasn’t going to argue his innocence either. Partly because he was the opposite of it, and partly because he was so sick of the drama. “Right’eo, you’re the boss, kid.” Damon swirled around on his spot and swayed his way out her room and along the corridor. Talking to her when she was mad was like talking to a brick wall, so why even try? Respect was out the window at this point anyway, so why not be the newly formed disappointment she had seen him become? It saddend him, of course it did - but turning pain into sarcasm and detached behavior was something Damon did best. He knew it, his brother knew it, everyone but his children knew it. They never saw that side of him and once upon a time, he actually let himself believe for just a moment that, they never would. That’s what made it all sting that little more. “Make sure you don’t forget your toothbrush” he called out mockingly. 

“Actually warped?”, Rowan scoffed. “Yeah because seeing dead people and all of this supernatural shit isn’t making me crazy? I hope you know that although I know that I know it’s supernatural, they still sent me home with a bottle of pills and want to see me again in three weeks,” she said, before pushing past him and out the door, whispering a gentle but angry, “Go fuck yourself,” as she passed.

“Hey, no no no. You have nothing to be sorry about.” Hayley assured the younger girl as she tried her best to comfort her. “Rowan, you did nothing wrong. This isn’t your fault.” She rubbed the teen’s back reassuringly. The hybrid couldn’t understand how someone could hurt an innocent child like Rowan.

Rowan let herself be comforted by Hayley for a minute, trying to calm herself before she pulled away. “I’ve got to get back to Aunt Care’s before she starts to worry about where I am,” she whispered.

A sigh of relief slipped past her lips as the teen seemed to be calm again. Hayley knew Damon probably wouldn’t be thrilled that she had brought Rowan here, but right now she didn’t care. “It’s okay, Rowan. You’re okay.”

Rowan sighed, taking a deep breath as she hugged Hayley. She felt her cheeks become wet, tears streaming down her skin. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, before her gentle cry broke into a heavy sob. “I’m so sorry...”

“Rowan…” She let go of the girl’s shaking hands and steadied her the best that she could. “I know it’s hard, but just try to relax, okay?” Hayley wasn’t sure what to do, but she tried not to let it show. “Come on, let’s get you somewhere safe.” The last thing the teenager needed was anyone seeing her break down again and dragging her back to the hospital. The brunette hybrid kept the distressed teen steadied as she darted back to the compound. It was when she stopped that she remembered something and Hayley kicked herself for not realizing it earlier. It was one of the perks of her vampire side that she didn’t use often, but at this point, it might just help. She steadied the teen again and planted the image of her late mother in her mind. Hayley just hoped that maybe seeing her mother would help break Rowan from the curse long enough to calm down.

As soon as Rowan was darted to the compound, she felt a pressure released off her neck, finally able to breathe before visions of her mom flooded her brain, and she felt her breath catch. “Mom?” she choked out, unsure of how, all of a sudden, she was thinking about her mother.

Without thinking, Hayley reached out and grabbed the younger girl’s hands carefully. “Hey hey, it’s okay. Rowan, listen to me. Curses can be broken.” She was certainly not equipped to handle something like this, but she wasn’t about to let the teen hurt herself either. “Just focus on me, okay? The pain’s not real. It’s not real. It’s just the curse messing with your head.”

“Yo-u don’t unde-rstand...” Rowan said, hands shaking in Hayley’s as her voice got raspy, got soft and broken. “I can- n’t... b-bre-breathe,” she choked out, feeling herself becoming dizzy quickly, as if someone was suffocating her, felt herself lulling a little bit, losing balance.

Puffing out a breath as he finally reached the house, Damon swayed his way down the path, sighing when he found the door to be open. Drunken eyes and a drink in hand despite the fact it wasn’t even noon, he listened out for who was home. Releasing it was Rowan, he breathed in a deep breath and made his way towards her room. Liquid courage was a beautifully dangerous thing. The vampire rolled his eyes, hoping Caroline wouldn’t make an appearance too. “Fine? Cool, ‘at least you’re not.. you know… crazy” he whispered the last word mockingly as he pulled a face.

Rowan turned quickly, surprised to hear her father’s voice. “I haven’t... It’s been weeks and you’re just now deciding to show up? Where the hell were you when I was in the hospital? But I mean, you clearly know about that. Some support definitely would have been nice though, you know, when they were doping me up on anti-psychotics,” she scoffed, shoving her clothes into her bag even faster. “Just leave me alone. I’m going back to Aunt Care’s. At least she doesn’t reek of over-intoxication and a poor parenting job....”