A/N: I LOVE the reviews that I've been getting. I would really love to reach 50 for the first time. I hope you guys enjoy this update (especially since it's the second one today) and the surprise I have at the end of the chapter.
Chapter Eleven: Bloodlines
Elena sees the man she hit stand and begin to walk towards the car. Suddenly she hears a threatening growl. Out of the corner of her eye she sees large paws walk towards the man. He takes a few steps back and runs off. She sees a tail swish back and forth before the animal turns around and begins walking towards her. She screams.
Trinity; now in her human form leans down. "Elena it's okay. It's just me."
"Trinity?" Elena asks, tears in her eyes.
Trinity looks away from Elena. "A little help?" She asks someone.
Damon leans down. "You look stuck."
"It's my seatbelt. I can't get it." Elena breathes harder.
"Shh." Trinity shushes her. "We're gonna get you out of there." She grips the seatbelt.
Damon nods. "I want you to put your hands on the roof. Just like that. You ready? 1, 2, 3." Trinity rips the seatbelt and Damon takes Elena out of the car. "Are you ok? Can you stand? Is anything broken?"
"Uh-uh." Elena shakes her head.
He puts Elena down but she can barely stand. Damon catches her before she falls to the ground. "Whoa, you're fading fast, Elena. Elena, look at me." He grabs her face.
Trinity steps closer. "Elena!" She calls.
"I look like her…" Elena whispers.
"What?" Damon asks. Trinity eyes widen in realization. Elena faints and Damon lowers her to the ground. "Upsy-daisy." He picks her up and begins to carry her away.
"Where are you taking her?" Trinity follows after him.
"I'm on my way out of town. I'm not making any detours."
"No way. You're not taking her anywhere."
Damon turns to look at her. "What are you gonna do to stop it? The way I see it, you have two options. One; you can run to Stefan while I take Elena. Two; you can come with, and at least you can watch her. What's it gonna be?" He asks. Trinity stares at him with conflict in her eyes. "She's obviously found out about Katherine, which means she might not want to see Stefan anyway. So get in the car or get lost." He puts Elena in the back seat.
Trinity sighs and walks towards the car. She gets in with Elena.
"Gonna cuddle her?" Damon asks.
Trinity rolls her eyes. "I need to check her for injuries." She leans over Elena, grabbing her chin. "If there's any internal bleeding, I'll be able to smell it."
Damon shrugs and closes the door. "I'll be back in a minute."
Trinity winces and puts her hands over her ears when she hears the car scraping against the pavement. Damon comes back, dusting off his hands. He gets into the driver's seat and starts the car.
In the morning Elena groans as the light hits her eyes. She wakes up finding her head in Trinity's lap. She sits up and notices Damon driving.
"Morning." Damon looks in the rearview mirror.
"Where are we?" Elena asks, looking out the window and seeing only green fields.
"Georgia." Damon answers.
"Georgia? No, no." Elena shakes her head. "No, we're not. Seriously, Damon. Where are we?"
"Seriously, we're…we're in Georgia. How ya feeling?" He asks.
Elena grabs her side. "I-I"
"There's no broken bones." Trinity says. "I checked."
"But my car…there was a man…I hit a man. But then he got up, and…who was that?"
"That's what we'd like to know." Damon says.
"Where is my phone? OK. We really need to go back. Nobody knows where I am." She pauses. "Pull over. I mean it, Damon. Pull over! Stop the car!"
He groans. "Oh you were so much more fun when you were asleep." He pulls over. Elena gets out of the car, limping weakly. She begins to fall but Damon and Trinity catcher her. "Hey."
She looks at him. "I'm fine. We have to go back."
"Oh come on. Look. We've already come this far…"
"Why are you doing this? I can't be in Georgia. I wrecked my car. I have to go home." She looks at Trinity. "Why did you let him take me?"
Trinity sighs and looks away. "I'm definitely going to lose best friend points for this." She looks at Elena. "You found out about Katherine-"
"You knew?"
Trinity nods. "I didn't agree with how Damon did it, but you do need some time away. You're probably going through a lot and from my experience it's always best to get away for a bit, clear your head."
"This is kidnapping." Elena tells her.
Damon rolls his eyes. "That's a little melodramatic, don't you think?"
"You're not funny. You can't do this. I'm not going to Georgia." She shakes her head.
"You're in Georgia. Without your magical little necklace, I might add. I can very easily make you…agreeable." Damon says.
Trinity glares at him. "What are you trying to prove?"
A cellphone rings. Elena looks at Damon. "That's my phone."
Damon takes it out, nodding. "Mmm. It's your boyfriend. I'll take it." He puts it to his ear. "Elena's phone!"
"Where is she? Why do you have her phone? Is she ok?" Stefan asks, worried.
"Elena? She's right here. And, yes, she's fine."
"Where are you? Let me speak to her."
"He wants to talk to you." Damon holds the phone out towards her. Elena shakes her head. "Yeah. I don't…I don't really think she wants to talk to you right now."
"Damon, I swear to God, if you touch her-"
Trinity snatches the phone out of Damon's hand. "Stefan, it's alright."
"Trinity?" Stefan asks. "What are you doing there?"
"I'll look out for her." Trinity says, avoiding the question. She hangs up and hands Damon the phone.
"Look, no one knows where I am. Can we please just go back?" Elena asks Damon.
"We're almost there."
"Where is there?!" She asks, frustrated.
"A little place right outside of Atlanta. Oh, come on, Elena. You don't wanna go back right now. Do you? What's the rush? Time-out. Trust me. Your problems are still going to be there when you get home. Look. Step away from your life for 5 minutes. 5 minutes!" He holds up his hand.
Trinity sighs and rolls her eyes. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I agree with him."
"Am I gonna be safe with you?" Elena asks him.
"Yes." Trinity and Damon say.
"You promise not to do that mind control thing with me?"
"Yes." Damon sighs.
"Can I trust you?"
"Get in the car." Damon says, dodging the question. "Come on."
Outside the high school, Stefan sees Bonnie and walks over to her. "Bonnie."
"Stefan…" She looks surprised and a little confused.
"Hey."
"Hi."
"I haven't seen you lately. How are you doing with everything?"
"I'm fine. It's all fine." She answers.
"Good." He nods. "Yeah."
"Are you back in school?"
"No. Actually I came here to find you. I was hoping you could help me with something. A spell."
"Stefan, look, I know Elena's okay with all of this, and I appreciate what you did to help me." She shakes her head. "But I'm not really ready to dive into it with you just yet."
"I understand that. But I need your help. It's Elena. She's with Damon." That gets Bonnie's attention. "I have Elena's necklace. I was just hoping you could use this to make some sort of a connection. I just need to know that she's okay."
"How do you know I can do this?"
"Because I've known a few witches over the years. I've seen what they can do."
"I'm still new at it."
"It's okay. Give it a shot."
"Okay." She takes a deep breath and nods. "All right." Bonnie takes the necklace and closes her eyes, trying to make something happen. She opens her eyes. "There's nothing. Nothing's happening. Usually there's an image or…tell me if anyone's looking."
"Okay." Stefan stays, his eyes scanning the area. Bonnie picks up a leaf and tries to make it float. It doesn't work. "What is it?"
She shakes her head. "Something's wrong."
"With Elena?"
"With me. There's something wrong with me." She grabs her things. "I have to go. I'm sorry, Stefan. I can't help you." She walks away, leaving Stefan staring after her.
"So, where's my car?" Elena asks from the backseat.
"I pulled it off to the side of the road." Damon answers. "I don't think anyone will bother it."
"What about that man in the road? Was he a…" She trails off.
Trinity nods. "He was. I could smell it on him."
"What do I smell like?" Damon asks.
"Like peppermint. But it's little bitter on account of you being dead and all." Trinity answers.
"Did you know him?" Elena asks Damon.
"If I've never met him, I wouldn't know him. I mean, it's not like we all hang out together at the Vamp Bar & Grill." He pulls up outside a bar.
"Where are we?" Elena looks at the sign 'Bree's Bar'. "You brought us to a bar? Damon, we're not old enough. They're not going to let us in."
"Sure they will." He says as the get out of the car.
The enter the bar and a woman looks at them. "No. No, it can't be. Damon. My honey pie." She runs up to him, jumping into his arms and wrapping her legs around his waist. She pulls him in for a deep kiss. Elena looks away and Trinity face crinkles in disgust. She gets down and releases him. "Listen up everybody! Here's to the man that broke my heart, crushed my soul, destroyed my life, and ruined any and all chances of happiness!" She pours everyone's shots. "Drink up!" Damon and Bree shoot their alcohol. "Ahh. Whoo!" She looks at Elena. "So, how'd he rope you in?" She pours Elena a shot.
"I'm not roped in." Elena says. "Actually, I'm dating his-"
"Honey, if you're not roped, you're whipped. Either way, just enjoy the ride." She turns to Trinity. "What about you?" She begins to pour Trinity a drink.
She puts her hand up. "I don't drink."
"Come on." Damon says.
Trinity rolls her eyes. "Okay, let me put it this way. I can't drink." She tells them. "Due to my…condition, I can't get drunk. I burn everything off too quickly. If it's possible for me to get drunk, I'm pretty sure that I'd have to drink this place dry and I don't have the patience for that."
"Really?" Damon asks. "That sucks."
"Tell me about it. I get the horrible taste and none of the benefits."
"Ok. So, how did you two meet?" Elena asks Bree.
"College." She answers.
Elena turns to Damon. "You went to college?"
He smiles. "I've been on a college campus, yes."
"About 20 years ago, when I was a sweet, young freshman, I met this beautiful man, and I fell in love. And then he told me about his little secret, made me love him more. Because, you see, I had a little secret of my own that I was dying to share with somebody."
Damon leans towards them. "She's a witch." He whispers.
"Changed my world, you know." Bree tells him.
He smirks. "I rocked your world."
She looks at Elena and Trinity. "He is good in the sack, isn't he? But mostly he's just a Walk-Away Joe." She looks at Damon. "So, what is it that you want?"
Jeremy is at the library, looking for a book. Suddenly, some books fall down in front of him. A girl appears from the other side of the bookshelf. "Oh my god. I am so sorry. There was this one book wedged between the other, and so I pulled and then kaplunk, kaboom." She gestures. "Are you ok?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." He says. They both kneel down to pick up the books at the same time and knock into each other's heads.
The girls grabs her head. "Ahh! I'm Anna."
Jeremy rubs his own head and laughs. "I'm Jeremy."
At her grandmother's house, Bonnie looks through old spell books. She looks up when Sheila walks in. "Thank God you're back."
"And hello to you, too. What's the matter?"
"My powers are gone, Grams. I can't do anything, even when I concentrate. And there's nothing in in any of these books that can tell me how to get them back."
"Hang on, now. Just calm down. Tell me what happened." Sheila sits down, across from Bonnie.
"I can't."
"We keeping secrets now?"
"I have to. I'm sorry. I promised. Please, help me."
She sighs. "Well, first of all, there's nothing in any of these that's gonna help you. If you're blocked, it's in here." She taps Bonnie's forehead. "You gotta clear it out, then you're back in business."
"Clear what out?"
"Whatever's got you so scared."
"I need to call Jenna." Elena tells Damon. He hands her the cellphone.
"I'll go with you." Trinity says.
"I don't need a bodyguard."
"And I don't need to smell beer, sweat, and sex in the air. So I'm going to go outside and get some air." Trinity tells her.
They walk out of the bar and Elena calls Jenna. "Hi, Jenna. I'm so sorry."
"Where are you? Why didn't you call?"
"I was so tired last night. I fell asleep at Bonnie's. And then this morning, I just wanted to get to school."
"Are you okay?"
"You know, Stefan and stuff." Elena sighs.
While they're outside Damon looks at Bree. "Come on, there's gotta be another way."
"After all these years, it's still only Katherine. How do you even know she's still alive?"
"Well, you help me get into that tomb, and we'll find out."
"I already did. 20 years ago. Remember? Three easy steps: Comet. Crystal. Spell."
"There's a little problem with number two. I don't have the crystal."
She shrugs. "That's it, Damon. There is no other way. It's Emily's spell."
"What about a new spell with a new crystal that overrides Emily's spell?"
She shakes her head. "It doesn't work that way, baby. Emily's spell is absolute. You can't get into that tomb."
Bonnie is at the old Fell church, where Emily destroyed the crystal and Damon attacked her. She turns around when she hears a noise. "Hello? Anybody here?! Aah!" She screams when the below her feet gives way.
Elena looks at Trinity. "So you knew about Katherine?"
Trinity sighs. "Stefan told me."
"And you just…didn't think it was something I needed to know?"
Trinity steps towards her. "I told Stefan to tell you before it got any deeper. But then you were too afraid to be around him."
"I wasn't afraid."
Trinity raises her voice. "You were afraid to deal with all that came with Stefan and his life! We thought that we were leaving and now we're obviously not, so yeah; I can see how that detail may have slipped his mind!" She steps away and takes a deep breath. "I'm sorry." She says. "I don't know everything that's going on between you and Stefan, but I don't want to be in the middle. He vents to me and ask for advice, but that's all. If you want to know more, you have to go to him."
Elena nods. "Okay…and I'm sorry too. I forget that even though you're…what you are…that you are new to this stuff too. You're already dealing with enough. You don't need our relationship drama as well." Elena's phone rings and she answers.
"Elena, is that you?" Stefan asks.
She sighs. "I'm here."
"Where are you?"
"You lied."
"Not until I explain, please."
"So, you didn't lie?"
"Just tell me where you are, so that I can come get you."
"How am I connected to Katherine, Stefan?"
"I honestly don't know." Stefan sighs.
"And I'm supposed to believe that?
"It's the truth. I…listen-"
Elena hangs up. Damon comes out of the bar. "You ok?"
"Don't pretend to care. I know you're gloating inside." Elena tells him.
Bree turns on the blender and takes out her phone. "Hey, it's Bree. You're never gonna guess who walked into my bar."
Bonnie wakes up just outside the tomb, and searches for a way out. "Ow. Hello?! Anybody?!" She looks around but sees no exit. "Ahh!"
Stefan walks up to the porch and knocks on the door, Grams answers. "Hi." He greets.
"Can I help you?" Sheila asks.
"I'm Stefan." He holds out his hand and she shakes it. "I'm a friend of Bonnie's. Her dad told me that she might be here."
"She was. Not anymore."
"Do you know where she went?"
"No. But you do."
"I'm sorry?"
"I told her to face down her fear. And I'm sensing now that you know exactly why she was scared. You know what I am. And yet you offered me your hand, which means you wanted me to see that I can trust you."
"Can you?"
"I trust you'll keep her safe. You'd better be on your way, then. I'm not going to invite you in. I'm sure you understand why."
Anna gestures to the bookshelves. "This aisle is local and state history. And Civil War is one over. What do you need?"
"Local. 1860s." Jeremy says. "Do you work here?"
"Nope. You want reference. This way. Um, home-schooled. I study here for a 'mock-school environment.' Ah, here we go. Original settlers, town archives, Founders' stuff. It's all here. So, what's your topic?"
"The town's fear and hysteria surrounding the war and how it influenced certain writers of the time."
"You might want to focus that."
"The origin of local folklore and myths."
She smiles. "You mean the vampires?"
Damon, Trinity, and Elena are eating.
Elena looks at Damon. "Let's just say that I'm descended from Katherine…does that make me part vampire?"
"Vampires are dead." Trinity says. "They can't procreate."
Damon eats a fry. "But we love to try. No, if you were related, it would mean Katherine had a child before she was turned."
"Did Stefan think that he could use me to replace her?"
"Kinda creepy if you ask me." Damon says.
Trinity sips her soda. "From how they both described her, you're exact opposites. If he wanted a replacement, aside from looks he's doing a poor job of it."
Damon watches Elena remove the pickles from her burger. "Come on, what? You don't like pickles? What's wrong with you?" He takes picks them up and eats them.
"How can you even eat?" Elena asks. "If technically you're supposed to be…"
"Dead?" Damon whispers before laughing. "It's not such a bad word. As long as I keep a healthy diet of blood in my system, my body functions pretty normally."
Elena pauses. "This nice act. Is any of it real?"
Bree interrupts them. "Here you go." She hands Damon a beer.
"Thank you."
"I'll have one too." Elena says.
Damon looks surprised. "Hmm?"
"Time out, remember? For 5 minutes? Yeah, well that 5 minutes is going to need a beer."
He smiles. "There you go."
"You're kidding me, right? There's no such thing as vampires." Jeremy says.
"Well, there's not a lot of documentation, but the stories have been told since the Civil War. My granddad used to tell me all these creepy stories when I was little. And he said that his granddad told them to him."
"Yeah, that would be folklore. Vampires are a metaphor for the demons of the day!"
"Which are?"
"The union soldiers! I've read the stories myself. They talk about the enemy, the demons that attack at night."
"That sounds like vampires to me."
"Allegorical vampires. Which is what it is. Creative expression during a very volatile time. I mean, a country at war doesn't want realism. They want fantasy. Thus, vampire fiction."
"Man, you're smart. I gotta give it to you; when I first saw you, I missed it."
"Yeah. I've had a rough go of it lately, but I'm just now getting back to my old self."
"Well, good luck on your paper. I gotta get home." She pauses. "You know, my great grandfather actually showed me a journal once of an ancestor, and he had written all of this creepy stuff about vampires. It was actually really believable."
"Wait. A journal?"
"Yeah? Why?" She asks.
"Are you sure you have to go?"
Bonnie walks around, trying to get a signal on her phone. "Come on, phone!" She sighs, seeing that she has no bars. "Great! Great." Bonnie slowly moves closer to the door with the pentagram, hearing whispers and groaning coming from it. Stefan jumps down into the hole and taps Bonnie on the shoulder. She screams.
"Bonnie! BONNIE!" He yells.
"Get away from me!" She screams, not seeing who it is.
"It's me! It's Stefan."
"Stefan?" She relaxes. "The ground gave way, and I fell…"
"It's ok. It's ok. Calm down. Come on, let's get you out of here."
"How?"
"Just close your eyes. Trust me." Stefan wraps his arms around her firmly and jumps. When they land, he releases her. "You can open your eyes now."
She opens her eyes and looks around, seeing that they're out of the tomb. "Whoa."
"I didn't want to scare you."
"How did you know where I was?"
"Well, your grandmother told me what you were doing. I guessed the where."
"I heard them…down there…behind the door." She looks at him. "Are they in pain?"
"In the beginning…yes. But not anymore. They've starved to the point of desiccation."
"But if they have blood-"
"That's not going to happen, Bonnie. They can't get out. Emily saw to that when she had you destroy the crystal. You're safe."
Bree pours everyone a shot. "Ready…go!"
They all shoot. Elena downs hers quickly, claps her hands, and does a little dance. "That's 3!" She looks at Damon and pouts playfully. "Aw, do you need a bib?"
"Sorry I can't unhinge my jaw like a snake to consume alcohol."
"Whatever. All right. Who's next? Another round, Bree."
"Honey, you should be on the floor!" A woman tells her.
"I am not even drunk." Elena says, a slight slur in her words. "My tolerance is, like, way up here." She holds her hand in the air and jumps.
"All right. Here you go." Bree pours another round of shots.
Trinity watches as Elena plays a game of pool. She walks over and leans in a bit. "I'll be in the restroom." She says into her ear.
Elena nods as Trinity walks away. Her cellphone rings. "Hello?"
"Elena?" Jenna asks.
"Jenna! Hold on, it's loud in here."
"Elena, where are you? Are you okay?"
"Huh? Yeah. No, I'm good. Everything's fine. Hold on, I can't hear you."
"No, it's not fine! I got a call…"
Elena goes outside. She falls and drops her phone. She picks it back up. "Hello?" Someone comes up behind her and covers her mouth. She drops her phone.
"Hey, where's your girl?" Bree asks.
Damon looks around. "Hmm. She was right back there."
Damon leaves the bar. He looks around and sees Elena's phone on the ground. He picks it up. He walks around the bar, over to an electrical building.
Elena is hanging on to a tank. "Damon, no!"
A man attacks him with a wooden plank. It was a trap.
Trinity walks out of the restroom and looks around. She walks over to Bree. "Where are Damon and Elena?" She asks.
Bree points to the door. "They must've left."
Trinity hurries outside. She hears a scuffle in the back and a new scent in the air. She runs over to see a man hitting Damon repeatedly with a wooden plank. The man lifts it to hit Damon again when Trinity grabs it and throws it away. Shifting her nails into claws, she sinks them into his stomach.
"Ah!" He yells.
Trinity pushes him into the wall and wraps her free hand around his neck. She releases a threatening growl. "Who are you?" Trinity and Damon ask.
"That's perfect! You have no idea." The man grunts, looking at Damon.
"What are you talking about? What did he do?" Trinity asks, sinking her claws deeper.
He groans. "He killed my girlfriend." He looks back at Damon. "What did she do to you, huh? What did she do to you?!"
"Nothing." Damon sighs.
"I don't understand." Elena says.
"My girlfriend went to visit Stefan, and Damon killed her. Got it?"
"Lexi? Lexi was your girlfriend?" Trinity asks. The man nods as much as he could with her hand around his throat.
"She told me about you. She said that you were human." Elena tells him.
He looks at her. "I was."
"Lexi turned you?"
"If you want to be with someone forever, you have to live forever."
"She loved you. She said that, 'when it's real, you can't walk away.'"
"You can join her." Trinity says, slowly pressing her claws into his neck.
"Don't. Don't, please, don't hurt him!" Elena yells. "Lexi loved you! And she was good! And that means you're good too. Trinity please don't kill him, he doesn't deserve to die."
Trinity looks into Elena's pleading eyes before looking back at the man. She harshly pulls her hand from his stomach and lets him go. "Get out of here, and don't ever come back." She growls. He leaves. Elena rushes over to Damon, who is still on the ground.
"Well, now, look who's returned from battle." Sheila says, seeing Stefan and Bonnie walking up the steps. "Can I talk to your friend for a minute?"
Bonnie turns to Stefan. "Thank you." She says before walking into the house.
"I appreciate your help, Stefan."
"You're welcome, Sheila."
She smiles. "I wasn't sure you remembered."
"October 1969."
"I was barely a teenager!"
He nods. "And you were leading what was probably the only anti-war sit-in within miles of Mystic Falls." She hums. "You know, when you spoke, people were mesmerized. I know I was."
"Until the cops showed up." She chuckled before sobering. "You took a big risk coming to see me earlier. Letting me read you, realize who you were. It could have gone in a completely different way."
"Your family has a very long history of keeping my secret. I knew that I could trust you if you believed I was worthy of your trust."
"Bonnie knows, doesn't she?"
He sighs. "Yes." He nods.
"Please understand, our loyalty can only extend so far. This town won't be easy on any of us if they figure it out. And I'll protect my own before anybody else."
"I know that."
"As long as we're clear. Goodnight, then."
"Goodnight, Sheila."
Trinity walks out of the bar, having washed the man's blood from her hands. She passes Damon.
"I'm gonna say goodbye." He says.
She nods and continues to the car. She sits in her seat and sighs, running a hand through her hair.
Elena looks at her from the backseat. "Are you okay?"
Trinity stares at her hands in her lap. "I don't know." She shakes her head. "I've never done that before. I guess it's something I'm going to have to get used too. Apparently, Mystic Falls is vampire central again."
Elena scoots forward in her seat and lays a hand on Trinity's shoulder. "Thank you." She says. "You are one of the nicest people I've ever met and you were ready to kill someone to protect us."
Trinity looks at her. "I wasn't going to let him hurt you. You may be Stefan's girlfriend but…you're my friend too. Or at least I think you are."
Elena nods, squeezing her shoulder. "I am your friend." She smiles and sits back in her seat. Trinity gives a small smile back before looking out the window, her face covered in worry.
Damon comes out of the bar and gets into his seat. "Next stop: Mystic Falls." He says, driving off.
As they're driving Elena looks at Damon. "So, why did you bring me with you?"
"Well, you're not the worst company in the world, Elena. You should give yourself more credit." He says.
"Seriously?"
"You were there in the road, all damsel-in-distress-like. And, I knew it would piss off Stefan. And…you're not the worst company in the world, Elena."
"I used to be more fun."
"You did okay."
Trinity smirks at him. "I saved your life."
He nods, rolling his eyes a bit. "I know."
"And don't you forget it!"
Stefan is sitting in his bedroom when Elena walks in. "Hi."
He stands up. "Hi."
"You could have told me."
"I wanted to tell you."
"You said no more lies. Only the truth. I can handle the truth, Stefan. As crazy as it is, I can handle the fact that you are a vampire. And that you have a vampire brother. And that my best friend is a witch. I can accept the fact that the world is a much more mysterious place than I ever thought possible. But this…this lie, I cannot take. What am I to you? Who am I to you?" She asks.
"You are not Katherine. You are the opposite of everything that she was."
"And when did you figure that out? Before you kissed me? Before we slept together?"
"Before I met you."
Elena looks confused. "What?"
"The first day of school. When we met. It wasn't for the first time, Elena."
"Then when was it?"
Stefan pauses. "May 23, 2009."
"But that was…"
"That was the day your parents' car went off the bridge."
"You were there?"
"Every couple of years I come back here, to see Zach and see my home. Last spring, I was out in the woods, by old Wickery Bridge. And I heard the accident. All of it. I was fast getting there, but not fast enough. The car was already submerged. Your dad was still…he was still conscious. I was able to get to him, but he wouldn't let me help him, until I helped you."
Elena begins to cry. "Oh my god. When I woke up in the hospital, nobody could figure out how I got out of the car. They said it was a miracle."
"I went back for them. But it was too late. I couldn't…I couldn't save them. When I pulled you out, I looked at your face. You looked like Katherine. I couldn't believe the resemblance. After that, I spent months making sure that you weren't her. I watched you. I learned everything that I could about you. And I saw that you were nothing like Katherine. And I wanted to leave town, but, Elena, I couldn't. I couldn't leave without knowing you. I'm so sorry that I didn't tell you. I wanted to. But you were so sad."
"Why do I look like her?"
"Elena, you've been through so much."
"Why do I look like her, Stefan?" She asks again, stronger. "What are you not telling me?"
"It didn't make any sense to me. You were a Gilbert. She was a Pierce. But the resemblance was too similar. And then I learned the truth." He pauses. "You were adopted, Elena."
She looks at him in shock and sits down. He joins her. "How do you know all this?" She asks.
"Your birth certificate from the city records. It says Elena Gilbert, Mystic Falls General. But there's no record of your mother ever being admitted. There's no record of her ever being pregnant."
"What else do you know?"
"For me to go any further, I would've had to look into the Pierce family, and I couldn't do that. It's too much of a risk. If someone found out I was asking about Katherine…listen to me." He looks into her eyes. "It doesn't matter. You are the woman that I love. I love you." He tells her. Elena kisses him. Stefan cradles her in his arms as she cries.
Now back home, Elena walks in and Jenna turns around.
"I don't set a lot of rules, Elena. Not with you. I trust you to tell me the truth. Where were you? Why would you lie to me about it? I thought that we were closer than that." Jenna says.
Elena sighs. "Now is not the time you want to talk to me about lies." She walks away.
Jenna follows after her. "Don't do that. Don't turn this back on me. I didn't do anything."
Elena stops on the staircase and turns around. "Ok, question; am I adopted?" She asks. Jenna gives her a shocked look that quickly turns guilty. "I trust you to tell me the truth too, Jenna. How could you not tell me? I thought we were closer than that."
"Elena, I didn't…they asked me not to."
"I don't want to hear it!" Elena walks up the stairs and into her room.
Alaric is sitting at the bar, drinking, when Damon walks up.
"Bourbon." He orders.
Alaric takes a closer look.
Flashback
Isobel is in bed, and Alaric is getting ready to leave.
"I love you." She says.
"I'm going to be late tonight." He tells her.
Alaric returns and goes to the bedroom. He sees Damon drinking Isobel's blood.
Present
Alaric recognizes Damon as the vampire who killed Isobel. He goes to set his drink on the bar, and his hand is visibly shaking.
Trinity flips through her family's journals and stops at a passage.
Vivificantem
Only the greatest of shifters have gone through this. To truly realize their power and obtain it. Those who have are recognized among shifter's as leaders; as elders, for they become immortal and receive a gift. The only elder in our family disappeared over a millennia ago. Laylah; gifted with clairvoyance was the last elder before our species began do decline. We were dying, our powers were no longer being granted to our children, and families were forgetting their histories. Shifters were becoming rare. Some say, that the Great Laylah worked with one of the strongest witches to save us. That she gave up her powers and sealed them for the Potential; the next elder for our species. For this shifter would go through the Vivificantem. They would be fit for a leader. Loyal, strong, loving, smart. They would be our hope. They will continue our race. If they do not succeed, they will be our end.
Laylah revealed the steps of her Vivificantem. She had to bear through strong aggression and extreme protectiveness for those she cared for. Her emotion's heightened, and she experienced the full force of every feeling, happiness, sadness, rage, desire. She was pushed to the brink of desperation in her mind, body, and soul. It was her will alone that allowed her to achieve her Vivificantem.
I imagine that this will be very difficult for the Potential. For not only must they control their power, but the power of our greatest elder as well.
Trinity stares at the journal in shock and horror.
