Chapter 33: Crying Wolf
April 2, 2010
When Ellie had arrived home last night, Elena had been long gone. From what Jenna said, Elena had gone to spend the night over at Caroline's. Had she not known what had happened to Caroline, she might have been a little bit offended. But given the circumstances, she understood. "Good morning sunshine." Jenna greeted as she poured herself a coffee.
"Morning, Jen. Where's John?" Ellie asked as she pulled out the stuff she would need to make eggs.
"Not here, thank god." Jenna replied as she bit into her toast.
Jenna looked somewhat lost in thought. "Is something wrong?" Ellie asked worriedly.
"It's just Ric." Jenna admitted. "Ellie, after John dropped that bomb, I sat there with Ric at The Grill and asked how someone could keep a secret that big, and he didn't even say anything. I've been trying so hard to act like everything is fine with me and him so that he doesn't catch on that I know anything, but we have so many people lying to us."
"I know, Jen." Ellie agreed as she poured the eggs into the pan. "Honestly, you've done amazingly at keeping yourself together when it comes to being around them. I didn't do nearly as well. If we're honest, I came close on more than one occasion of actually fighting Elena."
That got a laugh out of Jenna. "I shouldn't be entertained by the thought. I should be a responsible adult and tell you that fighting doesn't solve anything."
"Except that sometimes it does." Ellie shot back.
Jenna grinned as Ellie flipped the eggs. "Oh! By the way, the Historical Society's High Tea is today. Do you wanna come?" Jenna offered. Ellie made a vaguely disgusted face which got another laugh out of her aunt. "Elijah's going to be there." She said nonchalantly.
Maybe Ellie's head snapped up a little too fast, but it was a knee-jerk response. "What does he have to do with anything?" She asked.
"Oh nothing, you just seemed to get along really well." Jenna replied but she gave Ellie a look that told her exactly what her aunt meant.
"He's nice, Jenna. Of course I get along with him." Ellie informed her. It was frustrating that she couldn't tell Jenna about her involvement with Elijah, but she'd have to suck it up for now. Really, she'd only known him for a little over a week, and when they met, she thought that he was going to kill her. So it's not like that's the smoothest way to start a friendship.
"Well, he's really the guest of honor for the whole thing. Since he doesn't know a lot of people in town, maybe he'd like it if you were there." Jenna suggested.
As Ellie passed Jenna a plate with her food, she huffed. "You're not gonna give up until I agree are you?"
Jenna tilted her head to the side as if she were in thought. "Hmmm… nope." She confirmed.
"Fine, fine, I'll go. If anything, I'll just steal some of those fancy breadsticks Mrs. Lockwood always has at those events." Ellie said before she threw a piece of toast at Jenna's smug face. "I can still change my mind."
"Don't mind me. I didn't say anything." Jenna replied. "But, if you're gonna go, you should probably start getting ready soon, it starts around like brunch time."
Ellie made a face but nodded as she quickly ate her food. "Alright. I'm going before you can use up all the hot water." She said as she swallowed the last bite of food.
"I take offense to that!" Jenna called as Ellie ran up the stairs.
"Don't hog the hot water and I wouldn't have to say it!" Ellie yelled back as she made her way into her room to get her things. It didn't take long to shower and dry her hair. She and Jenna shared the master bathroom as they did their hair and makeup. "How dressy should I be?"
"Uh… just one of your normal dresses should be dressy enough." Jenna told her as she finished applying her mascara. She stepped into her bedroom and swore. "Shit! Ellie you almost done? We're about to be late if we don't leave soon."
Leaning out of the door slightly, Ellie saw the time and cursed under breath as well. "Yeah, yeah, five minutes tops. I just have to finish my mascara and change." She replied as she quickly finished her makeup before rushing back to her room and pulling on a cute, but simple, pink dress. Once she secured her heels, she grabbed her bag and rushed from her room. "Ready!"
"Alright, let's move out!" Jenna said as they rushed down the stairs and out the front door to the car. The drive was filled with easy conversation between the two as Ellie tried to keep her aunt's mind off of all the secrets they were now having to keep. The last thing she honestly wanted was for Jenna and Alaric to break up. It was clear that her history teacher was head over heels in love with Jenna. She could only hope that Jenna could forgive him for keeping secrets from her.
When they pulled in, there were far more cars than Ellie had expected there to be. "Christ, do people actually like coming to these things?" Ellie asked curiously.
Jenna scoffed as they got out of the car. "I think everyone just wants a chance to sink their claws into the fancy new writer. It's not like stuff like that ever happens in this town. I mean, who would want to write a book about Mystic Falls, anyways?"
"Fair enough. Honestly, the majority of the people here are the people that literally don't have anything better to do. Or they were roped into it by Mrs. Lockwood and she's too scary to go against." Ellie commented. A lot of the older people in the town loved to come to these types of events. And Mrs. Lockwood was very good at convincing people that they should be in attendance.
They had only been in the building for a couple of minutes before they were found by Mrs. Lockwood. "Ellie! I didn't know you were coming today." Mrs. Lockwood said warmly. "It's so nice to see young people take interest in participating in community events. Jenna! You look so nice. I'm sure I saw Alaric around here somewhere."
"You look amazing as always Mrs. Lockwood." Ellie replied.
"Thank you honey. Now, you two have been helping out that writer that's come to town, right?" Mrs. Lockwood asked, even though she was the one that pointed Elijah in their direction originally.
"Yes, he's been going through my sister's old records." Jenna confirmed.
Mrs. Lockwood gave her a smile. "That's good. I actually haven't had the chance to meet him in person and I'm not entirely sure what he looks like. Do you think you could lend a hand and help me spot him? With so many people to have conversations with, I've not had much of a chance to look for him."
"I'm sure Ellie could help you with that. I think I see Alaric and I need to talk with him." Jenna replied quickly. "Right, Ellie?"
When Mrs. Lockwood couldn't see, Ellie subtly glared at her aunt before grinning at Mrs. Lockwood. "Of course, if he's already here, I'll spot him." Ellie assured her as Jenna made her quick escape to Alaric.
"So how are you? I haven't really had a chance to speak with you since the… the crash." Mrs. Lockwood stumbled over mentioning the crash. Ellie wasn't sure if she stumbled because Ellie had been hurt, or because Tyler had been the one driving.
"I'm much better." Ellie assured her. "Thank you for asking." They got stopped by one of the old men in attendance. She didn't pay the slightest bit of attention to whatever he was talking about, but she did notice that even Mrs. Lockwood looked bored. She scanned through the crowd trying to find Elijah. After a minute, she finally spotted him entering the room. "I'm so sorry to interrupt your conversation, but I've spotted Elijah."
Mrs. Lockwood looked relieved. "Oh, if you'll excuse us Mr. Fell, I need to speak with Mr. Smith." She said as she nodded before she followed Ellie over to where Elijah was picking up a drink.
When he noticed their approach, he grabbed another glass before passing it off to Ellie and handed a drink to Mrs. Lockwood before taking one for himself. "It's nice to see you again Ellie." Elijah greeted as he smiled at her.
"Good to see you too Elijah." She replied with a smile of her own as she introduced the two. "Elijah, this is Mrs. Lockwood, she's currently working as mayor. Mrs. Lockwood, this is Elijah Smith, the writer."
Mrs. Lockwood put on her most charming smile. "It's wonderful to finally put a face to the name. I hope your time in Mystic Falls has been productive so far." She told him.
"It definitely has. Ellie and her aunt have been very helpful in my research." Elijah praised.
"I knew they'd be the ones for the jobs." Mrs. Lockwood agreed. "Have you spent much time in Richmond for your book? There's such a wealth of history there."
"No. I'm focusing mostly on the smaller regions of Virginia. Lots of research. Strictly academic." Elijah explained.
"That's fascinating" Mrs. Lockwood replied sincerely. Ellie spotted Jenna but frowned when she spotted Damon approach her. Ellie frowned as she watched Jenna's reaction. Her aunt tensed slightly, but it was more obvious when she saw a woman approach and kiss Damon. Wasn't that one of Jenna's friends? Jenna forced a smile as she greeted the other woman. "Ellie, don't you agree?"
She jolted slightly at her name. "Hmm? I'm sorry I missed what you said?"
"Don't you agree that we also have a very interesting history for our little town?" Mrs. Lockwood asked.
"Oh absolutely. Elijah, did you know that there was a Civil War battle right here in Mystic Falls?" Ellie supplied.
"I did not." He replied. "Such a historic event is an impressive feat."
The young witch couldn't help but groan as Damon approached. "Damon." Mrs. Lockwood said as he approached. "What a surprise."
"Carol." He replied as he leaned forward to kiss her cheek.
"Hi. Elijah, I want you to meet Damon Salvatore. His family is one of Mystic Falls' Founding Families." Mrs. Lockwood introduced.
"Mmhmm. Pleasure to meet you." Damon said, though everyone except Mrs. Lockwood knew it was fake.
"No. Pleasure's mine." Elijah replied as he shook Damon's outstretched hand while his other remained in his pocket. When had he put his drink down?
"You know, I've been meaning to get a word with you Elijah. Do you mind coming with me to have a chat?" Damon asked with fake politeness.
"Oh, that's fine. I need to speak with Dr. Jones." Mrs. Lockwood agreed. "If you'll excuse me, gentlemen, Ellie."
Ellie moved to follow the two vampires when Damon turned around. "We don't need an audience." He said sarcastically. Ellie was about to insult him, when she felt Elijah carefully touch her wrist. She looked up at him and could see that he had a plan. So instead of arguing she just nodded. "Off you go." Damon added and with a roll of her eyes, she walked away.
What Damon didn't realize is that she followed them discreetly, and as they entered the room, Elijah shot a pointed look at the space beside the door and the message to wait there came through loud and clear. As she looked around the room, she noticed John and Alaric having a conversation of some sorts, and Alaric looked like he wanted to be anywhere but there. John just looked like an asshole. She startled slightly when she heard Damon yell and looked around to see if anyone noticed. Thankfully, everyone seemed blissfully unaware. "Eleanor!" Elijah's voice rang from the other side of the room.
She stepped inside and quickly shut the door behind her when she spotted Damon doubled over with a pencil lodged inside his neck. Ellie would admit that it was very satisfying to see him bleed after all the horrible things he'd done to the people she loved. "What the hell?" Damon groaned as he looked up at her before pulling out the pencil from his neck.
"I'm an Original." Elijah said as he produced a handkerchief. "Show a little respect." He offered the white cloth to Damon, who took it with a yank. "The moment you cease to be of use to me, you're dead. So you should do what I say." He said before smiling. Though he spoke calmly, both Ellie and Damon were aware that he could kill Damon in an instant should he choose to do so. "Keep both Elena and Eleanor safe." Elijah said as he turned to walk to Ellie. "Oh, and next time, don't be so foolish as to leave a doppelgänger behind with an Original when you're trying to protect them from an Original." He said sarcastically.
Ellie couldn't help but grin as she pointed out to Damon, "I think you've got a bit of blood there. I think maybe you need to change." It was so satisfying to not be the one caught off guard this time.
"Eleanor." Elijah said as he offered his arm to her. She took happily as she let him lead her from the room, before shutting the door behind them.
"So we're telling them I know now?" She asked curiously as they walked through the room.
"Niklaus could arrive at any time if even one person let the knowledge out that there's not one but two doppelgängers here. Plus, it will do well to remind them that they never held all the cards." Elijah said simply. "And they needed a reminder that your sister isn't the only one they're supposed to be protecting."
After the High Tea finally ended, Ellie and Jenna were quick to go home and change into things that were more comfortable. "Hey Jen! I'm gonna go out for a bit." Ellie called as she pulled her hair up into a quick ponytail.
Jenna exited from her bedroom as she stuck a pencil behind her ear. Between that and her messy bun, it was clear that Jenna had been deep into school work mode. "Where are you going?" Jenna asked curiously as she stretched.
"I'm gonna go visit a friend. I've been helping them out with something they've been working on, and I need to go over some stuff with them." Ellie explained.
"Ah, ok. Just let me know if you're gonna be home late." Jenna agreed easily. "I'm supposed to be going out with Ric at some point, so if I'm not here when you get back, that's probably why."
Ellie hoped that that meant that Alaric and Jenna were going to make things work. "Got it." She agreed. "Have fun on your date with Alaric." She winked dramatically at her aunt.
"Go away." Jenna said with a huff, but her smile gave her away.
"I'm going. I'm going." Ellie replied as she raised her hands up innocently. She made her way down the stairs and out the door before climbing into her car. She didn't lie to Jenna. There were things that she and Elijah needed to discuss. Specifically, she needed to know the plan for killing Klaus. The drive had grown familiar already. It wasn't particularly complicated. When she arrived, she parked in the same spot as last time and made her way up to Elijah's apartment. It was only a moment after she knocked on the door that it opened to reveal Elijah.
"Eleanor, please come in." He said as he stepped aside for her. "What can I do for you?" He asked politely.
Once the door was shut, she confessed. "I wanted to talk about what your plan is for handling Klaus." She explained. "I know you said that you wanted to kill him, but why? What did he do? He's your brother right? Listen, I'm pissed at Elena for all the stuff she's done and all the things she'd lied about, but I don't think that I could ever actually kill her. So what could he have done that was so bad, you think you're capable of killing your own flesh and blood?"
Elijah's jaw ticked slightly as he tightened it, and for a split second Ellie was worried that she'd gone way over the boundaries of what he'd allow. He took a deep breath, before nodding and walking over to where his drinks were. She followed him silently as she waited for his answer. As he poured himself a drink, Elijah replied, "Because he killed all three of our other siblings."
Ellie's heart stopped in her chest as she froze. Out of all the things she expected him to say, out of all the possibilities, she never expected that. "What?" she asked softly. Elijah hadn't really spoken much of his family, except to explain that they were the Original vampires. She hadn't even known how many siblings he had.
"What he did was a fate worse than death really. He trapped them within their own minds, put them into coffins, and dropped them into the ocean. He left them there to rot for all eternity without them ever knowing the relief of death." Elijah's voice was measured carefully and she knew he was trying to keep himself calm. "I have to murder him. I have to get justice for the siblings he has taken from me."
No matter how hard he tried, Ellie could hear the pain in his voice. The thought of losing Jeremy, especially because of Elena, made her want to vomit. She wasn't sure she could handle losing him, either of them. "Elijah, I'm so sorry." She told him sincerely as she squeezed his arm. Even though they weren't anything to her, there was a painful ache in her chest at the thought of the grief he must have felt losing them.
He was silent for a moment before he stepped away from her and her touch to walk towards the couches. "You and your sister will be the lure to bring Niklaus here. After the sacrifice, he will be at the most vulnerable he's been in a thousand years. That is when I'll kill him."
Her heart lurched painfully in her chest at the word 'after'. "What do you mean, after the sacrifice?" Ellie questioned.
"Once the sacrifice is complete he'll be weak and vulnerable. It is the only time that it would work." Elijah told her.
"Elijah you said after as in after the doppelgänger has been sacrificed." Ellie said as she tried to keep her voice steady. "As in after either Elena or I die."
He finally seemed to understand why she was distressed and explained himself. "Five hundred years ago, when Niklaus intended to sacrifice Katerina, I discovered a means to save her life. A group of witches offered me a solution, a potion of sorts. It's intended use was to be consumed before the sacrifice so that it would bring Katerina back from the dead once it was over."
Her legs nearly gave out underneath her as the pressure dissipated from her chest. "You mean to tell me you've had a magic potion this entire time to bring one of us back from the dead and you didn't think to mention it?" Her voice squeaked slightly as she moved to sit down. "You couldn't have started with that Elijah?"
The Original laughed slightly at her frustration. "My sincerest apologies, I didn't mean to stress you out so much." He apologized as he offered her the glass in his hand. She downed it in one go and didn't even flinch at the taste. "I gave you my word that I was going to try and protect both you and your sister, I'm still trying to keep that promise."
"Do you think that it'll still work? It is five hundred years old." Ellie asked as she ran a finger over the rim of the glass.
Elijah nodded. "I have no reason to doubt it. I mean, it was a spell that turned me into a vampire one thousand years ago, and it still works. The spell on that tomb lasted well over a hundred years even after that witch died, yes?"
"Yes." Ellie confirmed.
"Eleanor, I give you my word that I believe that it'll work." Elijah promised and it soothed the nerves that were bouncing around in her stomach. "But, if it will bring you a better sense of security, feel free to all of the grimoires I own, as well as the ones that the Martins own to try and find a backup plan."
The offer actually did make her feel better. It also helped to give her a sense of purpose in what Elijah even wanted her for in the first place. "Thank you." She told him and she rose to go over to the grimoires before pausing. "But Elijah, what if you can't kill him? What if you can't make yourself kill your own brother?"
He didn't look at her for a moment. After it passed, he looked up at her from where he sat. "That's not an option that I have." He confessed. His expression was pained, so she didn't press it. She couldn't imagine that that was an easy decision that he came to. Had the decision come after he'd had a chance to process his grief? Or had it come in the midst of it? How long ago had he lost his other siblings? How could Klaus trap his siblings in their own minds to keep them locked in a coffin in the bottom of the ocean? What had their siblings done to deserve such a punishment?
It wasn't the time to ask him those kinds of questions, so she pushed them to the back of her mind as she pulled out a grimoire and her ever handy notebook. She took a seat on the couch as she began to read. The young witch hadn't even been aware that Elijah had moved until he sat down on the other end of the couch with a stack of files in hand. She smiled to herself at the comfortable silence before going back to her work. Hopefully, whatever he was looking for would get his mind off the tragedy that was his siblings' fate.
She lost track of time as she worked slowly and methodically through the grimoires, looking for anything that could help her with a backup plan for either her life or Elena's. Her phone's ringing cut through the silence and she pulled it from her bag to see Alaric's name flashing on her screen. "Hello?" She questioned curiously as she answered. Alaric had never called her before, but with him being involved with Damon, and Damon now being aware that she was working with Elijah, it didn't really surprise her.
"Ellie!" Alaric said in surprise. Had he not expected her to answer? "Hey, do you think you could swing by the Boarding House? I need to talk to you about everything."
She spared a glance to Elijah and he just shrugged. Taking that as a sign that he didn't mind whatever she decided, she replied, "Why? So Damon can try to kill me?"
Elijah laughed at her sarcasm and she grinned back at him. "What? No, Ellie, he's not going to try and kill you. But there's a lot going on and I think we need to talk about it." Alaric told her. When she didn't reply for a while, he gave a long sigh and said, "Ellie, we messed up big time by not telling you about everything a long time ago. I should have done it, especially when the whole thing with Elijah happened. And I am really sorry that I didn't. But can you at least give me a chance to talk to you?"
He sounded so sincere and she knew he loved Jenna. She knew that he cared about her and Elena. And to his credit, it wasn't like she'd ever asked him anything and he'd lied to her face. No, that was Elena. She had also gotten over being upset with him a long time ago. "Alright." She finally said. "I'll head that way now, but if Damon does one stupid thing and I'm gone."
"Deal, deal. Damon will be on his best behavior, I promise. I just wanted somewhere private where we could actually talk." Alaric promised.
"Ok, I'll be there soon." Ellie agreed before she ended the call. Once she ended it, she gave Elijah a look. "So what do I tell them?"
"At this point, you might as well tell them everything. But if something goes wrong, let me know." Elijah insisted as they both rose from their spots on the couch.
She nodded. "I will. I should probably get over there before I change my mind." She told him as she gathered her things. "I'll talk to you later Elijah."
It didn't take very long to get to the Boarding House from Elijah's and she pulled into the drive hesitantly. She really didn't want to be anywhere near Damon, but just this once she'd put it up with it, for Alaric's sake. As she stepped out of the car, her gut warned her to get the hell away from the house. She didn't trust Damon in the slightest, but she did trust Alaric. The majority of the building was dark as she stepped up to the front door to knock. It was answered immediately by Alaric. "You came." He said.
"You sound surprised." She commented.
"I wasn't sure you'd actually come." Alaric confessed.
"Neither was I. I don't particularly want to be here, but I wanted to hear you out." Ellie told him honestly. "Can I come in?"
"Yeah, yeah yeah, come on." Alaric replied as he stepped aside to let her in.
She took a good look at her surroundings. She wasn't sure she had ever actually been in the Boarding House before. "Is anyone else here?"
"It is my house." Damon sassed as he made his appearance.
"How's the neck?" She sassed back. "I'm not here for you. So where do you want to talk?"
Alaric led her to a large room with fancy couches and a large fireplace. "Ellie, what are you doing with Elijah?" He asked worriedly as they sat down.
"I'm trying to keep everyone safe." She said simply as she kept a wary eye on Damon.
"He's dangerous." Alaric insisted.
Ellie shot him a look of disbelief. "You're gonna sit here and say that while we're in the room with a man that killed you, killed Vicki, and killed my brother and my biological mother, your wife in case you forgot." She reminded him. "I am entirely aware that Elijah is dangerous. But he also is the best option at protecting the people that I care about. And unlike some people in this room, he hasn't killed anyone I cared about."
"Fair enough." Alaric conceded. "But Ellie, you have no idea how dangerous the situation is."
With a scoff she asked, "And who's fault is that? Everyone thought that it was perfectly fine to leave me clueless when how many lives are in danger? Listen Alaric, I really don't want to have an argument right now because I'm sure Elena is gonna have something to say to me. So why am I here?"
Alaric looked at her for a moment and it was suddenly startlingly clear how exhausted she was. They had messed up a great deal by not telling her. Was this how Jenna would feel when he told her the truth? "I don't want to argue with you, Ellie. I just want to make sure you're safe."
"There's a thousand year old vampire that wants either me or Elena dead. I'm not safe. But I definitely wasn't any safer not knowing what was going on." She reminded him. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Elena thought it would be safer if you didn't-" Alaric started.
"Last time I checked, Elena's still a teenager. I'm still a teenager. But she shouldn't have executive power over who gets to know what. That was never her decision to make. You're the adult Alaric, and you're kind of this weird hard to describe father figure because you're with Jenna and you were literally married to our mom. Did you think that I should know what was going on?"
"Yes." Alaric answered without hesitation. "I've also wanted to tell Jenna." He said truthfully. "The last thing I ever wanted to do was lie to her."
Damon rolled his eyes from where he was sitting. "She'll be fine."
"Yes because not knowing is so safe and helpful. Tell me Damon, was it so safe and helpful not knowing that Katherine wasn't in that tomb?" Ellie sassed and she watched as his bourbon glass cracked under the pressure of his grip. "That's what I thought."
Before she could process it, Damon had slung the bits of glass away and had her pinned to the wall as the glass cut into her neck. "Don't you think for one second-"
She felt her magic zero in on Damon and watched as his face contorted in surprise and pain as he dropped to his knees. That pain infliction spell did come in handy after all. "Don't you think for one second that you can threaten me Damon. You're not the one holding all the cards here. Maybe next time use that brain that you supposedly have before you attack someone that is prepared for it."
"You're a witch?" Damon asked in disbelief as he choked.
As she released the spell, she cracked her neck. "It would seem so wouldn't it? Now, if you'll excuse me. I'm gonna go clean my neck." It was uncomfortable and kind of sticky and she could feel pieces of glass stuck into her neck.
"That's a good idea." Alaric agreed. "I think we should probably call it a night until everyone can be here to talk."
Ellie nodded in agreement. "Fine by me. The more people are here, the less likely I am to murder him." Damon looked like he was about to make a sarcastic comment and she cut him off before he got the chance, "Before you even think about saying something stupid, remember that you literally killed my brother because you were having a temper tantrum and I'm on the verge of killing you anyways. Do not push me."
Something in her tone must have been threatening enough to make him keep his mouth shut, even if he did roll his eyes in annoyance. "He's not gonna say anything. Go get cleaned up." Alaric encouraged.
"Yeah." Ellie replied before walking in the direction that Alaric pointed her towards. The talk didn't last as long as she was expecting, but she wouldn't be surprised if it ended with her and Elena getting in a fight.
As she was in the bathroom, she heard Alaric call out, "Ellie, I gotta go, I've gotta pick up Jenna! Please don't kill each other!"
"I'll leave in just a minute! Have fun with Jenna!" Ellie called back in response. She had just walked out of the bathroom when she heard something crash down the hall. "What the…" She poked her head around the corner to see Alaric gripping a stake that was buried deep in his stomach. Damon moved to Alaric's side as Alaric collapsed, but before he could do anything to help, someone dropped down from the ceiling. It happened so quickly. There was a brief fight before the unfamiliar man drugged Damon with something.
As quietly as she could, she ran upstairs to hide. There was grunting and groaning as glass shattered. Faintly, she could hear the unfamiliar man telling Damon that he was strong. "It took the whole syringe. Grab that one. He's dead." The thought of Alaric being dead made her heart drop with fear. Was he really dead? There was a woman's voice as Ellie hid out of sight.
From what she could hear, they were tying Damon up with chains. As she went to text Elijah for help, she noticed a missed call and text from Tyler asking where she was. A reply was sent to Tyler asking what he needed before she sent a text to Elijah. Her phone started to vibrate and she looked down to see an incoming call from Elijah. She answered it but said nothing. "Where are you?" His voice was low.
"Hiding." Her voice was barely even a whisper.
"Stay hidden. I'm on my way." Elijah told her and her breath caught in her throat at the sound of approaching footsteps. She turned down the volume of her phone and covered it so that any sound that came through from his end would be muffled.
"What are we doing anyways?" One guy was asking.
"Jules wanted to make sure that no one else was here. We don't need any interruptions." Someone else replied. They were almost past her hiding spot when one of them stopped. "What is it?"
The one that had stopped walking tilted his head head to the side and took a deep breath in. "Do you smell that?"
"Smell what?"
"Someone else is around." Her heart was pounding violently in her chest as she prayed to anyone who was listening that she wouldn't be found. The moment dragged on painfully as she waited. "Maybe I'm just smelling things." They finally said. "Come on." She listened as they started to walk away. Before she could even let out the breath she was holding, the door to the closet she'd been hidden in was yanked open. "Found you."
Her magic burst out as they tried to get her, flinging them away the way it had Elijah. "You stupid bitch!" One of them cursed at her as she took off running.
"Shit." She cursed as she ran. Going down wasn't an option, she'd run into the rest of the people that had broken in. Her only chance was to go up. She could hear Elijah yelling into the phone, but the volume was so low that she couldn't understand him. "Hurry." She huffed out as she ran into a random bedroom and used her magic to move heavy items in front of the door.
There was a set of double doors that led out to a balcony that she made a run for. She pulled those doors closed just as the intruders broke through her barricade. She could hear them tearing through the room looking for her. The air shifted around her as a hand came over her mouth. Terror faded into relief at the sight of Elijah holding a finger to his lips for her to be quiet. "Check the balcony." One of the men ordered and Elijah nodded at her and she let her magic drop so that they could open the doors.
Elijah didn't hesitate. The moment the door opened, his hand shot out and ripped out the heart of the wolf that had chased Ellie through the house. The wolf's eyes went wide in shock before he collapsed, and the other one suffered the same fate before he ever got the chance to run. "Are you alright?" Elijah asked as he walked over to the bathroom to rinse his hands of their blood.
She looked a little pale, but given that he just ripped out the hearts of two men in front of her. It didn't really surprise him. "They killed Alaric." She said softly as she walked over to him. "They'd got Damon tied up or something."
He tilted his head as he listened to what they were saying. "They want the moonstone." He said as he scoffed to himself. "Stupid werewolves."
"But Damon doesn't have the moonstone." Ellie commented.
"No he does not. But I do." Elijah said as he pulled out the moonstone from his pocket. "When you sent a text for help. I figured it would be the wolves that had taken your friend hostage. It wasn't hard to figure out what they were here for. Now, stay quiet and follow me."
She followed him as they made their way to the room where Damon was being held hostage. As they approached, she could hear a woman speaking to Damon. "You know what the great thing is about buckshot? It scatters through the body, maximum damage. Where's the moonstone?"
"Get over it, honey. You're never gonna get it." Damon said lazily.
"You looking for this?" Elijah asked casually as he rolled the stone around in his hand. He was leaning against a beam like he was having an easy chat with an old friend. Ellie stayed at the top of the stairs as he walked down them, holding up the moonstone before placing it down on the table. He stepped away from it. "Go ahead, take it." He told them. One of the werewolves rushed forward, but Ellie was prepared for the way Elijah ripped the man's heart out. Two others tried to run, but they also lost their hearts. Damon gave an appreciative nod of approval. The girl disappeared as the last boy cowered down. "What about you, sweetheart? Huh? You want to take a shot?" He asked as he pulled the boy to stand. As he shook his head fearfully, Elijah asked, "No? Yes? No? Where's the girl?"
"I don't know." Damon said calmly, like he hadn't been getting tortured. "You know, witchy?"
"No clue. She disappeared." Ellie replied
"It doesn't really matter." Elijah told them before he punched the wolf hard enough that Ellie could hear his neck snap. The violence made her feel sick, and she almost felt bad for that last one, but the werewolves had tortured Caroline. Elijah easily broke off Damon's restraints. "So you realize this is the third time I've saved your life now?" Damon didn't reply as Elijah turned and walked out of the room with Ellie following behind him. As they stopped by her car, he asked her once more, "Are you alright?"
He could see that she was shaking slightly, and she was terribly pale. There was a moment of concern that he had been too violent for her to handle. "I… I've been better." She told him honestly. "I'm not exactly used to watching people get their hearts ripped out. But they also tortured Caroline, so I'm not exactly heartbroken that they're dead."
Elijah nodded as he wiped off the remaining blood onto a handkerchief. "I'm glad that you're alright." He told her honestly. To his surprise, when she'd sent a text asking for help, he'd been more than a little concerned.
"I'm glad you came." She replied. "I didn't want to hurt them."
It was somewhat entertaining to him that she had been more concerned with hurting her attackers as opposed to being hurt. "Well, you don't have to worry about that now. Would you like for me to drive you home?" Elijah questioned. She knew she probably looked as rough as she felt, so she handed over her keys without a fight.
"Thank you." Ellie replied and she slid into the seat before Elijah shut the car door behind her. Once her seatbelt was clicked into place, she rested her head against the window as he started the drive to her house. If Elijah had wanted to say anything to her, he held his tongue.
When they arrived at her home, he opened the door for her. "Get some rest."
"I will." She promised and by the time she got in the door, Elijah was gone. She'd only been in the house for a minute or two before someone knocked on the door. "Tyler?" She asked worriedly as she watched him shake.
"I messed up." Tyler told her weakly. "I messed up so bad."
"Ty, what happened?"
He pulled her back outside and sat down on the steps. "The pack… they wanted to know where you or Elena were, and so I found where she was. I didn't know they wanted to kill her."
"They wanted to what?" Ellie asked him.
"They said they wanted to find the doppelgänger to do the sun and the moon curse. They said that if we completed the ritual I would never have to turn again. I didn't know that they wanted to kill her." Tyler told her as his eyes watered. "If I had known, I never would have helped them. I'm so sorry."
"Tyler…" She started but he pulled her into a hug to cut her off.
"I just needed to apologize to you. I'm not expecting you to forgive me for doing something that could have gotten you and Elena killed. I'm just... I'm sorry." The way he was speaking felt more like a goodbye than anything else, but she didn't know what to say as he pressed a kiss to her cheek before walking away. She stood there in shock as he walked away. Maybe it was the aftershock of watching so many people get murdered that kept her from going after him, but she didn't.
Jenna opened the door after Tyler was out of sight. "Hey, I thought I heard you come in already." She said as she took in the sight of her niece. "Are you ok?"
"I'll tell you about it tomorrow." Ellie said tiredly. "It's been a really long day."
Author's Note:
Hey guys, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please leave a review and let me know what you thought!
To HappyKat: I'm glad you liked her interactions with the other characters. But yeah, I feel like if it's not Elena, the trauma of what happens to the characters just gets brushed aside. Like everything Bonnie went through was never really discussed. But yes, Ellie was really worried about Caroline, so it's definitely something that's going to be on her mind. I kinda got the idea of him calling her Eleanor from him always calling Katherine 'Katerina'.
To Guest: I hope what goes on in this chapter between them was something you enjoyed. It's hard to really give a spoiler, I haven't written like a first kiss yet, but they're definitely getting closer to one another.
To lolistarkiller: Elijah definitely knew she needed to vent lol. I hope you enjoyed this week's dose of Ellie and Elijah. Small spoiler, she will be in attendance for the dinner party, but who knows if she'll be able to keep him from getting daggered.
To RiRi: Yes, we love an Ellie and Ty reunion! You're just going to have to wait and see if she can prevent him from getting daggered! I've yet to get the chance to write Jenna putting her foot down, but I can definitely see it happening.
To royalpurple153: Ellie's not slow, she has no reason to suspect anything is going on with vampires. She has no clue they're real. So she could easily dismiss strange occurrences as accidents. But I understand if you don't want to continue reading this story. I hope you can find one that you really like.
To Oz: Elena really has done a lot of messed up stuff, and she's screwed Ellie over more than once. She honestly needs a reality check, because Ellie deserves better. Jenna definitely deserves to call Elena out on all her crap. Elijah is very supportive, and we love to see it lol. There's most likely going to be times that he does find her adorable, it's going to be a lot of fun to write.
-Madame Magic
Posted: 9/26/20
