Hello everyone! This is my first attempt at fanfiction, and I really hope it suffices :)
I own nothing, I just play in the world the brilliant TVD writers created!
So this is AU around the season 2 finale, Stefan still left with Klaus, Delena kiss DID NOT HAPPEN + Damon doesn't LOVE Elena, though the werewolf bite did happen, Elijah was not staked by Klaus - he left of his own accord. If anything else comes up, I'll try to mention it! Enjoy!
Elena sighed as she shoved yet another tank-top into a duffel bag. She always overpacked for trips, but what was the harm in having extra clothes available? And back-ups for the extra clothes?
Opening her closet, she threw garments left and right, until she found her favorite leather jacket, placing it on top of her purse, along with a scarf. Who knew what kind of weather to dress for, wherever they were going?
Turning to another bag filled to the brim with toiletries, she began attempting to close it. She had crammed so much into it that it wouldn't close until she had sat on it and forced the zipper into submission. Huffing angrily, she shoved her bags onto her bed, waiting for Damon to take them to the car.
Crossing to the window, Elena stared wistfully out at the street she had lived on her entire life, through good and bad times. She had always been able to come back to this familiar house with the slightly rusty porch swing, the creaky third step leading upstairs, and her beloved teddy resting on her bed, always waiting for her. She had to leave, now, and possibly forever. Tears formed in her eyes as she watched children play outside a couple houses down, a dog barked loudly somewhere, and sprinklers doused the lawn across the street.
It was going to be a lovely summer, and it looked like she would miss the chance to enjoy any of it; Stefan was gone; Damon was awful company so far; and her brother Jeremy had already gone underground with Bonnie. And here Elena was, preparing to drive off into the midde of nowhere tonight, in preparation for the event that foreboding rumors warned of; Klaus' return.
About a week ago, a vampire named Jacqueline had shown up on the Gilbert house doorstep in the middle of a thunderstorm, looking as frightened as Elena had ever seen a vampire. With glossy black hair and perfect alabaster skin, she was gorgeous, save for the fear radiating from her lovely emerald eyes. She had come with information, and none of it was pleasant.
As Elena looked through her window at life continuing as usual in her neighborhood, movement caught her eye, and she glanced down at the driveway to see Damon joking around with Jay, as they all called Jacqueline, as he loaded supplies into Elena's SUV. Seeing Jay laughing, her long hair blowing in the slight summer breeze, Elena smiled. The girl had just as much on her plate as Elena, if not more.
A resounding knock on the front door at 3 AM had been loud enough to awaken Elena, even over the pounding of the thunder and rain outside. Knowing it couldn't be Damon or Caroline, who had been invited in, or any human friends, she lay in her bed for a moment, frightened and wondering who on Earth it could be.
Finally mustering the courage to move, she padded down the stairs and approached the door. Remembering that a vampire intending harm couldn't reach a finger past the threshold, she took a deep breath and swung open the door.
"Please, let me in!" cried the girl standing on the porch, soaked to the bone. "My name is Jacqueline, and I have information for the doppelganger...You, Miss Gilbert."
Too astonished to speak, Elena eyed the girl carefully. Clad in a rain-soaked sweater, jeans and sneakers, she looked harmless enough...But how was Elena to know who to trust anymore, especially by appearances?
A screeching noise heralded the arrival of Damon, pulling quickly into the driveway. Slamming the door of his car shut, he dashed up the front steps and past Elena, into the house.
"Let her in Elena, we need to talk."
Elena shook her head, needing to focus on the task at hand: making a quiet getaway from Mystic Falls. Not wanting to bother Damon and Jay, she grabbed her duffel bag and suitcase herself, carefully navigating the stairs and taking the bags to the driveway, careful to remain out of sight from the street. Depositing them on the hot pavement and leaning against a hedge, she ran a hand through her hair.
"You guys really feel this is necessary, right? The whole cloak-and-dagger, leaving-in-the-middle-of-the-night thing?" she asked, folding her arms.
"Elena, you know how dangerous Klaus is now, and his belief that you are dead is the only sure protection you have against him right now," murmured Jay, putting Elena's bags into the back of the car herself.
"I just...why can't I stay with Bonnie? Where are we going that is going to be so much safer?" Elena muttered angrily, glaring at Damon.
"We aren't sure yet, we have to test the waters, so to speak, so this may be a long trip," explained Damon, shutting the back hatch of the SUV. "Hope your car seats are comfy," he said, doing the "eye-thing".
Biting her lip, Elena turned and walked back into the house, seeking out Alaric, who was in the kitchen. He had petitioned for guardianship of Elena and Jeremy after Jenna's tragic death, and luckily won. These days he busied himself with work at the school and taking care of his charges.
Finding him staring out the kitchen window, Elena put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "It won't last forever, you know, all of this...something has to give."
Turning to look at her, Alaric smiled ruefully. "I know, I just really wish it wasn't you kids having to deal with all of this. Now, I know you're not exactly kids anymore, but it's how I see you and Jeremy, and I can only try to make things easier on you guys. I miss Jenna so much sometimes, and I feel like I'm not doing her duties well enough..."
"Enough of that," Elena scolded, hitting his shoulder lightly, "Jeremy and I know you've done the best anyone could do in this situation, and we understand why all this has to happen right now."
Alaric nodded, and she went back upstairs to wait until the night arrived. They had decided to leave in the middle of the night to avoid at least the human eyes of the town, not wanting to chance being given away by the use of Compulsion on any of Elena's neighbors; Elena had remained out of sight for weeks now, maintaining the pretense of being "dead".
At the time they decided the threat of Klaus returning signaled a need for Elena to disappear, Jeremy's absence had been decided upon as well, Bonnie figuring Klaus may try something with Elena's remaining relatives. He was now bunkering down with Bonnie in the cellar of the burial grounds mansion like before, both of them trying to find as much information on Klaus' whereabouts and plans as they could. Caroline and Tyler had been told to keep up pretenses and live as normally as possible.
No one had seen Elijah since his exit with Klaus on the night of the sacrifice, and Elena grew angry all over again at the thought of his betrayal. He had put so much emphasis on what his word meant...
If she had been in his situation, with a chance to see her family again, she supposed she'd do the same thing, and she knew deep down she would forgive Elijah someday for what he did.
Settling onto her bed, she grabbed her teddy and prepared for a nap until they were ready to leave.
A few hours later, a light tap awoke Elena, and Jay slipped into her room. Giving her a sympathetic smile, though her eyes were sad, Jay murmured, "We're ready to go if you are."
"I don't think I'll ever be ready, but the time is now, isn't it?" Elena smiled sadly back, and crossing to her vanity mirror, ran a brush through her thick hair a few times. Looking down, she grimaced as she spotted her cellphone, turned off and resting on her dresser. Damon and Jay agreed it was something else to be tracked and insisted she leave it.
Grabbing her jacket and shrugging it on as Jay took her purse downstairs, Elena looked around her room one last time, committing to memory the familiar posters on the walls, the bedspread, her beloved window-seat...
Squaring her shoulders, she followed Jay downstairs and grabbed a bottle of water from the kitchen. Giving Alaric, who was lingering over a bottle of scotch in the living room, a quick hug, she promised to contact him as soon as she was able.
Opening the front door, she took a deep breath and stepped outside. Damon had the engine running, and playing AC/DC loudly and singing along while he waited for them. Giving Elena a smile, Jay hopped into the passenger seat and shut her door.
Trudging to the car door, Elena cast one last look at the house she grew up in, and climbed into the back seat. As they pulled out of the driveway and began the long drive to who-knows-where, Elena leaned back against the carseat and closed her eyes. This was already the worst vacation ever.
Thoughts? Liked/Disliked/Thought it bearable? Please let me know what you think, again, this is my first attempt, so any help would be lovely! Suggestions, theories, plot-holes I need to elaborate upon/fill in? Read and Review, thanks loves! xoxo Bon