Chapter 48: Ghost World
September 7, 2010
To her surprise, she'd woken up oddly early. It was even more surprising when she found Jeremy sitting awake on his bed. "Jer?" Ellie called softly as she knocked on his door.
He looked like he'd been caught doing something bad, so she assumed that he'd most likely been talking to either Anna or Vicki. "Hey, Ellie. What's up?" He asked as she walked further into the room.
"Can we talk?" Ellie asked.
"About what?"
"About what happened when I was gone with Klaus." She explained. He looked hesitant, but there was an ache in her chest that wouldn't go away. She couldn't think of a way to ease into the conversation, so she blurted out, "You died, Jer. You died and I wasn't there to save you."
The pain was clear as day in her voice. It startled Jeremy. He thought that she was going to have something to say about the Anna, Vicki, Bonnie situation. He didn't think that that was what was on her mind. "Ellie…"
Her thoughts were racing, leaving her a bit more blunt than usual. "No, Jer, you don't get it. I'm supposed to protect you. I'm your big sister, that's my job. I promised mom and dad I'd look out for you and I've failed, twice now." She took a hold of his hand, pushing her thumb into his wrist and relaxed slightly as she listened to the steady beating of his heart.
He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close to him. "You're the best big sister I could have ever asked for. You were there for me in ways Jenna and Elena weren't when I was going through my druggie phase. You didn't yell or make me feel like crap. You have always taken care of me. And you've always done it amazingly. How are you gonna sit there and blame yourself for being gone for the summer when you saved Jenna's life?" He asked her in disbelief. "If anything, you saved me from a whole lot more trauma than what I already have."
She felt her resolve shake, and tried hard to keep it together. "I missed you so much." She said softly.
"I missed you too." He confirmed. "I'm so sorry I didn't get to see you yesterday, I got called into work because Nick got sick."
For a long moment, they just sat together as Ellie pulled her emotions together. She didn't need to break down again. There was too much going on right now. Once she was sure she wasn't going to dissolve into tears, she asked, "It's ok, you're here now and so am I. So what's this whole, Anna, Vicki, Bonnie situation?"
He groaned but nodded. "After I… after I died and Bonnie brought me back, I started seeing ghosts. Mostly Anna and Vicki. Vicki told me that she could come back if I helped her. She told me she was all alone and scared and I just wanted to help her. I told Matt about it and I guess he wanted to see her too, so he nearly drowned himself to see her. It worked, and she had apparently made a deal with a witch on the other side to get to stay here, if she helped the witch kill Elena."
"What?" Ellie said in disbelief.
Jeremy explained the rest of the situation with Matt and Vicki before coming back to Anna. "I know I shouldn't be talking to her, but Ellie, she's all alone over there. She's scared and has no one and Bonnie's so mad at me for spending time with Anna but…"
"I'm gonna cut you off right there." Ellie said as she held up her hand. "Jer, I'm not mad that you're talking with Anna."
"You're not?"
"You want my honest opinion?"
"I'm not sure, but I probably need it." Jeremy replied.
She gave his hand a squeeze as she explained, "You loved Anna, right?" He nodded in confirmation. "She died without you getting to say goodbye. Her death hurt, probably more than some of the others understand. Because yes, a lot of us have lost someone. But for most of us, the people we lost weren't the people we were in love with. If I could get the chance to spend time with the people I'd lost, I'd take it without a second thought. You're not the bad guy for wanting to get a little bit more time with someone you've lost. It's natural." Some of the tension left his shoulders, at least it had until she spoke again, "But…"
"Oh god."
"It's nothing bad. Listen to me, Jeremy, and answer honestly. Are you still in love with Anna?" She asked curiously. "It's not a bad thing if you are."
He didn't answer right away, but when he did, he nodded. "I am."
"Then it's not fair to be with Bonnie. You're hurting all three of you. Yes, Anna is a ghost, but that doesn't change the way you feel about her. Now, I'm not saying have a ghost relationship. But when all of this is over, you need time to get over how you feel about Anna, and dating Bonnie isn't going to make what you feel for Anna change any faster."
"But I care about Bonnie."
"I know you do, that's exactly why I'm telling you this, because I know you never intended to hurt her. She has every right to be upset. Her feelings are valid, but you and Anna never broke up. She died. If Anna were still alive, I have no doubt that you'd still be with her." Ellie explained.
"So what are you telling me to do? Dump Bonnie for a relationship that literally cannot work?"
Ellie gave him a look. "No, I'm telling you that being with Bonnie when your heart is still with Anna is only going to hurt you both in the end. I know you care about her, and she cares about you. I think you need time to get over Anna, and that a relationship with someone else isn't something you're ready for. Do you understand what I'm trying to tell you?"
"I think so." Jeremy replied. "I don't wanna hurt Bonnie."
"It's better to be honest with her than lie." Ellie told her.
A good while later, Alaric and Jenna found the siblings curled up in Jeremy's bed, sound asleep. "I'm so glad she's back." Jenna said softly as she wrapped her arms around Alaric's waist.
He smiled fondly at her. "Me too. She deserves a chance at a normal year." He replied. "Hate to wake them up."
"They'll get over it." She grinned as she walked over to the duo and yanked the blankets off of them.
"What the hell?" Jeremy shouted as Ellie let out a vaguely inhuman groan.
"Rise and shine sleepyheads, we've got things to do." Jenna chirped brightly.
"Rise and shine bad, sleepy good." Ellie groaned as she hid her head under her pillow. Jeremy made a grunt of agreement as he flopped back onto the bed.
"That might have worked when you were five, but you're not. It's the 'Night of Illumination' and Carol will kill us if we don't show." Jenna reminded them. "Just be glad you're not having to volunteer this time."
Ellie reluctantly removed her head from where she'd hidden, only to glare at Jenna. "If you spontaneously combust, that's probably my fault." Jenna took Ellie by surprise, latching on to the younger girl's ankles and pulling her down the bed. Ellie yelped before glaring at Jenna. "Do you see how she treats me?" She asked Alaric with a huff.
"Better you than me." Jeremy snorted. He tumbled off the bed a second later. "That's cheating!" He shouted as Ellie hopped up, darting into the bathroom. "No magic!"
"You snooze, you lose!" She shot back from the other side of the door.
Ellie had been with Jenna, Alaric, and Jeremy as they listened to Tobias Fell speak. Elena had joined them just as the older man had started to talk once more. It was interesting to watch Jeremy chuckle under his breath at something the others didn't understand. If she had to guess, Anna had probably been there, making snarky comments to make him laugh. "Can we go and get a drink or something? I didn't drink anything before we left the house." Ellie complained as she looped her arm through Jenna's.
"That is a great idea." Jenna agreed. "I'm starving." The five of them walked over to The Grill and quickly took a table out on the patio since the weather was so nice. They were placed at a long table, one of the ones with six seats and they all ordered their drinks quickly.
"Hey, Jer, I need you to help me with something." Elena said as she started pulling stuff out of her bag.
"What's up?"
"I've been going through Stefan's old journals. Every single time that he's gone off the rails in the past, his best friend Lexi's been the one to bring him back." Elena explained.
Jenna looked intrigued. "So where is she now that we need her?" She asked.
"She's dead." Jeremy said in understanding. "And you want me to try and reach her, don't you?"
"I thought if I knew how she did it, maybe I could help him." Elena confessed.
Jeremy didn't look so sure that it was a good idea. "Look, I don't even know if she's on the other side."
"Is that what it's called?" Elena asked.
"That's what Anna calls it. There's not like an official brochure or anything." He shrugged.
"So what is it? Like some sort of supernatural purgatory?" Alaric questioned.
"Anna said it's like being here with all of us, only we can't see her or hear her." Jeremy explained. "And she can't interact with anyone. She's all alone."
Ellie felt bad for the dead vampire. It sounded like a rough place to be. She wasn't so oblivious to see the way he glanced over to the empty seat across from him. "Vicki could interact. She blew up my car." Alaric reminded him.
"Well, Vicki had help from a witch on the other side. Anna… she's doing this all by herself."
"I'm just saying, maybe we learned our lesson about summoning dead people." Alaric's tone sounded off to Ellie, but she wasn't sure what about it was wrong.
It wasn't a bad plan on Elena's part. "But, Lexi could be able to help if Jeremy could reach her and just talking to her wouldn't exactly be giving her a physical foothold in this world. And no humanity Stefan isn't exactly a super fun friend to deal with. Besides, if Lexi spent as much time as it seems like on bringing Stefan back from his Ripper side, she sounds pretty decent to me. If she were a bad vampire, she wouldn't care that Stefan was killing a bunch of people, but she did and repeatedly saved him from himself." Ellie defended.
Jenna was nodding along in agreement. "It would be safer for everyone if Stefan was back to normal. I think it's worth a shot." Ellie caught the odd look on Alaric's face but didn't comment on it.
"Do you think it's even possible to contact Lexi?" Elena asked.
"I don't know." Jeremy replied. "I didn't have an emotional connection with her. I never even met her."
"Can we just drop it, please?" Alaric asked.
Ellie made a face, but said nothing as Elena replied, "No, I can't drop it, Ric. I don't know what else to do."
"Don't you think we have a few too many dead vampires in our past to be sitting here thinking of them watching us?" Alaric shot back.
Jenna and Ellie shared a look. Neither of them were particularly sure why Alaric was so aggressively against the idea of contacting Lexi. Elena finally noticed the way Jeremy was focusing on the empty chair and asked, "Is Anna here right now?"
There was a pause before Jeremy assured her, "No, no. I'm going to go, uh, check my work schedule."
Jeremy had just walked inside when Stefan appeared, taking the open seat next to Ellie. "Hey guys. Who forgot to invite me to the family summit?" He asked before he noticed his journals on the table. He flipped one open and commented, "Oh, wow. All these words. I forgot how much I used to care."
"I didn't." Elena said softly.
"You know, Elena, it's probably best you not torture yourself with memories from the past. It's best we both just move on and accept things as they are." Stefan told her.
"You don't have to be here, Stefan." Alaric commented.
"You know what, Alaric, you're right. I don't." Stefan agreed as he cleared his throat. "But Elena and Ellie are here and I look out for them."
"I thought you were just looking out for Elena?" Ellie asked in confusion.
He quirked an eyebrow at her. "Haven't I already mentioned that I've also been instructed to be your babysitter as well? Besides, there's going to be people everywhere tonight. So there's going to be lots to eat." At their shocked expressions, Stefan laughed. "I'm kidding. I'm kidding. Loosen up."
As he walked away, Elena looked towards Ric with a determined expression. "I can't drop it, Ric."
"He does seem really out of it." Jenna commented. "He doesn't seem like himself at all."
"He's not himself." Ellie corrected her. "He's currently the worst version of himself."
They sat there, in relative silence as they waited for Jeremy to come back. Ellie found her thoughts drifting towards Dr. Martin and Luka. Were they on the other side too? The guilt clawed at her insides, threatening to consume her. "Are you alright?" Jenna asked worriedly as she reached over to take a hold of Ellie's hand.
"Yeah… yeah I'm ok. I'm just gonna take a walk. I need a breather." Ellie explained as she pushed away from the table without another word. Her head started to ache as she drifted off towards the woods. She stumbled into someone. "I'm so sorry. I wasn't looking…" She looked up to see Luka's amazed face staring back at her. "Luka…"
"Ellie?" Luka asked. "You can see me? You can feel me?"
"You're here?" She asked shakily as she reached out to cup his cheek. He smiled warmly at her, and it was like the dam broke. A choked sob ripped through her as she collapsed in his arms. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so so sorry." She apologized repeatedly as he held her. "You weren't supposed to die, you just wanted her back. I've missed you so much. You didn't deserve this."
He held her tightly as she tried to hold him even closer. They were dropped in the middle of the woods where they wouldn't be heard. "Hey, hey, it's not your fault." He assured her.
"Yes it is!" She insisted, her tears blurring everything. "I should have undaggered Elijah sooner. I should have been the one to do it. If I had just found him sooner, you wouldn't have died and then your dad wouldn't have gotten so upset and he wouldn't have died. It's all my fault." She sobbed, burying her face in Luka's neck.
She felt someone caressing her hair and she looked up to see Dr. Martin kneeling next to her and Luka. "My son's right, you know. Ellie, please don't blame yourself for my actions. I was a man in grief and there was nothing you could have done to prevent my death. Neither my death nor Luka's were your fault. We've kept an eye on you all this time. We've seen how strong you are." He told her.
Ellie couldn't help the scoff she made. "Strong? I let all of those people die."
"You saved your aunt. You did your best to help the people you could. Klaus is a dangerous man, Ellie. No one could blame you for not being able to stop him. Not even Elijah could." Dr. Martin chided softly. "You shouldn't have to go through so much when you're so young. You were kind to my son and I when you didn't have to be. You gave us a proper burial when we had no other family to do so for us."
The last thing she had expected was for him to be aware of that. "You know about that?" Ellie asked quietly.
"We don't have any other living family. So we keep a check on you." Luka explained as he held her close. "We know you go to visit our graves constantly. We listen when you're talking to us." He told her. Another sob shook her as she held onto him. "I've missed you too."
Dr. Martin took a hold of her hand, causing her to look at him once more. "Ellie, we aren't suffering. We're ok over here."
"But Jeremy said Anna was all alone and-"
"Anna has unfinished business. Once it's resolved, she can be at peace if she wished." Dr. Martin told her.
"What about you?" Ellie sniffed. "Are you at peace?"
"We wanted to make sure you were ok. That's our unfinished business." Luka told her.
"You're still here because of me?"
"We're still here because we care about you." Dr. Martin told her. To be honest, he did seem far calmer than he had before he'd died. "Ellie, we will always watch over you whether we were at peace or not."
Ellie spent a while in the woods with Dr. Martin and Luka. It had been more therapeutic for Ellie than she'd thought was possible. With the time she spent clutching Luka as they talked, it felt like a little piece of her heart put itself back together again. Their deaths had clearly impacted her more than she'd expected it to. "There's someone else that's been watching over you." Dr. Martin said softly.
"What?" Ellie asked in confusion as she looked up at him. He was staring at something over her shoulder, and she gasped at the person standing behind her. "Isobel?" She choked.
Isobel looked different. She looked warmer and her eyes were watering. "My baby girl." Isobel said softly as she held out her arms. Ellie scrambled out of Luka's arm, nearly throwing herself into Isobel. Isobel held her tightly. "My baby girl, my darling baby." Isobel sighed in relief as Ellie hugged her. "You don't know how long I've waited to get to hold you like this."
"I couldn't save you, I tried." Ellie whimpered. The guilt she felt over Isobel's death had plagued her the same way Dr. Martin's and Luka's deaths had. "I'm so sorry."
"Baby, I was already gone." Isobel assured her as she pulled back. "The Isobel you met… she was never the Isobel I wanted to be. I turned it off because it was easier. I was weak and because of that it cost me my opportunity to know you. I'm so sorry for that."
"It's not your fault." Ellie told her. She refused to release the older woman.
Isobel smiled softly at her. "Yes it is. I made the decisions I made. I have to own up to that. All I ever wanted was the chance to spend time with you as me. As the me my parents raised, the me that gave birth to my two beautiful daughters. You've been so strong, so incredibly strong and I'm so proud of you. You get that strength from my mom, maybe from me too. We never let people break us, even when it would be easier to do so."
"But I am broken." Ellie replied. "I'm tired of fighting. It's so hard. And I need to help Stefan and I have to try and protect everyone from Klaus and his anger issues. And I just feel like people keep dying around me and I keep failing to save them." Her heart was hurting as much as it had when she'd originally broken down with Dr. Martin and Luka.
"You have so much to learn, Ellie. You have so much power in you. I can see it so clearly now. You get that from my family and I've never been so proud. I never thought I could be blessed with such an amazing daughter, but here you are. My beautiful, kind, strong, brave daughter. You're a fighter like our family has always been. All the way back to Katherine and before we have fought and we will keep fighting because you are strong enough to survive. You're not alone, even when you feel like you are. I'll watch over you and whenever it's time for you, I'll welcome you with open arms and we'll get to go home." Isobel said as she pressed a kiss to Ellie's forehead. "You're stronger than all of this and I am so proud of you."
"I don't feel like it." Ellie sighed as she held onto Isobel. Whatever Matt or Jeremy or whoever the hell had done, she was so grateful for it. She'd needed this more than she realized.
"You don't always have to feel strong to be strong. You and Katherine are more similar than you realize. You're good for each other." Isobel told her.
"You're keeping an eye on Katherine, too?"
Isobel gave her a devilish grin. "Well, Katherine can be rather entertaining to watch sometimes." Ellie laughed softly at the comment. "You have your grandmother's smile." Isobel informed her. "My mom, god, she's a great woman. Makes the best food in the world and by the time Christmas is over you'll have gained ten pounds of pure cookies."
To Ellie's surprise, her heart didn't twist with grief. Instead, there was a warmth as she watched her mother talk about her grandmother with such fondness. "Do you think she'd like me?"
"Oh my god! My parents would love you! The moment my mom knew you could cook she'd have you in the kitchen for ages, especially at the holidays. She's big on holidays, always goes all out. God my dad would get so mad when she'd whip the Christmas tree out the day after Thanksgiving." Isobel was grinning as she held Ellie.
"They sound great." Ellie agreed. The two of them ended up sitting in the dirt as they talked, though Ellie never let go of the other woman. Dr. Martin and Luka were still there, and the latter didn't protest while Ellie held onto his hand like a lifeline. The whole thing was odd, but also comforting. They all knew their time was limited, but for the first time since people started dying all around her, it felt like she could breathe.
They'd been there so long that the sun was starting to set, though it took her a while to realize with the way the trees were already blocking out the light. "There's one more thing, Ellie." Dr. Martin said as he caught her attention.
"What is it?" She asked.
"Don't tell me you've forgotten about me already?" A familiar voice called. Ellie looked at the place the sound came from, spotting a familiar face as well as an unfamiliar one.
Ellie hadn't dared to hope she'd get the chance to see her. "Miss Sheila." She said shakily as she broke away from the others, holding the older witch tightly. "Of course I didn't forget you, I just didn't know if I…"
"I've been with Bonnie. Someone needs to help her clean up the mess she's made." Sheila said softly as she wiped away the tears that had escaped. "Stop your crying dear, you'll make yourself sick."
"I tried to talk to you, right after everything happened but…"
"But I did not think it would be wise." The soft spoken voice of the woman beside Sheila took Ellie by surprise.
She knew that voice. "Emily?" Ellie asked in disbelief as she took in the woman. It was clear her clothes were easily mid to late 1800s. Stefan and Damon had known Emily back then. She was beautiful, breathtakingly so. Her features were soft and she reminded Ellie strongly of Bonnie. "You're Emily?"
"I am." Emily confirmed.
"What are you doing here?" Ellie asked in confusion.
"I'm here to look after you." Emily said simply. It was strange to realize that there were so many people on the other side watching her back. "There are dangers ahead. You must be careful."
Ellie frowned. "Wait what dangers?"
Sheila sighed and took a hold of Ellie's hands. "Ellie, there's a witch over here. A dangerous witch, and powerful. Older than most of us. She took advantage of Bonnie when Bonnie brought Jeremy back."
"The witch that was helping Vicki?" Ellie asked.
Both Bennett witches nodded as the other three walked over to them. "When Bonnie had to send Vicki back, this witch cracked the door wide open leaving it so that anyone could get back through. It's why we're all here right now."
"What does the witch want?"
"That's Original vampire business. You don't need to get involved in it." Sheila warned.
"If you guys have been watching me, then you know the deal that I made with Klaus to save Jenna. If he's in danger, I could be as well, the others could be." Ellie argued.
"That's not why I came to you." Sheila replied. Ellie tilted her head in confusion. "I watched you struggle, Ellie. I have watched you struggle for a while now. You've kept it to yourself for so long. I came to let you know that I'm ok, but more importantly, darling you need to open up. You shouldn't have to deal with your struggles all alone. You have people that are still here that love and care about you. Let them in. Let them help you."
"But…"
"I don't have much time, Bonnie and Caroline have gone to get that necklace so that we can close the door once more. But I knew I needed to talk some sense into you." Sheila said. "Once the door is closed, Emily will still be at the house to help you should you need it, but for the most part, the rest of us will go back to being mostly separated by being on the other side."
Emily didn't say much, but then again, Ellie hadn't gone through the trauma of losing her. It was nice to know that after this was over, Emily would still be with her. "The necklace?" Ellie questioned.
"Elena's necklace." Sheila clarified.
"What do you need the necklace for?"
"We have to destroy it to close the door. It is a talisman for the witch." Emily explained.
Shelia pulled Ellie into a hug. For the first time in so long, Ellie didn't feel so broken. It wasn't hard to realize that she'd felt so awful because she blamed herself for their deaths. But they were here and they were ok and they didn't blame her. They didn't hate her. They were proud of her. "You're strong. You're one hell of a witch. Don't ever forget that." Sheila told her. Ellie didn't feel like crying anymore, though she knew there was a chance that she would once they were gone.
"You promise you guys are ok?" Ellie asked softly. No one seemed to be lying. "I'll watch out for Bonnie, I promise."
"You don't have to tell me something I already know. You're a good girl, you're already looking out for her." Sheila reminded her.
"Do I need to help with the spell?"
Shaking her head, Sheila replied, "This is Bonnie's mess. It's her job to clean it up. She and I have got this, though I ought to be going. I'm so honored to have taught you, and once I'm gone, don't you forget who you are."
Ellie smiled at her. "I won't." Shelia pressed a kiss to Ellie's cheek before she and Emily vanished. "There's not much time left is there?"
"There isn't." Dr. Martin confirmed. It felt like there wasn't much left to say, but she couldn't bear to let them go before it was absolutely necessary. So, in the darkness of the woods, they sat together. It wasn't much longer before there was a shift in the air, a sense of magic brewing. "It's time."
The four of them rose, and one by one they hugged Ellie tightly, trying to make sure that their message was understood. "Thank you guys, for coming. I needed this. I needed to say goodbye." Ellie said softly.
"We all did." Isobel assured her. "I love you, I always have my darling girl. I always regretted not getting to tell you before I died."
There was a swell of emotion at the statement. "I love you too. You would have been a good mom." Ellie meant it, and it seemed to mean the world to Isobel. The three ghosts smiled at her, Isobel holding her hand. She had gotten the least amount of time with Ellie, and even in death it was one of her biggest regrets. "Thank you." She said again and the wind picked up. She tilted her head up to look as the leaves swayed violently. When she looked down, they were gone.
She was aware of the ache in her chest, though it wasn't nearly as bad as it had been before. Ellie smiled at where they had stood, before making her way out of the woods. Despite the closure the day had brought her, there was the pain of losing them all over again that made it harder to breathe than usual. It was only when she left the woods that she realized that she had several missed calls from Jenna. When she called back, her aunt answered on the second ring. "Ellie? Are you ok? What happened? Where have you been?"
"Jen, I'm ok. A lot has happened. Can I fill you in when I get home?" Ellie asked tiredly. "I just wanted to go ahead and call to let you know that I was ok."
It didn't really surprise her that Jenna immediately picked up that something was wrong. "Ellie? Yeah, yeah, we can talk when you get home. Are you sure you're ok?"
Ellie smiled softly. She was so lucky to have Jenna. "Yeah." She got home as fast as she could and found Jenna already waiting with a chamomile tea in hand. Jenna wiped away the wet streaks on Ellie's cheeks and pulled her close before they made their way over to the couch. As Ellie explained what had happened, Jenna had kept her wrapped up under her arms.
"I'm glad they came." Jenna confessed. "It's been hard to watch you struggle. I wanted to give you time to talk about it at your own pace, but I knew something was wrong. You know you can always talk to me, yeah?"
She sniffed and nodded. Her eyes had started to water as she went over the day's events, but she didn't cry again. "Yeah, I know. I think I didn't realize how bad I was struggling until they were there in front of me and all of the pain just kind of hit me all over again. But now that it's happened I do feel better."
"It's because you got closure. You hadn't had that before all of this. Are you gonna be ok?" Jenna asked as she ran her fingers through Ellie's hair.
"Yeah, yeah I think I will be." Ellie replied and for once, it felt like the truth.
Author's Note:
Hey guys, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and as always, please leave a review and let me know your thoughts! Happy New Years you guys! I hope this is a good way to start off your 2021! Also thank you guys so much for over 50,000 views! This chapter was a bit of look at how Ellie's been struggling, even if she didn't make it obvious. It was something Ellie needed a lot, and I cried writing it if I'm honest.
To vivi. wie: Ellie definitely needed it, just like she needed the closure that she got in this chapter. I know, I'm sorry you didn't get her reunion with Jeremy last chapter, but you got it this chapter. When I was writing it I thought it was better to space out all the reunions a little bit so that it didn't feel so back to back. He was just busy last chapter and didn't get the chance to see her. But yes, their family is highly dysfunctional. Damon in the first seasons is awful, though I do like him as it goes on. He did bring a lot of suffering to their family, and sometimes I feel like Ellie is the only one that didn't just brush it off.
To brigitm28: Lol, yes, it just felt like her genuine reaction would be a little comedic because she was so shocked. Maybe I should do a separate thing where I can put like one shots for this universe, like them bonding and stuff when I don't have the time to put it in the main story. What do you think? Would you like that? The Mikael saga is vital when it comes to understanding Klaus a little more. Also, would you like for me to add more Stefan and Ellie? A lot of people seem really attached to the duo, which I hadn't actually expected. Kol and Ellie bonding would be so much fun.
To xenocanaan: No, it's not just you. That's exactly what they did and they (i.e. Elena) did it on purpose. I haven't written them having a confrontation over it yet, but it'll happen I'm sure. A lot of people have really seemed to like her and Stefan, should I write more of them together?
To DarkAngelmi818: It's ok, I don't really like him either, though he gets better in the later seasons I think. Honestly, I just think he's the worst when it comes to Elena being involved.
To lolistarkiller: I'm sorry, he had to work last chapter, but you get them together this chapter! Was their reunion what you expected? Kol is going to be a little put off, but he'll get over it. They haven't had a lot of scenes together, since he kind of disappeared for a while, but they have been witty with one another and I'm really excited for you guys to get to see it. I didn't even think about making him a little clingy! But I kind of like that idea if we're honest. Him constantly stealing her away to annoy Elijah would be so good.
To flawsome4ever: Oh my gosh thank you so much. It means the world to me to see people enjoy my story so much! Thank you for reviewing!
To Oz: Yes, I did do a double update for Christmas, and you're getting another double update since it's New Years! I have plans for Ric and Jenna, worry not. I wish I could excuse Ric's actions, but I can't because this is exactly how he was in the show and it's so disappointing. They are still together but I have plans, just you wait. Oh my god I literally love Stefan, even though there were times he did really stupid things. Him coming over to team Ellie would be so good. I think it would be a good way for him to get closure and get over Elena. Do you think I should put in more Ellie and Stefan, because a LOT of people seem really into it which surprised me. I have some plans for Tyler which will probably change certain stuff he does, but we're still getting there. Elena really is creating problems. It's ok, literally long reviews are my favorite reviews! They make me so happy.
To AdiraBraelynn: It's ok, I cried writing their reunion too. You get Jeremy this chapter! He was just busy last chapter. But you're right, she was very anxious and worried about him. I think it's funny honestly, how I originally planned her out to compliment Kol's character and she somehow turned into a perfect fit for Elijah along the way. I know what you mean about it being rare, I think that's why it was so important to me. The Originals repeatedly get screwed over and then people act like they're overreacting when they don't trust anyone. I haven't written a movie scene yet, but do you think I should make a separate story that's filled with one shots from this universe? Like stuff that I just didn't have the time to put in? There is going to be a moment where Ellie kind of lets her anger towards Damon get the better of her. Yes, Damon honestly has done more damage to the MF gang than Klaus. Speaking of Stefan, should I write more of him and Ellie? As for your questions, no I don't think he got out of it sooner. I'm pretty sure we're about ten chapters away from the first kiss. Yes, Ellie will be there for the dinner scene. I won't spoil about the link though, but you're right. There's a lot of potential for Abby. I like Cami, but I think Klaus and Caroline should have been together. I can't wait for them to reunite either. I hope your 2021 is a better year as well.
-Madame Magic
Posted: 1/1/21
