REBEKAH

Three days. Had it really only been three days since my brother had sneered at me through pain and anger in order to deliver a pointed promise of revenge, vague though the details were? It amazed me that time had lost all meaning for me centuries ago and yet now I find myself physically feeling every ticking of the clock. This could not go on as I was slowly devolving into madness and had to leave the suite I was now sharing with Mary and Gabriel in the Hôtel Meurice.

Ironically, the two people I so wished to avoid for the remainder of our existences, I was now bound to until Nik decided to carry out his twisted plot. Nik never had much in the way of patience so I was sure his vengeance would be swift, however it was also a possibility he would drag out the torture until we snapped from the sheer weight of anticipation. Nevertheless, since it was my fault for exposing them to my beloved brother, I stuck by the couple in order to attempt to ameliorate whatever damage Nik caused.

Staying close did not mean I had to actually be in the same room with them as they emotionally and physically leaned on each other for support, thus the fleeing to a sidewalk café in front of the hotel. A scowl was barely hidden beneath large shades and an equally large pastry. This is the face I presented to the world and specifically the arrogant man who without invitation decided to claim the seat across from me. Rumpled and scruffy with a hint of intriguing chest hair peeking out from the top of a button-down shirt, he presented an amazingly handsome image even though he could have possibly passed for a vagrant. Just as I was about to decide how effortless it would be to kill him without being noticed or getting blood on my new dress, he addresses me with easy familiarity.

"Why, Rebekah Mikaelson, you're even prettier than your picture. If I'd known just how much, I would have cleaned up better after my flight and maybe had a little less bourbon on my way across the Atlantic. Seeing as how I was about to face down an immortal vampire in the hopes of saving my best friend, I'd think my weakness can be forgiven."

During this light-hearted spiel, I could sense the tension coiled barely beneath the surface. This man may present himself as a harmless buffoon, but it would behoove me to not treat him as such. I had no real fear of violence, but there was no saying he was alone or what he had planned, so I decided to hear him out. I assumed him to be an emissary of Nik, and thus not to be trusted, yet I was drawn to something in his world-weary manner. I had seen the same look of acceptance that my fate was one of eternal loneliness a time or two in the mirror, so was reticent to just kill him without more cause.

"You know who I am, but it is quite rude of you not to introduce yourself. You could either give me your name as any true gentleman would when meeting a lady, or I can just refer to you as Nik's Pawn and be done with it. What message have you come to deliver for my brother and how horrible is his plan? Should I expect a physical confrontation? If so I would really like to remove these heels as they are vintage. Is it more emotional in nature, then you should know that I am far too damaged to spill girlish tears out here on the Rue de Whatever. If my brother needs video proof of my devastation I may need a while to work a few up. There is a woman upstairs who is not nearly as jaded as I, so I'm sure she can fill in as proxy if histrionics are needed."

He raises his hands in mock surrender, an almost appreciative half-smile on his face.

"No need to be so defensive. I think you and I may be on the same page and I hope like hell the lady you speak of is the one I need. My name is Alaric Saltzman and from the sound of it, you're as pissed off at your brother as I am. I've come here because he is in the process of slowly killing my best friend. Maybe you've heard of him? Damon Salvatore."

My practiced mask of nonchalance slips a notch to possibly reveal my shock at hearing that name. It had been 150 years since I was informed of the death of the two brothers and little had occurred since that time to give them much thought. It was tragic that Mary and Gabriel would never be reunited with her children, one of whom was also his, but I had never met them and had no real connection. Was this man to be believed that their biological son was still alive, at least temporarily if Nik was involved?

And then it hit me; of course, this was what Nik had been referring to when he waved my diary under my nose on the veranda. His smug air of secretive knowledge made a great deal more sense if from reading of the boys he realized he knew the one still lived. But how? It was quite obvious there was a supernatural answer to at least part of the equation; Damon must have been turned at some point in the intervening years. It seems Giuseppe's wrath against vampires kept bringing his family into contact with them. But the other part of the puzzle was left unresolved.

"Let's say I believe you. How would my brother ever know Damon Salvatore was still alive and for god's sake, how to track him down? He has only been gone for three days and it is quite improbable for a tracker, even one as tenacious as Nik, to be able to sniff him out so quickly. Explain yourself before I decide your warm blood would be much more suited for coursing through my body than your admirable one."

"You like my body, do you?"

I lean forward with the promise of physical retribution gleaming in my eye for picking up on my slip before he chuckles softly and continues his tale.

"He didn't, actually. He knew Stefan was alive, er undead, and went to Mystic Falls in order to beat information out of whatever hapless caretaker was at the boarding house. Unfortunately, Damon is living there now with his wife and I guess Klaus decided one brother was as good as any other in carrying out his revenge. A hybrid werewolf bite later and my drinking partner is barely clinging to life. Did I mention Damon was also a vampire? Guess that goes without saying. Now, I have no idea what you did to irritate him so much, seeing as how I know I'd rather see you smile than frown, but I am here to fix things so a redhead doesn't lose the love of her life and I don't lose the jackass I view as my own brother. Care to get back at Klaus by preventing his plan from succeeding?"

Confused thoughts race through my head at what Alaric tells me. How would Nik know of Stefan Salvatore? The only Stefan I remember my brother speaking of was his drinking partner née ostensible soul mate who he knew in the 20's. I had only met him once in passing, but surely that couldn't be…

"You have got to be kidding me. The Stefan he called The Rippah from Chicago is actually Stefan Salvatore? Bloody hell, these Salvatores keep popping up in my life like weeds. You'd think there was some curse linking us together." I point an angry finger in Alaric's face. "If you even think the word doppelganger in relation to this mess, I'll smother you with this croissant. I do hate to tell you this, but you are far too late in saving your friend. Even though I would truly love to help you, there is only one cure for a werewolf bite; it is the blood of the hybrid and must be administered within 24 hours to be successful. I am very sorry. Damn, Mary and Gabriel are going to be devastated, again."

I don't know what compels me to reach my hand out across the table to comfort this stranger, but I find his warm grasp in return just as soothing.

"First of all, there is another cure; the blood of a biological parent, given freely and out of love, is more powerful than the werewolf venom. I'm thinking Mary may be persuaded to give her blood to her son. Even though she abandoned him to that rat bastard Giuseppe all those years ago, I understand at one point she did love him. As to our time limit, let's just say Damon has always had a way with the ladies and his ace in the hole will be able to keep him alive a while longer, but I'd still like to put some hustle into it. She won't be able to keep him hanging on forever."

"Impossible. There is no way we can make it in time and I don't want to get their hopes up only to see their child, whom they have just discovered is alive, die before their eyes. It would be cruel beyond measure."

"Honey, after all these years on this earth, you are going to talk about the impossible? You should know by now there are more things that exist than humans around these parts. Why don't you take me to meet your friends while I tell you how Tinker Bell does exist and if you mention her name to Damon's wife you'll get an earful about how ridiculous the idea of pixie dust is."

And so I do. On the way up to the room I discover there is way more truth to mythology than even I had dreamt and maybe we could reunite this family regardless of the scheming of my brother. Once I introduce Alaric to Mary and Gabriel, we waste no time in explaining the situation. I must force them to listen to everything Alaric has to say and the picture he produces of a smirking man with his arm around a distinctly non-shimmery woman has them settling down to hear him out. I notice the only thing radiating from the screen is pure adoration and once again I find myself ensnared in the pursuit of saving a true love that is not my own.

It is that thought which weighs selfishly on my mind when we are in the chartered jet winging back to Mystic Falls and a long overdue reunion. My pensiveness must have been quite obvious to Alaric, for he bumps my shoulder and passes me a glass of bourbon.

"What's got you down, Blondie? You are about to be a hero, vanquish the big bad, and allow love to conquer all. What's not to be happy about?"

"Love. My brother is the only one who has ever truly loved me, Ric. How can I be happy about any of this? Once it is all over, I will once again be relegated to the sidelines of everyone else's merry lives. I know that makes me the spoiled brat Nik so often accuses me of being and you must now think horribly of me. It is selfish, but when do I get my happy ending?"

I look at him with pleading eyes, completely belying what I conveyed to him about my icy heart unable to show emotion. Instead of judgment, I get warmth and a strong hand once more covering my own.

"I think you want what we all want, Bekah, and if it makes you petty, then I'll wear the same label. We can be horrible people together." He smiles tenderly before raising his glass to clink against mine and I cannot stop my head from inclining slightly towards his shoulder as the plane eats up the miles between the two halves of a family.