Hey guys! Sorry about the wait!
Hopefully this chapter will make up for it :)
Hope you like!
Elena let the pencil glide across her canvas.
She'd drawn sometimes, back home in the village, but had lost the urge since being taken.
She wasn't really sure why she started again, but she knew that she had to get her hands moving, and Elijah was kind enough to give her supplies, including an easel.
An hour later, she was coming to the end of her masterpiece.
She switched over to her charcoal again, outlining her work with thick black marks, and smoothed out the edges.
Next, she grabbed the blue pastel stick.
The oil based utensil spread onto her hand, but she didn't mind.
She was almost done.
As soon as she filled this in.
She became vaguely aware of someone else's presence as she colored, and looked back slightly, to find that Elijah had entered the room.
It was Sunday, so she wasn't required to be on duty, but something about the way he stared at her drawing made her uncomfortable.
Like she'd done something wrong.
She sat the colors down, and stood.
"Good afternoon, Sir," she greeted.
Elijah was still looking at her drawing.
She blushed, "Am I not supposed to be in here?"
The den of Elijah's house was her favorite, especially with its enormous fireplace and broad windows.
He'd never forbidden her from it, but his mouth was now a tight line, and she wondered if she'd misheard something.
Finally, he shook his head.
"No, Elena...you're perfectly fine in here," he cleared his throat, "Though I must admit, your drawing is quite...unexpected."
She relaxed then, looking back at her work, "I just let my hands move. I never know what the finished piece is, until I'm staring at it."
Elijah lifted his chin, "And your hands, they drew this?"
She smiled at the drawing.
In honesty, she had no idea where the urge had come from. She just knew she had to draw it...draw him.
"It's the man, in my dreams," she admitted with a blush, "I could barely see him at first, but now, he's there whenever I close my eyes. I thought maybe drawing him would finally get him out of my head...But once I started, I couldn't stop."
Elijah's brows furrowed, "What do you mean?"
Elena reached over, grabbing a stack of crinkled pages she had piled next to her supplies.
"I started last night," she explained, handing them to Elijah, "But I couldn't get his face right."
That's why the majority of them were eyes.
Dark, enchanting eyes, always the same ice blue.
She knew them in perfect detail and could outline them in her sleep.
She saw them when she closed her eyes...But the face, that always came out wrong, in the drawing.
As if she was unsure of the face that belonged to those eyes.
But she'd been determined to figure it out, and now she had.
Her final piece was nearly perfect to the image she saw in her head.
"How long have you seen this man, Elena?" Her master asked, "How long have you dreamt of him?"
Elena shrugged, "A few days, I suppose. But he's appearing more and more frequently."
Elijah had paled a little, and her brows furrowed.
"Is something wrong, Sir?"
Elijah frowned, at Elena's question.
How was this even possible?
It shouldn't be!
But clear as day, she had drawn Damon.
But he'd compelled her himself; there was no way she should remember anything about her time with Damon.
"No," he assured her, stepping close to her, "But humor me."
Her pupils dilated and he knew his compulsion was working.
"What do you dream about, with the man in your drawing?"
A blush colored the girl's cheeks, answering all that Elijah needed to confirm his thoughts.
"It's always different," she answered firmly, unable to deny his request, "It's as if I'm remembering pieces of a life I never lived. And this man," she looked back at the drawing, "He's always there...begging me to remember."
"Remember what?" Elijah pressed.
Elena smiled, "Him. He wants me to remember him."
Elijah nodded, releasing her from the compulsion, "They are just dreams, of course."
She blushed again, "Of course. It's silly, I know. But they are the most vivid dreams I've ever had."
A sad looked passed over her face, but she shook her head, "But as you said...they are only dreams."
He nodded, but a constriction in his chest was telling him that he had to do something.
This wasn't right.
"Elena," he started, "I must step out...I trust you'll manage things here, during my absence."
She nodded, "Yes sir."
"Good."
He moved to step out, but paused, as Elena turned back to the drawing, with an expression of longing on her face.
Finally, he sighed.
Whatever the consequence, he had to find a way to make this right.
For both this girl, and his friend.
"Elena..."
She glanced at him, "Yes?"
"These dreams...they..." He exhaled, trying to say this right.
Her head crooked a little, as she waited for him to finish.
He set his jaw.
"Those dreams are important Elena," he stated finally, "And if they feel real to you, maybe they are."
Her brows furrowed in confusion, "What do you mean?"
He thought of an explanation that wouldn't jeopardize them, if this went south.
"Speak to Bonnie Bennett," he told her, "She's a witch. Perhaps she can help you realize what your dreams mean."
He exited then, before she had the chance to question him.
Elena frowned.
What was Elijah talking about?
Bonnie Bennett...wasn't that the witch she had spoken to a few weeks back?
How could she help?
And did Elijah know something that she didn't, about her dreams?
He'd practically told her to follow her gut on this...so why shouldn't she try to find this Bonnie girl?
Maybe she really would have answers to Elena's questions.
But how would she get in touch with her?
She looked around.
Maybe one of the other workers would know, after all, Bonnie couldn't be the only witch around, and surely someone knew someone who knows a witch that knows Bonnie.
It was worth a shot.
Damon was desperate. That's the only explanation he could come up with.
Why else would he have called the witch here.
Bonnie Bennett, his former slave, stood uncomfortably near the couch as he made his plea.
He paused when she started shaking her head.
"What?" He demanded.
"It won't work," she explained, "You're asking me to do the impossible."
He growled, "Clearly it isn't impossible, or it wouldn't have worked on Elena."
"That was different," Bonnie reasoned, "Elena was still new. She hadn't been turned long."
"What does that matter?" He grit.
"It's a complex spell," she explained, "It can take away your vampirism, restore humanity, but it can't prolong time. You're over a hundred years old. Even if I had the power to turn you now, it wouldn't matter! Time would catch up with you, and you'd begin to age, at an accelerated rate."
"Then do something that stops the aging!" He pressed.
"I can't!" She crossed her arms, "Nature requires a balance, and cheating time isn't allowed. Vampirism is a loophole in that clause, but it also comes with its price.
To stop a human from aging, once they are past the age of death, it's impossible."
"So what are you telling me?" He asked coldly, "That there is nothing you can do?"
She pursed her lips, "I've already done all I could for you. The spell we used on Elena was complicated, but my grams and I practiced it. She'll be able to turn again. You just have to wait."
He crushed the glass in his hands, making her jump a little.
"I can't," he stated firmly, "They'll use the time to find another excuse...besides, Klaus could find her, she could marry someone else, anything could happen! Do you not understand that?! I don't have time!"
A knock sounded on his door, and he cursed.
Now was not the time for intrusion.
He kept his eyes focused on the Bennett witch, knowing that Alaric would get the door.
"We aren't through," he told her, as he heard the door being open.
"I didn't figure we were," she sighed.
Elijah tapped his fingers on the oak desk, waiting for the council member across from him to see reason.
"I'm sorry, Elijah, but this is not something we believe will work in favor of the town."
His teeth clamped, "And that fact that she's remembering him means nothing to you. She clearly cares for him, so she won't be an issue."
"She's already an issue, Elijah, or shall I remind you of the complications she's brought forward already? Damon isn't stable when it comes to her, and you insist on having him as your successor. We can't risk it, can't you see that?"
"Can't you see that it won't matter," he shot back, "Damon has been miserable since the council made their choice, and I doubt he'll improve much. We are not a species that easily accepts change. I think he could keep the situation under control."
"Until he inevitably turns her," the council member noted, "And then we have the sire bond problem all over again."
"What if he didn't?" Elijah pressed, "What if he agreed to wait, until the girl reaches her freedom age?"
"It still wouldn't stop the sire b-"
"Then I'll turn her."
The council member blinked, "You, Elijah?"
He nodded, "I've turned a number of humans during my time as governor, none of which took to the sire bond. She would be safe from it."
The council member shook his head, but his resolve was wavering.
"Damon is a respectable town citizen," Elijah went further, "And he has trained well in the governor position. Not too mention that he's working on a peace offering with the humans, to allow us a sturdier food source. He's done a lot for this city, and we reward him by taking away the only thing he's ever asked to keep...how is that fair?"
The council member sighed, "If the board agrees to this, it will be entirely on your hands Elijah. Any punishment foreboded will fall onto you, if this ends badly."
Elijah nodded, "A risk I'm willing to take."
The man looked at him for a moment, before nodding, "If you're sure, then."
Elijah smiled, "Thank you, sir."
He nodded, "Let me make a few calls first, discuss this over. I'll be back soon to talk limitations and conditions."
Elijah nodded, "Of course. Thank you."
Elena leveled out her breathing.
She wasn't sure she was actually supposed to leave Elijah's house, but he'd told her to talk to Bonnie.
So maybe he would be okay with this.
She knocked again on the giant wooden door, surprised that it seemed a little familiar.
As if she'd been here before.
She tried to shake that off, as the door opened, revealing a tall, older man.
He seemed shocked to see her.
She cleared her throat, "Hi, sorry to interrupt, but I was told I could find Bonnie Bennett here."
The man blinked, then nodded, "Right. Um, Of course. This way, please."
He opened the door further, allowing her to step into the foyer.
She marveled at the grandness, that seemed more open than Elijah's mansion.
The man cleared his throat, using his head to indicate she should follow.
She fell into line behind him, and a feeling of deja vu settled over her.
Had she not done this very thing, before?
She remained silent as they came upon an arch way.
The man rose a hand, "Wait here."
She did as she was told, as he walked into the room.
She heard him clear his throat, then address someone.
"Damon...you have a surprise visitor."
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