AN: I am so sorry about my lack of posting, I was working on femslash february fics. I will be updating regularly!
Alaric notices the shift in Elena and Elijah during his class, but it's not something either of them don't look guilty, he knows what guilty teenage faces look like. They both just look worried about something, together. They're quite the united front, he thinks as he passes back papers.
He's meeting Jenna after school to talk about Jeremy, he wonders if Elena knows that. Elena thanks him with a smile when he hands her a few papers. He notices the cheerleaders whispering and Stefan Salvatore looking at Elijah and Elena. According to the gossip in the teacher's lounge, Stefan Salvatore and Elena Gilbert went on two dates, and then she broke up with him. Stefan still likes her but Elena's either moved on to Elijah or is just uninterested in dating. Interesting. He decides to mention it to Jenna when he sees her, if he needs to make sure Stefan and Elena are on opposite ends of the classroom, he will.
She almost can't control her breathing at lunch, John is in Mystic Falls and her mind has been running wild with the possibilities.
"He's just here to give you answers. He's not going to take you away. Jenna won't allow it." He assures her. He wishes to remind her that he will not let it happen either, but Stefan Salvatore is watching carefully. Jeremy is moving through the lunch line, he'll join them in a few minutes.
"What if my-what if Isobel's dead?" She asks him.
"Then Isobel is dead, and she did not get the chance to meet you." He says simply. She wants to know if he knows, but can't say. There are other ears trying to listen in, human and supernatural. She feels like everyone in the room is staring at them and trying to listen in.
"I hope she's not." Elena says instead and starts a list of questions for the next hour's note.
"Can you come with me? Jeremy has to stay after school with his math teacher and Jenna will be here to meet Mr. Saltzman and take Jeremy home." Elena tells him.
"Of course." She has a good reason for her fears but his presence while she talks to her biological father might make things more awkward than they already are. Either way, he'll be there for her. Jeremy grins and Elena moves her bag when he arrives at the table.
They part ways when the bell rings, and Elena quickly starts a note when they reach their desks.
"I'll walk with you to your locker." He says when the final bell rings and she nods. They move just quickly enough to avoid Stefan and Elena grabs the next book she needs and they move to the parking lot.
John's already in their house and he opens his mouth when he sees Elena. He closes it when he sees Elijah. The god introduces himself and Elena notices that John looks at Elijah like he's seen him before. It doesn't escape her notice that Elijah glances at John's ring when the younger man focuses on Elena.
"Don't you want to have a private conversation?" John asks and Elena exhales.
"Elijah's my best friend. He's going to hear it anyway." Elena tells him and John stares at Elijah for a long moment.
"Tell me about Isobel." Elena prompts and John sighs.
"We were teenagers. We were reckless and she didn't want a child. I didn't either." John begins and Elena tells him that she already heard that, she wants to know what Isobel acted like, how she is now, where she is.
"Isobel was nice. She was always interested in history and mythology. We kept in contact after you were born, after a year or two. She went to Duke and taught there. For the last few years, she's been traveling around.
Elena glances in Elijah's direction and he almost nods. It sounds odd to him too, there not very many details in John's description of Isobel.
"What's her last name?" Elena asks.
"Flemming." John says. He regrets the fact that he wasn't the one to marry her, she'll never be Isobel Saltzman to him. Plus, Elena might connect the dots to her history teacher and he needs to figure out how much she knows.
He catches the look Elena sends Elijah.
"How did you find out? You didn't say when you called." John says.
"You didn't give me the opportunity." Elena retorts and he looks at her with those pale eyes of his.
"This is how I found out." She tells him and plucks the card out of the flowers still on the island. She hands it to John and waits.
"Did you know she was going to do this?" She gestures to the flowers and John shakes his head.
"I thought your parents were going to tell you. After they died, I didn't discuss it with Jenna or even the possibility with Isobel." John says and Elena shakes her head.
"I want to meet her." Elena says. John looks at Elena and Elijah. There's a feeling he can't write off, and he stares at Elijah a few seconds longer. He has to know something, Elijah looks like a supportive teenage boy but there's something sharp underneath that.
"I know she's close to Mystic Falls, I want to meet her." Elena tells him and he has the good grace to feign surprise. He recognizes the handwriting, it is Isobel's.
"The flower shop that sent these is in Mystic Falls and they only do in store transactions." Elena says simply. Last year, she and Bonnie had gotten boutonnieres from there, and paid in cash. The flowers had been perfect, worth every penny at the time.
Elijah wants to compliment her later, she could have told John they saw her and given them away.
"I'll set something up." John says and Elena nods as he hands back the card.
"Okay." Elena says and he sees himself out. Her eyes meet Elijah's.
"According to Jenna, we have forty minutes until she and Jeremy get home." She says and he nods. They have a lot to talk about. They need a game plan before he leaves before they get home.
"I was thinking about going through a few of the rooms at the lake house this weekend." Jenna says as she gets a slice of pizza and Jeremy looks interested.
"Family trip?" He asks and she shakes her head.
"Just me. I'd only be gone for a few hours." Jenna says and she knows Elena's responsible and Jeremy is better. She wants to show them that she can trust them, and she needs to have alone time to work on her grieving process.
"Sounds cool." Jeremy says and takes a few breadsticks.
"How'd talking to your teachers go?" Elena asks.
"I'm pretty sure she was flirting with Mr. Saltzman." Jeremy teases and Jenna reddens.
"I was not!" She denies and Jeremy and Elena laugh.
"Sure you weren't, Jenna." Elena says, and Jenna gives them a dirty look. They just laugh.
"Let me know if John actually does contact this Isobel and wants to set up a meeting." Jenna changes the topic and they let the subject of Alaric drop.
The next few days are just waiting, and Jeremy accepts Elijah's presence in their house after school.
"Do you like my sister?" He asks Friday afternoon. Elijah pauses.
"I like your sister because she's my friend, but I do not have any romantic interest in her. She does not have any romantic interest in me." Elijah informs him and Jeremy nods. Elena walks back downstairs as her phone buzzes. Jenna wants to know their orders for Mexican food, and if Finn's available to join them.
It's so odd to see Finn again after seeing him with a different face. She wonders if they'll ever tell Jeremy and Jenna. Jenna talks and they all listen, and it's another quiet Friday night. Finn compliments her on her choice in food, and Jenna beams at him. The Smiths are starting to grow on Jeremy, he tells Elena as they watch the two gods drive away.
Elena feels like she's always waiting, waiting for something to happen. That might just be anxiety though, and she tries not to think about it as she tries to fall asleep. She gets up to pace and sees someone in the street, she moves her curtain to see them. They disappear. Elena yawns and decides she'll tell Elijah in the morning, it's probably nothing.