By the light of the moon
Disclaimer: The characters and other things from The Vampire Diaries don't belong to me. Credit goes to the rightful owners.
Chapter 2: Every ending has a beginning
"A full scale investigation is underway to determine the cause of the explosion last night at the local cinema however no clear leads have surfaced on who is behind it…"
Elena stared at the television, transfixed at the sight she witnessed firsthand the night before, finally grasping the horror of the situation. The adrenaline rush of trying to get out, almost being trampled and being miraculously pulled out by a stranger finally wore off and she stood in the middle of her living room watching the camera pan over the wreckage, practically able to smell the stench of destruction.
"Wanna cut class today?" Damon said casually, leaning against the wall as he watched Elena intently, his own eyes drawn to the images flashing on the screen, "You look like someone in dire need of a distraction or a drink. Just say the word and I'll break rules with you, my personal preference being running from this town."
"Damon Salvatore running from the action instead of being in the middle of it—I never would have imagined it. Weren't you the troublemaker, once upon a time, whose only goal was to bring misery to town? And now you'd rather run? The shame," Elena teased, deflecting her own urge to run and just forget how she seemed to be hunted down by trouble.
Damon shook his head and shrugged, "I didn't have anyone to keep safe back then, especially not someone constantly in mortal peril. Apparently even a quiet night at the movies is too dangerous. I've been on the internet since last night trying to find the safest, read: most boring, place on this planet to keep you in."
"And what have you found?" Elena asked, amused by his behavior, finally tuning out the sound of the television and missing out on a glimpse of her being pulled to safety by the devastatingly handsome stranger.
"That those little pop ups are annoying and that I can buy practically anything I want online—we're talking every imaginable variation of a black shirt. But on the safest place—I think you're good where you are as long as I'm around…or some random stranger is up to saving you." Damon said his eyes narrowing slightly at the memory.
"Jealous?" Elena said smirking, watching Damon's eyes become slits as he closed the gap between them.
"Weren't you ever taught not to talk to strangers?" Damon spat out his frustration, "You can't trust someone who got lucky and caught your hand—just when it was taken out of mine. Isn't it suspicious his face shows up in town the same night the cinema decided to come crashing down on us? And what is up with remembering his name with a smile on your face? Isn't that something that should have been washed away by the trauma?"
Elena bit back a laugh, recognizing how serious Damon was, appeasing him by suddenly reaching out, her arms encircling his waist until he relaxed and pulled her closer.
"I'm not jealous," Damon said with a sigh, his chin resting comfortably on the top of her head "I have prettier eyes. He should be jealous of me—for having the girl, the looks and the wit. I just don't trust him, Elena, and neither should you."
"I don't trust him, Damon. I've learned a thing or two since you and Stefan came into my life. The damsel in constant distress is not an idiot," Elena said, "But you have to give people a chance. Not everyone new who comes into our lives will have an ulterior motive. I can't live like that…and I can't run away, not today. I have a life to get back to and a bit of normalcy to hang on to through school. But ask me again in the summer?"
"Sorry, already have plans. See, there's this girl I met and we sort of agreed to meet at this awesome beach at sunset…" Damon said trailing off as Elena punched him in the arm and walked away to get her school bag.
"Alright, I'll cancel. Now who's the jealous one…" he muttered under his breath.
"I heard that," Elena said glaring at him.
"I know. I wouldn't have said it out loud if I didn't want you to hear," Damon said as he walked past her to open the door, "Duh."
Elena threw up her hands in exasperation, "Does every conversation with you have to be impossible?"
"Such a complainer, Elena," Damon said as they walked to his car, "but I'll overlook that since I love you and all."
"And I'm going to let that comment slide because I love you too," Elena said as she got into the passenger seat.
Damon closed the door, a playful smile dancing on his lips similar to Elena. He got into the driver's seat, "Good to know we're still on the same page. I'll cross my fingers it doesn't change anytime soon."
Elena laughed aloud as she looked out the window as Damon pulled onto the road, "You really think after everything we'll change our minds…about us?"
"Not about loving each other, no," Damon said turning serious all of a sudden, "but deciding to stay together is a different question altogether, Elena. Who knows when one of us will suddenly become stupid and feel like it's the brightest idea ever to end this relationship if it will save a life? If you haven't noticed that crossroad is one we often cross in fair Mystic Falls."
"You really don't think we can be selfish and just live with the consequences of staying together?" Elena asked quietly.
"Let's see—I compelled you to forget I told you I love you and then you pestered me until I caved and told you. Then there's you slashing your wrists over that moonstone when I did it to save you. I'd say we have a solid maybe to that question. First instinct to be heroic but somehow we'll always be drawn to each other, like a moth to a flame." Damon said, eyes on the road as his hand found Elena's, "Look, it's too early for us to channel Stefan and start brooding over things that might never even happen. Elijah, the moonstone and Katherine—it's probably not yet the end game but for all we know, the danger has passed and this is already day one of happily ever after."
Damon pulled to a stop in front of the school, switched off the engine and turned to face Elena, "Go to class, doodle my name in the margins of your notebook, pay attention to the teacher when you absolutely have to and laugh with your friends in between. I'll be right here when the bell rings. We'll hold on to whatever you want to call 'normal' for as long as we can. Deal?"
"Deal." Elena said shaking his outstretched hand before surprising him with a quick kiss on the lips, leaving the car almost immediately after.
Damon shook his head, rolling his eyes as he watched her go, laughing to herself as she tried hard not to turn around to see his reaction. Damon began to smile but his face darkened almost immediately as Nick came into view, managing to get Elena to stop and clear out the confused expression on the new boy's face with a helpful gesture towards the right path to his first class. Damon watched them disappear into the building, noting just how Elena never looked back.
"Ms. Gilbert," Alaric called out sharply, "What is the oldest record of civilization in Mystic Falls… before the town was even founded?"
"I'm sorry?" Elena said, her head snapping in attention focusing finally on the questioning, and mildly disappointed stare of her teacher, "It's…uh…"
"Mystic Falls was the original home of the Aztecs—Aztlan it was called then." Nick answered quietly from behind Elena, "Contrary to the belief that it was somewhere in what we now know as California, this was the actual original settlement of the tribes that eventually left in the wake of a terrible prophecy, driving every single one of them in fear."
"An obscure legend only few are aware of but a legend nonetheless, a myth and certainly not history, Mr…?" Alaric asked.
"Petrov," Nick answered without missing a beat, "I beg your pardon but legends, though seemingly fiction, do have historical significance and may well be rooted in fact—we just don't know it because they lack what we now rely on to declare something as truth. Just because there was no documentary or DNA evidence, it doesn't mean these stories didn't shape history as we know it. Belief can be as powerful as truth."
A cold shiver passed through Elena when she heard his surname, instinctively making her turn towards Bonnie who had a similar look of alarm on her face. Alaric smiled and plowed on, ignoring the small gasp that escaped Elena, "All right Nick, since you're so passionate about this, why don't you tell us what you know and I'll let your classmates try to judge which aspects are rooted in fact and which are pure myth."
"All right," Nick said standing up and taking a seat on the edge of the table in front, appearing comfortable and intense at the same time. His gaze surveyed the room, eyes practically clear as glass in the light that filtered through the room, piercing and holding everyone's attention as he began," Aztlan was remote, a secret, if you will. Whether it was by choice or a natural consequence of the time, it served their purpose well, which was to protect the great power that resided in the land and all the secrets that came with it. By some accounts, it was rich with resources, teeming with life and everything their society needed to subsist independently. However, some accounts speak of something beyond that, a primal energy source far greater than what they could eat, feel or see."
"Sounds like a great place to be. I'm guessing on top of the brilliant scenery, the people were also beautiful?" Caroline said with a faraway look in her eyes.
"It was by no means a paradise—the tribes of Aztlan were vicious and slaves to power in stark contrast to their seemingly peaceful surroundings." Nick continued easily, "In fact, two tribes warred and ruled over the other five. Power changed hands mostly between these two, as easy as night changed into day and vice versa. But one moonless night, a comet streaked through the sky and quite literally a new era was born."
"A comet?" Elena said out loud nervously, trying to shake off the familiarity, "Are you going to talk about star-crossed lovers next?"
Nick shifted so he was staring straight into Elena's eyes, "I wish I could. It would have been a far simpler story to tell," he said almost wistfully, the pain evident in his eyes, "These tribes bred warriors not men, with magic not nurture and that night they succeeded—two male children were born with bloodlust; made to kill the other, mortal enemies from the first second they wailed to signal their arrival in this life. One was sleek and agile, cunning with unmatched grace in battle where the other was practically barbaric in ferocity and strength—equal in the field and primed to kill. These two—they were invincible, practically concentrated power pumping through their veins. They didn't need to feed like normal humans for energy. They could exist on the blood from those they killed—raw human energy."
"Like wild animals?" Tyler asked his jaw clenched in recognition of his own fate in the story, which Caroline noticed and placed a hand on his arm to calm him, remind him where he was.
"Very much like that, yes," Nick replied, curiously noting the simple gesture between Caroline and Tyler, their bond, "The tribes saw the potential and tried to further these opposing bloodlines," Nick continued, his eyes intensely searing into Elena once again, "but someone was wise enough to realize that survival lay not in the ability to conquer but in actually living, the man who wielded the power of Aztlan in his hands and created the template from which all warriors were born."
"Let me guess, this guy was a shaman," Alaric said dryly, his voice casual to conceal the unease that was taking over him.
Nick nodded indicating no surprise at his teacher's guess before he went on, "However, he was just one man and he had a wife and daughter to protect. His first instinct was to run. He had no use for power if his family was dead. He could give up the power from the land as long as he kept them safe. But fate decided he had a greater role to play. It was to him that the Aztlan prophecy was given, the horror of which drove him to act and bind the power of all tribes, reducing them to nothing more than creatures who were slaves to their natures."
"The sun and the moon curse," Caroline said in a hollow voice, her initial glee at what started out as a fairy tale turning into a feeling of foreboding that there was still a bigger loose end to this story.
"….is the only thing that survived and was somehow documented. It was an attempted binding that failed because there was a key to breaking it—effective but not foolproof and certainly drives attention away from the right questions to ask, the real point of the fall of Aztlan and why everyone fled from it."
"What is the prophecy?" Elena whispered, meeting Nick's eyes, searching for answers.
Nick merely shrugged and smiled nonchalantly, "No living being knows. Does it matter? Do prophecies, curses and legends have a place in class after all?"
"Not this one, sorry Nick, but that was very entertaining. Thank you," Alaric said clapping his hands, breaking the mood as the bell rang, "For tomorrow, I'd like the real and verifiable answer to my question class. Ms. Gilbert, a word? The rest of you can go."
Elena gathered her things slowly, exchanging a look with Bonnie and Caroline as the rest of the class filed out. She nodded to them and waited until everyone left before approaching Alaric's desk.
"He knows something." Alaric said without beating around the bush, "Curious how his last name is Petrov and even more interesting is that his first day in school is marked by news of something exploding in Mystic Falls."
"You sound like Damon," Elena said with her eyebrows raised.
"I'll pretend I didn't hear that," Alaric said, "But if he sensed it too then I have to say he's got a point. Watch your back, Elena. Even Isobel's research didn't cover as much ground as he did in his storytelling."
"It was just a story…a coincidence…" Elena said weakly, trying to remain in denial.
"…that explains the moonstone and how there's a bigger story behind it," Alaric said, "Elena, tell Damon. Make sure he knows about this. I'll look into it but the more heads we have on this one, the faster we can figure it out. I feel like there's a clock ticking on this one."
"Isn't there always?" Elena said before stepping out, "I'll him but can you do me a favor…can you see if this prophecy is somehow tied to reversing the curse? Turning a vampire human?"
Alaric nodded, "Who wants to be human? Katherine? Damon?"
"No," Elena said smiling sadly, "Stefan."
"I'll just draw up the papers and then the keys are yours, Mr. Petrov," Jenna said with a bright smile, "Thank you."
"The pleasure is mine, Ms. Sommers," answered Alexander Petrov in a silky voice, steeped in a European accent Jenna couldn't place, "It's such a charming space that I'd hate to see go to waste by some unfortunate fire. A little renovation and it will be good as new."
"Yes, of course," Jenna agreed extending her hand, "Well it was nice meeting you. I'll just call you up when I've got everything ready."
"Until then," Mr. Petrov said giving her a small nod before walking in the opposite direction in search of his car. With a final wave, he got into his car and sped off leaving Jenna alone on the sidewalk.
"A new friend, Jenna?" a voice asked from behind her, startling her.
"Damon!" Jenna admonished, "Can you not sneak up on me like that?"
"I've been standing here for the last ten seconds. Is it my fault you have an unfortunate tendency to be ignorant of your surroundings?" Damon pointed out, "Let me ask again—who was that and why does he have you all smitten? Alaric won't be pleased, Jenna. I hear he's not a fan of blue-eyed strangers who flirt with his women. I should know."
"You are disgusting, Damon!" Jenna said furiously, walking away from him, "Don't add reasons to my list of why I shouldn't tell Elena to stay away from you. I can barely tolerate you as it is. Why can't you be more like your brother? He was actually nice and polite."
"Fine," Damon said rolling his eyes, "Jenna, please, pretty please, tell me who that man was and what he's doing in a building full of vampire ashes?"
Jenna whipped around to face him, clearly struggling whether to answer or to lash out at him for mocking her. She sighed as she gave in and answered his question, "That was Alexander Petrov. He's new in town and wants to buy Grayson's old clinic. He wants a space to open up a rare books store, that's it."
"Married with kids?" Damon said, his eyes narrowing suspiciously as he stared at the road where Alexander Petrov's car passed minutes ago.
"I don't see how that's relevant to you but he's a widow with one son who is Elena's age and is in school with her now most likely." Jenna said slowly
"Let me guess…his name is Nick." Damon said shaking his head, cursing under his breath as he started to pace in front of Jenna, "Okay, since you're now in the inner circle of the supernatural society—welcome by the way. Here's the plan…no, don't look all suspicious of me. You should reserve that for the 'Petrovs,' a surname which screams Katherine's family reunion to me. I need you to find out as much as you can about that guy and most especially his son, who has been making googly eyes at Elena. Feel free to ban her from seeing Nick Petrov. I'm all for it. Ground her if you want, just let me visit."
"Damon…" Jenna said, "He's a perfectly respectable man and I'm sure his son is too. You're, overreacting."
"Am I or is everyone in your family just blindingly trusting of strangers?" Damon exclaimed, "Look, Jenna, call me paranoid, delusional and all around crazy but just humor me on this one. Believe me I don't want to be right about them being a threat. I'd prefer they're harmless but I'm not taking my chances with Elena's safety. There's only so many times I can watch her almost get killed or jump through hoops to try and save me. Contrary to what you might think, I do have a heart and it's not going to be able to take another round of watching Elena go through hell without breaking into a tiny million pieces that I won't have the time or the patience to pick up."
"Okay, okay," Jenna agreed taking in Damon's speech without betraying how much she was affected by it, "I'll do what I can but if I find nothing…if they're clean then you back off."
"Yeah, yeah but all bets are off if that Nick so much as bats an eye at Elena the wrong way," Damon muttered darkly as he walked away, "Call me, Jenna. I'll be waiting."
"Don't hold your breath," Jenna said mockingly
"That doesn't apply to my kind, Jenna, be more creative with your threats next time," Damon said without turning around, "See you tomorrow for family night and FYI, I like rare steaks."
"Need a ride?" Nick asked Elena from behind, smiling lightly as if all the dark stories were forgotten and trapped in the school classroom.
"Uh, no, just waiting for my boyfriend," Elena said, a small laugh escaping her as she realized what she had called Damon.
"Ah, yes," Nick said with recognition, "the one who wishes looks can kill so he can execute me on the spot for pulling you out of a stampede. Charming. I wish you all the happiness in the world with him."
Elena laughed at his assessment, "We've been through quite a bit lately and he's just looking out for me. Nothing personal. He's just protective."
"And extremely paranoid," Nick pointed out, "but with good reason, I think. You can never be too careful."
Elena agreed silently as she scanned the parking lot. She blinked and suddenly Nick was right in front of her, his eyes like steel as they bore into hers, "I need a favor, Elena."
"Yes?" she asked, a faint feeling of numbness spreading through her body as her consciousness warred with her instincts.
"Don't tell Damon the story about the prophecy, Aztlan and everything else. He'll find out soon enough but it's not yet time. The messenger is on his way." Nick said quietly as he tucked a stray strand of her hair behind her ear.
"Okay," Elena nodded compliantly, her hands flying to her neck where the pendant with vervain hung, confused at why she was still aware of the control over her but more importantly why she was not immune, "I won't tell him."
"Good." Nick said before stepping sideways to reveal an irate Damon walking towards them, "Until tomorrow, Elena. Oh and one more thing…you still didn't ask the right question earlier."
"What am I missing then?" Elena said monotonously
Nick only smiled and stepped back, "Goodbye, Elena."
"Bye…" Elena said absently as Damon approached, barely noticing Nick leave.
"Elena? Earth to Elena? Hello?" Damon said waving a hand in front of her face, so close that Elena instinctively swatted it away, her senses sharpening as she did.
Elena gasped as if she held her breath for a while, pitching forward into Damon's arms as she did.
"Whoa, what's happening to you, is it that new kid? I saw him walk away like five seconds ago. Did he do something to you?" Damon said, suspiciously eyeing Nick's back as he walked farther away from them, pushing up his sleeves, "Do I now have reason to tear him limb from limb?"
"No, no, we were just talking about class…" Elena said trying to grasp what seemed to be pieces of her memory floating in her mind, unreachable and hazy.
"Interesting enough to render you speechless? What was it?" Damon asked, peering at her curiously.
"It was…" Elena started. Panic initially seizing her as she found she couldn't continue but then an unnatural calm descending on her as she replied, "nothing worth repeating. Let's go, Damon."
Nick watched them leave, releasing a deep sigh only after their car was out of sight, "We've been away too long. I've forgotten so much it seems."
"Yes, that is true," Alexander replied quietly as he stood beside Nick, "and yet things are almost exactly the same. Time apparently has no impact or faces, places or players in this game. I wonder…are the feelings the same?"
"Insignificant detail. But at least this time it will truly be the end." Nick laughed bitterly, his hand turning into a fist over his heart, "How far out is the messenger?"
"A day or two at most," Alexander replied, "One of them is severely injured but I am certain he will be strong enough eventually. They travel quite slowly."
"No, it's just right. The timing will be precise," Nick replied softly, "Everything will unravel the second they set foot in this town."
Nick closed his eyes and whispered to no one, "May the best man win, Damon."
A/N: Took long…I know :) The next one update shouldn't take as long…it's already in my mind as I'm writing this. Btw, Aztlan is really a legend with the Aztecs—thought it would be good to tie that in. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this and hope you read the next ones as well.:)