For the past few days I have re-read this story and fixed it. I am back now and I hope to produce lots more for you in the next few weeks. Thank you to everyone who stuck around waiting. I am so sorry it has taken me so long! Enjoy.
Chapter 37:
"You must remember one thing if not all of what I have told you Peat. Faeries may be beautiful. They may be good, but you cannot trust a faerie. They are more dangerous then anything we can know."
The very idea was causing her head to spin. Had Silas meant that? It was clear to me that I was dangerous but all Fae? How could even the good ones not be trusted? I realized just how many questions were still unanswered. But if the only way to get them was to talk to Silas again then I didn't see it happening anytime soon. He gave me the creeps.
"You don't look like you want to focus on Silas. Is there something else you aren't telling me? Did he do something else?" Elena sighed, even she knew that all this excitement would most likely never end. We were all doomed to a life filled with death, sadness and annoyance.
"You said that he hurt Klaus. Did that get figured out?" I asked her, trying to shrug off the eerie feeling I was missing something huge. It was almost an itch I couldn't seem to scratch.
"I don't know. None of us went to help him. I just know he left town fast right after."
"Okay... Well that's a good thing right? One less super powerful family to worry about." I lied. After what had happened with Klaus I had wondered if I would see him again. Was he still upset with me? Did I care that he was? I knew I felt bad about his brother. I hadn't even stopped to think about the thing we did that maybe we shouldn't have.
"Are you sure you feel that way Peat? I mean you did give up the goods. I know you and I know you wouldn't just do that without there being something there." Elena raised a brow at me. "You said you love him."
"Ya well love isn't always enough." I could feel the tone of my voice shift to anger. But it wasn't directed at my sister. It was more towards myself. "Besides, I wouldn't call it life altering." I lied. Yes he had pissed me off at the end but it started out amazing. I didn't regret it so much, just how I had dealt with it.
"I get it..." She mumbled. "We could always go back to New Orleans. When you are ready of course."
"That time isn't now. I need a little more time. I am even pondering a little vacation. Maybe Mexico... Or I dunno, someplace in Europe." Some time for me. No fighting, no back stabbing. Just peace.
"Really? You would leave all of this behind? Unsolved.."
"No, probably not." I laughed, pulling myself into a comfy ball. "I just wish life was simple."
"That would be boring." Damon said, joining in on our whine fest. "Who wants boring?"
It was late by the time I had sealed myself back in my dingy boho apartment. I flicked the lights on and attacked the tea ball, making some hot sweet lime and crawling into my bed. If there was one thing I could be sure of these days it was this; sleep was good. And I would take advantage of it any chance I got.
Dream:
It was cold, the air hit my nostrils hard as I exhaled into the darkness. I blinked, looking around the woods. I took a step forward, wobbling as I righted myself. I hadn't seen the large glistening lake in front of me until I nearly fell in.
It was the strangest thing... I had been here before. Yet here I found myself once again; lost.
"Naked." I muttered, looking down to find my clothing no where in sight. My feet were bare, digging into the dirt below. My eyes widened as I noticed blood trailing down my my leg. "Not again." I stuttered, leaning down to rinse my leg in the cool, still water. "Why won't it wash away?" I rubbed my hands along the length of my legs, trying my best to remove the dark blood. But it didn't seem to matter how hard I scrubbed, it wouldn't come off.
I sighed, plunking down in the dark and dangling my feet in the small lake. As I looked up towards the other side I saw him. He sat once again, legs dangling over the large rock; smiling. His eyes the color of water and that familiar creepy grin.
"Soon." He said through his teeth.
I didn't wait, the feeling of dread washing over me. I back up out of the lake and scrambled backwards.
I awoke with a start, breathing rapidly as I came down from my dream. It had been happening a lot these days. After leaving the solitude of the cabin I had been dreaming of the creepy small man almost every week. But he had seemed closer this time. The lake seemed smaller.
Normally I would think nothing of a bad dream or two. But I found myself visibly shaken after this particular dream. Did it mean something? And if not then why was it frequenting my sleep...
I flung my feet over the edge of bed and reached for my blinking cell. It flashed six missed calls and twenty texts. "I can't leave them alone for ten bloody minutes, can I?" I grumbled, flipping my hair back out of my face and checking the messages.
Elena: Peat where are you? I thought we were okay?
Elena: Peat I am starting to worry! Message me back.
Elena: Peatrie Gilbert!
Caroline: Hey Peat. Just checking in.
Elena: If you left at least tell us.
Elena: PEAT!
This isn't possible! I stammered, dialing my sister quickly.
"Peat?" She sounded noticeably worried, "Peat what the hell is going on, it's been a week!"
"Elena... I think I need you to come over and bring Bonnie." My voice was shaky and I felt afraid. There was nothing I could say to myself that would make me calm down. This shook me.
"Of course. Are you okay?" She asked me. I could tell she was fishing to be sure I hadn't left town without telling anyone again. But I hadn't. I had gone to sleep and woken up one week later.
"I'm not okay."
"Okay... I'll be right there. I'll bring Bonnie." I could hear her juggling her bag and coat, "Just stay there. Don't leave." She hung up on me. I sat back against the head board of my bed and hugged my legs. What was happening to me?
I sent a quick text to Rebekah in the hopes of maybe getting a phone call later on. It had been a while since we had talked and I had been regretting that fact. Since Kol had died and the originals went back I hadn't kept in touch. It had all been a huge mess.
Peat: Just checking in. Hope everything is going alright.
It didn't take long for me to hear back.
Rebekah: Glad you are checking in. Miss you. Everything is fine here other then possible all out war. Not sure what will happen just yet. How are you? Will stay in touch.
Peat: Waiting for Elena and Bonnie. Some more Peatrie drama. No need to worry. Will text again soon!
I hit send and dropped the phone to the bed. This all had to end eventually didn't it? My mind drifted to Niklaus... I wondered if the war she had been talking about had to do with him. But of course it did... It was always war with Niklaus. I had to remind myself that I had made the right choice in cutting him out of my life. I just wish Rebekah and Elijah hadn't moved along with him. But they were a tight nit family. What could I have done?
The door slid open to my studio apartment, Elena had finally showed. "Hey." Elena said calmly, coming to sit on the bed next to me. "You look pale Peat. Tell me what happened?" I could see she wasn't actually calm but trying to hold her shit together for my sake. I slunk down the bed towards her and lay my head on her shoulder. It was nice to have my sister.
"I've been having this dream..." Elena just listened, "I go to sleep and I wake up shaken. But sometimes the dream changes. When it does... I sleep for days."
"That's why we couldn't get a hold of you.." Elena muttered.
"I came home after we talked the other day... Then I woke up with a bunch of messages." I tapered off, eyeing her.
"And you don't feel different? I need more information hon." Elena said worriedly.
"I dunno... I haven't done much lately. I shifted alone last month... I haven't done much magic. I guess I have just been trying to lie low ya know?" I asked her, "Until I.. Fixed Elena I have really not done more then paint, eat and sleep." My world had been sorta boring. Just what I had wanted.
"And what happens in your dream?" She asked me.
After I explained each one and how they changed we sat still and quiet.
"I haven't heard of anything like this before... Can you remember what the man looked like?" She asked me. I knew she was hoping she could ask around, check grimoires. But I had a feeling we weren't going to figure this out very easily.
"Well... He was short. He wasn't wearing shoes but he wore a suit. It wasn't a regular suit either... It was like a Renaissance style suit..." I knew it sounded strange but that was it. "And his hair was dirty blond, but it was wig like." I motioned at my head showing how elaborate it was. "He seemed... Fancy."
"Fancy." Elena repeated my words.
"Yeah..." I shrugged. "But he really freaks me out. His smile... It's super friggen weird."
"This is just what we need right now." Elena muttered.
"Well shit Len's... Sorry." I grumbled. Why was she being so damn rude? I was having a crisis here. I bent over backwards for these people. I never asked for help.
"No.. No I didn't mean it like that.. It's just that we have been dealing with Silas this last week and his deranged ex girlfriend. Now I think this is an issue that only he can help with. It's just bad timing." This surprised me. I had only been asleep one week and already we had another issue. Of course I missed out. "He's hiding out up at the cabin... You weren't around so we just assumed it would be okay."
"He is afraid of this woman?" I asked them. Wasn't he all powerful or something silly?
"If you had met her you would understand." Elena groaned. "Honestly this whole thing has been a pain in our ass. She seems to think we have to help her."
"Why would that be?" I asked, curious about this new witch."
"She created the immortality spell.. The one that Esther tweaked when Henrik was thought dead. The one that made the first vampires." Elena whispered. "The one that made us. Doppelgangers." She confirmed. "Shadow selves of the original girl. Amara." She went on to explain everything. Qetsiyah, Amara, Silas. All of it. I was silent for the whole thing.
"And Amara is dead now?" I asked, confused at how quickly this stuff had happened.
"Yeah. She begged for death."
"And Silas... Killed her?" I was in shock. He killed the woman he loved because she couldn't take another single day. "So what now? Do we kill Qetsiyah? How did she get here in the first place? Wasn't she dead?"
"Bonnie may have done a little spell... Clearly she shouldn't have done it. This is all my fault. I thought if she dropped the veil to the other side I could talk with Qetsiyah. I hoped she could tell me how to kill Silas. Instead Bonnie ended up bringing her back."
"Is Bonnie off dealing with that now? I thought she would come with you..." I said, noticing Bonnie's absence. We hadn't been talking much lately what with me cutting all ties. But I hadn't figured she would avoid me.
"That's the thing Peat... Bonnie is dead." A tear fell down her cheek as I raised my head to look at her.
"How can she be dead?" I asked, my hands starting to shake again as they had only an hour before.
Elena explained about Katherine. Then she explained about the people leaving the other side to come here. And Jeremy."
"She saved Jeremy." I repeated her words. "Jere was dead. And I was asleep." My hands turned to fists as tears fell down my own cheek, burning as they went. "I am so afraid Elena. There is something seriously wrong with me and I don't know how to fix it."
"Honestly all I want is a break from all this. When you feel ready to go back to the house just say the words." Elena told me, wrapping her arms around me.
"You want to go back to New Orleans?" I thought she couldn't stand the original family.
"Not yet, but soon. I see it in your eyes Peatrie. You aren't ready to face what happened with Kol. You and Klaus... I think it's good to have a break. But I want you to know that I have thought long and hard about it. I have decided that you come first like I promised. Once you feel up to it we will go back. We will find a way to help you."
"Thank you Elena."
"But for now we really need to get our shit together. Right now as we speak Silas and Qetsiyah are at war and I am afraid it will hurt this town."