Elena's choice
A/N: Hey guys, I bring you one more installment in my Jeremy universe. It's a sequel to "Ghost Story". Have fun!
The woods were dark and thick with pine trees. The setting sun laid a red shade over the heavy clouds and played tricks on her eyes. It had taken days to track him down, days to plan her revenge perfectly and she wasn't about to let anything stand in her way.
Her name was Elena. She was a vampire. Her new birth hadn't been planned but it suited her even if everyone was dead set on finding ways to change her back. So she foiled all their plans deciding that she could only lean on herself to stand strong. It wasn't a happy day when it dawned on her. The power of puppy eyes and childish pouts had left her once she had licked the blood of a man off the floor and completed her transformation.
Leaving the comfort of her hometown behind was hard. Sure she had sent her lil bro away but he wasn't supposed to stay away. Jeremy wasn't a pawn, he was her family and he was supposed to sacrifice himself for her. Instead he grabbed the offer that nuts aunt of theirs had made and he had moved away from her. She hadn't heard a peep about him since Christmas.
It was only 3 weeks ago when she listened in on one of Bonnie's phone booty calls that she learned more about it. Jeremy was living with their cousin and he was actively sending ghosts into the light. He was happy.
Elena's dark red lips twirled into a grimace. She wasn't happy so why was he? Would he be so happy if she slaughtered his new family? He would have nowhere to go but go back to her. She could imagine it. Jeremy with his hunter tendencies forgotten, everything gets forgotten when it isn't about her after all, begging to come back.
It would be worth turning her humanity back on, if she still had one!
From her perch on the tree she trained her eyes to the beach. Long strips of sand getting lost in waves and campfires. So... ordinary!
Blinking Elena watched the group of human teens dance and laugh. A miniscule part of her was jealous over their carefree attitude. She could hardly remember the last time she had been equally carefree playing in the waves, or having fun with friends over marshmallows.
As the party slowly died down Elena locked her eyes on her brother. He was talking quietly with a dark skinned girl who nodded once and kissed him before she skipped away to join a guy that looked like he was one step away from OD'ing on steroids. In fact the girl herself was very well built but the huge teens weren't important.
Jeremy was.
And Jeremy gathered a bag and trailed to where an exceptionally pale girl was chatting with another huge guy and dragged her away. As the two held hands while climbing on a few rocks on their way to the street Elena noticed them wearing ugly, identical rings.
"So that's the cousin"
She mused. Feeling a ripple in the air the teenage vampire girl tensed. She could swear she was being watched but afraid her hair would be messed up if she engaged on a fight she decided to high tail it out of there. Jumping from tree to tree, she followed the lime green motorcycle and its two riders away from the beach and to a smidge of a town before they drove back to the woods and parked in front of a sugary white house.
Even with her exceptional hearing she missed what they said before they took off their helmets. Jeremy handed the large woven basket to the girl who winked at him and went inside the house where she would be protected by unwanted creatures of the dark.
"Hello Elena"
Jeremy's clear voice surprised her. She stopped dead in her tracks standing only a couple feet away from him, not a single leaf messing up her appearance.
"Jeremy. Nice place you got here"
Jeremy's cold eyes met her carefully human looking ones. The boy was standing in a protective stance in front of the house and its occupants. The message was clear. She wasn't welcome. Too bad she was on a mission.
"It's time to come home baby brother"
She implored when he remained silent. Annoyed she stared him down going for compulsion since she couldn't smell any vervain on him
"it would make you so happy to come back"
Jeremy's eyes softened and his lips stretched to a childish smile. Elena relaxed seeing the victory. It wasn't as hard as she'd feared.
"Bullshit"
Jeremy replied. Elena took a half step back stung. No one said 'no' to her and if they did, she sicked Damon or Ripper after them until they agreed. She was about to attack him when a set of headlights shone on their faces and a white car with distinct red and blue lights on it parked. A man with a bit of a pot bell stepped out with his right hand leaning on a gun on his belt.
"Everything alright Jerry?"
He called. Elena scoffed
"Jerry? That is a horrible nickname Jer"
Before Jeremy could reply Elena had a vicious thought and zoomed behind the man her nails digging in his shoulders.
"Are you sure you won't come back Jeremy? He seems like an ideal country side dinner"
The threat in her voice was unmistakable. Jeremy rolled his eyes and pulled one long stake from the blue bag that slung off his shoulder. Elena let a breath out. He'd stake her? All for a pathetic human?
Angry she snarled and snagged the man closer. She pulled him backwards and away from her brother intent on feasting on him and delivering the carcass to her brother.
Entering the tree line the man sagged and the deadweight slowed her down. She wasn't accustomed to heavy lifting, or any lifting at all actually. Once she felt like she had carried him enough distance she dropped him down ignoring the pop his shoulder made and sitting on his chest she took a hold of his left arm. The surprisingly obedient for an uncompelled man didn't even flinch as she ran a fingernail down the inside of his arm piercing a vein.
Locking eyes with the cop, Elena lifted the bleeding arm to her mouth, and delicately licked at the narrow stream of blood. She let out an appreciative moan of pleasure before a foul taste reached and she spat it out
"What the hell is this?"
"Werewolf blood. Kind of lethal to your kind, isn't it?"
The man said conversionally without making a singly effort to fight her. Snarling loudly Elena lost herself in the vampire inside her and let her face vamp out.
"Hey, get your teeth off my uncle"
Jeremy called out before an arrow pierced her left shoulder. Jeremy stood at the edge of the clearing holding a crossbow. On his side stood the girl with a pissed off expression and a ball in her hands.
"If it isn't Katniss and Fido. Are we gonna play?"
Elena taunted. Grimacing at her the girl threw the small beach ball straight at her as Jeremy fired another arrow hitting the ball
"Missed me"
Elena joked before the clear liquid splashed all over her. She screamed as the vervain water sizzled on her skin. Glowering at her brother and the girl she drove a fist straight in the cop's chest breaking his breastbone and shuttering his heart.
"NOW!"
Jeremy called and immediately Elena was tackled backwards by a horse sized dark grey wolf. She tried to fight back but a pair of strong arms enveloped her and a clear voice spoke in her ear, the British accent stopping all her movements at once.
"Shut up and stop fighting love"
All commotion stopped abruptly as the fallen cop came back to life coughing and whizzing. The girl ignored everything and everyone as she rushed to his side
"Easy dad, short breaths"
"Dying actually hurts"
The cop said drawing a nervous bark of laughter from everyone, the bark coming from the wolf that stood menacingly in front of Elena shielding Jeremy with its huge frame.
"Everything is going to be alright now"
A newcomer said and produced a long syringe.
"Thanks for the heads-up Stefan"
Jeremy said to the newcomer who nodded and placing a kiss on Elena's forehead, she pierced the skin above her heart with the syringe and pushed the clear liquid inside her. Only one unneeded breath later Elena's body sagged in the dark haired man's arms.
The small party walked to the sugary white house and with one jerk from the cop's head everyone settled in the porch laying down Elena on a couch. The wolf sat down as well keeping its intelligent mocha eyes on the sleeping vampire.
"Who are you?"
The cop asked the two newcomers.
"I'm Stefan Salvatore and that's Elijah"
The syringe bearing one made the introductions.
"How did you come back to life?"
Elijah asked. Charlie chuckled under his breath and lifted his left hand. On his ring finger was a ring that was familiar to everyone.
"Stefan called a couple hours ago telling me that Elena was AWOL. It was a safe bet that she was on her way here so I gave my ring to Charlie who is my uncle"
Jeremy explained
"Earlier the guys down at the rez smelled her so we set this all up. Dad came home too soon though so..."
Bella shrugged one shoulder appearing from a side door currying a tray with a carafe with lemon juice, a cold six-pack and a yellow sundress. Putting everything down on a table she handed the dress to the wolf that trotted back tot he woods.
"What...?"
Stefan trailed. Jeremy smirked
"Shapeshifter. What did you give Elena?"
"The cure"
It was Stefan's turn to smirk as he took one of the beer cans and popped it open. As a tall, slender, dark skinned girl came barefoot from the woods and sat on the arm of Jeremy's chair, Elena began to stir.
"What happened?"
She croaked through parched lips and half lidded eyes. The light coming from the porch lights hurt her eyes and she shielded them with one hand as she fought to sit straight.
No one replied as they looked at Jeremy who groaned and filled her in on everything. Elena rubbed her eyes wanting to think. Her plan had backfired. Not only did she fail in forcing Jeremy to come back but they had fooled her. She was human again. A measly human!
She stole a glance at the gun sitting innocently on the low coffee table next to a carafe with juice
"Don't even think about it or I'll put a few in you and file it as an accident"
The cop told her in a strong voice. Realizing she was outnumbered Elena sighed resigned
"What do you want from me?"
"Easy. You will go back to your normal, human life. You will be nice, friendly, giving and you will abide by what your parents would have wanted for you. You will never attempt to become a vampire again and you will leave your brother and extended family alone"
Stefan compelled his former girlfriend. He was always against compulsion but sometimes it was a necessary evil. Judging by Jeremy's relaxed face or Jeremy's cousin's approving smile, it wasn't even evil.
What it was was the end of an era. All they had to do now was hide Elena and make they believe the cure was unsucceful and that it killed Elena.
Klaus would be none the wiser and both he and his brother would be finally free from the Petrova charm!
The End
6
