Happy Birthday, Elena
Chapter 29
Bonnie narrowed her eyes at her friend, trying to determine if Elena was lying or not. Of course, there was no reason for Elena to lie about it being Caroline's life that was in danger if Esther's plan succeeded, but Bonnie couldn't let Elena and Elijah interfere. But if Elena was truly speaking the truth, and killing Klaus would kill Caroline, then Bonnie was in between a rock and a hard place. So she put up a wall and scoffed at her best friends.
"Do you really expect me to believe that you know what Esther has planned for Klaus, and that his death will really lead to Caroline's?" Bonnie asked.
"I know it's hard to believe, Bonnie, but when you were having visions, or whatever they ended up being, at the beginning of Junior year, before you accepted your powers as part of you, I supported you. I don't know why I had this dream, or vision, or whatever, but I know that Esther plans to use my blood to link her children together, to then have Finn be a sacrifice himself to kill all 5 of her children. And when an Original is killed, their entire sire line is killed off with them. Esther plans to eliminate the entire Vampire population, because every Vampire in the world stemmed from her children." Elena said. "The very children that she herself turned into Vampires." She added.
"Look, it's sweet that you are trying to help, but you're human, Elena. There's nothing that you can do. I know what I'm doing. Now you both have to leave." Bonnie said before turning on her heel and heading back inside, making sure to slam the door.
Caroline kept looking between the spot Bonnie had just been standing and Elena, trying to figure out what the hell just happened. Only when she realized that Elena was no longer standing next to her and had headed back to her car, which Caroline was now realizing was actually Elijah's car, did Caroline move from her spot.
"Is it true? Klaus is the head of the sire line that I descend from?" Caroline asked in a small voice, catching up to Elena.
"Yes, Caroline, it's true. As much as I want to hate him and wish to see him dead, I can't let Bonnie kill him, because we would lose you. And I would lose Elijah, and Rebekah." Elena said with a sigh.
"How many generations?" Caroline questioned.
"You mean, how many people separate the blood that runs through your veins from the blood that runs through Klaus'?" When Caroline nodded, Elena continued. "Well, you were sired by Damon, he was sired by Katherine, she was sired by Rose, Rose was sired by a woman named Mary, and Mary was sired by Klaus. So, in normal family terms, Klaus is like your great-great grandfather." She explained with a shudder.
"That's really disgusting given how obsessed with me he seems to be." Caroline replied with a shiver of her own.
"Well, Rose and Mary are both dead already, but if Klaus dies, Katherine and Damon are still kicking about, so..." Elena trailed off.
"Okay, I really don't want to talk about this anymore, can we go shopping now?" Caroline asked.
"Of course. And I have a surprise for you. A good one, this time." Elena said, adding the last part quickly when she saw her best friend's panicked look.
"Anything to get my mind off of my possible impending doom." Caroline said with a bright smile.
"What would you say to a week long get away? You, me, Rebekah, and our respective boyfriends." Elena said.
"That sounds amazing! Where and when?" Caroline asked, clapping her hands and jumping up and down.
"I can't tell you the where, but the when would be tonight. I know it's short notice, but Elijah just suggested it before I came here." Elena said.
"Oh, I can totally have me and Tyler ready to go by tonight. Just let me know what time we're meeting up, and where, and we will be there." Caroline said with a grin.
"And you're sure that Ty won't mind a very last minute notice that we're going out of town?" Elena asked.
"If I have anything to say about, it's going to be a romantic getaway... with two other couples. He'll jump at the chance to get away with me." Caroline said with a roll of her eyes.
"Then let's go shopping." Elena said. "Hey Care, since Bonnie is pushing us away for whatever reason, would you be opposed if I called Bekah and invited her to meet up with us?" She asked.
"Of course not. If she and Jeremy are coming too, then we all need cute new outfits."
Elena smiled and nodded as she pulled out her phone and dialing Rebekah. When the blonde didn't answer, Elena frowned and left a message. Glancing up from the ground, which she had been frowning at, she saw the curtains of Bonnie's living room quickly close. Feeling a shiver run down her spine, Elena climbed into Elijah's car and took off. Despite putting distance between herself and Bonnie's house, Elena still had the feeling that someone was watching her, and that unsettled her. She and Caroline were in different cars, and neither Elijah nor Rebekah were with her.
"Hello Elena."
Elena jumped at the voice before quickly pulling over before she crashed the car. Spinning around in her seat, she glared at her ex-boyfriend. How she hadn't noticed Stefan sitting in the back seat, she wasn't sure. She also wasn't sure when he even got into the car.
"What the hell Stefan?" Elena snapped.
"We need to talk." Stefan said slowly.
"Like hell we do. Get out of Elijah's car." She replied.
"Elena, I'm trying to protect you and Damon. Please listen to me." Stefan begged.
"'Trying to protect me'. Like mentioning me around Klaus in Chicago when he thought I was dead? Get out, Stefan, I mean it." Elena warned.
"You're not wearing your necklace." Stefan said, his eyes glancing down to her throat for the briefest of moments before flicking back to her face.
"It's not my necklace. It's Rebekah's. I gave it back to her." Elena responded.
"I gave that to you to protect you, Elena. Why would you give it to a Vampire that can easily be compelling you now?" Stefan asked.
"Because neither Rebekah nor Elijah have any reason to compel me. The necklace used to belong to Esther, so it belongs to Rebekah." Elena said while discretely dialing Elijah's number.
"What's going on between you and Elijah? He was very irritated in Chicago when I brought you up in conversation."
"That's none of your business, Stefan. Now get out of his car."
"Elena, please, I know what Esther's plan is."
"So do I. And I'm not going to let it happen. I'll lose 3 more people that I care about if she succeeds." Elena said. "And when I say 3, I mean Caroline, Elijah and Rebekah. You and Damon can go to hell for all I care." She added when she saw the hope flit across his eyes.
"Elena..." Stefan started, but didn't have a chance to finish as he was pulled from the car by Elijah.
"When a woman tells you to get out of a car, she means it." Elijah growled.
"You don't have any control over who Elena interacts with." Stefan replied, shoving Elijah off of him.
"You're right, I don't. But she doesn't want to talk to you, and by not leaving her alone, you are harassing her. So you have 3 seconds to be gone from my sight before I tear you apart." Elijah responded.
"You're really going to let him talk to me like this, Elena?" Stefan asked.
"Yes, I am." Elena said with a nod.
"Go have fun with Caroline and Rebekah, Elena, I'll take care of Stefan." Elijah said, and with another nod, Elena drove off.
"You have to let me keep her safe, Elijah. Her life is in danger." Stefan said.
"I am well aware of the constant danger my brother has put Elena in. And I am keeping her safe. You are no longer necessary in keeping Elena safe, given how many times she almost died while you and your brother were too busy fighting over her. There is a reason that she cut you both out of her life. She doesn't need you, she doesn't want you. She's moved on. As I told you in Chicago. Come near her again, and you will not live to see another day. Do I make myself clear?" Elijah inquired.
"Yeah, fine. Whatever." Stefan said before turning and walking away from Elijah.
TVD – HBE – TVD
By the time that Elena pulled into a parking spot outside of the store, she was still shaking over the run in with Stefan. It solidified the knowledge that she was over him, but him just showing up like that, without warning, when she had nothing and no one to protect her, was unsettling. Taking a shaky breath, Elena put the car in park and climbed out, quickly spotting the two blondes and making a beeline for them. Once she reached them, both Caroline and Rebekah gave her an odd look.
"I thought you were right behind me? What took you so long?" Caroline asked.
"Stefan showed up." Elena bit out.
"He showed up at Bonnie's?" Rebekah asked.
"No, he showed up in the backseat of Elijah's car. Saying that he's trying to keep me and Damon safe. His concern for my wellbeing would be a lot more believable if he hadn't mentioned me still being alive around Klaus in Chicago." Elena replied.
"Nik didn't know you were still alive?" Rebekah questioned.
"He wasn't supposed to know I was still alive. My biological father offered himself to the spirits or whatever in my place, so while Klaus did drain me of my blood in the ritual, he wasn't supposed to know that I was still alive." Elena explained. "But can we just shop. I need to get my mind off of all of it."
"Of course, are you going to tell us where we're going for the week?" Caroline asked.
"Not until we are all in the car heading there. I have a feeling that Elijah doesn't want to risk anyone possibly overhearing that could be spies for Klaus." Elena said slowly, her eyes darting around.
"Then how will we know what kind of weather to buy cute outfits for?" Caroline asked with a frown.
"Hold on." Elena said before pulling out her phone.
Buy clothes for both summer and winter weather. I'm not sure what the weather is like where we're going. And it'll throw off any spies that Klaus might have.
After hitting send, Elena looked at her friends to see them both nodding. With a smile, and a sigh of relief, she linked arms with both blondes and headed into the store. It was a few hours later that the girls walked back out, but all three of them were smiling and had a couple of shopping bags each. As Elena was heading towards Elijah's car, a strong arm caught her around the waist and spun her around. She was about to scream, but when she realized that it was Elijah smiling down at her, the scream died on the tip of her tongue and she smiled back.
"Don't scare me like that, Elijah." She said.
"I've missed you." Elijah replied. "And I wanted some alone time with my girlfriend before we leave tonight." He added, bending down for a kiss.
"Speaking of which, have you by chance talked to Jeremy today? It might have slipped my mind to tell him to pack." Elena said as she let Elijah take her bags from her.
"I didn't have to. After you left to meet up with Caroline, I told Rebekah that the 6 of us would be leaving tonight since Finn and Kol are being undaggered, and she called Jeremy to give him a heads up." Elijah replied as he placed the bags into the trunk before moving to open the passenger side door for Elena.
"Did you tell Rebekah where we're going? Because she didn't let on that she knew." Elena questioned as she slid into the car.
"I did not. I don't want any of them to know just yet. As long as Caroline relays the same thing to Mr. Lockwood to pack for any kind of weather, and they are all at the apartment when we are ready to leave, then I will inform everyone once we are on the road." Elijah replied as he got into the driver's seat.
"How long should it take us to get there?"
"A few days at least, a week at most, and we'll be there for a full week, so safe bet will be to pack for 3 weeks."
"That's putting us back in Mystic Falls just before school starts."
"Yes it will, but I would rather have that be the bigger concern than any of my brothers coming after you for any reason."
"Okay, I'll let Caroline and Tyler know, and we can let Rebekah and Jeremy know when we get back to the apartment... unless they are already informed of the length of our trip."
"They are aware. Luckily, Rebekah already owns enough clothes from what Niklaus bought her in Chicago that she will be fine. If you and Caroline need anything else once we're on the road, or once we get there, then I will happily buy you both more clothes."
"I'll text Caroline and let her and Tyler know how long to pack for. And your generous offer to buy us more clothes if we don't have enough." Elena said as she pulled her phone out.
As Elijah drove them home, Elena scooted closer and rested her head on his shoulder. Even though it was a short drive back to the apartment, with the day that she had had so far, Elena was mostly asleep by the time Elijah pulled to a stop. When Elijah looked down at Elena, he couldn't help the smile that pulled at his lips. Turning more to face her, Elijah lifted Elena into his arms and carried her inside. Once he had laid her down on the bed, and placed a kiss on her forehead, Elijah went back to the car to get Elena's bags. When he got back to the car, Elijah was met with Alaric standing there, looking less than happy.
"Alaric, what can I do for you?" Elijah asked, moving around the other man towards the trunk.
"You're taking Elena and Jeremy out of town?" Alaric asked. "For 3 weeks?"
"For their safety, yes. Niklaus informed me this morning of his plan to undagger our other two brothers tonight. Finn has been daggered and desiccating in a coffin for 900 years; Kol has a tendency to turn homicidal to make up for the time Niklaus has him desiccating. With Elena's bloodline being linked to my family since we were turned, I did not want to risk the chance of any of my brothers coming after her. I cannot control the bloodlust that Finn and Kol will be experiencing, but I can take Elena as far away from here without leaving the continent as I possibly can. They will be perfectly safe, of that I assure you." Elijah explained.
"Who all is going?" Alaric asked.
"Myself, Elena, Rebekah, Jeremy, Ms. Forbes and Mr. Lockwood. Ms. Bennett was going to be invited, but she pushed Elena and Ms. Forbes away in favor of working with my mother to stop Niklaus. As for Mr. Donovan and yourself, you are both welcome to stay in my apartment while we are gone so that my brothers can't get to either of you." Elijah replied.
"Where exactly will you all be?" Alaric inquired.
"The only person is privy to the location, at this time, is Elena. I do not trust Niklaus to not have spies lurking around Mystic Falls, so Elena and I agreed not to mention where we are going to anyone. Not even Rebekah, Jeremy, Mr. Lockwood or Ms. Forbes knows where we are headed. Just that we are leaving town for a few weeks, at most." Elijah replied.
"Will there be cell reception?"
"No. My brothers won't know to look for us where we are going, but at least Niklaus is smart enough to try and track our phones. While we will have them with us, they will be off unless it is absolutely necessary to turn them on."
"You have an answer for everything, don't you?"
"Alaric be thankful that I didn't take off with just Elena this morning when my brother told me of his plan, and that you are being informed that your step-daughter and ward will be gone for the next few weeks. We could have easily left without telling you anything."
"I supposed knowing part of the truth is better than not knowing any of it." Alaric said with a sigh. "Just keep them safe. I don't want to lose either of them."
"They will be safe." Elijah said with a nod.
With that, the two men went their separate ways. Alaric headed towards the Mystic Grill and Elijah headed back inside with Elena's shopping bags. Once he was back in the apartment, and the door was closed and locked, he placed the bag in the living room and made his way up to the bedroom. Taking in Elena's sleeping form, Elijah smiled again and moved quietly about the room getting a suitcase from the closet and starting to pack for both of them. By the time that Elena woke up a few hours later, Elijah was just finishing up packing while talking to someone on the phone.
"Who was that?" Elena asked once Elijah had hung up.
"Caroline. She and Tyler are on their way over, and our siblings are at Rebekah's apartment finishing up their own packing. So once Caroline and Tyler get here, we should be ready to leave." Elijah replied.
"I haven't packed yet." Elena commented.
"I took the liberty of packing for you. I hope that's okay. After everything that you have been through today, and the dream that you had last night, you needed some sleep." Elijah said.
"Of course it's okay that you packed for me. As long as you didn't pack things that I wouldn't usually wear, we'll be fine." Elena said with a smirk.
"I know you well enough to know that the clothes you bought today, and the clothes you already have are more your style than anything that would be worn strictly for my benefit." Elijah said. "I also offered Alaric and Matt the apartment during our time away. That way if Niklaus comes looking for you, by going after them, he won't be able to get to them." He added.
"Did they accept?" Elena asked.
"Well, I only spoke with Alaric, but I made sure to tell him the invitation was for Matt as well. And your step-father didn't accept or deny the offer. But for your peace of mind, I hope they take us up on it."
Before Elena could say anything else, there was a knock on the front door and while Elijah carried their luggage downstairs, Elena went ahead to see who it was. Upon opening the door, Elena was greeted with Jeremy, Rebekah, Caroline, Tyler and Matt standing on the other side. Ushering them inside she smiled.
"I know you're all leaving for a few weeks, but Alaric mentioned that Elijah offered to let me, and Ric stay here while you're gone? If that's the case, we'll need a key." Matt said, looking between Elena and Elijah.
"Here you are Mr. Donovan." Elijah replied, handing over a set of keys.
"Sorry we didn't invite you, Matt. With Bonnie pushing Caroline and I away this morning, we didn't want you to feel like a 7th wheel." Elena said.
"It's okay Elena. I understand. And I'm sure that by the time that you all get back, Bonnie will realize her mistake and apologize." Matt responded, giving Elena and Caroline both a quick hug.
"Is anyone going to tell us where we're going?" Tyler asked.
"Not until we're on the road. Even now, Niklaus could have people lurking that could over hear." Elijah replied. "Now, as a precaution, we will all need to have our phones off, unless there's an emergency. While my brothers won't know to look for where we're headed, I would not put it past Niklaus to try and trace our phones." He explained.
"Really, Elijah. No technology?" Rebekah asked.
"Our brother does not know about where we are headed. I wish to keep it that way, Rebekah." Elijah replied.
"Come on guys, it'll be fun. It'll give us a chance to really reconnect with one another." Elena said with a smile.
"Fine. Phones off." Rebekah said with a sigh.
"We should get going. We have a long journey ahead of us." Elijah said.
