Hello everyone, I've reuploaded this story. It is being rewritten so updates are fairly slow. Hope you enjoy.
Lila Stone woke up early on Tuesday, the 12th of August 2014 and got ready for her day. She was a regular 25-year-old, living in London. She shared a two-bedroom flat with her best friend and was working part-time, at a local Tesco's, while studying for her PhD. She was considered quite smart and on her way to a successful career in Biomedical Sciences. Her dream was to join the World Health Organisation and do research on cancer treatment. Other than that, there wasn't much to Lila. She wasn't outgoing nor introverted. She had one close friend and a small group of friends.
She enjoyed lazing on Saturdays and going out shopping on Fridays. Perhaps, she wasn't that ordinary, as she disliked partying and drinking. However, that didn't define her nor stop her from enjoying her time with friends and the occasional hook-up. Boyfriends weren't in the books for her at the moment, at least not until she meets a decent man. For the time being, Lila stone was one of the people if you met on the street, you wouldn't look twice at. She wasn't gorgeous but she didn't stand out badly either. So meeting her was forgettable to most.
Once ready, Lila said goodbye to her friend and rushed out the door. She sipped her coffee slowly as she walked to the bus stop. She paused as the crossing-light turned red and waited. Music was blasting in her ears, Sia's 'Chandelier' playing. When the light turned green she started walking again. However, two steps into the street and a speeding Mercedes came out of nowhere. It took two seconds for the impact to occur and just 15 more for Lila's heart to stop. The ambulance was called and the paramedics tried to administer CPR but it was to no avail. Lila Stone age 25 passed away on August 12th 2014 at 08:22 am.
The afterlife for Lila wasn't as ordinary as her. For an unknown reason, she was reincarnated, which was rare. Her reincarnation was especially strange due to the World she was reborn in. A World of vampires, witches, werewolves and more. A World she had known through TV. Lila Stone was reborn on June 10th 1990 and her name became Rowan Allison Gilbert. She was reborn in the town of Mystic Falls, Virginia, USA. A drastic shift to her previous life.
From a young age, Rowan Gilbert proved to be a unique child. She was much smarter and more mature than children her age. She did enjoy playing and even roughhousing but her school work was exceptional. Miranda and Grayson Gilbert couldn't be more proud of their eldest daughter. Two years after Lila's birth, Elena was born. The Gilberts were ecstatic to have two beautiful girls. Their luck grew better, as Miranda became pregnant two years later, with their son Jeremy.
Sadly the happiness didn't last long, as when Elena turned two, a man by the name of Mikael showed up in Mystic Falls. He threatened the Gilberts and tried to take Elena away. He informed them of her special existence and why he needed to get rid of her. Thankfully, the Gilberts were great friends with Abby Bennett. The woman was able to get rid of Mikael, for the time being, but she was punished for her methods and so she left Mystic Falls, leaving her young daughter Bonnie in her mother, Sheila's care. The years passed peacefully after that until Rowan's 10th Birthday.
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Rowan woke up with a start, her eyes roamed the room in confusion. A glance at her SpongeBob PJs gave her the answers she needed. She realised who she was in her previous life. The memories of Lila Stone had merged with Rowan Gilbert's. The now woman stared in fear at the mirror. The idea of becoming reincarnated into a TV show was preposterous. Especially being reborn as a nonexistent character. Rowan had to take a few moments to calm herself. She tried steadying her breath.
"This is insane," she said to herself. Rowan proceeded to pace her room for an hour. It was early on Saturday, so no one at the house was awake. The woman attempted to organise her thoughts, to make a decision on how to act. Soon she realised something terrifying that made her hypothetically shit her pants. If she was truly in the TV universe, then; how will she handle the events that occur in the near future? Katherine, the Originals, the Hunters, Silas...? Rowan started to hyperventilate, at the thought of being near supernatural creatures. It may be thrilling to daydream about but the reality was no joke. Vampires were deadly and so were witches and vengeful werewolves. Rowan wasn't ready for any of this and she collapsed on her bed, with horrifying imagery, running through her head.
An hour later a knock sounded at her door. "Rowan honey, come down and help with breakfast," Miranda called out. The 10-year-old woman startled but quickly composed herself. Rowan made sure that her breathing was steady and she went down to start her day.
"Good morning," she greeted softly.
"'Morning," answered Grayson and gave his daughter a small kiss on the head. Rowan's siblings joined in greeting their sister, with Jeremy clinging to her.
"Rowan I want chocolate milk!" said Jeremy with his adorable voice. He was a little chubby and short for a boy of five. The family had their traditional Saturday, as traditional as it gets with Grayson's unpredictable work schedule. They enjoyed breakfast together then headed out on their bikes. After the bike ride, they joined the Forbeses for a nice hangout and then headed to The Grill for lunch.
As the day went on, Rowan felt more in tune with her current self and family. Her troubles were pushed to the back of her mind, as she enjoyed her time with her family. However, when they returned home, reality sunk in once more. This time Rowan didn't panic as much. She understood the imminent danger awaiting her family and instead of running away, she decided to try her luck at handling it. She pulled out a diary and started noting down, the things she required for the events.
It took three days for Rowan to build a vague plan with specific goals. She decided to take things slow and not rush into any confrontations. The first step was receiving Hunter training. The next Friday, when the children were being sent to bed, she requested a private chat with her parents. Grayson and Miranda sat on her bed as they talked. "Mum, Dad. I think I'm old enough for you to tell me the truth," Rowan started with a serious tone.
"About what honey?" Asked her father.
"Vampires. I read the Journal in our Lake House and found the secret compartment with weapons," lied Rowan but it had enough of an impact. Grayson and Miranda had startled expressions and the mother became worried.
"Honey, those are just for show," tried the older woman.
"No offence mum but you and I both know, I'm smarter than that," Rowan argued calmly. "I'm not saying this to freak you out or to seek some grand explanation. All I want is for you to tell me the truth and allow me to train," said the girl. Grayson sighed in defeat.
"How about you give us some time to think about this? You're only ten and there is nothing to fear as long as we're here," said the man.
"I know that but what if Elena and Jeremy get into trouble? I have to know how to protect them," at the mention of the younger daughter, Miranda and Grayson cringed.
"They won't be harmed but I can tell you won't drop this," said Miranda. "We'll talk with your uncle John, if he can find the time, then we'll get him to train you."
"Miranda," argued her husband.
"Grayson, Rowan is smart and mature. She's able to handle this and to be fair, the training is also good self-defence for a girl," admitted the woman.
"Please dad, I promise to be careful with it. I won't go around hurting children. I will only use it when necessary," promised Rowan. Grayson stared between his wife and eldest daughter, then sighed again.
"Alright, alright. I'll talk to John tomorrow," he said and Rowan smiled and hugged him. The first step was complete.
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John was able to begin, Rowan's training, at the start of July. He wasn't as hesitant as her parents but he didn't expect her to be diligent at it either. To his surprise, the girl gave it her all. Considering her age, John started her with cardio and endurance training, rather than strength and weaponry. During the weekend, he'd also work on her Judo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Both martial arts focused on defeating stronger and larger opponents. They were the best choice; for combat against vampires.
Rowan wasn't a prodigy by a long shot, finding most of the training difficult, however, she was determined and dedicated. Due to her dedication, Jeremy was also interested in learning with her. So John took them both in. As for Elena, she had other interests. Because of Rowan's presence, the doppelganger was quite different than in the show. Elena hadn't developed the protective sense of an older sibling towards Jeremy, usually opting to throw the responsibility at Rowan and spent her time doing the things she enjoyed.
To make it simple, Elena was as much of an attention hog and as spoilt as Caroline. She always wanted the most expensive and prettiest things. She was popular and rather insensitive with her words. She was a tad better than Caroline, as Rowan tried to steer her in a better direction. Jeremy on the other hand grew more confidant, thanks to his elder sister's influence. She helped him with homework and always praised his efforts.
The summer of 2000 was spent training and reading all of the Gilbert journals. Rowan was impressed, by the detailed information on vampires, found in the diaries. When she reached the diary of Samantha Gilbert, she questioned her father on the rings. Grayson had no other choice but to show his daughter. Upon learning that Samantha had become a psychopath, Grayson and John reached out to Sheila Bennett for answers. The witch confirmed, that everything had a consequence and that returning from the dead, came at a cost. From then on, men kept that in mind.
By the time school restarted, Rowan had completed the Gilbert Journals. John returned to work but gave her and Jeremy, exercises for training. The girl requested authorization from the rest of the Founding Families, for their ancestors' Journals. She was approved but it turned out that they didn't have as many diaries as the Gilberts. Nevertheless, the girl got access to them. She began reading them and decided to start phase two of her plan.
During the next Founder's Ball, Rowan proceeded with her plan. She was able to sneak away from her family and enter the Lockwoods' antiques' office. She quietly searched for the box containing the crystal. It took five minutes to find it. She carefully opened it and took the crystal. As she made contact with it, she felt a slight tingle but nothing alarming. She placed it in her bag and went back to the party. When she got home, she placed the crystal inside a floorboard, she'd worked on loosening, over the past month.
Three years passed, with Rowan refining her plan and working out different possible outcomes. The summer after her thirteenth birthday, John started her on weapon training. Jeremy was still too young for that, so he continued his usual martial arts training. Elena was still the same, rejecting the invitation to join. The best part for Rowan was her parent's eased protection over her. They allowed the girl to travel on her own to the Grocery store or visit friends on her bike without chaperoning. This allowed Rowan the freedom of exploration over the town.
She was able to talk her friends into fun expeditions around town. They were always during the day as not to scare the children or anger the parents. Her purpose was to find the Salem Witch House (here on out referred to as SWH). Unfortunately, the search for the house took very long. When Rowan stumbled upon the creepy, rundown house, it was December 12th 2003.
When the teen found this house, she wasn't very thrilled or intrigued. Rowan was never the brave type and due to her logical mind, she had a very strong sense of self-preservation. Finding the house was a great win but she'd rather be alive than satisfy some silly curiosity, thank you very much. So once she drew a crude map of where the house was, she steered the opposite direction and walked back where she came from, without so much as a glance back.
The only missing piece, left for her to obtain, was Esther stupid necklace. Rowan had been able to convince Zach, to read Stefan's journals from 1864. None of them referenced vampires or even Katherine. Rowan had a feeling that the vampdopple compelled Stefan to be unable to refer to her in any way. Katherine may have loved, the Silas lookalike but she was far too careful with her tracks. Rowan admired the older for her intelligence, although the former had a stronger sense of fairness and basic human decency. Not to say that Katherine didn't have that but her life experience probably hindered it.
Nevertheless, Rowan worked on getting access to Stefan's room, to find Esther's necklace. She begged Zach for a tour of the Salvatore house. The man was hesitant but the innocent eyes, of the curious teen, persuaded him. He let Rowan in and went room by room, showing her the parlour, study, kitchen and even the vervain garden. Rowan acted in awe and asked very innocent questions. What Zach hadn't realised, was that they all pertained to his schedule. He inadvertently informed Rowan, that he usually went to work on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. His job required him to stay from 10:00 am to 03:00 pm. His weekends were spent either at the Grill, with friends, or doing paperwork.
This allowed the reincarnated teen, to sneak into the property a few weeks later. Rowan waited until Zach left for work and then snuck into the house. She had good experience at lock picking and entered through the house's back door, to avoid eyewitnesses. Rowan rushed to Stefan's bedroom and searched for the book containing Esther's necklace and Katherine's photo. When she found it she took the necklace but stared at the photo. She contemplated taking it but fought the urge and placed the book back.
Before heading home, she stopped by a jewellery store. She showed the necklace to the jeweller and requested he makes a replica. "How did you come by this, young lady?" he asked her.
"It belonged to my grandmother," lied Rowan.
"I see, it is unique and detailed," said the man with awe.
"I know. I want a replica because I have a sister and as the older, I get to keep it and she gets nothing," said Rowan innocently with a pour.
"Oh, well aren't you a sweetheart? I'll make it for you and, for your kind heart, I'll give you a 10% discount. How does that sound?" said the old man with a smile.
"Thank's very kind of you Sir! How much will it be and how long will it take?" asked Rowan with a grin.
"Let's see. If I am making it from silver, then it'll cost 2,500 but if I make it out of silverplated steel, then it'll be 500," explained the man. "As for how long it'll take, something this special and delicate takes me 3-4 weeks to complete."
"Hmm, well I can afford the silverplated one. As for the time, that sounds great," said Rowan and handed the old man the money. The Jeweller spent some time, sketching and photographing the necklace. When he was done, he handed it back to Rowan and bid her goodbye. The teen returned home and safely tucked the necklace underneath another floorboard. She went back to the Jeweller four weeks later to receive the necklace and it didn't take much longer, for her to sneak back into the Salvatore House and replace the necklace.
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Now with these pieces at Rowan's disposal, she worked on her third phase, of the plan. This was when she became truly nervous and wary. Her plan was to locate Mikael's tomb. She remembered it being at a cemetery in North Carolina. The problem was, she had no clue which of the many cemeteries it was. She couldn't exactly ask her parents about it either. Her only hope was the internet. Unfortunately, she faced another problem there. Four of the cemeteries had a mausoleum. They all looked similar and it wasn't as if, she had the show memorised by heart.
For weeks she sulked, failing to come up with a solution for her dilemma. The reason she wanted to have an exact location of the coffin, was to visit it and to place Esther's necklace there. She finally decided to give it a shot by requesting her family go on holiday to North Carolina. She gave the excuse of wanting to see a museum there. Grayson and Miranda weren't keen on the trip and neither were the other children. However, once Rowan rambled to her friends (Jane and Louis) about the idea, they were able to convince their parents to go and their parents were able to talk the Gilberts into going.
That was how Rowan found herself in North Carolina, for two weeks of July. The girl was clever enough, to convince her friends, to visit the cemeteries. Luckily, they only had to go to two. The second had the mausoleum. She wasn't the one to identify it but Grayson's attitude, towards the cemetery, gave her the answers she needed. She snuck away from the group and slipped the envelope, containing the letter with the necklace, in the door's crack. This was all she was able to accomplish. Any more interaction with the structure would raise suspicion.
With that, all the pieces were in place for Rowan to enact her true plan. She was now able to contact a certain, well-dressed Original. The best way she knew how was through Craigslist. So, she made an Ad and crossed her fingers for the best.
"Dear Mr E. Mikaelson,
If you are interested in regaining the three objects you value most, then we have a great bargaining chip for you. If you are interested, to obtain what you believed to be thrown at sea, then please send us an email at: .
Kind Regards
Someone"
It was now August 1st 2004
Btw this story is meant to be Kol x OC, if you're interested in other ships please check out Wattpad and ao3 for the Klaus x OC x Elijah poly.