Slowly her brown eyes opened to the bright morning. In that moment her consciousness awoke she was surprised that she hadn't dreamed. It was the first night in almost eight months that she had gone an entire night without falling into a dream. She felt refreshed and her mood was the best it had been in what felt like months even having learned about her friend's death back home. Slowly a smile formed on her lips when she could see out into the beautiful day that greeted her. It was fall yet it felt like a summer's morning with the beautiful sunrays spilling in and the clear blue sky that went on for miles and miles in sight without white cotton to disturb the blue that looked like Hawaiian water hovering above the Town.
But, when Anelie least expected it an image of Molly flashed before her. Her sister was such a nature lover, then again, back in the sixteenth century everybody was compared to now. How Anelie and Molly used to wake up before the stars said their goodbyes to night and they laid in the grass head to head watching the dark sky transform into day and they were always transforming into mornings like this. Bulgaria had such a beautiful sky, breathtaking at dawn when the sky would become a painting of pink and Orange and Purple. It seemed to close, close enough to touch if you just reached up high enough yet it was so far away and all you could do is dream of one day being able to dip your hands into the beauty that your eyes couldn't get enough of. That was Anelie's and Molly's dream and Molly—Molly was the one that got to finally reach up and dip her hands into it.
"She's still sleeping…" Nadia whispered
"Did you know about the Circle thing that she's apart of—leader of?" Katherine asked
Nadia shook her head, "I knew that covens could be bound…but I had no idea she was a part of a bound circle—no."
"So…who exactly was her father?"
"His name was Alexander Salvatore,"
Katherine sighed, "Do we all swoon at the sight of Salvatore boys?"
Nadia shrugged, "He was a Traveler from Italy…"
"What brought him to Bulgaria, do you know?"
"No idea," said Nadia
"Well…now you know about your daughter's little secret and now she's in trouble and she needs help."
"She's safe here, with you and me protecting her no one will be able to get to her." Nadia informed and Katherine nodded, "I couldn't agree more, but, what are we going to do when that Joe person shows up?"
Nadia shrugged, "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."
"Sometimes I wish I could just go back to being a little kid again" Nadia heard, "I hate being grown up, I miss not having to worry about things. Life was so much easier when I didn't have to worry about anything…"
"You heard that too?"
Katherine nodded softly
Nadia turned away from Katherine to gaze at the back of her daughter, who began to stir moving onto her other side to look back at her mother and grandmother, "Can I please go back to being little again?"
Nadia sighed, "I'm afraid it doesn't work that way…"
Anelie nodded her head in understanding, "I wish it did."
"Hey, I have an idea," Katherine spoke up, "Why don't we go get some breakfast at the Grill and then if we all feel up to it we can maybe go shopping or something, take a day to just relax and hang out together since I'm leaving tomorrow."
Nadia smiled, "What do you say, Anelie?"
Anelie smiled, "Sure, sounds like fun—I could never pass up a day of shopping." She giggled
An hour and a half later all three girls strolled into the Mystic Grill, it was only ten a.m. and was already busy with customers, the sound of coffee mugs and silver wear and plates being sat on tables blended in with the sound of chatting voices created a perfect environment for an unusual breakfast date for Elena Gilbert and her Doppelganger's daughter and granddaughter.
"Hey Nadia look, Matty blue-blue at Twelve O'clock," Katherine murmured gesturing to the blonde-blue eyed boy approaching their both," My Twelve O'clock or your Twelve O'clock?" Nadia asked looking at Katherine, she rolled her eyes "We have the same Twelve O'clock!"
"Who's Matty Blue-Blue?" Anelie whispered across the table at Katherine, "Your Mom's crush,"
"Uh, hey, Elena…what are you doing here with Nadia and…"
"It's a long story but Nadia and I are actually friends now, you know her mother being my doppelganger and all." Katherine said putting on a perfect Elena impersonation
"Well that's…nice; and you are?" Matt asked now looking at Anelie
"Who, me? I'm Anelie, Nadia's my Mother."
"Oh—"
"She was trying her best to come before Katherine died—she's upset about not getting here soon enough so I thought it would be nice and take her on a shopping trip." Katherine informed
Matt looked at Anelie with a sympathetic expression, "Oh…I'm really sorry about that—you know, if it makes you feel any better, ignore what the other people around here say about her; Katherine wasn't all bad—psycho, kind of but for the most part, I think she would've been thrilled to meet you, Anelie. I mean that."
They were all taken aback by his sudden compassion for Katherine, "Oh, well…" Anelie glanced at Katherine and then Matt, a hint of a smile forming, "Thank you…that actually does make me feel better, especially hearing it from someone like you," Matt returned her smile, "Your welcome, now I'll let you guys figure out what you want to eat, I'll be back in a minute."
They all nodded, "Okay,"
Anelie sighed once Matt was out of sight, Katherine finally let out the laugh that she had been holding in, "Oh my god, you were totally flirting with him!"
"Was not! He was just being nice is all" Anelie defended
Katherine rolled her eyes, "Nu-uh that was totally flirting—trust me I know flirting and that was!"
"Okay…so what if I was, what's the matter?" Anelie asked innocently
Katherine began to laugh even harder laying her head on her arms down on the table hiding her reddening face.
Anelie sideways glanced at her mother dumbfounded, "Am I missing something…?" She questioned
Nadia sighed, "Well…sort of…you see…over the summer Matt and that Blonde Original Vampire Rebekah were visiting Prague and we um—well met and sort of—,"
"They all had sex together!" Katherine blurted cupping her mouth in a hushed whisper
Anelie looked over at her mother now mortified, "Okay…I love you—Mommy. But that is just too weird for me!" Anelie exclaimed now her face reddening from a mixture of embarrassment and mortification
"Well this has been quite the most eventful fifteen minutes of my life." Stated Anelie dryly having now drank almost an entire two cups of water in just a matter of a few minutes
Katherine grinned, "I thought it was pretty funny," she said sipping at her Coffee, Anelie mocked her grin, "Hilarious—I need a drink."
"Morning drinker? That's new…" Katherine murmured
Nadia scoffed, "It really isn't that bad…it isn't like you've never had sex before."
Anelie scoffed back, "Obviously not, I did have kids…and a few several boyfriends and, just a couple one-night-stands over the past five centuries—but who's really counting?"
Katherine giggled, "You defiantly got that from me," She glanced to Nadia, "What about you, how many men have you slept with? And be honest dear."
Nadia rolled her eyes, "I'm so not answering that."
"Oh come on it's just me; I'm your Mother you can tell me anything!"
"Yeah, Mom, fess up, I'm your Daughter you can tell me anything."
"I've been alive for five centuries…the numbers are pretty high." Nadia informed
Anelie shook her head, "Okay, that is all I need to know, no more information is needed for my still somewhat innocent ears." Anelie whined covering her ears
Katherine rolled her eyes, "Innocent my ass—you're a Petrova—we're the opposite of innocent. Even Elena Gilbert wasn't innocent and she was the definition of innocent…well…that is until she turned into a Vampire and—,"
"What are you blabbing on about?" Nadia asked cutting her Mother off
Katherine rolled her eyes, "Nothing…" she sighed
"Who is Elena Gilbert?" Asked Anelie
"You're looking at her," Katherine grinned, "Although her spirit is gone forever, I now have full control over her body."
"So you put your Spirit into her body as your body was dying?"
Katherine nodded, "Yup,"
Anelie shook her head, "Awesome…what else do I need to know?"
"I have to pose as Elena Gilbert so that no one of Elena's stupid gang buddies figures out that I didn't die." Katherine explained
"And who are Elena's "Gang Buddies"?"
Katherine waved her head, "You'll figure it out…don't worry—I'll let you know,"
"Fabulous…-how many people are we talking here?" Anelie asked
"This entire Town practically," Said Nadia
"No not the entire town…just several people. But again, don't worry, I'll tell you who are Elena's friends."
Anelie nodded exhaling sharply, "Okay…"
A little later, Anelie and Katherine and Nadia were walking together in the town square. The air had gotten warmer with a light breeze flowing through made it perfect
"So you're leaving for College tomorrow…"
Katherine nodded, "Yeah, Elena's close friends Bonnie and Caroline are waiting for her to come back so I don't really have a choice."
"How far away is it?"
Katherine giggled, "Just a couple of hours, why do you ask?"
"I just wish that we had more time to spend together is all…knowing you now…I don't want you to leave." Anelie informed looking at the ground
"We'll have plenty of time to spend together; she will be coming back every so often." Said Nadia
"I know…" Anelie sighed, "Maybe I'm just being too clingy—five hundred years searching for someone and finally finding them you almost do not want to leave their side,"
"And by them you mean me. And by you—you actually mean yourself." Katherine wondered
Anelie showed a nod, "That sounds about right,"
Pondering a thought for a moment, Katherine paused, "You know Anelie—if you wanted, you could come with me?"
Anelie shook her head, "I don't want to intrude…"
"Oh don't be silly you wouldn't be intruding at all—I can get the two of us a separate dorm room from Bonnie and Caroline," Katherine suggested
"Won't Bonnie and Caroline wonder why you moved out of their room suddenly?"
Katherine shrugged her shoulders, "I'll say the room was getting too crowded for me—it really is no big deal and besides I think it might be fun. We can get you away and into more of a Green Zone. Nobody will think to look for you at Whitmore…"
Anelie looked over at her mother with a smile, "What do you think Mom?"
Nadia smiled, "Go for it if you want to, I think it might be nice. Especially the Green Zone part. Plus more bonding time with Katherine."
"What about you?"
"I have to stay here and be a messenger from Matt to Katherine—he's her Elena cheat sheet."
Anelie giggled, "Maybe with me off at College you can try and win the heart of 'Matty Blue-Blue'" she joked
"Do not start."
"Alright, then it's settled, I'll call the school tonight and get a dorm room and tomorrow we will be off to College." Katherine smiled
"Sounds perfect, I can't wait—we're going to have so much fun together, grandmother."
"Okay, first rule: Never call me that in Public."
"Sooo, I can call you grandmother in Private?"
Katherine rolled her eyes playfully, "Do I look like I grandma to you?"
Anelie shrugged, "Kind of"
Nadia bit down on her lower lip holding to hold in a laugh
"I cannot believe you just said that!" Katherine gasped and smiled
Anelie giggled, "I'm just playing, you do not look like a grandmother at all—in fact, and you don't look like a Mom either unless you had a baby really young,"
Katherine smiled softly, "Coincidentally, I did."