Chapter 49: Ordinary People
September 15, 2010
In the last week, Elena had once again started to act shady. She didn't comment on it, yet, though she was very aware that there was something Elena wasn't telling her. Ellie felt slightly better when both Caroline and Bonnie confessed that they had no idea what Elena was doing. All they knew was that she had started up on self defense practice with Alaric, who was teaching her how to use his weapons. That was actually something she was all for and was considering taking up herself. It was foolish of her to solely rely on her magic, and it was that thought that had her working out more often.
Though, she didn't have much time to dwell on how suspicious Elena was acting. She didn't have much time to herself at all. With Stefan missing, though it was Damon to confess that they currently had him on Ripper detox so he wasn't really missing, Rebekah was spending more time with Ellie. Her reasoning was that Ellie was one of the only people in town that Rebekah didn't immediately want to murder.
Ellie found that she didn't mind and she also realized that Rebekah was pretty good company. Rebekah was endlessly fascinated by modern technology, and almost always had a question for Ellie. It was when Rebekah was listening to her with fascination that Ellie found her the most endearing. The blonde had been delighted by the internet, and promptly spent hours on Ellie's laptop looking up everything that came to mind. It seemed very important to Rebekah to learn about what the modern day was like, and Ellie agreed. If they didn't want Rebekah to stick out like a sore thumb, she needed to at least know in passing what an MP3 player was.
Video games were another new fascination of Rebekah's. Ellie had pulled a couple videos up of people playing video games online and she remembered the look of awe on Rebekah's face. She ended up promising the blonde that she'd borrow Jeremy's playstation and bring it over to the Salvatore's so that Rebekah could try it. Though she found she actually liked Rebekah, she didn't trust her enough to invite her inside. It had taken the confession that Ellie hadn't invited Elijah in right away either to placate her.
Now, since Stefan was locked up, Rebekah had ridden to school with Ellie. "So you actually want to be a cheerleader?" Ellie asked curiously as they got out of the car.
"Yes? Is there something wrong with that?" Rebekah asked somewhat defensively.
Ellie snorted slightly. "No, not in the slightest. I used to be a cheerleader as well. I'm not judging you for it. I just think it's interesting since you find the modern way of dressing for women to be like that of a prostitute. You can't get much shorter than a cheerleader's skirt."
"It seems like fun." Rebekah said as messed with her shorts. She'd arrived dressed in workout clothes since Lisa had wanted the girls to get some exercise in before school started.
"Which part? Cheering for boys tackling each other, or messing with Caroline?" Ellie asked knowingly.
She grinned at Rebekah to let her know she was teasing and Rebekah grinned right back. "Well, I suppose I wasn't that secret about it. She's popular. I want to be popular."
"Everybody wants to be popular, but I think if you gave her a chance you guys might get on well. She's been my best friend for as long as I can remember." Ellie told her. Rebekah looked like she wasn't sure how to reply to that, other than a snarky comment, so Ellie changed the subject. "There's the girls. I need to get some math homework done before class. Do you want me to keep your bag with me while you guys practice?"
"That would be nice. Thank you." Rebekah agreed as she passed her bag to Ellie. Some of the cheerleaders called in greeting to Ellie and she smiled and waved at them. She wondered, had it not been for her summer with Klaus and Stefan, if she would be on the cheer team still. Would she have been practicing with them now?
She shook the thought away and got to work. Math was by far her least favorite subject, and so she was focused entirely on it. At least she had been, until she heard one of the girl's call, "Hey Rebekah, show us what you did last week!" Ellie knew she was talking about the impressive stunt Rebekah had done to mess with Caroline. She gave the girl an encouraging smile and watched as Rebekah stood up a little straighter, before easily shifting into a series of cartwheels.
Rebekah stopped right in front of Ellie's table, where Elena had also approached. "You. Goody." Rebekah said sarcastically.
Ellie placed her textbook on top of her papers so that they wouldn't fly off before walking over to the two girls as Elena said, "I was hoping we could talk."
"About what? Stefan?" Rebekah asked. "Don't worry. I'm off him until he starts treating me better. In fact, you should probably take a page out of my book, if I'm being honest." Ellie agreed with Rebekah that it was most definitely the right decision to keep her distance from Stefan until he had his humanity back.
She watched with interest as Elena dug around in her bag for something. "Actually, I'd rather talk about this." Elena said as she held up a picture of odd writing. "I'm wondering why you and Klaus have spent a thousand years running from your father."
Ellie watched as the color drained from Rebekah's face and her expression shifted into one of shock. Rebekah hesitated, clearly thrown off guard at this turn of events. "I should get back to the girls." Rebekah deflected. "Homecoming's right around the corner."
Rebekah turned to walk away when Elena added, "Well then maybe I'll ask Mikael when we wake him."
The blonde Original froze mid step, but turned back towards Elena with a smirk. "You're bluffing. You don't know where he is. No one does."
"So then who's rotting in that old cemetery in Charlotte?" Elena questioned smugly.
There was an anger lurking under the surface of Rebekah's expression as she stalked towards Elena. "If you wake Mikael we are all doomed." Rebekah said seriously.
"So then tell me?" Elena asked.
"Why do you want to know?"
"Why don't you want me to wake him?" Elena shot back.
"I need to get back to the girls." Rebekah repeated before walking away.
Something was really wrong. Ellie remembered Rebekah mentioning Mikael. She remembered how stressed out Rebekah had seemed at the mere mention of the man and Rebekah hadn't mentioned him since. "How do you know Mikael's their father?" Ellie asked Elena as she plucked the picture out of Elena's hand. "What is this?"
"That is Rebekah's name in Viking script." Elena said. "Alaric figured it out. We figured out Mikael was their father because his name was carved next to theirs. All of their names were there. Klaus, Rebekah, Elijah, Mikael."
Ellie frowned. "And how do you know where Mikael is? What have you been doing?"
Elena took the picture back. "Jeremy asked Anna before Bonnie closed the door. She was the only person her mother ever told."
"Wait, you involved Jeremy and you didn't tell me?" Ellie asked in disbelief.
"He doesn't know about the cave. He just had information about Mikael. And I didn't involve him, Katherine and Damon did." Elena replied.
"That still doesn't explain why you didn't tell me anything, Elena." Ellie retorted. Her trust in Elena was still, in all honesty, nonexistent. Quite frankly, Elena hadn't done anything to gain that trust back.
She watched as Elena glanced over to where Rebekah was standing and chatting with the girls. She had no doubt Rebekah was listening in the conversation. "You've been busy." Elena said simply.
"You're kidding me, right?" Ellie scoffed. "Elena!"
"I really don't want to fight with you right now. I've got enough going on as it is. I'll talk to you later." Elena said dismissively. Before Ellie could get another word in edgewise, Elena strode off, stuffing the photo back into her bag.
Rebekah had managed to make her way back over to Ellie without Ellie hearing anything. "You didn't know?" She asked. Whether she meant to or not, there was a vulnerability in Rebekah's expression. Ellie couldn't imagine that the girl was much older than Ellie when she'd been turned.
"No, I didn't know." Ellie replied honestly. "She has a bad habit of leaving me out of the loop." Rebekah was clearly shaken up at the mention of Mikael. "Is he really your father?"
The vampire stiffened, but nodded. "Yes. Mikael is my father."
"I'm sorry. I won't press." Ellie apologized. She had no clue what Elena was planning, or why she wanted to wake Mikael, but she didn't want to stress Rebekah out any more than she already was. Rebekah looked like she had expected Ellie to push it, but was grateful she hadn't. "Why don't we head to the locker room so you can change before class?" Ellie offered instead.
After school, Ellie had gotten a text from Rebekah, who had been terribly excited to learn how texting worked, to come over. Ellie quickly replied that she would before going up to Jeremy's room. "Hey punk!" She called as she tugged his headphones off.
He was drawing someone that looked a suspicious amount like Anna. "What?" He asked as he put his drawing pad down.
"I'm gonna head over to the boarding house, Rebekah wanted me to come over. She was fascinated by the thought of video games so I was wondering if you'd mind if I borrowed the playstation. I didn't want to invite her in, but I didn't want to take it without asking you." Ellie explained.
"You've been hanging with her a lot." Jeremy commented.
"I'm the only person she knows right now that is in town and isn't acting like a dick. She's honestly not so bad. No worse than Damon in any case." Ellie replied. "She hasn't really given me a reason to not like her, and I don't think it's fair to judge her based off of Klaus. Besides, imagine if people only judged you based on your druggie phase and didn't give you a chance. That would suck, right?"
Jeremy nodded. "You've got a point. Yeah, you can borrow it, just make sure you don't break anything please."
Ellie grinned, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "Have I told you lately that you're like the best brother ever?"
"I'm your only brother."
"Best sibling ever." She amended. He smiled at her praise, but when it didn't reach his eyes, she reached out for his hand. "Everything ok?"
It seemed that for a split second, he thought about lying before thinking better of it. "Me and Bonnie broke up. A few days ago. I feel like an ass because she was already mad at me for kissing Anna." He confessed. "But I do think you're right. I think in the end I still would have hurt her and she didn't deserve to be hurt like that. Do you think she'll ever forgive me?"
"You're a good person, Jer. She liked you a lot. It's going to take some time, but yes, I think she'll forgive you after a while. Just don't push it ok? Let her take things at her own pace." Ellie explained.
"I will. I owe her that much." He said thoughtfully. "You know, for someone that's never had a relationship, you give pretty good advice." Ellie scoffed at the backhanded compliment before flicking him on the nose. With a wave of her hand, his stereo shot to life, blaring obnoxious pop music so loud they both winced. "Not cool Ellie!" He shouted over the music, but she was out of his reach before he could try to grab her.
As she walked out of his room, she could hear him practically screaming at her over the music to let him turn it off. Jenna popped her head out of her room. "Do I even want to know?" She asked curiously.
Ellie grinned slyly. "Nothing he didn't have coming." She replied. "Don't worry, I'll turn it off before I leave."
They ignored Jeremy's shouting as Jenna asked, "Where are you going?"
"Over to the boarding house. Rebekah wanted to hang out."
Thankfully, Jenna didn't press the matter and just smiled at her niece. "Have fun."
It was only once Ellie had already gotten the playstation stuff out to her car that she finally turned off Jeremy's stereo, which she'd been able to hear from her car. Jeremy was at the front door a moment later, flipping her off. "Love you too!" She shouted loudly as she pulled out of the drive. She had elected not to tell Rebekah about the playstation. She thought it would be a nice surprise. When she arrived, she was startled to see Elena there as well. "What are you doing here?"
"Rebekah texted me." Elena said with a shrug. The tension between the two had returned but they headed inside anyways.
There was music playing and Rebekah turned to them, alcohol in hand and cheerfully said, "Hey, what's up?"
"You invited me over to talk." Elena replied.
Rebekah didn't answer and instead called out to someone else, "Alright girls. Have at it." Six girls in dresses and heels walked in from the other room. "Ok, now twirl, please." The girls did as asked, obviously compelled.
"You compelled your own private runway show?" Elena asked in disbelief.
"I need a homecoming dress." Rebekah told her, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "So what do you think? Pick one."
Elena scoffed. "I'm not here to help you shop. I'm here to talk about why you don't want me to wake up Mikael."
At the mere mention of her father, she rushed over to the girl closest to her, fangs out and ready to bite. "I said pick one, Elena." Rebekah warned, the threat of harm coming to the other girl clear, should Elena not do as she was told.
"The red one." Elena said quickly.
"Ellie?" Rebekah asked.
She gave a once over all the girls. "I actually do really like the red one." The moment she agreed, Rebekah stepped away from the girl, her fangs retreating.
"There. That wasn't so hard. Was it?" She asked before she addressed the other girls. "Go away. Remember nothing." As the girls left, Rebekah picked up her glass and strolled over to Elena, getting in the girl's face. "You do not threaten me. You will learn what I allow you to learn. Is that clear?"
Once Elena nodded, Rebekah strolled off. Ellie glanced at Elena, before following after Rebekah. Even though she really wouldn't have pushed the Original, she was incredibly curious as to what Rebekah's history was. "Where are we going?" Ellie asked as Rebekah placed her now empty glass on one of the tables.
Rebekah shot her a bright grin. "You'll see. Come along." She ended up leading the twins up to Stefan's room. "How fun is this?" She asked as she strolled inside.
"We shouldn't be here." Elena said as Rebekah helped herself to snoop through Stefan's things.
"Of course we should." Rebekah replied. "Come on. Like you've never wanted to snoop." She held up a grey pair of Stefan's underwear. "Boxer briefs. Now that's a change from the twenties."
Ellie couldn't help but grin at the comment. At the moment, Rebekah wasn't acting any different than the way Caroline might have snooped. "Are you gonna root through his stuff all night, or are you gonna start to tell me your story?"
Rebekah sighed dramatically. "You really are no fun. I much prefer Ellie. What do you want to know?"
"Well, Elijah said that your father was a landowner in Europe. How did you guys end up here?" Elena asked. There was an ache at the mention of the daggered Original, but she pushed past it. Now wasn't the time.
"My parents had just started a family when a plague struck their homeland." Rebekah said as she went through the stuff on Stefan's desk. "They lost a child to it. They wanted to escape and protect their future family from the same fate." Ellie felt awfully sympathetic for Rebekah. It must have been hard for her parents to lose a child.
"So how did you end up here?" Elena repeated. "This part of the world hadn't even been discovered yet."
The blonde seemed genuinely amused by that. "Not by anyone in your history books." She corrected. "But my mother knew the witch Ayana, who heard from the spirits of a mystical land where everyone was healthy. Blessed by the gifts of speed and strength. That led my family here, where we lived amongst those people."
"The werewolves." Ellie deduced.
"To us, they were just our neighbors." Rebekah explained. "My family lived in peace with them for over twenty years, during which time my family had more children, including me."
"You make it sound so normal." Elena told her.
Ellie caught the small smile Rebekah gave as she looked out the window. "It was." She confirmed. "Once a month, our family retreated to the caves beneath our village. The wolves would howl through the night, and by morning, we'd return home." Rebekah seemed to brace herself before she continued. "One full moon, Klaus and my youngest brother, Henrik, snuck out to watch the men turn into beasts. That was forbidden. Henrik paid the price."
"Rebekah…" Ellie said softly, reaching out to take the other girl's hand, uncaring of Elena's judgement. Rebekah squeezed her hand gratefully.
"My mother begged the witch Ayana to help us, to save my brother. But Ayana refused, claiming that the spirits would not give us a way. Henrik died and that was the beginning of the end of peace with our neighbors. And one of the last moments my family had together as humans." Rebekah told them. Her expression was carefully controlled, though she didn't let go of Ellie's hand. The ringing of Elena's phone snapped Rebekah out of her thoughts. She shook her head and replied, "You better get that. That'll be Damon checking up on you."
Elena turned and answered it. "Hello? Damon, where are you?" There was a pause before she replied, "Yes, I'm fine but I can't talk right now. Was that Stefan?" Both Rebekah and Ellie looked up with interest. "Damon how could you let him out?" It seemed that Damon had hung up on her. "Back to the story." Elena said once she turned back around.
Rebekah released her hold on Ellie and told Elena, "No, I think I'll take a break. It seems I've found a diary of our darling Stefan." She picked up the journal in mention and dropped down onto Stefan's bed, flipping open the journal at random and beginning to read.
Ellie shrugged and took a seat, letting Rebekah take things at her own pace. If losing Henrik had felt anything like losing Jeremy, even though it had only been temporary, she completely understood that Rebekah might need a moment to recover. They sat there for a while before Elena seemed to lose her patience, asking, "Did you get your fill of snooping yet? Can we get on with the story?"
Rebekah eyes Ellie, giving her a look, but Ellie didn't say anything. The blonde put the book down and rose from her spot on the bed, walking over to the small table Ellie and Elena were sitting at. She watched as Rebekah picked up a picture of Stefan and Elena, smiling happily at the camera. "Honestly, I don't get you two as a couple."
"Why would you?" Elena asked. "You don't know anything about who he really is."
She stared at Elena, unsure if she agreed with her sister's statement. Rebekah placed the frame back down, once more getting in Elena's face. "I know exactly who he is." She said confidently. "He's a vampire. We're a predatory species. We don't have time to care about humans and their silly little lives."
"Is that why you did that runway show earlier? Because you don't care about the homecoming dance?" Elena sassed. Rebekah straightened her back as Elena said, "You know what? I'm just gonna go."
"You haven't even heard half the story." Rebekah commented.
"And you're not going to tell it." Elena said bluntly. "You're just bored and looking for someone to push around. Find someone else to play with. Maybe you can compel yourself a friend." Ellie knew that Elena was manipulating Rebekah to get what she wanted, but part of her thought that Elena played the part of the mean girl a little too well.
"The necklace wasn't Stefan's to give." Rebekah confessed. "It belonged to the Original Witch."
"The one who put the hybrid curse on Klaus?" Elena asked for clarification.
"Not just the hybrid curse." Rebekah replied. "She's the one who turned us into vampires."
Ellie felt her jaw drop. "What?" She asked in disbelief.
"I'm thirsty. Do you want a drink?" Rebekah asked as she strolled out of the room, Elena and Ellie following right behind her.
"So vampirism was a form of protection?" Elena questioned as they went down the stairs.
Rebekah shot her a look. "What else would it be?"
"A curse."
"My parents only saw a way of keeping their children alive."
"Yeah, but why stay?" Elena asked. "If they were so afraid of the werewolves why not leave?"
A heavy sigh left Rebekah. "Pride." She confessed as they reached the bottom of the stairs and she turned to face the twins. "My father didn't want to run anymore. He wanted to fight and be superior to the wolves. Where they could bite, we had to bite harder. Where they had speed, we had to be faster. Agility, strength, senses. Everything could be heightened. My parents went to the witch Ayana, and begged her to help them, but she refused. Claiming that the spirits would turn on them for such an act. It was left in my mother's hands."
"In her hands?" Elena repeated. "How could she do anything?"
"Because my mother was also a witch." Rebekah said simply as they walked down the hallway.
"What?"
It clicked suddenly. Why else would Rebekah be so attached to the necklace? "The witch of the Original family. The Original Witch." Rebekah said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Honestly, it should have been. "Where do they keep your best vintage?" She asked as they moved into the parlor.
Elena was still seemingly in shock from the revelation. "But if your mother was a witch, then…"
"Am I? No." Rebekah replied. "A witch is nature's servant. A vampire is an abomination of nature. You can either be one or the other, never both." She explained as she found a bottle she deemed acceptable. "My mother did this for us. She did not turn."
"How did you turn?" Elena asked.
"She called upon the sun for life and the ancient white oak tree, one of nature's eternal objects, for immortality." Rebekah made her way over to the fireplace, watching the flames dance, not really focusing on Ellie or Elena. "That night, my father offered us wine laced with blood." She hesitated before saying, "And then he drove his sword through our hearts."
"He killed you." Ellie whispered in shock. "Oh my god."
Rebekah turned to face them, and Ellie could see the way her eyes had watered, though no tears fell. "And he wasn't delicate about it either." She ripped off the top part of the bottle, tossing it into the fire as the other two flinched. "Klaus had come to before I did, he'd tried to comfort me amidst our panic, but our father arrived, a village girl in tow. We had to drink more blood to complete the ritual. My father forced me, but once I gave in, it was euphoric. The feeling of power was indescribable. But the witch Ayana was right about the consequences. The spirits turned on us, and nature fought back. For every strength, there would be a weakness. The sun became our enemy. It kept us indoors for weeks. And though my mother found a solution, there were other problems. Neighbors who had opened their homes to us could now keep us out. Flowers at the base of the white oak burned and prevented compulsion."
"Vervain." Ellie said softly, not wanting to interrupt Rebekah.
"And the spell decreed that the tree that gave us life could also take it away. So we burned it to the ground." Rebekah told them. "The darkest consequence was something my parents never anticipated. The hunger. Blood had made us reborn, and it was blood that we craved above all else. We could not control it. And with that… the predatory species was born."
They were all silent for a moment, before Elena asked her next question, "Why did Mikael start hunting Klaus?"
"When Nik made his first human kill, it triggered his werewolf gene. With that, he became my father's greatest shame."
"Yeah, Elijah told us this part of the story. Your mother had had an affair with one of the werewolf villagers. Klaus wasn't his son." Elena replied.
Rebekah paused, before telling them, "She tried to make it right. She put the hybrid curse on Nik to suppress his werewolf side, and then she turned her back on him. But Mikael's greatest weakness as a human was his pride. As a vampire, that was magnified. He went on a rampage and killed half the village. Then he came home and killed her."
"Mikael killed your mother?" Elena asked.
"Oh Rebekah…" Ellie said. She didn't know how to react and it was clear that this was a painful memory for Rebekah to relive.
She turned towards them. "He said she broke his heart so he would break hers. He tore it from her chest as Nik watched. Afterwards, my father took off in a rage, and the rest of my family scattered. Nik stayed so he could help me bury her. He knew I had to say goodbye to my mother. It turned out that Elijah too had stayed. The three of us promised that we would stay by one another's side, that we would be together, always and forever."
"Always and forever." Elena repeated. "Even though he locked you in a coffin for ninety years?"
"We're vampires. Our emotions are heightened. I'm stubborn, Elijah moral, and Nik… Nik has no tolerance for those who disappoint him." Rebekah explained. "Over a thousand years as a family, we've all made that mistake at least once. I've made it several times."
"But you still love him?" Elena asked in disbelief.
"He's my brother, and I am immortal. Should I spend an eternity alone instead?" The conversation finally seemed to be getting to Rebekah and she told Elena, "You've heard the story. It's time to go." When Elena didn't move fast enough, Rebekah said, "I said leave, Elena. I don't know what you're up to, but I am no longer playing along."
"I'm just looking for one good reason why we shouldn't wake Mikael." Elena replied.
Ellie looked at her sister in disbelief. "And I've given you a thousand." Rebekah told her. "But you will anyway. I know you want him to help you kill my brother. I'm not stupid."
"It's no secret that I want Klaus dead. He has a hold over Stefan's life and over mine and over my sister's." Elena explained.
"Do what you need." Rebekah said as she seemed to strengthen her resolve. "Wake Mikael at your own peril. But make no mistake. If you come after my brother, I will rip you apart and I get my temper from my father. Now leave." Elena walked out and Rebekah stared at Ellie. "Why are you still here?"
"Why would I leave?" Ellie asked.
"Don't you want my brother dead too? Why are you still here?" Rebekah asked.
Ellie shook her head. "Klaus is kind of a dick, but I'm not sure I want him dead." Ellie confessed. She wouldn't dare say that around Elena, but it was true.
"What?"
She shrugged. "Yes, your brother sacrificed my sister on an altar and nearly killed my aunt and several other friends of mine in the process, but other than that he hasn't done anything super awful to me or my family. I don't like that he's compelled Stefan, but that's something he can undo anytime he wishes. Even though Elena seems to have conveniently forgotten, Damon has done worse to my family and friends."
Rebekah was pouring herself yet another drink as she listened to Ellie. "Interesting. Your sister doesn't seem to agree with your logic." She commented.
"Elena, apparently, has tunnel vision." Ellie replied. "I'm not Elena, and what she believes and what I believe, has been different more often than not lately."
They had been having fun, actual fun as Ellie showed Rebekah how to use the playstation, when Elena let herself back in. "I thought I told you to leave? Twice." Rebekah commented as she stood up from where she'd been sitting.
"How do you know that Mikael killed your mother?" Elena asked abruptly.
"Nik was there. He told me."
Elena was breathing heavily, shaking her head. "He lied to you." Elena replied.
"And how do you know that?"
"Elena what are you talking about?" Ellie asked as she frowned at her sister.
"The cave where you carved your family's names is covered in symbols, the story of your family… how your parents arrived, how they made peace, the spell that turned them into vampires, and this, this is the symbol for hybrid." Elena had been laying down photos in front of them as she spoke. "It's a combination of the werewolf and the vampire symbol. And this is the one for your mother."
Rebekah was tense as she confirmed, "Her necklace."
"And this is the story of her death." Elena said as she placed down one more photo. "The hybrid killed the original witch. Not Mikael, Klaus."
"No." Rebekah denied as tears welled up in her eyes. "No, he wouldn't."
But Elena didn't let up. "She put the curse on him, made it so that he would be the only one of his kind, and then she rejected him. With the werewolf gene comes aggression and violence. When he turned all of that was heightened. He killed her, Rebekah. And then he made up this entire lie about your father so that he wouldn't lose you."
"These mean nothing. They're just stupid drawings! Done by stupid people who had no idea who my family was!" Rebekah shouted as she picked up the photos, throwing them into the fire.
"Then why are you so upset?" Elena asked, and Ellie was shocked at the way she was acting.
"Why are you doing this to me?" Rebekah demanded. "I've done nothing to you!" She was right. Rebekah didn't deserve what Elena was doing to her in the slightest.
"Klaus killed your mother. He has a hold on you, on me, on everyone. He has for a thousand years. We have to make it stop." Elena pleaded, blatantly trying to turn Rebekah against her brother.
"Shut up! Just shut up! Don't talk anymore! Nothing!" Rebekah shoved Elena into a wall but released her before Ellie even had to say anything.
When Rebekah stumbled back slightly, Ellie knew in an instant what was about to happen. "Rebekah…" She called softly, reaching for the other girl. "Elena, get out. Get the fuck out." Ellie hissed as Rebekah crumpled into her arms.
"Ellie…" Elena started.
"Get. Out." Ellie hissed. "You have done enough." Her tone was like ice and when Elena didn't move fast enough, Ellie used her magic to force Elena to move. She kept pushing Elena until the other girl was out the front door, and she promptly locked it behind her so that Rebekah could have privacy. "Rebekah…"
The whispering of her name broke the dam, a choked sob escaping her throat as she turned into Ellie, holding the witch desperately. "No, no, no, no." Rebekah was sobbing into Ellie's shoulder, clutching onto the witch as everything really hit her. "He killed her… he killed my mom." She cried.
Ellie's heart was aching for Rebekah. Everything Rebekah thought she had known was wrong, and the brother she'd stayed with for a thousand years had taken her mother from her. "It's ok, let it out." Ellie soothed as she rocked the vampire gently. Not knowing what else to do, she gently began to hum the same lullaby Katherine had hummed to her when the deaths of Dr. Martin and Luka had overwhelmed her. "I'm right here, Rebekah I'm right here, I promise."
"It can't be true. It can't." Rebekah sounded like she was begging, though there was no one to beg. It seemed like a part of Rebekah had accepted it to be true, though she didn't want it to be. Not knowing what else to do, and being near desperate to comfort the girl she was holding, Ellie pressed a kiss to Rebekah's hair and pulled her closer. If it was all she could do, it was exactly what she would do. She only hoped it would be enough.
Author's Note:
I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! As always, please leave a review and let me know your thoughts!
To vivi. wie: This was definitely an emotional chapter. It made me emotional to write it. It's understandable that it's a blur if you've gone a while without watching it. I have no idea if the others read all the reviews and my answers, but I'm glad they give you more information! My readers are really amazing, and they mean the world to me! They're honestly really inspiring when I get hit with writer's block.
To xenocanaan: There's definitely going to be at least one really big explosion between Ellie and Elena, but the really big one that I know for sure will happen won't be for a while, so I don't know what all is going to go down between the two of them. Honestly, I hadn't even realized that the chapter she got closure with is the chapter that was going to start off the new year, but it's fitting. I agree that there's something more genuine to their relationship, and I think the trauma they endured together is a big part of that. I think part of Caroline and Bonnie's wishy washiness comes from the fact that Elena's really had control over them for years. I hope it changes, we deserve that for them.
To FreakingLEM: I cried too. She really needed that closure more than she knew.
To brigitm28: It's understandable, she kinda makes it to where she feels like she's got the world on her shoulders. I feel like with Anna, Anna was just a kid that wanted her mom back and was willing to do whatever it took to get her back. Then she fell for Jeremy and got killed, and she just got the short end of the stick. Elena blaming him for getting to spend time with someone he loved made no sense. Yeah, I wanted to add in some more fun moments of Ellie with her magic and being a kid with it. I agree with more Ellie and Stefan. Speaking of one shots, what kind of things would you like to see?
To flawsome4ever: Thank you so much! Yes, she did need this closure. I can't wait for her to meet them either, especially Kol. I'll try and figure out something that she can do about Finn, if that's possible. Happy New Year to you as well.
To lolistarkiller: It definitely did! Her bumping into Isobel's parents would actually be really great. Maybe that could be one of the one shots I write. Now that you mention it, Ellie having a place where she could be a regular teenager with a regular family would be really great. Agreed, they never really even mentioned their grandparents in the show, so I guess it's implied that they're already dead. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
To Oz: It just felt right bringing all of them back for this chapter. I feel like they were all her family in a way, and she's lost so many people because of Elena's actions and she's suffering for it. Isobel loved Katherine when she a vampire, they were family after all, and I think that she probably had the opportunity to get to know Katherine, at least to a degree, and so I think she'd be all for Ellie and Katherine being sisters. Kol being her new mentor would actually be amazing. That whole chapter made me wildly emotional to write. There probably won't be much Ellie and Stefan while his humanity is off, but there should be some more once he gets it back.
To AdiraBraelynn: I literally took multiple breaks writing this chapter because I would start to cry lol. Agreed, and I think what's even more interesting is that her character, as is, still compliments Kol. Though it might be different than the way she compliments Elijah. The Mikaelsons deserve so much love. Oh, I agree that she'd probably make a good diplomat. I could see Marcel wanting to use that to his advantage. I know, her reaction with the Martins had her so vulnerable, and that's exactly what she needed, because she's been holding onto those emotions for so long. She really does need a break. Wait! Writing a one shot about how they reacted to Elena leaving Ellie behind is actually brilliant! That's a definite possibility. I hope you enjoy this chapter!
-Madame Magic
Posted: 1/2/21
