VVV
Chapter 2- Start Again
A few hours later, Elena awoke to find that it was sunset. Feeling somewhat more refreshed, she decided to take a walk and see the city. She still wasn't certain if she would, or could, stay in Atlanta. No doubt the Salvatore's were already on her trail. She breathed a sigh and made the decision to call Caroline, before she went on her walk, after seeing that she had called repeatedly over the past several hours.
She took a deep breath, steeling herself, and dialed the number. It managed to ring once before Caroline picked up, "Elena, where in the Hell are you?" she demanded, her panicked voice a few octaves higher than normal.
"Caroline, calm down. Please." she tried to soothe her.
"Fine. But you have a lot of explaining to do. Where are you? Are you in trouble? Whatever possessed you to leave?" Caroline asked, all in one breath. "Is she okay?" Elena heard Bonnie ask in the background.
"I can't tell you where I am, Care. Just know that I'm not in trouble and that I'm doing this for myself. I...I just needed to get away from everything. Please, try to understand." She knew that if anyone of her friends would understand, it would be Caroline.
"Elena, are you sure that you're okay?" she asked more gently, after a moment, letting Elena know that she had accepted what she told her.
"Yes. Just tell Stefan and Damon not to come after me and tell everyone that I love them...and that this is for the best...at least for now."
"I will. But I'm afraid you're a little late on the whole 'Damon and Stefan not coming after you plan.' They left yesterday, a little while after we found that you were missing."
"Could you call them for me? I...I just don't want to talk to them or I would do it myself." Elena choked out, as tears gathered in her eyes yet again.
Caroline was uncharacteristically silent for a moment, "Sure, Lena. I'll call them for you, but you know I can't make any promises when it comes to getting them off of your trail."
"I know." Elena smiled bitterly.
"Just be careful, okay? Are you sure that you will be alright with your control?"
"Yes, I'll be fine. I've gotta go now, Care. I love all of you!"
"Bye, Lena. We love you too! Call me if you need anything!"
Elena pressed the end button and fell into a fit of hysterics.
Some time later she managed to pull herself together enough to go for the walk she had originally planned. As she stepped out onto the sidewalk, a cool breeze swept through her long hair and she pulled her jacket tighter around herself. It was after dark and she remembered that she wasn't in the best of neighborhood's, when she noticed some men loitering about. She wasn't as afraid as she would've been had she still been human, but she was still cautious.
She walked a few blocks until she came upon a small bar. Stepping inside she could see several couples dancing on a makeshift dance floor, dancing to the hypnotic beat of the music, and others lounging at the surrounding tables. Elena walked toward the bar, hoping to convince the bartender to give her a drink without having to compel him. She wasn't usually one for drinking, but after the phone call she had just made, she felt she needed one. Unfortunately, the barkeep proved to be difficult, "I'll have to see an ID, sweetheart."
Elena rolled her eyes in frustration, realizing that she would indeed have to compel him, as much as she hated to. She got his attention again, looking directly into his eyes, "You will give me as many shots of bourbon as I want. You don't need to see my ID." she said, watching the dull look of compulsion dawn on his face.
"I will give you bourbon. I don't need an ID." he repeated, reaching for a freshly opened bottle of liquor and pouring her a shot.
"Thank you." she says to him, grabbing the shot glass and downing the fiery liquid in one gulp, totally oblivious to the pair eyes watching her from the back corner table.
VVV
Elijah Mikaelson sat in the back of the bar, furthest away from the noise of the dance floor. He had been meeting with an associate of his, a witch friend called Solange. Since his departure from Mystic Falls a couple of weeks prior he had been searching for a way to unlink Elena Gilbert from his mothers latest hunter, the vampire Alaric. Thus far he had had no luck. Every witch or warlock that he spoke to told him the same thing- Only the witch that created the link could undo it. Solange had been no different.
"I am sorry, Elijah. I know you want to find a way to keep your family safe." she had said to him, before taking her leave.
However, it wasn't just his family that Elijah was thinking of. If he didn't find a way to undo what had been done, Elena's life could very well be in danger from his less than hospitable siblings. Kol had made it undeniably clear to him the night that Niklaus had died that he didn't like running and Rebekah hadn't said anything either way but he could tell that she hated going back to the way things were when Mikael still lived. Elena had to be kept safe. He wouldn't let his past failures, first with Tatia and then Katerina, repeat themselves yet again.
Such were the troubling thoughts filtering into his mind, when he caught sight of the person that had just walked into the bar. 'Speak of the devil.' he thought to himself, watching her saunter forward toward a waiting bar stool.
He had always prided himself on being a patient man, but in that moment all he wanted to do was drag her outside and demand to know what she was doing in Atlanta. Katerina Petrova was a personal demon that had plagued him for over five hundred years and he would be damned if he allowed her to pull any of her tricks on him again.
His eyes narrowed in suspicion, his senses on high alert, glancing quickly around the establishment for any more potential threats. Katerina- he could easily take care off, he merely did not want to be caught unawares and ambushed. He found a small amount of relief at the realization that there were no others, aside from the drunken humans lounging about or dancing. It was only Katerina.
As he looked at her, however, he realized that something was amiss. Her hair was straighter than normal, the usual sinful pout of her full lips was gone, and when she spoke the tone of her voice was slightly...off. But it had to be her, he had smelt her vampire scent as she had walked into the bar.
He watched as she compelled the bartender, convincing him to give her a drink. A shot was poured for her, which she downed in a second and motioned for another one as soon as her glass hit the wood of the counter. He decided in that moment to continue to observe and do nothing, he would bide his time...until she left the bar.
VVV
When Elena was starting to feel the effects of the alcohol in her system, she decided that she had had enough. She paid her tab and made her way out the door. Breathing in the cool Atlanta air to calm her buzzing senses, she decided to head back toward her room at the motel.
She was walking past a particularly dark alley way, not really minding her surroundings, when she was grabbed from behind and thrown against a brick wall. A vise like grip, like that of a python, settled around her throat, cutting off her air supply and making it difficult to speak.
"Katerina!" the name was growled in obvious disdain. "What in the blazes are you doing here?"
Finally Elena's eyes adjusted to the dim lighting and she could tell whom it was that she had been grabbed by and, more importantly, why they were so familiar.
"I'm...not...Katherine." she managed to choke out.
Elijah's brow wrinkled in confusion, then realization dawned in his dark eyes. He recoiled his hand as if she had burned him with vervain. "Elena?!" he demanded.
VVV
Okay, I know its another short chapter but that felt like the best place to stop. Oh, a cliffhanger! I'm horrible for it I know, but I've already started on chapter 3 so you hopefully won't have to wait too awfully long to find out what happens.
Now a little note about Elijah mistaking Elena for Katherine- In my opinion, he would have no knowledge that Elena had been changed. I don't think its something that Rebekah would willingly share with him, especially knowing that she broke his word, his promise that Elena would be safe. (Also because of this, he doesn't know that Alaric is dead.) So when he saw that Elena was a vampire he automatically thought it was Katerina, for obvious reasons. Anyway, I hope I made it at least believable.
The title of this chapter comes from the song "Start Again" by Red. Probably not one of their most famous songs but good none the less, at least in my opinion. Now onto my thank you section...
THANK YOU- HillywoodIsLife, destinoscelgo, beverlie4055, aisha99022, xXxWolvesInTheNightxXx, siberia21, JemmaZoey, Navidasti, doctor-bacon, fanboy32, Nightwing's Gal, SoUtHeRnBeLLe706, hvnsllbbygrl, artzygal, and ma5dz, for the reviews, for following and for adding this story to your favorites! It was so good to hear from all of you! Keep the support coming!
