Rowan Gilbert Pt 1 Chapter 4: It Begins, a vampire diaries fanfic

Thank you all for the reviews;

Sam: Rowan is a witch but she cannot use magic if she turns into a vampire since she isn't a siphoner.

CarlaPA: Thank you I'm glad you enjoy the pace, although Elijah won't come for a couple of more chapters. If you're interested the story is up on AO3 and Wattpad under the same name, however, the relationships are with Klaus and Elikaj (poly).

UnknownReaderHasJoined: Well I hope to be able to complete this story and as for living forever with Kol, then you'll have to read and find out 😉😉

Now it's most of the pilot!

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For the next week, Rowan spent every morning having breakfast at a cafe with Klaus. The harder she tried to keep her distance, the more persistent he was. The witch knew she was nothing more than a challenge for him but she couldn't say that to his face, so instead, she played the game. Luckily Rowan was able to meet Stefan on her free days. As well as have peaceful workdays because Klaus was usually busy with Gloria. The bar owner wouldn't tell her apprentice what the hybrid wanted. And Rowan didn't push it, though it drove her crazy, to know.

At the beginning of the second week, Rowan and Klaus were having their usual breakfast. The hybrid was describing New Orleans to her when her phone rang. She saw that it was Sheriff Forbes and answered, "Hey Liz, how are you?"

"Hey honey, I think you should come home. Quickly Rowan," the Sheriff answered. Her voice was shaky and her breathing was shallow as if she had been crying. Rowan's heart sank at the tone, her mind flooding with the worst-case scenarios.

"Liz?" She asked hesitantly. Klaus glanced at her in concern and placed his hand on the woman's shoulder.

"It's your parents...I'm so sorry sweetheart. They drove...it was an accident. They hit a tree and..." she didn't finish the sentence. The reborn woman froze. Why? She had saved them. Why did this have to still happen? Tears started pouring down her cheeks.

"No! No, no, no!" Chanted Rowan in disbelief. Liz was startled at the sound of the younger's despair, she tried comforting Rowan but couldn't. Klaus took the phone from the witch and ended the call. He held the younger as she sobbed and guided her back to her dorm. Once there Rowan collapsed on the bed and cried in grief. Klaus called Gloria to explain the situation. The mentor suggested that Rowan pack and head home, then deal with the rest of the stuff.

Klaus helped the younger pack and tried to insist on driving her but she was adamant that her friend was able to drive her. She thanked the hybrid and promised to keep him updated. When the man left her dorm, Rowan called Stefan and explained what happened. The Ripper showed up immediately and helped the younger place her luggage in the car and started driving to Mystic Falls. Thanks to his vampire ability, he was able to drive non-stop and they made it back in record time.

Rowan kept falling apart and calming down during the ride. She was close to Miranda and Grayson and cared a lot about them. They were kind, loving and supportive of her. She felt anger and irritation toward the universe, for their death. It wasn't fair, she had tried her best to keep them safe. They were still taken away from their children and now Rowan had two distraught, younger, teen siblings to take care of.

When Rowan arrived they held a funeral for the parents. Everyone attended and consoled the children. Afterwards, Sheriff Forbes took Rowan to the side and asked the dreaded question. 'Did Rowan want to be the sole guardian for them or would she allow shared custody?'

Of course, the teen went for shared, asking Jenna to be the other guardian. Surprisingly the aunt didn't hesitate. The Gilbert-witch believed it was due to the joined custody. Jenna wouldn't have to be solely responsible for the two youngest Gilberts. Rowan felt slightly at ease with her aunt's presence but realised that now, things were going to kick start into motion.

For the first week after the funeral, everyone was depressed and had no motivation for anything. Jenna was still moving in, while Rowan contacted the College, requesting her major to be online. Meanwhile, she was being comforted by many people; including Stefan, Gloria and even Klaus. It gave her more confidence and alleviated her grief.

A week later, Rowan decided to use the grief to her advantage, and with the help of Gloria, she was able to find a stone that helps with grief. She charmed it to absorb the grief and transform the negative energy into power. That way, she was able to focus her energy on taking care of her family, including Jenna.

Then a brilliant idea came to the new guardian. She thought of using the stone on her family members but slowly. She tried by hugging them every day and absorbing 1% of the grief at a time. At first, it didn't seem to work. The witch had started doing it 3 weeks after the funeral, and after a month there was still no progress in the family members.

Rowan became worried that Elena and Jeremy would be too broken for what's to come. Luckily, when she thought all hope was lost, everything started to turn around. Elena started showing up for breakfast, Jeremy didn't look like he'd breakdown every minute and Jenna started returning to her energetic self. It was excellent progress, considering how they were. Some things were still rough, Jeremy had still resorted to drugs and got involved with Vicky. While Elena left cheerleading and became a much more reserved and quiet person. Rowan still believed that their decline was better than in the Show.

Rowan had just three weeks before the start of the next school year. She was hoping that by then, her family's grief would decrease to 50%. While Stefan would be able to consume 3/4 of a blood bag without an animal to quench his thirst further. As well as, drink a shot of vervain a day (he was gonna start consuming it soon). For the time being, Rowan decided it was the best time to reveal herself to Jenna and explain the supernatural.

The witch sat her aunt down a few days before the monthly Council meeting. "Jenna you're a guardian of a Founding family now, I think you have a right to know," said Rowan.

"Have a right to know what?" asked Jenna in confusion. Rowan had requested they talk privately and that Jenna doesn't speak of what happens here to the younger teens.

"This town's history," explained Rowan and pulled out the Gilbert Journals. "These belong to the Gilbert family," said the witch. "Jenna you may think I'm joking or playing a prank but trust me everything I say is 100% real." The adult-teen proceeded to inform her aunt of the supernatural. Jenna was obviously sceptical at first but once Rowan showed her, her magic, the aunt believed her niece. Rowan had pulled water out of the glass, telepathically, then played with it in the air before freezing it and letting it chatter on the ground.

"So you're telling me that the entire Council was founded because of vampires?" asked Jenna in disbelief.

"Not at first but when they realised the town was infested, they hunted the creatures and burned them. Now they mainly work to keep the town functioning and safe," replied Rowan. "But you have to understand aunt Jenna, not all vampires are evil. Most of them feed on blood bags and carry out their lives like us!"

"But Rowan, they feed on us!" responded Jenna in fear.

"Please aunt Jenna! I have friends that are vampires and I need you to try and accept them!" begged the witch. Jenna sat back down after having paced the room, during the explanation.

"I'll try," she responded.

"That's all I'm asking aunt Jenna, that's all I'm asking."

When the three weeks were over and everything seemed to fall according to plan, Rowan was ecstatic. Stefan's training was on track and Jenna had calmed down and started accepting the idea of befriending vampires. However, Elena and Jeremy still struggled but overall, they were much happier and more social.

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The night before the first day of school, Rowan prepared lunches for everyone. She also woke up an hour earlier in the day. The witch went downstairs and prepared some scrambled eggs with sausage and toast. She hadn't forgotten the coffee either and poured orange juice for Jeremy. By the time Jenna came down, Rowan had 4 plates of food ready. Jenna was already dressed and didn't seem rushed. She had taken her niece's advice to prepare her outfit at night.

"Oh my god, it's the first day of school and I'm not prepared," she said, repeating her Original line even when she didn't need to prepare anything. Jenna then said, "what would I do without you, Rowan? Thank you for making this." The witch smiled and handed her aunt a plate. Eventually, the women were joined by the two youngest Gilberts. They were going to leave without breakfast but their older sibling's hopeful stare, at the food she made, forced them to sit down and eat.

Rowan felt elated, she hoped the day continued on this happy path. That was until they saw the news; Damon had still decided to torment Stefan (he must've seen him arrive at the Boarding House). A dead body was found on the road. The 4 family members stared at the TV in concern. "Be careful, nobody goes near the woods," ordered Jenna. Elena and Jeremy left shortly after, along with Jenna.

Rowan cleaned the house, before going online to study. As she studied intently, a crow showed up on her window. The woman raised an eyebrow in interest. Why was Damon here? She rolled her eyes, "you either leave my window, or I hurt you," she said in boredom. The crow only cawed at her in response, so she got up and grabbed a pillow. The bird flew away at that and Rowan shut the window and closed the curtains.

Clearly, the older Salvatore was interested in her, probably due to her relation to Elena. The day went by uneventfully after that, for the witch at least. Around lunch, she was bombarded with texts from Elena; first talking about mile-high Jeremy but the conversation quickly switched to the mysterious new guy. Rowan smiled knowingly and chuckled at the love spell. It was ridiculously obvious, who gets this enamoured from a first meeting?

Just to check on things, Rowan called Stefan around the time after the cemetery. However, he ignored her call, sending a text that he was with Elena. Of course! He no longer reacted to blood and had no reason to suddenly disappear. The two apparently went to the hospital for a quick stitch-up. Rowan congratulated the Ripper on his achievement. Meanwhile, Elena sent her sister a text asking if she wanted to join them at the Grill. The witch responded in an affirmative and went. Like the show, it was Bonnie, the couple and Caroline.

Due to the older Gilbert's influence, Caroline was different. Rowan convinced her that not every guy has to be a potential boyfriend. That it was more important to have friends. That Sex was not a source of love and comfort. As a result, Caroline had few boyfriends and she was less clingy and obsessive over them. The blonde was more similar to her vampire self than her original human self, making Rowan proud.

Despite that, Caroline still seemed way too interested in Stefan. He had caught her eye. The Gilbert witch couldn't blame the girl. Caroline was still a teenage girl, hoping for a Prince Charming. Stefan was the ideal type. Too bad he was already in love with Elena. Rowan pushed those thoughts aside and joined the group.

"Hello, I'm Rowan. You must be the new mysterious guy at school," she greeted Stefan. The vampire smiled knowingly and introduced himself. He was very chipper and much more open. When Caroline asked personal questions, he answered without hesitation. Rowan was aware she changed many plot points, especially when Stefan didn't hesitate to mention Damon when asked about his siblings.

"Yeah, I have an older brother. His name is Damon but I don't talk to him much. He's kind of an ass," explained the Ripper. Elena frowned, she patted his shoulder in comfort. Caroline and Bonnie nodded in sympathy while Rowan shrugged. They continued to talk for a while and Saint Barbie invited Stefan to the party.

Then Jeremy showed up, heading straight for the bar and gazed at Vickie. Rowan sighed heavily, this was a 'couple' she hated. Victoria was an adult on paper and Jeremy was only 15, it was not okay! The eldest Gilbert got up and went over to her brother. "Hey Jer," she said sweetly. The bot groaned but nodded in greeting. Rowan raised an eyebrow at him, silently telling him to watch the attitude. He bit his lip and sighed, then went back to staring at Vickie with hearty eyes.

"Vickie, hey what are you doing later?" He asked nervously. The older girl looked at him and sighed.

"I'm busy Jeremy," she replied, nervously glancing at Rowan. The witch glared at her. Just then Tyler Lockwood showed up.

"Hey, Vickie is this twerp bothering you?" He asked, acting all macho and arrogant. Jeremy stiffened in anger. Rowan tuned out some of the conversations as they went as expected. A few yells and insults were thrown before Tyler grabbed Jeremy's collar. Everyone was staring by now. Rowan got up and held Tyler's arm.

"Let him go, Tyler. That's enough, dial down the testosterone," she said calmly, daring him to argue. Which of course he had to do.

"Stay out of it Rowan. Your brother started it. He messed with my girl, so unless you wanna replace her. I suggest you move." That was not something the older woman expected to hear. Nor did she like it. Her response was to hit a nerve in Tyler's arm. It loosened his grip and hurt a little, causing him to yelp and release Jeremy.

"I'm warning you Tyler, I can easily kick your ass. You'll be known as the boy who got beat up by a girl," she told him. Stefan flinched at the statement; he had experienced the witch's abilities first hand.

Tyler growled at Rowan and she narrowed her eyes at him. She then looked at Matt, "Matthew I suggest you take your friend for a walk," said the witch. The football captain nodded and pulled Tyler with him outside. Jeremy looked at his sister, annoyed. He tried moving but she grabbed his arm. "Next time you wanna be a knight in shining armour, try doing it for an actual damsel in distress," she lectured and gave Vickie another dirty look. "Your boy toys are all over the place Victoria, put a leash on them. I don't want my brother involved."

Everyone was shocked at the eldest Gilbert's words, she had was always been blunt, however, she usually didn't hurt people's feelings. This time she was gunning for Vickie. To Rowan, the 19-year-old was a druggie who got Rowan's baby brother wrapped up in the stupid drama. Of course, she disliked the bitch! Yes, being an addict isn't exactly a choice but getting people involved IS a choice!

"What did I miss?" Rowan asked innocently once she rejoined the squad, to which Caroline and Bonnie chuckled.

"That was a little harsh Row," Elena whispered, Rowan only rolled her eyes.

"She needs to get her act together. She got Jeremy involved in crap so she can suffer the consequences," whispered Rowan, looking at Stefan who gave her an acknowledging look. The conversation continued afterwards. Halfway through, it hit Rowan that Tyler hadn't mentioned Jeremy dealing. The witch was hopeful that things were better than Originally.

When Rowan got back home, she made sure to lock every window and close the curtains. She didn't want creepy Damon to stalk the family. When she began cooking dinner her phone rang, it was none other than Klaus. The hybrid had surprisingly kept in touch with her, calling multiple times a week. "Hello, Mr Klaus?" answered Rowan, happily.

"How many times must I ask you to call me Nik?" He replied, the witch could hear the teasing in his voice. "How was your day?"

"It was good, apparently there is a new boy in town. He's a vampire too," she replied. "How was your day?"

"Dull without you. When are you coming back to Chicago for a visit?" He asked. From what the hybrid told her, Rowan deduced that he's taking some time away from them. Klaus never gave her their names but she figured them out from the nicknames. Elijah, Marcel and Rebekah all remained in New Orleans. Klaus had dubbed them his 'noble brother, ward and sister'. While Kol (the reckless brother) was having fun on his own. Finn (the eldest brother) on the other hand, was with Sage (his cheap lover) in New York.

"So love, who is this new boy?" the hybrid asked, a hint of dislike in his voice. Rowan got confused by his attitude.

"I don't know, he's in high school. My sister is telling me about him. I think she has a crush," replied the witch. She knew lying to Klaus was bad but saying telling him about Stefan Salvatore was dangerous. He could decide to meet him again and go after him. Suddenly another genius plan came to Rowan's mind.

"Um actually Mr Klaus, there is something I need to talk to you about," she said before she could stop herself. The man hummed in interest. "You know my father was a hunter and also a doctor," whispered the witch.

"Yes, you've mentioned that a few times."

"Well, I was looking through old documents of his. He used to experiment on Vampires," she blurted out in a shaky voice. "I love my dad but that was not okay. And it seems the lab never closed. It's in Whitmore College."

"What are you saying, Love?" demanded Klaus, he was clearly upset.

"I'm saying that, there is a likelihood, that some poor vampire is being experimented on. If you can help me save them, then I'd owe you more than you know," replied Rowan.

"You don't have to tell me twice Love, I will take care of it," said Klaus, reassuringly. Klaus may be evil but he still wouldn't experiment on people.

"Please be careful! I know you're powerful but still...they have vervain watches and they drink it too, so please be cautious," rambled the woman.

"Worried about me Love?" He questioned very cockily, Rowan blushed and chuckled in response.

"Well, I have to make sure my breakfast companion is still around when I visit Chicago," she teased with a scoff.

"Just a breakfast companion aye?" He whispered deeply, making her shiver.

"Well, we are friends too! Unless you don't want to..." the witch trail off in a whisper, worried she'd said too much.

"Oh Love, of course, we are! I meant something else but it doesn't matter. I'll take care of it. So don't worry about it and make sure you take care of yourself." With that, they ended the phone call. The rest of the day was uneventful. Stefan had texted that he met up with Zach. He explained to Zach his current status of control and although Zach wasn't convinced, he still gave Stefan the benefit of the doubt. It made Rowan very happy.

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On the day of the bonfire, Rowan was on edge. She didn't like Vickie getting hurt but couldn't do anything about it. The only confidence she had was that Stefan could now compel Vickie successfully. As predicted the bonfire was cut short. Rowan was called by Elena to go pick them up from the cafe; where Damon would be. He did not know, that Rowan had Caroline on vervain. The witch had convinced Liz that her daughter was reckless and needed to be kept safe. The Sheriff agreed and secretly dosed their water with vervain.

When Rowan arrived at the cafe, she spotted the girls. Thankfully Elena seemed sober and Caroline was just tipsy. All the girls looked coherent, which was a good sign that they didn't drink too much. "Well ladies, time for bed," joked Rowan as she held Elena's arm. "You two should also get home soon," she continued to Bonnie and Caroline, who both nodded in agreement. "Oh and no talking to strangers. I don't want either of you to end up like Vickie," she warned.

As Rowan turned to leave with her sister, she spotted Damon. He made eye contact and smirked. Rowan simply rolled her eyes, directly at him. "Come, Ellie, you have homework."

"No I don't," the doppelganger countered.

"I'm older and that means I know more than you and I say you have homework! Come on, I'll even help you learn your ABC's" the older jokes and pushed her sister towards the door. The girls laugh at the behaviour and Elena defended herself by stating that she was no longer 5 and "it was one time Rowan!"

When Elena and Rowan got home, the older made her signature hot chocolate. That's when the doorbell rang. As expected, it was Saint Ripper. "Can I help you?" teased Rowan, looking very smugly at him. He had the decency to look shy.

"I was hoping I could talk to Elena," he replied.

"Why? am I not good enough company?" she continued with mock hurt. Elena showed up from behind and saw Stefan.

"Row, stop! Hey..." she said and urged Rowan to give them privacy. A few moments later, the witch spotted Elena guiding Stefan upstairs.

"Just to be clear, that door stays open!" she called to them and heard a few grumbles in response. Oh, she was going to make it HELL for Damon! He'd wish he'd had access!

The next day, everything was a little quiet. Stefan had successfully compelled Vickie, so Rowan was sure it would be easier to deal with Damon. The Ripper had informed her that his brother was back in town and tried to coax Stefan into a fight, the previous night. Stefan had become calmer, with Rowan around and tried to trick his brother into revealing his true purpose of arriving in town. Sadly, Damon was secretive and left before Stefan could figure out anything.

Rowan wasn't worried about that, her current issue lay with the parent-teacher conference, she was attending with Jenna for Jeremy. He had skipped classes and Tanner was the teacher they would speak to.

The meeting started with the man being derogatory towards them. Luckily, spending years in his class made Rowan immune. Jenna on the other hand was a little flustered. That was until her niece shot back. "Mr Tanner, losing a loved one cannot easily be overcome. Maybe to a heartless, grown man like yourself, it's a piece of cake," mocked the witch, causing both adults to gape at her. "To Jeremy however, it isn't easy. He is 15, sensitive and very much attached to our parents. Please refrain from discussing matters you don't understand."

"Miss Gilbert, that is rude! I was trying to be lenient but you are clearly unqualified to take care of these unstable teenagers, as you are unstable yourself," Tanner fired back. Jenna became upset by that. While Rowan, found it to be ample opportunity to strike him down.

"Mr Tanner, are you commenting on my mental health?" she asked, very pointedly. If he was, then he'd go up against the Council for misconduct. He caught the gist of her intentions, causing him to backtrack immediately. He tried putting together a sentence that was both, insulting and apologetic. It was hilarious to watch him struggle with his pride, he clearly had many issues.

The woman chose to ignore his unnecessarily rude words and reiterated that grief cannot be handled carelessly. She further stated that Jenna and her will try their best to forbid drugs from Jeremy. Despite this, there will be no guarantee, that he'll become a model student soon. The meeting ended with Tanner failing to assert his dominance and the women heading home. Rowan felt elated at putting the man in his place. Tomorrow was the comet and she was gonna put another egotistical ass in his place!

It was now September 9th 2009

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Hope you enjoyed it! Please let me know what you think.