OKAY, so this chapter used to be called 'Outtakes/Deleted Scenes', but I changed it to 'Summer Interlude'. These little snippets are slices of life that happen between the last chapter and the next chapter.
TW: Trauma flashback to Miriam's abuse at the hands of Mr. Schmitt (chapters 7 and 8) during Miriam's POV.
CAROLINE
Dear Mom,
I know we talked on the phone yesterday, but today the Mikaelsons and I moved into the new house! I'm emailing you because I've got SO MANY pictures attached.
Anyway, I LOVE my new room (first picture). I got to choose the paint and all the furniture. Elijah let me pick out my furniture, and I'm pretty sure my dresser (second picture) used to be owned by a princess. A PRINCESS. I have my own bathroom (third picture), and it's perfect! Well, the lighting could be better, but Jeremy has a bathroom that I can use to put make-up on, so it's all good. And Miriam and I are going shopping tomorrow, so I'm going to get new clothes.
The house is amazing (pictures 4-34)! Elijah named it 'Hearth Hall', because it is supposed to be a welcoming, safe place. And it is! The witches have warded every inch of the place to keep us safe. The pack is SO NICE and they're all doing well with the transformation. They are over nearly every day, and it's so fun!
The Martins are moving in with us. Dr. Martin is leaving to go find some important people/things for a thing I'm not supposed to tell you about. But anyway, Greta, her fiancé Maddox, and Greta's little brother Luka (he's my age) are moving in with us. Dr. Martin wants them to be safe while he's gone. And even though Greta, Maddox, and Luka are all witches, Dr. Martin is like THE witch. He's super powerful. Once he gets back he and Luka will move to a small cabin on the property, and so will Greta and Maddox. But for now the house is full.
I love it here, Mom. The Mikaelsons have been so nice to me and Miriam has become like a big sister to me. I know you didn't really want me to leave, but it's the best thing that could have happened to me. Once things settle down I would love for you to come visit.
Don't worry, I'm happy, Mom.
Look at the pictures!
Love,
Caroline
ELIJAH
It was shockingly easy to kidnap Elena Gilbert. The girl had no sense of self-preservation. All Elijah had to do was wait until John Gilbert was asleep before tossing a rock with a note attached through Elena's open window. The note said:
I have information about your father that you need to know about. - Elijah
Elijah didn't have any dirty secrets on John Gilbert, but Elena was already partially suspicious of her biological father/uncle, and desperate for answers. Elena's natural curiosity would be her downfall one day; that, along with her strange mix of savior-complex and damsel-in-distress syndrome.
Elena yelped when the rock landed on her carpeted floor. But instead of crying for John- the only other person in the house- she stayed silent. Elijah heard her open the note, then hesitate. She grabbed her phone, started to text someone, then seemed to think better of it and put her phone down. She dressed quickly, then tip-toed through the house.
The house was owned by John, so Elijah could not enter, but the instant Elena opened the back door and stepped outside he grabbed her.
One hand over her mouth and an arm around her waist, Elijah ran. He took her to the house that Niklaus was staying in with Greta and Maddox. The two witches were there waiting for him when he arrived.
"Let me go!" Elena screamed when he finally released her from his grip.
"Unfortunately, dear Elena, I cannot do that," Elijah apologized as he forced her to sit down in a chair. He and Maddox used rope to keep her in place and Greta fixed a gag around Elena's head to keep her quiet. "You see, your blood is needed to make hybrids. My brother desires hybrids. Ergo, your blood is needed. But do not worry, you will leave this place still breathing. I have no desire to see you dead. Despite what you believe, I am not the villain to your story. Niklaus is not your villain. We are leaving Mystic Falls tomorrow, and if all goes well, we are not coming back."
Now perfectly restrained, Elijah and the witches stepped away from the doppelganger. Greta left to get the ingredients and tools she needed, and Maddox began to set up the blood bags.
Despite being tied up, defiance oozed out of every pore in the young girl's body. She glared up at Elijah like he was personally responsible for every hardship she had ever faced. At that moment she looked too much like Katerina for Elijah's taste.
Katerina.
Katerina was either dead or dying by Niklaus's hands. He had promised to make her death quick, but Elijah had doubts. Niklaus harbored immense ill-will towards Katerina, and Elijah was unsure if Niklaus's need for brotherly companionship would outweigh his need for revenge. Katerina had denied Niklaus the chance for wholeness. Five hundred years of running from their father, and of searching for a possible way to break their mother's curse on his body and soul had brought them to Katerina, to hope. For a bright, shining moment Niklaus had hope that the two pieces of his soul could be reconnected. All that needed to happen was the death of three people: a vampire, a werewolf, and a Petrova doppelganger. Elijah had been firm in his promise to help Niklaus heal… until he laid eyes on Katerina.
Elijah had believed he would be strong enough to face a reincarnation of Tatia without hesitation. He believed that five hundred years of separation from his first love would have dampened his affections for that face. But then he had seen her, and old, buried emotions clawed their way to the surface.
Katerina had manipulated him, he could see that now. But in the moment all he could see was Tatia's smile and Tatia's laugh. The feeling of seeing his lost love alive (even if the person was slightly different) had blinded him to all of Katerina's faults. He had tried to save her, against the wishes of his dearest brother.
Katerina had not believed that Elijah could have saved her. She had taken her fate into her own hands, and had condemned Niklaus to five hundred more years of hell.
Elijah wouldn't betray his brother or his family ever again. And one way he was going to prove to Niklaus that he really was on his side was by making sure that every drop of hybrid-creating blood was extracted from Elena.
Elijah knelt down next to the girl. "I know this must be frightening to you. But I promise you, you will survive tonight. Afterwards, we will deliver you back to John Gilbert's house. We will not return for you for a long time. As far as my siblings, allies, and I are concerned, Mystic Falls and all of its inhabitants are in the past once we leave. However…" Elijah grabbed a fist-full of Elena's long hair, and pulled until she was looking him in the eye. "If you or your friends come after us, we will see it as a declaration of war. Understand that I do not enjoy killing teenagers. Bonnie Bennett is one of the last Bennett witches in the lower 48, and the supernatural community would love to watch her grow into a powerful witch. I would hate to have to kill her. You, my dear, are courting death the longer you plot against me and mine. I can promise you that if you make a move against my family, we will strike back twice as hard. Understand, Miss Gilbert, that you are worth more to my family if you are alive, and it would behoove you to stay within your boundaries. The instant you become too much of a hassle is the instant my brother will drain you of every drop of blood you possess, and he will make sure you do not survive the endeavor. Do you understand?"
His hand still in her hair, Elijah forced her head to nod.
"Good," he smiled at her. "I am glad you understand."
Elena just glared at him.
They were halfway through draining her of her blood when Elijah received a text from Niklaus: It is done. I am washing up and will be at the house in ten minutes.
He must have gone back to the farmhouse, Elijah mused privately. Even though Finn and Kol were with their mate, Niklaus must have returned to her after disposing of Katerina. Since his werewolf side had been freed, Niklaus had been spending more time with Miriam. It made Elijah's heart glad to watch his manic brother soften towards their shared mate.
Elijah and his brothers were nowhere near perfect, but they were trying, and Miriam was a large part of why they were trying. She had inspired a sense of unity in them. And yes, that unity was shaky at best, but it was unity all the same. And maybe they would have reached a point in the future where they all got along. Maybe Miriam was just a quickening agent. Regardless, she was in their life and making all the difference.
They were halfway done with draining Elena of her blood when Klaus arrived. His blond hair was wet and he had changed his clothing. Elijah wanted to ask what he had done to Katerina before her death that made the shower and change of clothes necessary, but he refrained from asking. He knew that Klaus had killed her, and that was all that mattered. She hadn't suffered extremely, and she was no longer a threat. It was a win-win for everyone involved… except for Katerina Petrova.
"Hello, brother," Niklaus greeted as he entered the room. His clothes were new and his hair was wet. The scent of their mate clung to him; he must have visited her before leaving the farmhouse. He was smiling widely, and his eyes lit up in satisfaction as took in Elena's prone form and the multiple vials of blood that were being produced. After each vial was filled Maddox immediately put a status charm on it to keep the blood fresh, and then the vial was placed into a cooler for added protection. Once all the blood was collected, Maddox would spell the box so that only Klaus could open it.
"I trust the business with Katerina has been wrapped up?" Elijah said.
"Of course. And I trust that this venture is proving to be successful?"
"It is. By the end of tonight, you will have the means to make dozens of hybrids if you so chose."
Savage pleasure shone in Niklaus's eyes. He knelt next to Elena's prone form and noted her unconsciousness. He looked up at Greta. "Can she hear me?"
"Possibly, but I wouldn't count on it," Greta shrugged. "Elijah asked me to ensure that she feels as little panic and pain as possible. The potion I shoved down her throat has knocked her out."
"Elijah, ever the humanitarian," Klaus rolled his eyes.
Elijah just shrugged. Elena, despite her poor treatment of Jenna and Jeremy and her horrible choices in men, was just a child. She had neither the experience or the life skills to claim adulthood, and Elijah honestly viewed her as a child instead of the woman that she imagined herself to be. She lacked Katerina's self-preservation and survival skills, and instead was relying on the people around her to protect her. If Elena truly wanted to best Niklaus and be a strong player, she would have turned herself into a vampire. But Elena valued her humanity above all else, even at the expense of those around her. While Elijah had never praised Katerina's decision to become a vampire, he could understand the motives behind the choice. If Elena was serious about not being a damsel in distress, she would have turned into a vampire the moment she realized that Klaus was after her blood.
In Elijah's more honest moments, he knew that he would not have chosen the life he currently lived. If he could return to the time before his parents turned him and his siblings into the monsters they currently were, he would stop them and live out the rest of his life as a human man. However, he could not return to the past, and if he was given the choice to become human in the present, he would turn the offer down. He did not enjoy power and influence like Niklaus did, but he did enjoy the security that his strength lent him and those under his care. He was one of the most powerful creatures that walked the planet, and he would not give that up for the misguided notion that being human made him more moral.
Elena's insistence on retaining her humanity was absurd. Niklaus seemed to agree.
"Dearest Elena, I must thank you for staying human," he said to the girl's unconscious form. "If you had turned, I would have lost the chance to create hybrids. An intelligent woman would turn after this, but I have a feeling you will not. You will cling to your humanity, your vampire lovers will bow to your wishes, and I shall return again and again to get what I want. It's a symbiotic relationship, I believe."
"More like parasitic," Elijah commented dryly.
Niklaus rolled his eyes once again.
The doppelganger blood harvesting took another hour. Greta poured blood replenishing potion down Elena's throat once they were finished. Klaus greedily collected the sealed box of Elena's blood from Maddox, and grinned at Elijah.
"I am returning to the farmhouse," he said, "and I shall be sleeping with this case for the foreseeable future."
Elijah had to chuckle at the image Niklaus's words inspired. "Best tell Miriam about your new bedmate before you consummate your relationship."
"I will ignore your attempt at humor and retreat with my prize. Be a dear and clean this up?" Klaus flashed Elijah a devilish smile, and then left with a whoosh.
"Younger brothers are a pain," Elijah commented, though he wasn't too angry.
"They really are," Greta agreed as she sorted her potions.
After they cleaned up, Elijah picked Elena up and ran with her back to John's house. He deposited her on the front porch with a handful of vials and a note that read:
Dear Elena:
We thank you for your contribution to the Mikaelson cause. To fully recover take each vial of blood replenishing potion one every four hours for the next day.
To those who care for Elena, know that we have only taken blood, and we seek nothing else from Elena or this town.
Any retribution will be dealt with swiftly and severely, for while we do not wish to continue to war with you, we will crush any and all threats to our family.
Stay in Mystic Falls, and we will not bother you.
- The Mikaelsons
Elijah knew that the Mystic Falls group would probably try to get revenge on the Mikaelsons, but at least he had tried to dissuade them. His hands were clean. Any and all actions against his family would be returned tenfold. They would not allow any threats against them to come to fruition.
KOL
It was a week after the group had moved to Roanoke, and Kol was itching to go hunting. The Mikaelsons and their various friends and allies were staying in a hotel, and even with the abundance of rooms and space available to their party, he still wanted to escape. He was not meant for confined spaces, not for long, anyways.
"Let's go hunting," Kol proposed to his brothers. It was early in the evening, and the humans had just finished dinner. Human food could be tasty, but it lacked the nutrition that human (and animal, if one were a savage) blood provided. Kol had spent many meals with his mate dutifully playing a civilized person, but he wanted to run and chase and kill.
"Splendid idea!" Klaus exclaimed. The Mikaelsons, Miriam, and Caroline were currently crowded in Miriam's room. Young Caroline had her own room (they all had their own rooms), but she preferred to spend her free time with Miriam or someone from their party. The blonde teen was gaining confidence, but she still hated silence and being alone.
Kol could relate. Now that he had Miriam and tentative relationships with his siblings, he was reluctant to leave them. Not out of affection, necessarily, but out of the fear that when he returned they would be gone. That his current life was a dream and he would wake up (from a dream, from a witch's spell, in a coffin with a dagger in his heart). He didn't know if he could survive his loneliness.
"Have fun," Miriam said absentmindedly. She and Caroline were on the bed, and Miriam was attempting to teach Caroline how to knit. Caroline was determined to be good at every skill she encountered, whether it be the two new languages she was currently learning or vampirism. Unfortunately, she was not a natural at knitting. Miriam was attempting to teach her soul-sister technique and patience, and neither were coming naturally to Caroline.
"I will stay behind," Elijah said. He and Finn were enjoying brandy and working their way through documents that were strewn across the table that occupied a corner of Miriam's hotel room. While they all had their own rooms, Miriam was rarely in her room alone. And all four Mikaelsons rarely left all at once.
"Me, too," Finn said in English. Kol's eldest brother was working tirelessly to speak English. While he understood everything that was said to him, he was still having trouble forming words. But he wasn't alone in his struggles. Miriam and Caroline were learning Old Norse in an effort to understand Finn. All three had made great progress in the month that they had begun their language lessons.
"Suit yourselves," Kol shrugged. "Let's go, Nik."
Before they reached the door, Elijah called out, "Brothers, please get your dinner in a different town. The mayor has graciously allowed us into Roanoke, and repaying that kindness by starting a massacre would be the height of foolishness."
"We are not savages, 'Lijah," Klaus rolled his eyes. "We can control ourselves."
"Can you?" Elijah challenged, but his eyes were not on Niklaus, they were on Kol.
"Yes," Kol insisted, though he did not know if he was lying or not. He knew he would not tear into Miriam, but he was not so sure about not falling into a feeding frenzy.
"Then enjoy your night," Elijah said, and turned his attention back to his papers.
Finn shot Kol a look that said, 'behave yourself,' before he began a conversation with Elijah.
"Kol, when you return, do you want to practice your braiding skills?" Miriam asked. She looked at him with the innocence of an angel, but Kol knew better. She was offering him a reward for good behavior, and a reason to return at an early hour. She might not know or understand what she was doing, but Kol did. He had always done better with positive reinforcement.
"I would like nothing more, lovely," he reassured her, and then he and Klaus left.
They ran to Lynchburg. It was an hour away by car, but the brothers made it in a fraction of the time. They stalked through the town, hiding in shadows and listening for vulnerable prey. They climbed onto the roof of a tall building that overlooked a populated area. When a man- tall, muscular, and aware of his surroundings- walked into an alleyway alone, Klaus grinned.
"This one is mine, brother. Find your own dinner, and don't make too much of a fuss," Klaus winked at Kol before jumping off the building.
Kol rolled his eyes. Klaus had always been showy, but now that he had his full hybrid powers he had been ruthless in his teasing and damn near flamboyant in flaunting his new abilities. He was faster, stronger, and more annoying now. Kol was extremely jealous.
But he pushed thoughts of his bothersome older brother aside.
He had his own prey to catch.
After an hour of waiting on a dingy roof, he spotted her. She exited a bar, and her outfit led Kol to believe that she was staff instead of a patron. Young, but tired, she walked down a dimly lit street.
Kol pounced.
He was off the roof and behind her in a matter of seconds. In a smooth motion, he grabbed her by the head and the shoulder and spun her around, eager to see the look of fear in her eyes before he tore into her and-
Oh.
Oh no.
He had made a mistake.
At the height of his madness Kol had reveled in the fear that he inspired in his prey. No longer human, no longer a witch connected to nature, Kol dove deep into vampirism. He was borderline savage. He killed indiscriminately and drank to excess. One of the things that he had enjoyed with dark delight was the fear that lit up the eyes of his victims. Old or young, experienced or naïve, they all projected the same instinctive fear at seeing his vampire face.
But he had made a mistake in choosing his victim, because her eyes resembled Miriam's eyes. Big, brown, and watery, they stared up at him in shock. The rest of the girl differed from his mate (her skin was lighter, her hair curlier, her body taller), but those eyes!
She opened her mouth to scream.
"Don't! Be quiet!" Kol compelled her. "Forget this encounter. Go straight home."
She nodded and walked off without a backwards glance.
Kol slumped the instant she was out of sight.
He knew it was ridiculous, to let a perfectly good dinner go to waste, but he could not imagine attacking anything that looked like Miriam. The thought that she could look at him with the same fear as his past victims made his stomach roll. Was this the mating bond? He thought as he gazed into the darkness. Only a cosmic bond could stop him from giving in to his nature… or was it? Kol had spent the last month getting to know Miriam. He knew that she liked tea but tolerated coffee. He knew that she was working on a sweater for Elijah, but was extremely nervous to give her gift to him. He knew that she loved warm, soft things, and a blanket would get a bigger smile from her than a diamond necklace. And in turn, he had shared parts of himself that he hadn't shared with anyone before. He hadn't fully cracked his soul open to her, but each and every day he was prying his armor away. So no, the theory that the mate bond kept Miriam safe from her vampiric mates wasn't a theory that Kol believed was true.
"Was it her eyes?"
Kol was startled. He had been so lost in his thoughts that he hadn't heard his brother approach.
"I watched the entire thing. You stopped once you saw her eyes, correct?" Niklaus asked.
"Yes," Kol admitted. He hated to show weakness in front of his siblings, especially Niklaus. Klaus was not known for letting tender spots go unmolested. But instead of the teasing that Kol expected, Klaus just nodded.
"A week ago, I was about to sink my teeth into this girl, and she had the same type of hair as Miriam. She even used the same products; I could smell the scent of Miriam's shampoo in her hair. And the thought of hurting her made me feel ill," Klaus revealed. "I compelled her and let her go."
It was strange, to have Nik relate to him. But Kol found that he enjoyed it; he felt like a child again, looking up to his older brother.
"Do you think the others have the same issue?" Kol asked.
"I am unsure about Finn, but I have gone hunting with Elijah, and he has only drank from men the last few times," Klaus said.
"Is this to be our life now?" Kol asked, more bewildered than angry. "Are our actions influenced by one person? A human, no less?"
"It appears so," Klaus said. He didn't sound too upset, which surprised Kol. Niklaus had never enjoyed it when other people had too much influence over him. But now Kol's powerful, temperamental brother seemed to accept the fact that his life had been altered radically by a human girl.
Well, Kol thought, if Nik can do it, so can I. Kol could adapt. He and his siblings were experts at adapting to their circumstances, and, when the circumstances were unfavorable, forcing the circumstances to adapt to them. Kol hadn't imagined changing who he was for Miriam (without her even saying a word!), but he would adapt.
However, he still had to drink before he returned.
To prove to himself that his actions were not completely dictated by his human mate, he drained and killed two humans. He ignored the faint pulses of guilt and Niklaus's knowing gaze. And if he ran a little faster to return to his mate's side, then that was his business.
MIRIAM
It was their first day in the new house and Miriam was in love with it. All of the space the mansion offered was a dream compared to the cramped quarters of the Mystic Falls farmhouse. There was enough room for everyone. The mansion had fifteen bedrooms, and there were four cabins elsewhere on the property that were in the process of being fixed up. Once they were finished, two of the cabins would belong to the Martin family.
Elijah had offered one of the cabins to Jenna and Jeremy, but the two had turned it down. They wanted to live in the main house with all of the others. Jenna had said it was because they both missed the sounds of a busy, happy home.
And the mansion was busy. The second renovations were complete, the Mikaelsons had all of their belongings moved in. Even with help, moving over a dozen people into a space took a long time. Organizing and putting away items took even longer.
Currently Miriam was in the kitchen with her four mates, Greta, and Maddox. Caroline was upstairs helping Jenna and Jeremy move their furniture by using her superior vampire strength. August and Dr. Martin were in another room, talking strategy on what covens to ask for help. Dr. Martin was planning on leaving soon; June had already left to track down a lead. Plans were being put in motion, and there was a feeling of excitement in the air.
"Okay!" Miriam clapped her hands to get everyone's attention. "I want all of the kitchen stuff to have a proper place by the end of today. I want the flow to make sense. We're going to use this kitchen a lot, so we need to feel comfortable in it. Let's get started!"
"Yes, ma'am," Kol snarked, and was swatted by a newly-unpacked dish towel for his efforts.
They spent hours unpacking and organizing the kitchen. Miriam knew that one of the vampires could have compelled someone else to do it, but she wanted to put her own kitchen together. She wanted to learn the new layout and decide which drawer the utensils should go in. She wanted to imbed a small part of her into the old house. She also wanted to spend time with her mates doing mundane things.
As they unpacked, Greta had unearthed a radio. Soon the top hits of 2010 began to play. Miriam had gotten used to hearing old music more frequently, but every now and then the time traveling got to her. It would be a decade until her favorite Taylor Swift album came out. Some of her favorite movies wouldn't even be concepts for years. Books that she had loved wouldn't be published for a long time.
At the same time, she was experiencing music, movies, and books from the current decade in a new way. She had been nine years old in 2010, and had missed a lot of pop culture (she had been too focused on the Disney Channel to be concerned with much else). Now she was listening to music that her grandparents had deemed 'too old' for their young ward, watching movies that she had grown up loving as they came out in theaters, and reading books that were popular in 2010.
"Oh my god, I used to love this song!" Miriam exclaimed as a new song began. She ignored the looks that Greta and Maddox shot her (they knew about her foresight, but her comments still shocked them from time to time) and danced to the beat.
Her mates were grinning, and Finn turned up the volume on the radio. Elijah, in a bold move that Miriam wasn't expecting, grabbed her hands and began to dance with her. They both ignored the teasing barbs his brothers threw at him and continued to move to the song. Everything was perfect… until it wasn't.
The kitchen was filled with boxes, some filled with items, and most empty. Miriam and Elijah were doing their best to avoid the boxes, but the layout of the kitchen was new to them. Elijah spun Miriam, and she tripped over a box and hit her hip against the kitchen counter.
Suddenly Miriam was in the Schmitt's kitchen, wearing her cleaning uniform and staring down a man intent on doing her harm. This… this couldn't be real but the pain was real. He was real. The violence in his eyes made her shudder, and there was pain in her side and in her stomach and somebody needed to help her she needed to help herself but he was too strong and too mad and and she was too fucking weak to do anything but scream and cry and beg-
"Miriam!"
Hands were on her shoulders, and at first she fought against them. She wasn't going to let him hurt her-! But then the owner of the hands started to speak another language. Words she couldn't understand were spoken low and insistently, and the hands were caressing her instead of gripping her.
Slowly the fear was leached from her body. With every comforting foreign word Miriam relaxed into the hands that were holding her. Once her heart stopped racing, she opened her eyes.
Finn was holding her, his dark eyes compassionate. Behind him was Elijah, Klaus, and Kol, each in a various state of worry. Elijah was ghastly pale. Klaus looked angry. Kol looked jittery, like he was one wrong word away from running out the door. Behind her mates were the other members of the household, looking scared and nervous.
"Are you okay?" Caroline asked anxiously.
"Yeah," Miriam slumped against Finn. All of her energy was gone, and her toes were weirdly numb. She closed her eyes, only to open them a moment later as a vicious growl echoed in the room.
Klaus, black veins around his eyes and yellow eyes flashing, blocked Greta from entering the kitchen. Caroline pushed Jenna and Jeremy behind her as she eyed Klaus warily. The witches inched closer to Greta.
"Klaus, let me see her," Greta insisted.
Another growl was her answer.
Greta let out a frustrated noise. "Elijah, help me out here."
But Elijah was still in shock, and did not respond to Greta's plea.
Kol was the only one brave enough to approach Klaus.
"Let the witch pass, brother," Kol said firmly.
Klaus just growled.
Miriam didn't have the energy to convince Klaus to let Greta get close to her, but she knew that Greta probably had a remedy. So instead of speaking, she just reached out and tapped Finn's arm. Finn patted her arm back before turning to face his brothers.
"Niklaus," Finn said in a low voice. He continued talking in his native language, and Miriam could only understand a few words. But whatever he said convinced Klaus to reluctantly step aside and let Greta approach.
"Hi," the witch said softly as she knelt next to Miriam and Finn.
"Hi," Miriam responded, her voice hoarse.
"I'm going to do a diagnostics spell," Greta said. "It's going to tingle, but it won't make you feel any worse. I believe you just had a traumatic flashback and not a nasty curse or a hex, but I want to make sure. Do you consent to the diagnostics spell?"
"Yes," Miriam nodded.
"Alright," Greta raised her hands, "in three, two, one…"
The spell felt like pins and needles throughout her entire body, though the feeling faded quicker than Miriam thought.
Whatever the results, Greta nodded. "It's as I assumed. You aren't cursed. Physically, you are fine. I suggest going to your room and relaxing for the rest of the day."
"Okay." That sounds nice, Miriam thought. She wanted to be somewhere safe, and soft, and warm. Her room could be that place. "Finn, help me up?"
Wordlessly, he helped her to her feet. His hands were strong and steady, and when she looked into his eyes, there was deep compassion there. He too had horrible flashbacks. He understood her in a way that no one else did.
"Miriam," Greta caught her attention again, "you should talk with my aunt. She's basically a witch therapist. She might be able to help you through your troubles."
"That sounds like a good idea," Miriam admitted. Therapy would be beneficial. "Can you give me her information later tonight?"
"Of course."
"Great. Kol and Klaus, do you want to come upstairs with us? Elijah, you are coming upstairs whether you want to or not."
Of course her mates accompanied her to her room. Once there, Finn helped her onto the ginormous bed before beginning to close the window curtains. Klaus shifted into his wolf form and curled up next to Miriam, his gigantic head on her lap. Kol went around the room, lighting various candles and incense to help calm Miriam.
And Elijah stood in the doorway, reluctance and guilt written all over his face.
"Come here, Elijah," Miriam called softly.
Helplessly, he wandered closer.
Once he was within reaching distance, she grabbed his hand and pulled him onto the bed with her.
"Look at me," she ordered gently. His guilty eyes met hers. "You are not responsible for what just happened. You could not have prevented what just happened. No one could have prevented it. It could have been Kol, or August, or even Caroline that I was dancing with. My episode wasn't your fault. My mind needs healing, Elijah, from something that happened before you came into my life. I know you feel like you are in charge of this family, and in many ways you are, but you aren't in charge of my mind. Let go of your guilt. I need you here, present with me, not worrying over your actions."
"I cannot promise you that I will not agonize over my every action-"
"I need you to try," she interrupted. Tears of frustration, of exhaustion, pricked her eyes. "I need you to stay in the moment with me. Please, Elijah, please. I can't shoulder both of our demons."
Miriam didn't know if he was moved by her words or her tears (or if he was just placating her), but he nodded. "Alright, vorgyðja, I will try."
It wasn't what she wanted, but she understood that guilt didn't just disappear after one conversation. So she just tugged on his arm until he was sitting next to her and rested her head on his shoulder. Kol and Finn joined them on the bed. Kol had a children's book with him, one of her childhood favorites, and began to read.
And in that room, on that bed, the five of them healed and bonded together. They were all still damaged in one way or another, but if they opened up and tried, Miriam believed they could make it. But thoughts like that could wait until they were all feeling better. In that moment she was going to enjoy the feeling of her mates around her, the softness of the blankets beneath her, the smell of the candles in the air, and Kol's soothing voice as he read:
"In a city called Stonetown, near a port called Stonetown Harbor, a boy named Reynie Muldoon was preparing to take an important test…"
ELENA
'Have I made a mistake?' was the question that constantly rattled around in Elena's head these days.
The summer was hot, but Elena felt cold inside. Jenna and Jeremy were gone. Caroline was gone. They had all left with the Mikaelsons. They hadn't been abducted, as Elena had first feared. No, the hand-written letters, the text-messages, and the rare phone calls had convinced Elena that her relatives and friend had left of their own volition. Sheriff Forbes had confirmed that Caroline had gone with the Mikaelsons; the normally composed woman had actual tears in her eyes as she explained to Elena that the Mikaelsons could give Caroline more than she could. Caroline had even emailed both the Sheriff and Elena (the Sheriff's emails were more frequent and detailed), and even though Elena wanted to believe in a great Mikaelson conspiracy like John, she couldn't deny that the Caroline-esque emails couldn't be faked.
Jenna had written Elena a letter, long but frustrated, that detailed exactly why she and Jeremy had decided to leave. The letter had gotten Elena thinking. If Jenna, Jeremy, and Caroline had gone with the Mikaelsons of their own free will, then she was missing something. All three of them had mentioned freedom, safety, and family as reasons for why they left. That didn't make sense to Elena. They were free in Mystic Falls. They were relatively safe in numbers. Their families were in Mystic Falls. So then why did they leave? What about the Mikaelsons and their version of freedom, safety, and family were so special? Elena had to be missing something.
Caroline wrote about how she was being taught about multiple lifestyles that vampires prescribed to, and once she understood the nuances of all of them, she would decide how she wanted to live her life. Caroline said how she was excited to have a mentor in a vampire woman named June, as well as the Mikaelsons. Their age and knowledge were helping Caroline explore her new life with a freedom that Stefan and Damon hadn't allowed her. Elena had to admit that the Salvatore brothers were two extremes. Life was not lived in black and white, and right now the Mikaelsons were giving Caroline the freedom to explore every shade of gray.
Jenna's letter had said that the Mikaelsons offered safety. Jenna was responsible for Jeremy's life, and she also felt responsible for Caroline's, now that the girl had moved away from her mother. The Mikaelsons were the strongest, most powerful family in the supernatural world. They had the money and connections and the force to make sure that Jenna and her loved ones were safe. Elena was no fool, she understood that she no longer fell under the umbrella of 'Jenna's protected loved ones'. Somehow, Jenna had formed a friendship with that strange Mikaelson hanger-on, Miriam, and this friendship afforded her the protection that Elena and her Mystic Falls friends couldn't provide her.
Jeremy, in the one short text that he had sent her, said that Miriam and the Mikaelsons were treating him like family. Jeremy had lost his parents, his innocence, and had nearly lost his life in Mystic Falls. He had hardened into something resembling a man, but it was unnatural. He shouldn't be constantly fighting for his life, he should be playing video games with other teenagers. The Mikaelsons, somehow, were offering him a chance to be a kid with a family again.
Elena could understand Jenna, Jeremy, and Caroline's motivations. Elena wasn't stupid. She knew the last year had been hard on everyone. But why couldn't they see that she was battling her way through life too? She had been tossed into the supernatural world without a life vest, and had been struggling to swim ever since. She clung to the Salvatore brothers because romance was a welcome break from her life, and they also protected her. She accepted John's invitation to live with him because she thought that he could get rid of the Mikaelson threat so that she could live a normal life.
Normal. That was what Elena wanted. She wanted to go to college, find a nice guy to settle down with, and have a few kids (two sounded like a nice number, a boy and a girl. Maybe name the boy Grayson, after her dad, and Grace for the girl, after her mother's middle name). Elena wanted security. She wanted contentment. She wanted a future. And if she wanted those things, all threats to her would have to be eradicated.
So she had turned to her biological father. John Gilbert. Her 'uncle' for her entire life. Sometimes she was furious with her parents for lying to her for her entire life about her biological parents, but then she would catch glimpses of madness in John's eyes, and would become grateful that Grayson and Miranda had opened their home and their hearts to her.
John was planning something. He wouldn't tell Elena what he was planning, but she knew something was happening. He had welcomed Isobel Flemming, Elena's birth mother, back to Mystic Falls. The two were constantly sending letters, emails, and making phone calls to allies. Vampires were now a staple in Mystic Falls, to the dismay of the Council. Even the witch presence had amped up. Bonnie was now getting lessons from a witch coven that had taken up residence at the edge of town. Bonnie wasn't happy about the lessons. The witches were not as powerful as she was. Elena could hardly muster up the strength to agree with Bonnie. Her best friend was obsessed with power.
God, she was surrounded by maniacs! John was plotting to destroy the Mikaelsons, her birth mother was a vampire, her two lovers were beginning to demand that she chose one, and her best friend craved power more than she craved normalcy. Everything was going so wrong. Elena's life was supposed to be perfect, but instead it was falling apart.
And then one day in June, a woman arrived in Mystic Falls.
Sage.
She was ancient. She was determined. She shared the same madness that John had.
Elena, John, Isobel, Sage, Bonnie, Damon, and Stefan gathered in the Salvatore house the day that Sage arrived. Sage explained her background and pledged to help John defeat all of the Mikaelsons save the eldest, Finn. John had readily agreed.
He was still keeping things from her, Elena knew this in her heart. Because between all the calls to other people, inviting Sage and Isobel to Mystic Falls, and having the witch coven train Bonnie, Elena came to her own conclusion:
John was building an army to defeat the Mikaelsons.
Have I made a mistake? Elena thought as she watched vicious glee light up John, Bonnie, and Sage's faces. She wanted the Mikaelsons gone, but she was worried that they were outnumbered. And the Mikaelsons were evil; Elena wouldn't put it past them to use Jenna, Jeremy, and Caroline as a shield from attacks or as bait for Elena. Even if they weren't used against Elena, they would surely get caught in the crossfire of whatever war John was hell-bent on waging. Was freedom from Klaus Mikaelson worth the death of her last remaining family? Was her future- college, a family, a career- worth the life of her friends? Elena wanted to live, but not if it meant she had no one to live life with.
Have I made a mistake?
Elena didn't know the answer to her question. But she did know that what she and her new allies had set in motion would not be so easily stopped.
She just hoped that everyone she loved survived the coming war.
I'm back! So sorry for the long gap between updates; the semester was difficult, my brother graduated from college, I had a graduation ceremony for my MA degree (I still have one more test to take over the summer before I actually get my degree), my family took a family vacation to Texas and to Disney World, and my cat died. It's been a busy few months.
QUESTION: So someone asked about period blood, and if vampires in the TVD universe were attracted to it. Thoughts? Opinions? If anyone noticed, in the last chapter I kept the Mikaelsons' reaction to Miriam's period blood as shock that she was bleeding so much, and left out their views on period blood.
ANYWAY, I've got the next chapter mostly written, so look out for that soonish.
Let me know what you think of these deleted scenes!
