A/N: Congratulations to Razeus1 for being the 100th reviewer for this story xx Alexis
Well, her jeep made it here to Memphis alright, but apparently was sent on to Birmingham, Alabama. It's had a re-spray and is registered to a Miss Elizabeth Strand! I'm closing in on her now, I can feel it. That stupid bitch thinks she can evade me with just a change of name. She stayed in Birmingham for three days it appears, but hired a car for only one of them, why? Was she scouting for a place to live in this area? Damnation, I'll have to work out from the mileage where she went. Because her scent has completely faded from here, even the room she slept in, because I checked! It's like she did a ring around Birmingham, again why? I'm beginning to wonder if Isabella wasn't slightly touched in the head.
Because this behaviour makes no sense to me at all. Maybe that's why I could never read her mind! I have done a small circuit around Birmingham and no she has not made a permanent base in any of the small towns out here. I will return to that rather cheap and shabby hotel she stayed in and listen out for any thoughts about her. What the hell? Why would the Volturi guard be here? How could they know she was here before I did? Oh, no it's me they are after and Demetri is here so I can't run. Well. I'll just have to use my superior skills to find out what they want and get rid of them! They are here to detain and transport me to Italy, because of something called an Original!
What in God's name is an Original? I see red when I glean from one of their heads, this Original whatever it is, has Isabella and has threatened to kill me! Because of this and only because of this, they manage to take me down! How humiliating and degrading this is, so insulting to someone as important as me! I have been dismembered and it is excruciatingly painful. As unbearable as Jasper always said it was and of course, I unfortunately never believed him. I will be having words with Aro about the uncouth behaviour of his guard; surely he would explain I was to be treated with the respect due to someone of my standing!
"Alec knock this pompous, arrogant, idiot out before he remembers to reads all our minds!" Demetri says before everything goes black.
IOOH
I sauntered slowly to the meeting place where Carlisle stood waiting, watching his every nuance and movement. How sad is it that it's come to this, that I no longer trust the man who sired me. He appears to be genuinely beaten down and his spirit slightly crushed. But I wonder for how long, how long before he becomes the disinterested and absent leader he was before?
"Emmett! I don't have the right to ask you for your forgiveness! I have done you so many wrongs over the years; I can hardly believe the magnitude myself. But I will blame no one but myself for all that has happened. It would be too easy to blame Edward or even Alice, but the fault lay with me. For allowing them to rule the roost to the detriment of the rest of you, especially him!" he said with venom in his eyes,
I know now, he had suddenly had to take a good hard look at himself and found what he saw truly unacceptable. It's been one of those rare occasions, something that rarely happens when we stop and take stock and know we have to change or perish. We as a family, no as a coven have all had to do this in recent weeks and I'm guessing all of us have changed because of it except Edward and possibly Alice. But as they say, the proof is in the pudding. I'm not interested in excuses; I want and need assurances that things will be different from now on.
"Things have to change Carlisle, I refuse to pretend it never happened, but it needs to be discussed between the four of us who remain!" I reply tersely,
Turning to face the way I came and hear him try to suppress a half sob, half sigh. Surely he didn't expect this to be that easy. I am not willing to just let seventy years of being not even second-best, pass with just an apology.
IOOH
Well, my part in this little game is almost over. I have gotten little bird where she needs to be and now it's all up to the Original to keep her safe and away from any more involvement with us Cold Ones. I rarely take such an interest in humans or even the Originals. I probably wouldn't have if it hadn't involved the Major and therefore the Cullens. Nobody deserves to be lumbered with Edward, not even my worst enemy! But they are all so screwed up themselves, that addin' a human into the mix was bound to be a disaster. I don't understand the fightin' what they have become, they can't change it. It's not as if the pretendin' will make it go away, but that's the trouble with those who had an easy start in this life.
They think the world owes them somethin', they see themselves as above the rest of us, but what they are is a joke! This is not the ideal life for many of us, but it's the only life we have. That's what they don't grasp it's this or death and I doubt very much there's an afterlife! But that's just my opinion; it seems a tad creepy, watchin' over those you've left behind! I don't need anyone spyin' on me and the Mrs! Others say it's not all the time, especially not when you're doin' the business! But hell, I'm either doin' it with Char, thinkin' about doin' it with Char or jerkin' off because I haven't done it recently with Char! When exactly are they goin' to watch me?
It's not like I sleep or nothin', I ain't human and that brings me full circle on my thought for today. Yeah, one a day is more than enough!
IOOH
"Compelling is a lot like the glamouring Edward and Alice did to you, but without the need to breathe all over the person, its mind control!" Elijah said and I raise an eyebrow,
"No! I haven't done it to you and I think you would be immune anyway. Would you like to have me try because if I can't no other traditional will be able to do it?" he continues and I nod slowly,
I can see his pupils dilating and know he has his whole attention on me specifically. But I don't feel the need to do as he asks; in fact, I laugh and tell him I'm eating the sweet all by myself. I notice I didn't feel him either, why is it only witches I sense? It can't be because they mean me harm; Jane of the Volturi tried and failed to harm me! I must have to do with the traditional in my family tree, did they have something against witches and it's been passed down? So I can't be compelled, that's a plus I suppose, but what do we do about the witches? I tell Elijah all my thoughts as I tuck into the Bananas Foster in front of me and he looks deep in thought as he leans back in his chair swirling the brandy in his glass absently.
"Many witches have been turned into traditional vampires in the past. Some by accident, others sacrificed by their own covens and as many as a punishment by said traditionals. Because they then cannot perform magic as I told you earlier.
So it could be a disgruntled former witch in your past, with enough knowledge to pass on the ability to thwart other witches to your family line. As I said we don't forget previously learned information. Not like Cold Ones because the transition is not really painful in itself.
It's the fact you have to physically die, to become one of us, after having consumed the blood of another traditional or one of the Original family! For instance, say you had been feeding from me constantly and were then hit by a car and died.
You would wake later and then have to consume human blood or mine to complete the transition, if you don't in twenty-four hours you would again die for real and permanently!" he explained so solemnly,
This was delivered with such seriousness that I quickly understood that in his long past, some may have refused and died! People he loved, people he wished had taken his blood. I gently laid my hand over his and squeezed slightly, letting him know I understood the gravity of the situation.
"Where are you staying?" I ask changing the conversation for now,
"My sister Rebekah's place. It was once her love nest with Marcel Gerard, I believe" He replies shrugging his shoulder slightly and I smile,
"I think I've found something, would you like to see? When Teresa and Gareth told me about buying this place, they explained they were given a key along with everything else. But they could never find any door that it opened and I forgot all about it due to starting school here.
So I decided with the witch bother keeping me home, to have a look myself and it's taken me until now to work it out! There is a dead space in the building on the top floor and I believe it's a hidden room or rooms" I say quite excitedly,
I grab Elijah's hand and drag him with me up the stairs. When we reach the topmost area I stand in front of a grand elaborately ornate wall, especially for this kind of building. I produce the key and hold it up for Elijah to see the monogrammed 'M' on it and he raises an eyebrow and studies the wall more intently. On the left-hand side below a wrought iron shelf was a small button, barely noticeable without searching for it. Elijah insists I step back before depressing it and the wall's centre panel slides away to reveal a door. But it is crisscrossed in chains obscuring the keyhole. In elaborate script on the door itself are the words, 'Speak The Password' and I'm stumped, but Elijah smirks and says clearly,
"Always and Forever!"
The chains drop from the door and he can use the key to open it now. He keeps me behind him, but close and I'm glad. He unlike Edward isn't stopping me, just protecting me. If it had been Edward I'd have been sent to my room like a child while he investigated the room.
"Always and Forever, what's that?" I whisper as we pass through the doorway,
"Our family's motto! This place was either Kol or Finn's I'm assuming, that's two of my brothers. Magic wasn't Klaus' forte, but the other two missed it dreadfully" he murmurs back to me,
"Wow, big family, I'm an only child. I always wanted a sibling" I tell him as we scan the entryway,
"Yeah! Sometimes you can have too many" he replied a little exasperated,
IOOH
"Felix! Have they returned yet?" Caius demands impatiently,
"I believe they are still in the air Master, the fool had to be restrained before the flight Demetri said" was Felix's reply,
"Inform them to reassemble him before they arrive!" Aro stated and Felix bowed low before leaving to contact the tracker,
Marcus sat still as a statue; he wanted the Cullen boy terminated to ensure no more interference from the Originals. Caius was seething because he knew once more Aro would do something to offend the Originals and he refused to die like his brother did, for Aro's stupid arrogance. Aro, of course, was trying to work out what would yield him the best outcome. Yes, he knew he had lost a shield, but would he be happy with a mind-reader instead! Edward was a whiny child, but with Chelsea's power, he would do as he was told. Could he use a controlled Edward to get Isabella back, now that might be a possibility? If Elijah killed Edward it wouldn't be much of a loss really!
But would Elijah also follow through with his threat and send Niklaus to Volterra once again? That was the sixty-four million dollar question! He had underestimated them once before and he doubted he would survive another mistake like that. Aro knew both Marcus and Caius would kill him themselves to keep the Originals out of their lives and Volterra! It all hinged on what Isabella was to Elijah, if she was his mate then Aro would throw in the towel now. But if there was a chance she was not anything important to him, they could get her back! But how could he find out, damn he needed a seer and the Major would refuse to allow him to use Alice!
He wasn't afraid of Jasper Whitlock, but he was not someone to make an enemy of either! Plus if he involved him then his brother's gift would be triggered and they would know what Aro was really up to! Little did he know Peter was more involved in this affair than the Major. Well, he would hold off until he'd read the fool and then once Chelsea had worked her magic, he'd reassess the situation.
IOOH
How had my carefully constructed life come to this? This was not what I'd planned or wanted and yet here I am! I fear I took too many pages out of Edward's book and forgot that when you make plans and arbitrary decisions, the other party may not comply in fact they might rebel drastically! I did this, have always done this and now it has finally come back to bite me! I fell into the trap of assuming I knew exactly what everyone would say and do. I forgot all about that one thing that upsets my plans all the time, free will! My visions of everyone are spotty at present and in some cases non-existent. Mine and Edward's handling of the Isabella situation was beyond stupid!
Yes, she was just a human, but she was anything but ordinary. When I could no longer see her I didn't change my plans at all, I just forged ahead and alienated her completely. Instead of appealing to her better judgement, I glamoured her into going to Volterra and she knows it and hates me for it. Then instead of making amends, I pretended everything was as it used to be and she hated me for that too. I also saw with my eyes and not my visions, the moment her connection to Edward severed completely. What did I do, yes I ignored it and convinced myself she would do as I had foreseen, but alas that was not the case at all. In all of that, I forgot one detail, my mate, my husband!
I knew over the years when he was unhappy with me, but saw each event as a singular thing and never once thought of the accumulative effect that would have on an empath! Well, I see it now, my mate is disillusioned by me, his alter ego that I pretended didn't exist is disgusted by me and they are both embarrassed to be my mate! I have fallen as low as a vampire can and yes I do actually know I'm not human. But it seems I played the part so well even I believed it in the end! I can only be thankful he didn't break our bond, because he is strong enough to survive that, but I doubt very much that I am. It is not a pleasant feeling to know you have failed in something that should have been intrinsically easy!
I have seen Rose and Esme eradicating my input from the house in Canada and they are happy about it. That is galling, as was Edward deciding I was useless to him once I could no longer see and keep tabs on his precious pet. Oh, I'm aware he did not love her as a mate and now know he would never change her. He wanted the perfect blood-filled human Stepford wife, but that was never her! Even hearing him deny her in Volterra didn't alert me to the fact he wasn't following my plans either. Now I have no choice but to allow Jasper to mark me as his mate because if I die at the hands of an Original that would hurt him more. I am done hurting us both, my way was wrong, now we'll try his way!
Unlike the others, I know exactly who and what they are and have always made sure to steer clear of them. Possibly that's the little bit of a witch in me; because that's what a seer is a witch of sorts! Unlike them, Cold Ones can take their magic over with them; we just call them gifts or powers! The reason I never accepted his mating mark before was, a hang-up from my human life I think. I never had any control of my life before; it was first my father, then the so-called doctor's and finally James who controlled the human Mary Alice Brandon. I was bound and determined to never allow that to happen to the vampire me I invented! I saw the perfect live Jasper envisioned for us and I decided it was not enough for me.
But I never took him into account in all of that. That was my first mistake and I just kept on compounding it over and over. So it appears I am finally going to pay the price for my own arrogance and immaturity because that life he wanted was really beautiful and I ruined it for both of us! I misread the signs, he didn't want to control me, he wanted to love me and protect me and I was too blind to see it! Now he barely likes me and that is down to me and me alone.
IOOH
I can't believe this place was hidden here for so long, Kol was way more clever than Klaus or I gave him credit for. Just like Rebekah's place it was his bolthole away from us. I know it's his and not Finn's due to the amount of erotica around the place. Two things Kol loves above all else, are sex and blood. The blood is on tap here and this was his getaway to enjoy sex freely. Out from under our watchful eyes. As I have said before we have made many mistakes over the years and the main one was thinking we knew what was best for our brothers. We hardly knew what was best for ourselves back in the beginning and yet we tried to impose our ideals on them all and wondered why they hated it and us at times!
The collection of ancient witchcraft artefacts is staggering; he really did try so many times to try and find a way he could use his magic. In fact, some of this stuff belonged to our family before we became like this. Jesus, he has several White Oak stakes and items made from that accursed tree!
"I..., Well..., Oh my god!" I hear stuttered behind me and turn to see Isabella blushing profusely as she stared at the bed,
This is one large room, used for everything but bathing it seems and the bed in the centre of the back wall is a little over the top even for Kol. Four large carved phallic shape bedposts rise into the air by several feet dominating everything around it! I quickly tear the dust sheets off of other things and cover them up so they are not staring her in the face as it were. I'm a little amused by her obvious innocence; I'm also a little turned on by that fact too. But ever the gentleman I will not embarrass her about it. Klaus would, in fact, all of the others, except Finn would! He would strike a match to this place, burning it and Elizabeth's to the ground.
"My brother Kol, he embraced the art of sexual freedom a little more liberally than the rest of us!" I whisper to her and she nods, still embarrassed by what's she is seeing,
We start to open a couple of doors in one of the sidewalls, the other is glass. But the view is just the roofline and a couple of other windows if you crane your neck a little due to them being set back into the room's space.
"I've never seen this looking from my window, is it hidden? Or is the glass only one way?" Isabella asks now,
I explain how it's probably just the angle that hides it and how cleverly designed it is. The bathing room is sensual and opulent, but nowhere near as hedonistic as the bed in the main room. There are a couple of empty storage rooms too, so I'll have the monstrosity dismantled and hidden away. I'm assuming Isabella wanted to show me this place, thinking it was somewhere to hide from the witches. Not that I need hide from them, but to use their own magic against them is truly satisfying. It is a safe haven warded against any attacks and has a supply of blood on tap. But the best part is that I will be close to Isabella at all times. Yes, this will be better than Rebekah's place, well once I clear away all his erotic paintings and furniture.
"Wow, your brother was quite the collector and I recognise some of the artist's names too. But these paintings have never been recorded as works done by them. Is this him? Definitely not the shy, retiring type is he?" Isabella says glancing over a full length nude of Kol on the wall,
"No, you could never call him that, but he's still foolishly young. Not quite a man in age, but definitely in appetites!" I reply smiling fondly at the painting,
"What about you Elijah, how old were you when you were changed?" Isabella asks me now,
"Twenty-four, well I think so! Time and age meant little back then. Freya and Finn were older than me and the rest were younger" I explain to her,
"You have two sisters then and three brothers then?" she now asks and I sigh,
"There were seven of us, but Freya and Henrik are dead! They were not turned along with us, so now we are five" I say sadly,
"Oh, I'm sorry I shouldn't have asked Elijah!" she whispers and I pull her in for a hug,
"No, you did nothing wrong. It's just hard to accept their loss, it feels like yesterday and never seems to lessen no matter how long ago it all was" I tell her now holding her tightly against me and letting her scent and warmth soothe me.
Using the site wiki/fandom/The_Originals as reference for facts xx
