AN: So I have a new apartment and it turns out it is a place conducive to write. I'm sorry it's been so long. I do think about Elejah every day, it's just between work, school, sleep, and moving, I'm putting something on the back burner all the time. I'm mostly following the TVD canon timeline but it's more of a guideline than a rule. I hope you're all staying safe and well right now during this pandemic.
"It's annoying, ignoring the news like this," Jenna groans. She changes the channel, but Elena squints.
"You can change it back-it wasn't Logan," Elena frowns. Jenna pauses for a moment.
"I thought he was the main news guy," Jenna frowns. A smiling redhead is telling them about upcoming events, lovely in black, and completely Un-Loganlike.
"She's new," Jenna says. Elena nods, wondering if Elijah's seen more of Logan's victims in the handful of hours since he dropped her off.
"Don't let Logan in if he comes by. He's an ass and you can do so much better," Elena reminds her.
Thankfully, they'll be homebodies until Monday morning when school and work begin again. Even still, she wants to avoid Logan now more than ever with his shiny new fangs. Jenna rolls her eyes.
"Yeah. Didn't even let me know he was out of town until I got an email. An email! He couldn't even leave a voicemail," Jenna complains.
The news lady seems much more genuine and her smile is a lot less plastic.
"Hey, someone's in the driveway," Jenna says, frowning. Elena peeks out the curtains and grins.
"That's Elijah. I think he's gonna drive Jeremy and me to school," she says.
"Yeah, if your brother gets out of bed in the next minute or two, otherwise I'll take him," Jenna says.
"Jeremy!" she calls up the stairs. Elena finds a pair of boots to slip on and her backpack. There's some exaggerated groaning that resembles a zombie more than a human boy coming from the second floor.
"I'll deal with the wrangling. You two should be on time," Jenna comments as she refills her coffee mug.
It takes just a minute to get out the door and into the passenger seat.
"How's the Logan situation going?" she asks. Elijah sighs.
"Keeping Jenna away should be our main goal. If he had any feeling for her before he died, it's only going to worsen. He might bite or try to compel her if he doesn't get what he wants," Elijah answers. She's learned from the journals and her experiences with the Salvatores but Elijah seems like he's going to elaborate so she waits. After a couple of cars pass, he speaks again.
"Everything is intensified as a vampire. All the emotions, the hunger, love, fascination, infatuation, the lines can get blurred to them," Elijah explains.
"It's a lot of hunger. Messier kills. Considerate vampires will compel their victims, find a secluded place, feed, and then heal the wound. Their prey will take it easy for the next couple of days and hopefully, not turn. If they die though, they remember being compelled, and that there's vampire blood in their system."
"So Damon fed and then gave Logan his blood?" Elena raises an eyebrow. That doesn't seem like Damon's style. He's been singleminded in attempting to find Katherine, Logan was a puzzle piece that didn't fit quite right.
"Finn informed me the reason Mystic Falls has such a startlingly high recovery rate in almost all injuries is that one of the local doctors has been trading her blood for vampire blood. Healing her patients with it," Elijah informs her.
"That makes sense. It's been boasted about around town, how our hospital is so advanced and has higher success rates than others in the area," Elena tells him. The look on Elijah's face tells her that he or Finn took care of it.
"How does that work?" Elena asks, curious. They have enough time to talk freely before they arrive at school and within Stefan's range of hearing.
"Which part?" Elijah asks, waiting at a stop sign.
"The death part. Do we all just have timers? Are all of our fates just-in stone?"
"No. For the most part, humans tend to be more complex than that. Think of it as more like an equation. Certain variables cause certain outcomes, but the variables could be a variety of numbers or a range of them. Sometimes it's one choice and other times it's a series of choices that lead there."
"So I killed my parents," Elena says quietly. There are a few tears already leaving her eyes as she clenches a fist. If she hadn't left, they would be here now. Everything would be different.
"No. They chose to come to get you. You could have driven home. They could have driven over the bridge a different night. They could have perished in several ways last summer. But regardless, it's not your fault. You couldn't have controlled every variable that led up to that. Some things are out of our hands. Even mine," he tells her.
"Was I supposed to die with them?"
Elijah shakes his head.
"Another set of variables. It wasn't the only possibility. And someone pulled you out of the water."
"Who was it?" Elena asks.
"I'm not the god of clairvoyants," Elijah jokes. Elena laughs, but it turns into a sniffle. It's nice to know there are some unknowns. It makes it a little easier to breathe.
"Thank you."
"So what's the game plan for tonight?" Elena asks.
"Tonight?" Elijah questions as he parks.
"Career night," she informs him.
"Ah yes, because I need another job," he says dryly. He hands Elena a tissue as she laughs again.
"I don't get why they're trying to force careers on you. It's too early, that's what college is for," Jenna jokes. Jeremy rolls his eyes. Honestly, she doesn't know what she wants to do with her life and she's in charge of a house and two teenagers. Forcing kids into picking something when they're so young is just disastrous, but she drives them back to school anyway.
Elijah and Finn are in the parking lot too, waiting for them to arrive.
"Jenna! Thank goodness for one familiar face," Finn says. Jenna grins at him, equally relieved.
"You're gonna be with the art tables most of the night right?" Elena asks. She and Elijah might wander around but she'd still like to keep an eye on where everyone is. If Finn's with Jenna, she'll be fine, but Jeremy's the wild card.
"Just put a tracker on me, it'd be easier," Jeremy tells her.
"I'm fresh out," Elena quips.
The tables don't vary wildly year to year. They fall into large groups that can be dissected into college majors, with not-so-subtle hints about what's close to home at Whitmore and in-state. None of the Founding Families have ever really strayed too far from home except to maybe pick out spouses and return. There's more freedom in not being part of the Founding Families, the kids who aren't don't have the pressure to stay and can live on the other coast. Wherever they want, and Elena wonders if her parents would have wanted her to work at her dad's old practice that's currently just waiting. Waiting to see if he'll return or if Elena will take up the mantle of the next Dr. Gilbert.
"Any tables you're interested in?" Elijah asks. They pass science and medicine and she's clenched her fist without realizing.
"Part of me wonders if my dad would have wanted me to follow in his footsteps," she voices.
"And your mother?" he prods.
"She wanted me to be a writer. Bought my first journal and all of the notebooks I could ever want. Fed the creativity and encouraged me my entire life. But that was shared and I don't know how to go on with it alone. I still write in my journal but other than homework I haven't exactly written anything lately," Elena admits. There are banners for sports now, encouragements from the colleges that usually look at Mystic Falls, broadcast news, and more media fields. All colorful and the same from last year.
"You can go a time without doing something like writing and still call yourself a writer. People who don't paint for a year or two can still be painters or artists. Most hobbies and jobs need a break now and again," he reminds her. Up ahead, she thinks they might have caught Jenna and Finn.
"We should probably make sure she hasn't caught him up to date of the last ten years of town gossip. He might want to surgically remove his ears," Elena says. Elijah laughs at the idea. She's not sure if it's because his ears would grow back as they would on a vampire, or if he could change his appearance to have no ears at all.
"Did you two find any tables you were interested in?" Jenna asks. Elena makes a noncommittal noise.
"It's too early to get you guys thinking about this stuff. I still don't know what I want to do, you know?" Jenna begins. When she freezes, Elena looks around.
"Logan Fell, two o'clock," Jenna sighs.
Elena looks to Elijah and Finn. Their presence calms her as she considers their options. He's too quick though and appears right next to Jenna.
"You don't call, you don't write, you slam doors," Logan teases.
The hunger in his eyes does not escape Elena's notice.
"For a reason. You sent me an email that you'd gone on some trip. Didn't even call. I was over it then and I'm over it now," Jenna tells him firmly.
In the crowded hallway, there are still people milling around, chatting, moving, but it feels like they're in an isolated bubble. No one's looking their way or passing them. Logan could try to kill them all right now.
"Logan Fell, you have been missing from my TV," a voice says. Elena recognizes her as one of the new science teachers for freshman classes. He turns to give a plastic smile to her the same time Elena speaks.
"We should check out the medical table," Elena says, grabbing Jenna's hand as she leads the way. They weave a path through the hallways, far enough away from Logan. He'll still have to walk at a normal pace and deputies are milling around everywhere. If he tries something they won't be strong enough to stop it, but it might cause more attention than the new vampire wants.
"Thank god for that opening," Jenna remarks.
"Which one?" Finn asks dryly. Jenna laughs and Elena lets out a relieved laugh too.
A few football players pass by, on their way to the sports tables.
Sometimes she misses Matt and wearing his extra jerseys and his jackets. His denim jackets with fluffy collars and his oversized-at least on her-raincoats. Cheering on the sidelines with the long hours of practice and the feeling of being part of a unit. He'd stopped responding to her texts and calls and then his number was disconnected altogether. Probably for the best that he forget about Mystic Falls and the Founding Families. Still, a pang goes through her for a moment, looking at them. Elijah's not with her and Jenna. She shoots Finn a look she hopes he understands as a familiar face approaches them.
"I was hoping to run into you," Mr. Saltzman smiles at Jenna. Safe enough hands, considering his past as a vampire hunter.
"I'm gonna go find Elijah," Elena excuses herself. Jenna gives her a quick wink as Elena turns to leave, Finn close behind. They miss the look he shoots at their quick exit.
"Probably best I stay in your company. I don't know the layout here as you do," Finn says. She nods to see Damon Salvatore at a table talking to a teacher, and a peek of Stefan in the cafeteria.
"This is probably a lot louder than you're used to," Elena remarks. When she thinks of Finn's domain, she thinks of overnight checks on sleeping patients, the symphony of medical machines, and the precision of surgical theatres. Family doctors and checkups, ambulances with EMTs almost as calm as Finn is.
"You'd be surprised," he replies.
"He might be with Jeremy," Elena guesses as they wander through the halls. His quiet is different than Elijah's and she's likely the healthiest company any of his forms has at the moment.
"Jenna likes having you around. It's nice for her to have someone in the same position as she is, taking care of a younger relative unexpectedly. Though, I think she has a thing for Mr. Saltzman,"
"Seems like a salt of the Earth kind of guy. Healthy as a horse," Finn tells her.
"Horses are ridiculously fragile," Elena points out.
"Have you seen Caroline? I was supposed to give her a ride home," Bonnie says. Elena resists the urge to turn around as one of the other someone replies.
"I think Logan Fell was giving her a ride home," one of the girls says.
"Or Elijah might be out for a drive," Elena muses, just loud enough for Finn to hear.
They pass by Jeremy talking to another student at the art tables. There are a few different forms of art on display and one of the sketches looks like it's Jeremy's.
"Perhaps. I think we should get some fresh air," Finn says. His tone suggests that it's more urgent than just a polite suggestion. Elena leads him out the double doors into the parking lot, where they see Alaric facing Logan Fell. Jenna is watching them, but not between them. Logan lunges as arms wrap around Elena.
"Finn?" she asks as her view is obscured.
"Nope, your other favorite Smith," a familiar voice says. The grip loosens as she sees Logan Fell with a stake protruding from his chest. He's grayed and veiny in the moonlight. Jenna stares at Alaric and the now-dead vampire on the ground. They're out of view now, even if they tried, Alaric or Jenna wouldn't see them.
"They're real," Jenna says. There is awe and surprise in her voice.
"You are remarkably calm for seeing a dead vampire," Alaric remarks.
"I was reading from some old Gilbert journals. Some of the Founding Families wrote journals and passed their information down, and they wrote about vampires. They captured a few and killed them in the old church. I just didn't think we had a local vampire population. My sister used to tell me stories and I thought she made them up," Jenna admits.
"Finn's healing Caroline Forbes. Logan fractured her skull. They should alert Sheriff Forbes after they've had their moment," Elijah says, just loud enough for Elena to hear.
"Shouldn't we let someone know there's a dead body out here?" Jenna asks.
"Is everyone in this town that blase about vampires?" Mr. Saltzman asks in disbelief. Jenna shrugs.
"It doesn't exactly come up. You'd think with our obsession with the past we'd love some living history like that, but it's not like it comes up at the mixers," Jenna shrugs.
The double doors open again, with a harried-looking Sheriff Forbes.
"Have any of you seen Caroli-" she begins.
"I can take this from here," she insists, looking to the dead vampire.
He must have been part of the Council that hunted vampires and now he's just a dead menace.
"I think I saw a blonde girl in one of the cars when I went back to my car to grab something," Alaric says.
When Finn appears out of thin air Elena almost jumps, but they can't be seen from a few rows of cars over.
"We should go back inside in a few minutes," Finn says.
"If we go through that door we'll end up right by some classrooms, instead of getting their attention," Elena points.
"This has to stay a secret. We cannot cause a panic letting people know there might be vampires among us," Sheriff Forbes insists. They nod solemnly. It would only cause a panic. Sheriff Forbes radios for backup and Jenna remarks that she should find Jeremy and Elena.
"Caroline will be fine. She might have some soreness, but she's alive," Finn mutters.
"Thanks for being around for all the excitement," Elena mutters back, careful to not attract attention from Jenna or her history teacher. Finn just winks before she leads them through the thankfully unlocked door and back into the Career chaos.
Mystic Falls is back to the right amount of supernatural beings. The Lockwoods, the Bennetts, the Smiths, and Elena.
"They'll find his car GPS went to the Ramada and the warehouse he kept the staff he ate," Elijah tells her. Elena shudders at the thought.
Caroline will go home with her mom who loves her more than anything and Finn will disappear again. The sun will rise tomorrow.