Disclaimer: I, of course, don't own the Vampire Diaries. Never have, never will. I'm just playing around with the story!

Reviewers and Replies:

MyNameIsAngel: Thank you very much! I'm glad you like my story so far! Thank you for the review! I hope you like this chapter as much as the last one!

Delenawolves: Thank you for the review! I hope you like this chapter as much as the last one!

Xxabxx: Well thanks! I'm glad you think that. And yes, I did hear about that, and I'm so excited to see JUST the Originals without any of the annoying Mystic Falls drama. Thank you for the review! I hope you like this chapter as much as the last one!

SPEEDIE22: Thank you for the review! I hope you like this chapter as much as the last one!

Luli Cullen: Thank you for the review! I hope you like this chapter as much as the last one!

ariah23: Well I'm glad that you like it! Thank you for the review! I hope you like this chapter as much as the last one!

tvdspnislife: I'm definitely a Harry Potter fan, but I actually got the idea from the TV show Supernatural. Summer won't be exactly like the phoenix in Supernatural, but… Yeah. Thank you for both of the reviews! I hope you like this chapter as much as the last ones!

ChelseaBaby91: This chapter will definitely explain more. Thank you for the review! I hope you like this chapter as much as the last one!

.37: No, she's not gonna turn into a bird. Don't worry, this chapter will explain more. I actually kind of took the idea from the TV show Supernatural, so you can check that out if you'd like after reading this chapter to kind of get a better idea of it. Thank you for the review! I hope you like this chapter as much as the last one!

Sissymac: Thank you for the review! I hope you like this chapter as much as the last one!

DGfleetfox: What I mean by 'fully realized' phoenix is basically a fully transitioned phoenix. There's gonna be more info in this chapter. Thank you for both of the reviews! I hope you like this chapter as much as the last ones!

-TBTST-

"So, where is everybody?" Summer asks as she and Caroline sit at a table outside the school, eating their lunch.

"Elena suicide watch," Caroline answers, and Summer nods. "Listen, um… Elena told Bonnie and me about… What you are."

"I'm still going with 'what I might be'," Summer says. "I'm still not understanding the whole, I'm human now, but when I turn eighteen I become something supernatural."

"Yeah, believe me, I get it," Caroline says, and Summer looks at her for a few moments before nodding.

"Yeah, Elena told me your story, too," Summer says, quietly, and Caroline nods a bit.

"So, a phoenix?" Caroline asks, changing the subject back to Summer.

"I'm still not entirely sure about what it is. I researched it for hours on the internet, and I even went to the library, but all I could find about phoenixes is that it's some type of bird that is reborn from its ashes," Summer says, shaking her head.

"Well, when you grow a beak and sprout wings, let me know," Caroline says, grinning at Summer, and Summer scoffs at her before throwing a French fry in her direction which Caroline dodges.

"Very funny," Summer says, shaking her head with a small grin on her face.

"Honestly though, it could be pretty cool," Caroline says, and Summer shrugs with a frown.

"I don't know. I'd have to find out more about it before I can make that assumption," she says, and Caroline nods.

"Well, whatever happens, I'll be here, not judging," Caroline says, and Summer looks at her. "Playing the role of supportive, fellow blonde, best friend."

"Well, we blondes do have to stick together," Summer says, with a laugh, and Caroline laughs with her. "Listen, I… I know that you probably won't know anything about what's going on with me, but I really need to tell someone about this… Lately… I've been having these dreams."

"About what?" Caroline asks, pushing her food away from her.

"About Stefan and Damon. When they were human," Summer says. "I'm always in them, but they always call me Joanna."

"The girl that you look like?" Caroline asks, frowning, and Summer nods.

"I wanna ask about them, but I'm always afraid that I'm just going to get the whole 'they're just dreams' answer, and I'll feel stupid," Summer says, and Caroline looks thoughtful.

"Rose said that Joanna wasn't a doppelganger of you, right? That Joanna actually is you?" Caroline asks, and Summer nods. "Then maybe they aren't just dreams. Maybe they're like… Memories."

"Memories?" Summer asks, frowning, and she shakes her head. "Then why wouldn't I have remembered them before? Why are they just coming back now?"

"I don't know… Look, I'm just guessing, I may not even be right," Caroline says, shaking her head.

"Ugh, this is all so complicated and confusing," Summer groans, holding her head in her hands. Caroline frowns at her friend, and puts a gentle hand on her forearm, causing Summer to look at her.

"We'll figure this out, okay?" Caroline asks, and Summer nods.

The rest of the school day passes without a problem, and Summer returns home, but frowns when she sees two other cars in her driveway, parked behind her mother's SUV. Summer gets out of the car, and walks inside the house, where she's immediately greeted by a barking Lucky.

"Lucky, hush," Summer commands, and the dog looks at her, his tail wagging excitedly. "Mom?" Summer calls, dropping her school bag onto the floor.

"In here, honey," Allison calls from the living room, and Summer walks into the room with Lucky following loyally at her side. Summer freezes when she sees Elijah in the living room, sitting in one of the chairs. Summer looks at him, shocked, and she's brought out of her staring when Lucky licks her hand, sensing that she's troubled.

"Well, hi there, Summer," Carol Lockwood says happily, standing from her place on the couch and walking over to Summer and wrapping her arms around her. Summer forces a kind smile, and hugs Carol back.

"Hi, Carol," Summer says, and Carol pulls back.

"Summer, this is Elijah Smith. He's here in town to do some research for a book that he's writing," Carol says, keeping an arm around Summer, and they watch as Elijah stands from his seat and approaches them.

"It's wonderful to meet you, Summer," Elijah says, with a polite smile, and he offers Summer his hand. Summer takes a deep breath, and shakes his hand politely to appease her mother and Carol.

"It's nice to meet you, too," Summer says, reluctantly, and she takes her hand away.

"Sweetie, Elijah's gonna be staying with us while he's in Mystic Falls," Allison says, when she approaches Carol, Elijah, and Summer.

"Is he?" Summer asks, and clenches her jaw a bit.

"I hope that, that's alright," Elijah says, and Summer looks at him for a moment before looking to Carol and her mother, before she nods slowly.

"Of course," Summer says, and Allison smiles.

"Well, Carol and I have some things to talk about, so why don't you show Elijah to the guest bedroom?" Allison suggests, and Summer hesitantly agrees.

"Yeah, sure, um… This way," Summer says, waiting for Elijah to pick up his things, and she starts up the stairs, Lucky still following at her side, and Elijah following behind her. "So, this is the guest room," Summer says, opening the door, and walking inside. "The closet's empty, and the bathroom's two doors down from here, so… Yeah. Lucky, off the bed," Summer commands, looking at the dog that immediately jumps off of the bed. Summer glances at Elijah before turning to leave the room. She reaches the door but she closes her eyes when Elijah blurs over and pushes the door shut. Summer exhales through her nose, and she listens as Lucky growls at Elijah. "Lucky," Summer says, and the dog silences.

"I think it's time that we had a chat," Elijah says, gently, and Summer turns around to face him, and she stills when she sees that his body is mere centimeters from her own. Summer looks up into Elijah's dark brown eyes, and is surprised by the intensity that is showing in them. Elijah can hear Summer's heart pounding fearfully in her chest and he takes a reluctant step away from her. "You have no reason to fear me, Summer. I would never harm you."

"Yeah, well excuse me for being a little afraid. Less than 24 hours ago, I saw you rip out the hearts from two men," Summer says, bravely, and Elijah looks at her, partially amused.

"You shouldn't have been there. What were you doing there in the first place?" Elijah asks, and Summer frowns.

"Bringing home Elena," she says, shrugging.

"You weren't there to give yourself over to, Klaus?" Elijah asks, and Summer shakes her head.

"Of course not, I'm not suicidal," Summer says, her face looking mildly insulted. "But there's something I don't understand."

"Go on," Elijah says.

"You were going to take Elena and me when Rose and Trevor took us right?" Summer asks, and Elijah nods once. "Then why did you kill those guys last night. They said that they were gonna take us to Klaus. Isn't that what you were gonna do?"

"I'm under the assumption that you've been told of the curse that Klaus wants to break," Elijah says, and Summer nods in conformation. "Well, Klaus breaking the curse is the last thing that I want."

"What is it that you do want?" Summer asks, looking into Elijah's eyes curiously.

"To kill him," Elijah says, simply, and Summer frowns.

"So, when you were gonna take me and Elena… You were gonna use us to bring Klaus to you?" Summer asks.

"That's exactly what I was going to do," Elijah says.

"And now you're gonna use Elena and I to lure Klaus here to Mystic Falls?" Summer asks, apprehensively.

"Yes," Elijah says, and Summer plays with her hands a bit.

"But our friends and families are here," Summer says, frowning.

"No harm will come to anyone that you care about as long as I'm around. You have my word that your loved ones will be protected, Summer," Elijah says, sincerely. "The only thing I ask in return is that you allow me to protect you, and to not let yourself be coerced into any plans that would result in you handing yourself over to Klaus."

"That thought never crossed my mind. Fortunately for me I was gifted with the good sense of self preservation, so…," Summer trails off, shrugging.

"I'm glad to hear that," Elijah says, his eyes showing many different emotions.

"It would probably do Elena some good to hear all of this," Summer says, "she's the one that's hell-bent on becoming a martyr and giving herself over to Klaus."

"I have every intention of having a similar chat with Elena, which I should probably be leaving for," Elijah says, looking down at Summer. "And when I return I'll be happy to answer any questions that you have about what you are," he says, sensing that Summer has many unanswered questions about what she really is. Summer looks at him, shocked for a moment, before nodding. She turns to the door and opens it before walking to her bedroom that is directly across the hall, and she waits for Lucky to fully enter her bedroom before shutting the door, and leaning against it. Summer walks over to her bed and carelessly flops down on it, smiling at Lucky when he jumps up onto the bed as well. She reaches over to her nightstand and grabs the remote to the television that is in her bedroom, and she turns it on. She mindlessly watches television for about half an hour while stroking Lucky's head that rests on her stomach, before slowly drifting off into a light sleep.

-TBTST-

Joanna walks out of her house when she hears all of the commotion outside after her father leaves, and she looks around at everybody scattering around, some men holding guns, others holding torches, and others holding wooden stakes in their hands. Joanna frowns, looking at the chaos, and she spots Damon running through the crowd with Stefan at his side.

"Damon!" Joanna shouts, panicked. "Damon! Stefan!"

"Annie, go back inside!" Damon shouts, grasping her upper arms. "It isn't safe out here. You must go back inside."

"What in the world is going on, Damon?" Joanna asks, worry showing in her blue eyes.

"Damon, we have to go!" Stefan shouts, and Damon glances at him, nodding.

"Just go back inside, Joanna. I will find you when everything is safe again," Damon says, kissing his best friend's forehead, before giving her a gentle push towards her house, and running off with Stefan. Joanna watches them for a few moments before making the impulsive decision to follow them into the dark woods. She maintains a safe distance between the brothers and herself, and she hides between the thick trunk of a tree when they stop.

"Circle around that way. I'll distract them. Go," Stefan says to Damon, who nods, and Stefan runs out of the woods. "Over here! There's another one! Quick! Help me!"

Joanna watches as Damon rushes out of the woods and she moves closer to investigate what he's doing. She sees Damon unlock the back of a horse drawn carriage.

"We don't have long," Stefan says quickly when he comes back.

"Katherine. Katherine!" Damon calls quietly, and together, Stefan and Damon lift Katherine out of the carriage. Joanna sees that Katherine has some sort of odd muzzle like device on her head, and the brothers make quick work of untying the not so human woman.

"We're going to get you out of here. Damon, hurry. Hurry," Stefan rushes, and once Katherine is freed from her binds, Damon goes to stand, but is abruptly shot in the back. Joanna lets out a startled shriek when she hears the gunshot, and her eyes fill with tears when she sees her best friend fall to the ground. She rushes from her hiding spot, and kneels next to Damon, who is fading quickly.

"Damon!" Joanna calls, tears falling down her face.

"No, no! Damon!" Stefan says, kneeling on the other side of his brother. Joanna lets out a choked sob when she hears Damon take one last breath before his eyes go glassy, and blank. "Annie get out of here."

"But what about you?" Joanna asks, tears still flowing freely from her eyes.

"No, Annie you have to go! It's not safe! Go hide, now!" Stefan says, standing, and pulling Joanna up with him. "Go now, Joanna!"

Joanna follows Stefan's orders, and rushes back to the woods, only turning around when she hears the second gunshot. She looks back, and sees Stefan on the ground, inches away from Katherine and Damon's bodies. Joanna covers her mouth with both hands, keeping her cries quiet as men pick up Katherine's body, and place her back in the carriage. She waits until the scene is clear before she runs back to Stefan and Damon's bodies that had been left on the road. She makes it to Stefan first, and she sees that he's still breathing harshly, still alive, but only just.

"Stefan," Joanna whimpers, pressing her hands over the gunshot wound.

"Annie," Stefan chokes out, his green eyes meeting her blue ones in the dark.

"Stefan, you're going to be alright," Joanna cries, and she shakes her head quickly, applying more pressure with her hands when she sees blood beginning to trail out of the corner of Stefan's mouth. "No, no, Stefan! You can't die. I can't lose you, too!"

Joanna watches as the light leaves from Stefan's eyes and his breathing stops completely.

-TBTST-

Summer wakes up with a gasp, sitting up in bed, breathing heavily, effectively startling Lucky who is still lying on her bed with her. Summer sighs and runs a hand through her blonde locks before looking at the digital clock on her bedside table. The red numbers read 1:23 a.m, and Summer swallows thickly. She rubs her neck a bit, wincing at the dryness of her throat, and she runs a hand over her face, and is surprised when she feels traces of tears on her cheeks. She switches her lamp on and moves to look in the mirror in her bedroom, and sees mascara tracks going down her cheeks, and she sighs before exiting her bedroom, and moving quietly down the hallway and going into the bathroom. She leaves the door open and pulls her hair into a messy bun after turning the light on. She leans against the bathroom sink, resting her hands on either side of it, before turning the water on, and washing off her face. Once she completes her task, she grabs the hand towel off of the nearby rack and dries her face while letting out a long breath. She hangs the towel back on the rack and rubs her eyes a bit before turning to leave the bathroom only stopping to let out a sharp gasp when she sees Elijah standing casually in the doorway, still dressed in his suit, only missing the jacket, with the sleeves of his white dress shit rolled up to his elbows.

"God, you scared me," Summer says quietly, but angrily.

"My apologies," Elijah says, clearly amused. Summer gives him a sharp look before moving past him, and heading downstairs to get a drink of water. Once in the kitchen, she turns on the light, and she can hear the soft click of Lucky's nails on the floor. She immediately walks to the glass sliding door that leads to the back yard and unlocks it. She slides it open, and lets Lucky run outside. "It's awfully late to be awake," Elijah says, having followed her to the kitchen.

"You're one to talk," Summer remarks, opening up one of the cupboards to grab a glass, and she fills it with water.

"Is everything alright?" Elijah asks, ignoring her comment, and Summer shrugs a bit.

"Just a bad dream," Summer says, sighing and takes a drink of her water.

"Would you like to talk about it?" Elijah asks, taking a seat at the breakfast bar. Summer regards Elijah for a few moments before hesitantly deciding to talk about her recent dreams. She walks over to the breakfast bar, and hops up onto the kitchen counter closest to it, and sits cross-legged on it, and looks at Elijah.

"It was about Stefan and Damon. Lately, I've been having these dreams about them… They're always human in my dreams. There are always these girls in them… One that looks like Elena, but they call her Katherine, and the other looks exactly like me, but they call her Joanna. Tonight though… I saw them die. They were shot, and I literally saw them taking their last breaths. Then when I woke up, I was crying. I know it sounds stupid but the dream… It just felt so real. Lately all of them have," Summer says, shaking her head, and looking into her glass of water before setting it next to her.

"It doesn't sound stupid at all, Summer," Elijah says, and Summer looks at him with a frown.

"It doesn't?" Summer asks, tilting her head slightly.

"The dreams that you're experiencing, aren't actually dreams at all," Elijah says, lacing his fingers together on top of the breakfast bar. "What you're seeing while you sleep are actually repressed memories from your past lives."

"Memories?" Summer asks. "So… This whole phoenix thing is true."

"It's very true," Elijah confirms with a sure look.

"This doesn't make any sense," Summer says, sliding off of the counter, and standing on the other side of the breakfast bar, directly across from Elijah. "How can I not know what I am?"

"Because for the past seventeen years, you've been completely human," Elijah says. "On the day you turn eighteen years of age you will begin your transition from human to phoenix, and when that happens, every memory that you acquired from your past lives will return to you. Since you're eighteenth birthday is approaching, your brain is slowly allowing you to remember some of the memories of your most recent life in the form of dreams."

"So I actually knew Stefan and Damon while they were human," Summer says, mostly to herself. "This is insane. So when I turn eighteen… I'll transition?" Summer asks, and Elijah nods. "I was adopted, and I had no birth certificate before my mom and dad adopted me. How do I know when I was actually born?"

"There is a way that we can find out with the help of a warlock that is currently working for me," Elijah says, and Summer nods.

"Are there others like me?" Summer asks, curiously.

"In all my years on this earth, you are the only phoenix I've ever met," Elijah says, and Summer frowns.

"So, have you met me before?" Summer asks.

"I have," Elijah says, simply, and Summer waits for a few moments for him to elaborate, but he doesn't say anything more.

"I tried to do research on phoenixes after Rose told me a bit about it… And all I could find was that a phoenix was a bird that when it died its body would burst into flames and it would be reborn from its ashes. I never found anything of a… Human phoenix," Summer says, raising an eyebrow, and Elijah smirks a bit.

"You are a rarity indeed, Summer," Elijah says, and Summer smiles a bit. "The bird is more commonly known, and actually does exist, as well."

"It does?" Summer asks, wide eyed.

"It does. And it belongs to you," Elijah says, and Summer blinks. "When you were created, your creator also created a powerful bird to protect you and to, for lack of a better phrase, be your companion. When your transition is complete, the bird will rise again, and he will find you. The bird's life is entwined with yours, meaning if you die, the bird will die as well."

"If I die?" Summer asks, leaning on the breakfast bar.

"There are only a few ways that a phoenix can be killed. Once you complete your transition, your aging process will cease, and you will have nearly the same healing ability as a vampire. The only ways a phoenix can be killed are the obvious, beheading, and having your heart pulled from your chest. You can also be killed by having the blood drained completely from your body. You cannot be affected by human illness, you will be stronger, faster, and your senses will be heightened. Phoenixes also have power over fire," Elijah says, and smiles a bit when he sees the overwhelmed look on Summer's face. "I know that this all seems like a lot to take in, but once your memories return to you, it will all be much easier."

"God, I hope so," Summer says, and looks at the door when she hears Lucky's nails scratching on the glass. She walks over, and opens the door, letting the dog inside the house.

"My warlock will be ready to find out when you rose again whenever you're ready," Elijah says, when Summer shuts the door. Summer turns back to face him, giving him an odd look at his word choice. "As you know, the legend of the phoenix is that when the bird dies, it incinerates, and rises from its ashes. With you, it's basically the same principle."

"How does that work?" Summer asks.

"No one is entirely sure," Elijah admits. "Despite everything I know about you, there are still things that remain a mystery. Things that you yourself have admitted not knowing."

"I guess that makes sense. I mean, who remembers when they were a baby?" Summer asks, and sighs. "So, whenever I'm ready?"

"Anytime," Elijah says, nodding once.

"What about like… Tomorrow?" Summer asks, eager to know when this transition is going to happen.

"As I said, anytime you're ready, he will be ready," Elijah says, and Summer nods.

"Okay… Well, I should probably get back to bed. It's pretty late," Summer says.

"That it is," Elijah says. "Goodnight, Summer."

"Goodnight," Summer says, and turns to leave the kitchen, with Lucky following behind her. Summer pauses in the doorway and turns back around to look at Elijah. "Thank you… For telling me about… Well, me."

"Of course," Elijah says, and Summer gives him a small smile before exiting the kitchen, and going back upstairs to her room to rest up for tomorrow.

-TBTST-

A/N: I hope that this chapter cleared things up a bit more about phoenixes. There's still more information to come. Remember, this was just Summer and Elijah's first actual time talking about it.

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