Oh, I'm loving all the response I'm getting for this story! I'm so glad you guys are liking it. Hopefully you continue to like all the twists and turns I'm going to put all these characters through...like now...
Enjoy!
Chapter Seven – Exchange
"You have a very – uh – you like a lot of...you have-"
"A forward fashion sense?" Evie laughed, looking at Caroline while she stumbled over her approach. Apparently she didn't like her fashion sense – which made sense considering there were hundreds of years between their styles. Caroline was the most fashion forward person she knew in the future, so she wasn't surprised she'd be so outspoken now that they were shopping in the little stores downtown Mystic Falls. "Why, what would this be called now?"
"Rebel, punk, Not-My-Style," Caroline grinned, still she looked through the racks, trying to find something for her new friend to try on. "You're a bit all over the board – you like formal looking things but you like leather boots, you like skinny jeans but you don't like any other material, you like short sleeves but you don't like layering...it is October, you know."
"True," she nodded. "But that's why I found the discount rack for leather jackets. And in my time, jeans are pretty much nonexistent – they're a complete luxury. It's so weird to see how much your generation wastes on nonessential materials. I mean, why don't you use the natural ones more? Wool, silk, cotton – why polyester and spandex and...is this knit?"
"Don't complain so much," Caroline frowned at her, holding up a green jewel-toned top before placing it over her shoulder. "So what are we going to do when we get back?"
"Fashion show?" Elena offered, giving her a taunting glare while Evie snorted.
"Oh, I'm sure Stefan and Damon would love that," she said sarcastically. The vampire girls threw each other a subtle glance when Evelina had mentioned the Salvatore brother they were trying to pry about again. "I think I'd rather get caught in the shower."
"Really?" Caroline looked almost sad. Apparently she had liked the idea of a fashion show.
"Really," Evie nodded. She turned to Elena. "You know I'll pay you back in my time when I realize this even happened, right?"
"I know," Elena gave her a smile. Both girls were unnerved when Evie returned it and saw that the smiles were mirror images. "You're helping us sort everything out. This is the best I can repay you for right now until we find something better."
"Yeah, when we get home are you going to keep looking through those books?" Caroline asked simply, keeping her eyes on the racks so she couldn't show that she was subtly trying to pry again. "Stefan texted and said he would put Damon to work on organizing the papers into piles to make it easier."
"I'll probably look through the legends and the spell books for inspiration," Evie said simply, going toward the dress section and looking at more formal things. "You guys still have all those formal balls, right? Won't deny – I love dressing up and feeling like a lady. Doesn't happen often," she sang to them jokingly. "I'm a better witch than a lady, I guess. To be honest, I don't really know what to do about your problems – I mean, I kind of know what's going to happen in your future but I have a lot of trouble knowing exactly when. I liked history, but I was never really a fan of learning..."
"As long as we can neutralize Klaus and maybe send away the Originals," Elena informed. "Also finding some kind of antidote for werewolf bites would be helpful if we find the time and are able to send Klaus away – he's the only one who can heal them."
"As far as I know, Klaus being the only cure doesn't change," Evie mumbled distractedly, looking through a shelf with rich navy dresses. "I think we need to get Tyler in control of his own body before we try doing anything to Klaus. For that I'll need Bonnie, bait, blood, and his body."
"Lot of B's there," Caroline hummed to herself, biting at her lip when she thought about her kind of boyfriend who she had kissed and had been the enemy who kind of liked her. What a complicated scenario. "Evie...do you really think we can get Tyler back?"
"Oh, Care," Evie gave her a very sympathetic look. Both she and Elena had heard the tone of her voice, which was close to tears. "You forget that Klaus has his body back in my time. We'll get Tyler back in his body, we'll get Klaus back into his body, and then we'll work out how to debilitate him. Think of it this way: he can't make anymore hybrids. He'll try to find a way around that – which he won't find here."
"So that's how we'll make him go away?" Caroline asked. "What if he won't leave?"
"Then maybe I'll try a binding spell; stop him from doing harm, or something..."
"You think that could work?" Elena asked doubtfully, handing over the small pile of clothes she had picked out for her descendant. Evie gave a shrug but tried to look positive.
"I'll look it up," Evie gave another smile that was so close to Elena's that it almost made Caroline stutter again. When Evie saw that Caroline was feeling more calm, she held up the pink shirt from her pile of clothing. "And to prove how confident I am in myself, I'll even try this piece of florescent crap on...oh, gross, it's made of nylon! What is wrong with you people?"
"What's wrong with nylon?"
"Do you know what nylon does when it's left in a garbage dump?" she threw the shirt back in Caroline's hands before going and pulling out a nice cotton and wool dark gray sweater – the same colour as most of the clothes she'd picked out.
"You know, you're making us sound like eco-terrorists," Elena laughed a bit, but stopped when she watched Evie nod to them both.
"Well, you kind of are. If you knew the type of damage your generation alone leaves on the earth, you'd go caveman to fix it. I mean, in my time the only animals you see are birds, rodents, cats and dogs – the rest pretty much die out after you finish taking over their ecosystems in the early 2100s."
"Alright," Caroline said sternly, turning her around and shoving her toward the dressing rooms. "No more being a Debbie-downer. Let's get you trying these on-"
"I don't promise I'll get this," Evie frowned, showing off the pink top again. "I told you I hate pink."
"It'll look great on – especially under that dark leather jacket...please?" Caroline gave the biggest puppy dog eyes that she could manage and continued doing it even when Evie's eyes rolled.
"Fine," she sighed, going toward the dressing room. "Only because you look pathetic when you pout."
"Well," Elena sighed once the door to the dressing room had closed. "She talks about Damon a lot."
"I wouldn't say 'a lot'," Caroline mused. "When I have crushes I think I talk about them more."
"You talk more in general," Elena laughed at her. Caroline gave another pout toward her.
"That was uncalled for."
"I know," Elena looked back at the dressing room nervously. "I just hope Stefan gets the point across to Damon."
"Oh, this is priceless," Damon guffawed, moving quickly toward the table that held his whiskey while he poured himself a nice, large glass. He let the liquor pour over his fingers while he glared at his brother, unable to stop himself from glaring. He took a large drink from the sticky glass before he continued with his low, bitter laughter. "So you think I'm going to seduce little Evelina, do you?"
"I worry you'll try," Stefan quirked his head for emphasis. "Damon, you have to admit your track record with the doppelgangers isn't the greatest."
"Funny," Damon smirked at him. "I thought it was the exact same as yours."
Stefan frowned, not missing the insinuation he knew his brother was making. "Damon, Elena worries that you'll connect with Evie while she's at her weakest. You can't take advantage of her, she's alone and probably scared-"
"She seems just fine to me," Damon argued. "She seems pretty confident with what she's doing – she's going around like she owns the place. Besides; she and I are not friends, we are not interested, and we are not at risk of anything happening. She's engaged, brother, and I have my eye on someone else."
"I'm sure you do," Stefan muttered trying to hold back a growl, instead he took to rubbing his forehead exhaustingly while he leaned against the couch. "With everything that's going on, I don't want you losing your head. Elena's still mad at you-"
"Oh? I hadn't heard," he raised a sarcastic brow, while he tried not to think about the girl he was in love with screaming at him during her first night as a vampire.
"Evie needs to get back home. We need to get her to help here until we have things under control again and then help her back so she can get back to her family, her friends, her fiancé..."
"Why would we do that?" Damon made a face accompanied with a scoff. "Just get her to help us and let her figure it out on her own – we don't know if we can trust her yet, anyway."
"Don't we?" Stefan asked sceptically with raised eyebrows.
"No," Damon said firmly. "We can't. She hasn't actually helped anyone here besides spilling the beans on Klaus and telling us some legends that have no relevance to us. She's full of worthless information, I don't think having her around will be any help."
"Oh," Stefan hummed, walking around the couch to stand in front of his brother and crossing his arms. "Is this about the conversation you two had the other night? The one where she realized who you were?"
"Oh little brother, eavesdropping is impolite," Damon rolled his head backward and glared at the ceiling. "It's not like she had anything interesting to say."
"That's not how I heard it," Stefan argued softly, not able to make himself sound strong when he remembered what had been said. "She sounded like she was almost worried about you."
"Did it sound like that?" Damon asked with false interest. "I just thought it was me working the charm I have over doppelgangers. Elena can vouch for her, I'm sure."
"Damon, you're seriously not worried? She sounded like she knew what was going to happen – why didn't you ask her what it was?"
"Why would I?" Damon took the time to finish off his glass of whiskey before turning for another. "It's not like the brat would tell me anyway, she's still on the keep-things-the-same bandwagon and even if she did tell me, I'd have no reason to believe it was true."
"If you really want to figure things out, there's only one way." Stefan reminded him. His brother pretended to think about it.
"Wait for it to happen?"
"I was thinking something that lets you know a little sooner," Stefan hedged quietly.
"Look through her head?" Damon offered again. Stefan frowned at him.
"I was thinking of asking her."
Damon made a face at him.
"You already said that I wasn't allowed to get too close to her," he argued, wagging a finger at him. "And I already decided that she's not worth the time – she's engaged and seems pretty boring anyway. Girls like her aren't fun until their bachelorette party."
"Damon," Stefan sighed. "Just, behave, alright? I already have to worry about Katherine, it'd be nice if you'd just work with us so that we don't have to worry about you, too."
"Did you just put me on the same level as Katherine?" Damon sneered. "I'm insulted."
"No, you're predictable," Stefan argued him. "Now start sorting through those papers – I'll be down to help right after I talk to Katherine, we'll need something to show to Evie when she gets back."
Stefan left, walking up the stairs. He could basically hear Damon working out a plan to corner Evie while she was sleeping, look through her brain and pick apart all of her memories and secrets. Still, he walked upstairs – he'd just have to pay attention tonight to make sure Damon stayed away from her room.
Stefan stopped in the middle of the hall, getting a quick text from Elena saying that they were finished for the day and that they would be home soon. She also gave a quick side note to say they couldn't get a read on Evelina's feelings toward Damon. She seemed annoyed, but she still didn't seem to hate him like 'everyone should', Elena had said. He responded with a brief 'see you soon' before he went into Katherine's room. She sat on her bed, posing because she knew that he was on his way, though her expression was infinitely taunting.
"Elena needs to check up on you that often, does she, Stefan? It's almost like she doesn't trust me with you..."
"I wonder why," Stefan sneered at her. "I just came to tell you that you need to watch what you say around Evie. We don't need your head games with the girl who might be the key to helping all of us."
"Head games? Me?" Katherine pretended to be shocked. "I have no reason to hurt little Evelina and I have no reason to help work for her either. I'm here for you, Stefan. I always am."
"Somehow, I don't believe that this time." he narrowed his eyes. Katherine propped her head up on her hand, looking at him with a grin.
"You need to trust me more," Katherine said simply. "I don't lie to you, Stefan."
"Sure," he was doubtful. "Why have you stuck around this long? Really?"
"Really?" She dropped the sweet voice and spread across her bed on her belly, looking up at him mischievously. "I'm interested. A little girl who says she's my descendant shows up out of nowhere, knows how to call me telepathically, says she knows the outcome of my future, and says she's going to help try to eradicate the problems I currently have? Who wouldn't stick around for a bit?"
"Then why were you trying to push she and Damon closer today?"
"Push them together?" she laughed out loud, it was boisterous and sounded anything but genuine. "If I was doing anything I was warning her to stay away. Besides, Damon's still too caught up in Elena to pay Evelina any mind. Well, except..."
"Except what?"
Katherine shrugged with false innocence. "If I were in Damon's shoes, I'd think it's really nice that I found someone who looks just like me...I mean Elena," she added mockingly. "But who doesn't know everything that he's done. Damon was sweet when he was innocent and then sexy when he was bad – but he can never be one or the other and that's what kills the illusion. For a girl like Evie?" Katherine shrugged again. "She may as well have 'I love rebels' printed across her forehead."
"You can't know that," Stefan argued immediately.
"Can't I?" she laughed. "Oh, Stefan. For someone so bad, you're still so good. It's why Evie hasn't looked at you that way – she's just like I am. Evie likes the bad boys. You were a bad boy once...and between you and Damon, who was the last one who did something bad?"
Stefan frowned, he barely had time to ask the question before he heard the door to Evie's room opening and Damon sneaking in to check if there was anything he could find answers with in her room. Apparently he had given up on searching her mind at night and trying to look through her pockets instead. Stefan, still unsure what to do, turned his back on Katherine with a glare before he went to go stop him...even if it meant that he was proving Katherine right.
"That's a lot of shopping bags," Katherine noted when the three girls entered the boarding house, their arms laden with all of Evie's new merchandise. Elena rolled her eyes when she saw the girl standing on the stairs, Caroline made sure to avoid her eyes – ever since Katherine had killed her, the two hadn't been what one could consider the 'closest' of friends. "Get anything nice?"
"I think so," Evie sent a smirk up to her. "Even if Caroline doesn't agree."
Caroline made a sound as if she didn't actually agree with what was said, but in the end she just smiled and put her bags down. Her eyes tried to warn Elena to get Evie out of the room with her bags as well, Katherine usually didn't come to greet them when they were having some sort of conversation and she knew that the older doppelganger was going to try to do something or other.
"You should know that Jeremy's upstairs in the study with Stefan," Katherine told Elena noncommittally. "He's just trying to explain things to him before he panics. Nicer than you did, Elena."
"Jeremy was getting the rest of his things from Denver, this isn't something I could have told him over the phone-" she shook her head, cutting herself off from snapping more at her mirror image. "Just stay away from him, Katherine."
"My pleasure, your brother's a bore. You, however," her eyes turned to Evie, "have a story to tell me. What would you rather, walk outside or a locked room upstairs?"
Caroline and Elena turned toward Evie with frowns, but Evie was determinedly not looking at either of them. She knew that they did not trust Katherine to be alone with her, but Evie had been through a lot with Katherine in the time she'd spent with her centuries down the road – Katherine was just a hard shell with a mushy inside, the others just hadn't had a chance to know what the shell cushioned. Evie tried to send the two younger vampires a reassuring look and smile, but they still didn't move.
"Walk outside," she nodded to Katherine, putting her bags down on the couch where Caroline had stopped to put her own. "You're right, I owe you some explanations. And knowing you, some motivation, too."
"No," Elena said immediately. "No, I don't think you should go alone with her, Evie, she'll-"
"Don't worry," Evie sent her a smile, laying a hand on her arm. Elena gritted her teeth through the pain – as much as she liked Evie, she couldn't help feeling the pulse underneath her hand that made her teeth itch to shift places. "She can't do anything to me that I don't want to. I'd dare her to try."
Evie sent a meaningful look toward Katherine, whose eyes rolled. "I'd tell me my reason to stay before you take chances like dares, Evelina."
"Please be careful," Caroline whispered to her as she past her, still not feeling convinced when Evie sent her a very serious nod. "I don't trust her."
"How sweet," Katherine descended the stairs, looking every bit of the socialite she once had been. Neither of them had ever stopped to notice how poised Katherine could be...then again, she was usually trying to kill them, so maybe they hadn't really had the time. The doppelganger passing by the other two girls on her way out the door, beckoning toward Evie to follow. "Don't wait up, children."
"Sorry," Evie frowned as Katherine walked out the door without waiting. "I promise I'm going to make this all work – Katherine just takes a little bit more time to smooth the edges with..."
"A little?" Elena asked doubtfully. Evie sent her as much of an encouraging smile as she could.
"Go talk to Jeremy, I'm really excited to meet him. I never get to."
"You mean, he doesn't end up a vampire?" Elena was both excited and hurt by the fact, she wanted Jeremy not to have to die but she didn't want him to have to live a lifeless life for eternity. Evie shook her head at Elena, giving her the no that she felt so torn over, before she walked out the door as well, running to catch up with Katherine who had not slowed at all on her way down the Salvatores' driveway.
"You know," Evie began when she had caught up with her. "You could be nicer to them – it'd make this all go much smoother."
"They locked me in a cave and starved me," she didn't even hiss it. It was as if she was telling a fact to someone and she wasn't talking about herself. "I don't owe them anything."
"Except your life, which they've saved a number of times – and will continue to do so," Evie hinted with pursed lips. "Listen, I've known you for a long time. You wouldn't know, but you and I are actually close...or as close as you'll let someone be to you-"
"Good to know I don't change," Katherine smirked.
"The two of us have a lot in common – as much as Elena and I have in common, except you understand the darker and more complicated things that she never will," Evie stopped to emphasize her point, making Katherine stop as well. "I know your theory on being alone. I know your feelings on humanity, but every creature – good or bad – knows that there's power in numbers."
"I'm enough power on my own," Katherine said simply. "Are you enough power to keep me here? I'll admit you were interesting the first day, but I'm starting to think that you tricked me here."
"I know you want something in exchange for your help. You always do," Evie rolled her eyes when Katherine smirked again. "So I'm offering you information, I'm kind of short on any other resources this far back in the past."
"Information?" Katherine couldn't keep the interest out of her voice, so she started walking again as if it wasn't something she needed to stick around for. Evie stayed right at her side, keeping the same pace while Katherine pretended to mull the idea over.
"I know you like to play your hand close to the heart," Evie smirked knowingly. "And I like that. You taught me a lot of tricks like that which have kept me alive a lot longer than I probably should have survived. So I'm offering you some insiders information for your future, one fact for every favour you do. It'll be worth your while, I'll be saving you a lot of injury and a lot of loose ends."
"Well, you know what I say about loose ends..."
"You like them tied up, I know," Katherine looked at her with raised eyebrows. With each sentence she started to believe this little curly haired clone of hers even more. "You drove that point home when I was a teenager and you killed the teacher that wanted to fail me...thanks for that, by the way. I won't thank you at the time, but you saved me having to go back a year."
"Any time," Evie rolled her eyes at the pun while both girls held back a laugh. Had anyone been around to see them, they would have been shocked by how alike the two girls looked – their eyes dancing in a way that could only have belonged to twins of a like mind.
"Clever," Evie laughed briefly. "For coming when I called, I definitely owe you a moment to help with. So, here's your first in-depth look into my time: eventually you'll try to kill a teen named Carson to try and keep your vampire secret hush-hush...he'll be a witch. He'll neutralize the effect of your sunlight pendant before you drain him. Now you know and can stop it."
"Interesting," Katherine's eyebrows raised. "But how do I know it's true?"
"You won't until it happens," Evie shrugged her shoulders. "I'll try to let the next fact be closer to this time so that you don't have to worry about my sincerity as long."
"Next fact? You're assuming I'm staying."
"You'll stay," Evie smiled in a way that was so like Katherine it made the doppelgangers eyebrows raise. "You'll stay because I know that you favour security over friendship – and I'm giving you both, pretty much for free."
"You're still assuming that I'll be able to put up with the Salvatore brothers," Katherine pointed out with a sneer. "Even though I keep trying to run away from them. Do I get a favour for that?"
"Not quite," Evie winced. "But I do actually have a next favour to give you."
"Next favour?" Katherine repeated darkly, she saw the look on the girls face, it was not a confident one.
"You have to keep it quiet, just you and me." Evie said seriously. Katherine frowned.
"Keep what quiet? The next favour?"
"Yeah," Evie swallowed thickly, her heart pounding against her ribs. Katherine did not like the sudden nervousness. "And you're not going to like it."
"Won't I?"
"I doubt it," a new, higher voice interrupted the smooth flow of conversation, it was a voice that immediately froze Katherine's blood. She turned slightly, looking to the side at the two people who stood there. The two Originals that stood there.
"Hello, Katerina," Elijah smiled, not genuine at all with the politeness. Rebekah, beside him had her arms mimicking her brothers: crossed over her chest. Both looked Katherine, then Evelina up and down with judgemental and suspicious eyes. Katherine sent a conspicuous glare to the witch who shrugged innocently and winced.
"Told you so."
Oh-ho! So one chapter Elijah call her Honoria and the next he and Rebekah meet her in the middle of the woods? What do you think's going to happen? I'd love to hear your ideas! To my magnificent reviewers:
SomebodyWhoCares: I also picture Elijah as a great godfather. I actually adore his character, I wish he were someone in my life. I feel like he'd be a great role model and I love his values. Evie's fiancé will be coming into play sooner rather than later, don't worry! Thanks for reviewing :)
Beckah Salvatore-Winchester: I'm so glad you like the story and don't worry, I'll be continuing this one through the end. I have constant inspiration for it and thought it out for a long time before I released it, so it's all mapped out. Thank you so much for the compliments!
SilverMoonlit: I'm so glad you like the story :) the question on Evie's fiance will be answered soon and you're right: Honoria was a Fell in 1864 before Stefan killed her and her husband, but Honoria is one of the oldest names in history...so it is the same Honoria? Dun-dun-dun! Thank you for the review, I hope you enjoyed the chapter.
Angel of the Night Watchers: Yeah, I don't even try to be fit anymore. Luckily I'm a little bit more lean because I used to dance and apparently my muscle mass remembers it, but otherwise I can't run around my own block, nevertheless be considered 'fit'. Again, thank you for doing the Green Eyed Monster chapters! I have some more for you when you're ready :)
Mujona: I'm so glad you like it! Thank you very much for the review :)
LexxSunday: I hope that was a fast update for you, thanks!
nickiR0x: I'm glad that I'm keeping you guessing. Who her fiance was has never been insinuating, but I'm glad that you're trying to get ahead of the race and guess. Luckily, before I even read your review I had already written an excuse why Katherine was still around and Bonnie annoys me too. I kind of wish I could just write her out, but alas, I have things planned for her. Aw well, I hope you liked this chapter, thank you so much for your thoughts!
Well, anyone have a guess with what's about to happen? If you have time check out my new poll on my profile and more importantly, keep in mind that I'd love to hear your thoughts! So please REVIEW!
-Egypt
