Ch. 11 – Under Control and Miss Mystic Falls 1x18-19
A/N: Edit: 12/21/2021
The feast was a great success in Alliana's eyes. Elijah and Niklaus were practically fighting in their efforts for her attention and she loved it. She especially enjoyed how the fighting over her lead to less attention given to Tatia. It was time for the full moon and Alliana hoped that their time in the caves would lead to more chances to prove herself to be the better sister. Alliana sat with Rebekah and Kol in the Mikaelson clan section of the cave. She preferred it to spending time with Tatia and their aunt. She was there when Elijah came over to her and asked to speak with her in private.
Alliana and Elijah walked over to a more secluded part of the caves. She was excited for what this conversation could be about. Elijah had been more attentive to her since the feast and Alliana felt it was because of his feelings for her. As they were walking, she noticed a flash of Tatia's curls. Tatia had hidden quickly around the corner when she heard the approach of Elijah and Alliana, but it was not fast enough to escape the notice of Alliana, who felt even more excited about the conversation now that it was in front of her twin sister.
"What is it you wish to speak about, Elijah?" Alliana asked, getting straight to the point. They stopped walking.
Elijah turned to face Alliana, but he would not look in her eyes. He kept his face down and pensive. "We have been friends for many years, is that not correct?" Elijah asked.
Alliana smiled. "Yes, we have been close friends ever since I arrived in this village many seasons past."
"And we have always enjoyed each other's company, have we not?" Elijah asked, slightly stumbling over his words.
"But of course," Alliana replies. "What has brought this conversation along?"
"It has come to my attention that our relationship may have changed over the years that we have known each other."
"Well, yes it has."
"And with these changes, I have discovered new feelings…"
"Elijah, please make your point already." Alliana could feel the tension in the cave building up. She quickly glanced in Tatia's direction.
"Alliana…I love you," Elijah finally said.
Alliana smiled hugely, knowing that Elijah had feelings for her and knowing Tatia heard the declaration. "Elijah, that is amazing to hear, because I love you too." He hugged her tight at her declaration, not realizing her obvious lying tells, the giant malicious smirk on her face during their hug being the main one. She did not feel the same feelings as she claimed. With the arrival and downfall of Tatia, no one noticed the changes that were occurring in the other girl. The desire to be the center of attention being the main one.
As they embraced, Alliana could feel Tatia's anger. She smiled knowing the cause of it was Tatia's loss of Elijah. She felt it was time to have a little chat with her sister. "Elijah, dear, all this excitement and emotion has left me feeling thirsty. Can you please get me some water?" She asked sweetly.
"Of course," he replied. He nodded to her.
Before he could leave, she called out to him, "Oh darling," He turned and smiled at the term of endearment. "please don't mention our shared feelings to anyone. I wish to keep it to ourselves for a moment. I would hate for someone to spoil something so wonderful."
Elijah smiled softly at her, "Of course." And he left.
As soon as he was out of earshot, Alliana called for Tatia, "You can come out now, dear sister. I know you heard everything."
Tatia walked out of her hiding spot. Her eyes were ablaze with fury and jealousy. "What do you think you are doing, dear sister," she said, emphasizing he last two words.
"Oh, just stealing your most recent male playthings."
"Is that not what you are doing? Playing them. Making them believe that you love them when really you are just in it for the fun?"
"Oh no, sister. I do have feelings for them. That type of playing you described is the game of a manipulative whore. Oh, I must apologize. You played that game." Alliana's jealousy of Tatia's experience with Niklaus made her lash out at her sister. The twins started to circle each other all while glaring.
"Oh, are you jealous of my experience?" Alliana glared harder as they continued to slowly circle. "I know you have never done anything of the sort. Because innocent, little Alliana would never be caught dead holding hands with a boy, let alone experiencing the wonder of a man."
"You know nothing of my experience."
"Oh, really? Does that mean we can speak plainly? I have always felt that we were close enough to share these details." Tatia smirked as she saw how angry Alliana was becoming from this topic. "Now, let's talk about Elijah and Niklaus. Now, Elijah is much broader than Niklaus in many ways, his shoulders, his arms, his manhood. But Niklaus almost has more experience. While he is not a wide as Elijah, he knows how to use his other features to make up for it…"
Alliana could feel the rage burning up inside of her, knowing that her sister had seen and done things that were supposed to be only for her. She barely managed to get out a few more words through her gritted teeth. "I may not have the knowledge of them that you have in that area." She smiled knowing these next sentences would hit the mark and ignite Tatia's short temper. "But I know something much better. They have real feelings for me. In fact, I believe that they soon will be asking to court me. I could be their wife, and you will be nothing more than that whore they used to screw around."
Tatia screamed with rage, so loud it reverberated off the cave walls. She then attacked Alliana; pulling at her hair and scratching her face. The force of the attack knocked the twins to the ground. Alliana tried to fight back. She kicked Tatia and tried to hit her in return, but Tatia's fury made her stronger. The fight ended quickly when Tatia was pulled off of Alliana, screaming and kicking by Finn and Kol. Elijah picked up Alliana from the ground. Tatia had a few scratches across her body and many bruises from Alliana's flying limbs. But Alliana had quite a few deep scratches on her body, one on her face.
As soon as she felt that she was in Elijah's arms, Alliana quickly started to cry. Elijah looked at her in concern. "What happened here?" Elijah questioned.
Alliana quickly answered, "Tatia heard that we declared our feelings to each other. And when you left, she started accusing me of stealing you away from her. I told her that I would never do that, because we are sisters," she lied, looking at Tatia. She continued, "Tatia would not believe me, and I kept denying that I would do such a thing and then she just attacked me in a fit of jealous rage." Alliana started to cry again.
Tatia tried to refuse and explain her side of the story, but Elijah believed Alliana. He quickly turned to Tatia, and softly said, "I never want to see you again. If I find you near me or Alliana ever again, I will not be so calm." And with that the children of Mikael and Alliana left Tatia standing alone. But just before Tatia was out of sight, Alliana turned around and gave her a big smile, with tears all but forgotten.
When they got back to their designated area, they saw the worried faces of Rebekah and Esther. Mikael just looked pissed off. When they asked what was wrong, they were shocked to find that Niklaus and Henrik had disappeared.
Rebekah turned to Alliana and whispered, "They went off to see the men change into wolves. Henrik has been asking to see that for the longest time and now Niklaus has taken him." Alliana could feel worry for their safety rise up inside of her.
The night was spent with Alliana in Elijah's arms, worrying for the man she loved. The morning was filled with blood, tears, and cries of Henrik's name.
Everyone knew that the village would never be the same.
"Jeremy! Elena! Hurry up! We have got to get to school!" I shout up the stairs. Elena rushes down.
"I'm here and ready to go. We just need to get Jeremy," Elena says.
"Get some food first. I made some eggs. Jenna is in the kitchen," I tell her, and she nods in response. It's been a few days since Vicki's grave has been discovered. Elena and I have been hanging out with Matt and Caroline more since then. Bonnie is still with her family, who are apparently missing me. I just think they miss all the labor I was putting in. Stefan is still detoxing from human blood. Well, from what I hear. Elena hasn't seen him in days either. She let him drink from her during the fight at the house, during the fight against Frederick. It was a bad idea, but Elena unable to fight and Stefan incapacitated, I guess it's the best of a bad lot. And I wasn't there, so there's nothing I can really say. I can certainly think it, but…
So, because she can't see Stefan, she goes with me to visit Matt and hang out with Caroline.
I wait a few a more minutes for Jeremy.
Elena comes back with Jenna following. "Come on, Jeremy. Going to school," she calls. She grabs some other piece of clothing. I didn't bother getting a good look at it. I see her and am about to open the door when she says, "Walking out the door now."
Jenna grabs Elena. "You forgot this." She holds out Elena's silver notebook for English. Elena thanks her and I turn around and open the door to see Uncle John, poised to knock. Shit.
"Emilia," he greets with a bright smile. He sees Elena. "Hi, Elena."
"Uncle John… Hi," I say. I never know how to feel about Uncle John's visits. They are sporadic and he has always been a bit weird and secretive. But he's family, one of the only ones left.
John looks over our shoulders to see another face. "Jenna," he greets.
"John, you made it," Jenna says. So, she knew he was going to be here.
"Said I'd be in by noon," he replies. He walks in.
Jenna grunts, "Oh, what you say and what you do are typically 2 very different things." A familiar sentiment with him.
That is when Jeremy walks downstairs. "Uncle John, what's up?" He slaps him on the shoulder as he passes on our way out. Thank God. Jeremy just walks out. No time for pleasantries.
"I'll be in the car," I tell Elena. She nods and continues to talk to Uncle John and Jenna. A few minutes in the car, when I text Matt to tell him that we will meet up at his locker, and then Elena walks in and we drive to school. Elena tells me what she talked about with Uncle John. When we go to school, she has to meet with our English teacher about an essay rewrite. I go to meet Matt at his locker.
"Uncle John is in town," I say by way of greeting. He smiles at me as he opens his locker. I lean on another locker by his.
"How long is he staying?" Matt asks.
"He said his trip is open-ended," I reply.
Matt opens his backpack and starts to switch out some books. "Uncle John. Never really liked that guy," he says.
I give a short laugh. "Does anyone?"
"I am here for moral support if you need me." I smile at him. This is what I love about Matt. He is so sweet and kind and supportive. I really wish I could always be like that, but I can't do that anymore. I am no longer that person.
"Thanks. But I will suffer this one alone." I sigh and then I put on a secretive smile. "Or I'll drag Elena with me. " Matt laughs as he grabs a few books. "Besides you have been through enough." His smile drops and I hate myself for bringing Vicki up.
"Thank you, by the way," I shake my head bashfully. "At Vicki's funeral and her memorial." I put my hand on Matt's arm for support and comfort. "I couldn't have done it without you."
"Of course, Matt." I practically did everything for Vicki's funeral. I planned everything from the venue of the memorial to the flowers to what Vicki was going to wear in her casket. Although I dragged Elena in to help. It was a total Caroline move, but I had done it, because I felt so guilty that she was dead. Stefan may have been the one to do the staking, but I would have done the same. She didn't deserve to die. She deserved to have gotten the chance to turn her life around. I looked at the ground for a few more seconds before I needed to change the topic. "So is Caroline still cooking for you round-the-clock?" With all the things I had done for the Donovan's, Caroline was left with very few things to do to help, so she decided to bake….and cook….and bake some more. Kelly had gotten so fed up, she started to give the food to me, and I brought it to the hospital to help cheer up patients.
"No. She finally went to her dad's," Matt closes his locker. "Which is a good thing, because my mom was gonna strangle her if she dropped off one more lasagna." I laugh and we head to class.
I have a study session with my AP friends to go over tests and homework. As much as I love learning, junior year sucks. I head home to find Jenna, Jeremy, and Uncle John (all the J's) in the kitchen, eating Chinese takeout and discussing the importance of Founders' Day and our family history. I walk in and lean against the door frame, crossing my arms and legs. I hear Uncle John say, "One day, when you can appreciate the significance, I'll tell you all about your heritage."
I make myself known. "Ah yes, the Gilbert Family Legacy." They turn and face me. "Such a time honored coming of age moment," I say slightly wistfully, but mostly sarcastic.
Jenna goes back to washing dishes. "I forgot how sacred it was," she says. "I'm not a Gilbert, so I was never cool enough to hear it."
I nudge her with my hip. "You are too cool to be forced to listen to the boring history of this family."
She bumps me with her elbow. "Coming from the girl who devours history texts like Jeremy eats food."
Jeremy and I both exclaim, "Hey!" Jenna and John both laugh. Jenna stops, realizes she is laughing with John, and then glares semi-weakly at him.
Jeremy turns to Uncle John, "Why does she hate you?"
John, not looking up from his Chinese food, replies, "We used to sleep together." Woah! Jenna throws a towel at John. He ducks, the towel just barely missing his head. Jeremy jumps back and I turn to Jenna.
"Aunt Jenna!" I say laughing at her behavior.
John turns to Jenna. She says, "I'm standing right here." He just smiles and turns back to his food. I chuckle, grab some takeout from the table and sit down to eat. This almost feels like a normal night in the Gilbert Household.
You know, just with Uncle John.
The next morning, Elena and I talk. We decide that it is time to tell Jeremy about us being adopted. I am super nervous. He has always been my kid brother. We are just getting back to a normal place, after our parents and after Vicki. I don't want that to change quite yet. But Elena convinced me, so we decided to take him on a walk by the river and tell him there. We find him drawing at his desk in his room.
We knock on the door. He turns and greets us, "Hey. What's up?" He then turns back to his drawing.
"Do you have some time to talk?" Elena asks.
Jeremy pauses. "Uh, yeah, sure." He turns around.
"Not here," I say. "Come one. Let's get out of the house." He pauses, nods, gets up, and grabs his jacket. The walk to the woods is pretty quiet, but not uncomfortable. When we finally reach the river, we walk along the bank and we tell him that we are adopted. We say that we love him and he will always be our little brother no matter what. He is silent for a few moments.
"I just can't believe mom and dad never told you that you two were adopted," he says.
"I'm sure they would've eventually," Elena replies.
"Jenna says that they were going to tell us when we were eighteen," I add. I keep walking, looking down.
"Why were you worried about what I thought?" Jeremy asks.
"Because," I start. But then I think for another moment and lose my confidence. "I don't know."
"It's just weird," Elena continues for me. "Going through your whole life thinking you're related by blood to someone…" I know that nothing has really changed. We are still family, but it feels like something should be different.
"Does it bug you that we're not?"
I shake my head, "No, Jer. You're our brother. That's all that really matters."
Jeremy smiles and we walk silently for a few more moments.
"So Mr. Saltzman said you've been doing great in history now," Elena says. Elena told me last night about the extra credit paper he wrote about vampires. Elena wants to know what Jeremy knows. I don't think it matters too much. It could just be a paper. He read Jonathan's journal and that had a lot of stuff about vampires. But really, I just don't want to deal with Jeremy being part of this world too. It's enough just trying to contain Elena.
"Yeah. Yeah, he's really been helping me out." Jeremy looks down at the ground for a moment. "He gave me some extra credit and stuff."
"He loved your vampire paper," Elena says, sticking her hands in her pockets. She is definitely uncomfortable; the pocket things is one of her tells. I nudge her. She questions me with her eyes. I plead with her to let it go, but she ignores me and turns back to Jeremy.
"Yeah, he thought I had a clever angle."
"What drew you to that subject matter?" I roll my eyes at my twin's lack of subtlety.
Jeremy looks away for a second before turning back to face us. "Uh, I don't know. Um, boredom." He is avoiding something. This is about Anna. Apparently, they are still spending time together. Stupid kidnapping vampires getting my brother involved in things he shouldn't be. He turns back to face forward. "Or maybe I'm just as nuts as the long line of Gilbert crazies," he says as he faces us.
I laugh quietly. "The Gilberts aren't crazy," I defend.
"Ah, easy for you to say. You're not one," Jeremy replies. Um, ouch. I reach past Elena to push him. He pushes me back before we are full-on sibling fighting. I've got him in a light headlock before Elena breaks us apart. We walk back laughing.
Tonight is the opening to the Founder's Day celebrations, the week-long (read month) time of year where we are forced to participate in a bunch of dull activities to celebrate the founding of this town. As much as I love history, doing this every year really sucks. It's the same party over and over. And, of course, this is the 150-year celebration, which means extra celebration.
This year is also the year that Elena and I participate in the Miss Mystic Falls pageant. Our mom really loved it, so we signed up to make her happy. I love the underlying meaning of helping our community that was behind the pageant, but I hate the bitchiness that comes with it.
But right now, I have to focus on the event tonight, which is sure to be some clusterfuck, seeing as that is how our lives are right now.
I enter with Elena, Jeremy, and Jenna. Of course, Elena immediately walks over to Stefan. She told me earlier that he has been a little funky since he had her blood, but I've got to say, it can't be easy getting over human blood after years of animal. That's got to be something like having some oxycodone after only taking Tylenol. I leave them be for now. I don't need to insert myself into the middle of their drama. I go and find some of my other friends. Caroline is with her dad and Bonnie is still with her family, so I go find Valerie and Erica, my Brainiac AP friends.
I hear a fast-paced song and look over to see Stefan in the middle of the dance floor, actually looking like he is having fun. Something is definitely wrong, but I feel like I won't like answers to any of my potential questions.
About an hour later, the dance floor is packed. Elena has gone off chatting with some girls from her English class. There is some group project that they have been working on. I hang with Jenna by the food. We are sort of dancing to the music but mainly chatting. I look over her shoulder to see Alaric heading in our direction. I turn to her with a smirk, "History teacher, 3 o'clock."
Jenna quickly peeks and turns back to me with a smile. "How do I look?"
"Beautiful," I reply. She gives me a bright smile as Alaric walks up to us.
"Ah, I've been looking for you," he says to Jenna.
"Here I am," she replies. Awww, but eww. Again. It's their whole relationship summed up by me. "I haven't seen you in a while."
Alaric shrugs and put his hands in his pockets. He looks over to me for a second before turning back to Jenna. "Yeah. Well, uh, things have been a little crazy. But I'm here now. Do you wanna get a drink?"
"Sure," Jenna replies with a smile.
"Okay, great," Alaric says as they walk away.
I smile at them and then Matt walks up to me. "When did this happen?" Matt asks, referring to the dancing around us.
"The DJ had a change of heart," I say. I found out that Stefan compelled the DJ, but I don't really care at the moment.
"Wanna dance?" Matt asks. I know he is probably drunk, because he doesn't normally like to dance, so I'm a little apprehensive.
"I don't know," I hesitate.
"Yes," he replies, grabbing my hand.
"Matt," I lean away from him.
"Yes." He starts tugging on my hand.
"Matt," I groan.
"Come on. You know you want to." Damn him for being right. I follow him onto the dance floor. He puts one hand on my hip and the other holds my hand, in very proper form, but we are just swaying back and forth fast instead. I start laughing which makes him smile. We keep dancing for a good long while with Elena joining us a few minutes after we started dancing. Matt eventually wanders off to find Tyler and get even more hammered. If he weren't grieving and a dumb teenage boy, I would try to stop him, but he is both. Stefan joins us to dance with Elena while I dance with Erica. I notice that there was some sort of confrontation between Stefan and some random guy. I focus just in time to see Stefan compel him to apologize to Elena.
Ok, now it's time to ask questions. I guess I have to go find Damon.
I find Damon in the first place I look, at the bar ordering bourbon. I walk up to him, lean against the bar, and grab some bread from the platter on the bar. "Have you seen what your brother has been up to?"
"Nope. Been too preoccupied with yours," he replies. I give him a look of confusion. "Jeremy's been asking questions about Vicki's Donovan's death." Oh crap.
I rub a hand across my forehead. "He is supposed to know that her death was ruled an overdose," I mutter. This is going to be headache-inducing.
"Really? 'Oh, but Sheriff, someone buried her. Who would do that?' I know. I know." Damon says raising his hand and then points to himself. "Me. I mean, I could compel him, but he's wearing vervain."
I immediately respond, "You are not compelling him again."
"If he keeps asking question…"
I grab the short, thick stake that I hid in the skirt of my dress, and I get up into his personal space and press the stake lightly into the approximate area of his left kidney. It wouldn't kill him like it would a human, but it would hurt and maybe he'll pee blood for a "Damon, no. I'm serious." I back away and place the stake back. I grab a grape from the platter. "I will not let you do that to him again. Elena and I will handle it." I pop the grape into my mouth.
I see Damon grab a yellow rose from the vase next to him. He sniffs it before saying, "Okay. Don't say I didn't warn you." He hands me the rose. He backs away for a second before coming back to whisper in my ear, "Do you always carry stakes?"
"I'm always prepared," I say back. He smirks and walks away. I sniff the flower, and it sadly smells amazing. Yellow roses signify friendship. Damn him for being decent. I may now have to admit that he can actually be civil. Maybe, maybe even a little helpful. I sigh, Damn him. I place the rose in my purse and go find Elena.
We find Jeremy in the den, sitting on the couch, staring into the fire. I let Elena do the talking. This is her mess. She chose to have Damon compel Jeremy into forgetting what happened with Vicki. Elena walks in and sits on the couch next to Jeremy. I decide to stay back and lean against the doorway.
"I heard about your conversation with Sheriff Forbes," Elena says as she sits down.
"No one is trying to figure out what happened to her. They're all willing to believe that she OD'd," Jer replies. That is the way this town works. Supernatural things happen all the time, but people chose to ignore them in favor of their happy, simple lifestyles. Or the Council gets them to believe it.
"The coroner's office confirmed it. If that's what they said happened, then-"
"Is that what you believe?"
Elena pauses before asking, "What do you think happened?"
Jeremy replies slightly aggressively, "I think somebody killed her and buried her body." Elena looks back to me in surprise and I look around to see if someone heard that. He is accurate with that assumption. "And I don't think we should write it off just 'cause it's easy."
"They're just doing what they can to move on," Elena says. She is totally digging herself into a hole right now. Jeremy is getting pretty pissed and Elena is not doing anything to help that.
"The truth is the only thing that's gonna help people move on." I really wish I could say that is true, because it could help. But unfortunately, we don't live in a world where that is true.
"Jer, just- just let it go. Okay?" She takes a breath before continuing. "Whatever it was, she's gone now."
"Whatever it was?" Uh-oh. We're in trouble. No, Elena's in trouble. "So you don't think it was an overdose."
"Yes. I- I do."
"Is there something you're not telling me?" How I wish I could just scream yes and tell him everything, but I don't think that would do much to help the situation. It could also put Jeremy into more danger. Elena looks away. "Why aren't you looking at me?" Cause she is hiding the truth from you. I roll my eyes at the situation Elena put herself in.
"Stop it." Elena faces Jeremy again. "That doesn't mean anything."
Jeremy looks at her in surprise and confusion and some slight betrayal. "If there was something else, you would tell me, right?"
Elena nods. "Of course I would." Jeremy looks at me. I keep my face blank but nod slightly. Elena gets up and leaves.
Jeremy stays sitting for a few more moments before turning to me. "She is lying to me," Jeremy says.
I keep my face blank, "There are things that she doesn't want you to know. Things that we want to protect you from."
"Why won't you just tell me?!" He asks, standing up.
I walk closer to him. "Do you really think that it would help? Do you really think that learning the true way that Vicki died is really going to help the pain of her loss?" He looks down at the ground. "Do you really think that hearing that she died in some worse way is not going to completely overlap your happy memories of her, so the only thing you can think about is how she died and not the way she lived?" Jeremy doesn't respond, but I could tell he was questioning whether or not he should actually hear it. "Well do you?"
He shakes his head.
I raise his head so that we are making eye contact. I speak to him quietly, "It is okay for you to want to understand why she died, but there are somethings in this world that we cannot understand. This is one of those things that it is better for you to just let go." I take a deep breath before continuing. It is time he knew. "But if you are absolutely sure that you want to know, tell me and I will explain it to you. But you need to be absolutely sure, beyond absolutely. You cannot have a doubt in your mind, because it will change everything."
Jeremy stares as his eyes goes dark, clearly lost in his thoughts.
I gave him a tight hug and then I head back to the party.
On the way there, I walk past Matt who greets me with, "Who knew I'd be missing all the fun at the Founder's parties."
I look around to see most everyone is plastering fake smiles or really drunk, the usual party fare. "This is rare, believe me."
"It is bad that I'm, uh, enjoying myself?"
I turn to him and give him a sad smile, "No. It's great that you're enjoying yourself. Thanks for the dances." I put my hand on his shoulder and give it a squeeze.
"Hey, not a problem." We smile and he wraps his arm around me in a ug. "I'm gonna get some air. Wanna come with me?"
He is leaning on me a little more than usual, so I nod and agree. I lead him outside to help sober up.
"Hey, have you seen my mom anywhere?" He asks, as we pass through the party.
I answer as a put my wrap on. "Um, no. I saw her for a split second hours ago, but I haven't seen her since." I look over and see Elena and Stefan, apart and brooding. I decide to just ignore it for now. Matt and I walk outside and I see something that makes my stomach turn over 3 times.
"Oh my god." Kelly and Tyler are making out a little way away.
Matt runs over and pulls Tyler off of his mom. Oh, that's just a bizarre thing to have to do. Matt and Tyler start fighting, pushing Kelly into a table of glasses, knocking it over and showering her with pieces of glass. Some pieces hit her, but I don't think she is too hurt, not marks that need stitches at least. Tyler and Matt start rolling around on the ground, punching each other. I scream at them to stop. I would try to get between them, but they are moving too fast that I would just wind up hurting myself. Tyler gets the advantage and holds Matt to the ground choking him. Alaric and I pull him off of Matt, who starts coughing. Alaric pushes Tyler against the wall to create some distance while I check on Matt. Matt is coughing, has a bad cut on his cheek and is going to have a lot of bruises in the morning, but other than that he seems to be fine. Tyler calms down and then Mayor Lockwood comes out to take control. Mayor Lockwood gets the crowd that appeared to disperse. I get someone to grab some cloth and some water. I make Matt drink some water while I clean up his face. He thanks me and I give him another hug. I wish him a good luck, because I know he has to deal with his mom.
The party quickly slows down. I leave almost immediately after Uncle John gives his speech. When I get home, I find some lights on. I head upstairs to find Jeremy in Elena's room. I find him reading her diary. "What do you think you are doing?" He looks up at me in surprise. "You better have a good explanation for this."
"I just wanted to know what happened to Vicki."
"I told you that I would tell you if you really wanted to know. You didn't have to do this."
He looks down in shame. "I'm sorry." He sits down on her bed.
I sit down on the bed next to Jeremy. I take Elena's diary from his hands. I place it next to me and I rub his back. "So, what did you read?"
"She thought that Vicki was a monster."
I sigh. "There are so many darker parts to this world, Jer. I tried to protect you for as long as I could. I wish you never had to experience this." I take a deep breath before beginning to explain. "The things you said in your history paper were true. There are vampires in this world and in Mystic Falls. Stefan and Damon are vampires, your friend Anna is a vampire, and Vicki was one too."
Jeremy gasps.
But I continue, "The day of that fire in the cemetery, Damon took Vicki and turned her. She had a lot of trouble adjusting and controlling her urges. She was out of control. I don't know how much you remember. But she was acting weird and scared you for a few days. And then, she became dangerous and attacked you. Stefan and I fought her off and Damon killed her." Tears were streaming down Jeremy's face. I pulled him into a hug so he was crying silently into my shoulder. "You watched her die as an uncontrollable monster. You completely broke down and it was heartbreaking to watch. You couldn't understand what was going on and you were so upset. Elena had Damon compel you to forget. I tried to convince her not to, but she didn't listen to me. She hated to see you like this and wanted to protect you. She kept it from you for your safety, not because she wanted to hurt you."
Jeremy wiped the tears from his face. He thanked me and he went off to his room. I wish that there was something else I could do. The least I can do is give him some time by not telling Elena about the diary. I put the diary back in its hiding place.
Bonnie returns the next day during History class. She gives Elena a small smile that immediately falls when she saw Stefan. I grab Caroline and we meet up with her at lunch to welcome her back.
"Bonnie! Thank god you're home!" Caroline says as we rush to give her a hug. Elena is there with her which can't be good. Bonnie told me how she wasn't super happy with Elena after hearing the tomb spell failed. But right now, I really want to focus on one of my best friends being back and making through Founder's week. Caroline breaks off her hug so I can get in there. "I know we spoke every day, but I missed you." I fake cough. "We missed you." Bonnie smiles at us and we smile back. It is great to have her back.
"How are you doing with everything?" I ask.
"Better. Just better. You know, just glad to be back, and trying to keep myself busy," Bonnie replies.
"Well, I can help with that. Major wardrobe confab needed ASAP," Caroline says. "You need to help me find the perfect dress for the Founder's Court." I groan quietly at the thought of going through the whole Miss Mystic Falls process. I don't even have an escort yet.
"The Founder's Court?" Elena asks. "Did I miss something?"
We all turned to Elena. Caroline's shocked face was priceless. She quickly transformed it into something less offended. "You know, The Founder's Court. Miss Mystic Falls."
"They announced it today, and, um, us three are all on it," I say referring to me, Caroline, and Elena.
Elena groans, "Oh my god, we signed up for that so long ago, I completely forgot."
Caroline scoffs. "Yeah. So, are you dropping out then?" Bonnie and I roll our eyes. Always the competitive one, Care.
"I can't," Elena says.
"No?" Caroline asks.
Elena and I both look at the ground, memories of our mom flash into our minds. Bonnie replies for us, "Their mom was the one who wanted them to enter." We nod silently. I have always admired the pageant and the idea that it supports, but I never wanted to really enter until our mom convinced me. I never thought I was pretty enough to compete, especially after all that had happened before.
We change the conversation to school and head back to classes.
For the first part of the Miss Mystic Falls pageant, there is an interview. Carol Lockwood sits behind a table along with two former Miss Mystic Falls. They ask questions to try to get to know each candidate. Mrs. Lockwood starts my interview with the statement, "This year's queen will have the special honor of taking center stage at the 150th Founder's Day Gala. Before we crown our winner, we'd like to get to know a bit more about each of you." I try to smile as naturally as possible, but I am really uncomfortable. I feel like I'm being scrutinized and judged, which I hate, and it's only gotten worse recently. I know that Caroline listed all of her activities. Elena probably made excuses for her lack of activity but made it sound nice. Stupid writer skills. Plus, the other contestants all have better prepared answers than I do.
But I have to try my best.
I take a deep breath before trying to sound as qualified as I can, "Well, I have continued working with many students tutoring them in a variety of subjects. I recently started an after-school arts program for the children in this town. This project has gotten some attention and there was talk of expanding it for kids in under-privileged areas. I have also continued working with many shelters, including the soup kitchen and the animal shelter. My main project always has been my support of the Historical Society's work, often contributing to the research and archives of the group. And I have been participating in events since I was a child. It always is and has been my favorite aspect of this town's events. I do regret not having enough time to work on my project for the conservation of natural lands, especially for the areas around our lovely town. But as you know, my health and the health of my family has been an issue that did take some time." I try to swallow the lump in my throat before I continue, "But I am so grateful for the opportunity to be considered for Miss Mystic Falls. My mother really loved this pageant. She believed in my causes, in supporting the community, and she encouraged me to sign up. I am so honored to be nominated and I am so grateful to her for her support and encouragement for me to be in the running for this title."
Carol Lockwood almost looks pleased. Is that a good or bad thing?
The second part of the Miss Mystic Falls pageant is dance practice in the cafeteria after school. Teddy, another AP friend, volunteered to be my escort and I could not be more grateful. He is super sweet and is seriously the best guy ever, with Matt being a super close second. (But Caroline has obvious claims on Matt, being her boyfriend and all). His family, the Richardson's, are related to the founding families, but not directly enough to be forced to participate. He doesn't have to do this which is one reason he is such an amazing friend. Dancing with him is also great because his family sent him to cotillion for a few years when he was younger, so he knows how.
Carol Lockwood gives the instructions for the dance, such as "Honor your partner, right hand around, focus, flirt with the eyes, not the hands." Teddy and I are already good enough at this dance, so we just make faces at each other and Carol when she is not looking at us. Elena and Stefan are also goofing off next to us. Stefan grabbed her and then gave her a spin and a dip. And of course, Carol breaks it up with something about the intimacy of the near-touch. She complements Amber and I as she passes back to the front.
I give Teddy a look of confusion as soon as her back is to us.
When the practice is over, Bonnie comes in to join Caroline.
I quickly run over to join Caroline right as she is analyzing the competition. "The Fell cousins don't have a shot."
I walk over and whisper, "I can't believe they are letting Lauren compete again. She already won."
Caroline nods, "Plus, Tina's volunteer work was all for her DUI." Caroline looks over, "And, Amber Bradley is only on the court so the pageant doesn't look like it's 'Founding Families only'. Which of course, it is."
I shake my head, "Yeah but that's a good thing, Care. This whole thing and the Founder's events are so elitist."
Bonnie chuckles and pushes me, "You say that like you're not a Founder's kid. You love Founder's history."
I nudge her back, "Hey! I love all history! And I would love for this town to talk about anything else. But since glorifying the Civil War is all we seem to talk about in this town, might as well try to remind people that it's a shit time period to glorify. And that we should be more inclusive in these events. Like look at Carol. She's not even really from a 'Founding Family." We turn to face her. "If she didn't marry into the Lockwood's, she would barely have any attention."
Caroline shakes her head, "She won Miss Mystic Falls her year."
"And look what happened to her," I warn sarcastically.
"Hey," Caroline defends. "My grandmother was Miss Mystic. And both of my aunts. My Mom's the only one who didn't get the gene. I want this. I deserve this."
"Excuse you," I interject. "I could still win."
Bonnie gives me a look and rolls her eyes.
Caroline scoffs.
Oh. Right. I'm me. I don't win beauty pageants.
I swallow my disappointment. "You're right." I look over at Elena who is smiling in Stefan's arms. How can I win anything when I'm against her? "Who am I kidding? I'm a pity candidate. Not real Miss Mystic Falls material."
"Emmy," Bonnie starts.
But Elena walks over and Bonnie goes silent.
Stefan tries greeting Bonnie, but Bonnie basically just glares.
"I begged Bonnie to fill in for Matt. He had to work," Caroline explains.
"That boy. Such a hard worker," I comment. But it falls flat as Elena and Bonnie continue to stare awkwardly at each other.
"Bonnie, do you have a minute?" Elena asks.
Bonnie shakes her head slightly, "We only have 30 minutes for rehearsal."
"It'll only take a minute. Please?" Elena pleads
Elena and Bonnie go outside to talk, so I turn to Caroline and start talking about dresses. I know Bonnie is probably explaining how she is mad at Stefan and blaming him for the death of Grams. I know it sucks for Elena, but I totally get where Bonnie was coming from. I mean, up until Vicki's death, I was the same with Elena and she is my twin. Bonnie has a lot more reason to hate the Salvatore's and less reason to forgive them. Caroline and I talk for a few more minutes until Bonnie walks back in. I wish them good luck and I leave to get the last of the supplies I need for the pageant.
The next day is the pageant. It's a beautiful spring day, the perfect day for a pageant.
Alaric volunteered to drive us as Elena and I need to be there early and Jenna is helping. I wanted to drive myself, but Jenna insisted. I think she feels a bit emotional because she is the one doing this.
But then again, all of us are.
Or most of us. Uncle John seems to be continuously lurking around. He actually thought he was driving us. Like we haven't had more than three conversations and he's been with us for 2 weeks. But Jenna shoved us out the door and into Alaric's car before John could really protest.
The contestants are all in one dressing room, which is a guest room in the Lockwood mansion that was converted for this event. I hang up the dresses as Elena sets up the makeup. She does herself quickly before she forces me into a chair. Elena tries to attack me with various makeup brushes, but I wave her off. I can manage makeup on my own. I have a stupid amount of experience. Maybe not experience doing this type of makeup, but close enough. Elena still tries to do my eye makeup, which I eventually allow her to do. Jenna laughs as she steams our dresses free of wrinkles.
Jenna eventually comes over to help with our hair, which mostly involves working the curling wand on Elena.
"Thank you," Elena says to Jenna. I turn back to my own station to apply a bit more blush. Maybe I can trick myself into looking actually happy to be here.
Jenna chuckles. "Don't thank me until you're sure your hair isn't going to burn off."
Elena smiles, but it falls for a moment as she says, "When we, I mean mom and I, were first applying for this. She was so excited."
Jenna picks up another strand of hair, "So were you, if I recall."
"I was," Elena nods.
I lean my head on my head as I look at my twin, "She made it sound so fun."
Elena looks over at me with her eyes, "A lot has changed since then."
"I hate to break it to you," Jenna says, "But it's a little late for cold feet."
"I don't have cold feet…I just…I think I'd be enjoying it a lot more if she was here," Elena replies.
I lower my hand with my makeup brush as I think through what Elena said. I can't help but agree with her. Our mom would be cheering us all the whole way through. I know she would be right next to me, giving me encouragement and complimenting both of us throughout the entire thing. She always took the time to make me feel beautiful, even if that was compliment most used to describe Elena.
Jenna sighs, before she jokes, "I'll tell you one thing. Your hair would have a better chance if she was."
Elena stands to put her dress on as Jenna makes her way to me.
"Careful with that thing," I warn as she walks over waving the hot curling wand. "That might be a weapon in your hands."
Jenna shush me as she starts on my hair. She curls most of it before she puts it in an updo. When she's done, it's time to get dressed and line up.
My dress is this satin green with dark green leaf-design lace going up the sides. It has one strap on my left shoulder that is covered in the lace, which also goes across the top of the dress, over my chest. My hair is braided starting on the top left of my head and going across the top of my head, so my hair is pinned to my right side in a bun with some curls hanging out. I'm wearing black drop earrings with emerald gemstones and black strappy heels. My medium brown eyes shine in this color and it matches my olive skin tone well.
Elena looks amazing in her sapphire dress with two straps the cross at her back. She has her long dark hair curled, with half held back with sapphire pins, except for one curl in the front that hangs by her face. She is wearing pearl drop earrings and her locket that Stefan gave her. Caroline looks fabulous in this pale pink gown. It has a geometric strapless neckline, what looks like two small pockets on the front of her hips, and a slit up the middle of the skirt to her knees. Her hair is softly curled inwards with the left side pinned back with diamond clip and she has diamond stud earrings. She looks like some modern princess. Tina Fell is wearing this orange monstrosity. It looks like some beach/summer dress with the middle string halter neckline that someone tried to make fancy with a gold detail in the center of the bust. It could look good on someone with a different skin tone, but with her hair dyed the shade of blonde it is, it makes her look very yellow. The other two contestants are not very unique. One wears grey while Lauren Fell wears black and white. No one seems to be able to locate Amber. It sucks because I know she gets panic attacks and she is the only one not from a founding family.
We are all lined up waiting to descend the stairs to where we meet our escort and then go to the dance floor. Tina Fell is descending the stairs when Elena gets cold feet. Stefan is MIA and the doubt of being a participant hits her full force. "Do you see Stefan?" Elena asks as she looks down the staircase.
Caroline and I walk over to the opposite sides of Elena; I walk to her right and Caroline goes to her left. "No. Just my boring fill-in escort."
I turn to her. "What happened to Matt?" I ask.
Caroline sighs, "They wouldn't let him out of work." That really sucks. I know Caroline was really looking forward to dancing with Matt. Him on the other hand, not as much.
"What happened to Stefan?" I ask Elena.
"I don't know. He just disappeared somewhere," she replies. "I don't know." She takes a deep breath before continuing. "What am I doing? I never should have gone through with this." She finished facing Caroline.
"What do you mean?" Caroline asks. Oh, Elena is getting cold feet again. She is pulling the whole I'm-a-different-person-thing. Too late for that.
"I need to find Stefan," Elena says. "This isn't me. I'm not this person anymore." She starts to walk away, back into the dressing room, passing Caroline.
Caroline stops her, "Uh, no, no, no, no way, no. You had your chance to drop out. And believe me, I was all for it. Because there is no way that I can beat you." Elena gives her a look. I roll my eyes at that look. She doesn't understand the feeling of being second best. "Elena, you're doing this because it was important to your mom." She looks like she is about to say more when her name is called.
"Ms. Caroline Forbes," Mayor Lockwood announces. Caroline smiles at Elena, takes a breath and starts to descend the stairs, "and her escort Jeffrey Lockwood Hamilton." I smile as I watch her move down the stairs, she looks like a proper queen. I only wish she could understand that.
"Elena, you are next," Carol Lockwood says. Elena looks down and then back up at me worried. Where the hell is Stefan?
I grab her hands and get her to look me in the eyes, "Hey, today is not about the supernatural. Today is about mom. And how she wanted us to enjoy this. So, focus on the pageant and worry later."
She nods and takes a deep breath right as her name is called.
"Ms. Elena Gilbert, escorted by Mr. Stefan Salvatore," Mayor Lockwood announces. There is applause as she descends the stairs. Stefan is still not there, so as she reaches the base of the stairs, Damon steps in. That's not good, but I guess it is better than her having to walk alone. And I have to admit, unfortunately, they make a stunning couple. Although that thought is like a bit of vomit in my mouth.
Carol Lockwood nods to me and gives me a big smile. "Good luck, Emilia."
I smile back at her gratefully. I guess she's actually being nice for once. Maybe it's time to accept her kindness for being what it is today.
I take a deep breath as Mayor Lockwood announces my name, "Ms. Emilia Gilbert, escorted by Theodore Richardson."
I try to use all the grace that I learned from years of dance and cheer lessons as I descend the stairs. I smile politely at everyone that I see, including Jenna, Alaric, and Uncle John. I notice out of the corner of my eye Jeremy speaking with Anna. My instinct to keep him safe battles with my desire for him to be happy when I see him with her. I'm busy at the moment, so I let it be for now, I just ignore it. Teddy takes my hand and we walk outside to the dance floor. We line up with everyone else; I join the contestants in the left line and Teddy stands at the end of the right line, next to Damon. Once Amber has been officially marked as disappeared and disqualified, the music starts.
We step up to our partners and curtsy/bow, and then step back into our original positions. I hear Elena and Damon whisper something to each other but I ignore it, focusing on the dance at hand. Don't look stupid. Don't mess up. We raise our right hands with our palms facing our partner, and circle around our partner clockwise without our hands touching, as Carol said the whole romantic tension of the near touch. Once we return to our starting positions again, we drop our right hands, raise our left and turn the other way, all while keeping our eyes locked. It's super easy to keep focus on Teddy's eyes, because they are a sparkling turquoise, so open and honest. He is so sweet, and it would be so nice if I were attracted to a guy like him, but no, I need to get screwed over by man of mystery. We then drop our left hand and then raise both hands, circling again to the right, just as we practiced. We then step into the dance position, with my left hand on his shoulder, his right hand on my hip, and our other hands interlocked. We then start to waltz. Teddy and I stay towards the edge of the dance floor, but we sometime cross paths with Elena and Damon. I notice them dancing together decently well out of the corner of my eye. Soon the dance is over and we bow/curtsy again. All in all, I think Teddy and I did good.
Night falls, the party moves inside and they are finally about to announce the winner. Amber and Stefan are still missing. Who knows where they could be now? But everyone's focus remains on the pageant. All the remaining contestants are lined up on the stage with the Mayor holding envelopes with the second runner-up, the runner-up and the winner's names in different envelopes.
He starts, "Before I announce the winner I'd like to offer a personal thank you to all of these young ladies for their efforts to better our community, so…" He pauses to let the audience give a round of applause before he continues, "So, without further ado, it is my honor to announce the positions of this year's Miss Mystic Court!"
He goes through the lowest positions first, which are Lauren Fell and Sophie Lockwood. Hat means that the four finalists are Tina Fell, Elena, Caroline, and myself. Not a huge surprise. He first announces that the third runner-up is Tina Fell, also not a big surprise. It is just down to me, Elena, and Caroline. We stand together with Caroline in the middle, and we hold hands as a sign of our friendship. We silently give each other support through our linked hands.
The Mayor announces that the second runner-up is Elena.
Shit…Fuck! What!
That is wildly unexpected. Elena has always been the pretty one and it was assumed she would be the winner since we were kids.
Caroline and I compose our shock enough to smile sadly at Elena, but she smiles brightly at us. She knows that we want it more than she does. I want to win for mom, to show she was right about me, and Caroline wants to win to prove that she is more than some dumb blonde and that she is the best. I guess we could both use that kind of validation. The Mayor introduces the winner by saying that he is "honored to announce the winner of this year's Miss Mystic Falls is…." Caroline and I smile at each other wishing each other and ourselves good luck. "…Caroline Forbes!" I turn to her in surprise. We hug tightly as applause rings out.
"I actually won!" she exclaims into my shoulder. I can hear the happy tears that I'm sure are in her eyes and her voice. I release her and give her a big smile. As she walks over to receive her crown and sash, she has the most radiant smile on her face that I have ever seen. I know this is truly a life-changing moment for her and I am so glad to be watching it. I know I also made my mother proud by being runner-up. She would be so proud of me participating in this pageant, I just wish she was here to see it.
Carol Lockwood passes me with a polite "Congratulations," as she gives me the runner up sash. But I don't even stop smiling for my best friend.
Later, Damon pulls Elena and I over to tell us what he found out about Stefan. He tells us, "There were signs of struggle in the upstairs bathroom. There was blood. And that Amber girl is still missing."
"Oh my god," I say as I rub my temples.
"He wouldn't hurt her," Elena says. "He won't." Yeah sure, the uncontrolled blood raging vampire is not going to hurt the helpless girl.
"Let's just find him, okay," Damon says. "Get your coats, come on."
We go outside and almost immediately we hear screaming. We bolt over to find Stefan feeding from Amber. Damon calls out for Stefan, pulling his focus from feeding on Amber, while I move to grab her. Damon is walking slowly to Stefan, giving encouragement to him, saying things like, "It is okay," "get some control," "Just breathe," or "You are doing fine." Stefan's face is bloody and he looks monstrous. I can tell it shocks Elena and Bonnie behind her. Stefan launches Damon into a tree. They start to face off, Elena calling for Stefan to stop, but he ignores her. Bonnie then does some magic trick on Stefan, that one that gives him a giant headache. He stops and falls to the ground holding his head in pain. I can feel the magic flowing through the air like I always do. Bonnie must have learned this trick after I left, because this could have come in handy a lot of times earlier this year. When Bonnie stops, the pain seems to have shocked Stefan back into himself. He looks around before running off.
Sheriff Forbes takes control of everything after he runs off. She has Amber cleaned up by some EMTs and takes her statement, which has been slightly revised by Damon. The Sheriff thanks us for being here and we say what needs to be said to make it seem like we don't know more than we should about what is going on. I do so hate lying to Liz, but she knows too much. She tells us that Amber is going to be okay and that she and Damon will take care of everything. I let Bonnie and Elena walk ahead to talk while I remain behind trying to stop the world from swaying.
Once we're home and changed, Elena is pacing in her room.
I know she's upset. Her boyfriend basically fell off the wagon and almost killed someone. I go back into my room and grab something before I head back to Elena.
I give her a hug and when I pull back, I hand her the object. A vervain tranquilizer.
"You know what you have to do, Lena."
She nods and grabs her jacket before she heads out.
I head back to my room and lie on my bed. I look over at my new sash and smile.
Mom would be proud.
A/N: Minor additions to some scenes.
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