Interview with the Original (AU)
Character Swaps:
Elijah Mikaelson as Louis de Pointe du Lac
Shiloh Lynn (OC) as Daniel Malloy
Klaus as Lestat de Lioncourt
Elena Gilbert as Claudia
Slater as Armand
Rose-Marie as Santiago
Summary:
The year is 2096 and Elijah Mikaelson, a millenia-old vampire, has agreed to meet with journalist Shiloh Lynn. She is astounded to find out that not only is Elijah telling the truth about himself, but that vampires do, indeed, exist. Elijah regales his life to Shiloh, showing her more of himself than he's shown in decades. He tells her of his family, his regrets, his happiness, and, most importantly, his true love.
Elijah explains to Shiloh the complicated relationship between himself and his creator, Klaus. Klaus is even older than Elijah and has power which Elijah has never hoped to rival. Elena, the love of Elijah's life, proves to be a difficult topic, but with encouragement and compassion, Elijah eventually reveals, in detail, their relationship and how he came to resent Klaus.
Rating: T
A/N: I suggest at least having seen Interview with the Vampire for some sort of background, but it shouldn't be necessary. I got this idea in the middle of the night and I couldn't wait to start putting it together. Reviews are immensely appreciated and I hope you all enjoy!
P.S.
The story is AU in that Klaus and Elijah are not related and Klaus sired Elijah. The doppelgängers still exist, but they do not play the role they do in the show. Their existence is that of chance. Slater and Rose are still their characters, but they've not been so involved in the story as with the show. I loved the idea of using Slater as I haven't seen many fanfics with him, and I liked him for the (unfortunately) short amount of time he was on TVD.
Disclaimer:
I do not claim to own either The Vampire Diaries or Interview with the Vampire, book or movie. Wish I did, but, alas! Earwax! (Harry Potter reference. Don't think I'm crazier than I really am!)
Chapter 1
The room was dimly lit, the overhead lamp throwing just enough light on the table for Shiloh to set her equipment up. She had to be honest – she was totally nervous. This was her first real article as a journalist and the guy she was interviewing sounded like a complete headcase. Over the phone, he'd spouted babble about vampires and witches and frankly he freaked her out. But a job was a job and beggars couldn't be choosers, so she took the interview willingly, bringing along with her an old tape recorder and plenty of extra tape. The way the guy explained his story to her, it sounded like he could go on for days, so she brought what she believed to be more than enough tape.
He stood on the far side of the room, gazing out the large bay window that overlooked the bustling, nighttime, London street. He was completely still and unnervingly silent, and from what little of his reflection Shiloh could see, he barely blinked. He broke out of his reverie when Shiloh finished and sat at the table rather awkwardly, unsure if it was all right with him if she seated herself.
"Thank you for coming, Miss Lynn," he said in a quiet, musing tone. "Most humans wouldn't give me the time of day, let alone sit down for an interview."
"It's my pleasure, Mr. Mikaelson." Her strong southern drawl felt out of place against his proper, British accent and she shifted in her seat. "Are you ready to begin?"
Slowly, Elijah approached the table and sat across from Shiloh. "I should ask you the same question, Miss Lynn."
"Please," she said, smiling hesitantly at him, "call me Shiloh. And whenever you feel like beginning, sir." She pressed the record button on her tape recorder and the faint whirring of the tape could be heard, breaking the stiff silence in the room.
"I know you don't believe me, Shiloh," said Elijah, the corner of his mouth twitching, "but I'm sure you will . . . in time. My story is not a pleasant one, nor is it the uplifting, fanciful sob-story you might be looking for. I know the type of stories those rags print nowadays, and I'd like to make it clear right now that everything I tell you from here on out is nothing but the truth. I've found in my many years on this earth that lying gets one nowhere in life, but I digress. Now, where to begin?"
Shiloh was completely silent during Elijah's lecture but she nodded as he spoke, making it clear that she understood. She still believed wholeheartedly that the man was off his rocker, but who was she to judge?
"Perhaps you might start with your claim to vampirism?" Shiloh suggested lightly.
"Shiloh, I needn't even speak to prove to you the fact that I am a vampire. Why, now I can even smell, can hear, the blood that pumps through your veins, that travels right there on your carotid artery, your jugular vein." His eyes moved up and down her neck and she felt her pulse quicken. "There's no need to be afraid. I've had millenia to control my urges, but if you are in need of more proof, then it's more proof you shall receive."
Shiloh watched in mingled fascination and horror as Elijah's eyes darkened and veins emerged from under his eyes, crawling down toward his cheekbones and slowly fading back underneath the skin. He opened his mouth in a sick grin to reveal two, large, razor-sharp fangs. As quickly as they had appeared, they were gone and Shiloh was left without a doubt in her mind that this man was telling her the honest truth.
"I believe you, Mr. Mikaelson," she said, her voice shaking involuntarily.
"Please, call me Elijah," he said, giving her a gracious smile. "So, first things first, I suppose." He cleared his throat and adjusted his perfectly straight tie. "I was born in England in 1340, when the Black Death was sweeping across Europe. My family was lucky enough to survive, but the same could not be said for our neighbors and our town. The country was in a state of panic and everyone was looking to the papacy for guidance. I have not believed in a god for some time now, but back then, the church was the greatest, most sought-after source of guidance there was.
"Meanwhile, in Avignon, the pope had barricaded himself in his castle, surrounding himself with fires in hopes of keeping away disease. His personal physician, who is a well-known man now, Guy de Chauliac dedicated his life's work to finding a cure for the wretched disease. For his time, he made extraordinary medical discoveries. To this day, experts are not completely positive of what the Black Death was. Some say bubonic plague, others say some sort of flu, but who will ever really know?
"By the time I was fifteen, my father had fallen ill with, what I believe to be now, cancer. He died when I was sixteen years old, and I, being the eldest child, became the man of the house and was expected to provide for my family. I went to work in the farmlands near my home, plowing fields, planting and gathering crops – the mundane sort of labor machines do for us now. For the fifteen hours a day that I worked, I took real pride in myself, believing that I was doing right by helping my family, by providing for my four younger silbings and my mother. She worked as a seamstress and business was fairly decent, but it wasn't nearly enough to live on, so I took on all the work I could, and by the time I reached twenty, I was incredibly overworked. I felt like I would never be fully rested, that I would be forever exhausted. That was until Tatia Petrova and her family moved to my town."